Hey guys, I have the GOG version of Ultima Underworld perfectly setup in Dosbox to use Munt to get Roland sound by using the CM-32L roms; only I'm having one problem- the music is completely overpowering the game sound effects.
There's no in game interface for adjusting the volume levels of the music relative to the sound effects, so I was wondering if there is any way to re-balance this in the Dosbox config. It's awesome to hear the rich MT-32 music, but it's really hard to hear all of the cool extra sound effects, like the water splashes, footsteps, etc. Any insight into this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Just use the stand-alone Munt together with the GOG release. That version has a volume slider for the MT-32.
Unfortunately philscomputerlab, by using the Munt volume slider, everything is turned down when it is lowered; music, sound effects, everything. I obviously assume that this means that when using Roland CM-32L sound with Ultima Underworld, all sound effects (originally soundblaster/adlib?)are replaced by new Roland effects, such as the new footstep sounds, water splashing, doors creaking, etc. If the Munt volume slider is lowered, it lowers all MT-32 audio, so that doesn't solve this one for me, regrettably.
sergm wrote:In any game that uses MT-32 just for music and another sound card for FX like SB or Adlib, you set any pleasant volume in DOSBox […] Show full quote
In any game that uses MT-32 just for music and another sound card for FX like SB or Adlib, you set any pleasant volume in DOSBox mixer like this:
1mixer MT32 45
or
1mixer SB 22
etc.
Hey thanks for that insight sergem, but would it have any effect in Ultima Underworld if all sound effects are from the MT 32 as well as the music? From what I understand (and hear when it's playing), when MT-32 is enabled for Ultima Underworld, it produces audio for both the music AND the sound effects. I'll give it a shot when I'm home, but I don't see how that would correct the volume disparity between the sound effects and overpowering music if my opinion is right regarding the MT-32 doing it all when enabled for this game.
If there's no separate volume sliders for music and sfx ingame, you're out of luck.
Alternatively, you can manually run the setup utility in the directory of the game (providing that GOG didn't delete it), then select MT-32 for music and SoundBlaster for sound effects. You will thus be able to change the respective volumes via the DOSBox commands that Sergey mentioned above.
So, unfortunately modifying the mixer settings in Dosbox had no effect, and as far as I can see, the GOG release of Ultima Underworld does not include the setup file to set sound fx to soundblaster. Unless anyone else has any bright ideas, I think I may be out of luck on this one regarding balancing the MT-32 music and sound FX.
It doesn't? I could swear that it was there, it's the only version I have 😐
I've triple checked philscomputerlab, and I don't have uwsounds.exe in my GOG installation folder. 😠
Ok, you're right, I just downloaded them again, and the files / folders are quite different than before. I am 100% that the setup files were included before, GOG must have removed them a while ago. A really silly move, I see no benefit in doing this.
It doesn't? I could swear that it was there, it's the only version I have 😐
I've triple checked philscomputerlab, and I don't have uwsounds.exe in my GOG installation folder. 😠
Ok, you're right, I just downloaded them again, and the files / folders are quite different than before. I am 100% that the setup files were included before, GOG must have removed them a while ago. A really silly move, I see no benefit in doing this.
I hear you philscomputerlab; that's just inexplicably pointless to take the effort to remove content from the GOG release that was included originally in their compiled package. 😕
collector wrote:
From my CD
Hey thanks a lot for that collctor!
*EDIT* It appears that GOG excised some additional necessary files with this release of Ultima Underwolrd, because this is what happened when I tried to run UWSOUND.EXE...
I was playing around with it. I do not have the GOG version, so I do not know the layout for the files. Mine is a CD version with both 1 and 2 on it. When you execute UWSOUND It looks for UW.CFG in the DATA subdirectory. If it finds the default UW.CFG that is on the CD you get that message. If it has been installed the settings will be defined in the DATA/UW.CFG and will then ask what you want to change. I have often noticed that GOG never properly works out CD games. and does a lazy workaround to mount a CD, either an image or a separate folder. If they used the UW1/UW2 CD and you dropped UWSOUND into a folder mounted as the CD it is very likely that it looks to a default UW.CFG.
BTW, an installation of the original installer does not copy any executables to the installed folder. I might be able to work it out if you can post the file layout of GOG's release.
I was playing around with it. I do not have the GOG version, so I do not know the layout for the files. Mine is a CD version with both 1 and 2 on it. When you execute UWSOUND It looks for UW.CFG in the DATA subdirectory. If it finds the default UW.CFG that is on the CD you get that message. If it has been installed the settings will be defined in the DATA/UW.CFG and will then ask what you want to change. I have often noticed that GOG never properly works out CD games. and does a lazy workaround to mount a CD, either an image or a separate folder. If they used the UW1/UW2 CD and you dropped UWSOUND into a folder mounted as the CD it is very likely that it looks to a default UW.CFG.
BTW, an installation of the original installer does not copy any executables to the installed folder. I might be able to work it out if you can post the file layout of GOG's release.
Hey thanks for the insight into the folder directories; with a little monkeying around with the GOG release, I got UWSOUND.EXE to run. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide a solution:
As we can infer from the wording there, your choice of "sound system" is responsible for the music AND sound effects (unless you're using PC Speakers, apparently). Speech as shown in the attached photo is separate. I can verify this from running UW with both Soundblaster selected, and Roland MT-32 in turn, that the music is overpowering the sound effects in both cases.
To me, this is now definitive that this must have been the original intent of Neurath/Spector, because this is clearly how the game shipped. As far as I can see, there's no way to re-balance the music relative to the sound effects, as you cannot select a separate sound card for each; and besides, those Soundblaster sound effects are no comparison to the Roland CM-32L ones!
This is the first time I'm playing Ultima Underworld, so I was kind of expecting an immersive auditory experience as found in later Neurath/Spector games like System Shock, Thief, and Deus Ex where everything is balanced really well out of the gate, or provides volume sliders to adjust as necessary. Thank you one and all for your help with this one!
This game uses some of the 33 extra sound effects that the LAPC-I / CM-32L have over the MT-32L. It's a game I used in my Ultimate MT-32 tutorial, especially the water sounds when you are in a river. On a MT-32 it is mute.
However I don't remember the music being too loud.
I still have a copy of the old GOG release, I might do a directory listing and post it here. I will also write GOG, and maybe start a petition, because removing installers makes zero sense and is really annoying, once again you get a better product with abandonware / piracy 😒
EDIT: Directory structures from an October 2014 backup attached.
