I only use my SC-7 with DOSBox on my primary PC. BASSMIDI has also been a blessing and MUNT has done some insane progress in the last few years, so much so that I don't need an MT-32 or CM-32.
My retro PC has a DB60XG, so that's also covered.

Good stuff. Keep to the good brands and get the external units. I'm also not a fan of expensive ISA cards.

For me the essentials are:

MT-32 (Old)
CM-32L
SC-55
MPU401AT
Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold

*Ducks for cover*

1: A Roland CM-500 is all you need for GM/GS.
2: A Yamaha FB-01 may be an addition (although very few games support it).

F2bnp:

F2bnp wrote:

I only use my SC-7 with DOSBox on my primary PC. BASSMIDI has also been a blessing and MUNT has done some insane progress in the last few years, so much so that I don't need an MT-32 or CM-32.
My retro PC has a DB60XG, so that's also covered.

I have been reading up a little on MUNT, but I am too ignorant to comment much on it at this point. Generally though, I do enjoy having more of the "real thing" and less 'emulation'.

As for the SC-7...I have heard that for GM it is good. I have tried it with various old games, but I prefer to use my CM32L and MT-32 for most that support GS/LA sound as well. Would my yamaha MU50 do a better job for GM music? I don't have everything set up so I have not tried it out yet fopr GM.

Mau1wurf1977:

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Good stuff. Keep to the good brands and get the external units. I'm also not a fan of expensive ISA cards.

For me the essentials are:

MT-32 (Old)

You list MT-32 (old). Do you find this to be more essential than the MT-32 (newer (2nd Generation)) module? I thought that the 'new' revision (not rev. 3) was the best one to have for all around compatability.

PeterLI:

PeterLI wrote:

1: A Roland CM-500 is all you need for GM/GS.

I do have a CM-32L...Is the CM-500 better for LA/GM/GS than the CM-32L? I heard that the capabilities are similar, but because of a more complex power supply the CM-500 has inferior sound quality. Is that the only difference between the two modules?

Time to watch my 3 hour MT-32 video 😀

It's in the signature.

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Time to watch my 3 hour MT-32 video 😀

It's in the signature.

I've been meaning to 🤣 I'll get to it soon...I have seen a bit of it already...I believe it is a 'right of passage' of sorts for us newbies here on Vogons.

Great job on your videos btw...I saw most of your MS-DOS time machine one and some of your others.

great topic!
modules are never enough, here is my current setup:

I have 4-5 more modules and some of the "expensive" isa/daughterboard stuff, I won't make the same mistake I did in the past where I sold seemingly "unneeded" cards only to look for them a year later... let this be a warning to all 🤣

IMHO one needs a CM32-L/LAPC-I and a SC-55.
Then you can go nitpicking and get an old MT-32, a MU unit and a 88+ one.

The SC-7 in the pic is very close to how the SC-55 sounds, for normal midis I can't detect a difference (I have a SCB-7 connected on the 401AT inside the pc that controls all these modules) that will make someone ditch it, but it does sound a bit different (audio-out parts are different after all) and has an inferior engine. But it's still a damn good device to own for GM stuff.

I'd say go for the SC-55 retrofanatic , wait till you find a good priced one since you do have quite a nice collection already. It's a must and a standard on it's own.

This is the setup I use all the time.

SC-55, CM-32L and SC-55 with the mixer on top. Not using the mic as the AVerMedia software allows using a second recording device 😀

But I have more stashed away 😊

I'm not sure how it all started but they kept piling up 🤣 I got them all from Japan, quite cheap as well and to get the most out of the shipping costs I always got a few on one go.

I can see why emulation and playing on modern systems is a turn-off for a lot of people here. Over the last couple of years, I have been using my old PCs less and less.
There are some games and things that you just cannot play on a modern system, so that's why I always keep a balanced system for such games. By things, I mean DB-15 joysticks (although there are adapters to USB, I've never tried one) and interesting hardware.
I don't feel the need for an MT-32 anymore, thanks to how good MUNT sounds. It's really really close. Windows 8 though broke MIDI setups for whatever reason, I'll have to reinstall Windows 7 just because I want MIDI options when playing DOS games.
Be that as it may, I would love to have a Yamaha MU-80, since it sounds quite different to Roland. It pisses me off that I cannot connect my DB60XG on my modern PC 🙁.

Also, Mau1wurf, that's just ridiculous man, you're throwing salt on everyone's wounds now with those stacked racks!

^ grab a MU10 , it's exactly the same... the MU80 doubles the polyphony/parts and adds 53 tones, for gaming reasons doesn't make a difference IMHO... i

The CM-500 combines LA with GM/GS.

For pure gaming that is all you really need. A MT-32 and RAP-10/MCB-10 combo with SoftMPU is the cheapest way to get closest to LA/GM coverage. Very few games, if any, support GS/XG anyway.

Not really, 90% of the games that support GM also support GS and in some cases - even for popular titles - without the proper driver fixes a GS device sounds best ... especially the SC-55 is a device that many composers used to write the game soundtracks and some just sound better on it 🤣

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

http://i.imgur.com/mzR2RkLl.jpg […]
Show full quote

Ok describe that picture. How much MT-32, CM and SC units you have in there?

That is why I said closest. 😉

carlostex wrote:

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

http://i.imgur.com/mzR2RkLl.jpg […]
Show full quote

Ok describe that picture. How much MT-32, CM and SC units you have in there?

Hehehe....well, if there is ever a shortage of the said Roland modules on this earth, we know who to blame now! 🤣

F2bnp wrote:

I don't feel the need for an MT-32 anymore, thanks to how good MUNT sounds. It's really really close.

I totally agree. Just use the CM-32L Roms and you have the complete CM-32L (or LAPC-I if you prefer) synthesis in-built into your modern system! I have the CM-500 and LAPC-I and yet, I'm impressed with MUNT that I don't miss the CM-500 or LAPC-I when I'm out using my notebook with MUNT. sergm insists that there's more to be improved on MUNT, but I'm really impressed already.

(I'm still keeping the LAPC-I, since,....I might be the only one keeping it in my country... 🤣)

Coming back to the question, for classic DOS gaming, you need :

1. LA based Synthesizer - MT-32, AND/OR CM-32L or CM-64 or CM-500

CM-500 would be, as Great Hierophant mentioned before - A Dos Gamer's "Wet Dream", but it's very hard to come by and quite expensive outside of Japan.

CM-64 is also hard to come by bur slightly less expensive. CM-32L - well, this is more common, but still hard to get nowadays. It's the second most common to be found after MT-32. (in terms of LA synth).

MT-32s are relatively cheap and easier to find, and a DOS gamer who loves MIDI in games should not be without one, imho. (May be forgiven if a variant of CM-32L is already present. 😁)

2. A Roland GS based synth - preferably SC-55 or it's MKII update. Games with GS support were written using the SC-55 in mind. Some swear by the superiority of SC-88. If you already have one, you may load the SC-55 patch onto it.

I'm having the MKII.

(Again CM-500 can take care of both the LA and GS.)

3. A Yamaha XG based synth. I don't have a variant except the DBXG60 daughter-board, but even on this, it has very good percussions. But there are not many games that support the XG format natively (right now, I can only remember Terra Nova and Final Fantasy VII). Even then, it's worth to get one to use with GM based games, since XG synth is quite good on it's own in GM standards, and you can hear the difference.

I have stopped hoarding external synths, but Yamaha XG based synthesizer is one that I don't mind getting in the future.

My recommendation :

1. A Linear Arithmetic (LA) Synthesizer - MT-32 and/or CM-32L

2. SC-55 MKII for Roland GS Standard ("Sound Canvas" selection in games setup).

3. A Yamaha XG module for XG format and some GM games.

(Not a game but a MIDI demonstration in XG - Final Countdown song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddqD5LF3c7A)

Some General MIDI games sound better with Roland while others better with Yamaha. And also, it depends on personal preference.

Malik wrote:

My recommendation : […]
Show full quote

My recommendation :

1. A Linear Arithmetic (LA) Synthesizer - MT-32 and/or CM-32L

2. SC-55 MKII for Roland GS Standard ("Sound Canvas" selection in games setup).

3. A Yamaha XG module for XG format and some GM games.

(Not a game but a MIDI demonstration in XG - Final Countdown song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddqD5LF3c7A)

Some General MIDI games sound better with Roland while others better with Yamaha. And also, it depends on personal preference.

You nailed it!

And too bad that XG does not have native support in games. It's pretty awesome.

EDIT: BTW, the MU2000EX supports XG and GS, so you can have both standards in one unit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5E4DYNnn_s

retrofanatic wrote:

A major drawback for my quest for the widest range of DOS game sound compatibility has been my failure in finding a fully intelligent mode compliant MPU-401 interface though...I do have some yamaha cards and AWE64 Gold, and a CT2230 (only UART mode of course) that I have heard to have some of the most compatible MPU-401 ports for being UART mode only. But that's another story...I have been scouring eBay and just missed a bid on a MusicQuest ISA card (whoever ended up winning the bid got a great deal at only $25)....I hope to find something for a decent deal one day soon.

Sounds like you've been looking for a while. If you want to pay for shipping, I can send an MPU-IPC pairing your way.

Iam just happy what i have in my collection..

2x Roland LAPC-I cards
1x MT-32 OLD
1X CM-32L

So i have MT sounds, sound canvas sounds, and NEC XR385R sound.. Should it do for me.

retrofanatic wrote:

I

A major drawback for my quest for the widest range of DOS game sound compatibility has been my failure in finding a fully intelligent mode compliant MPU-401 interface though...I do have some yamaha cards and AWE64 Gold, and a CT2230 (only UART mode of course) that I have heard to have some of the most compatible MPU-401 ports for being UART mode only. But that's another story...I have been scouring eBay and just missed a bid on a MusicQuest ISA card (whoever ended up winning the bid got a great deal at only $25)....I hope to find something for a decent deal one day soon.

You have heard of/tried out SoftMPU? It works great 😀
http://bjt42.github.io/softmpu/