Shot97 | The Roland MT-32 - Part 1 of 2 - The You're Not Stupid Guide @Shot97 | Uploaded August 2015 | Updated October 2024, 19 minutes ago.
An in-depth look at the Roland MT-32 Sound Module, and a guide on setting it up on a proper MS-DOS based system. This is Part 1 of 2, focusing on the MT-32 as a computer device. Part 2 will look at the MT-32 as a synthesizer connected to a keyboard.
00:00 - Plug For Part 2
00:50 - MT-32 Intro
03:37 - Why I Wanted A MT-32
04:23 - General MT-32 Information
07:15 - What You Need To Hook It Up
09:23 - Close Up Look At MT-32
12:40 - Close Up Look At MPU-IPC ISA Card
13:13 - Close Up Look At MPU-401 MIDI Processing Unit
13:58 - Connecting ISA Card To Computer
15:21 - Connecting MT-32 To Sound Blaster Card
16:17 - Setting Up Sound Blaster Software To Hear MT-32
17:49 - Wing Commander Using MT-32
23:02 - Wing Commander II Using MT-32
23:45 - The MT-32 Attempts A Piano
25:35 - Star Trek 25th Anniversary Using MT-32
26:11 - Monkey Island Using MT-32
28:28 - Willy Beamish Using MT-32
29:00 - Buffer Overflow Error Fix/Soft MPU
30:52 - Scene Demo Using MT-32/Anger Over DOS Demos
32:58 - Might and Magic V Using MT-32
34:25 - Making The MT-32 General MIDI Compatible/Under A Killing Moon
36:45 - NSlate
Released in 1987 as a budget home user synthesizer, the MT-32 did not do well in that market. Many corners were cut to bring the price down from more professional offerings from Roland. High noise issues meant this would never be considered a great musical synth.
But then Sierra came calling... In an era when most DOS computer games featured but simple blips out of a single speaker buried inside a computer tower, Sierra started to release games with full soundtracks. What was near the bottom of synthesizers became the very top of the line sound device for PCs.
Nobody bought it. Costing over $500 brand new, the MT-32 never gained a foothold in the PC market. Adlib and Sound Blaster soon dominated the PC end for sound. Despite this, those designing the games all had an MT-32. Not content with the 1960's FM technology in Sound Blasters, most computer games of the late 1980's and early 1990's were designed with the MT-32 in mind.
It is a liberating experience to hear what was once crap on an FM based Sound Blaster turn into heaven when played through an MT-32.
The MT-32 was a combination of sample based instruments with synthesis. Dubbed LA Synthesis. Drums and attacks were done with samples from actual instruments while the sustain was done with synthesis.
There were a couple different revisions for the MT-32. The first one, known simply as "Old" was the original and has some issues with newer games which did not delay sysex commands. A fix is shown in the video. The "New" revision works better out of the box with those newer games but has issues playing the proper sounds of older games.
In order to use an MT-32 with DOS, 3 things are needed. The MT-32 (the synthesizer), an MPU-IPC (ISA interface card for computer) and an MPU-401(processing unit that communicates from the computer card to the MT-32). There are now other options to use the MT-32 without these devices, look up Softmpu for those details.
The You're Not Stupid Guide - The Roland MT-32 - Ep. 1x3
An in-depth look at the Roland MT-32 Sound Module, and a guide on setting it up on a proper MS-DOS based system. This is Part 1 of 2, focusing on the MT-32 as a computer device. Part 2 will look at the MT-32 as a synthesizer connected to a keyboard.
00:00 - Plug For Part 2
00:50 - MT-32 Intro
03:37 - Why I Wanted A MT-32
04:23 - General MT-32 Information
07:15 - What You Need To Hook It Up
09:23 - Close Up Look At MT-32
12:40 - Close Up Look At MPU-IPC ISA Card
13:13 - Close Up Look At MPU-401 MIDI Processing Unit
13:58 - Connecting ISA Card To Computer
15:21 - Connecting MT-32 To Sound Blaster Card
16:17 - Setting Up Sound Blaster Software To Hear MT-32
17:49 - Wing Commander Using MT-32
23:02 - Wing Commander II Using MT-32
23:45 - The MT-32 Attempts A Piano
25:35 - Star Trek 25th Anniversary Using MT-32
26:11 - Monkey Island Using MT-32
28:28 - Willy Beamish Using MT-32
29:00 - Buffer Overflow Error Fix/Soft MPU
30:52 - Scene Demo Using MT-32/Anger Over DOS Demos
32:58 - Might and Magic V Using MT-32
34:25 - Making The MT-32 General MIDI Compatible/Under A Killing Moon
36:45 - NSlate
Released in 1987 as a budget home user synthesizer, the MT-32 did not do well in that market. Many corners were cut to bring the price down from more professional offerings from Roland. High noise issues meant this would never be considered a great musical synth.
But then Sierra came calling... In an era when most DOS computer games featured but simple blips out of a single speaker buried inside a computer tower, Sierra started to release games with full soundtracks. What was near the bottom of synthesizers became the very top of the line sound device for PCs.
Nobody bought it. Costing over $500 brand new, the MT-32 never gained a foothold in the PC market. Adlib and Sound Blaster soon dominated the PC end for sound. Despite this, those designing the games all had an MT-32. Not content with the 1960's FM technology in Sound Blasters, most computer games of the late 1980's and early 1990's were designed with the MT-32 in mind.
It is a liberating experience to hear what was once crap on an FM based Sound Blaster turn into heaven when played through an MT-32.
The MT-32 was a combination of sample based instruments with synthesis. Dubbed LA Synthesis. Drums and attacks were done with samples from actual instruments while the sustain was done with synthesis.
There were a couple different revisions for the MT-32. The first one, known simply as "Old" was the original and has some issues with newer games which did not delay sysex commands. A fix is shown in the video. The "New" revision works better out of the box with those newer games but has issues playing the proper sounds of older games.
In order to use an MT-32 with DOS, 3 things are needed. The MT-32 (the synthesizer), an MPU-IPC (ISA interface card for computer) and an MPU-401(processing unit that communicates from the computer card to the MT-32). There are now other options to use the MT-32 without these devices, look up Softmpu for those details.
The You're Not Stupid Guide - The Roland MT-32 - Ep. 1x3
