Edirol SD-20

I am using this module with a laptop, and Finale for orchestration composition. My goal was to find something very simple for a "plug and pray" operation that was extemely portable.

This module is pretty brain dead simple to work with. It is awesome that it supports 64 polyphony in 32-parts from a little portable box.
There are no expansion capabilities that I can see, but that isn't what I bought it for.
I just wanted something I could toss in a bag with my laptop and a pair of headphones to get some work done where ever I happen to be sitting. My laptop's sound card just could not handle the load by itself.
As the device can be USB powered, I can run it off my laptop's battery. From what I can see, this is the only 32 voice module that will do this for me.

Yes the saxes sound aweful, along with some of the other patches. But as noted in other reviews, the orchestrations are very passible for use as a composers scratch pad.

I would not use it for a gig. Just as many of us have amps or other equipment we use for practicing, I use this for sounding out a piece of music before I print out the score and give it to a room full of musicians.

Remember "brain dead simple". It either works, or not, and if not there isn't much that tech support can do to help you.

If I could find it at the same price I paid, I absolutely would buy it again.
I have 3 other modules I have used in the past, or use for solo work. The Edirol fills a unique niche in my needs.
I wish it had more voices and polyphony. We all know that technology moves forward very quickly, but modules did not, and are disapearing from the market.
It does EXACTLY what I needed it to do. I would not consider it a performance quality instrument in any way, but it is an outstanding computer composer's tool.

This unit is very basic in its uses, i.e, plug in and its ready.

I am using cakewalk pro to drive the unit, but any simple GM, GS, XG software will do.

The manual that comes with it explains more about installing drivers than anything else, but then, there isnt really anything else to talk about with this unit.

I normally just use my yamaha keyboard for midi, but I thought I would get a SD-20 to cut down on space. it has 64 note polyphony. I am going to be honest, the sound effects, infact everything on this unit sound totally crap, I have heard better sound from a zx spectrum.
It is ok for someone not wanting to use this for music related issues, ie backing etc, Although I can't think of anything that you would want to use this for.

Sound, well, hmm, absalutely the worst sounding module you could possibly come across, infact, Roland I am appauled that you even had the cheek to even release this bag of shit on the market, and for ??265, it's a complete utter joke, Its not even worth ??15, even I can program a processor to sound better than this, thats not even meant for audio! Non of the instruments sound good or even like they should, like I said above, an old zx spectrum sounds better.

Reliable, I don't know, and don't care, I am sending this crap back asap!

Who cares, to be honest, they should be recalling all these and refunding people for their massive design problem personally, with compensation for making people like me and the other guys who have made a mistake of buying this online thinking ' oO hmm it's made by roland, it should be the bees knees" sick to the stomach.

Overall rating, F*** all, it's simply shite, ok for people who havent heard anything better or who want it to use for.... well what ever you would want one of these for, but certainly not music making.

Well, two situations have to be distinguished here, one thing is using the SD-20 for playing midis and other one is using it for composing. If used to listen to midi files, it's very straightforward: plug it, turn it on, set the volume and that's all. It automatically recognizes the type of midi (GM/GM2/GS/XG).
But if you want it to make your own music, things are not as simple. The SD-20 is basically a GM2 unit, with 3 different sound banks which are a valuable extra and that significantly improves (or can improve) the results. But there's a quite strange (and stupid) thing there: the SD-20 has two "modes": native mode and GM2 mode. Both ARE EXACTLY THE SAME, with same banks, patches and specs. But stupidly enough, the methods for selecting patches and banks are different (!), and the editor only works for "native" mode. This means that if you want to write GM2 midi files that at the same time take advantage of the SD-20 extra sound banks while being compatible with other GM2 devices, you have to write bank select and program changes data by hand on the sequencer. Otherwise, if you use the editor, midi files won't play properly on another GM2 compatible devices. What's the point, Roland? Why make 2 different modes for THE SAME thing? At least, you could make also a "GM2 mode" in your software editor!

The module it's quite well-packed of features: 660 patches and 23 drum sets, 32-channels (does anyone need those extra 16?), 64-voice polyphony (not too much but enough for 95% of midis), a quite decent effects section (basic reverb/chorus units, but they work well), serial and USB connection (even for power!) and a wide standard compatibility (GM/GM2/GS/XG).
I also have a Roland Fantom XR module, which I use for my "serious" projects, but I needed some kind of gear which was GM2/GS/XG compatible, and I preferred a single unit instead of a bunch of synths and modules. I think that the SD-20 is the best option for that (if you need a keyboard, the Roland EXR-3 is a very interesting option also).
The GS section is quite close to the standard sound canvas SC-55. It doesn't sound exactly as a SC-55, but it's pretty close, and unless you are a purist who wants the real thing, you'll be happy. Keep in mind that it's NOT compatible with other superior canvases, such as SC-88, SC-88 pro and so on.
The XG section, though, sounds quite different from yamaha's original XG. I used to have some Yamaha XG gear, such as DB50XG, MU15 and MU100, and the sound is clearly different. I wouldn't say it's worse, but usually XG midis are written on Yamaha gear and intended to be played through Yahama equipment, so keep in mind that usually the music won't sound the same way as if you were playing the real thing. So I would say that XGlite compatibility it's good for compatibility purposes only, but if you want seriously to make music in XG format, the SD-20 is not a good choice.

In a few words: it sounds quite well, even very well, considering its price range. I've had synths and modules from Yamaha, Korg, Casio, Kawai and Roland and I must say that Roland made a good job in SD-20's sound quality department. I simply don't understand other opinions that say that even a soundblaster sounds better (??). Obviously, it doesn't sound as good as my Fantom XR, but there are quite a lot of sounds that are nearly as good as a XV-2020 I used to have (esp. in the "solo" soundbank). Of course, the XV-2020 is a lot of a better synth in many other departments (effects, number of patches, flexibility, expandability, etc.), but I'd say that some sounds, for example the drums, are as good as XV-2020's, and not too far from the Roland XR. Other sounds are quite poor, such as the acoustic piano (I only like the stero piano from the "solo" bank, which is pretty close to RD-170's stereo piano).
Although the SD-20 uses 24bit D/A converters, it doesn't sound as crisp and clean as other higher-end modules and synths. Anyway, the output is good and the noise level very low. Nevertheless, I can hear some noise of electrical interference when using the USB power. I don't know if it's only my laptop or if it's a general problem. Anyway, it's very low and you simply can't hear it when playing music.

I've had quite a lot Roland equipment and never had problems. I would say it's realiable. But as long as it's made of thin plastic and it's very light (and even quite flimsy, I would say), I bet you'd better not treat it like a ball ;)

Roland customer support (at least, here in Spain) has never been very good. They take very long to reply e-mails, and sometimes they simply don't respond.

I would recommend the SD-20 if you are looking for a good-sounding and basic (and hence not very expensive) module which can deal with all midi standards. It's not very easy to use for composing, though, and if you are seriously involved in GS and/or XG, I would go for the real thing (older Roland sound canvases and yamaha XG gear). It's a good choice for GM2 while keeping compatiblity for other standards.

Yea pretty easy to use

64 voices of polyphony is great for standard midi file play back, unfortunatley the sounds don't respond well files programmed on the original Roland GS sound set.

As a midi file developer I do not recommend this moduel for trouble free operation of SMF. It will play them but the sounds will disappoint you in the way they respond. However if you want to take the time to reprogram your files i'm sure you will get a great result. I have just found out that Roland do not intend to ever reproduce the original GS sound banks, so if you have an original, treat it likes it's your best mate and KEEP IT!

The EDIROL SD-20 is very easy to use. The drivers are perfect and the devise is immediately recognized by the system. Its working is completely automatic and it recognizes by itself the different kind of midis (GM, GS, XG)

Nothing to signal about the poliphony

It is the worst sound module I've ever heard: it sounds terrible, the instruments are all irreal, the bass range of any instrument is not real and not deep as it would be necessary. The medium range of the instruments sounds as in a shoes-box and the hi range is or too clear or too smooth.

After hours of trials I gave up the idea of using this module: so, now, I'm using my old sound card SOUNDBLASTER LIVE 5.1 WHICH IS MORE, MORE, MORE better.

Frankly, having paid 475 Euros for this horrible device is one of the worst mistake of my musician career. DON'T BUY IT!!!

For me it is useless

People of the company are kind, but the problem is the product which is a tool not to be sold.

I hope someone steal it. I bought it because ROLAND is (WAS?) a great company with a long-age respectability. But the product is:
1) china made of plastics
2) the front panel is a thin layer of plastic
3) the sound is horrible
4) I wasted my money

Very easy to use. It pretty much requires a computer, so chances are if you aren't computer illiterate you'll have it up and running in a few minutes out of the box.

the 32 part multitimbral feature is great, although kind of pointless on a 64 voice synth. You won't find a whole lot of programs with 1 voice to them, so no one's going to get the full 32 channels out of it.

It's got a lot of sounds, but basically it's just a GM synth on steroids, as there are a few different banks for each sound category.

The pianos are clanky and unrealistic. The orchestral instruments are fantastic though. I use an Alesis QS 6.2 as my controller. It has better pianos and synth sounds, but the SD-20 has much better orchestral instruments, which is ALL I use it for.

The guy that said the Yamaha psr series is better is a complete moron. I owned a PSR-340 and every single sound on this thing except the grand piano is better. He has no idea what he's talking about. the PSR series is for kids...which doesn't surprise me that HE owned one.

This sounds pretty much the same as the SD-80 and SD-90. It has sounds from both synths, except they have more. I have no idea what else they have, but I'm sure it's more of the same.

The first one I bought came damaged. Most of the sounds were distorted. It took 3 weeks for Musician's Friend to get me another one. Pain in the ass. Makes me not want to ever buy another Edirol product, but their stuff is fairly cheap...well THIS is. I wouldn't buy an SD-80 or SD-90 because they're over-priced for the quality of sound on them. I'd go get an orchestral E-Mu synth or get a Roland XP-30 off of Ebay for $500 if I wanted something more than THIS.

Well, I bought it and sold it after getting the Alesis QS 6.2, but then I went out and bought another one, heh. So I've technically owned 3 of these as one didn't work and I sold the other one. For orchestral sounds you can't go wrong. It has some good jazz sounds too, but don't bother trying to do rock, pop, or dance stuff with it. This is really for orchestrations, but you won't get fantasticly realistic ones. They'll sound good at any rate.

The SD-20 is very easy to use, mainly because it is a very fixed function kind of synth. It has a fixed sample bank and doesn?t support user sounds so there isn?t any configuration to worry about. The only things you really have to configure are the mode (it supports GM2, GS and XGLite sound sets), and the reverb and chorus type and level, all which you do through your MIDI software.

The manual does a good job of explaining everything you need to know about installation and use. It also includes a complete list of the sounds in all the different modes, and a mapping of all the keys for all the drum sets.

All in all, this is one of the simplest sound modules you can get. If you don?t want to have to worry about fiddling, the SD-20 will work well for you.

The basic features are as follows:

64-voice polyphony, up to 4 voices per instrument
32 parts
660 tones
23 drum kits
4 different modes Native/GM2, GS and XGLite
3 kinds of inputs, MIDI, serial, and USB
2 outputs, analogue RCA and 24-bit digital S/PDIF optical
6 kinds of reverb and chorus

It has the basic features of, well, a SoundCanvas. Unlike previous SoundCanvases, the SD series all have digital outputs now, which is rather important. It has the basic, required effects that all SoundCanvases have that being reverb and chorus. It does not, however, have any insertation effects that the SD-80 sports so if you want advanced effects like compression or limiting, you?ll have to do those later.

Like basically all past SoundCanvases, the SD-20 is totally unexpandable. You get the ROM with the samples, and that is it, it?s a sound module, not a sampler. Also it does not have any support for user instruments so you can?t modify any of the presets in any way. It is a take-it-as-it-is kind of unit. Along those lines it has no internal sequencer, it just makes noise, nothing else.

All in all I think it has very good features, for what it is. Many people slam on the SoundCanvas line because they lack the ability to accept user samples. I don?t think that is a problem as they aren?t intended to be samplers. What they are is sound modules that will give you a bunch of good, consistent, balanced instruments.

I personally think the instruments on the SD-20 are just wonderful. They range from acceptable at the worst to just awesome. The Pianos, drums, synths, and the like are very, very good. The saxes are a little weak but then, synthesized saxes always sound weak to me.

It seems to do a pretty good job with a wide variety of music, though it is weak for things like dance. It does have some synths and pads, as required by GM, but just not enough. Its strong point is, of course, GM/GS music. If you have some old videogame music, it will do a stellar job with it since Roland was the gold standard of GM back in the day. Generally though it will do a good job with most kinds of music, In GM2 mode you really have a lot of different instruments to choose from.

One thing to note is the way you program for certain instruments is very important, especially in GM2 mode with the more expressive sets. I?ve found that there are many MIDIs, especially old GM stuff, that sounds just LOUSY in GM2 mode. The drums are all out of whack and so on. Well, then I play something that was sequenced for GM2 like the demos it comes with and it sounds just awesome. One thing that often causes problems is that people seem to use velocity to indicate volume alone, and just leave the volume set at the default. Bad idea, as many instruments switch what they sound like at different velocities. Just be aware that it won?t necessarily work like the sampler you are used to.

The onboard effects, though limited to only the standard reverb and chorus, are very good. They work well with the instruments, which is important. I have some great sampling reverbs that sound awesome for live music, but fall flat with MIDI music. The built in ones on the SD-20 all work quite well.

As for reliability, well it?s king. One of the great things about being very simple is there is very little to go wrong. There is no HD to fail, no CD to refuse to read, no OS to crash, etc. Turn it on, it works. It is a desktop kind of design though, and made of thin plastic, I?m not sure I?d feel real comfortable dragging it around on the road. The SD-80 would be better suited for that.

Haven?t dealt with customer support, so at this point I can?t say.

Overall, I think this thing is just great. However, I bought it for MIDI playback, not creation. Since most of what I?m interested in reproducing is GM/GS, it does a stellar job. I really like the GM2/Native mode since I find that I can take a GM song, and play with the instrument mappings and turn it into something that sounds much better. Many of the instruments, such as some of the strings, are not appropriate for general use and would sound bad in a lot of songs, but really shine in same places.

For someone interested in music creation I think it would work well too, but not as the only device. Due to its lack of expansion you can?t get any new sounds at all. However, it does provide a solid set of instruments to work with and they are all very well balanced. It would provide a good foundation for most kinds of music.

All in all I am very satisfied.

there's nothing to this sound module, so it's very easy to use.

good connectivity (usb/serial/midi)
great compatibility (gm/gm2/gs/xg)

has software to edit settings - but ultra-limited, almost featureless.
no lcd panel, just idiot lights.

well, what can i say? this is the single worst sound module that i have ever heard. period.

the cymbals are worse sounding than trash lids, snares sound like somebody saying "chook chook chook" with their voice, the instruments, say sax for example but it happens to all of them, stutter when they encounter pitch bends. it literally sounds like the sample ends and another loads at each pitch bend midi command so you can actually hear gaps of silence (or more accurately, static) in the instrument playback. absolutely horrendous.

edirol should be ashamed for making this piece-o-crap, and to charge $299 for it is a digusting display of contempt for their customers. the appropriate price for this thing is more like $29.99, but it really should not even be manufactured.

this POS doesn't even deserve a 1, it deserves a -10.
the yamaha cheapo psr keyboards sound better. really. no kidding.

reliability? is that before or after is stomp it into the ground?
who cares!

but seriously, this thing is flimsy that i could probably blow it off the table if i opened a door too quickly.

website only.
i sent them my feelings in no uncertain terms.
expected to hear fu2, but heard nothing back.

i was nearly incensed to do violence to this worthless POS. it took a lot of self-restraint to keep from crushing it to bits.
but i managed and it's going back to ams. good return policy.

i am appalled that this thing is even sold.
i'll bet the edirol people are laughing their asses off every time someone buys this hunk of shiite.
there they have their advertising all glossy and wonderful and when i got this thing is just seemed like they said, "we screwed you, FU."

i will never buy anything from them ever again. i am that disgusted.