1: Sierra games typically require an intelligent MPU-401 or alternatively SoftMPU to play music in game.
2: No idea about .MID or other music / composing software.

I have owned FB-01s but never really got into them.

There's an FB-01 sound editor, I am assuming it also works with the IMFC:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/fb01editor/

I was going to try it on my IMFC at some point; I was playing around with a low quality tracker on it the other week. The OPM chip is capable of so much... I don't think western audiences know the extent of its abilities.

Really what we need is an OPM tracker, I've toyed with the idea of programming something like that, but I have too many projects at the moment.

Isn't the FB-01 similar to the DX100 and therefore the Genesis?

Unfortunately I don't know of anything that works with it out of the box.

HighTreason wrote:

Isn't the FB-01 similar to the DX100 and therefore the Genesis?

Unfortunately I don't know of anything that works with it out of the box.

Sort of, except the Genesis' OPN2 has a lot of limitations. Here's a good example of what OPM can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLpd8GJlxhE

It's a shame our computers only ever had OPL, the X68000 was using OPM before OPL2 was barely catching on.

I have an Roland MPU-401AT, so am covered on the "intelligent" front.. I get some sounds but I suspect they aren't the right ones.

Even getting king's quest going would be cool - what basically do I need to do? (can't select it in setup)

I did see that sound editor, but wasn't sure about it's use as composing with it isn't a priority - I just want to hear some nice tunes.

I actually also have an IMFC, but having it installed isn't a priority when the FB01 does most of the job (and no room in the 486).

I think you'll have a difficult time finding any public-domain, SMF-format sequences for the FB-01. Despite its multitimbrality, the FB-01 seems to have mostly just been used as a supporting device in larger synthesizer setups, perhaps making the unremarkable arrangements that Sierra produced the best surviving examples of anything resembling complete FB-01 compositions or scores. I don't believe these soundtrack arrangements have been converted to standard MIDI files, but that could be done with a little bit of effort.

Beyond that, you might have better luck searching-out and converting some of the proprietary formats of IMFC and SFG-01/05-supporting sequencers. Likewise, it seems reasonable to think that some number of X68000 compositions could be converted for acceptable playback on the FB-01, notwithstanding the limitations imposed by the MIDI interfacing and interpretation of the latter, as compared to the bare register access of the former.

Sierra's native SCI0 support of the FB-01 requires that you manually disable the memory protection on the device to facilitate the uploading of the custom voice banks, due to a bug in the FB01.DRV driver. I recommend the use of ripsaw8080's modified driver instead, where this process is performed automatically, as per the original intent:

*START HERE* SoftMPU 1.91 - Software Intelligent MPU-401 Emulator

Today, the only King's Quest releases to support FB-01 music playback are the SCI re-release of I, and IV, and there are different methods involved in getting the latter to work, depending on whether we're talking about the 1.000 release, or the 1.006 release. Disappointingly, while Sierra did create an aftermarket IMFC driver and PATCH.002 file for King's Quest V, they neglected to write an SCI1-compatible FB-01 driver.

Since you're using an MPU-401AT, the following doesn't apply, but if SoftMPU is ever used in lieu of a hardware MPU-401 interface, make sure you're using version 1.9, which includes the necessary support for the large SysEx messages used by the Sierra titles. Similarly, DOSBox requires a larger SysEx buffer size, via custom build, when paired with an FB-01 for Sierra gameplay.

Finally, using the FB-01 with either a modern or DOS-based sequencer shouldn't be an issue at all, as most support the use and embedding of SysEx data.

Thanks Cloud, oh well just for sierra games then (for the moment) - doh.

So to use the ripsaw8080 driver with king's quest I would do what? Download fb01.drv and put it somewhere? Do I then have to run a command or change a configuration file? It really isn't clear to me.

raymangold wrote:

Sort of, except the Genesis' OPN2 has a lot of limitations. Here's a good example of what OPM can do: https://www.youtube.com/w […]
Show full quote

HighTreason wrote:

Isn't the FB-01 similar to the DX100 and therefore the Genesis?

Unfortunately I don't know of anything that works with it out of the box.

Sort of, except the Genesis' OPN2 has a lot of limitations. Here's a good example of what OPM can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLpd8GJlxhE

It's a shame our computers only ever had OPL, the X68000 was using OPM before OPL2 was barely catching on.

Not the best example, surely. I never had issues with limitations as I came from the Sega, you might even see my old handle in some places like dead forums but I don't do that stuff anymore and have forgotten most of what I knew. Writing it off and aiming to grab a DX7 for FM sounds instead.

Interestingly, Years ago me and a friend discovered that I could replace the YM3814 on the Sound Blaster with a YM2151 and control the YM2151 to some extent when providing it with the correct voltage and doing weird things to the card, unfortunately I suck at programming and just dropped the idea when I fell out with the guy, but it seems to be possible. The pitch was way off, probably clock related and we never made anything coherent with it.

kreats wrote:

So to use the ripsaw8080 driver with king's quest I would do what? Download fb01.drv and put it somewhere? Do I then have to run a command or change a configuration file? It really isn't clear to me.

Ah, that's right, King's Quest I SCI does indeed support the FB-01/IMFC...

Yes, just drop FB01.DRV into the game directory, and either run through the installer again, selecting the FB-01 as your music device, or manually edit the RESOURCE.CFG file to reflect the "soundDrv=FB01.DRV" driver usage.

Excellent - that was the help I needed cloud. Having checked out King's Quest I can't say it is brilliant music, but hey at least it's working!

The completist in me is satisfied anyway.

Getting DOSBox happening with it is the next task I suppose.

kreats wrote:

Having checked out King's Quest I can't say it is brilliant music, but hey at least it's working!

The FB-01 support in King's Quest I is unreasonably poor, and very-much incomplete. Do try Hero's Quest, Codename: ICEMAN, The Colonel's Bequest, or Leisure Suit Larry 3 though, if you haven't already, since a reasonable amount of effort was put into their FB-01/IMFC soundtrack arrangements and sound-effect conversions.

The completist in me is satisfied anyway.

Have you tried the Casio support yet? 😀

Well if i could rack mount it i might consider it - but i understand it's a whole keyboard?

From what i remember about casio -'should i be frightened?

ps: cloud your website seems to have heaps of resources that are very hard to access. Some of these files used to have queststudios posts linking them but no more. Could you enable directory browsing or create index html files for them?

Cloudschatze wrote:

Have you tried the Casio support yet? 😀

What Casio model does it support?

Casio CZ-101, CSM-1 et cetera. Using MPU-401 to go MIDI OUT to MIDI IN.

A number of the Sierra's SCI0 releases for the Atari ST list support for the CZ-101, but this is in the most generic sense possible, and should be entirely disregarded, in my opinion. No custom voices are provided, nor even use of program change messages, thus requiring manual voice selection for each of the CZ's four, monophonic parts. Oh, what fun...

Over on the PC side, Casio's PCM-based MT-540 and CT-460 keyboards are "fully" supported, along with the latter's module-based counterpart, the CSM-1 (also marketed as the Hohner MSE-1). These devices are fairly limited, but feature a number of digital sound-effects that Sierra took some advantage of, as well as a mostly believable acoustic piano, providing an interesting contrast to the MT-32.

Here are a few examples of the Casio arrangements:

Hero's Quest - Erana's Peace
Leisure Suit Larry 3 - Love Theme
Space Quest III - Title Theme
Codename: ICEMAN - ChiChi Bar Theme 1
Codename: ICEMAN - Flight to Washington/Washington Airport

Here's the IMFC/FB-01 version of the above track, simply because I think the second half is neat and worth sharing:

Codename: ICEMAN - Flight to Washington/Washington Airport

Be aware that the only difference between the MT-540 and CT-460/CSM-1 of any gaming relevance is simply the program change map, which Sierra accounted for by providing the separate driver and patch-map files. They're sonically the same otherwise. In addition, a few other Casio keyboards are likewise compatible with, and can be used in lieu of, the MT-540 or CT-460. Accolade also provided support for the CT-460/CSM-1 in a handful of their titles, but not for the MT-540, should that information ever be useful in steering a decision.

Whew, that went off-topic. 😎

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to use multiple modules through a mixer & creative muting of channels (instruments that sound obviously bad) to get further improvements in polyphony.

I suppose loading all the different patches into the respective modules before startup would be a problem.

Just thinking out loud anyway.

not to get too off topic but Could anyone make an IMFC soundfont? The IMFC is my favorite soundcard, too bad it lost to roland and adlib.

I don't think a soundfont would really be feasible for FM synthesis. Unlike one to emulate a GM or GS module, FM synthesis has just far too many parameters that can be tweaked to change an instrument's sound. I'm still putzing around with my FB-01 and my SB16's OPL3, and every minute change causes the sound to be different.