TTS-1: One instance for many tracks vs. multiple TTS-1 tracks?

[Dave G]

I still like to use TTS-1 tracks in my projects, but I always take into consideration doing it properly.

I used to use one instance of TTS-1 for multiple tracks for the sake of simplicity and consolidation. These days, I prefer one synth per instrument track for more control.

What I would like to know is...your opinions? What are the pros/cons of using one TTS-1 instance for many (<16) instruments with an Audio Output vs. multiple TTS-1 tracks, one for each instrument track, but output to the Master Bus?

Thanks in advance.

[user 905133]

18 minutes ago, Dave G said:

I still like to use TTS-1 tracks in my projects, but I always take into consideration doing it properly.

I used to use one instance of TTS-1 for multiple tracks for the sake of simplicity and consolidation. These days, I prefer one synth per instrument track for more control.

What I would like to know is...your opinions? What are the pros/cons of using one TTS-1 instance for many (<16) instruments with an Audio Output vs. multiple TTS-1 tracks, one for each instrument track, but output to the Master Bus?

Thanks in advance.

Not sure what you mean by "one synth per instrument track."  It sounds like you are saying you prefer each instrument track to have only one sound (monotimbral v. multitimbral).  

As for "using one TTS-1 instance for many (<16) instruments with an Audio Output vs. multiple TTS-1 tracks, one for each instrument track, but output to the Master Bus," although I don't do that with TTS-1, I would think that a benefit might be that you can put FX plug-ins on each sound independently instead of FX plug-ins globally for all sounds.

Not sure what you want to do, or if you are more guided by organization and workflow than by results.

 

[msmcleod]

You don't need to choose between one instance or 16 instances. TTS 1 supports four separate stereo audio outputs,  you can also use 4 instances of per-output instrument tracks giving you a separate audio out for each.

But in answer to your question:

One instance pros:   less memory used, less likely to crash if inserted as 1st synth (this is a TTS-1 specific problem)
One instance cons:   the synth will be using one CPU core only (not a huge issue with TTS-1),  any VST effects will be on everything

16 instances pros:  separate audio outs, so each instrument can have it's own effect; better balancing over CPU cores, easy to replace a part with a new synth
16 instances cons:  more memory used, may be more prone to crashing.

A compromise would be to use 4 instances using per-output instrument tracks:

 

[John Vere]

Personally I think you are risking future headaches with depending on the one synth that is now causing crashes for many of us. I guess is in a few years TTS-1 will not even be included with Cakewalk as they developers can no longer support it in any way. The Code belongs to Roland who make the Sound Canvas which is supported still as a VST.  But Cakewalk team can do nothing about the TTS_1 becoming unstable. 

 There are so many better sounding instruments available and you can do this for free if you want. Tell us what instruments you like using and we can make recommendations.  

[Dave G]

Thank you all for your elaborate responses! ☺️

Honestly, I use TTS-1 as a temporary placeholder track for when I have a melody I want to put down in a hurry and expand on it later.

I also have the Cakewalk Studio Instruments Suite, a large bundle of Digital Sound Factory packs (for Cakewalk Sound Center), SessionDrummer, and Addictive Drums.

I don't plan on spending massive amounts of money on extra instrument packs, as an amateur musician doing this casually. For now, these are much more than what I need for the instruments available.

I plan on eventually replacing my TTS-1 tracks with instruments from any of the above.

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

On 3/31/2023 at 2:30 PM, John Vere said:

Personally I think you are risking future headaches with depending on the one synth that is now causing crashes for many of us. I guess is in a few years TTS-1 will not even be included with Cakewalk as they developers can no longer support it in any way. The Code belongs to Roland who make the Sound Canvas which is supported still as a VST.  But Cakewalk team can do nothing about the TTS_1 becoming unstable. 

 There are so many better sounding instruments available and you can do this for free if you want. Tell us what instruments you like using and we can make recommendations.  

The only downside of taking TTS-1 away is that you then have nothing capable of dealing with General MIDI files or even provide sounds outside of what Studio Instruments can give you. I think Only Studio One maps MIDI tracks to its equivalent Presence sounds.

[John Vere]

2 hours ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

The only downside of taking TTS-1 away is that you then have nothing capable of dealing with General MIDI files or even provide sounds outside of what Studio Instruments can give you. I think Only Studio One maps MIDI tracks to its equivalent Presence sounds.

Yes I don't look forward to the day it dies as I use it like many people just to pre view downloaded midi files. I guess you could use the dreaded MS wavetable out of desperation. I also have a real Sound Canvas as well as my Korg 05R/w has a GM mode. And my Yamaha DTX drum module has a GM player built in. 

Cubase has the Halion Synth which is GM and I also have that somewhere as I own Cubase 5 on a DVD I never bother to install anymore.  I think I can just install Halion and it gets licensed via the Dongle I have plugged in so I can use Wave Lab. So I have a few options. Seems the only GM synth you can purchase is the Roland Cloud version of Sound Canvas VST. If it sounds anything like my hardware version it would be a waste of money. I like the Korg much better. 

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by John Vere

[bitflipper]

I still use TTS-1 regularly and have never had an issue with it. For me, its main limitation is the four audio outputs, which limits audio processing possibilities if you're using more than four voices.

However, this is rarely a practical concern because, like the OP, I mainly use the instrument as a placeholder during composition that will later be replaced by more sophisticated synths. Combining multiple voices into a single audio output isn't a problem while you're composing a song. It only becomes a limitation when you start mixing, and you will have already substituted other synths before starting the mix phase.

The main advantage of using one instance of any multitimbral synth is CPU efficiency, which may be important to you if you play the synths in real time and thus need low latency.

The main disadvantage is that you can't freeze tracks independently.  But this won't be an issue until you start mixing and may need to freeze tracks after adding CPU-intensive synths and effects.

My advice to the OP is to do whatever feels comfortable, since it doesn't really matter which method you choose. 

[Dave G]

Thank you for all of the advise and insight! I truly appreciate it.

Even after doing this for quite a while (on/off), it's hard to know that my routine is efficient and know my way around, let alone having to second guess everything I do during the workflow.

One can never be sure whether they're doing something right or could be doing it better. ☺️

[Jim Fogle]

15 hours ago, John Vere said:

Yes I don't look forward to the day it dies as I use it like many people just to pre view downloaded midi files. I guess you could use the dreaded MS wavetable out of desperation.

 

@John Vere, Many standalone multi-timbrel keyboards with midi connectivity continue to offer general midi and general midi 2 patches in addition to proprietary extended patches. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by Jim Fogle

[JnTuneTech]

For me anyway - setting up, and certainly previewing a complex MIDI file or arrangement (or even mildly complex, 4 or 5 parts including drums), without something like the TTS-1 to get it started quickly, would, as @John Vere alluded to, be something I would not enjoy nearly as much. But if you don't use that type of workflow, then by all means, carry on!    -I mean, I was really thrilled to get TTS-1 as part of Cakewalk, I had been looking for that in a DAW before I even got hold of individual virtual instruments,  - way - back when of course, but it still holds true for me now. A multi-timbral synth with GM (which I know is in itself outdated) capabilities is, or can be, a very helpful Swiss Army Knife.

As to the OP - I also suggest using it any way suits your needs, per project. No need to have a set pattern. And that's what works great with a multi-timbral instrument, use one track, or all available, export out anything you might truly keep to a file (mute the other MIDI parts, export..) - so many quick uses possible.

I still find quick parts in the TTS-1 that are very useable, without having to pull up multiple libraries. -It took years (& tons of code) for Kontakt to even have some searchability, but with GM patches & a multi-timbral synth, I have been able to find all kinds of parts almost instantly, from one MIDI track in Cakewalk. -Try using the Patch Browser - search function, on a MIDI track routed to TTS-1, -or any properly indexed GM VST2 synth, and you will find a lot of sounds quickly. I will be sad to see that go, especially since VST3 seems to have done away with patch browsing from a track.

I'm trying not to be a Roland fanboy, but I have always liked the GM compatible instruments they started early on with. And if all else, I will probably continue to use at least the Sound Canvas plugin from them if TTS-1 goes away, as those types of tools seem to have a lot of flexible consistency in them. -For me, anyway.

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

On 4/6/2023 at 1:08 AM, John Vere said:

Yes I don't look forward to the day it dies as I use it like many people just to pre view downloaded midi files. I guess you could use the dreaded MS wavetable out of desperation. I also have a real Sound Canvas as well as my Korg 05R/w has a GM mode. And my Yamaha DTX drum module has a GM player built in. 

Cubase has the Halion Synth which is GM and I also have that somewhere as I own Cubase 5 on a DVD I never bother to install anymore.  I think I can just install Halion and it gets licensed via the Dongle I have plugged in so I can use Wave Lab. So I have a few options. Seems the only GM synth you can purchase is the Roland Cloud version of Sound Canvas VST. If it sounds anything like my hardware version it would be a waste of money. I like the Korg much better. 

 

Halion Sonic is the free version of it. I don't know if it comes with everything or if it still requires the dreaded eLicenser BS. Another alternative would be a sampler like TX16W with some GM soundfont like Fluidsynth of Arachno.