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Which Roland should I hunt for?

There was mention of this made over at Vogon's, I believe. IIRC, someone even posted pictures of the card w/ the compatible chipset. Just use google to search the site :) As I remember, the soundscape didn't support Intelligent mode, just a few of the commands used in Intelligent Mode. BUT - most games requiring IM only utilized those commands, so it was a decent stopgap measure between a UART joystick port and a true IM midi card.
 
Are Midiman's "Portman" interfaces good as MIDI device interfaces when it comes to gaming? They connect via parallel port so I wouldn't need to mess around with the joystick port..
 
Another sometimes overlooked option is the MT-100. It has the MT-32 hardware and is generally cheaper, but is lacking the LCD display. I picked mine up for 20 dollars on Ebay 6 months ago.
 
vetz said:
Another sometimes overlooked option is the MT-100. It has the MT-32 hardware and is generally cheaper, but is lacking the LCD display. I picked mine up for 20 dollars on Ebay 6 months ago.
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Thanks, MT-100 seems to have "new" MT-32 hardware, seems like a good alternative.
 
update:

I now have an SC-55mk1 and an MT-32 (rev.0), hooked up in my Soundscape S2 joystick port with an adapter, midi in/out go to MT-32 (so I get return "intelligent" messages) and midi thru to SC-55. I don't have a mixer yet, so I've ran output of both through Soundscape AUX and MIC inputs to allow me to use all devices with only one pair of speakers. I can set the rough volume levels with the Soundscape's software, and adjust the Roland's from the volume-knobs on the units. Tested with Monkey Island VGA, Loom (original, patched), King's Quest 4, Doom, Duke3D and TIE Fighter (with joystick), so far they've all worked perfectly fine. I think next up are Simon the Sorcerer and Curse of Enchantia, and finally Gateway for the ultimate test.
 
Sounds like you've nearly the setup that you're looking for - congrats! It's a whole new world on those old games, isn't it? I like it... but I do sometimes find myself waxing nostalgic for the classic SQ III theme/into with the PC beeper, as I'd first heard it that way so long ago :)
 
thanks, nearly there.. still missing the mixer (I know which one I want and where to get it, just a matter of funds), and apparently a true MPU-401 (I happen to like Simon the Sorcerer and it didn't work with my current set-up)

I totally get your nostalgic feelings, I'll probably have to play Monkey Island with Adlib from time to time even though I now have an MT-32, as I recorded an hour of the main theme and LeChuck theme (plus Populous background music) on a cassette tape and listened to it while I was travelling with my parents.. good times
 
djquu said:
next up are Simon the Sorcerer and Curse of Enchantia, and finally Gateway for the ultimate test.
Click to expand...

none of these worked, so I'll be needing that real MPU-401 somewhere down the line.. for now I'll have to settle for DosBox/ScummVM emulation if I want to play them with MT-32
 
For MIDI you can either use a true Roland MPU-401 only card (various models exist: ISA, MCA, NEC & other platforms). You can then hook up virtually any external module (both Roland: MT-32, CM-300, SC-7, SC-55 and so on but also Yamaha: FB-01). There are MPU-401 clones out there that can be bought relatively cheap sometimes (when you are lucky). The cheapest Roland ISA cards with wavetable (GM: Roland RAP-10 & SCC-1) support most games. You can then choose to hook up a MT-32 for the older games that support it through the perspective MIDI box (MCB-1 for LAPC-I, MCB-2 for LAPC-N, MCB-3 for SCP-55 and MCB-10 for RAP-10). I would not recommend using a sound card that states that they have MPU-401 (through a game port connection: that usually does not work very well). With the SCB-7 (SCD-10) and SCB-55 (SCD-15) daughterboards you can also have true MPU-401 for games through a good Sound Blaster 16 (check the revisions topic: some versions of the SB16 have a hanging note issue). The SCC-1 is a good alternative as well for direct MIDI as it does not require a MCB.

The Yamaha FB-01 is a fun simulation of the IBM PC Music Feature that is supported by a very limited set of early Sierra games. It connects through regular MIDI.
 
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Actually, the FB-01 basically is the IBM MFC; they have the same guts, the only difference is the MFC has a built-in MIDI interface. It's a good cheap way to get into fancier FM synthesis than you'll get with an OPL2, to boot.

Also, there's patches for some later Sierra games to support FB-01. I was just running KQ5 with it this evening.
 
PeterLI said:
For MIDI you can either use a true Roland MPU-401 only card (various models exist: ISA, MCA, NEC & other platforms). You can then hook up virtually any external module (both Roland: MT-32, CM-300, SC-7, SC-55 and so on but also Yamaha: FB-01). There are MPU-401 clones out there that can be bought relatively cheap sometimes (when you are lucky). The cheapest Roland ISA cards with wavetable (GM: Roland RAP-10 & SCC-1) support most games. You can then choose to hook up a MT-32 for the older games that support it through the perspective MIDI box (MCB-1 for LAPC-I, MCB-2 for LAPC-N, MCB-3 for SCP-55 and MCB-10 for RAP-10). I would not recommend using a sound card that states that they have MPU-401 (through a game port connection: that usually does not work very well). With the SCB-7 (SCD-10) and SCB-55 (SCD-15) daughterboards you can also have true MPU-401 for games through a good Sound Blaster 16 (check the revisions topic: some versions of the SB16 have a hanging note issue).

The Yamaha FB-01 is a fun simulation of the IBM PC Music Feature that is supported by a very limited set of early Sierra games. It connects through regular MIDI.
Click to expand...

If you read a couple posts back you'll notice that BJT has come up with a TSR-program that emulates intelligent MPU, so now my Soundscape2K is all I need.
 
commodorejohn said:
Actually, the FB-01 basically is the IBM MFC; they have the same guts, the only difference is the MFC has a built-in MIDI interface. It's a good cheap way to get into fancier FM synthesis than you'll get with an OPL2, to boot.

Also, there's patches for some later Sierra games to support FB-01. I was just running KQ5 with it this evening.
Click to expand...
Cool! I may play around with that at some point as well.

djquu said:
If you read a couple posts back you'll notice that BJT has come up with a TSR-program that emulates intelligent MPU, so now my Soundscape2K is all I need.
Click to expand...
Awesome! Thanks.
 
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