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MP32L or McCake?

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First post, by Scythifuge

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Greetings,

I am going to buy a pre-configured and ready-to-go MT-32 emulator device. The options are the MP32L and the McCake. What are the pros and cons of these two devices? I see that cases are available as are drive bay attachments. I also see people with custom builds using a green screen similar to a real MT-32. What all should I know before making a final decision?

Many thanks!

Scythifuge

Reply 1 of 6, by SScorpio

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The big choice is do you want an internal device that connects to a wavetable header on a sound card, or something external that can be used like a normal MIDI module possibly on multiple systems?

Reply 2 of 6, by Scythifuge

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SScorpio wrote on 2024-04-13, 21:29:

The big choice is do you want an internal device that connects to a wavetable header on a sound card, or something external that can be used like a normal MIDI module possibly on multiple systems?

Good point. Probably the latter. MP32L it is. Many thanks!

Reply 3 of 6, by megatron-uk

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Before buying, check that the host soundcard is on the compatibility list for SoftMPU (unless you have a real, intelligent mode MPU-401 interface of course).

https://github.com/bjt42/softmpu/wiki/Compatible-Sound-Cards

Without a real Roland MPU401 (such as a MPU-IPC) or equivalent, SoftMPU is pretty much essential for compatibility with many of the games the MT32 is supported in.

My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net

Reply 4 of 6, by Scythifuge

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megatron-uk wrote on 2024-04-14, 07:04:

Before buying, check that the host soundcard is on the compatibility list for SoftMPU (unless you have a real, intelligent mode MPU-401 interface of course).

https://github.com/bjt42/softmpu/wiki/Compatible-Sound-Cards

Without a real Roland MPU401 (such as a MPU-IPC) or equivalent, SoftMPU is pretty much essential for compatibility with many of the games the MT32 is supported in.

Luckily, I have a Roland MPU-IPC-T.

Reply 5 of 6, by megatron-uk

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Scythifuge wrote on 2024-04-14, 07:19:
megatron-uk wrote on 2024-04-14, 07:04:

Before buying, check that the host soundcard is on the compatibility list for SoftMPU (unless you have a real, intelligent mode MPU-401 interface of course).

https://github.com/bjt42/softmpu/wiki/Compatible-Sound-Cards

Without a real Roland MPU401 (such as a MPU-IPC) or equivalent, SoftMPU is pretty much essential for compatibility with many of the games the MT32 is supported in.

Luckily, I have a Roland MPU-IPC-T.

Good stuff. My MPU-IPC-T is the only 100% compatible solution that I have tried, I have a Midiman MM401 and that wasn't perfect, as well as various joystick port adapters and more recently a WP32McCake board with SoftMPU.

The latter is good (probably somewhere around 98-99% compatible), but it's still not perfect like the actual Roland MPU cards.

My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net

Reply 6 of 6, by Scythifuge

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megatron-uk wrote on 2024-04-14, 07:49:
Scythifuge wrote on 2024-04-14, 07:19:
megatron-uk wrote on 2024-04-14, 07:04:

Before buying, check that the host soundcard is on the compatibility list for SoftMPU (unless you have a real, intelligent mode MPU-401 interface of course).

https://github.com/bjt42/softmpu/wiki/Compatible-Sound-Cards

Without a real Roland MPU401 (such as a MPU-IPC) or equivalent, SoftMPU is pretty much essential for compatibility with many of the games the MT32 is supported in.

Luckily, I have a Roland MPU-IPC-T.

Good stuff. My MPU-IPC-T is the only 100% compatible solution that I have tried, I have a Midiman MM401 and that wasn't perfect, as well as various joystick port adapters and more recently a WP32McCake board with SoftMPU.

The latter is good (probably somewhere around 98-99% compatible), but it's still not perfect like the actual Roland MPU cards.

Due to the age of the card, I am always worried about it dying on me. I think I need to buy a midi card from http://pcmidi.eu/ the next time they are available. That or maybe an Orpheus II.