Yamaha FX?

If you mean the Yamaha FX-500, 550, 770, and 900 modules, they're effect units, and not all of them have stereo in.

No, your games will play just fine without them.

I mean will the games sound as the developers intended without these wave tables ?

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-01-30, 15:21:

I mean will the games sound as the developers intended without these wave tables ?

Please define "sound as the developers intended" and give some game examples of what you are thinking about.
As in for example what era of Dos games are you gonna play: the roland MT-32 era (cirka 1988-1992) or the General Midi era (cirka 1992-1997)?

For games that do not use midi like Quake 1 (1996) for example the wave table cards would be pointless. A General midi game like Duke Nukem 3D which came out the same year a wave table card will arguably sound a lot better than just using sound blaster.

Actually OP you need every MIDI module ever made to play DOS games - don't post again until you find them all.

What are some other good MIDI modules to have ?

Do you need midi? No. 9 out of 10 users wouldn't have had a midi device back in the day, Game developers knew this and composed/tested the music with this consideration.

Will games sound better or closer to what the composer was hearing of course. Although I'd say for General Midi the Roland SC55 is the "must have" and the Roland MT32 for pre general midi
These were the 2 main devices used although no doubt some games may have been developed using another brand like Yamaha.

Dreamblaster is a modern alternative so not what the "developers intended" but may actually sound better just as you may prefer turning up the bass in a song even though this isn't how the musician intended it.
No one knows what sounds better for you then you

The main GM devices are
Roland
Yamaha
Dream Blaster

but any GM device is an option, if it sounds good or not will entirely depend on your own preference but that's true for even the above, its very common for games to have some tracks that sound better with one device and others that sound better on the other.

badmojo wrote on 2021-01-31, 06:20:

Actually OP you need every MIDI module ever made to play DOS games - don't post again until you find them all.

Is this a new rule I missed? damn another hobby I cant afford 😉

Dreamblaster is a modern alternative so not what the "developers intended" but may actually sound better just as you may prefer turning up the bass in a song even though this isn't how the musician intended it.
No one knows what sounds better for you then you

Well, I actually want to hear the tones in music that the developer intended for the games.
Many sound cards slightly change the tones in music.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-02-01, 11:34:

Well, I actually want to hear the tones in music that the developer intended for the games.

There's no way of knowing what every single developer used to compose their music. Very few have revealed this information publicly. That said, it's fairly safe to assume that a SC-55 was the most commonly used device until around '94 when the SC-88 came out. And it's likely that many companies never bothered to upgrade their equipment and simply continued to use a SC-55.

Lastly, if you really want to hear the music as the developers intended, your best bet is to buy the official soundtracks.

chinny22 wrote on 2021-02-01, 09:44:

Dreamblaster is a modern alternative so not what the "developers intended" but may actually sound better just as you may prefer turning up the bass in a song even though this isn't how the musician intended it.

It may or may not sound better then what was intended, but it most certainly would sound better then FM synth and you'll get it much more cheaply then Sound Canvas nowadays.

badmojo wrote on 2021-01-31, 06:20:

Actually OP you need every MIDI module ever made to play DOS games - don't post again until you find them all.

Bancho wrote on 2021-02-01, 13:16:

badmojo wrote on 2021-01-31, 06:20:

Actually OP you need every MIDI module ever made to play DOS games - don't post again until you find them all.

SOUND CANVAS.... I choose you!

well then you need at least a....
SC-7
SC-33
SC-55
SC-55mkII
SC-55ST
SC-155
SC-88
SC-88VL
SC-88ST
SC-88 Pro
SC-88ST Pro
SC-880
SC-8820
SC-8850
SC-D70

and of course a...
SCC-1
SCB-7
SCB-55
SCP-55

So it appears the DreamBlaster X2 is the one to get.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-02-01, 13:44:

So it appears the DreamBlaster X2 is the one to get.

If it's just for getting the taste of it, then I would suggest the more affordable S2. Or both, just because there is a good bundle deal available. The S2 on the soundcard and theX2 to play MIDI via USB.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-01-30, 14:44:

Hi, Do I need a a Yamaha FX or DreamBlaster X2 Wave table for playing DOS games or is it just for recording ?

I think the OP meant Yucatan FX instead of Yamaha FX. Another great MIDI daughterboard from Serdaco.

CHiLL72 wrote on 2021-02-02, 20:40:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-01-30, 14:44:

Hi, Do I need a a Yamaha FX or DreamBlaster X2 Wave table for playing DOS games or is it just for recording ?

I think the OP meant Yucatan FX instead of Yamaha FX. Another great MIDI daughterboard from Serdaco.

That would make sense. I still prefer the X2 but, TBH and IMHO, it sort of makes sense to have both (variety is the spice of life). I currently use my X2 with this https://www.serdashop.com/CHiLL (https://www.serdashop.com/CHiLL2 is the successor), as it makes it more flexible for me .

CHiLL72 wrote on 2021-02-02, 20:40:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-01-30, 14:44:

Hi, Do I need a a Yamaha FX or DreamBlaster X2 Wave table for playing DOS games or is it just for recording ?

I think the OP meant Yucatan FX instead of Yamaha FX. Another great MIDI daughterboard from Serdaco.

Yes, My mistake. I did mean the Yucatan FX. Would it be a good Idea to mount this on the Orpheus and use the Dreamblaster X2 via a USB connection ? What operating systems support the DreamBlaster X2 via USB ?

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-02-03, 05:31:

CHiLL72 wrote on 2021-02-02, 20:40:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-01-30, 14:44:

Hi, Do I need a a Yamaha FX or DreamBlaster X2 Wave table for playing DOS games or is it just for recording ?

I think the OP meant Yucatan FX instead of Yamaha FX. Another great MIDI daughterboard from Serdaco.

Yes, My mistake. I did mean the Yucatan FX. Would it be a good Idea to mount this on the Orpheus and use the Dreamblaster X2 via a USB connection ? What operating systems support the DreamBlaster X2 via USB ?

Yucatan FX on the Orpheus should be fine .

According to the X2 manual :
USB connector also functions as a full MIDI interface. Tested in Windows XP,
Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. Should also work on Linux, Mas OS X,…

Srandista wrote on 2021-02-01, 12:49:

It may or may not sound better then what was intended, but it most certainly would sound better then FM synth and you'll get it much more cheaply then Sound Canvas nowadays.

Hehe... it really depends on how you look at it.
As a child of the ‘80s and ‘90s, to me FM (and even PC speaker sounds) will always sound ‘better’ when it comes to DOS games, since that’s what I grew up with. 😀