Best Soundcard/MIDI board for DOS games?

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450

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I'm not sure what kind of sound card to get for my DOS games.

Right now I have a SB Live! 5.1 in my DOS/9x machine. It works fine, but I want something better.

I thought about an MT32 or an SC55 but I'm really not sure what to get. I've also heard some people get the DB50XG. I've had the AWE32/64 and I've also had a GUS. I'd like to stick to PCI and daughterboards/external solutions if possible. I don't have an ISA slot in my current box, but I suppose I could easily get another Pentium 2-3 box with ISA if needed.
 
Oh the memories of those days :)

It's a bit tricky, since no single device can really handle everything to make most out of the sound in DOS games. Ideally, I'd like to have a combination of Roland MT-32 for the older DOS games that support it along with Roland GM/GS product like SC-55 (external) or SCC-1 (ISA) for General Midi and finally a Sound Blaster 16/32/64 for sound effects and as a fallback device for maximum compatibility.

I'm not sure if it's possible to make them all play nicely along with each other at the same time, but I did have SB16 and GUS Max running side-by-side at that time and it was a pretty good solution, although getting GM to work properly with GUS was a bit of lottery every time.
 
Pentium 1 and 2 machines are still cheap. I guess I could buy 2-3 machines for each sound card config. I guess a few Optiplex GX1's would be cheap.
 
most if not all DOS games have poor sample rates (11kHz for example) and MIDI quality is solely dependant upon the device used.
 
DB50XG works great paired with an SB16. AWE32/64 support wasn't really that widespread in DOS games.
 
Well the question is do you want to play them in DOSBox on your main rig, or get a dedicated rig?
 
Sycraft said:
Well the question is do you want to play them in DOSBox on your main rig, or get a dedicated rig?
Click to expand...

I'll be using a dedicated machine.

I think my Pentium III 933MHz should be an okay fit. The only problem is that it might be too fast. But early 90s stuff seems to be expensive these days.
 
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Why not do it on your main system then? Just use DOSBox to run the games, it works real well these days. It will also handle compatibility with basically everything but general MIDI for you (like GUS and SB16).

For MIDI then get yourself one of the more modern USB Roland Soudcanvases or the like. You get good MIDI sound, good other sound, and you can do it all on your primary system. Speed is controllable.
 
Sure the current one is the SD-50. You can see more about it on Roland's site. That's the only new one out right now. If used is ok look at the SD-20 and SD-80. They were the last gen and you can find them for sale online. The SD-80 is the bigger, more expensive, version with more pro features the SD-20 is a basic module. They are nice since they can do XG in addition to GM and GS so games that use XG (like FF7) sound right.

If you go another generation back the SC-8820 is one to check out. Looks a lot like the SD-20 (it is its predecessor). No XG mode and no digital output, but it should do the trick nicely.

Now if you want to go real oldschool and get an SC-55 or SC-88 or something, you can do that too. You just need a USB to MIDI interface. M-Audio makes a nice one called the Uno. Hook that to your computer and your sound module and you are good to go.
 
450 said:
I'm not sure what kind of sound card to get for my DOS games.

Right now I have a SB Live! 5.1 in my DOS/9x machine. It works fine, but I want something better.

I thought about an MT32 or an SC55 but I'm really not sure what to get. I've also heard some people get the DB50XG. I've had the AWE32/64 and I've also had a GUS. I'd like to stick to PCI and daughterboards/external solutions if possible. I don't have an ISA slot in my current box, but I suppose I could easily get another Pentium 2-3 box with ISA if needed.
Click to expand...

For years, I've used an MT-32 and SC-55 together. For the ideal setup, you'd want both. Most MT-32 games require an MT-32 because the MT-32 is a real synthesizer, and can have new instruments written for it. Other instruments which claim to be MT-32 compatible are only compatible on a certain level. None of them, except for the MT-32 variants (CM-32L, CM-64, CM-500, LAPC-I), can replicate this functionality. So for sure, you're going to want an MT-32.

Now, for the General MIDI part (MT-32 is NOT General-MIDI compatible!), you're going to want a Roland SC-55. The Sound Canvas was and still is the defacto standard of General MIDI. Most to all games were composed using it, so you're going to want to use it. Yamaha XG cards (DB50 Daughter Board, MU-50 module - same thing) are good too, but know that SC-55 was the standard back in the day. So if you're a strict purist, you'll want the 55. Me? I'd get the Yamaha too for fun! :D

As far as making the units play together, you only need the following. I connected a Yamaha USB-to-MIDI adapter to the SC-55. And then used the MIDI THRU to MT-32 (this will require purchasing a MIDI cable from a local music store). Then hook the audio output from the MT-32 into the SC-55 audio in. This saves you from buying two MIDI-to-USB adapters.

One thing to note is that MIDI THRU sends signals to whatever device is on the chain. So yes, if you have both modules on - both will play music together. The SC-55's front panel allows you to mute the device so that only the MT-32 will play. So say you need to play Kings Quest VI, which is a GM game. Simply turn the SC-55 on, and leave the MT-32 off, and play. Now, if you need to play Kings Quest V, which is an MT-32 game, you'd have to mute the SC-55 and turn the MT-32 on.

There are lots of little quirks to owning an MT-32. PM me for some more information.

EDIT: For DOS gaming, you WILL want an MT-32 + another device. The MT-32 was the standard for high-end music/audio from 1988 - 1991 (ish). The Sound Canvas was the standard for the General MIDI era. Some have suggested an advanced Sound Canvas like the 8820. I own an 8850, and while it's nice and sweet, it does not sound like a 55, and sometimes sounds off. For gaming, get a 55. No question.
 
Yikes. This DOS gaming stuff is getting expensive! Oh well, this is what I get for wanting the best audio from my old games!
 
450 said:
Yikes. This DOS gaming stuff is getting expensive! Oh well, this is what I get for wanting the best audio from my old games!
Click to expand...

It's not that expensive (in the scheme of things). First thing to do is probably assess which games you have/want to play, and determine their compatibility. Personally, I started with an MT-32, because once you understand how it works, the Sound Canvas (and every other MIDI device, for that matter) is a cake walk.

I also see that you're looking to spend money on a projector and buy a Mac Mini. Surely, $200 on old sound equipment won't kill you? Then there's always the resale value.
 
Simple solution is to use DoxBox, since everything but General MIDI seems to be emulated perfectly these days...
 
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