After installing the games, I loaded up QFG1 (VGA) and QFG4 just to see them working. I was immediately disappointed by the music.

After reading this thread, I followed the suggestion to run INSTALL.EXE in DOSBox and change the music device to "General MIDI Sound Driver" and this made the music much better. However, it's not exactly how I remember it on my AWE 32, many years ago.

I then proceeded to try BASSMIDI (mentioned by timppu), and followed the instructions set out on the instructions and configuration page of their site. I downloaded a couple of the recommended SoundFonts:

1. Weeds General MIDI SoundFont v3.0 (WeedsGM3.sf2)
2. AWE32 ROM Dump (1mgm.sf2)

I tested it out using Windows Media Player to play some Duke Nukem 3D songs such as GRABBAG.MID and STALKER.MID. I compared the "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth" with the two SoundFonts that I downloaded and could easily hear the difference between each of them. Needless to say, the AWE32 ROM Dump was my favourite because it sounded closest to how I remember it.

Unfortunately, when I tried running the QFG games again, there was no music. Only the sound effects played. After switching the default MIDI synth back to "Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth", the music returned.

Any thoughts on why this isn't working or how to fix it?

I guess that's the thing with these GM soundfonts, everyone wants the one they listened back then. That's why I am still searching for a 100% perfect Sound Canvas soundfont, which would sound identical to the real Roland SCC-1. Some are close, but not quite. I understood the default MS soundfont is supposed to be based on Sound Canvas, but it sounds like its poor cousin, and doesn't apparently support the extra features (reverb, extra drum sets etc., some games used these too).

My current favourite GM soundfont is actually the ChoriumRevA soundfont that someone mentioned in another discussion, the instruments are quite high quality. SGM and SynerGi8 get the second and third place, I don't care about the rest anymore.

But, even the default MS GS Wavetable Synth certainly gets the job done, even if it sounds quite flat.

Did you restart DOSBox while changing the soundfont in BASSMIDI? I presume so, if you play the GOG version.

Unless there is some glitch in the GOG DOSBox MIDI sound config, your DOSBox games should use the MIDI device that you have selected with BASSMIDI (e.g. BASSMIDI Driver).

Yeah, I was restarting DOSBox each time. I just used the desktop short-cut for the game each time.

If I remember correctly (I'm at the office so can't check), the MIDI section of the config file looked something like this:

[midi]
mpu401=true
intelligent=true
device=default
config=

My DOSBox 0.74 config looks like this:

mpu401=intelligent
mididevice=default
midiconfig=

So I presume you have the same. As said, I don't have the GOG versions of Quest for Glory games (at least not yet, I might get them just for the convenience of being pre-patched games), but the ones from my QfG Anthology CD installed now.

Are you using Win7? I am, and I presume installing BASSMIDI according to the instructions is enough in order to change the MIDI output device (since you can do it already for .mid files, you just don't hear anything with DOSBox games then).

I can't be fully sure if BASSMIDI is enough for Win7, because before BASSMIDI I had actually installed "PLWMidiMap" earlier when I installed Munt. PLWMidiMap also adds the missing feature in Win7/Vista, ie. the ability to change the MIDI device. But I presume PLWMidiMap is not needed with BASSMIDI.

Guys, really, try ScummVM. It's a lot easier to configure.

I managed to solve my problem of no music playing in DOSBox while BASSMIDI is the default MIDI device. Simply running the game's short-cut as administrator fixed the issue. Seems pretty weird to me but whatever...

Thanks for the tip. I might test that out as well.

I tested it, and at least it didn't help getting Roland MT-32 music working correctly. If you want them to sound correct, apparently you still need to get hold of the MT-32 ROMs somewhere (or use a real physical MT-32 unit with your PC), in which case it makes much more sense to bite the bullet and install Munt (or use a DOSBox variant with Munt integrated), because then you get correct music in all MT-32 DOS games, not just those few that ScummVM supports.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

As much as I wanted to get this working properly in DOSBox, I have to agree, getting it to look and sounds like the old game is much easier in ScummVM

Installed Munt and I love the sounds it produces. Not quite MT32, but very close indeed.
Thanks for the tip timppu!

Hello!
I'm pretty new to this whole MIDI business and was playing Lucasarts games with soundblaster for years :)
But now I'm using ScummVM and Fluidsynth (which also works fo QfG1-3) with Shan's Soundfont. Is this soundfont good? Sounds familiar to the orginal Roland MT-32? Or maybe I should use other (if they were free of course)?
I've never, ever played game using real hardware so I can't tell myself which is "better" :)