science

Roland GS

Roland GS is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Roland GS rather than just read about it. In short: Roland GS, or just GS, sometimes expanded as General Standard or General Sound, is a MIDI specification. It requires that all GS-compatible equipment must meet a certain set of features and it documents interpretations of some MIDI commands and bytes sequences, thus defining instrument tones, controllers for sound effects, etc.

Key takeaways

Roland GS belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Roland GS to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Roland GS from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Roland GS, or just GS, sometimes expanded as General Standard or General Sound, is a MIDI specification. It requires that all GS-compatible equipment must meet a certain set of features and it documents interpretations of some MIDI commands and bytes sequences, thus defining instrument tones, controllers for sound effects, etc. In addition to the simpler General MIDI standard, GS defines 98 additional tone instruments, 15 more percussion instruments, 8 more drum kits, 3 effects (reverb/chorus/variation) and some other features. The Roland SC-55 was the first synthesizer to support the GS standard.

History The GS extensions were first introduced and implemented on Roland Sound Canvas series modules, starting with the Roland SC-55 in 1991. The first model supported 317 instruments, 16 simultaneous melodic voices, 8 percussion voices and a compatibility mode for Roland MT-32 (although it only emulated it and lacked programmability of original MT-32) and gained explosive popularity. In addition to the Sound Canvas series, Roland also provided GS compatibility in its own professional lineup through the JV-30 keyboard and the VE-GS1 expansion board for other JV-series instruments. In addition, GS compatibility is provided in the GM2 specification which Roland helped to create and actively supports. Some other manufacturers attempted to be compatible to Roland GS, but could not use the GS trademark or samples. In Yamaha XG synthesizers for example the GS implementation was called "TG300B mode". Dream S.A. used unlicensed samples of Roland GS instruments and was sued.

Notable features

Banks The program in every individual bank will align with the 128 in GM's instrument patch map. The Sound Canvas used additional pair of controllers, cc#0 and cc#32, to specify up to 16384 (128*128) 'variations' of each melodic sound defined by General MIDI. Typically, cc#32 (Bank Select LSB) was used to select a family (i.e. 1 - SC-55, 2 - SC-88 etc.) then cc#0 (Bank Select MSB) was used to set a particular variation bank.

Drum kits MIDI channel 10 is used for drums by default like in General MIDI, but they are accessible on any channel through the use of SysEx. Only 2 different drum kits can be used at a time. There are ten different kits in total:

Newer models of Roland Sound Canvas and other GS-compatible Roland synthesizers features additional kits not included in the base GS sound set; these include kits based on various Roland drum machines such as the TR-909, CR-78 and TR-707, as well as various percussion kits comprising both traditional and modern percussions.

Additional percussion notes There were 16 additional drum notes that span Drum Kits 1 to 49:

Additional controller events Additional controller events included in SC-55 and SC-88 were:

SysEx messages There were messages that allowed the user to turn the GS mode on/off, to set effects processor parameters, to change EG envelopes etc.

Supporting hardware Beginning in 1991, Roland introduced GS support in the majority of its consumer MIDI products.

Tone generator modules

Synthesizers and electronic keyboards E-15 / E-35 / E-36 / E-56 / E-70 / E-86 JV-30 / JV-35 / JV-50 JW-50 SK-50 / SK-50IV / SK-88 Pro XP-10 Yamaha Clavinova CVP (since 2004, shared with GM2 sound set) Yamaha PSR-S Yamaha PSR-SX Yamaha S-YXG50 (referred to as TG300B mode) Yamaha S-YXG2006LE

Sequencers SD-35 PMA-5 MC-80EX (VE-GS PRO expansion board; SC-55, SC-88, SC-88 PRO maps)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Roland GS

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Roland GS claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Roland GS before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Roland GS ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Roland GS

In research: Roland GS appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Roland GS in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Roland GS is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Japanese inventions, MIDI standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Roland GS outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Roland GS in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Roland GS means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Roland GS out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Roland GS in simple terms?

Why does Roland GS matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Roland GS?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Roland GS.