More often than not the Sound Canvas option in games is just an alias for General Midi, so yeah, you could use it with any GM module.

Also the SB Pro and below, while having a gameport, are not MPU-401 compatible, but SB16+ are, so you could just use one of those gameport->MIDI cables and be done with it. Just beware, though, that several SB16/AWE32 cards suffer from a hanging note bug whem dealing with MIDI modules or wavetable daughterboards. The YMF719e-S is bug-free, and so should the SB128 PCI be (but the YMF better for DOS games since it is ISA and has genuine OPL3). I have no experience with the GUS MAX.

Thanks for quick reply. So the ymf719e-s is one I am going to use with modules.

Just remember to go to the OPL3SAX control panel and set DOS games to use the external MPU-401 port instead of the SoftSynth, or else their MIDI stream will be sent to a software synth bundled with the YMF-719 drivers. And install Yamaha's drivers instead of using the default ones that ship with Windows 98. I believe Phil (philscomputerlab.com) has a copy of the drivers there, and a review too. Vogonsdrivers.com will probably have those too.

JackH wrote:

Can't find many game records of SD90 in youtube, only from this user https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVwrmF6ns18 vs Mu50 videos (many db50xg recordings, it is kind of same as Mu50?).

I have the SD-80 which is related to the SD-90. I prefer these over the yamaha sound modules. But that is a matter of taste.
But please keep in mind that the youtube videos you linked don't show the "real" in game midi quality. All channels are set to "solo" mode, which sounds different from the contemporary mode. Still, I prefer the SD-90.
The Mu-50 should be much cheaper than the SD-90. If the SD-90 is not much more expensive it can be a real steal. I wouldn't pay more than 60 Euros for a Mu-50.

I have a SD-90 and a MU80. SD-90 has other advantages. It's a sound card and it works in XGlite mode.
However I never managed to get sound card working without USB MIDI. So when you choose to use MIDI port, sound card doesn't work. Newer GM tracks are awesome (I love ROTT sound track) played in it.
If I had to choose between those two I would choose the SD90.

The SD90 recordings in OP's link sound a bit strange to me. The drums are very faint and the whole mix sounds kind of distant with a weird ambience. I don't know if it's the normal sound of the unit or because of non-standard settings. What is this "solo mode"?

Matter of taste indeed. From what I have heard in youtube videos, yamaha devices have cool drums in some games like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4_pBEUS0l4 I was just thinking about to ask him, if he sell Mu50 for 50€. At least I am going to buy that SD90 for 100€.

"It's a sound card and it works in XGlite mode. However I never managed to get sound card working without USB MIDI. So when you choose to use MIDI port, sound card doesn't work."

Can you explain this more detailed? You mean that old ISA sound cards (sound effects) don't work with it via gameport/midi?

PS. RoTT ost awesome!

JackH wrote:

"It's a sound card and it works in XGlite mode. However I never managed to get sound card working without USB MIDI. So when you choose to use MIDI port, sound card doesn't work."

Can you explain this more detailed? You mean that old ISA sound cards (sound effects) don't work with it via gameport/midi?

PS. RoTT ost awesome!

When you use the SD90 USB soundcard the MIDI interface must be USB too. If you disable the USB MIDI interface to use the regular MIDI ports on the back, then you can't use the SD90 as a soudcard.

If you are going to use it only as a MIDI device driven by a common MIDI cable under MS-DOS , soundcard won't work.

of course go with sd90, its a high-end semi-professional model, even better than the yamaha mu2000 and roland sc8850, both of which are still far better than the mu50.

Just to be clear, how I need to setup SD90 for music and what will I use for sound effects, if I use for example Win98/MS-Dos mode for playing those old games? What (midi/usb?) cables I need?

Does the SD90 even have a SC-55 mode? If not prepare for some funniness in how games sound with it.

keropi wrote:

Does the SD90 even have a SC-55 mode? If not prepare for some funniness in how games sound with it.

the SD90 has roland's "GS" trademark printed on it, so you know the rest.
however, its said that the SD90 is only compatible with GS mode up to SC-55 standard, without support for SC-88/SC-88pro/SC-8850 extensions, which is the same level as yamaha's tg300b mode does.

GS logo alone doesn't mean anything in this case... I have a 8820 that is both gs/gm2 and it has 4 mappings: native, sc-55, sc-88 and sc-88pro. Needless to say that only sc-55 map sounds correct in games. There is a reason why even 88/88pro had a sc-55 compatible map.

As someone who owns a SD-90 (plus its smaller cousin the SD-20) and has a compatible MU module (namely the MU1000-EX), I'll give my two cents. (Also, if need be, I can provide a few recordings.)

I do not really recommend the SD-90 for use in DOS and Windows gaming. GS compatibility does exist, but the samples are taken from a mishmash of other Roland Sound Canvas modules that make it sound poor for compatibility. Its GS implementation also covers 226 patches (equivalent to a SC-50, AKA no CM-64 and MT-32 "emulation" banks from the SC-55) only. Not to mention the XGLite support on said module just exists, and I'd take any MU module over that any day.

However, the SD-90 does have its uses for some music production usage (though I'd honestly take any JV or XV module instead if that is your goal), and has a particular notoriety amongst Touhou Project fans for some of its instruments (particularly Romantic Tp.). Additionally, as a GM2 module or in native mode, I find it decent thanks to the ability to freely select between 4 different GM2 banks; in fact, I prefer playing Descent with this module after adjusting the drum bank.

As for the MU-50, from what I understand of it, it has full baseline XG support as well as some extra patches from the MU80, but loses out on some effects processing (generally not too important though for most uses). You will be able to use the TG300-B mode as well for a good degree of GS compatibility.

Regarding hooking either module up to your system for use in DOS and Windows alike, you can get a gameport-MIDI cable adapter, connect said cable to the joystick port on your sound card, hook the cable's MIDI Out to the module's MIDI In, and then set the module's mode to MIDI (done via hardware switch on the MU-50, System menu on the SD-90). Then for the audio, you can connect the sound card's headphone output to the inputs in either module (RCA in the SD-90, either RCA or 6.3mm on MU-50) and connect your master output device to the module's headphone or output jacks. Also in the case of the SD-90, you may need to adjust the Analog In setting to Line in the system menu, and maybe also bypass the default digital audio effects.
Both modules also support serial (MU-50) or USB (SD-90) connections under Win9x provided drivers, with the latter also acting as a USB sound device.

Thx for a lot of info.

It would be awesome get game recordings of SD90, since I cant't find allmost nothing of it in youtube. For example: Duke Nukem 3D theme & stalker, Rise of The Triad Going down fast way & Oww! & Ccool, Doom E1M1, Doom2 M2(better than above link?), Descent1 theme & map21?

By the way, some guy offered me a Yamaha TG-300. This is older than MU50 and missing XG, MU50 better?

At this point my goal is getting awesome music for older games.

Then search for a sc-55, you can't go wrong with it and old games

The TG-300 is not a bad option for General MIDI-only games, and is rather inexpensive usually at that. I'm not a particular fan of its sound, however; any SC or MU series module would be a better bet.

I'll get to those recordings for both the MU1000 and SD-90, as well as a few others I feel are a good point of comparison.

------

EDIT: Here are a few recordings as requested. A few notes:
- MU1000 has GS support via firmware update, which replaces the TG-300B mode present on all other MU modules (sans the 2000). So there will be a few differences versus the MU50's TG-300B mode.
- Chances are in either module you will be using GM2, GS, and/or TG-300B modes for gaming use, so I've focused on those unless stated elsewhere.
- SC-55 recordings are from this website, as I lack a 100% compatible module. Given the ubiquity of the SC series of modules at the time plus their continued popularity for these games now, use these as a point of reference.
- SD-90 GM2 banks can be adjusted per-channel via either the system panel, the software editor program for Win9x (still available on Roland's website), and/or SysEx commands.
- MU1000 XG recordings are done using the MU Basic instrument map, which uses the same capital tones as pre-MU100 modules for the sake of compatibility.

Descent - Main Menu:
SC-55 (GS)
MU1000 (GS)
SD-90 (GM2, Comtemporary/default bank)
SD-90 (GM2, Solo bank for all instruments)
SD-90 (GS)

Doom - E1M1:
SC-55 (GS)
MU1000 (GS)
SD-90 (GM2, Comtemporary/default bank)
SD-90 (GM2, Enhanced Bank drums)
SD-90 (GS)

Duke Nukem 3D - Grabbag:
SC-55 (GS)
MU1000 (GS)
SD-90 (GM2, Comtemporary/default bank)
SD-90 (GS)

Rise of the Triad - Suck This:
SC-55 (GS)
MU1000 (GS)
SD-90 (GM2, Comtemporary/default bank)
SD-90 (GS)

I have also included two MIDIs that utilise XG functions, particularly effects. XGLite does not incorporate such effects support and drops some instrument variations, and the SD-90's implementation reflects this. Tracks may sometimes be serviceable on the SD-90, and at other times they will not be.

Eternal Doom - DOOMin' Live:
MU1000 (XG)
SD-90 (XGLite)

Yamaha DS-XG Setup Program - ymh.mid:
MU1000 (XG)
SD-90 (XGLite)

Thx. I think some of the music sounded better on SD90 and some on MU1000.

DN3D, SD90(GS) very low vol. on those "bells" near the end? Can every instrument vol. level adjust separately?

I know that these devices have many things that can be adjusted: reverb, chronos, change instrument, position (L...R), etc?

I have tried find SC-55, but without success and other similar devices.

Definitely, you can adjust the volume on each part as well as other parameters (reverb, chorus, panning, etc.), but what you can modify will depend on which mode you are using on each device. Editing in Native mode on the SD-90, for instance, lets you create custom patches based on the pre-included waveforms and effects, which is not possible in GM2, GS, or XGLite modes.

However, given that expression information is often stored in the MIDI files themselves, you'll need to adjust them manually each time they play. This does not apply to the SD-90's GM2 banks, on the other hand, as most of these MIDI files don't rely on NRPN or SysEx-based bank selection; those will tend to remain consistent until a system or mode reset is performed.