Does anyone know what piano sample the TTS-1 piano 1 uses?

[T Boog]

Hi guys. I love the TTS-1 piano 1 sound but I've come to learn just how problematic the TTS-1 program is. I've downloaded a bunch of free piano vst's to try to replace it but they either sound too grand or too cheap. I know this is a long shot but is it possible to download just that piano sample from somewhere? If I had that piano sample, I could stop using the TTS-1 completely. Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

[57Gregy]

Undoubtedly some Roland piano.

[User 905133]

I don't know for sure.  Maybe it's one of the samples from the Sound Canvas line of products.  Roland should know.

Update: I just did a Google search for "Sound Canvas Samples." If my guess is correct, perhaps there are some independent sfz libraries that include samples of the SC piano sample.  

Edited September 6, 2023 by User 905133

[T Boog]

1 minute ago, User 905133 said:

Roland should know

Forgive my ignorance guys, Is there a specific branch of Roland I should email to inquire about this?

[User 905133]

10 minutes ago, Tarrell Freeze said:

Forgive my ignorance guys, Is there a specific branch of Roland I should email to inquire about this?

• I don't know, but I found some more info.
  • Roland's Sound Canvas VA
  • sound canvas VA versus TTS1 - any opinions? thread on another forum
• Maybe some people here know how the TTS-1 samples compare with the Sound Canvas samples.

 

Quote

Roland derived the TTS-1 soft synth software from their HyperCanvas soft synth. Cakewalk bought exclusive rights to label and distribute the TTS-1 but Roland stills maintains the rights to the software code. The TTS-1 sound bank is similar to the hardware sound banks but based on a different sample set.  [from the forum linked above]

I will defer to others who know more of the inside scoop on the TTS-1 samples.

Edited September 6, 2023 by User 905133

[Bass Guitar]

For free the XLN Addictive Keys is a very good quality piano I have used a lot, defiantly more realistic than the TTS-1. 

XLN offers demos of both the Piano and the drum kit with no strings attached. The piano is limited in range but I never use those octaves anyhow. The drum kit has a basic kit but is missing the Toms. I just use the SI drums for the Toms and extra stuff if needed. 

You download and install the Online Installer app and create a free account. And the demos are in the app. Simple. 

https://www.xlnaudio.com/install?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxuCnBhDLARIsAB-cq1pyIu3ZX0SRZmIHozmwyIyj3FS2fqducqUzIFeT_PvG2heyrnd4vmgaAhG7EALw_wcB

 

Roland sells it's VST instruments on a subscription basis which I find way to expensive. But that is where you would find the Sound Canvas VST which is apparently what the TTS-1 sound engine is built on. Seems there would be plenty of old Sound Canvas hardware units collecting dust out there. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Bass Guitar

[mettelus]

Side comment on this one, since it comes up quite often. A "solution" to lackluster samples I have come to rely on Melda's MCharacter. It excels at dry, monophonic material and allows you to sculpt harmonics in samples before sending them into an FX chain (always use this first in the chain). Even with TTS-1, you can up-sample the default piano and get very usable iterations. It can definitely address a lot of "sample quality" issues as well as the urge to buy more instruments of the same type, and is one of the very few plugins that lets you do harmonic surgery on a "note by note" basis.

That said, a few important comments on this, especially if you are unfamiliar with MeldaProduction... 1) Melda has a 15-day fully functional trial on all products, so set aside time to test it before ever buying it, 2) Melda always has plugins for at least 50% off (either in the Eternal Madness cycle or during holidays), 3) Melda gives you $10 just for signing up for a newsletter, and 4) If you use another's referral code you get 20% off your first purchase (but I would honestly save that silver bullet for a bundle, not an individual plugin).

MCharacter will struggle with wet or polyphonic material, but can certainly be used for creative purposes. Over the years I have shied away from samples that have baked in FX (like Spitfire Audio LABS), and often turn internal FX to VSTis off (MCharacter needs to be first in the chain to be most effective).

Also, there are a lot of free VSTi pianos out there, and many can be "dealt with" by using external FX chains as long as the samples are dry.

Quick edit: The TL/DR version of the above is that MCharacter lets you surgically change the timbre (even mutating one instrument into another). I was chuckling to myself when I realized the "simpler description" is just one word!

Edited September 7, 2023 by mettelus

[David Baay]

I have a Roland D-110 (two, actually) c. 1988. that I could sample for you. I'm pretty sure the sound would be comparably thin and uninspiring. ;^)

But, seriously, it was mentioned that Roland makes the virtual Sound Canvas VA plugin available as part of it's subscription service for virtual versions of its hardware synths. But it's also still available for direct purchase with a lifetime key from the usual online music stores for $69.

Its demos can be heard here, starting with acoustic piano:

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by David Baay

[T Boog]

39 minutes ago, David Baay said:

it was mentioned that Roland makes the virtual Sound Canvas VA plugin available

Thanks Dave. I may go that route.

[msmcleod]

The TTS-1 uses exactly the same samples as used in all of the Roland Sound Canvas modules - in fact it's actually a software emulation of the Sound Canvas.
 

4 hours ago, David Baay said:

I have a Roland D-110 (two, actually) c. 1988. that I could sample for you. I'm pretty sure the sound would be comparably thin and uninspiring. ;^)

The D110 predates the Sound Canvas by quite a few years, and is a totally different beast being based on LA synthesis.  AFAIK there are no piano samples in the D110 to speak of (except maybe the shortest piano attack you could imagine).  I've got a D110, and the piano sounds are awful... but pianos aren't what you'd use this synth for.

The U110 / U220, which were around at the same time have piano samples and aren't that bad for the time, but are to my ears inferior to the Sound Canvas (and therefore the TTS-1 too).

I've got both the D110 and the U220 (as well as the MT-32 and CM-64)... they have their uses, but nowadays not so much!  The D550 is the only one that still has charm for me.

[User 905133]

2 hours ago, msmcleod said:

The TTS-1 uses exactly the same samples as used in all of the Roland Sound Canvas modules - in fact it's actually a software emulation of the Sound Canvas.

Thanks for the confirmation!

Some of my Roland Sound modules also have sets of SC sounds (M-GS64  and the RA30) as well as the Edirol VSC IIRC (the one that came bundled with Cakewalk/SONAR back in the day).

[John Vere]

20 hours ago, T Boog said:

Hi guys. I love the TTS-1 piano 1 sound but I've come to learn just how problematic the TTS-1 program is

Not sure exactly what problems you are talking about but possibly the fact that is can crash Cakewalk is a biggy.  What some of us have found is if you start a project with it, like opening a midi file, that it seems stable in that project. I still have it lurking in dozens of backing track projects that started life as a free midi download file. I open those and it creates a very basic project with the TTS-1 and the midi tracks, nothing else. I've never had a crash with those projects. 

+1 to the demo of Addictive Keys I have used that to replace the TTS-1 piano a million times now. I tried all the free VST pianos and most are worse than the TTS-1. I didn't find anything worth while at all. The only other pianos I have is True Pianos which I like a lot and Airs Mini Grand which sound OK but it's buggy. 

[57Gregy]

The best way to get past the TTS-1 quirkiness is to bounce the track to audio as soon as you can. Then delete or archive the synth track.

[T Boog]

6 minutes ago, 57Gregy said:

The best way to get past the TTS-1 quirkiness is to bounce the track to audio as soon as you can. Then delete or archive the synth track.

Thanks and yeah, I'll def be doing that soon. I've been procrastinating on bouncing it down because, of course, it's nice to have full midi control. However, it's time for me to make some committed decisions. For my next project however, I do wanna try out the Sound Canvas.

[57Gregy]

This thread and another in the Instruments and Effects forum made me open up Music Creator Pro 24 to play with the Edirol VSC for awhile.
Probably the first soft synth I ever used.

 

[T Boog]

2 hours ago, JohnnyV said:

Not sure exactly what problems you are talking about but possibly the fact that is can crash Cakewalk is a biggy. 

Cheers John. Well, fortunately I did start the project with the TTS-1 piano but I still experience occasional crashes. I also have problems with most third party vst's. They usually click & pop to the point of being unusable. I don't know if the TTS-1 is contributing to this problem, I'm only guessing that it is. Maybe u could tell me, could the TTS-1 be having trouble playing nice with third party vst's?

Btw, I've also gotten this message(screenshot below) a few times.

 

 

 

[mettelus]

I have had Registry cleaners remove the TTS-1 registration. I am on my cell, but @bitflipper just posted how to correct that a month or so ago. If you right click a MIDI file and try to open with Cakewalk, is that throwing you an error message?

[T Boog]

6 hours ago, msmcleod said:

The TTS-1 uses exactly the same samples as used in all of the Roland Sound Canvas modules - in fact it's actually a software emulation of the Sound Canvas.

Thanks a lot, that's great to know.

Btw, for what it's worth guys, I do know there are more realistic piano vst's out there. For instance, I loved the sound of the Monastery Grand by Melda but it was actually TOO realistic for my current project. U know, where some keys are slightly deader than others. I find that works great for heartfelt chords but for certain melodies, u need a more consistent response.

[T Boog]

6 minutes ago, mettelus said:

I have had Registry cleaners remove the TTS-1 registration. I am on my cell, but @bitflipper just posted how to correct that a month or so ago. If you right click a MIDI file and try to open with Cakewalk, is that throwing you an error message?

 Thanks mettelus. Well I'm not home to access my computer at moment so I can't answer the error msg question but u may have something with the registry cleaner thing. Thinking back, it may have been something like that. Can a Malwarebytes cleaner clear the registry like that?

[mettelus]

Not sure on that one, but I have had it unregister a few times on me and haven't quite pinned down the exact mechanics as to "why." Here is the post on that error and how to re-register it via command prompt (second post).