VOGONS


Reply 100 of 158, by darry

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
quicknick wrote on 2020-11-28, 13:52:

This comes just as I'm about to gift me something nice for the holidays, but I'm still a bit undecided whether it will be a X2 or a Yucatan FX. I aim for the closest experience to a SCB-55 but I find the prices for the actual thing a bit steep these days. I've listened all the demos of Yucatan FX I could find, I know it's not the same as Roland SC but it has the "SC vibe" as someone said earlier.

So my question would be, go for the Yucatan FX or is there another product (X2+custom soundbanks, or the upcoming X8) in Serdaco's portfolio that would closer emulate the SoundCanvas?

I have an X2, a Monster MIDI 4MB GS ( same ROM and chip as Yucatan) and an SC-88 . If I had ro start over, I would probably still get all three, but X2 would probably be my first one to get . Great all-rounder .

Reply 101 of 158, by appiah4

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

There is a pretty good third party Sound Canvas soundbank for X2. That said YucatanFX sounds close enough to be casually indistinguishable from a real SC for me.

Retronautics: A digital gallery of my retro computers, hardware and projects.

Reply 102 of 158, by darry

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
appiah4 wrote on 2020-11-28, 20:49:

There is a pretty good third party Sound Canvas soundbank for X2. That said YucatanFX sounds close enough to be casually indistinguishable from a real SC for me.

I can be quite close, except with some files where an instrument or two can sound off .

This excerpt from my favorite Duke Nukem 3D piece with an odd sounding timpani (I think) illustrates this. If it wasn't for that instrument, this piece would be quit convincing, IMHO . Luckily, such scenarios are not that common .

Filename
Duke Nukem 3d - Episode 1 (Water World)_Monster_MIDI_4MB_GS_excerpt.ogg
File size
1.23 MiB
Downloads
62 downloads
File license
Fair use/fair dealing exception

Reply 103 of 158, by Marmes

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

People must understand that Yucatan or Cancun FX were not made to be a Roland clone. They were made for enthusiasts, not professionals. So some sounds may be differently equalized. More bassier than original Roland. There may be also some other changes. I just say that this card is excellent for what it is! I think it's one of the best sounding midi cards available atm. I wish those were not so limited in stock!
Keep the excellent work Serdaco!

Reply 104 of 158, by darry

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
Marmes wrote on 2020-11-28, 23:37:

People must understand that Yucatan or Cancun FX were not made to be a Roland clone. They were made for enthusiasts, not professionals. So some sounds may be differently equalized. More bassier than original Roland. There may be also some other changes. I just say that this card is excellent for what it is! I think it's one of the best sounding midi cards available atm. I wish those were not so limited in stock!
Keep the excellent work Serdaco!

Don't get me wrong, I think it is fantastic that Serdaco was able to bring out the Yucatan . It gives people a chance to experience and enjoy the SAM9733 + Dream GS soundbank at a reasonable price . Vintage cards based on this chip and soundbank combo are both hard to find and often crazy expensive, so a newly made option is a great thing indeed .

That said, we all have our preferences and those tend to change over time . My first impression of my Monster MIDI, 20-odd years ago, was not that great, but when I recently re-installed it following seeing it mentioned in a thread, I was quite happy with it . It was actually much better than in my memory . Re-experiencing the SAM9733 is, in fact, one of the reasons that motivated me to finally to get a Dream-based X2 .

Considering the fact that the Dream GS soundbank is so similar to the SC-55, I would go as far as to call cards using it "semi-clones" of the SC-55 . They sound similar enough, even if not identical to, an SC-55 that they can be a very reasonable (and less expensive) alternative to using one, IMHO . This was not my initial impression of the SAM9733 + GS soundbank, but it's the opinion I now hold after listening to it more extensively .

At the end of the day, choice is always a good thing, both in terms of having multiple purchasing options and also in the sense that owning multiple MIDI devices and alternating between them allows one avoid the "fatigue" that can result from always listening to the same device .

Finally, as I have mentioned in other posts, Serdaco definitely brings great projects to fruition . I am an extremely satisfied repeat customer and am happy to recommend them for the quality of their products and their excellent service . I am looking forward to the X8 as well .

Cheers to all the talented and hard-working people who help keep the dream alive for all of us retro amateurs!
EDIT : I wish I had more money to spend on all of this nice gear !

Reply 105 of 158, by quicknick

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Thanks everyone for the input! I must say I'm leaning more and more towards the Yucatan. However,

appiah4 wrote on 2020-11-28, 20:49:

There is a pretty good third party Sound Canvas soundbank for X2.

Where can I find more about this one? I'd like to hear some demos, especially Duke Nukem main theme (Grab-bag) or the Warcraft II soundtrack.

Reply 106 of 158, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

You can find more recordings of dukenukem, etc.. earlier in this thread : Re: New Waveblaster card : Reptile Paradise - Yucatan FX
I made a new recording of Warcraft 2 menu

Filename
WARCRAFT2MENU.mp3
File size
781.63 KiB
Downloads
55 downloads
File license
Fair use/fair dealing exception

I see a new video by Phil, mentioning an issue with Descent music. So I also recorded Descent on chill pcb, without applying the volume fix.
It has quite deep bass, and high volume, but on my setup it does not sound as bad as on Phil's.
Phils video : https://youtu.be/6lTp1l8LYD0
My recording :

Filename
descent_yucatanFX.mp3
File size
4.44 MiB
Downloads
60 downloads
File license
Fair use/fair dealing exception

If you have a low end soundcard, it is best to fiddle with mixer settings or the sysex file, as Phil recommends, to avoid distortion.
Any Yucatan/Cancun users can provide further advice ?

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 108 of 158, by Hummtaro

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
dreamblaster wrote on 2020-12-01, 18:21:
I see a new video by Phil, mentioning an issue with Descent music. So I also recorded Descent on chill pcb, without applying th […]
Show full quote

I see a new video by Phil, mentioning an issue with Descent music. So I also recorded Descent on chill pcb, without applying the volume fix.
It has quite deep bass, and high volume, but on my setup it does not sound as bad as on Phil's.
Phils video : https://youtu.be/6lTp1l8LYD0
My recording : descent_yucatanFX.mp3

If you have a low end soundcard, it is best to fiddle with mixer settings or the sysex file, as Phil recommends, to avoid distortion.
Any Yucatan/Cancun users can provide further advice ?

I created an equalizer preset for Yucatan FX!
I tried to get a more balanced sound and avoid any clipping for max quality.
In addition, i added a 'Low' version for very sensitive soundcards.
It comes as Midi file you have to play before starting your game.
Hope it helps someone!

Filename
Yucatan FX Preset.zip
File size
1.26 KiB
Downloads
65 downloads
File license
CC-BY-4.0
Filename
Yucatan FX Preset - Descent.mp3
File size
3.49 MiB
Downloads
55 downloads
File license
CC-BY-4.0

X570|R5 5600X|32G|Rx6800

Reply 109 of 158, by Hummtaro

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
quicknick wrote on 2020-12-02, 01:23:

Thanks, but I was actually asking for some demos of the Sound Canvas soundbank for the X2, if available...

I've created an unofficial Roland soundbank for X2! You can find it here:
Unofficial Soundbanks for Dreamblaster X2 / X3M / X16

X570|R5 5600X|32G|Rx6800

Reply 110 of 158, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Hummtaro wrote on 2020-12-02, 16:12:
I created an equalizer preset for Yucatan FX! I tried to get a more balanced sound and avoid any clipping for max quality. In ad […]
Show full quote

I created an equalizer preset for Yucatan FX!
I tried to get a more balanced sound and avoid any clipping for max quality.
In addition, i added a 'Low' version for very sensitive soundcards.
It comes as Midi file you have to play before starting your game.
Hope it helps someone!

Yucatan FX Preset.zip

Yucatan FX Preset - Descent.mp3

Wow thanks that is great ! I tried.
It will be kinder to audio setups that cannot handle the default yucatan violence.
Also it sounds better for ears in closed headphones.
I will send a message to Phil to try this out. Very likely it resolves the issue he experienced.

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 111 of 158, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Meanwhile, LGR released a video review of orpheus with yucatan on it : https://youtu.be/FBNmt9Tz6VY
Seems a good combo in his setup 😀

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 112 of 158, by keropi

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
Hummtaro wrote on 2020-12-02, 16:12:

[...]
I created an equalizer preset for Yucatan FX!
[...]

thanks for this great job Hummtaro!!!
PLAYMID.EXE is perfect to run this from command line!

🎵 🎧 PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 113 of 158, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

I updated the description at https://www.serdashop.com/Yucatan-FX to include presets use :
You can download the Hummtaro presets now at http://serdaco.com/downloads/?dir=YUCATANFX

Yucatan Fx Presets (for DOS).

after boot, run the following presets, for optimal enjoyment of your yucatan Fx :
These presets stay active until reboot.

YucMe.bat :
PLAYMID YMedium.mid
--> Sets Mild Yucatan settings for line recording, and roland style equalisation
YucLo.bat :
PLAYMID YLow.mid
--> Sets Very mild Yucatan settings for sensitive sound card input mixers
YucHi.bat :
PLAYMID YDefault.mid
--> Sets Yucatan settings for cinematic game effects with a lot of punch. This is also the default setting at bootup.

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 114 of 158, by 640K!enough

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
dreamblaster wrote on 2020-12-04, 23:54:

These presets stay active until reboot.

Is that guaranteed to be true? I rather expected that the start-up defaults would be restored when the host card is re-initialised. For example, when installed on Orpheus, if one runs ORPHINIT to apply a configuration change, the module will receive a reset. This is done to ensure that any potential lingering notes left over from badly-behaved software (say, after an abort/crash to DOS) are silenced. Do these changes persist, or would they have to be re-applied?

Reply 115 of 158, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
640K!enough wrote on 2020-12-05, 16:36:
dreamblaster wrote on 2020-12-04, 23:54:

These presets stay active until reboot.

Is that guaranteed to be true? I rather expected that the start-up defaults would be restored when the host card is re-initialised. For example, when installed on Orpheus, if one runs ORPHINIT to apply a configuration change, the module will receive a reset. This is done to ensure that any potential lingering notes left over from badly-behaved software (say, after an abort/crash to DOS) are silenced. Do these changes persist, or would they have to be re-applied?

Not guaranteed : If Orpheus does a hardware reset of the wavetable board (there is a /reset pin for wavetable boards), you will need to send the presets again.
The setting is not persistent : It is not preserved between powercycles of the wavetable boards, and in theory a game could also overwrite midi settings (unlikely).

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 116 of 158, by appiah4

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

Out of curiosity, would calling the batch files from a DOS window under Win9x result in OS wide EQ fix, or just for the DOS window in question?

Retronautics: A digital gallery of my retro computers, hardware and projects.

Reply 117 of 158, by appiah4

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
Hummtaro wrote on 2020-12-02, 16:12:
I created an equalizer preset for Yucatan FX! I tried to get a more balanced sound and avoid any clipping for max quality. In ad […]
Show full quote
dreamblaster wrote on 2020-12-01, 18:21:
I see a new video by Phil, mentioning an issue with Descent music. So I also recorded Descent on chill pcb, without applying th […]
Show full quote

I see a new video by Phil, mentioning an issue with Descent music. So I also recorded Descent on chill pcb, without applying the volume fix.
It has quite deep bass, and high volume, but on my setup it does not sound as bad as on Phil's.
Phils video : https://youtu.be/6lTp1l8LYD0
My recording : descent_yucatanFX.mp3

If you have a low end soundcard, it is best to fiddle with mixer settings or the sysex file, as Phil recommends, to avoid distortion.
Any Yucatan/Cancun users can provide further advice ?

I created an equalizer preset for Yucatan FX!
I tried to get a more balanced sound and avoid any clipping for max quality.
In addition, i added a 'Low' version for very sensitive soundcards.
It comes as Midi file you have to play before starting your game.
Hope it helps someone!

Yucatan FX Preset.zip

Yucatan FX Preset - Descent.mp3

This did not work for me, PLAYMID gets stuck when trying to play the MID. Celeron 1300 system, ES1868 sound card. PLAYMID is speed sensitive perhaps?

Retronautics: A digital gallery of my retro computers, hardware and projects.

Reply 118 of 158, by appiah4

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
quicknick wrote on 2020-12-02, 01:23:

Thanks, but I was actually asking for some demos of the Sound Canvas soundbank for the X2, if available...

I was playing around with my beloved Dreamblaster X3MA and gave Hamtaro's Roland GM soundbank a spin, find the sample attached. It sounds better than I remember to be honest.

Attachments

Last edited by appiah4 on 2020-12-15, 11:14. Edited 1 time in total.

Retronautics: A digital gallery of my retro computers, hardware and projects.

Reply 119 of 158, by Joseph_Joestar

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t
appiah4 wrote on 2020-12-15, 10:27:

I was playing around with my beloved Dreamblaster X3MA and gave Hamtaro's Roland GM soundbank a spin, find the sample attached. It sounds better than I remember to be honest.

I hear a bunch of skipped / missing notes in that recording.

Is it just the audio file or does the X3 actually sound like that?

PC#1: Pentium MMX 166 / Soyo SY-5BT / S3 Trio64V+ / Voodoo1 / YMF719 / AWE64 Gold / SC-155
PC#2: AthlonXP 2100+ / ECS K7VTA3 / Voodoo3 / Audigy2 / Vortex2
PC#3: Athlon64 3400+ / Asus K8V-MX / 5900XT / Audigy2
PC#4: i5-3570K / MSI Z77A-G43 / GTX 970 / X-Fi