LA Synths
After producing the now vintage synths with analog process - Jupiter, Juno and JX, Roland hurried to create a new fully digital synthesizer.
It culminated in LA synthesis, and Roland D-50 is the first LA synth. It has more digital effects and more modulating options like PWM and Filter LFO.
PG-1000 is the hardware editor for D-50. It can also be used to edit MT-32, for they share many sysex messages.
Roland D-50 (1987)
Roland PG-1000 (1987)
Roland used the same synthesis chip to make lower-end models. MT-32 was released within a year with a simpler architecture but multi-timbrality added.
Soon D-10 series came out - they are MT-32 with more editability and more PCM ROM. The ROM size is even doubled (256KB), compared to D-50 and MT-32. D-20 is the workstation model and D-110 is the rackmount.
Roland D-20 (1988)
Roland D-110 (1988)
Roland released many MT-32 compatibles as well. MT-100 is a version with a sequencer and a QuickDisk (QD) Drive. LAPC-1 is the sound card version for PC.
Roland MT-100 (1988)
There are many auto-arranger models. E-10 / E-20 are keybord versions with speakers. PRO-E is the compacted version, and RA-50 is the module.
As they have 13 structures, they seem to belong MT-32/D-10 line. And guessing from the fact that they have 31 drum sounds, they seem to be MT-32 compatibles (D-10 has more).
Roland E-20 (1989)
Roland PRO-E (1989)
Roland RA-50 (1989)
CM series are white box versions targeted for computer users. They have no LCD nor buttons, and all look the same.
CM-32L is compatible with MT-32, and CM-32P is a version of the PCM playbacker U-110.
CM-64 is a combination of both MT-32 and U-110 - it goes even more hybrid.
Later Roland released CM-500, which combines MT-32 and SC-55 - even Rompler is integrated.
Roland CM-64 (1989)
Roland turned to romplers with real digital filter since D-70 in 1990, JD / JV series were released subsequently, and they became one of the standard in the rompler world.
Sound Canvas series are cheaper models that are related to JV series. They replaced MT-32 as a low-end multi-timbral module. They have voices that simulate MT-32's preset, though the synthesis engine is entirely different.
Roland SC-55 (1991)
Roland TR-626 is the last of Roland TR series drum machines, and was released at around the same time as MT-32. MT-32's drum kit has better synthetic features, but the sounds may be related.
Roland TR-626 (1987)
When romplers were expensive as they need much ROM, hybrid synths came out that combines small PCM samples and non-PCM digital synthesis engine. (see YAMAHA SY99 and TG33).
Especially the low-end hybrids like KAWAI K1 and YAMAHA TG33/SY22/SY35 are related to MT-32. K1 combines PCM and additive synthesis, and SY22 combines PCM and FM synthesis.
CASIO CTK-1000 is a unique latecomer that combines PCM and 'Nonlinear' synthesis.
KAWAI K1 (1988)
YAMAHA SY22 (1991)
CASIO CTK-1000 (1993)
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MT-32
Deep Synthesis: Home4. 18. 2004
10. 30. 2005: Linked to TR-626 page