Early SCI.0 games (like King's Quest 4 or Space Quest 3) only supports the MT-32 (there was no official General MIDI support, since these games were released before that became a standard).
AGI games had no official support for the MT-32 or General MIDI.

Early SCI games also makes use of custom sound patches and sends these via sysex commands to the MT-32. No General MIDI module (that claims support for the MT-32) supports these sysex commands (not even the SC-55).

Over and above that, these games requires a real (intelligent mode) MPU-401 MIDI interface. Most sound cards (including those from Creative Labs), only had a dumb (UART) mode MIDI interface. You can try SoftMPU to overcome this problem.

However, your problem is speed related (your system is too fast). You can try the GoSierra patch but, your system might still be too fast.

If you don't have a slower system (or can't slow your system down), then DOSBox is perhaps a good alternative, since this provides excellent support for these games.

Awesome, thanks for confirming that for me. I only used the SC-88 as cm-64 in scummvm so I suppose that was probably why that worked. Though I'll have to try the CM64 comp mode in real DOS just to be sure. I'll try the softMPU and gosierra just to fully try. I've run the software mt32's fine, but just wanted to see how different AWE64 was to software mt32 or sound canvas emulation on these older games. Did not even realize the AGI didn't have mt32 guess I had the SCI version when I was a kid.

Ooo man just realized Atari ST version supports mt-32. That might be good with the sound canvas too. 😁

FYI, SC-55 & SC-88 are both General MIDI & General Standard (GS) compatible sound modules of the Sound Canvas family.
MT-32 is supported purely via instrument remapping.
Neither supports the MT-32 sysex commands.

So, trying to play any early SCI.0 game on a SC-55 or SC-88 will not yield the correct sound playback.

SC-55v1 is GS compatible, not GM. The SC-55v2 supports both.

LGR recently posted a SC-55 review.

SC series supports CM-64 thereby supporting mt32. Some things sound off, but it does work.

This thread makes me wonder.. Does the AWE still include the old DSP-driven SB MIDI feature ? 😕
- The SB32 with its EMU8000 still did that, as far as I remember.

And if it really does, so does AWEUTIL support SB MIDI if it is running MT-32 emulation mode ?
Or is AWEUTIL just MPU-401 only ?

It would be cool if it did support that, because Sierra games had got a modified MT-32 driver for classic Sound Blasters.
That driver does require neither MPU-401, nor intelligent mode, nor V86/EMM386 (SoftMPU..)

Yea, in the midi mapper it lists AWE MIDI synth, AWE MIDI out, Creative Wavetable, and FM synth. I'm guessing Creative wavetable is SB midi. It's only one mode at a time though and AWE MIDI synth does the mt-32 emulation mode once you set it in the soundfont settings. You can switch to any of these for DOS mode with aweutil parameters.

gdjacobs wrote:

SC-55v1 is GS compatible, not GM. The SC-55v2 supports both.

This statement is absolutely meaningless because GS is an add-on to GM and cannot exist separately.

Televicious wrote:

SC series supports CM-64 thereby supporting mt32. Some things sound off, but it does work.

It only supports a somewhat default bank mapping. It will not work properly or sound correct with games that actually program the MT-32.

PARUS wrote:

gdjacobs wrote:

SC-55v1 is GS compatible, not GM. The SC-55v2 supports both.

This statement is absolutely meaningless because GS is an add-on to GM and cannot exist separately.

They're close, but on these early modules, matching GM output isn't possible.
http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2013/06/f … gs-devices.html

GM can not be disabled, it's basis for GS, XG. GS mode doesn't mean it's not GM. If GS mode isn't switchable and always working on early modules it's OK. But it can't be "not GM" as you said. "It's not GM in pure form without add-ons" - yes. But it's still GM.

PARUS wrote:

GM can not be disabled, it's basis for GS, XG. GS mode doesn't mean it's not GM. If GS mode isn't switchable and always working on early modules it's OK. But it can't be "not GM" as you said. "It's not GM in pure form without add-ons" - yes. But it's still GM.

Early modules have at Program Change #121 Fl. Key Click. There is no Breath Noise tone. Later modules in the series would put Breath Noise as the default tone on PC#121 and put Fl. Key Click as a variation tone. Breath Noise is the canonical General MIDI tone for PC#121. Early modules lack a sine wave variation tone at PC#81. These changes can be seen in all General MIDI/GS units and even some simply "GS" branded units. GS branded SC-55s with a Control ROM version of 1.10 will have the old instrument table, while units with a 1.20 or 1.21 Control ROM will have the new instruments.

Please consult the linked post above. For early SC-55 modules, GS with capital tones only is very close to the GM mapping on the mk2 units, but it's not identical. As noted, it doesn't implement all instruments as specified in the GM standard.

OK. You have persuaded me. Thank you.