To me nothing beats the hardware. That laptop solution is neat but running two computer just to have MIDI is not for me. I nice Roland/Yamaha module is the way to go.

sprcorreia wrote:

To me nothing beats the hardware. That laptop solution is neat but running two computer just to have MIDI is not for me. I nice Roland/Yamaha module is the way to go.

I would have bought a real module already, if not for how expensive they were. I'm all for real hardware (why else would I have a 486 machine after all) but the prices those things go for are insane.

Define insane.

ElementalChaos wrote:

I want to upgrade my 486 with General Midi capabilities. I've been on the fence for the past few days over two possible setups; the ever popular Yamaha Audician 32 + Dreamblaster S1 combo, or a Roland UM-ONE mk2 USB to MIDI adapter paired with a laptop running an MT32/CM-32L/General MIDI emulator. The latter process is demonstrated here on PhilsComputerLab.

Both would cost approximately the same ($50). Am I right to assume the UM-ONE is the better choice as it lets you emulate a wide variety of modules and soundfonts? Is there anyone here with experience on both methods that can recommend one over the other?

I don't have experience with either, but between those two I'd choose the UM-One+laptop -- not because of the "variety" it can emulate, but because I don't care for the sound of the S1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3fU3xAmn3M
doesn't sound right to me (actually it sounds rather bad IMO, at least with that particular game).

I like the sound of the Dreamblaster X1 well enough,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXSJVDMWOgw
but that costs more than the S1 and I don't think the X1 would fit on an Audician.
Munt may not be exactly the same as a MT-32, but it comes close.

sprcorreia wrote:

Define insane.

Far more than $50, certainly. 😜

ElementalChaos wrote:

sprcorreia wrote:

Define insane.

Far more than $50, certainly. 😜

So spending, let's say, 100/150 USD in something you will enjoy in almost all recent MS-DOS games is insane?
Insane is to go cheap, realize it sucks and end up buying the module.

I've had and tried dozens of wavetable cards and modules (well, I still own quite a few).
The most rewarding experience is owning a module. My favourite is the Roland SC-88 Pro. I have a Roland SC-155, MT-32, SD-90 and a Yamaha MU80.
I've had about a dozen wavetable daughterboards and around 20+ sound cards with wavetable.

To me, in the end, a nice sound card with a module is the best experience.

I determined in another thread that Munt can be built to run better than real time on a Raspberry Pi 2, as can wavetable soft synths like FluidSynth. Alternately, an appropriately optimized build will run real time on first generation Atom CPUs as found in nettops and netbooks.

The bottom line is, the emulator can be both cheap and compact while doing the job perfectly. You don't need a full size, high powered laptop.

I can only speak for myself. Bringing another machine, Raspberry or X86, into the equation is not in my plans.
A module is "plug and play". A "soft" solution requires configuration, experiments and quite honest is a hassle I don't quite understand.
A module can be bought for prices similar to a netbook or less...

No question, a module is easier, although I have a Pi 2 image available which takes a lot of the hassle out of the process. 😀

That's the beauty, there's lots of options on the table.

I've got myself a Pi 3, so hopefully I'll get it up and running soon 😀

Gdjacobs of a drive bay device is great, an external MIDI box of some sort could also work nice. Because the Pi has GPIO pins, you can connect up buttons and a LCD display and get it to the usability of any MIDI device, with all the tech stuff hidden away.

Now if you have a notebook and a MIDI interface, just use Falcosoft Soundfont Midi Player.

It's the only Windows program you need, and you can try out all the SF2 SoundFont files on the planet, route the USB MIDI input through and you're set. It couldn't be easier. And with future boards likely supporting Windows, it can only get better.

If you have a MIDI interface is one thing. But the OP is buying one. That's why I think a module is a better bet. He's already putting half the money for the adapter, why not go for the module?

sprcorreia wrote:

If you have a MIDI interface is one thing. But the OP is buying one. That's why I think a module is a better bet. He's already putting half the money for the adapter, why not go for the module?

Because you're half-way towards a single MIDI module.

Whereas with the USB MIDI adapter and a notebook you get to use:

- Use any SF2 you can find
- Roland MT-32 (Old)
- Roland CM-32L

The ROM files determine MT-32 vs CM-32L

To get all of that + MPU card, costs a LOT more.

As for the S1, look, it's so cheap, you should get it regardless 😊

Now I get the "it won't sound like a real Sound Canvas". That's true. And Sound Canvas VA is just way to pricey. I always seen SoundFonts as getting sound that is "beyond" Roland Sound Canvas.

Doom E1M1 with Arachno SoundFont for example. Check it out, it's really something.

And now we are getting somewhere. Why bother to build a 486 in the first place if you are going to use something to emulate some devices?
Dosbox would have handled that perfectly...

It all comes down to personal preferences. Mine are real hardware.

sprcorreia wrote:

And now we are getting somewhere. Why bother to build a 486 in the first place if you are going to use something to emulate some devices?
Dosbox would have handled that perfectly...

It all comes down to personal preferences. Mine are real hardware.

People have been using DOSBox together with SoundFonts, Munt and VST plugins for ages. I assume everyone on Vogons knows about DOSBox, but the OP is looking beyond that.

I don't see it as just black or white, authentic or emulated. As hardware gets older, more and more components are getting replaced by modern counterparts. GOTEK floppy emulator, CF or SD adapter, modern PSU, newer DVD drives slowed down through software, use of SoftMPU and so on.

Purchasing a MT-32, CM-32L, Sound Canvas, and a Yamaha for some differentiation together with a MPU card is quite an expensive undertaking. Many can afford it, but it's very much not for everyone.

The other thing is, if you have $50 to spend, going with the "MIDI box", let's call it that for the time being, lets you experiment with a wide range of games, check out how they sound, and have a lot of fun for a low price. Then you got a better idea of what's what and you feel more confident in maybe purchasing real hardware.

You can find SCs / MTs < locally on CL < $50 usually. All you need.

PeterLI wrote:

You can find SCs / MTs < locally on CL < $50 usually. All you need.

Yes if your're a skilled retro part trader 🤣

But it's certainly not the norm, wouldn't you say?

If I bought the UM-ONE I would plan on plugging it into my Dell Latitude D610 with a Pentium M. It's perched on a shelf next to my setup acting as a WiFi-to-Ethernet bridge for all of my retro machines. Would it be powerful enough for MUNT? I don't see why not.

sprcorreia wrote:

So spending, let's say, 100/150 USD in something you will enjoy in almost all recent MS-DOS games is insane? Insane is to go che […]
Show full quote

So spending, let's say, 100/150 USD in something you will enjoy in almost all recent MS-DOS games is insane?
Insane is to go cheap, realize it sucks and end up buying the module.

I've had and tried dozens of wavetable cards and modules (well, I still own quite a few).
The most rewarding experience is owning a module. My favourite is the Roland SC-88 Pro. I have a Roland SC-155, MT-32, SD-90 and a Yamaha MU80.
I've had about a dozen wavetable daughterboards and around 20+ sound cards with wavetable.

To me, in the end, a nice sound card with a module is the best experience.

"Insane" is subjective, frankly. Maybe I should have used a different term. But, a real module, at the prices they currently go for, is rather out of reach for me, a teenager with no source of income other than gift cards and intermittent allowances. Such could be said about many other parts, and this hobby in general really. I get deals on nearly everything, mostly by necessity, so it starts to distort my viewpoint of what I think the value of an item is. 😀 🤣

PhilsComputerLab wrote:

Doom E1M1 with Arachno SoundFont for example. Check it out, it's really something.

One of the reasons I'm really considering the UM-ONE. Shit's mindblowing.

PeterLI wrote:

You can find SCs / MTs < locally on CL < $50 usually. All you need.

I would poop myself if I saw something like that on my area CL, or anything resembling a deal on retro parts for that matter. All I've ever seen on there are prices that make eBay look like a Dollar Tree. 🤣

PhilsComputerLab wrote:

And with future boards likely supporting Windows, it can only get better.

MUNT is an open source project that is capable of running on Linux quite well, remember. This is currently my setup -- retro PC midi (Sound Blaster 15 pin) -> custom MIDI interface -> Linux computer running MUNT as MT-32 or timidity++ with Sound Canvas sound font. It works very well and sounds great. The setup is probably entirely replicable on a stock Raspberry Pi running raspbian.

That said, I would love to have a real MT-32, but I'm super cheap and built the above with on-hand parts.

A Roland USB-to-midi cable can also be used to connect a Roland MT-32 to a modern computer running DOSBox.
So even if you like the sound of the original MT-32 over Munt, the USB-to-midi cable is a good thing to have.