It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
avatar
Ketzerfreund: Yes, it sounds really great. I'm using the stand-alone mt32 emu Munt under Linux with Dosbox. UU uploads samples to the mt32 for the sound effects.
This is intriguing... can you do this using DOSBox in Windows?
avatar
Ketzerfreund: Yes, it sounds really great. I'm using the stand-alone mt32 emu Munt under Linux with Dosbox. UU uploads samples to the mt32 for the sound effects.
avatar
Waltorious: This is intriguing... can you do this using DOSBox in Windows?
There is a build for Windows available on Sourceforge. You'll still have to find the MT32 pcm and control roms.
I have taken a look at the Readme; it's nicely step by step. The emulator installs itself via a hardware driver, which you can then select for midi output in Windows' control panel.

I had to compile from sources for Linux, getting them from a git hub, which seems to hold the freshest version for Linux as far as I can see. Munt is linked only very sparingly on the Net for some reason. I don't know whether the Windows version I linked above is the latest version in existence, it's the only one I found via a quick google check.

Take a look at the attached images. That's how it works on Linux. Note the names of all those samples in the emu's console output (in gamestart.jpg; only a fraction of the list is visible on that screenshot)!

Dune 2 does that, too, by the way. It uploads a lot of instrument samples up to the mt32, namely orchestra hits and the like as well as sound effects; in the first release of Dune 2 you couldn't select sound and music device separately at all. Soundblaster: digi sounds and fm-synth music, MT32: sound samples and music with mt32 instruments + additional samples.
Attachments:
gamestart.jpg (410 Kb)
@Ketzerfreund:

Thanks for those instructions. In another thread in the Might and Magic forums, there are instructions for setting up sound fonts to improve MIDI music in those games. I wonder if such a thing would work for the Ultima Underworld games, as an alternate method for better music?

From what I understand, to do it one must be able to select the Roland Canvas for music, while leaving the SoundBlaster set for sound. From this thread it sounds like the config file does not allow separate devices for music and sound, but rather has you pick one device to play it all. Is that true?
Post edited September 06, 2011 by Waltorious
avatar
Waltorious: @Ketzerfreund:

Thanks for those instructions. In another thread in the Might and Magic forums, there are instructions for setting up sound fonts to improve MIDI music in those games. I wonder if such a thing would work for the Ultimate Underworld games, as an alternate method for better music?
That depends on what midi data a game sends to the device. You see, the MT32 and successive hardware like Snd. Canvas and LAPC-1 can't merely depend on Soundfonts. Sure, you could make a Soundfont that has the instrument mapping of the MT32, and then instruments would be mapped correctly in your game music. But it'll miss everything that depends on MT32-specific capabilities, filter effects and the like. Also, a virtual Soundfont device can't receive MT32 samples. Both the synth aspects as well as the sampling capability of the MT32 are the very reason such an emulator is needed.

avatar
Waltorious: From what I understand, to do it one must be able to select the Roland Canvas for music, while leaving the SoundBlaster set for sound. From this thread it sounds like the config file does not allow separate devices for music and sound, but rather has you pick one device to play it all. Is that true?
You can select one device for sound & music and one other device for speech.
That's because UU doesn't use digitized sound for sound effects. Steps, swishes, thunks etc. are synthesized on the FM-chip if Soundblaster is selected. If Roland MT32/LAPC-1 is selected, the game uploads digital samples to the MT32 via midi. Take a look at the console output on the second screenshot of my previous post again. The sounds are playing via that midi device.
If you'd merely used a Soundfont, you'd still hear the piano play while walking.
Cool, thanks. I will either try the MT32 emulation or stick with Soundblaster.
Post edited June 10, 2011 by Waltorious
avatar
Waltorious: Cool, thanks. I will either try the MT32 emulation or stick with Soundblaster.
Note that if you have changed GOG's audio settings as described above you will want to change them back if you get MT-32 emulation working otherwise the MT-32 sounds will still be wrong.
Thanks for this post. This had been bugging me too -- if only for the fact that when I played UW as a young 'un, it was with AdLib/Sound Blaster music and I wanted to recapture that :)
Here are the crucial items needed in summary for people using Win 7 64-bit that want Roland MT32 Emulation in the game.

Sorry if this is a rehash for some items:

Also, do this at your own risk. I had zero problems. Your experience may be different.

1. In order to get Roland MT-32 emulation to work in your game, you'll first need 2 files:
MT32_Control.ROM and MT32_PCM.ROM

This may be the hardest part of the installation. You will need to acquire/search for these files yourself. I'm sorry in advance.

2. Now to get the Munt installation stuff, I first went here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/munt/

Note that this in tandem with the 2 files above will allow you to install Munt for 32-bit operating systems (at the very least WinXP).

Unfortunately, I could not use this to install on Win7 64-bit following the directions from the readme file. When you try to do the end of the install, Windows will tell you that you cannot install 32-bit drivers.

However! I found an alternative for Win7 64-bit users. You need to download MuntSetup.exe from here:

http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=28202

Place this file in a folder with the two ROM files and then click on it to start the installation. It should do the job.

3. Mostly done! I still had a problem...the instructions in the munt folder say to go to 'Sounds and Audio devices' in the control panel to change your MIDI playback device. That's not right for Win 7 64-bit users, and no place for MIDI is shown. There's nothing to see! So, how do we switch from Microsoft GS Wavetable MIDI Synth to the MT-32 MIDI Synth Emulator in control panel? You need to download a control panel applet.

http://www.sierrahelp.com/Utilities/SoundUtilities/PutzlowitschsVistaMIDI_Mapper.html

If you place this in c:\windows\SysWOW64

You'll be able to change the midi playback options from Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth to MT-32 Synth Emulator in the control panel. The control panel applet is called Putzlowitschs Vista-MIDIMapper (32-bit).

I used this because after I installed the drivers, there was no place to enable it in the Win 7 control panel.

Now on games that use MIDI, when you run them they may initially start in a window. Just re-run them and they should pop back to full screen. It did for me, anyway.

Hope this helps. Now your sounds (like your footsteps) will not sound like a piano, and your music will sound much more rich!
Post edited August 04, 2011 by BurntSoul
EDIT: refer to the GOGwiki DOSBox page for configuration instructions for both the real and emulated Roland MT-32.
Post edited August 07, 2011 by Arkose

Those steps will work in the end, but I found a much quicker and easier way that doesn't require any drivers, wrappers or other complications.
Well...I'm not so sure. It's faster for me - maybe I just typed a lot and it looked harder. Here let me break it down:

1. Dump the 2 ROM files in a folder along with the Muntsetup.exe file. Run it.
2. Download the Control Panel file and place in c:\windows\SysWOW64.
3. Open said file from within control panel and make the switch to Roland Emulation.

Done. Quick. No complications.

Better yet, I don't have to mess with every install of DOSBox for each game on my system that I want to config with Roland support, as it's just part of the system now.
Post edited August 05, 2011 by BurntSoul
avatar
BurntSoul: It's faster for me - maybe I just typed a lot and it looked harder.
Ah, yeah, when you put it like that your method is obviously the better one. Never mind me then. :D
avatar
BurntSoul: It's faster for me - maybe I just typed a lot and it looked harder.
avatar
Arkose: Ah, yeah, when you put it like that your method is obviously the better one. Never mind me then. :D
Arkose, I think you should put your info back in here for another way of doing things, and also for the case of other games for using MT32 Emulation (maybe yours should pertain more to the general discussion forums, then? not sure). I just noticed that this works great specifically for UU1 and UU2, but other games have had varied results.
Post edited August 06, 2011 by BurntSoul
avatar
BurntSoul: Arkose, I think you should put your info back in here for another way of doing things, and also for the case of other games for using MT32 Emulation (maybe yours should pertain more to the general discussion forums, then? not sure). I just noticed that this works great specifically for UU1 and UU2, but other games have had varied results.
That's a good idea. I've put the instructions up on the GOGwiki DOSBox page with all the various ways of getting MT-32 support working (starting with the cleaner game-specific approach and working down).
I'd like to connect my Roland CM-32L (MT-32 compatible, has also the LAPC-1 extensions) to a PC with MIDI-to-USB converter. Will any such converter do, or are there some preferred converters for that?

I googled for some earlier, but the ones which seemed suitable didn't apparently have newer than XP drivers. I'd like to use it in both XP and Win7.

Too bad my SCC-1 is useless in new PCs... :( Maybe I should look for a Roland SC-55 module.

I'd kill for a proper MT-32 (or rather CM-32L/LAPC-1) emulator, as well as Sound Canvas emulator, which would handle also e.g. reverb and echo effects. Munt was passable when I tried it last, but still a far cry from real MT-32 music.

My PC seems to already have "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth", but its general MIDI sounds quite poor compared to Sound Canvas, even though I understood the instrumets are licensed from "Roland Virtual Sound Canvas".
Post edited August 19, 2011 by timppu
Been too long now... :) Is there supposed to speech during the intro sequence for underworld 2?