Closed Roland MT32 expander

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Xanxi

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Hi.

I would like to have such an expander to complete my SoundBlaster16 in my A2000.

Please make me a cool offer.

Regards.
 
Thanks to LTAC's help, i now have a nice Roland MT32 here. :)

Problem is that i don't have any cable to hook it to my SoundBlaster 16.
Would anyone have a suitable cable to sell? Is it still possible to use a gamepad while operating the MT32?
 
You really should look into getting a better Midi interface than that sound blaster, since it's not fully compatible. I can recommend the MPU-401 although that one might be difficult to get hold of.
 
Well, the Roland expander is meant to be added to the PC bridgeboard part of my A2000, to improve the music from DOS games.
I don't have any serial port in the PC part.
I use an ISA SoundBlaster 16 (which is actually if i am right a Vibra 16 PnP) to get the maximum compatibility with my MSDOS setup for digitalized sound and music in DOS games. It has been working very good so far.
What other card will be as compatible and yet good for the MT32?
 
slk486 is correct, the SB16 mpu implementation is only a basic one and stuff that rely on roland's extended features will fail.
BUT
some days ago SoftMPU was released here , it is not a 100% solution but it makes some stuff that were failing on non-Roland mpus to work , have a read at the vogons thread

Good choices for a Roland mpu are the following roland cards (lol):
SCC-1 (mpu + scb55 synth)
MPU-401
MPU-401AT
RAP-10 (mpu + sc-7 synth)
LAPC-I (has an mpu but who cares, it's an extended mt32 itself)

there are other makers of compatible mpus like MusicQuest , but I have no real knowledge of them...

also here is a schematic for a SB->midi cable:

e8mh4p.jpg


more info here: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~lau0cy/sb.htm
 
slk486 is correct, the SB16 mpu implementation is only a basic one and stuff that rely on roland's extended features will fail.
BUT
some days ago SoftMPU was released here , it is not a 100% solution but it makes some stuff that were failing on non-Roland mpus to work , have a read at the vogons thread

Good choices for a Roland mpu are the following roland cards (lol):
SCC-1 (mpu + scb55 synth)
MPU-401
MPU-401AT
RAP-10 (mpu + sc-7 synth)
LAPC-I (has an mpu but who cares, it's an extended mt32 itself)

there are other makers of compatible mpus like MusicQuest , but I have no real knowledge of them...

also here is a schematic for a SB->midi cable:

e8mh4p.jpg


more info here: http://web.singnet.com.sg/~lau0cy/sb.htm

Thanks for the links Keropi dude.

However, i still have a few questions:
- do the boards you have listed play the sound and voices besides music (SoundBlaster compatible) ?
- if is use both a SB16 and a MT32, do i need 2 pairs of speakers or can the outputs be mixed?
 
a. regarding the boards I listed:

SCC-1 -> offers 4MB wavetble synth , only music
MPU-401 -> just an interface, no sound capablities of it's own
MPU-401AT -> just an interface, no sound capablities of it's own
RAP-10 -> this one does have sfx playback like a soundblaster and plays GM music BUT needs specific game support , supported bu a handfull of games but it's meh
LAPC-I -> only music as you can imagine

b. you can get the MT32 output plugged in the SB16's LINE-IN so you use the SB16 to mix , only 1 pair of speakers needed ;)
 
Are you sure about line in?

I just gave it a try. I launched a DOS game within the bridgeboard part and its music was playing from the line out output of the SB16 to my speakers. Then i connected the audio out of my AD516 playing a mp3 from the Amiga side to the SB16 line in, but the two didn't mix on the output of the DOS game.
The line in certainly need to be activated by some kind of software mixer that surely won't work within a DOS game.
 
100% sure, are you sure you have enabled Line-IN from MIXERSET program? it's a part of sb16's drivers
 
I haven't found any program/game that kills the line-in, once set it's there :)
 
I didn't have MIXERSET and thanks to your posts i have discovered that the SB16 software was not fully installed.

It is working now, and i can hear mp3 playing on top of DOS Monkey Island, from my classic MAS-Player, connected to the line in of the AD516, which is itself connected to the SB16 line in. Crazy!

By the way, i would like the AD516 to mix the line in and the line out so easily. For now it is only working if i manually launch the Studio16 software.

Now i only need the gameport to MIDI cable for the MT32. I have just ordered one from Hong-Kong on Ebay.

In the meantime, perhaps there is more to do with the SB16 mixer. I would like to have one audio output from my A2000 instead of separate lines from Paula/MasPlayer/AD516/SB16. Would that be possible to also use the CD-ROM internal connector of the SB16, and output everything from the SB16? The good thing is that with a bridgeboard, the PC part is always active, whatever does the Amiga side (game, workbench, ...).
 
Blast! I have received my MIDI to gameport cable, but i still can't operate the MT32.
I have mistaken the two big jack outputs for two RCA outputs and i don't have the proper cable to connect it to the SB16's line in.

Any clue on how to find an Y cable with 2 big jacks to on small jack?

---------- Post added at 14:00 ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 ----------

I'v found a huge Youtube video tutorial about the Roland MT32.
I'm putting the link here in case someone ends up looking for informations in this thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NUQpAZeAdo&feature=youtu.be&t=1h26m25s

Everything is explained from cables needed to setting up the whole thing with a soundcard. Keropi, is that your brother? :D
 
Finally found the adapter i need :)

The Roland MT32is working fine with the SB16.

I've tried so far Monkey 2, Lotus, and Conquest of the Longbow. The music is indeed strange with the latter, but fine with the 2 others although not as good as i thought.

Thanks for the help.
 
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