teamster1975 wrote:

the emulated version is two octaves lower than the original.

I hope you're exagerating. 😁 The octave scale is logarithmic in that each octave is twice as high as the previous octave. (I.E, C3 is twice as high as C2). So to be two octaves off would mean that my version is playing 4 times higher or 4 times lower than it should be!

I was comparing the MP3's on your web page. Have a listen to them, the real MT32 samples are definitely two octaves higher than the emulated versions.
I haven't got an MT32 but i'll compare the emulator to the adlib tracks to double check. (Is this worth doing?)
No chance to play tonight, my wife is asleep so I cannot get to main computer. I'm on her old laptop instead! (Love wireless networking)

Maybe octave is the incorrect word to use (being a non musician!)
The emulator sounds two notes lower than the MT32; can't think of the correct terminology and it's late;)

All the best,

Matt

You can't hear that? Maybe you shouldn't be doing this after all...😉

Your teasing is terrible Snover 😉

Originally posted by teamster1975
(Love wireless networking)

Hey, so its your wireless network all the way over the Atlantic that keeps interfering with my network! Wow... what are you using to amplify your signal, Arecibo or something? (Of course, I'm only being silly!)

Long length of Co-Ax shaped into a wierd and wonderful antenna!
Good for wireless networks, ad-hoc tv aerial too! Also good for hanging the washing on 🙄
I'm burning the mid-night oil, no early calls at work tomorrow so a little Pink Floyd and the laptop, occasional cigarette. Square eyes by the morning!

Hello and greetings from me, a fan from norway

The MT-32 Emulator is the best project I have seen in a very long time!! I play the Origin game Wing Commander, the emulator sounds great, but several of the instruments are detuned, and for some reason the game exits whenever I start attacking the eneny, this probably due to some error in the dosbox program??

anyhow, keep up the good work

Hello! Nice project you've got here 😀 , so trying to bring my two cents:

Teamster is right (good ear for a non-musician btw 😉 ), in the SQ3 MP3 on the site, the first theme (syn brass?) is played one major third down, so playing A4 instead of C5 for instance. It sounds more accurate in the version currently available but that's not it yet. It's difficult to say for that theme as in the current version, the volume of that track is too low, and definitely lower than in the site's MP3. I made some tests with the SQ3 "garbage freighter" theme as it loops and is then easier to work with. Considering only the theme (elec gtr 2?), I'm hearing this:

1st col. = Original, 2nd col. = Emulation

C3 B2 --> translated one semitone down
C4 B3
C3 B2
C4 B3
C4 B3
C5 C5 --> sound weird because not translated down
Bb4 A4 --> sound "correct" again as 1 semitone down
C4 B3
... ...

It looks like some tracks are translated like the one above and others are on tuning. Mixing the two sounds bad, as you could guess. Having a note slightly off like C5 in the above example happens frequently also and sounds badly "detuned" too, of course. I also noticed other volume problems, and at least perhaps one patch/sysex problem, in Kyrandia 1, the patch "Magical" (played just after sysex init. at the beginning) doesn't sound correctly at all.

Hope that helps.

Hi all,

First, great thanks and congratulations to canadacow.
I've dreamt a lot about an MT32 emulator.

To help you in the research of the perfect sound i've made some rip from the latest build (08/08/2003).
I've use in parallel a simple build of DosBox 0.58 in order to use my real mt32 (yes i got one and i don't sell it ^^).

You could find the "rip" here:

http://www.nostalzik.com/samples/

I've noticed some noise in the background when i use the emulation. For SQ3, the volume of the leading (square) sound is too low, i can't hear it... i've made other example with the introduction of PQ3 wich use any originals sounds, and it sound great for a first emulator. Same thing for the test i've made with the song Beauty And The Beast from KQ6. In this one iv'e played while i'm recording so we can hear the sound effects generated by the mt32 (door open/close). The guitar sound bad and i think it's because there's no chorus on it. The mt32 use much off cutoff aslo and so it could interfere with comparaison in the real/emulated mt32.

For the pitch problems, is there anyway to dosbox to write in a file the midi data transmitted ? just for verifiy if the sysex and notes are correct ?

thx for all, nice job !

In the Stunts mp3 you've, that high pitched sound at the beginning that lasts throughout the intro half of the song isn't supposed to be there. I think it's just a bug with using an SB16 and the MT-32 (what I recorded it with) instead of a true MPU-401 with MT-32. If you play Stunts through DOSbox and a real MT-32, that sound isn't there, so you may want to redo it, as well as there are a few pops from the MT-32 volume being too high (I think that's the reason). I should be getting my MPU-401 tomorrow to test. 😀

Hi,

The Stunts Intro wasn't from me. I'use the mt32 with a true mpu401 card wich was bundled with my mt32 when i bought it or with dosbox directly.
Anyway, thanks to notice it i'll remade the rip of this great game.

I'm the one that recorded the mp3. 😀 Anyhow, I just got an MPU-IPC today and I'm still getting that sound out of Stunts (using it with a dedicated DOS comp), but it doesn't do that through DOSbox. Kind of annoying..

I've re-ripped the introduction of stunts, without dosbox and there's no high pitched sound at the beginning. i'll upload it tonight.

IF any of the MPU-401 users own the Technical Reference:
MIDI Co-Processor Card Technical Reference, Music Quest
MPU-401 Technical Reference Manual, Roland Corporation
OP-4001/1 Intelligent PC/MIDI Interface Technical Reference Manual, Voyetra Technologies

It would be really great if it could be scanned.

I don't believe any have ever been scanned or posted online. In other words, I want someone to buy one, scan it, and post it online for DOSBox developers.

Here's some places in the US to buy them (Only one of them would really be needed, it should be mostly the same info.)
http://www.magikflute.com/gordon_garage.htm
http://www.markglinsky.com/ManualManor.html
I'd expect the price to be $20-$30 USD + Shipping.

This would be a good project for someone who has no problem throwing away money monthly on new computer equipment or games.

(Thanks, as always, to Stiletto.)

I purchased the MT-32 devel stuff I got from Manual Manor, it was very much not worth the money spent. (Photocopy of a photocopy, cropped and mangled and shit.)