Under bare metal MS-DOS you need a Roland MPU401 or compatible interface. Most midi ports on soundcards don't work with all Games...

Under XP, Vista and 7 you get this: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/USB-MIDI-Interface-Cab … =item3cb03b111f

It's a simple USB to midi adapter.

Under 95 and 98 I guess you also need a Roland MPU401 compatible card.

Have a look here, this is the ISA MPU401 card I got recently on ebay: Bought these (retro) hardware today

Under Windows 7 I use that USB to Midi adapter

t what point do soundcards start having built-in mpu401? Does an sb2 have one? An sbpro2? An sb16 does presumably as it accepts daughterboards.

The first cards at the Creative Labs which included a MPU-401 interface, the SB16 series.

Under what circumstances would I need a roland external mpu401 and how do I connect it?

If you are using an sb16+ or some clone with mpu401, you don't need pure roland interface. But sadly, even gravis cards don't have mpu401 🙁

Some games require a "intelligent mode" MPU401 interface and soundcards don't have that. So you will find that some games simply don't work 🙁

There are a few threads on this in the archive. A fellow user did some tests and games such as Wing Commander wouldn't work.

thanks. so if i have an sbpro2 and a gus, there seems no way to connect an mt32 without either:

- adding a soundcard with an mpu401 interface incorporated into it, and accessed via the joystick port

or

- a roland interface card to connect the mpu401 interface to the pc [mif-ipc i think its called]. this is where i got confused... i thought the mpu401 was the pc/midi-device interface but in fact it needs an interface itself.

is the mif-ipc the only way to attach the mpu401 to a pc or are there other cards to look out for?

Pictures say more than words 😁

Option 1: Soundcard with a MPU401 port + joystick port to midi cable + MT32.

Main benefit: Many soundcards have this port
Main drawback: Doesn't support the "intelligent mode", so some games won't work (though many will). "Hanging note" bug on many Sound Blaster cards.

Option 2: A Roland MPU401 or compatible (mine is a clone) card + midi cable + MT-32

Main benefit: Supports "intelligent mode", so every game should work.
Main downside: Harder to find

Option 3 (For DOSBox): A machine that runs DOSBox + USB midi interface + MT-32
Main benefit: Really really cheap (Like 5 bucks shipped) and easy to obtain (ebay).

thats great, thanks. but how does this one fit in:

It's missing the ISA card. A lot of sellers sell these MPU401 boxes but without the ISA card they are useless...

Look at the top left of that box it says "To Computer".

In a nutshell before you could buy a simple card like the one I have, Roland sold you a ISA card + external box.

Many of these had issues with fast computers (Or the ISA slot running faster than 4.7 MHz or something like that), so Roland made a MPU401AT (AT for AT computer) and there are many clones of this card (the midiman MM401 being one and there is also one from Midi Quest).

So yea maybe I should have said "Roland MPU401AT compatible" 😉

Main drawback: Doesn't support the "intelligent mode", so some games won't work (though many will)

I've never met such games. I wonder, if there is a list with games, not working correctly with mt-32 using non roland midi out..

DBob wrote:

Main drawback: Doesn't support the "intelligent mode", so some games won't work (though many will)

I've never met such games. I wonder, if there is a list with games, not working correctly with mt-32 using non roland midi out..

Interesting, what MT-32 / midi connection do you use?

A fellow user here did some tests with his AWE and joystick midi cable. I will try to find it... Wing Commander was a game that wouldn't work.

There is a patch to get Sierra games going. But that's all I know.

EDIT: I simply can't find this thread, but I guess the fact that you need a patch for Sierra games to use your MT-32 through a joystick midi interface would be enough proof?

Source: http://www.queststudios.com/quest/Utilities.html

SOUND BLASTER MIDI PORT UTILITY

I simply can't find this thread, but I guess the fact that you need a patch for Sierra games to use your MT-32 through a joystick midi interface would be enough proof?

I wasn't searching for proof, instead of some kind of list with these games not working, or not properly other then a pure Roland interface.
Btw, I have a Roland MPU-IPC-T, and I still need that Sierra patch to get the games working with mt-32 + mpu-ipc-t 😀

Hmm...it seems I've found a which not works with a non-roland mpu interface: slipheed.

edit: another one is test drive 3 😠

DBob wrote:

Btw, I have a Roland MPU-IPC-T, and I still need that Sierra patch to get the games working with mt-32 + mpu-ipc-t 😀

Really? Sure it isn't just an updated MT-32 driver?

As for a game list, yea never came accross one in my many many hours of internet research...

I only remember Wing Commander though...

What machine are you running it on? How fast is it?

I found some more titles that shouldn't work:

Simon the Sorcerer 1
Waxworks
Battle Arena: Toshinden
Eric the Unready (But it's because it needs MPU-401 intelligent mode)
Wing Commander

DBob:
Are you sure that you are using IRQ 2 and port 330h on the Roland MPU-IPC-T? Some games require those and won't work with any other settings.

Mau1wurf1977:
I see you have Midiman. I have one too but without cable. Could you possibly check the wiring if you have multimeter? That would help me build my own cable.

aitotat wrote:

Mau1wurf1977:
I see you have Midiman. I have one too but without cable. Could you possibly check the wiring if you have multimeter? That would help me build my own cable.

No problem:

Open this PDF: http://www.mackie.com/pdf/Serial9_ig.pdf

Last page there is a pinout.

I confirmed the Midi - Out pinout on my cable with my Multimeter!

Thank you! That is all I need to build my own cable.

aitotat wrote:

Thank you! That is all I need to build my own cable.

Cool! Let us know if it worked!

Remember the Midi-Out on the card goes into the Midi-In on the MT-32.

The MM401 has 8 dip switches.

Configure it to Address 330 and IRQ 2.

The dip settings from 330 / 2 from 1 to 8 are (holding the card upside down so you can read the ON and 1 to 8 writing):

on off on on on off off off

Are you sure that you are using IRQ 2 and port 330h on the Roland MPU-IPC-T? Some games require those and won't work with any other settings.

Yep. But this has nothing to do with fixed 300h or 330h port games. Sierra has an another patch for change this

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Cool! Let us know if it worked!

I had lots of problems (I hate soldering DIN connectors) but I was finally able to get it to work. I needed to switch wires 4 and 5 on the DIN connector to get it work. I'm sure I connected it correctly since the pin numbers are marked on the soldering sides for both D and DIN connectors.

It works now and even intelligent mode games from Sierra seems to work. Not without problems since there are some stuck notes (I'm using first generation MT-32). I have not experienced any stuck notes with Roland Midi controllers so this is might be related to Midiman (I haven't tried any Rolands with this 386). Have you experienced any stuck notes?