The Roland SC-88 Pro was released in 1998 as part of Roland's SC (Sound Controller) series. It was designed to provide high-quality sounds and advanced features for music production, live performance, and post-production applications. The SC-88 Pro was an evolution of the earlier SC-88, which was already a popular sound module in its own right. The "Pro" version offered significant improvements, including a larger soundfont, enhanced effects processing, and more extensive MIDI control.