First of all:
I suppose GS is/was not very succesful for MT-32 conversions then?
Not at all! GS is *very* useful. There's two types, SC-55 GS, and ED GS. Quite different things.
One main usefulness of GS (both types) is that they contain the default MT-32 patch maps. Most MT-32 music files have at least one instrument from the default patch map and so being able to use the *exact* MT-32 instrument (more or less) is intensely helpful. Tom's been using 'Doctor Solo' in his Willy Beamish conversions recently, for example.
First of all, I suggest you calm down and lay off the "smatarse" remarks
My apologies, Ari. I am simply sick and tired of having things I know to be factual knocked back by someone who has little or no knowledge of the topic.
Thanks for the revolver track, I've gotta check this one out.
Yeah, I guess the guy who wrote the song don't really know anything about his OWN tune, whereas you seem to know sooo much more
And if you read my original post Zemus, you wouldn't have made this redundant post. My point was that although the conversion is 'wrong', Holmes couldn't possibly convert it 'correctly'. The polyphony won't handle all the instruments of 'Wolfgang'! Thus, the MT-32 file sounds way poor in places. The guitar track is largely absent, for example.
While Alistair has been, shall we say, in particular form on this topic, I think he's right
Thanks, I think. But seriously, again- I hate being bashed when I know what I'm talking about. I've worked with Sierra music for a lot longer (and in a lot more depth, I might add) than the likes of Zemus/Ari Stone.
Anyways, back to the point- in my opinion, QFGIII/IV are two examples of *good* MT-32 scores in a SC-55 game. QFG4 was very well converted for the most part. Hodges even converted panflutes to flutes! Noone else bothered, leaving it as 'Sticky1' on the MT-32.
Helm converted pretty well, too. Most QFG3 tracks are alright on a MT-32.
Though, I disagree with Tom about GK too. It was rather poor. A lot of tracks aren't properly converted. I guess Holmes was told to forget about harder MT-32 conversions. He didn't even like working with the SC-55, from what I've read. The digital stuff on the CD version is from a Proteus synth, apparently.
KQ7/SQ6 are rubbish on the MT-32. No effort whatsoever. If they'd made new patch banks, put effort.. who knows. I'm sure the scores could be recreated for the MT-32. I'll do it some day. I will for SQ5 soon, too.
Always hated the MT score for that one.
Again I could quote Rudy Helm who told me that composers at that era (around 1992) were told to compose for the SC-55 and provide 'limited capabilities' for the MT-32. Rudy hated dumbing down, and he wanted to use the 55's GS capabilities, at any rate. But that's another story.
But in any event, the claim that "the instruments are wrong" is not a true statement. I've not encountered this problem in any Sierra game I've converted
I disagree with that one as well. KQ7 uses 'Pan Flute' for the SC-55. As it's not converted, it becoems 'Sticky1' on the Roland MT-32. That's wrong, surely!
To use the relevant example of 'Wolfgang Ritter', I seem to remember the MT using a piccolo for a shakuhachi. The saw wave became 'GX-1 horns', and the guitar went missing. Tom subsequently used these poorly converted instruments for an XG version, which is my point. Either use the SC-55 version, or stick XG converting to proper MT-32 support games.
For the most part however, I love Tom's XG work. Colonel's Bequest sounds lovely with XG tracks, I once had (upon a time) the XG track from some Sierra Soundtracks Volume CD of 'Tulane'. (A friend sent me the file.) But that was back in the days of my AWE32. Wow, that'd be 1998, 99 or something.
Hey, ever going to upload those CD's Tom?
I'd love pretty much every track from those CD's.
And on a final unrelated note: What's with Inca, the soundtrack CD? Did that game even have GM support, or did you resequence Adlib tracks for the SC-55?
- Alistair
