"The Colonel's Bequest" Soundtrack vs. the MT-32

[Tom]

Hopefully, your MT-32 will last forever.  I've still not listened to this emulator, but I, too, hope the project continues and improves with time.

[Alistair]

My question would be:

I am using an Edirol UM-1X USB MIDI interface cable, and my problems started there.

Why are you using one of those?!?
They're REALLY expensive, and a total hassle. I'm getting one only if I win a laptop sound device that has no MIDI ports..

Why wouldn't you just get the old 'joystick/MIDI port' adapter?

Surely DOS games wouldn't enjoy USB very much either.

- Alistair

[Macready]

Hello -

Why are you using one of those?!?
They're REALLY expensive, and a total hassle.

Why wouldn't you just get the old 'joystick/MIDI port' adapter?

A fair question.  At the time of purchasing the MT-32, I didn't possess any MIDI cable at all.  Since I had to lay down some cash anyway, I opted for what I believe to be a more "future-proof" cable.  It may not be long at all before the game port goes the way of the serial and parallel port (i.e., with fewer and fewer devices capable of interfacing with them, the fast track to total obsolescence), but I know USB isn't going away any time soon.  Also, USB makes it easier to migrate to different machines (especially so if the target machine doesn't have a game port, like many laptops I suspect).

Surely DOS games wouldn't enjoy USB very much either.

DOSBox makes the games feel warm and cozy in a simulated DOS environment, while it is actually feeding the sound output to Windows devices.  It doesn't matter how "new-fangled" a device is...if it has a stable Windows driver DOSBox will make it accessible.

In the course of playing around today, I did discover a power management setting for the USB root hubs within the XP device manager which was enabled by default.  I turned off power management for the hubs, and I haven't had a problem since (although I am surely tempting fate by saying that out loud, and it is far too soon to be sure the problem is fixed anyway).

On another topic, for those of you who own MT-32s, do you leave yours on all the time?  Leave it on all day and turn it off at night?  Or do you just turn it on when you want to use it, and then right back off when you are finished?

[HondaSiR]

On another topic, for those of you who own MT-32s, do you leave yours on all the time?  Leave it on all day and turn it off at night?  Or do you just turn it on when you want to use it, and then right back off when you are finished?

I'm not currently playing any games on my computer since I'm busy with other things. My MT-32 is safely snugged away in a closet waiting to be called to duty again if and when the time arises. But I do have my SCB-55 inside my machine.

I would suggest turning off the unit when not in use. Electronic things also need to rest too.  

[Alistair]

A fair question. At the time of purchasing the MT-32, I didn't possess any MIDI cable at all. Since I had to lay down some cash anyway, I opted for what I believe to be a more "future-proof" cable. It may not be long at all before the game port goes the way of the serial and parallel port (i.e., with fewer and fewer devices capable of interfacing with them, the fast track to total obsolescence), but I know USB isn't going away any time soon. Also, USB makes it easier to migrate to different machines (especially so if the target machine doesn't have a game port, like many laptops I suspect).

Ah, that's cool. Makes sense- I just don't think we'll lose joystick ports for a while yet.
(I use both joystick, serial and USB MIDI connections, incidentally!).

I'm getting a USB device with MIDI ports myself, incidentally.

Laptops don't have game ports. It's sad
And yes, I like being able to migrate, I live at two houses

DOSBox makes the games feel warm and cozy in a simulated DOS environment, while it is actually feeding the sound output to Windows devices. It doesn't matter how "new-fangled" a device is...if it has a stable Windows driver DOSBox will make it accessible.

For me, DOSBOX is a hassle, and skews the music and audio with its' cycle-fed implementation.

But good that the UM works with it.

On another topic, for those of you who own MT-32s, do you leave yours on all the time? Leave it on all day and turn it off at night? Or do you just turn it on when you want to use it, and then right back off when you are finished?

No way should you leave it on all day! Such sensitive, old, machines are delicate.

I've always played a game/recorded, and switched off as soon as i'm done with it. If I'm recording MT-32 tunes digitally, for example, and i take a break, I'll always put the MT-32 off and unplug it in my break. It heats up quickly (although my adaptor may be the cause of that!).

- Alistair

[Macready]

Hello -

Thanks for replying to my question.

No way should you leave it on all day! Such sensitive, old, machines are delicate.

I've always played a game/recorded, and switched off as soon as i'm done with it.

It's funny you should put your answer that way.  My question about leaving it on was with made an eye toward easing strain on the unit.  There is a commonly held belief that the greatest source of strain on an electronic component is the brief electrical "surge" that occurs when you turn it on.  This is even more applicable to a device like the MT-32, that doesn't have any moving parts that might benefit from getting a rest every once in a while (such as a hard drive might).  Since it is essentially just a big circuit board, it is entirely plausible that leaving it powered up is the best thing for it.  But then, people never seem to come to a consensus on this subject in general, so I thought I'd ask people who own this particular device.

If I'm recording MT-32 tunes digitally, for example, and i take a break, I'll always put the MT-32 off and unplug it in my break. It heats up quickly (although my adaptor may be the cause of that!).

I think you may be on to something there.  My ebay'ed MT-32 came with a non-original adapter, but it seems to work great.  I left the unit on for at least eight straight hours yesterday and it didn't even get warm.  I'm wondering if the various "running hot" posts I've seen in this forum do relate to the adapter being used.

As a follow-up to my "power management" theory from my last post: unfortunately this morning my Edirol interface is a no-show again, and will need to be unplugged/re-plugged in.  So I have no idea why it becomes unresponsive after a while.  I may switch to a game port cable after all.

EDIT:

Regarding DOSBox: what sort of machine are you running it on (CPU-wise)?  I'd be happy to supply you with a tweaked configuration file for use with DOS Sierra games.  I can run them without so much as a sound hiccup and the CPU isn't even breaking a sweat (< 10% usage for many of them).  Although, I've never been able to get them to work that well under Linux...I always get sound pops every few seconds there.  But under WinXP it works great.

[Alistair]

Since it is essentially just a big circuit board, it is entirely plausible that leaving it powered up is the best thing for it.

Why would that be the case?
I'm not attacking you, I just know absolutely zero about electronics

Regarding DOSBox: what sort of machine are you running it on (CPU-wise)? I'd be happy to supply you with a tweaked configuration file for use with DOS Sierra games. I can run them without so much as a sound hiccup and the CPU isn't even breaking a sweat (< 10% usage for many of them). Although, I've never been able to get them to work that well under Linux...I always get sound pops every few seconds there. But under WinXP it works great.

I've had problems with it both on my crappy Celeron 1.2 GHz, and my P4 2.66 GHz. Music-wise.

- Alistair

[Macready]

Hello -

Why would that be the case?

Stop attacking me!

j/k

Because of the whole "the power-on surge is a strain" idea.  Having a current running through it is what the thing was designed for, but the on/off, on/off jolts can cause strain.  For example, have you noticed that light bulbs usually blow out when you are first turning them on?

Now, the counter-argument to the "leave it on" philosophy is to say that electronics were designed to be powered on and off and you should be able to do it a whole bunch before there might be some problem.  But in our case, we are talking about very old equipment, so...

I've had problems with it both on my crappy Celeron 1.2 GHz, and my P4 2.66 GHz. Music-wise.

What sort of problems with music?  Skipping?  Pops?  No music at all?

[HondaSiR]

For example, have you noticed that light bulbs usually blow out when you are first turning them on?

Now, the counter-argument to the "leave it on" philosophy is to say that electronics were designed to be powered on and off and you should be able to do it a whole bunch before there might be some problem.  But in our case, we are talking about very old equipment, so...

I beg to disagree about the light bulbs, I usually see them getting burned out after being turned on for a particularly long time (I've seen street lamps do it countless times while walking home). The lights in my house usually flicker first, then turns on and off erratically and before they burn out completely, I replace them.

In the case of the MT-32, its your choice if you prefer leaving it on for hours, days, even weeks and months on end. I just find it weird when you have an appliance turned on and no one is using it. Weirder still when you're on vacation somewhere else and your MT-32 is still humming away at home.

[Macready]

Hello -

I beg to disagree about the light bulbs, I usually see them getting burned out after being turned on for a particularly long time (I've seen street lamps do it countless times while walking home). The lights in my house usually flicker first, then turns on and off erratically and before they burn out completely, I replace them.

Fair enough.  Mine usually go when I flick the switch.

In the case of the MT-32, its your choice if you prefer leaving it on for hours, days, even weeks and months on end. I just find it weird when you have an appliance turned on and no one is using it. Weirder still when you're on vacation somewhere else and your MT-32 is still humming away at home.

Well, I wouldn't go to quite that extent.  An electrical storm or brownout when you are away can do far more damage than any flick of a power switch.  But once I turn it on, I  will probably leave it on until I go to bed that night.

[Tom]

I usually leave my MT-32/SC's/CM on all day and shut them down when I'm done for the day.  They might stay on longer, sometimes...a couple of days.  The MT-32's are 17 and 18 years old, and I'll consider that as a sign that they're not being abused from leaving the power on too long.   I've never noticed anything getting warm, except the power supplies.  My PC's are ON most of the time, too, and of course my server is always ON.    Of all the PC's I've owned, none has surcumbed to death due to the power being left on too long.  The PC's I use at work are always ON -- and some have been for many years.  I DO turn my monitors off at night, though.

But about the light bulb thing -- I would say 9.9 times out of 10, a bulb blows when I switch on the light.  I really can't remember ever seeing one blow out at any other time.   :lol:

[Alistair]

What sort of problems with music? Skipping? Pops? No music at all?

With Inca CD, the game kept skipping the CD audio, as in,playing a note, skipping, moving erratically, you know what I mean. It was awful.

- Alistair

[HondaSiR]

It's probably fair to assume that leaving the module on for the entire day and turning it off for the night is a good idea. It also preserves the on/off switch from being abused. But it is important to use the correct power supply. Be sure to have it at 650mA or higher and set to the correct voltage and polarity.

About the light bulb, its just a guess on my part...but if its an incandescent bulb, chances are it will burn out when it is switched on. But if it is a flourescent bulb, it will probably flicker first before dying out. Just my two cents worth...  :wink:

[Tom]

But it is important to use the correct power supply. Be sure to have it at 650mA or higher and set to the correct voltage and polarity.

About the light bulb, its just a guess on my part...but if its an incandescent bulb, chances are it will burn out when it is switched on. But if it is a flourescent bulb, it will probably flicker first before dying out. Just my two cents worth...  :wink:

I'd be too worried about damaging my equipment to use the wrong power supply.  Hell, this stuff didn't come cheap, and I want it to last.

Spot on with the bulbs.  Which always makes me wonder why these maintenance guys at work never change badly flickering flourescent bulbs until the inevitable happens.  Guess it gives them a feeling of job security or something.

[Macready]

Hello -

With Inca CD, the game kept skipping the CD audio, as in,playing a note, skipping, moving erratically, you know what I mean. It was awful.

OK, that one I've never owned or played, so I may not be helpful after all.   If you are interested in pursuing a solution, one thing you can try is a variation on the mount command.

First thing: make sure you have the latest DOSBox version, 0.63.

Then open a DOSBox window and type:

mount -cd

That will cause DOSBox to list all CD-ROM drives it detects on your system, with a number next to each of them.  Make a note of the number for the drive you want to use for the game.  Then mount your CD-ROM drive with the following command:

mount X Y:\ -t cdrom -usecd #

WHERE
X = the drive letter you want to assign the CD-ROM drive within DOSBox
Y = the drive letter of your CD-ROM in Windows
# = the number of your CD-ROM drive from the previous mount -cd command

Then try playing the game.  If it still is problematic, I can send you a config file to try that has worked very well for me -- I usually only need to tweak it just a bit or not at all from game to game.  I can, for example, play the CD version of Secret of Monkey Island and get the music with no problem whatsoever...doesn't that version of the game stream music via CD audio?

[Macready]

Hello -

I've never noticed anything getting warm, except the power supplies. My PC's are ON most of the time, too, and of course my server is always ON. Smile Of all the PC's I've owned, none has surcumbed to death due to the power being left on too long. The PC's I use at work are always ON -- and some have been for many years. I DO turn my monitors off at night, though.

Same here, exactly.  Computer is always on, monitors go off at night.  I'm glad to hear that your MT-32s are doing well after over a decade of such use.  I think I'll follow your lead.