DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 01:32:

Regarding the suggested daughter boards for the sound card - I’ve not been able to find any on eBay UK so far. If I do manage to find any, I suspect they could be quite pricey…? If so, it may be a cheaper option to just buy an SC-55 device. But we’ll see.

They're sold through Serdashop. They are a little pricey. For example, the X2GS SE is € 95 (£80).

This seems comparable to some of the least expensive SC-55's I can see on Ebay.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-01, 13:49:

I see. But I take it a sound module, like the SC-55, would still be a better option?

Anyway, I've ordered myself the card. 😀

The main advantage of the actual units vs the smaller wavetable headers or expansion cards is the ability to chain a number of devices together in a midi stack and to be able to switch between them in a more modular fashion.

That way you could say have an mt32 plus sc55 and maybe even throw in an mu80 or a korg module at a later date.

Other advantages include on board controls to adjust sound and also parameters and instruments via menu diving but then you move into more musican orientated features.

Also due to availability the modules seem to usually be cheaper vs the expansion card or wavetable options at least when talking about original roland or yamaha hardware.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-02, 02:00:

They're sold through Serdashop. They are a little pricey. For example, the X2GS SE is € 95 (£80).

This seems comparable to some of the least expensive SC-55's I can see on Ebay.

Ahh, I see. Awesome. Thank you. Hmm. In that case, it may be a bit cheaper to get a daughterboard. The listings I'm seeing on eBay for an SC-55 are over £100 and most are in Japan. But I guess it depends which board I decide on and if it is cheaper to just get the SC-55 or not.

AppleSauce wrote on 2024-11-02, 02:12:

The main advantage of the actual units vs the smaller wavetable headers or expansion cards is the ability to chain a number of d […]
Show full quote

The main advantage of the actual units vs the smaller wavetable headers or expansion cards is the ability to chain a number of devices together in a midi stack and to be able to switch between them in a more modular fashion.

That way you could say have an mt32 plus sc55 and maybe even throw in an mu80 or a korg module at a later date.

Other advantages include on board controls to adjust sound and also parameters and instruments via menu diving but then you move into more musican orientated features.

Also due to availability the modules seem to usually be cheaper vs the expansion card or wavetable options at least when talking about original roland or yamaha hardware.

Okay. I doubt I'll be getting both an MT-32 and SC-55, but I need to decide whether I'll be getting a daughterboard or just the SC-55. I've also seen SC-88 models. Are these any different?

Also, these daughterboards on the Serdashop - are these new custom boards that have been made then?

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 16:27:

Also, these daughterboards on the Serdashop - are these new custom boards that have been made then?

They're custom in the sense they are modern designed devices that aren't just clones of vintage daughterboards. The exception was the Yucutan FX which was a clone of the original Cancun FX.

For point of comparison, here is a classic Roland SCB-55 (left) compared to a DreamBlaster X16GS (top right) and X2SE (bottom right).

The modern boards on the right have a more integrated and miniaturized design compared to the original boards from the 90s.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 16:22:

Ahh, I see. Awesome. Thank you. Hmm. In that case, it may be a bit cheaper to get a daughterboard. The listings I'm seeing on eBay for an SC-55 are over £100 and most are in Japan. But I guess it depends which board I decide on and if it is cheaper to just get the SC-55 or not.

There are also cheaper daughterboards from Serdashop. The S2 is only € 40 (£34). But it also doesn't have a Roland sound bank. It uses CleanWave sound bank.

Any of the daughterboards with official Roland samples will be more expensive because of the licensing costs paid to Roland.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-02, 16:42:

They're custom in the sense they are modern designed devices that aren't just clones of vintage daughterboards. The exception was the Yucutan FX which was a clone of the original Cancun FX.

For point of comparison, here is a classic Roland SCB-55 (left) compared to a DreamBlaster X16GS (top right) and X2SE (bottom right).

The modern boards on the right have a more integrated and miniaturized design compared to the original boards from the 90s.

Wow. Interesting. At least the smaller ones won't take as much space. 😀

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-02, 16:49:

There are also cheaper daughterboards from Serdashop. The S2 is only € 40 (£34). But it also doesn't have a Roland sound bank. It uses CleanWave sound bank.

Any of the daughterboards with official Roland samples will be more expensive because of the licensing costs paid to Roland.

Yeah, makes sense. I'll see if I can get my hands on one with a Roland sound bank.

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Is it just a matter of connecting the daughterboard to the sound card and that's it? Or is more needed?

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 01:32:

[...]

Yes, I guess I am spoilt. ^^; Simon the Sorcerer was one of the first adventure games, and one of the earliest titles we had, and I remember being used to the General MIDI soundtrack. Even one of our first ever PC CD-ROM games we were given with our Windows 95 PC uses MIDI music.

Regarding the suggested daughter boards for the sound card - I’ve not been able to find any on eBay UK so far. If I do manage to find any, I suspect they could be quite pricey…? If so, it may be a cheaper option to just buy an SC-55 device. But we’ll see.

eBay isn't the best of places for old hardware in terms of availability or prices (although what is better can be very specifc to where you live - usually some form of classified ads), but the thing with the Serdaco wavetable boards is that they are brand new, not old. You can get them at serdashop.com.

Edit: missed there was a whole page of replies after the one I was responding to...

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 17:40:

[...]

Yeah, makes sense. I'll see if I can get my hands on one with a Roland sound bank.

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Is it just a matter of connecting the daughterboard to the sound card and that's it? Or is more needed?

If the sound card is properly configured (i.e. its MPU-401 interface assigned an address and IRQ (normally 0x330 and 2/9 respectively) and not conflicting with anything else) you should be good to go: add the module, tell a game to output GM music over the resources it's configured for and it will probably output sound. Don't hear anything? Check your sound card's mixer, the wavetable input may be muted by default.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 17:40:

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Is it just a matter of connecting the daughterboard to the sound card and that's it? Or is more needed?

As long as sound card drivers are installed and configured correctly, it should be a matter of connecting it. Then of course picking General MIDI with the designated port (330 is standard) in the game's sound options.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-03, 15:09:

As long as sound card drivers are installed and configured correctly, it should be a matter of connecting it. Then of course picking General MIDI with the designated port (330 is standard) in the game's sound options.

Awesome. Thank you. I'm still not sure how I'm going to approach it yet. Whether a daughterboard or an actual SC-55. Neither is a priority at the moment, but it depends if an SC-55 pops up being cheaper than the DreamBlaster X16GS. Especially if either no one bids on one I'm watching or there's free postage etc. I'm guessing there will be VAT on products from Serdashop...?

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-03, 15:15:

I'm guessing there will be VAT on products from Serdashop...?

They include VAT in the prices listed on their shop, but I think it gets calculated differently or removed when ordering depending on the country.

I'm in Canada, so with orders I've done in the past VAT always get excluded.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-03, 16:07:

They include VAT in the prices listed on their shop, but I think it gets calculated differently or removed when ordering depending on the country.

I'm in Canada, so with orders I've done in the past VAT always get excluded.

I just tried it. It gets added.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-03, 16:16:

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-03, 16:07:

They include VAT in the prices listed on their shop, but I think it gets calculated differently or removed when ordering depending on the country.

I'm in Canada, so with orders I've done in the past VAT always get excluded.

I just tried it. It gets added.

I just tested it myself and same thing, it added 21% VAT. But on orders in the past, it was always excluded.

I just sent them an email about it.

dionb wrote on 2024-11-03, 12:41:

eBay isn't the best of places for old hardware in terms of availability or prices (although what is better can be very specifc t […]
Show full quote

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 01:32:

[...]

Yes, I guess I am spoilt. ^^; Simon the Sorcerer was one of the first adventure games, and one of the earliest titles we had, and I remember being used to the General MIDI soundtrack. Even one of our first ever PC CD-ROM games we were given with our Windows 95 PC uses MIDI music.

Regarding the suggested daughter boards for the sound card - I’ve not been able to find any on eBay UK so far. If I do manage to find any, I suspect they could be quite pricey…? If so, it may be a cheaper option to just buy an SC-55 device. But we’ll see.

eBay isn't the best of places for old hardware in terms of availability or prices (although what is better can be very specifc to where you live - usually some form of classified ads), but the thing with the Serdaco wavetable boards is that they are brand new, not old. You can get them at serdashop.com.

Edit: missed there was a whole page of replies after the one I was responding to...

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-02, 17:40:

[...]

Yeah, makes sense. I'll see if I can get my hands on one with a Roland sound bank.

Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Is it just a matter of connecting the daughterboard to the sound card and that's it? Or is more needed?

If the sound card is properly configured (i.e. its MPU-401 interface assigned an address and IRQ (normally 0x330 and 2/9 respectively) and not conflicting with anything else) you should be good to go: add the module, tell a game to output GM music over the resources it's configured for and it will probably output sound. Don't hear anything? Check your sound card's mixer, the wavetable input may be muted by default.

He could also try yahoo auctions with a proxy site , sound modules tend to be more abundant there and cheaper.

Just to make double sure here - when installing an ISA sound card into the bank, the gold leaf is supposed to go fully into the slot, right? So only the tiniest bit is visible? Much like when you insert a PCI or AGP card? And that there are no other requirements? No specific type of ISA bus/bank that I need?

I have the sound card I ordered, but I can't seem to get it into the bank properly. It won't go all the way in. And I'm weary of applying too much force incase I break something. So I want to make absolutely sure first.

EDIT: Okay, managed to push it in a bit more and Windows has now recognised it. Problem resolved. 😁

Yes, ISA cards should go fully into the ISA slot.

If it's being stubborn, I recommend using some Deoxit. It not only helps clean the contacts, but acts as a lubricant to make it easier to insert/remove cards.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-11-05, 14:58:

Yes, ISA cards should go fully into the ISA slot.

If it's being stubborn, I recommend using some Deoxit. It not only helps clean the contacts, but acts as a lubricant to make it easier to insert/remove cards.

Okay, thanks for the tip. Is that in spray form? I found some on Amazon.

Won't be able to test out the quality of the sound card until I've got my additional cables, so I can hook the floppy emulator up to access the drivers.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2024-11-05, 15:05:

Okay, thanks for the tip. Is that in spray form? I found some on Amazon.

Yup, it's a spray: Deoxit D5.

It's also great for cleaning audio jacks, potentiometers, etc. I use it frequently when working on retro hardware.