Phil has a video covering this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSk9S1bkRS8

You could use the nuked sc55 emulator instead of the SC55 Soundfont.

So just connecting the midi port isn’t enough, I have to output the entire sound of my laptop to my old computers line in? Is that because it’s playing the sound through my laptop? Did actual mt-32s work that way also?

Yes, the MT-32 is a MIDI-controlled external sound module. The controlling computer simply sends a series of simple digital instructions over the MIDI connection, which tell the MT-32 which sounds to use, and when to start and stop playing each note. The MT-32 interprets the MIDI instructions and outputs analogue sound signals on its stereo line-out jacks. These sound signals then need to be amplified, either using an external amplifier or by connecting the signal to the line-in port on your sound card. All external MIDI modules (including Roland SoundCanvas, Yamaha MU series etc.) work this way.

In the case of MUNT running on a separate PC, it's essentially connected up just like a hardware MT-32 would be, with a MIDI input and audio output. You can either have the emulated MT-32 sounds play through your laptop speakers, or connect the audio output of your laptop to the line-in on your sound card for a more integrated experience.

Since you have a retro PC, I'd wager you have either speakers or headphones plugged into the SB16? If so I suggest getting an inexpensive audio mixer.

This will let you adjust the audio levels of multiple devices from a hardware interface outside the computer. This was something that had to be constantly battled with as games and other software just did there own thing and didn't always lets you adjust every channel independently.

I'm talking about something like this that is under $30. https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Channel-Audio … g/dp/B07Y2RYHFF

Well, I have audio-out going into my Retrotink 4k. I want to make sure that the sounds line up for recordings.

These sound cards will automatically play whatever goes into the line in, in dos and windows 98?

Also I cannot seem to find the midi coupler thing that will allow this to connect to my game port, the only thing which might be it is $200 on eBay, can someone help me find the right thing?

SScorpio wrote on 2024-12-30, 15:39:

Since you have a retro PC, I'd wager you have either speakers or headphones plugged into the SB16? If so I suggest getting an inexpensive audio mixer.

This will let you adjust the audio levels of multiple devices from a hardware interface outside the computer. This was something that had to be constantly battled with as games and other software just did there own thing and didn't always lets you adjust every channel independently.

I'm talking about something like this that is under $30. https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Channel-Audio … g/dp/B07Y2RYHFF

Both Serdashop and TexElec have options.

https://www.serdashop.com/DB15MIDI

https://texelec.com/product/sb-midi-joystick-adapter/

As for the mixer, you have the audio from your PC and your laptop go into the mixer, and then both channels are combined and outputted to the RetroTink.

I found a thing elsewhere on the vogons forum which says "In short the MPU401 (or MIDI interface) of the SB16 isn't intelligent mode compatible. Back in the day when you had a MT-32 you would have purchased a Roland MIDI interface (or a LAPC-I which has everything in one card)."

Just to establish: When I get the game port - midi adapter, and the Roland UM-ONE-MK2 to connect to my computer using MUNT that's all the hardware I am going to need to get everything working, right?

Yes, some games do need intelligent mode MIDI to work. But there's a program called SoftMPU you can run that will allow them to work on your SB16. Only really old games that only support the MT-32 have this requirement. Newer games that use General MIDI don't require it.

The Vogons Wiki MT-32 page has a list of game that support the MT-32 and there's a column that says if they need intelligent mode or not: https://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/List_of_ … _computer_games

softmpu can output intelligent mode midi from your dos retro pc via a cheap null modem (serial) cable to a modern pc running munt. on the modern pc (win or linux) you can pipe the midi data to munt with a variety of software: roland or yamaha serial driver (win9x), hairless midi serial bridge (winxp or later/linux iirc).

So when I run fate of atlantis and try to use port 330 for the roland it says failed to initiate sound driver... does the same when I manually type in 300. Sound blaster DIAGNOSE.EXE gives an error if I try choosing 330, but auto-detects the MPU-401 on port 300. This is with MUNT running on my laptop and all the cables connected. What are the steps I should be following to try and get this working? Sorry if this isn't the right forum but it's both hardware related and MUNT related..

It is not possible to run MUNT on a windows 98 PC and play games without using MIDI cables, is it?

Munt isn't something that's will be detected. Your soundcard has an MPU-401 built into it, this is mapped to an IO port (generally 300 or 330). Any MIDI playback is directed at that IO port and then sent out via the physical interface, but it's send only it's not expecting a response back. Bottom line it sounds like something is wrong if your soundcard configuration. Since you mentioned Sound Blaster diagnose.exe, are you using a newer PnP Sound Blaster? If so don't use the regular drivers, try out Unisound instead. It simplifies the process down to you creating a SET BLASTER line with the ports you want mapped, and then running the program. It will then configure the card with what you selected and then exit. No hanging around eating up resources.

As for running MUNT directly, the first issue is resource usage. MUNT is fine on modern PCs, but running it on legacy hardware that's also trying to play a game? Some people have gotten it working using DOSBox under Win98. But that I'll bring up, what's the point? You can run DOSBox on newer computers and have the exact some experience. And you mentioned Fate of Atlantis, that runs great under SCUMMVM which includes MT32 support right in further simplifying things.

There are programs which create virtual MIDI ports that let you not need physical cables. But everything I'm finding is 2000/XP and up. If you want to play the games on your Win98 machine, then focus and getting your soundcard setup correctly. Once that's working then try improving the setup.

SScorpio wrote on 2025-01-14, 00:15:

Munt isn't something that's will be detected. Your soundcard has an MPU-401 built into it, this is mapped to an IO port (generally 300 or 330). Any MIDI playback is directed at that IO port and then sent out via the physical interface, but it's send only it's not expecting a response back. Bottom line it sounds like something is wrong if your soundcard configuration. Since you mentioned Sound Blaster diagnose.exe, are you using a newer PnP Sound Blaster? If so don't use the regular drivers, try out Unisound instead. It simplifies the process down to you creating a SET BLASTER line with the ports you want mapped, and then running the program. It will then configure the card with what you selected and then exit. No hanging around eating up resources.

As for running MUNT directly, the first issue is resource usage. MUNT is fine on modern PCs, but running it on legacy hardware that's also trying to play a game? Some people have gotten it working using DOSBox under Win98. But that I'll bring up, what's the point? You can run DOSBox on newer computers and have the exact some experience. And you mentioned Fate of Atlantis, that runs great under SCUMMVM which includes MT32 support right in further simplifying things.

There are programs which create virtual MIDI ports that let you not need physical cables. But everything I'm finding is 2000/XP and up. If you want to play the games on your Win98 machine, then focus and getting your soundcard setup correctly. Once that's working then try improving the setup.

The only thing I see detected when I run unisound /cl is:

Card #1 [USR002E] U.S. Robotics 56K Win INT

So likely it is not plug and play since I have opened the computer before and it said sound blaster 16 on it. I also did not have any SB16 DOS drivers, I got those while trying to troubleshoot a different issue(Fate of Atlantis, Simon the Sorceror sound crashing issue (DOS)). But those tools tell me that MPU-401 is on port 300. Windows also thinks that it is on port 300. For a specific version of SB16 card, I will need to do a bunch of heavy lifting since I have everything set up a certain way on my desk, but I can try to do that at some point. But here's a picture of it from the outside.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/612275 … 1a5bb02be5f29c&

I recommend pulling the card and checking to see what model number it is. You'll see "CT####" on the card. That is the specific model, but if it's really a Sound Blaster 16, that volume wheel means it's one of the early one.

While out you can also look at what the jumpers are set to since this isn't a PnP card. There should be a jump that controls using either port 300 or 330, as well as a port that enables or disables the MPU-401 all together.

It's a CT1740. I don't know what the jumpers on here look like or what I'd have to change. on them or how to change them, exactly. I think there's something that disables MPU-401 somewhere. I was also considering whether changing the IRQ might solve my fate of atlantis glitch..

https://imgur.com/a/FsumKO4

SScorpio wrote on 2025-01-14, 01:18:

I recommend pulling the card and checking to see what model number it is. You'll see "CT####" on the card. That is the specific model, but if it's really a Sound Blaster 16, that volume wheel means it's one of the early one.

While out you can also look at what the jumpers are set to since this isn't a PnP card. There should be a jump that controls using either port 300 or 330, as well as a port that enables or disables the MPU-401 all together.

That card doesn't seem to have something to disable the MPU401 all together. But the MSEL jumper is open making it port 300 for MIDI, move it so it's closed and it will become 330.

https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Creative_Labs_So … aster_16_CT1740

SScorpio wrote on 2025-01-15, 01:37:

That card doesn't seem to have something to disable the MPU401 all together. But the MSEL jumper is open making it port 300 for MIDI, move it so it's closed and it will become 330.

https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Creative_Labs_So … aster_16_CT1740

Good news: changing it to 330 worked.

Bad news: I also tried changing IRQ from 5 to 7 which did not work and when changing it back to 5 it caused another issue somehow..... I'll link to it here in case you have any ideas: VGA stopped working

So I tried changing IRQ from 5 to 7 which did not work and that wasn't the issue, so I changed it back to 5. I somehow broke my VGA, which I don't understand, but I fixed that problem. However something else is the issue with the voices and MIDI, and I don't understand if this is just a game limitation, a limitation of the sound card or something else...

When I start indy using "atlantis r t" (for roland music but text dialogue/effects) the roland music plays

And "atlantis 220/5/8" for sound blaster music and voices works

But I can't play voices along with the MT-32 music..is that normal? Is there a workaround?

Trying to load the game on IRQ 2 or 7 doesn't crash the game but does cut off the voices, they don't play fully. And loading it on IRQ 5, its actual setting, crashes the game.

SScorpio wrote on 2025-01-15, 01:37:

That card doesn't seem to have something to disable the MPU401 all together. But the MSEL jumper is open making it port 300 for MIDI, move it so it's closed and it will become 330.

https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Creative_Labs_So … aster_16_CT1740

Did you try what's on the Wiki posted above?

Run 'ATLANTIS.EXE r ' for MT-32 or combined MT-32/SB output (CD version only) respectively. Distorted/incorrect sounds on MT-32 'old'

SScorpio wrote on 2025-01-15, 22:15:

Did you try what's on the Wiki posted above?

Run 'ATLANTIS.EXE r (s)' for MT-32 or combined MT-32/SB output (CD version only) respectively. Distorted/incorrect sounds on MT-32 'old'

Atlantis r crashes the game the same as if I do Atlantis r s and specify the correct irq. The incorrect irq will start the game but cut off voices (in dos mode) or start the game and display text only (windows mode)

I noticed in windows device manager that IRQ 7 was being used by the printer / parallel port so I disabled that in BIOS. I may try changing IRQ to 7 again but that’s my last idea outside of buying a new sound card.

Also, again, the midi works separately and the voices work separately just not both together. I don’t know what type of hardware issue can cause that if it’s hardware.