Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-02-02, 03:58:

Duke3D certainly sounds excellent on that one. But I would need to hear it in a few more games before making a decision, and I j […]
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darry wrote on 2021-02-02, 00:56:

If you are willing to pay a reasonable amount, the best 4MB soundfont, IMHO, is the Voice Crystal one . It was made by the peopl […]
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If you are willing to pay a reasonable amount, the best 4MB soundfont, IMHO, is the Voice Crystal one . It was made by the people who made the official GUS patchset, among other things .

See here for a sample recording and a link to the official web page .
Re: How much ram do I really need sb32

and a link to the official web page :
Re: How much ram do I really need sb32

Duke3D certainly sounds excellent on that one. But I would need to hear it in a few more games before making a decision, and I just haven't found enough recordings so far. To clarify, my main problem with most soundfonts is that they often sound great in mainstream titles (or rather their most popular tracks) but turn to crap in less prominent games.

This is why GM35REVC.SF2 seems so nicely balanced to my ears. It tends to sound decent (though not perfect) in a wide range of games, and not just in Duke, Doom, Heretic, Descent etc. Many fan-made soundfonts sounded awful when I threw something like Gabriel Knight, King's Quest VI or Stonekeep at them.

That said, from what I've seen on their website, Voice Crystal seems to be professionally made by experienced developers, so it would probably fit my needs as well. I would just like to hear some more game recordings with it.

Do you have some examples of specific tracks from the aforementioned (or other) games that you would like to hear played back with that soundfont ? I can't make any promises, but I can certainly try to record a few and post in a fresh thread . This would also be a good motivation to continue this Noisy AWE64 recording from any input (line in, EMU8000 MIDI, etc) + upcoming AWE64 comparison , now that I have a few CT4520s at hand and that my VS-880EX is mostly installed and working .

debs3759 wrote on 2021-02-02, 04:58:

aha2940 wrote on 2021-02-02, 02:34:

Today I burned a dual-layer DVD, using Nero Burning ROM, on a 15-year old IDE DVD writer. Surprisingly, it burned without any errors, even if the burning+verifying process took more than an hour. I'm glad this burner still works fine.

That's impressive. I had to swap out a SATA DVD burner recently as it couldn't boot from a DL DVD. Will be swapping it for a burner that can work wish M-Disc BD-R discs as soon as I can afford it (current drive can read Blu Ray discs, but can only burn DVDs, including M-Disc for archival storage.

Well, the burner is a sony (rebranded lite-on) and what I like the most about it is that the open/close mechanism for the tray uses only gears, it does not have any rubber band, so with proper cleaning + lubricating, it should work well for a long time (providing the laser does not die, 🤣).

aha2940 wrote on 2021-02-02, 13:29:

Well, the burner is a sony (rebranded lite-on) and what I like the most about it is that the open/close mechanism for the tray uses only gears, it does not have any rubber band, so with proper cleaning + lubricating, it should work well for a long time (providing the laser does not die, 🤣).

I now have a pile of dead laser ROMs lying around. I'll keep them for parts, in case I break a tray or one comes in with stripped gears. I'm starting to have a literal x86 junkyard in my basement 🤣.

RandomStranger wrote on 2021-01-28, 11:25:

It's more work than a hobby. My boss gave me an ASUS M6000 notebook to install XP on it so it could be used to interface with some of our older systems.

...

Otherwise it seems to be a decent notebook with fine specs for W98 (Pentium M 1.5GHz; 512MB RAM; Mobility Radeon 9100; 40GB HDD), but this way it'll probably be binned.

If it is still important to you to interface older systems with this notebook you could set up a TFTP server and install XP via pixie boot (PXE).

darry wrote on 2021-02-02, 13:10:

Do you have some examples of specific tracks from the aforementioned (or other) games that you would like to hear played back with that soundfont ? I can't make any promises, but I can certainly try to record a few and post in a fresh thread . This would also be a good motivation to continue this Noisy AWE64 recording from any input (line in, EMU8000 MIDI, etc) + upcoming AWE64 comparison , now that I have a few CT4520s at hand and that my VS-880EX is mostly installed and working .

Cheers!

I posted my reply in the thread that you linked since we're getting a bit off topic here.

I am taking a chance on getting a Versa V next. Will talk about that more when I get it. After that's the Ultralite and I can continue with my original plan.

Ran across an AT&T 3151 Safari as well. It looked just like the one I had in 2005, but I decided to pass it up because it had the same problem mine developed (no display), and I never figured it out. I'm also thinking since I've invested so much in the NEC Versa that I'm sticking to that platform.

Did some game dev last night on OHRRPGECE on the P/75. I've been messing with a lot of Dragon Quest/Chunsoft style stuff for DOS on there - some originals, recreating the original Dragon Warrior, and even a FNaF RPG in the DQ style (I liked FNaF World but I always would have loved to have seen something like that in the old Chunsoft/Enix 8-bit console style).

Just found a link to a long gone website on my newly installed Win98, see Re: DCS/Commate/Tcommate P3-370A/370A-VP - some documentation - missing manual
And installing Windows 98 updates, just like a regular user.

vutt wrote on 2021-01-30, 17:51:

Did you know that Motorola had MT32 compatible sound module back in days? ;) […]
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Did you know that Motorola had MT32 compatible sound module back in days? 😉

motorola.jpg

My little MT32-pi in old TV set-top box project is shaping up nicely.
Now I need to fit that rats nest into case and figure out how much cooling Pi 4 in closed case needs. Will went holes drilling be sufficient or I need to add active cooling.

That thing looks great 😀 Re-using an existing case is really cool. Just a heads up, from my testing, the MT32-Pi just uses 0.5a so cooling isn't super important I think.

I've been putting together one for myself too, many thanks to Dopefish on these forums for making the mt32-pi image/project and making the wiki so clear.

I just tamed the rats nest on my MT32-pi with a strip board, which turned out nice and tidy. I'm wondering at this point if I should put together my own super basic MT32-pi hat and make a case around it. There are others, but all I want is a midi in, some buttons/a wheel and a cheap-but-good DAC. The geometry of the MT32 isn't exactly complex and mine just has a screen and a wheel. Though having used buttons 1&2, to switch roms and switch to soundfont mode, I'm thinking it should have buttons too.

Since I'm working without a schematic, I labelled it this evening with my little label maker, and put some insulation on the conductive side of the PCB.

That's neat. I'm tempted to build one into a 5.25 drive bay...

It's worth it I think, I have an MT-100 but having the screen and the ability to switch to regular soundfont midi makes it really versatile. Pretty cheap too, the 3B can be had for around £20 from CEX now.
I will recommend though, if you're shopping for a DAC, the GY-PCM5102 should be easier to get up and running electrically, the one I got needs more pins grounded / pulled up. There's plenty of info online about it but it threw me when I came across it initially.

I would love to build something like that for my 386 internally (Roland MT-32, CM-32L, Yamaha 50XG, and FB-01).

Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray.

Cloudschatze wrote on 2021-02-03, 16:55:

https://www.symphoniae.com/misc/vogons/wip_s.jpg Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray. […]
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Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray.

I think you need one more Roland rack. 🤣 Which Mega ST model is that?

I've finally been able to enjoy a random CP/M dungeon crawler on my commodore 128.

Years ago i've made an 80 column adapter for my video, but i couldn't find a working CP/M image.

Setting up the c128 for CP/M use was really a pain . First of all i don't have a 1571 drive. I have the 1541 but i'm also lucky to have a 1581.

Some Internet .d81 ad .d64 CP/M images are bad, they don't work on the computer. I've recently found some d64 images that work, then i've copied the system from 1541 disks to my 1581 drive, added some games and utils via old p3 pc and transfer software, et voilà!

By the way,CP/M boot sequence is something out of a sci-fi movie from the '80 , 🤣

Definitely needs more MIDI, so you can MIDI while you MIDI with your MIDI.

Cloudschatze wrote on 2021-02-03, 16:55:

https://www.symphoniae.com/misc/vogons/wip_s.jpg Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray. […]
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Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray.

That is the cleanest Apple2 setup I have ever soon. And what atari model is that?

I think it need more midi tho 😜

Cloudschatze wrote on 2021-02-03, 16:55:

https://www.symphoniae.com/misc/vogons/wip_s.jpg Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray. […]
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Another work-in-progress reconfiguration. Hooray.

What kind of wood did you use for building the cabinet? It looks pretty nice.
And do you actually, like, do something with all that MIDI gear built into it? Or is it simply a way of storing and presenting your collection?

megatron-uk wrote on 2021-02-03, 17:47:

Definitely needs more MIDI, so you can MIDI while you MIDI with your MIDI.

Well, I'm yet short one Midi Time Piece, so there is that. 😀

kolderman wrote on 2021-02-03, 17:48:

And what atari model is that?

It's a Mega ST2.

gex85 wrote on 2021-02-03, 18:34:

What kind of wood did you use for building the cabinet? It looks pretty nice.
And do you actually, like, do something with all that MIDI gear built into it? Or is it simply a way of storing and presenting your collection?

Sound Construction & Supply, out of Nashville, Tennessee, built the rack. Here is the spec page, if that's of interest.

With the exception of the temporarily-placed CM modules, everything is connected and functional. The intent is to act as a satellite to my 'larger' setup, while also providing a desktop surface for a couple of vintage computers.

None of my stuff ever sees as much use as I'd hope/like, but, with few exceptions, everything that isn't stored away elsewhere has its purpose and place. Often, that manifests as having multiple sound options available to a particular computer system, or having a particular synth available to noodle with, or having an intended target device available for the playback of a specific SMF.

Won a Versa V on e-bay - I threw the minimum bid on it and won - technically now I have one from each product line - Ultralite, E, V, M, and P. Just need to put Humpty Dumpty (Ultralite) back together. That's going to take awhile.

Some experimenting with my Amiga 1200 today. Decided to experiment with adding a regular IDE CD-ROM drive externally. Ran the IDE cable out the back of the case and powered the drive with a spare ATX PSU for now just to test it's functionality (will buy a proper external PSU with molex connector later).

Installed the IDEFix 97 software & drivers and attempted to read my first disc - failed.

Swapped to a 2nd drive, this was detected but wouldn't show the contents of any discs.

The 3rd drive I tried was just plain faulty.

Finally the 4th drive, a crappy old mid-2000s IDE DVD-ROM drive actually worked perfectly. The Amiga sure is very picky with slave CD-ROM drives on it's unbuffered IDE interface.

I tested a burnt CDR copy of a random Amiga magazine coverdisc from 1998, which ran well and displayed it's icon on workbench etc and I ran a couple of demos from the disc. Then I booted into an Amiga CD32 game - Roadkill and it ran perfectly, much better than it otherwise does via WHDLoad!

I just need to go through my collection of IDE drives and find one the Amiga likes and that also has a headphone jack.

Also discovered I'm going to have to disassemble this Amiga completely and clean under the motherboard, as I'm beginning to suspect there is some dust or debris underneath shorting the expansion slot from time to time. Struggled for 30 mins to get it to boot with various cleaning and insert/reinsert attempts, before finally switching it off and tapping the case repeatedly in that corner. It booted perfectly the next time, bloody weird.