What replaces TTS-1?

[Eugene Blanchard]

I created a Youtube video on How to install TTS-1 on Cakewalk by Bandlab

 

[Francisco Rossier]

Here I found the solution. I already tested it and got TTS-1 up and running with my Cakewalk Sonar installation:
 

Good luck and keep making music!

[Bass Guitar]

Really. As said in the beginning of the thread. 

VST SynthFont 64 is only $15 Euros and is actually  a much better GM midi player than the TTS-1.

I have the TTS-1 but due to instability I have excluded it in Plug in Manager. I have been using the VST SynthFont for about 2 years now. 

It takes 2 seconds to open a midi file and drag and drop the VST SynthFont to the project. 
Just like the way we used the Tts-1 you make sure to disable all midi outputs in Preferences. 
 

Because the TTS-1 used inferior Wavetable engine the Sound Fonts are way better sound quality. And you can purchase even higher quality sound fonts if you’re so inclined. 
 

Also the VST SynthFont has 16 output ability the TTS-1 only has 4. 
So you can use the pro channel and all your favourite effects on each midi channel. 
 

Kennth the developer is a great person and always takes time to answer any questions I have. There is also a VST 3 version available now that is in Beta. But so far it has worked perfectly with Sonar. 

So this is fully supported software not abandoned ware like all the others. 
 

Bonus is if you purchase the Midi Sound Synth from the Goldmidi site you will receive the whole set of the latest highest resolution sound fonts. Kenneth and Roberto have created a new font called SFKR 
The Midi Sound synth is an amazing midi player with lyrics and all the bells and whistles for managing midi playback for live performance.

The free version is still excellent but the upgrade for 40 Euros gets those better SFKR  fonts added. They will also be available in VST SynthFont. 

SynthFont.com

Goldmidisf2. com

Here's how you do it in New Sonar 

 

Edited November 9 by Bass Guitar

[Bass Guitar]

As a follow up. I tried the SFKR sound fonts and I don’t like them at all. They seem to have that under water sound like you get with stem separation. So forget about them . 
 

I’ve set up a test project with a track for each player. 

I insert the synth and Export it. I carefully adjust levels so all tracks are around 17 LUFS . This is important! 

Most of the players are outside of Sonar so I record them using Loopback. 

TTS-1

Coyote

VST SynthFont 

MSWavetable

Virtual Midi Synth

Acoustia Instruments Mixcraft 

Presence Studio one 

Cubase Halcyon 

Cakewalk Next 

I listened to each by using solo exclusive. 
 

The most accurate playback was Coyote and the Synth Font. Wavetable actually sounds more accurate than the TTS-1. 
Acoustica is not accurate but I like the overall sound quality best. 
Cakewalk Next is also good. 
Worst accuracy is Cubase and then PreSonus. 
 

Virtual midi synth sounds like Coyote and SynthFont but like the MS Wavetable has terrible latency and is not a VST or a DX. So is sort of useless in a Daw. 

Edited Wednesday at 08:26 PM by Bass Guitar

[sjoens]

That "How to" video a few posts up for installing TTS-1 looks like someone uploaded it for the world to have.  Is that legal?  If so I'm sure someone here would have offered it.  He also includes other "TTS" files that have nothing to do with TTS-1.

Edited November 12 by sjoens

[Amberwolf]

3 hours ago, Bass Guitar said:

As a follow up. I tried the SFKR sound fonts and I don’t like them at all. They seem to have that under water sound like you get with stem separation. So forget about them

A quick google finds they use some sort of compression to make the files smaller (which is pretty ridiculous to worry about in this day and age), so it's probably caused by dataloss from that compression, or a flaw in the compression/decompression algorithm if it is something that is happening realtime. 

[57Gregy]

A hardware synth.

[Bass Guitar]

4 hours ago, sjoens said:

That "How to" video a few posts up for installing TTS-1 looks like someone uploaded it for the world to have.  Is that legal?  If so I'm sure someone here would have offered it.  He also includes other "TTS" files that have nothing to do with TTS-1.

I made a video a year ago about how to save the TTS-1 etc I removed it as  I realized that Roland might not like that.  In reality I don’t think Bandlab bought any license for it. It was just embedded in the Sonar Platinum code. 
 

It was probably just overlooked for all those Bandlab Cakewalk years.
If you look at the history, it came into play in Sonar even before Roland took  over Cakewalk. It says that they were only in a partnership. 

Then possibly because Gibson bought Cakewalk from Roland the licensing was cool. 
 

But Bandlab only paid for the intellectual property of Cakewalk,. We were to understand that means just the actual software code. So the TTS-1 license would have been a grey area as it is really an additional feature. 
 

Anyway I respect Roland as always being a solid company that we can thank for many things that have shaped the music community. 
And everything I ever bought from them still works. My 505 and the SC 55 still work like brand new. 

So everyone needs to move on and start weening yourself of the TTS-1. 

[tdehan]

On 11/7/2025 at 6:21 PM, Francisco Rossier said:

Here I found the solution. I already tested it and got TTS-1 up and running with my Cakewalk Sonar installation:
 

Good luck and keep making music!

I now have TTS-1 up and running in Cakewalk Sonar.