CM-64 PCM sounds

[moturimi1]

I finally found a CM-64 on Ebay. (Therefore I sold my CM-500, which only emulated the CM-64 PCM sounds.) I have to say that the PCM sounds are great, at least most of them. For me many are better than the equal sounds of the SC-55.
I couldn't believe that this module could sound much better than a 3-4 years newer module. But it's true. If I compare the Piano1, I think the CM-64's piano sounds much better (more real) as the SC-55 piano. I can't believe that many people thought and still think the SC-55 had one of the best midi Piano sounds in the mid 90's. Hear it yourself: http://home.arcor.de/moturimi/Sound/Piano/
Tell me what you think.

[Zemus]

Which one did you use on the SC-55? The CM-64 has a sharper and brighter sound when it comes to the high notes, but the first piano on the SC-55 is a GRAND piano, so it should sound a bit duller... shouldn't it?
They just sound like different instruments to me, wouldn't call one better or worse than the other.

[moturimi1]

Of course you are right Zemus.
The pianos sound different, cause the CM64 is no GM instrument.
I used Piano1 for the GM/GS instruments (SC55,SC8850,SD20) and A.Piano1 (Mellow tone) for the CM64. I think it sounds great. I just wanted to know how you think about this piano!

[Zemus]

I like it. I think it'd sound nice playing pieces with quick, high-pitched notes because of its sharp attack. Not so sure about the lower notes though. Never played on a real piano before so I don't know if that sounds right.

[shad0wfax]

I used to have a CM-64 and a U-220 (same synthesis technology) and I can say it's true: the CM-32P/CM-64 (PCM) sounds better than the SC-55. You've got much less sounds (64 on the CM32P/64, instead of 300+), but the samples are of better quality, which rival many modern synths.

It's an older technology and in some aspects worse than sound canvas (for instance, you have no filter, and only reverb), although it's better in other aspects, such as polyphony (31 instead of 24/28).

Moturimi: if you liked the PCM sounds of the CM-64, take some SN-U110 cards and you'll be amazed

[moturimi1]

@shad0wfax

Thanks for your comment. I already have four SN-U110 PCM cards. They came with the CM-64, but I will sell some of them, cause I don't need all of them. I really like th Orchestral Winds card (SN-U110-06).

[Tom]

That CM-64 Ogg file doesn't really provide a good overall keyboard example.  As Zemus points out, it's done primarily in mid to upper scales, where you don't really hear the depth of the piano's strings.  I'd surely agree that it sounds better than the MT-32 trying to pass itself off as a piano, but I don't really think it sounds better than most other MIDI devices -- just different.  (The MT-32's piano always sounds like it's playing with the apartment pedal depressed.  The CM-64 sounds brighter.)  It's hard to tell because I'm not hearing any powerful low keyboard notes.  Based on these samples though, I don't consider it to sound any better or worse than the SC-55 -- just different.

[Kaminari]

What I'd love to see is an updated MT to GM sysex for CM-64 :)

[shad0wfax]

As I already said before, I've had a CM-64 for a time long enough (and I even wrote some original tunes with it) to confirm that it sounds different, but also better, than the sound canvas. The "problem" of the CM-64 is that not only it has few patches, but also that those patches cover only a few instrument families (for instance, you've got 64 patches, but 4 or 5 pianos, 4 or 5 brass, 4 or 5 basses, etc., so there are only a few instruments). But the sound is richer, more detailed, more dynamic and more realistic than the SC-55. This becomes evident when playing it live via a controller keyboard.

But, on the other hand, the CM-32P (or PCM part of CM-64) is quite useless for game music (only 6 channel multitimbral, very few patches of few instrument families, no drums...). It's better to be used as a supplementary sound source when composing original music.