Need help with MPU401 standard mystery. \ VOGONS

Need help with MPU401 standard mystery.

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First post, by Magnuz

Posted on 2021-02-18, 16:49

Magnuz Offline

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Location: Terra, Sol System

I have been researching on the Roland offerings from internal units to external units.
So far I found out that LCPC / SCC offerings are identical to ext units but with integrated
MPU401. Stand alone MPU401 cards sell for more than 200 USD in the market.

I know most sound cards have Joystick and midi combined in one port and
also claims to be MPU401 compatible. So whats the big deal with the
stand alone MPU cards from the likes of Roland , MusicQuest and Midiman?
Are they superior in any way from a regular say Awe32 / Awe64 cards?

I am asking the above in the contex of pure DOS environment and not
some MPU software emulation under Windows 95 and above.

I have read the blow posts, but they do not offer much help regading the topic.
MT-32 with a SB AWE32 or Built-in SB 16 (Dell Optiplex GXPro)
SB 16 & SB AWE64 in same system as means to get around hanging note bug? (i.e. AWE64 as dedicated external MIDI card)

Reply 1 of 2, by Oetker

Posted on 2021-02-18, 16:55

Oetker Offline

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Location: Netherlands

Those dedicated cards support intelligent mode, which is relevant for some games in conjunction with the MT-32 (I don't think it matters for GM modules).
SoftMPU can emulate intelligent mode on many sound cards.
The crappiness of the SB16/AWE midi output (hanging notes, stutters) is a Creative-specific issue and can be avoided by using another sound card.
Some early sound cards such as the SBPro are NOT MPU401 compatible and can't be hooked up to a midi module with a standard cable, although SoftMPU also helps there.

Last edited by Oetker on 2021-02-18, 16:57. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 2 of 2, by Vynix

Posted on 2021-02-18, 16:56

Vynix Offline

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From what I understood, Sound cards usually are emulating a MPU-401 in UART mode (or "dumb" mode) which works with most MIDI modules but not all. There's some MIDI modules that require an "intelligent" MPU-401 interface, that's where the Midiman/MQ/Roland MPU-401 interface cards come into play.

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