Hello there! Some of you may know me some of you may not (doubting any of you do :bleh: ) but I thought this would be the best place to post a thread like this to all you DOS game lovers - just like me ^_^

Since purchasing a Roland MT-32 and CM-32L, I can't stop using them. I either play my DOS games on them via DOSBox, then download more from Abandonia just to get some more decent music from them (heh) or play MIDIs back that I've found.

Lately, I've been taking up requests from people who wish to have music recorded from DOS games (that support the MT-32/CM-32L/LAPC-I).

Here are the links to any game rips I've done:

The Humans: http://cosmic-dreams.net/music/CM-32L/Humans/ (very relaxing music I'll admit)

One Step Beyond: http://cosmic-dreams.net/music/CM-32L/OSB/

Lemmings 2: http://cosmic-dreams.net/music/CM-32L/Lemmings_2/

T.F.X (Tactical Flight eXperiment): http://cosmic-dreams.net/music/CM-32L/TFX/

Most of the T.F.X music was recorded by Talus from Kohina, but I recorded Columbia (the ogg vorbis version), Ingame 1, 3 and 5.

Now, does anyone else want to request a game to have it's music recorded? I'm more than willing to do so, but the game has to be downloadable (freely) and can be easy to record the music (eg, sound effects can be turned off, cheats/walkthroughs to get to other levels or the MIDI files them selves etc).

If I'm to record more games, I'm also going to need somewhere new to host them. My current host allows me 500MB maximum space, and being a student, I'm very low on money to pay for more - if anyone can help me out with this (hosting on another server/website), I'd greatly appreciate it! :ok:

damn i think i ll get the roland thingy as well.
well you could help abandonia and upload the music in here (there uses to be music under 'extras'), so there d be no need for new host=P ..i mean, if such a poor student had free time=)
btw if you get avatar people will recognise you more easily

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(_r.u.s.s. @ May 12 2007, 11:49 AM) [snapback]289996[/snapback]</div>Depends if they'll let me ^_^

Done :)

By the way, the sound that you'll get through Roland Sound Canvas is almost always pretty much better than what you get from Roland MT-32. If you would like a proof, just let me know and I'll upload two versions of a music file from a Dos game, which will show it all too clear.

Though a real hardware is always the better choice, you don't have necessarily to buy Roland MT-32. There's an emulator in the form of installable driver that emulates Roland MT-32 up to 98%, and the result in the quality of the midi music is easily noticeable. You can download it here, but you'll also need two ROM files for it which can't be downloaded there, and can't be provided by me for the license reasons. You'll have to find that ROM's yourself.
Link for Emulator

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scatty @ May 13 2007, 02:11 PM) [snapback]290109[/snapback]</div>Depends on the game. Some don't contain SC versions, and even if they do, they don't sound as good as the MT-32/CM-32L as most of the time the game is designed on the MT-32/CM-32L/LAPC-I.

You're kidding, right? MT-32 emulation sounds more like 25% to a real Roland MT-32 after I tried. It sounds terrible - period.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Skatoony @ May 13 2007, 06:45 PM) [snapback]290117[/snapback]</div>That depends on the soundcard you're using, and maybe to a small part on the speed of the machine. For me, the music in games, while using this emulator, sounds almost as good as the same pieces of that music recorded with real MT-32. The soundcard I'm using is Soundblaster Live!, maybe yours can't emulate is as good, but I heard many good replies about that emulator on another site where I pointed people to it.
Besides, how were you able to use the emulator if it requires two ROM files to work which aren't included with the archive? Did you choose MT-32 in the game you were testing it for the music, too, or a simple Soundblaster or General Midi option? Did you actually try it at all, or are you simply making an attack without even have got it working correctly?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scatty @ May 13 2007, 06:07 PM) [snapback]290119[/snapback]</div>Just by that post you're making it sound as if you're attacking me. Yes I had the ROM files, yes I chose MT-32, and I have an Audigy 2 ZS which is better than the Live! yet the emulator still sounds terrible. I don't know what recordings you are listening to, but I know it's nothing like a real MT-32. Another point is - it doesn't support CM-32L/LAPC-I games.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Skatoony @ May 13 2007, 08:15 PM) [snapback]290124[/snapback]</div>I'm sorry if my post was looking as if I would be attacking you. That was not my intention.
Actually, I already suspected that you're using Soundblaster Audigy. Believe it or not, Soundblaster Live! is much better with the emulation than the Audigy series, maybe simply because of the fact that Live! offers better compatibility of the old Soundblaster standard and is also generally more compatible to old Dos soundcard options in some ways than Audigy.
About the support for CM-32 or LAPC-I, most games that offer that option also offer the option for MT-32. Those that don't probably wouldn't work better with the original MT-32 hardware either, since MT-32 sounds a little different than other MIDI cards of that time, and even Roland Sound Canvas from the same company and it's relevant siblings don't really help there. That's where the Soundblaster option enters the scene then.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scatty @ May 13 2007, 07:45 PM) [snapback]290131[/snapback]</div>Actually, the CM-32L sound module has almost identical hardware to the MT-32. Main difference is - different ROM version. The ROM on the CM-32L and LAPC-I has most of the "bugs" the MT-32 has out of it. Someone at QuestStudios was attempting to get a CM-32L ROM to work in an MT-32, and I think they got the screen to work with audio out - just that the volume knob didn't work.

Well, in that case the emulator of course doesn't come as close up to the quality as the original piece of hardware. Still it's a quite nice change (sometimes even great) from the default Soundblaster MIDI in DosBox or VDMSound, for those who would like to listen to a better music in classic Dos games. Especially with the right soundcard and some more advanced knowledge of Dos and his own computer which allows for some finetuning.