General MIDI and Roland MT-32 Wavetable board: WP32 McCake

Yes, these sound awesome. But can you get similar performance using SoundFonts for example? Can this be done in PCEm?

My head says since we're no longer relying on the electrical idiosyncrasies of a Yamaha FM chip, these wavetables should be portable even to emulation, but I expect it's not quite that simple.

I'd like to see an ultimate 'emulated' MIDI video at some point Phil, because I rarely have chance to use physical hardware any more.

Yamaha did it with their own enhanced MIDI Standard XG and offered in addition to their XG Sound Cards the DB-50XG Daughter Board which is derived from their Rompler Control Synthesizer CS1x.
General Midi sound terrible.
On more powerful Computers you can use Midi Player Software where you can load Roland GS, Yamaha XG or any other Sample packs. Yamaha offered their own XG Midi Player Software supported for Windows 95/98, Windows 2000 and XP.

The TrevorSC55 soundfont is now 404'ing. :(

Thank you again for an exhaustively informative talk throughout the topic. Definitely, yes, for what it offers, it is a bargain, and a perfect thing to have if you ever consider having the MT-32 or CM-32L options in your vintage computer sound capabilities.
As for myself, I was also considering it but in the end, I opted for an mt32-pi hat for a regular off-the-shelf Raspberry Pi, which is the same thing, runs the same software, just in a different form factor. I somehow like to have it kinda independent and external, with the possibility to hook it up to anything that can produce MIDI commands. Also, this way I'm bypassing the soundcard's analog circuits which might introduce some noise (and the PC power supplies are not stellar in this realm either). So now I just need to build the very simple Gameport to MIDI DIN adapter and I can then hook it to any gameport-equipped soundcard, but also to anything else MIDI-capable. Plus, being external, I can have the OLED display in my view at all times, emulating the real MT-32 table-top box experience ;)

In my first sound card in the 486 I had a wavetable module - a simple Avance Logic PRO32AW with 32 instruments and it played really cool. I can't imagine listening to music on a flat FM synthesis without a wavetable. .

Raspberry Pi? Collab with Jeff Geerling when?👀

This guy sounds exactly like the WW2 historian guy who goes into exact data numbers. :)

Why do you say the MPU is impossible to find - I see listings on ebay?

I ordered it immediately! ❤
I'll install it on my PicoGUS, so it's basically inception, right!? These SW defined cards are the next frontier in retro computing, zero doubt

I was about to ask how does this handle the graceful shutdown of Linux on RPi, but after a quick search now I see it's a bare metal MT-32 emulator, so it's not even using the Linux kernel.

It's so cool seeing all the new sound options out there to keep retro gaming alive. This solves a bunch of problems and I really like this solution. Young me could only dream of something like this. As someone that has killed plenty of sound cards doing dumb things like trying to amp the output and overclocking the system, there's not many working sound cards out there that can do it all. Heck even at the time, no single card could regardless of money spent. Great review!

Unfortunately, these OLED displays become unattractive relatively quickly in continuous operation. A kind of burn-in where areas are then permanently darker than the rest.

Looks like installation was a piece of... McCake! 😂 Great video!

amazing review!

very nice review! I wish that the device can be smaller... perhaps using smaller pi pico or something

That is too cool.

Soubds like too much reverb. Is this adjustable?

I can describe this device in one word: Convenience. As much I would love to have a Retro Room with all of the PCs and Real Rolands and stuff... Switching General MIDIs/Rolands on a go is just a awesome idea.

Sounds like a great upgrade to replace my laptop with FalcoSoft Midi Player as device for MT32 and CM-32L emulation. Only question is, what about SC55 and so on, using Roland SoundCanvas VA? Does it still offer benefits over the SC55 SoundFont?
The frontpanel controls are awesome and I could remove my 5.25" floppy drive to make space for it in my computer case, as I don't use is anymore since I stopped expanding my game collection and after backing up all games already.

But is there a chance of the PicoGUS getting support for using sound fonts and MT32/CM32L without the need of an addon card?

Is this card also accept and fully emulate exclusive signals that were heavily used in the traditional MT-32 support games? When I listen samples in the video, it seems so.

I bought mt32 hat on its very first releases, even before the buttons. It is really a nice device.
Mine is connected in pure midi cable, also with screen. I did some tests with my ess sound card.

Does anyone know if the last version of Trevor's SoundFont can still be downloaded from somewhere now that the repository is down?

I've been SORTA using this in the form of mt32-pi running on a Pi 3 with a homemade hat I built using a proto hat. I incorporated a MIDI port (connects to the UART pins with an opto-isolator), a cheap DAC, and an LCD module, both from AliExpress. I have an Orpheus sound card in my retro PC, which incorporates the PCMIDI firmware and has a dedicated MIDI port. I am very tempted by this though, since it would reduce all the cabling I have running, and would let me get rid of the little 3 channel mixer I have to get the soundcard output and mt32-pi output going out the same speakers.

Oh my, the memories...I played the heck outa Quest for Glory III. I loved that game!

LoL I spent all that money on my MIDI mountain but all I want is this 🤣

Hey Phil, I have an ongoing project machine aiming for maximum compatibility from DOS to early 2000s. It's a p3 Tualitin 1.4, GeForce 4, voodoo 2, sound blaster pro ISA, PCI - SATA and running Windows 98. It would be really cool to see you do a full build video or mini series of something similar where you actually put it in a case and fully finish it.

Dunno why I wasn't subbed. Fixed that.

Hello Phil.

I am really lost 😥

I have a Roland usb midi interface UM-One. But i do not get correct sound waves out of the midi player...

As tutorial, i have seen your video, you have recorded 5 years ago: "Roland MIDI Emulator Project 2.0 for best music with DOS Retro Games"

I am using the midi player 6.2 from falcosoft, the munt VSTi plugin 2.8.1 ,
and these ROM files:
- MT32 ROM file from 1987 + MT32 PCM file
or
- MT32 ROM file from 1988 (patched) + MT32 PCM file

Does it has something to do with the preset files?

I don't have any idea what was been wrong with my setup.
I have connected the cables 100% exactly as you did it in your video.

I must say: The software is may not enough explained in any detail...

I will follow with my error searching.

Thanks.

@philscomputerlab. I have the Roland MPU-IPC complete in box. I haven't found anyone who wanted in here in Denmark, but it sure looks nice on my shelf.

A tip is to add an empty soundfont so you can still use the midi out of the souncard.

Try Shan's GM Soundfont SGM-V2.01. That is one of my favorite.

roland lapc1 and diamond monster sound M80

You just freaking read my mind, "hope he plays some Descent... ' you did not dissapoint mr!!! :)

Wavetable vs. FM synthesis, I don’t think it's as simple as one being better than the other. Certainly easier and more accessible sound design using wavetables, however FM can give a unique flavour of sound. Getting the best out of FM requires arcane wizardry though, and reliance on presets did result in a lot of poor FM soundtracks.

The prices of those daughterboards were breathtaking back then, so I bought a 50,- DM Trust32 card instead. It had full SB16 compatibility and GM, MT32 and GS.

I love your content Phil, but you've zoomed in again and it looks like you're going to go for our necks at any moment. Makes me totally uncomfortable watching. Just zoom out a little will you? PLEASE! That's all it needs! Skipping this video for now.

What a great episode! Excellent work! Love "sound stuff" 😅 Thanks Phil!

great vid, the zip file i downloaded only has on uf2 file, where do i get the rest, thanks

great video. thx. if only those wavetables would be cheaper!!. haven't seen one under 300 euros for a long time. 😢

Oh, did Trevor0402 remove public access to his SC55Soundfont repository? The link is dead now and on his page it states that he has no public repositories.

Nice video. Copy/paste the mt32 sounds easy enough, but where do you get them??

I’ve spent 5 days with the pico and this midi card, I will be sending them back, lots of problems especially with a sb16 with it, games nor booting,

after a long time testing the pico and wp32, they're coming out of my PC
pico is another video,
running a gateway 3000 p5-133
wp32 on a sb16
trying to run either wc1 or 2 with mt32 selected, it hangs on expanded mem, set to sb music all wc runs fine.
in all games I have tested things run ok but when I put in a joystick the music is all wrong and cannot really hear it,
and ideas

UPDATE:
took the wp32 off the sb and put it on the midi card I had , (the one u recommended if your other vid) and every thing works.

The audiodrive and Yamaha OPL cards are hands down 2 of my favorite cards. I own both and the S2 wave table. Such a fantastic combo using any of the 2 cards with the S2 in DOS.

Aaaaand it costs an arm and a leg :D

Does mt32-pi already do as a General Midi ?

What is up with these dumpster fire pricing on these wavetable cards? Gross...