Hi Canadacow,
I finally decided to register here so I can post. I've been eagerly following your progress with the emulator and the messages here on VOGONS for some months now. The first version of your emulator I downloaded was dated 11th July, and you sure have come a long way since then!
It seems you've finally pretty-much nailed the tuning problem with this latest version and it was a pleasure to listen to the KQ4 intro finally in tune 😀
I used to have an MT32 myself - but not any more. since I had to sell it a couple of years ago. But I had it for many many years and know many of the game tunes back-to-front in my head, and remember exactly how they used to sound. This includes all the quirks of the MT32, like the clipping noise it would make on some songs when the master volume was too high, and how it would sound when the reverb changed during a song, as well as how partials would sometimes fall off. And let's not forget the cool messages that Sierra and some other companies would put on the MT32 screen. I even wrote a program in BASIC called "MT32 word processor" that used sysex messages to write to the display as you typed on the keyboard!
To do that, I ended up buying from Roland an original copy of the MT32 implementation guide, plus the MPU401 technical manual (or whatever it was called). Its too bad I don't have them anymore. I also had an original MPU-401 IPC-T MIDI interface, with the cool external grey breakout box with 3 midi ports on it, and some other 3.5in jack on it as well (I think it was for a tape controller or something).
Anyway, what I wanted to say, apart from BIG thanks for all your effort in making this thing - I missed my MT32 so much, but now I can listen to all my favourte games again with your emulator instead (and others that never knew how good the MT32 was can get to listen to it now as well), was that I found a very obvious problem with one of the games that might help you with debugging. It's on the Colonel's Bequest, when you get through watching all of the intro, and you cut to the scene back in the bedroom with Lillian there. The clock appears and starts to do it's big ben chime. Well the chime is way way screwed up. The bells are all out of time, and it just sounds crazy. Have a listen and you'll know what I'm talkiing about.
There were a couple of other minor things I've noticed too (like this new version seems to be lacking bass) but I will post them later in another message. For now, I think you should sit back and relax and be happy with what you've made. Don't worry about all the others who are arguing about GPL licences, and otherwise haranguing you with other nonsense. I think you've accomplished quite a feat to have achieved what you have, and deserve to take a break from it for a little while. 😀
