First post, by Cloudschatze
- Rank
- Oldbie
(Cross-posted from the QuestStudios forum for your enjoyment)
A number of folks seem to regard the the AWE32/64's onboard GM sample-set and playback capabilities as poor, especially compared to their contemporaries, with the 1MB ROM size often brought up as some commonly accepted reason. My contention, however, is the same as with any MIDI synthesizer - native compositions or arrangements, rather than simple General MIDI adaptations, generally provide the best examples of the potential of a device.
Given that Roland's SC-55 was one of the most widely-used General MIDI composition/arrangement devices, there's little wonder that it's also one of the best-sounding playback devices. Let's turn the tables though, and see how it fares against a few AWE32-optimized pieces...
Zone Raiders
♫ E1T1 - CM-500
♫ E1T1 - AWE32
♫ E1T2 - CM-500
♫ E1T2 - AWE32
♫ E1T3 - CM-500
♫ E1T3 - AWE32
♫ E2T5 - CM-500
♫ E2T5 - AWE32
Tyrian 2000
♫ Asteroid Dance, part 1 - CM-500
♫ Asteroid Dance, part 1 - AWE32
♫ A Field for Mag - CM-500
♫ A Field for Mag - AWE32