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I just tried it with a MIDI file that I have been working with recently which uses some Sysex and it worked well in CbB with SC VA. I also tried it in Cubase and Studio One with SC VA and they all sounded pretty much identical. The manual also mentions the "Import SMF EXC" function; if you’re using a DAW that cannot handle system exclusive messages, this loads MIDI data and applies the system parameters to SOUND Canvas VA.

That's interesting and I'm amazed that you still have one. Does it still power on or is that why you use samples of it?

It arrived! ? However, I've only got as far as looking at the box today ?

I had a CM-64 back in the day followed by a D-10 but always lusted after a Sound Canvas. Listening to some of these sounds they still stand up these days but the main reason for me to get it is for ultimate compatibility with millions of GM/GS MIDI files out there. I am actually pretty impressed with TTS-1 for that purpose but you probably can't beat the Sound Canvas as a lot of the files were written using one. BTW the FAQ says ...

I only have the free Roland Cloud at the moment but I guess it still lets you buy stuff outright if you want to.

It's within the new Cloud Manager @Fwrend ... Next to where it says Get Lifetime Key (top right) Worked out at around £57 inc VAT in the UK.

Lol! I guess you are all Zen'd out then Fleer ? That must be a beast!

Would be interested to hear @Fleer 's thoughts on this?

To answer my own query, the difference between the free and $3/month version is that you get free Sound Packs and Wave Expansions with the paid one. They can only be used in the Zenology plugin though.

Yes I was thinking the same and wondering whether it might prompt Korg to drop their prices. Wishful thinking maybe Just trying to figure out whether it's worth $3/month compared to the free version.

For anyone who does a lot of GM/GS MIDI stuff I also noticed that their Sound Canvas VA seems to have dropped a lot in price to buy outright. It was $120 but now $69.

There are 182 presets to choose from covering a lot of bases (some excellent pads I noticed). I have shown the first 40 below. You can click on categories to filter by type. The UI changes depending on the type of preset. So a drum preset displays drum pads rather than cutoff, resonance etc.

Thanks @musical I keep looking at Roland Cloud but the price has put me off as a hobbyist user who already has heaps of synths. This has definitely got my attention though. Here are the various membership options and what's included... https://www.rolandcloud.com/roland-account/memberships/ I notice that whichever membership option you choose it starts with a month trial of Ultimate so you can sample everything they have to offer. I guess they are hoping that after a month of access to everything you wouldn't want to lose access to some of the better stuff but $199/year is too much for me. Also if you pay annually the cost is less. For example Core is $2.99/month paid monthly or $2.49/month paid annually ($29.99). The entry level doesn't include much (unless you own a Fantom or RD-88 hardware) so I would be looking for at least Pro for $99/year (approx £6.70 per month). Still not sure whether that's low enough for me. Do you know if there is still a loyalty program? I think they used to allow you to keep one piece of software every year if you subscribed or something like that. Maybe that's only on the higher subscriptions. Just trying the free Zenology plugin and it is pretty nice for a freebie - one to add to the freebie instruments thread.

Yes it's certainly going to get a lot of use here. Some of those multis are killer.

Thanks abacab! That's a good deal including VC 6. Are you tempted? Maybe if you wait they might include VC 7, IDK. Might be worth an email to Arturia to see if they would consider a free VC 7 upgrade if you were to buy it? I have VC 6 but the upgrade price for VC 7 hasn't yet fallen to what I consider reasonable for 3 extra models. Still there's plenty to keep me occupied in VC 6. I looked at the Keylab Mk II but decided that I couldn't justify the extra cost as the Essential version also works well with the V Collection. Space is also at a premium in my workspace so the Essential version should fit in nicely (leaving more room for guitars ).

My local place (Gear4Music) had new stock of the Arturia Keylab Essential 49 this morning so I ordered it for next day delivery. Will post my views once I have it all set up. Thanks @abacab for the recommendtion. Gear4Music also had new stock of the Nektar Impact LX49+ but in the end, as something that I will interact with a lot in the music making process, the Arturia won me over. Plus I can sell my old controller (iRig Keys Pro + ST3 bundle) for a decent amount to recoup some of the cost. Presumably I could also sell my existing copy of AL4 as this keyboard comes with a copy.

Yikes! Keylab Essential 49 wasn't on my radar. Now I'm off to watch a load of YouTube videos on it (maybe in the morning anyway as it is gone half past midnight here in blighty.). Thanks for the suggestion @abacab! Enjoy AL4! UPDATE: It's definitely a contender but, you guessed it, out of stock everywhere in the UK/Europe, including Arturia. Should be good with V Collection as well as AL4. The MIDI Control Centre software also looks very nice for creating your own mappings...

Yes probably a good idea to wait it out abacab as you say. I should just bide my time.. After all, you know what they say.. "purchase in haste, regret at leisure".

Thanks for your reply @Tezza. So annoying that I cannot buy a Nektar. Annoyingly I even found that there were a couple of sales on them before the pandemic with the 49 key version going for around £90.

Thanks Larry. It automatically adds the MODO50 promo code for me (presumably because I own MODO Bass) at the checkout to reduce it by 50 EUR. Works out at 99.99 EUR if you don't pay VAT or 119.99 EUR if you do. Still on the fence.

Definitely, I think we got it at the same time Mesh ?

In my search for a new 49 key controller with integrated transport, pads, faders and knobs I had pretty much decided on a Nektar Impact LX49+ but for some reason (COVID-19?) in the UK/Europe they are out of stock everywhere and the "stock expected" date seems to keep moving to the right. Maybe a new model is due? IDK. Anyway, looking slightly higher up the price scale I then found the Novation Lauchkey 49 Mk2 which is in stock at Amazon for next day delivery. It seems to tick all the boxes but I wondered how well its features could be integrated into CbB. Are there any Launchkey owners here who are using one successfully with CbB and if so how easy was it to set up and use all of the features in CbB? I'm sure I read that the Launchkey series have fixed configs for specific DAWs (InControl?) which would make it tricky to use in non-supported DAWs. I don't mind doing a bit of manual configuration if that is possible but would only want to have to do this once so that anything that I have manually set up could be saved and recalled for future use. I do also have Studio One, Cubase, Reaper, Reason and Ableton Live some of which seem to be natively supported by Launchkey but I use these less than CbB .

Interesting, thanks Yeto. Band-in-a-box has been my goto for this kind of thing (or ChordPulse for a small footprint alternative). I will definitely check it out though and the price is right

Only thing to note is that I had missing graphics on the multis in Kontakt 6. The fix is mentioned in the installation guide and worked fine for me...

+1 to Larry's comment. I have never seen you play like that before Simeon! I am glad that you only "set fire" to it in a metaphorical way though! Really enjoying the sounds in this thing. So awe inspiring - probably one of my favourite purchases in recent times.