Does Settlers use XG? I would assume its just GM and you are hearing the default mu80 GM instruments. An 88 in XG mode will not sound like a real Yamaha, it will just use the samples that Roland thought were the closest to the Yamaha sound.

XG mode of the SC-88 Pro is terrible. Also, you need to send a XG reset to get the SC-88 Pro entering this mode. The Settlers II does not use XG, so it won't go into XG mode anyway.

Well I could be wrong, but from the description of the Youtube video in my OP:
"The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici by Blue Byte, extremely rare XG midi format in a game!"

And here is another playlist that is also in XG mode but on a Yamaha MU2000:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_BhbJ … xKqiLjNK8ZNL-Mm

And some posts here on Vogons that also talk about it being XG mode:

blackmasked wrote on 2017-08-19, 15:30:

The Settlers II where CDA sounds like it was recorded on a Yamaha XG compatible device and saved as CDA.

RetroGC wrote on 2018-02-25, 08:47:

Games with XG Midi soundtrack? AFAIK […]
Show full quote

Games with XG Midi soundtrack?
AFAIK

Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII and Settlers 2.

Any others?

Aldo

But ok, if the SC-88 Pro in XG mode sounds terrible with this soundtrack then there is not much point in shelling out extra for it for me.
I also do prefer the ascetics of smaller form factor of the SC-88VL and SC-55 more.
I am however still intrigued by how it would sound, so if anyone wants to try it on a SC-88 Pro I'm all ears 😀

The Settlers II where CDA sounds like it was recorded on a Yamaha XG compatible device and saved as CDA.

CDA means "CD Audio". No doubt here that the CDDA tracks were probably recorded from a Yamaha XG compatible device (which doesn't mean that it uses XG features! GM does not magically use XG features when played on an XG device).

The game itself only offers a "General MIDI" option. It would clearly state XG somewhere, if it had music in that format.

Yes, I wrote about Red Book in my OP, so basically you are saying these guys that posted those videos are wrong?
They do write that they do playback in GX mode but you mean it is GM mode instead?
I mean obviously on the Roland there is not a button to put it in GX mode, but on the Yamaha there is so...?
Here is a playlist of the sound with a SC-55, does not sound right at all...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTiP3X … bM7cYkpvmLD0zVv

You were right, Settlers 2 sends XG reset, show XG messages on LCD and uses drums sets on MSB 127. I recommend to reset non-XG devices to GM mode - it should ignore the MSB on channel 10. Otherwise it will sound incorrectly. I think I explained this in that YT video years ago.

Settlers II is listed as using Circle Surround at the bottom of Circle Surround Audio Discography. From what I've read on Circle Surround, it was a matrix encoded format like Dolby Surround, where 2 channel audio is decoded into multichannel. Does Settlers II use Circle Surround for the SFX, CD-Audio, and/or MIDI?