Roland MT-32 - The Ultimate Tutorial

rtr86 · Post by **rtr86** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:49 am

I see, thanks,

Can you personally hear a difference between using Munt Emu and using Roland Midi Device?

edit: been reading up a bit more, I can see now there is quite a big difference between the 2;
sierrahelp.com/Utilities/Emulators/Munt.html

Quick question, is using the MT-32 midi module essential for use with the LAPC-I? i.e. one will not work without the other?

LogicDeLuxe · Post by **LogicDeLuxe** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:55 pm

rtr86 wrote:Quick question, is using the MT-32 midi module essential for use with the LAPC-I? i.e. one will not work without the other?

No.
The MT-32 is a standalone sound modul which you can use on any MIDI out port, not limited to MPU401. With an USB MIDI cable, it can be used on today's computers.
The LAPC-I is basically an MPU401 with MT-32 on an ISA card, which limits its use to very old PCs.

Reckless · Post by **Reckless** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:56 pm

rtr86 wrote:edit: been reading up a bit more, I can see now there is quite a big difference between the 2;
sierrahelp.com/Utilities/Emulators/Munt.html

Depends on when the recordings were taken. The Mt32 emulator driver has moved on leaps and bounds! Download it and try it for yourself!

rtr86 · Post by **rtr86** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 8:24 pm

Thanks reckless will do,

I've such fond memories of the first time getting MI2 booting up when I was about 8. I actually remember scrolling through the audio options and seeing things like 'sound-blaster' etc, I never had no ideal of how big the sound world was.

I think if I would of hooked up a Roland system back then the experience would of blown my mind

LogicDeLuxe wrote:No.
The MT-32 is a standalone sound modul which you can use on any MIDI out port, not limited to MPU401. With an USB MIDI cable, it can be used on today's computers.
The LAPC-I is basically an MPU401 with MT-32 on an ISA card, which limits its use to very old PCs.

I see, so the MT-32 was released first then Roland brought out the LAPC-I intending it to be an all-in-one compact package?

Were the QFG games some of the last that utilized the roland system?
What is the standard of sound output for modern games?

LogicDeLuxe · Post by **LogicDeLuxe** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:15 pm

rtr86 wrote:What is the standard of sound output for modern games?

Usually pre recorded tracks, streamed by the game engine. They don't use MIDI anymore. MIDI files where mainly used due to limited capacities on floppy disks. Some early CD titles still used MIDI, usually when the game was released on floppies first.
It does not matter any longer what kind of sound card, as long there is a driver for your OS.

Freddo · Post by **Freddo** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:31 pm

rtr86 wrote:What is the standard of sound output for modern games?

Many modern games use something like mp3 or ogg vorbis, so it doesn't use anything like MIDI at all. MIDI hardware had their gaming prime time for DOS games from 1990 to 1996 or so, and pretty much been irrelevant for games since 1997. First because of CD audio and then because of various audio compressions.

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:34 am

rtr86 wrote: Were the QFG games some of the last that utilized the roland system?

I have a DOS point-and-click adventure from 1996 called "Chronicles of the Sword" (also released on the PlayStation) where the installer still asks if I want to use Adlib, General MIDI, Roland MT32, etc. But I don't know if that means it had music specifically written for those devices or if it was all General MIDI played through them. Probably the latter.

That game struck me as pretty strange from a technical point of view: It uses MIDI for the music and CD audio for the speech (which is probably the main reason it needs two discs). And to increase the amount of speech they could fit on a disc, each audio track has one set of lines in the left channel and another set of lines in the right channel: If you try to listen to it in a regular CD player, you'll hear two voices talking over each other. Which must have caused problems with some hardware and/or drivers, because the manual explains what to do if you hear two voices when playing, or if the left and right channels have been swapped so you'll hear the wrong voices.

All that, and the game wasn't even particularly good.

rtr86 · Post by **rtr86** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:20 am

Many thanks guys,

Just been reading about more about the Midi, am I right in saying it was not just used in the gaming/computer world?

Did the explosion of electropop/synth etc in the 80's have something to do with the creation of Midi?

Freddo · Post by **Freddo** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:29 am

rtr86 wrote:Just been reading about more about the Midi, am I right in saying it was not just used in the gaming/computer world?

Composers and musicians always been the main audience for MIDI, and still is.

rtr86 · Post by **rtr86** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:54 pm

Freddo wrote:
rtr86 wrote:Just been reading about more about the Midi, am I right in saying it was not just used in the gaming/computer world?
Composers and musicians always been the main audience for MIDI, and still is.

Thanks, what is your opinion personally on the direction gaming has taken (including sound)?

For me there seemed to be an almost-peak where gaming was heading in the right direction to achieve something very special. But it did not quite make it, instead it took a massive decline into something unrecognizable from the intended course.

JohnnyW · Post by **JohnnyW** » Sun Aug 30, 2015 1:46 am

This was a wonderful video, I learned so much. Thanks!