The SC-880 is one of the last
and best GM modules offered by Roland. It offered full compatibility with
General MIDI (GM), while at the same time elevating the sonic capabilities of
this machine to new heights - drawing from samples and sound from Roland's own
JV/XP series. It is also compatible with the General Standard (GS)
format.
The SC-880 is a 32-part, 64-voice multitimbral
sound module, and thanks to this, "it can produce the sounds of a large
ensemble. It is the ideal sound module to use with sequencers or personal
computers".
The SC-880 contains 1,117 high quality tones and 42
types of Rhythm sound sets (including 3 sound effect sets). These include
the same sounds as the SC-55 / 55mkII and SC-88 / 88 Pro, allowing SC-55 /
55mkII and SC-88 / 88 Pro song data to be played back correctly.
A wide variety of effects are provided: 64 types
of multi-effects, eight types each of reverb and chorus effects, 10 types of
delay, and a 2-band equalizer. In addition, the values of relevant
parameters can be set for each effect, allowing professional-level manipulation
of sound.
There are
256 user tones and 16 user Rhythm sets, allowing the user to create their own
tones and Rhythm sets. The parameter list is not as exhaustive as - say -
Roland's own JV-1080 or 2080, but there are enough to provide satisfying
customization of sounds, like vibrato, filter, and envelope.
A very cool feature of the SC-880 is "Patch
mode", which lets you layer up to 6 parts to create complex sounds.
This mode is the most powerful feature of the machine, and where the best
sounds are created. There are 256 on-board preset patches (hear examples
from all these patches below), and you can create 128 user patches.