IBM Music Feature Card and Yamaha FB-01 Support in Sierra Games

[Great Hierophant]

After acquiring a Yamaha FB-01 MIDI module, I have been somewhat disappointed by its current ability to replace an IBM Music Feature Card.  

Background :  

When Sierra introduced its first SCI games, starting with King's Quest IV, they supported add-on sound cards or midi interfaces for the first time.  The first of these were the Roland MT-32 (with Roland MPU-IPC), Adlib MSC, and the IBM Music Feature Card.  Sierra sold the first two for $550 and $195, and the IBM card was available from dealers for about $500-600.  Sierra always treated the IBM card with less care than the Adlib or Roland.  

The IBM Music Feature is an 8-bit full-length ISA card sold by IBM starting in 1987 and developed by Yamaha which came with a breakout box to control or receive input from midi devices.  The card contains a unique midi interface and a midi sound hardware, with the interface controlling all data to either the internal sound hardware or any external midi hardware.  Because it is full-length, it will not fit inside any Tandy 1000 machine and any other PC with less than 13" clearance for ISA expansion slots.

Because it was so expensive, poorly marketed (it was released as IBM was transitioning to PS/2 and Microchannel support) and support for the card was not especially widespread.  As far as games go, only Sierra's games ever supported it.  Mobygames used to list some Microprose games as having IBM Music Feature Card support, but I determined that none of those games supported anything from IBM beyond the PC Speaker.  

The midi sound hardware on the IBM Music Feature Card found its way into Yamaha's FB-01 MIDI module.  I am not sure which came first, the IBM Music Feature Card or the Yamaha FB-01, but they function identically from the programmer's standpoint.  (The FB-01 had buttons to control various features of the device and a battery backup, but the workings are the same).  Sierra realized this at some point and added a driver for the FB-01 to its SCI games soon after it had began to support the Casio keyboard synthesizers and modules.  The driver is FB01.DRV and requires the module to be connected to a Roland MPU-401 or true compatible.  

I used to believe that all Sierra's SCI0 16-color games (everything from KQ1 to KQ1SCI) supported the IBM Music Feature Card and Yamaha FB-01, but not all do and some do not out of the box.  Both devices use PATCH.002, which is usually embedded in the game's resource file.  In order to use the IBM Music Feature Card, there must be an IMF.DRV in the game's subdirectory.  In order to use the Yamaha FB-01, there must be a FB01.DRV in the game's subdirectory.  Here are some issues :

King's Quest IV & Leisure Suit Larry 2 - Early versions use sound drivers incompatible with later SCI0 games.  Later versions of these games (8-disk "dithered" KQ4 and LSL2 with 0724 copy protection bypass) will support an FB01.DRV copied from another game.

1988 Christmas Card Demo (SCI Version) - Only other Sierra release that uses early SCI0, will not work with sound drivers from later SCI0 games.  

Police Quest II & Space Quest III - Early versions lack FB01.DRV, copy it from another SCI0 game.  

Leisure Suit Larry 3, Codename : Iceman, Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory, Colonel's Bequest, Hoyle's Official Book of Games Vol 1 - Should work with the IBM Music Feature Card or Yamaha FB-01 out of the box.

Conquests of Camelot : Search for the Holy Grail & Mixed-Up Mother Goose - No support for the IBM Music Feature Card of Yamaha FB-01 out of the box.  Each game needs a PATCH.002 file in addition to an IMF.DRV or FB01.DRV.

Hoyle's Official Book of Games Volume 2 : No known IBM Music Feature Card of Yamaha FB-01 support.  

King's Quest I SCI - PATCH.002 should be embedded in the resource files, but may lack a IMF.DRV or FB01.DRV.  I have a report that the IBM Music Feature Card will hang the game, but my Yamaha FB-01 works just fine.  

Some of Sierra's GameArts/Falcom conversions also supported the IBM Music Feature Card and Yamaha FB-01.  Here are the details for these :

Silpheed - Early version (1.000) includes IBM Music Feature Card support but lacks Yamaha FB-01 support.  Later version (2.3) includes Yamaha FB-01 support.  

Thexder 2 : Fire Hawk - Patch is available to add IBM Music Feature Card Support to the game, no working FB01.DRV available.

Sorcerian - Patch is available to add IBM Music Feature Card and Yamaha FB-01 support to the game, but causes hanging in game.  Music can still be listened to in the menu.  Use FB01.DRV from an SCI0 game.  

Zeliard : No known IBM Music Feature Card of Yamaha FB-01 support.  

Sierra did put out some patches for early SCI1 games, but support for these devices by this time was increasingly an afterthought.  Games with confirmed patches include King's Quest V, Quest for Glory II and the SCI0/1 hybrid Jones in the Fast Lane.  The patches come with IMF.DRV but not FB01.DRV.  None of these later titles support the IBM Music Feature Card or Yamaha FB-01 out of the box.  

Yamaha FB-01s are much easier to find than IBM Music Feature Cards and almost always much cheaper.  They are also easier to use with DOSBox (currently neither works correctly with DOSBox) and do not have an issue with fitting in a Tandy 1000 or other PCs with less than full slot clearance.   I wish a driver could be made or (re)discovered that will allow the remaining 4 games to work with an FB-01.  

[Great Hierophant]

There is a probable solution to King's Quest I's hanging issue with IBM Music Feature Cards.  Try using the Yamaha FB-01 driver and, since you need a Roland MPU-401 interface, connect its midi out to the breakout box of the IBM Music Feature Card.  The IBM Music Feature Card by default is setup to accept commands and data from the external midi in source only, and memory protection is off, so it should work correctly. 

[Cloudschatze]

You have to give Sierra some credit. For those devices that they distributed, support was generally extended way beyond marketing end-of-life. Take the Game Blaster, for example, which was supported by Sierra titles well into 1993. I imagine that, had Sierra likewise distributed the IMFC, its support might have been further extended as well.

In reality, it's a bit surprising that Sierra supported the IMFC/FB-01 at all, and not at all surprising that other companies did not. When compared to, oh, say, the MT-32, the IMFC and FB-01 have some pretty inflexible design limitations that do more to highlight their intent as performance instruments than promote their limited use as dynamic, multitimbral playback devices.

[Stefan_L]

I would not say that FB-01 has "inflexible design limitations", the actual soundchip used in it is identical to YM2151 wich is better than Adlib (wich had lots of support from PC gamedevs).
The Japanese computer X68000 used YM2151 (plus one channel PCM though) and so did many arcade games and many sound wonderful (even if most arcade games play music in mono).

[Great Hierophant]

Awesome chart! 

Firehawk does support Creative CMS/Game Blaster. 

[Cloudschatze]

I would not say that FB-01 has "inflexible design limitations"....

I'm not referring to the sound, but rather, to its operational structure and MIDI specification, which, compared to the MT-32, are positively dinosaur-like. You gave a perfect example, for while the YM2151 (YM2164) is a pretty capable chip, it is significantly crippled by the MIDI interfacing of the FB-01. Otherwise, we'd have a bunch of 1:1 arcade/X68000 soundtrack MIDI conversions for the FB-01, right?

[Great Hierophant]

I would not say that FB-01 has "inflexible design limitations"....

I'm not referring to the sound, but rather, to its operational structure and MIDI specification, which, compared to the MT-32, are positively dinosaur-like. You gave a perfect example, for while the YM2151 (YM2164) is a pretty capable chip, it is significantly crippled by the MIDI interfacing of the FB-01. Otherwise, we'd have a bunch of 1:1 arcade/X68000 soundtrack MIDI conversions for the FB-01, right?

You would think so, but the midi interface is the issue.  Arcade and X68000 programmers had direct access to the YM2151's registers and could manipulate the chip however they wanted.  With the FB-01, there is no direct access to the chip, the chip is accessed through midi messages.  The closest you could get to direct access is the ability to use custom patches in the synthesizer. 

[Cloudschatze]

You would think so, but the midi interface is the issue.

Umm, which is what I wrote...  

I fixed that Fire Hawk entry, by-the-way. I suppose adding some version information might help, given that either the Japanese version of Police Quest II, or its extracted sound resources, are needed for Casio support.

[Stefan_L]

I'm not referring to the sound, but rather, to its operational structure and MIDI specification, which, compared to the MT-32, are positively dinosaur-like.

What are the difference to MT-32 in MIDI control for the FB-01?

[Great Hierophant]

You would think so, but the midi interface is the issue.

Umm, which is what I wrote...  

I fixed that Fire Hawk entry, by-the-way. I suppose adding some version information might help, given that either the Japanese version of Police Quest II, or its extracted sound resources, are needed for Casio support.

In that vein, I suppose the Atari ST versions of some of these games, which support other Casio devices, could have their patches extracted.  Then the issue would be writing a driver for the PC. 

[Cloudschatze]

I'm not referring to the sound, but rather, to its operational structure and MIDI specification, which, compared to the MT-32, are positively dinosaur-like.

What are the difference to MT-32 in MIDI control for the FB-01?

So, this is a little bit more inclusive, but...

Why the FB-01 is a Sucky Multitimbral Synthesizer
(When compared to the MT-32)


8-note Polyphony

This is, perhaps, the biggest weakness when used as a multitimbral synthesizer. The 8 voices can be spread out, in static fashion, amongst the eight instrument channels, but that's it - the FB-01 lacks the dynamic partial allocation abilities and polyphonic assign modes of the MT-32.


Non-standard Program-Change Range and Bank-Selection

Not necessarily a problem for sequencing/MIDI-playback, but on its own, bank selection with the FB-01 has to be performed either from the front panel, or via SysEx. To be fair, a stock MT-32 requires SysEx to access timbres in the Memory group, but at the same time, I can turn on the MT-32 and select any of the built-in timbres directly from my keyboard. In addition, the MT-32 allows for complete redefinition of its full-range Program Change map.


Rhythm Channel

Yeah... What rhythm channel? With the FB-01, each drum-component voice requires its own instrument channel. The MT-32, on the other hand, has a ridiculously flexible rhythm setup, allowing for individual timbre/key re-mappings.


Panpot

Hard, L-C-R panning in the FB-01, compared to the 15-position soundscape available in the MT-32.


I like the FB-01 pretty well, and have two in my setup that sound fantastic when run through an effects-processor. It's just that, in my opinion, they're terrible multitimbral instruments, and wonderful performance-based instruments. Portamento control? Check. Monophonic mode? Check. Aftertouch assignment? Check. - All advantages the FB-01 has in this regard.

In that vein, I suppose the Atari ST versions of some of these games, which support other Casio devices, could have their patches extracted.  Then the issue would be writing a driver for the PC. 

Disappointingly, the Casio "support" that the Atari ST releases have, if you want to call it that, doesn't include any unique use of the Casio synths at all - rather, it's like GNRCSND.DRV for Atari computers, where the user has to pick the voice(s).

[Stefan_L]

The FB-01 and MU100 should make a great combo... the FB-01 can act as an cheap PLG150-DX
Having the FB-01 connected to the A/D input of the MU100 makes it possible to add DSP effects.