So aside from enjoying certain DOS games in their full audio glory, is there anything else I can do with an MT32?
I saw that you can load custom sound fonts and change the way music sounds in those DOS games.
That sounds cool but is there anything else? For example, can I put MIDI music to the SD card and just listen to it from my Mister? Can I plug the MT32 into my MIDI controller and play it?
I'm looking at this one since it comes with a Pi and is small;
The mt32-pi has a great wiki here: https://github.com/dwhinham/mt32-pi/wiki
You can connect a MIDI controller (using a USB MIDI interface) and you can also play midi files through it over WIFI.
It does indeed support sound fonts, the size of them is limited by the memory of your Pi model.
I have the large model with a display, combined with a Pi 3 A+ in a UGeek (Geekworm) metal case, which I attached to it. Got a stand for that from d0pefish, creator of the mt32-pi. It is fun to watch the little VU meters on the display.
If you are creatively inclined I would recommend searching for a copy of the DOS version of "Dr. T's Roland MT-32 Editor-Librarian" program along with a manual. Much more enlightening and user-friendly in my experience than anything Roland provided. The original version was on Atari ST and there was an Amiga port too. Also known as "Caged Artist's MT-32 Editor".
The MT-32 was a MIDI device that was probably designed for and used by musicians before it was used for DOS games, but in the end it was probably mostly used by DOS games and not musicians. In other words, you can use it with MIDI gear in a musical way and not just a gaming way. Regarding the MT-32pi you can either make a MIDI interface for it with electronic parts or use a USB to MIDI converter. I have a MIDI in on my MT-32 pi, and I can use it with a midi keyboard, etc. There are tons of great MIDI files you can play that are designed for the MT-32 also (pre-general MIDI) but they seem to be hard to find these days.
Or you can do it the hardcore way, and try Cakewalk for Ms-Dos. I used it in late 80s with my old 386:
https://winworldpc.com/product/cakewalk/50-dos
Works with AO486 core + MT32PI just fine.
Well there's loads for the Mac, but don't know if that'll work on the MAcplus core.
So, there's quite a few for the ST and Amiga, MSX, NEC PC, Sharp X68000, and of course loads for the PC.
Actually in the ST list, I'm sure there's more than that, because back in the day, I rememeber linking up for games, and a lot of the french titles worked, Mach3, or the ones written by Stepenie Pique. I may be wrong, it's 37 years ago!
I'm quite sure if you have Win95 installed you could find an early Windows version of Cakewalk as well...
Yep, you can in the ao486 core, There's a video on YT about i somewhere. And let's face it, there's millions of midi files out there!
