This new project (https://github.com/nukeykt/Nuked-SC55) is recreating a perfect emulation of the Roland SC55mkII by emulating the CPU and the PCM chip by using microscope images of the decapped cores. I've tried it with several MIDI files and it's indistinguishable from the original.

I've packaged it into an AudioUnit component to be used with Logic Pro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxIF8f454ns

The CPU and the PCM chip are also identical to the JV-80/880, so if somebody ever dumps the rom of those we could get a perfect emulation plugin for them as well!

How is this any different or any better than Roland Cloud's own Sound Canvas plugin?

Accuracy. The Roland Cloud version is a generic sample player with samples from the SC-8820. This one instead emulates the SC-55 down to the hardware level.
Also no cloud subscription needed :D

Sc55 always sucked, regardless of being the most known gm rompler at the time.

Sc88 was magnitudes better in sound imo....just three years later.

I thought the SC-88 sucked as well. So it wouldn't matter to me how accurate this software is. The Sound Canvas was early days of sampling itself..primitive by today's standards. Gigabytes of samples? That was decades away.
96k 24-bit converters? Decades away.

Sometimes you don't need gigabytes of samples to sound good. Take the Roland JD-800 that is regarded as one of the most amazing sounding synths ever, it has only around 4 MB of samples and uses a similar engine as the SC55.

In that instance, what was required was Eric Pershing.

Well, I like this development simply because Roland's own SoundCanvas plugin is... still currently inoperable with modern Mac operating systems! "Under Testing" for years, now, it's clearly a low priority. I think it's the only "Legendary" plugin from Roland Cloud that's still stuck in the past OS.

...And the only reason I care at all is because the SC line was used liberally in some of my favorite Japanese game soundtracks of that era. I won't ever bother with a hardware unit since it's really for niche and nostalgia, and a software solution scratches that itch well. I'll give this a go, thanks to OP for posting!

The RC Sound Canvas plugin works in Sonoma on my
M1 MacBook Pro. I don't understand what u are talking about.

Well... the screenshot attached is what I'm talking about. This only happens with the SC VA, other Roland Cloud plugs work fine – and after some email exchanges with Roland support, they confirmed it was an issue, that there was no workaround, and that they were sorry.

Is it possible that you authorized your version a while ago? I just purchased my license last year. The bug is with authorization, apparently – the plugin seems to load in Logic just fine, it just won't make sound because it thinks I'm a naughty boy who didn't pay for it. I can imagine that if I'd authorized it a few years ago, it would be working ok today.

Yes I authorized my version years ago. And used it once.

I'm working on the Roland JV880 emulation and it seems to be starting to work!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlvfZ6otFsk

I keep my SC-88 to use with my MiSTer FPGA when running classic PC and Amiga games.
Works with the old Japanese X68000 computer as well.

cool stuff man!

Indeed!





Does the emulation go beyond the 28 tones polyphony of the OG hardware, or are those figures closely tied to the Roland sound generator chip architecture?

So, now that Roland has officially discontinued support for their SC plugin... I'm newly interested in this implementation, but I haven't been able to figure out quite how to make it work yet. I'm not super GitHub savvy, I'll admit, and my coding background is nearly nonexistent. But I'm gonna give this another go. Please let us know if there's ever an update or anything like that, I'd love to be able to use some of these SC sounds for nostalgic purposes alone!