I would suggest buying a DB15MIDI from Serdashop and using a simple DIN5 MIDI cable to hook the PC up with the hat. This way you can hook it up to another MIDI device simultaneously as well.

https://www.serdashop.com/DB15MIDI

I can not stress how much I love this product enough.

I had no idea about the requirement for buffering in the gameport cable. I will certainly have a look there, and if there are no chips, that will be my first port of call.
😀
many thanks, the help is really appreciated. (FYI, I work in IT, so the 'intermittent' nature of what I was experiencing was driving me up the wall).

appiah4 wrote on 2021-07-01, 12:14:

I would suggest buying a DB15MIDI from Serdashop and using a simple DIN5 MIDI cable to hook the PC up with the hat. This way you can hook it up to another MIDI device simultaneously as well.

https://www.serdashop.com/DB15MIDI

I can not stress how much I love this product enough.

I could not agree more .
Great product and incredible value .

Looks great, but then I lose my joystick option. I currently have a cable that splits and gives me a joystick port and midi in/out cables.

megatron-uk wrote on 2021-06-30, 19:29:

I had the "Unexp midi STATUS" error showing on a MT32-Pi installation when I was using a M-Audio Uno interface - some things would play (but be off-key), some wouldn't play at all, and display messages you would normally expect just wouldn't show at all. Swapped the M-Audio MIDI interface to a Roland UM-One and the errors went away.

Obviously the MIDI interface is built in to the MP32L/Lite, but I'd say it's almost 100% a MIDI connectivity issue.

I have had similar experiences with M-Audio Midisport 4x4 and 2x2 interfaces with 'normal' modules like the SC-55, MU80, etc. as far as "off key" instruments and not all instruments that would play. I think somehow it is a fault/incompatibility in the M-Audio interfaces and/or drivers..

Note that this experience is from a loooong time ago, when Windows Vista was still a thing. 😀

megatron-uk wrote on 2021-06-30, 19:29:

I had the "Unexp midi STATUS" error showing on a MT32-Pi installation when I was using a M-Audio Uno interface - some things would play (but be off-key), some wouldn't play at all, and display messages you would normally expect just wouldn't show at all. Swapped the M-Audio MIDI interface to a Roland UM-One and the errors went away.

Obviously the MIDI interface is built in to the MP32L/Lite, but I'd say it's almost 100% a MIDI connectivity issue.

There was a product recall affecting MIDISPORT UNO 1x1 MIDI interfaces due to a problem with MIDI-in .

The following Serial Number range of USB MIDISPORT Uno’s was affected:
S/N 31805709001 To S/N 45805704080

Units without a serial number or with a serial number outside of the aforementioned range were not affected .

See https://web.archive.org/web/20100324020051/ht … 541d78b021b2da1

EDIT : Corrected typos

darry wrote on 2021-07-05, 20:42:

See https://web.archive.org/web/20100324020051/ht … 541d78b021b2da1

Great catch - thanks for this, @darry. Will add this link to the USB interface compat page on the mt32-pi wiki, there's been a few people with flaky Unos.

d0pefish wrote on 2021-07-05, 20:47:

darry wrote on 2021-07-05, 20:42:

See https://web.archive.org/web/20100324020051/ht … 541d78b021b2da1

Great catch - thanks for this, @darry. Will add this link to the USB interface compat page on the mt32-pi wiki, there's been a few people with flaky Unos.

Happy to help . My memory may be playing tricks on me, but I vaguely recall having seen instructions on how to potentially fix one of the affected devices. Assuming those actually did exist, it seems that they have been lost to the sands of time .

arthur071169 wrote on 2021-07-05, 10:57:

Looks great, but then I lose my joystick option. I currently have a cable that splits and gives me a joystick port and midi in/out cables.

What about the serial version, avoids issues with buggy SB16 MPU-401 interfaces and leaves your joystick port available: https://www.serdashop.com/MPU-232

OK, started making more MP32L now ...
Also 3d printed enclosure design is making progress ...

Combining with PI 3A+ which is about same size
will also make a smaller enclosure for this combo.

Here's a demo of MP32L + PI3A+, playing DOOM E1M1 (general user soundfont) : https://youtu.be/PCfqzXE_fU0

arthur071169 wrote on 2021-07-01, 11:23:

What are peoples thoughts on the Vibra range of SB cards? The SB16's are getting thin on the ground and Ebay is showing few, and expensive at that. what else is out there that will work (are you using) that is ISA based and still manageable with SB mixer or similar software from an autotexec.bat at DOS level. I never had any issues with the SC55 (until it died of course) but if I need to swap a card then no biggie. I just don't want to overpay to get 1 specific card if others will suffice and cost less.

😀

I have a decent size collection of ISA Sound Blaster cards from the original 8-bit models through the AWE64... my advice to folks looking to get into retro hardware that don't have the nostalgia bug for the "real thing" is to look for a later generic Yamaha or ESS 1868f / 1869 series card with a wavetable header, not an original Sound Blaster. Use the UNISOUND drive (search Vogons for the download) to initialize the card and set volume levels via command line and select a Wavetable card of your choice and/or external MIDI modules depending on your preferences or budget.

Among a myriad of models with various FM chipsets, MIDI bugs, noisy DAC's and numerous DSP versions it's near impossible to find actual Sound Blaster 16 hardware that's trouble free for DOS Gaming. Technically it was part of the old experience, but if you want genuine or close to it FM synth, bug free MIDI and decent digital audio performance for less than $40 you are far better off with the later PnP Yamaha and ESS chipset 16-bit ISA sound cards.

So there's a myriad of midi solutions flowing right about now that have me confused about the possibilities, and I've been very happy with my Dreamblaster X2 on the wavetable header of my Yamaha OPL3 ISA card. However, I've been wanting to move that outside the card to run off the gameport as to avoid the R/L-swap that's a hardware bug on the card without having to mod the card itself (or build a header adapter for it). I was going to buy either a ChillnPhil or a ChillIII for this.

However, am I right in thinking that with soundfont mode this, paired with a Pi3A+ and a DB15Midi on my card's gameport, gets me both MT32 and GM functionality? Actually, I guess I need a PCMIDI rather than my current card's gameport, right? I guess there's no way to get Buran on this thing in soundfont mode, I've become fairly accustomed to it from the X2?

Actually with the preset editor you can set up to swap L/R on the X2

This preset can be uploaded using the X2UPLOAD tool.
keep in mind, for X2GS, the different preset addresses.
(this belongs in X2GS thread rather than here) --> if more questions on X2, please put in the right thread 😀.

teiresias wrote on 2021-07-12, 20:40:

However, am I right in thinking that with soundfont mode this, paired with a Pi3A+ and a DB15Midi on my card's gameport, gets me both MT32 and GM functionality?

Yes

teiresias wrote on 2021-07-12, 20:40:

Actually, I guess I need a PCMIDI rather than my current card's gameport, right?

That's even better, as it would give you intelligent MPU mode, without the need for SOFTMPU

teiresias wrote on 2021-07-12, 20:40:

I guess there's no way to get Buran on this thing in soundfont mode, I've become fairly accustomed to it from the X2?

No Buran bank was constructed using dream tools, and is not available in sf2.

Thanks for the info!! This definitely has my interest peaked even if just for an MT32 solution! I didn't mean to actually ask an X2 question, I was just trying to describe why I was considering getting an MP32L at all, but thanks for pointing out the stereo switch in the preset editor, I'd never even opened it! I'm definitely going to give the MP32L a try later!

Mine arrived earlier this week, but I didn't have much time to test it. I'm using it on a PI3b+ and it works like a charm. I tried Monkey Island 2, Police Quest 3, Rise of The Dragon, Lotus 3, Star Wars Dark Forces, Dune and Dune 2 and they worked out of the box without need of SoftMPU. I had to use SoftMPU for Monkey Island and Loom though. Now that I remember either Dune or dune 2 gave me some strange error when in MT-32 mode, very weird, out of place sounds played, but I solved by simply switching to CM32L.

SoundFonts work fine too, I find it exciting to think there are so many out there.I tried SC55 and found it good enough, but the XG one I tried was a bit underwhelming for me. Luckily I own an SC-88VL and an MU50.
I had some problem with Timbres of Heaven while playing Grabbag from setup, it started fine but when the synths came in, they were too forward and swallowed most of the other instruments. It was also louder than most other SoundFonts I've tried. But I'm sure this has nothing to do with MP32L itself.

I also had some "Unexp midi STATUS" errors while using your typical MIDI+Game Port cable, but I solved it by using a DB15MIDI and a proper Roland MIDI cable.

All in all, I'm very happy with this little thing, it's versatile and sounds great in my opinion.

PI3A+ MP32L enclosure prototype... still needs some adjustments, and some color...😀

Here's the next iteration, with color and led shine through, and tolerances adjusted...
Starts to look good ?

Yes, but without a hood this full sized DIN still looks like an atrocity.