MT-32 Patch Weirdness *solved* (sort of)

[MusicallyInspired]

Ok. So after NRS unveiled that all the SCI patch resources are the same format, I decided to go ahead and copy KQ1's MT-32 patch (patch.001) to my little KQ1VGA project's folder (renaming it 1.pat, of course) and booting it up to see if it works. I created a new sound file that specifically uses the instrument mappings from KQ1. However, when I boot up the game it doesn't bother attempting to send the MT-32 sysex data at all! No LCD messages, nothing. At first I thought that Sierra may have just removed LCD messages in SCI1.1, but testing other games disproved that theory (KQ6 and LB2). Conversely, I tried patching the LB2 and KQ6 games with the KQ1 MT-32 Patch and it worked. They even sent the text data. But the template game (and SQ5, incidentally) will not. I'm not sure why. I even copied the MT32.DRV file from KQ6 but it still doesn't work. Is this an interpreter thing? I also copied the Sierra.EXE from LB2 and THAT didn't even work. I'm at a loss. It doesn't make any sense. Why does it work in every other game but SQ5?

EDIT: Ok hang on. Something's fishy with the way Companion launches the game, or maybe it's the DOSBox instance I used. I launched a separate DOSBox process instead of the one Companion uses and now there are no problems. But the DOSBox I'm using is the same version and I'm even using an (almost identical) conf file. Does Companion do anything that could muck something up here when launching the game?

EDIT 2: Ok, it's not DOSBox or the launcher, it is in fact the MT32.DRV driver. For some reason the one with the template game doesn't work. I think it might actually be a General MIDI driver in disguise. Their contents are nearly identical. I'm using the MT32.DRV from LB2 which seems to work fine.

[troflip]

Ok, so you're able to use the MT32.DRV from LB2 with our SCI1.1 template game?


What support would you need in SCI Companion to make for good workflow? I know you mentioned uploading a patch resource to the windows midi APIs or something, so you could preview MT-32 sounds properly.

[MusicallyInspired]

Yeah, the LB2 MT32.DRV works great.

Yes, uploading Patches to the selected MIDI driver for preview is definitely handy. You'd probably need to keep the selected MIDI device open for the duration that the program is open for the information to stick with the driver.

I know this is a long shot, what are the chances of including the Adlib emulator code for proper Adlib Patch previewing? Or for that matter PC Speaker or Tandy 3-Voice? Could you reference ScummVM or DOSBox for any of that? I'm gathering that would probably be an enormous task out of scope with what Companion currently is for just a previewing feature. I can't really think of anything else for now.

[lskovlun]

Hey,

The mt32.drv file in LB2 has the descriptive name "Roland MT-32, MT-100, LAPC-I, CM-32L, or CM-64".
The m32.drv file in LSL6 has the descriptive name "Roland MT32 with MPU interface" (no hyphen in the model name!)

So they are obviously different - but they both use patch.001 (and not patch.004 as the GM driver does).

[MusicallyInspired]

Strange as it completely ignores patch.001. Or at least the sysex timbre data.

[lskovlun]

That's the point. It is designed for the "MPU interface" and so doesn't use sysexes at all (unless you put them in your MIDI data; not sure how that'd work).

[MusicallyInspired]

Sysex can be loaded into MIDIs. Would they take when converted to SCI sounds? I'm guessing not.