The Roland SC-7 General MIDI Sound Module is a stand-alone

MIDI MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

module by

Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment, and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on 18 April 1972. In 2005, its headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has fact ...

. It was released in 1992. It supports the

General MIDI General MIDI (also known as GM or GM 1) is a standardized specification for electronic musical instruments that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the American MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) and the Japan MIDI Standards Committ ...

System and can also be used as a MIDI interface for a computer. The Roland SC-7 provides the basic (capital)

Roland Sound Canvas Roland/Edirol Sound Canvas lineup is a series of General MIDI (GM) based pulse-code modulation (PCM) sound modules and sound cards, primarily intended for computer music usage, created by Japanese manufacturer Roland Corporation. Some models inclu ...

sounds in a compact design for stand-alone,

IBM PC/AT The IBM Personal Computer/AT (model 5170, abbreviated as IBM AT or PC/AT) was released in 1984 as the fourth model in the IBM Personal Computer line, following the IBM PC/XT and its IBM Portable PC variant. It was designed around the Intel 8028 ...

Apple Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

computer use.

Features

The SC-7 is 16-part

multitimbral Monotimbral (from the root prefix ''mono'' meaning one, and ''timbre'' meaning a specific tone of a sound independent of its pitch) is usually used in reference to electronic synthesizers which can produce a single timbre at a given pitch when pre ...

with 28-voice

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

. Individual sounds use one or two voices. It complies to the

System Level 1 Specification with 128 sounds, 6 drum sets (derived from GS drum sets) digital reverb/delay and chorus effects. The Roland SC-7's ROM samples sound similar with other

and other Roland products from the same era, for example, the

Roland SCC-1 The Roland SC-55 ( Sound Canvas) is a GS MIDI sound module released in 1991 by Roland. The SC-55 was the first sound module to incorporate the new General MIDI standard. It was the first in the Roland Sound Canvas series. The SC-55 used both ...

, the

Roland SC-55 The Roland SC-55 (Roland Sound Canvas, Sound Canvas) is a Roland GS, GS MIDI sound module released in 1991 by Roland Corporation, Roland. The SC-55 was the first sound module to incorporate the new General MIDI standard. It was the first in the R ...

, the Roland XP-10

, and the Roland E-Series Intelligent Keyboard lineup. The SC-7 has two audio inputs (one with level adjust) to mix two different audio sources, for example, a D/A converter (a computer sound card) or an external CD-player together with the SC-7's own output all at the sound module's audio output, making it easy to connect to amplification or speaker devices. It can also be configured as a

interface for either

computers with a special serial cable and Roland software. The Roland SCB-7 was a Roland MIDI Daughterboard version of the SC-7 that plugged into the Wave Blaster Connector of the

Sound Blaster Sound Blaster is a family of sound cards designed by Singaporean technology company Creative Technology (known in the US as Creative Labs). Sound Blaster sound cards were the de facto standard for consumer audio on the IBM PC compatible system pl ...

line of sound cards for the PC. The

Roland RAP-10 Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

was an ISA sound card with the SC-7 on board along with digital sampling.

Physical connections and dimensions

* Host Connector Connection (

mini-DIN The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN is similar to the larger, older DIN connector. Design Mini-DIN connectors are in diameter and come in seven patterns, wit ...

8 pin, for a

RS-232C In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232 is a standard originally introduced in 1960 for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a ''DTE'' (''data terminal equipment'') such a ...

RS-422 RS-422, also known as TIA/EIA-422, is a technical standard originated by the Electronic Industries Alliance that specifies electrical characteristics of a digital signaling circuit. It was meant to be the foundation of a suite of standards that ...

computer connection) * MIDI In (for sound module MIDI input in stand-alone operation or for MIDI interface MIDI input in serial/computer operation) * Audio Input 1 (stereo 3.5mm miniature jack) * Audio Input 2 (stereo 3.5mm miniature jack, in front-panel) * Audio Output (

RCA jack The RCA connector is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals. The name ''RCA'' derives from the company Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design in the 1930s. The connectors male plug and ...

L,R) *

Headphone Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an au ...

Output (stereo 3.5mm miniature jack, in front-panel) Dimensions are 168 (w) x 203 (d) x 35 (h) mm and weight 0.5 kg.The Roland SC-7 Owner's Manual Power requirements: draws 300 mA of current at 9 volts. Polarity: shield (sleeve) positive, core (tip) negative. In Finland, ships with the Roland ACI-230C power supply unit.

Use in media

The sounds of the Roland SC-7 (or other similar Roland product) can be recognized in various (low-budget) television or music productions. It is also commonly used in jingles for commercials or other television programs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roland SC-7 SC-7

Features

Physical connections and dimensions

Use in media

See also

References