Wow, Paul already had an opportunity to answer our questions! Before we get to the questions and answers, though, I have this for appiah4 😀
First, please thank the person for the Jane's mention. I'm actually more proud of the music I wrote for the Jane's generic opener which was used on all their products, at least for awhile. I do recall some of the Longbow music specifically and remember learning some new compositional techniques with that project.
So, here we go...
1) what was the process for composing music and sounds for a PC game in the DOS era? Did you start on paper, keyboard, some other instrument? How did you get your compositions into electronic format to submit? What is the process of converting your compositions into FM vs MIDI? Or is that done by the programmers?
In the DOS era, we used Cakewalk DOS, as rudimentary as it was. When tools are comparatively limited, you're forced to find ways […]
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In the DOS era, we used Cakewalk DOS, as rudimentary as it was. When tools are comparatively limited, you're forced to find ways to use them creatively so we had custom sys ex and CAL routines. Usually, though, the biggest drawback was the hardware since we were doing MIDI and were severely limited in voice count. I was MUCH happier to get Cakewalk 3 running in Windows. It was practically reflexive after awhile. Any thought I had, I could realize it pretty quickly.
Compositionally, I used a combination of paper and computer. I might sketch out some themes or ostinati (fancy word for "riffs") and then go into the sequencer via a MIDI keyboard. My personal process is to work from beginning to end so I would find my starting point, and then write what I heard to be coming next. Files had a general overall length requirement so once I had some basic material for a piece, I could then look at ways to reuse that material throughout the piece until the required length was met or exceeded.
Compositions ended up as .mid files and were uploaded to the project server where the programmers would install them into the game.
We, the composers, were in charge of format conversion to FM, although I think I did that only once, for Pacific Strike. By that time, GM had come along and FM was unsupported. I don't recall exactly how we did the FM conversions, (maybe a custom version of Cakewalk DOS? It's been 25 years...) but I know that I had the MT-32 or GM files first, and then whittled those down to the essential musical elements.
2) What can you tell me about the transition from MT-32 to General MIDI? Do you recall what the attitude was like for game developers vs. game music composers? In other words, was it just another format, or was it a big deal and discussed a lot?
For composers, the move to GM was a godsend. We loved it. Better quality sounds and more of them. I don't know what was involved from a programming standpoint, but I remember that an edict came down from EA (Origin had recently been purchased by EA at that time) that all new titles would support GM, and our programmers were NOT happy because they now had to accommodate the new files along with the original MT-32 files. I don't know what all that entailed exactly since I wasn't involved in any of that work.
3) Was there any concern that the music might sound quite different with different implementations of the General Midi standard? Would you test/ evaluate a single platform (Roland Sound Canvas) or try a few others like Yamaha XG or Creative Labs AWE?
We were aware that there would be variations, not so much in sound qualities but sound levels. Different manufacturers had different inherent volumes for some of their patches, but since there were so many different implementations and we were still shipping on floppies at that time, we couldn't provided sets of scores for every platform. We essentially crossed our fingers and hoped it would be ok. The Roland Sound Canvas was our gold standard.
4) Do you have any idea why the MT-32 was even supported during that time? It seems that so few PC gamers even had one. Did Roland have some sort of financial deal with the game companies that made it worth the investment for them to create for the MT-32? Or was it just a desire for game makers to push the envelope not only graphically but auditorily?
The MT-32 was supported because Origin was known for pushing the edge of technology - CPU, graphics, and audio - and the MT-32 sounded a lot better than FM and was still programmable for sfx. There was no deal with Roland. Strike Commander is an excellent example of the MT-32 used to its fullest. Neno Vugrinec did the music and audio for the game and it's fantastic. He also did Privateer and Ultima 8.
So, that was pretty cool, eh? 😀
Dominus, thanks for the encouragement to reach out and contact Paul. He's incredibly friendly and gracious, and was a pleasure to communicate with. He didn't ask me to, but I wanted to give him a plug for his kindness. Here's his current gig:
Baker's Jazz And More
owner/composer
Company NameBaker's Jazz And More
Dates EmployedOct 2006 – Present Employment Duration10 yrs 10 mos
Baker's Jazz And More is Paul Baker's publishing and retail company specializing in original jazz big band and marching band compositions and arrangements for school programs from middle school through college levels.
Freelance Musician
Studio musician
Company NameFreelance Musician
Dates EmployedSep 1977 – Present Employment Duration39 yrs 11 mos
Freelance musician performing on all saxes, clarinets, and flutes, as well as composition, orchestration, and arranging.
He's in the Austin, TX area.