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DreamBlaster X16GS - MT32 questions

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First post, by mombarak

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Hi, I have bought a DreamBlaster X16GS and attached it to my CT2800 Soundblaster with VibraC. In games like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D, my PC plays the midi sounds beautifully. Other games like Monkey Island 1 or Lotus 3 sound like a intoxicated ferret jumping on a piano. I read somewhere that the DreamBlaster X16GS is more of a SC55 midi device and therefor, MT32 would not be supported and can cause this. Is there any way around this?

Now this topic introduced inofficial soundbanks for the X16 and I am wondering if I upload the listed MT-32 bank, if that could help to play correct sounds in MT32 supporting games. Does what I say make sense? I know there is a soundbank manager software for the X16GS device. But I am not sure if there are other limitations or blockers which still would not help to improve the situation.

I am new to MIDI and because it was always to expensive in the past, and now MT32s are super rare on ebay or still to expensive, I wanted to explore alternatives to enable my old P90 to play midi.

Any ideas from the experts here?
Thanks in advance.

Reply 2 of 8, by SkyHawk

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You have two scenarios for MT-32 "emulation" on such a device. For games that do not reconfigure the MT-32 or use custom instruments, you can get a (very) rough approximation using a soundbank. Even if the soundbank is exquisitely accurate, the MT-32 responds to per-channel volume settings differently than General MIDI, and so will not quite sound the same.

For games that do reconfigure the synth and/or use custom instruments, you're SoL - emulation of the MT-32 via something like MUNT is required.

There are projects to emulate an MT-32 using a Raspberry Pi with a USB MIDI interface running MUNT.

Reply 3 of 8, by Spikey

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MT-32 emulation is a myth. Such devices, like the Roland Sound Canvas, use low-quality samples of recorded MT-32 instruments - just the first 128, no custom sounds as SkyHawk mentioned. So 95% of games will not work regardless. The other 5% will be underwhelming enough that it is of no value outside of the experience of doing it once.

Essentially, you will need the hardware box or the MUNT emulator to get proper sound in these games.

Reply 4 of 8, by mombarak

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Thanks Spikey. I read about the WP32 McCake. Would that be a solution to have full support for Roland MT32 games?
https://www.serdashop.com/WP32-McCake

Reply 5 of 8, by SScorpio

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mombarak wrote on 2024-11-15, 14:40:

Thanks Spikey. I read about the WP32 McCake. Would that be a solution to have full support for Roland MT32 games?
https://www.serdashop.com/WP32-McCake

Yes that simulates a full MT-32. It does internal calculations at a higher sampling rate than a real MT-32, so audio can sound clearer than real hardware.

It also allows you to switch the ROMs that are loaded so you can easily switch between MT-32 Old, MT-32 New, and CM-32 rather than needing three different devices for maximum game compatibility.

Reply 6 of 8, by mombarak

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Awesome. Thank you all!

Reply 7 of 8, by marcin512

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Hi mombarak,
I face the same problem as you. Did you find a way how to play Monkey Island 1 with X16GS and MT-32 soundbank correctly? Well it sounds kind of nice, but not the same as in thouse youtube videos - something is off...

Reply 8 of 8, by mombarak

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No, I am planning to buy the McCake now. I think I bought the wrong product for what I intended to do.

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