I'm pretty sure that for games, a MU50 is more than sufficient. I don't think there are any game that would make use of the MU80 advanced functions.

I would think that the MU50 is OK as well but there is not much reference info or demos on it being used with games that support MIDI. Most people seem to have acquired the MU80 which in some games sounds better than the SC-55 which I recently got along with an MT-32.

As it turns out the MU80 is about $10 to $20 more than the MU50 and the MU100 is about $20 to $30 more than the MU80. Beyond the MU100 the price starts to jump in higher amounts. Looks like the best deal is the MU100 so I just went ahead and picked one up. I think between an MT-32, SC-55, and MU100 I have a well rounded MIDI capability for my retro DOS gaming. The Roland CM units cost way too much so I will just use Munt to emulate the CM-32L for the few games that use that.

Anyone have any suggestions on other sound modules that would be unique enough to consider getting for retro gaming beyond the ones I have?

m5215tx wrote:

As it turns out the MU80 is about $10 to $20 more than the MU50 and the MU100 is about $20 to $30 more than the MU80. Beyond the MU100 the price starts to jump in higher amounts. Looks like the best deal is the MU100 so I just went ahead and picked one up.

Probably because the MU-128, MU-1000, and MU-2000 all can be expanded with expansion cards, and the latter two apparently were Japan-only modules that can come with a later (rare) firmware version...

Anyone have any suggestions on other sound modules that would be unique enough to consider getting for retro gaming beyond the ones I have?

A Korg module?

yawetaG wrote:

A Korg module?

I dunno about that. My experience with Korg modules is they aren't that great for General Midi. The Korg AG-10 is okay, but it's a bit lo-fi sounding.

I have not seen or heard anything about Korg sound modules but I am fairly new to the whole MIDI subject so that is not surprising. I will have to look into them but I will note the possibility of them not being great with general MIDI.

I was thinking of, for example, a Korg NS-5R or NX-5R (NS-5R with Yamaha XG-compatible daughterboard).

yawetaG wrote:

I was thinking of, for example, a Korg NS-5R or NX-5R (NS-5R with Yamaha XG-compatible daughterboard).

I listened to the Korg NS-5R on youtube and although it did not sound as sophisticated as a Roland and Yamaha sound module it did have a more basic console-ish sound to it if you know what I mean. If I can find a good deal on one I might just add it to my collection. 😀

m5215tx wrote:

yawetaG wrote:

I was thinking of, for example, a Korg NS-5R or NX-5R (NS-5R with Yamaha XG-compatible daughterboard).

I listened to the Korg NS-5R on youtube and although it did not sound as sophisticated as a Roland and Yamaha sound module it did have a more basic console-ish sound to it if you know what I mean. If I can find a good deal on one I might just add it to my collection. 😀

I have the NS5R. Personally I find it very hit-or-miss for General MIDI stuff. While it has some good individual sounds, its overall GM bank doesn't sound as balanced or polished as the Yamaha or Roland modules. I've found this to be the case with both soundsets that it includes (NS5R and 05R/W).

As mentioned, I also have a Korg AG-10 and as a GM module, while it sounds a bit more lo-fi, its GM soundset is better balanced than the NS5R. Consequently, I think it's actually the superior GM sound module in this instance.

I previously made various comparison recordings of the NS5R along with Yamaha and Roland h/w. You can have a listen to this and get an idea of how it compares:

Descent - Main Theme:

Roland SC-55
Yamaha MS-80 (XG mode)
Korg NS5R (GM mode)

Duke Nukem 3D - Stalker:

Roland SC-55
Yamaha MS-80 (XG mode)
Korg NS5R (GM mode)

Doom - Intermission From Doom:

Roland SC-55
Yamaha MS-80 (XG mode)
Korg NS5R (GM mode)

Doom 2 - Dead Simple:

Roland SC-55
Yamaha MS-80 (XG mode)
Korg NS5R (GM mode)

Thanks for all that info Shponglefan!

Yes I now see what you are talking about after listening to those recordings. I listened to some recordings of the AG-10 from youtube and it sounds better than the NS5R. I went on eBay to get an idea at how much an AG-10 costs and could not find a single one. Are they high in demand or not very popular or ?

m5215tx wrote:

Yes I now see what you are talking about after listening to those recordings. I listened to some recordings of the AG-10 from youtube and it sounds better than the NS5R. I went on eBay to get an idea at how much an AG-10 costs and could not find a single one. Are they high in demand or not very popular or ?

The AG-10 isn't a particularly common sound module. They're not really in demand though, so when they do pop up they won't break the bank. I paid about $50 USD back when I bought mine a year ago.

Honestly, though I wouldn't worry too much about Korg modules. You mention you have a Roland SC-55 and MT-32, and with the Yamaha MU-100 I'd say you're covered sound-wise.

Personally, my favorite sound module for pure GM sound is the Roland JV-1010. However, it does unfortunately suffer from an annoying latency issue on patch changes which makes it slightly less ideal for General MIDI usage. Which is a shame, because of all the Roland modules I have (11 and counting), it's got my favorite GM sound set.

Shponglefan wrote:

The AG-10 isn't a particularly common sound module. They're not really in demand though, so when they do pop up they won't break the bank. I paid about $50 USD back when I bought mine a year ago.

Honestly, though I wouldn't worry too much about Korg modules. You mention you have a Roland SC-55 and MT-32, and with the Yamaha MU-100 I'd say you're covered sound-wise.

Personally, my favorite sound module for pure GM sound is the Roland JV-1010. However, it does unfortunately suffer from an annoying latency issue on patch changes which makes it slightly less ideal for General MIDI usage. Which is a shame, because of all the Roland modules I have (11 and counting), it's got my favorite GM sound set.

Thanks for the feedback. It's interesting for me to hear the subtle and not so subtle differences between the sound modules but you are probably right as I should be just fine with the ones I have. If I find some really good deals I might get more sound modules but I mainly wanted the MT-32, SC-55 and MU100 units.

Depends on how much you want to spend really:

Higher-end MU units sound amazing if you have the audio setup to go with it. With a good DAC and Amp, the digital output on my MU2000 is simply unmatched. The 2000's sequencer is also a really useful feature if you want get into MIDI editing.

Korg NS5R. I got mine for $50, and I quite like this module. It's samples suffer a bit from compression, but once you get used to it's sound, it sounds quite good. This is a very quirky module that takes some time to get used to. Turning the Effect Follow option on (it defaults to off) makes the instruments sound much better, which really helps Descent, but can make other games sound terrible. You can even instruct the module to ignore GM/GS/XG reset messages, allowing you use exactly the instruments you want. You can freely mix all the sound banks as you like, this module is a tweakers dream. And the ability to throw a Dreamblaster inside helps too.

Akai SG01k. Very underrated and overlooked module. Amazing basses. Instruments are unbalanced, orchestral stuff sounds terrible. But this is my favorite module for "in your face" games like Super Street Fighter 2, Doom, and Rise of the Triad. Sounds completely different from all the Japanese modules I own.
https://youtu.be/OhPQIPKcOhA?t=16m37s

I really like the idea of tweaking the output which the Korg NS5R offers so I think that unit is on my list of sound modules to search for.

The Akai SG01k does sound a bit unique so I think I may search for a good deal on one of those.

Thanks for the info on these.

New user checking in...

I'm the proud owner of a SC-55, and I found a Yamaha MU50 that I have on the way.

I've had a lot of fun with general midi on the SC-55 roland, but as we all know the MT32 mode leaves a lot to be desired.

Looking at the docs for MU50, it has "C/M" (CM) Computer Music Mode. Unless I'm mistaken, the tables in the manuals line up with the instruments and channels for MT32 standard.

In other words, may it be possible to run a MU50 in CM mode in place of a roland CM module / MT32? From looking at manuals It kind of seems the CM mode on the yamaha MU50 is more complete than that of the MT32 mode on the SC55, as it supports replacing of instruments in slots except for the ch 10/rhythm track.

Has anyone tried this? Anyone have a MU synth on hand with CM mode to try out on dosbox in place of MT32? I am sure I will try it when I receive mine unless someone has input. I searched google and this forum quite thoroughly (great resource here!) and could not find info on the "Computer Music" mode of the yamaha sound modules outside their manuals.

CM Mode on Yamaha modules has the same issues as on Roland SC units really. Just get a proper LA based module to suit your needs, or use MUNT.

Cool, thanks for the reply. Munt is working just fine until I can find a different module for the MT32 stuff.