From my experience with the SC-8820 you need to only connect to INPUT A if you are not using the unit to compose music etc. Don't connect to both inputs from the SB, it's wrong.
With a midi-thru box you can connect both SC-88VL and MT-32 simultaneously, both will receive the same MIDI data and it's up to you to listen to the one you want 😀

The battery inside is to retain settings in case you alter them (like instrument details/maps if you are a musician for example) . Not usefull for one just using the unit to hear to games, I don't have any batteries in my units 🤣

I have a SC-88VL. It shouldn't matter which input you use. It's not unheard of to have an input crap out on a Roland. Try each and listen to it compared to a good reference recording of one on YouTube.

having a better look yes, it shouldn't matter what input you use, QBiN is right. I caught confused with 8820's PARTS (8820 has parts A and B , you need to redirect playback in PART A if you plan to use backwards compatibility modes , part B does not like them and is always stuck in native mode = wrong playback)

I think I figured out the problem. It's not that certain instruments are not playing... they're playing too quietly. Any way I can change the volume of specific instruments?

Also, my SB mixerset file randomly sets the LINE IN volume to 0 during bouts. Is there away to edit specific volumes of mixerset in the command prompt? (which I will then apply to autoexec.bat)

Thank you

I always reset SCs to factory default when I get them.

Open up the sc-88 , locate the coin battery and remove it completely. Each boot will revert to defaults - great for gaming use 😎

smevans526 wrote:

...
Also, my SB mixerset file randomly sets the LINE IN volume to 0 during bouts. Is there away to edit specific volumes of mixerset in the command prompt? (which I will then apply to autoexec.bat)

Thank you

In a DOS prompt, go to the location of Mixerset.exe file, and type "mixerset.exe /?"

This should give the syntax for usage in a batch file, such as Autoexec.bat. To test, type in "pause" on a new line after the above entry in a batch file. And when it's working, remove the "pause" entry. Also, make sure you don't have multiple locations of the Mixerset exe file where a PATH entry might be pointing to in Autoexec.bat.

Finally, consider that the CT3930 has the hanging note bug, and personally, I'd use a different MIDI port from another card that doesn't suffer from this problem.

Correct again, j^aws. Your suggestion with MIXERSET worked. However, fixing my low volume notes is still an issue.

You might be onto something with hanging notes. It's DSP 4.13. I omitted in my previous posts that my MT-32 hung with certain notes while playing the SIERRA intro on (I think) WILLY BEAMISH. Solution: SOFTMPU. I forget I was running that TSR until recently. I booted without it, and sure enough, Quest for Glory III hung on the intro (Using CT3930 and SC-88VL in GENERAL MIDI mode).

SOFTMPU may not be the fix I thought it was.

I have an S-MPU-IIAT and actually like to use it. My system is an APTIVA Pentium-166. It has plug and plug functionality. I actually am not too worried about Intelligent MPU, I just used SOFTMPU the whole time to fix the bug.

I do not have the S-MPU-IIAT hooked up because of conflicts with the CT3930. On the CT3930, I tried everything. If I change the jumpers to put the CT3930's port on 300hz, DIAGNOSE complains saying that it cannot find it, or, that I have the frequency wrong. If I disable MPU (remove the MPUEN jumper), DIAGNOSE complains saying that something is wrong with the CR3930's MPU port.

There are numerous ways to configure your card with jumpers, but its like DIAGNOSE will refuse anything but the standard 330hz port with MPU enabled. Before you guys pounce on the CT3930, I had similar issues with another card.

This thread may be shifting its topic a little, but, how do I hook up a second MPU port (in this case, S-MPU-IIAT) and have it not conflict with a Sound Blaster?

^^ Since you mention that you've had port 300/330h issues with another card, this suggests some conflict with your PC.

Try disabling all unnecessary ports in your PC via the BIOS, remove all cards besides the essentials, and leave just your VGA and the CT3930 using port 300h. If you have IDE enabled on your CT3930, try disabling that as well (my card doesn't have the IDE headers). Also, try removing and swapping the CT3930 with the Roland card set to 300h, and see if that works. If you have a different motherboard, then try using that board and test to eliminate your PC.

I checked my setup and my CT3930 is set to port 300h. I also tested it alongside a Voyetra V24s MIDI interface set to port 330h, and they both work fine. I'm using Diagnose version 4.05, and my CT3930 is set to : 220h, 620h, 300h, IRQ 5, DMA 1, DMA 5.

If you don't have another PC/ motherboard, then it's worth investing in spares for troubleshooting.

I just can't win...

I successfully have the S-MPU-IIAT and CT3930 running in peaceful coexistence. On the SC-88VL, everything sounds exactly the same as when it ran through the CT3930 with SOFTMPU. Causes new problems with CHECKSUM ERRORs on the MT-32. For some reason, MOSLO works differently with the new configuration and I cannot salvage it.

Is there a way to run SOFTMPU with the S-MPU-IIAT?

But if we focus back on my SC-88VL, I think now think its specifically the unit. Again, the problem is certain notes playing to quietly. I removed the battery and feel that I have the unit running on factory default. The only button I press is the SC-55 MODE on the front. It is the only of 4 buttons lit up. The other three are EQ, MUTE, and ALL... they are all dark. If I am missing something, let me know.

Get a SC-50/55/55MKII/55ST. 😀

Pentium is too fast for a lot of these games. You have a lot of variables at play here, which makes it hard to diagnose. Games can also crash because of memory manager issues. So I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet.

I would try disabling the internal CPU cache in the BIOS to see if more games work. At least with Sierra, Dynamix, Lucas and Origin, SoftMPU is compatible with every game.

smevans526 wrote:

Is there a way to run SOFTMPU with the S-MPU-IIAT?

It's possible to run standalone MPUs alongside a Sound Blaster using SoftMPU.

When configuring this type of setup, use the IRQ and DMA settings from your Sound Blaster, and the MPU port from your Roland. For example, if your Sound Blaster is port 300h for MIDi and 330h for your Roland, use the 330h for SoftMPU, but IRQ and DMA settings from your CT3930. I don't think anyone has reported back on a S-MPU-IIAT working with SoftMPU, so you're likely to be the first. Good luck!

BTW, I've used a similar MIDI module - SC-88ST - and this also has a switch to change from its native mode to an SC-55, and I had no issues with notes playing too quietly. It maybe the games you're trying, so try some other games, especially newer ones like Doom 2 and see if the volume issues are still present.

DOOM 2 sounded perfect through the SC-88VL (SC-55 MODE). In SC-55 MODE, is it emulating an SC-55mkII? If my goal is to play SIERRA games via GENERAL MIDI, I think I have the wrong device. I found a file from a SIERRA fan page stating that SIERRA designed their GM to run on the original SC-55. Only QUEST FOR GLORY IV was designed for the mkII; I would prefer the AWE32 after market driver anyway.

There are two original SC-55s, right? One has a GENERAL MIDI logo, the other does not. Which one should I get? (Yes, I know that to run a GM driver, I should get the one with the GM logo, but I thought that I should check).

DOOM 2 actually didn't feed any sound to the S-MPU-IIAT (but other games did). I went back to using SOFTMPU and the CT3930's UART. By the way, yes, SOFTMPU works on the S-MPU-IIAT... Thank you.

One game in particular has sounded odd on the SC-88VL: DARK FORCES. Does anyone have a sample of this running on a SOUND CANVAS?

Thank you

^^ My external modules aren't connected up right now, so can't really test. IIRC, there are some subtle differences between early Sound Canvases - namely in the way they handle GM initialisation and Capital Tones. For Roland GM, I only have two devices - CM-300 and SC-88ST, and I haven't done much testing with them yet. There are others here more versed on Roland gear...