Got it working! Thanks  USB port hates me for some reason.

Looks great!

I liked that function! Strange thing with mine is, I have to tell DosBox to use the "Windows Default" midi device, as I use a USB to MIDI cable to hook up my Roland SC/MT. I have Windows 7 x64 and a small .dll file in the WOW64 folder, so that I can utilize Windows' Control Panel to change how I want to output the music. (Like in XP) So for some reason when I pick "USB Device" under DosBox, I get dead silence. Dunno, maybe it's just the way I rigged my laptop lol

Here's mine:

Win98, 1st Edition
Dos 7.1
DirectX 8.0
PCI NVidia GeForce 2, 32MB
a lot of empty ISA slots
64MB EDO RAM
Pentium 1
Sound Blaster AWE32 for General MIDI and sound, CT3900 (the non-jumpered one) with 16MB RAM for the 'Blaster
Roland MT-32
Roland SC-55 for GS/other MIDI if I don't like the way the AWE32 sounds
Joystick port for the above, tethered to the sound card
2.1 desktop Speakers I bought at K-Mart in 2003
IBM PS/2 uber-heavy keyboard with durable metal parts that clack like a train; this may be also used as a bludgeoning weapon for +5 Dex. in Ultima
20" CRT monitor
Pretzels - I was hungry

That never occurred to me! I could rig up a compact flash-to-IDE drive. 
Then again, I do have twin 40gb old Maxtors in my Dell Optiplex, a.k.a. "The beige behemoth of DOS-ly awesomeness." I think I'll try hooking it up to my RGB input on my 40" HDTV mwahahaha....

*mad scientist moment here*

Terrific advice, I just noticed this post. (It's after midnight here, kinda loopy) Thank you for the awesome explanation.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I have cooky situation- my laptop (Windows 7 arrgh) detects my MT-32 when hooked up to my usb to MIDI cable, but the SC-55 doesn't. I can send sysex data to the MT-32 and play games like Thexder 2, Sierra stuff, etc. under Dosbox no problem. But all I get on the Sound Canvas is a constant green "MIDI-IN" flashing light, instead of the two in-out lights when sound data is transmitted. Hmf. I think I may try hooking it up to my good ol' Dell Optiplex with a joystick/game port cable and see if that works.

oh and I get around the Windows-7-doesn't-like-direct-music problem with a nice program called "Vista MIDI selector." Works on Win7 too.

Here's my own personal list of ultimate DOS uber happiness:

1.) Never let your PC get struck by lightning. (This happened to mine twice.)  Thankfully there was no fire and I only lost two motherboards and three hard drives. And I didn't die! 

2.) Dust it out regularly. Dirt is your enemy.

3.) Keep it cool, dry, and ventilated.

4.) Never try to wear your PC as a hat. It's heavy and it hurts.

5.) Never use the FDISK command under Dos without reading the manual.

6.) Do not attempt to touch your tongue to the processor's heatsink.

7.) Never play for more than 59 hours straight. It's unhealthy. I personally have never done this. Really.

8.) Always, always choose Roland!

Hey guys,

Not to beat a dead thread with an old horse (or something to that effect,) but I recently just purchased an SC-55 which I would like to "daisy chain" to my MT-32. I've had the MT-32 for a few years and I love it. The MT-32 I have had wired up to my old Dell Optiplex Gs with an ancient joystick port. I also tried hooking it up to my Alienware M11x laptop with a nice hacked "Midi Selector" used in Vista/Win7. That sounded awesome on DosBox!

Now my question is this: when hooking up the midi cables to "thru," do I want to have it like this?

PC--->SC-55--->MT-32?
or
PC--->MT-32--->SC-55?

Seeing as how I own both an actual MT-32 as well as a Sound Canvas, I didn't think I'd need that "MT-32" mode on the Canvas. Sorry if this sounds a little noobish. I have been away from the realm of old computers for a while and sometimes need a refresher. Thanks for any info!

My craziest/talentless thing I did was hook up my Roland MT-32 to my Line 6 guitar amp, set the overdrive to max, turn the distortion up to "Insane" and listen to Leisure Suit Larry shred himself to death, ala 1984 Van Halen style. LOL

 

Not the Fairlight, but still a cross between a guitar and a synth: the ever elusive, priceless SYNTHAXE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9K-jFTTxgA

Didn't Al Demiola and Lee Ritenour have one?

Hmm, I used to have a Live! SB on my older Windows Millenium PC. I don't recall it having a joystick input...I think I had to use my USB gamepad. Maybe try searching for "MIDI to USB" on ebay? I'm sure that would work- what OS do you use?

On my Win98/Dos7.1 system (Dell Optiplex) I use a Creative Sound Blaster AWE32. Full length, 2 foot long, ISA monster of MIDI death, I know.  But she rocks the house. And it has a 12 pin joystick input.



*edit*
er, sorry if I slightly broke the forum etiquette and derailed the topic. Ahh, umm Roland! MT-32. Works on the AWE32 card. Yeah, woot. :"> I'ma go play Blood now.

Success!! I figured out what was wrong. Well, after extreme dusting, hard drive changing, and remapping of the old Windows 98/Dos 7.1 Dell Optiplex, which the Roland DID work on, I got it to work on my XP system.

I figured, "It works on a legacy PC. Gee, maybe it's the Creative Gameport! I haven't tried hooking up another gameport to my Audigy 2." Since my family's other PC has Vista 64 and a Platinum sound cardinstalled on it, my dad isn't using the gameport at all which came with the card since it's nearly identical to my standard Audigy 2 ZS. So I exchanged the two gameport adapters and bam: sound in Windows, ScummVM, etc. You name it, I got it. I also tried out my nice little MT-to-GM midi which loads standard instruments and makes the MT32 run decently with GM tunes.

I'm off to try out DosBox next! yes, ladies and gents with persistence, stubbornness and impatient grumbling, all paid off. W00t. W00t I tell you!

I tried hooking the Roland up to my Dad's Audigy 2 ZS Platinum as it has the nice front MIDI ports- only to my dismay, I realized there IS no Hardware MIDI support in Vista x64... Spam you, Bill Gates. Spam you, and all your underlings!!

Well, anywho I just ordered a USB to MIDI adapter off ebay, I might try that. USB works on everything as far as I know.

I know Audigy models themselves don't actually have a joystick port physically on the card, but mine came with a flat IDE type, ribbon cable that plugs into the bottom of the card. That grey, flat cable is linked to another slot cover that screws in right under the sound card with a joystick port on it.



(See the thing on the left of the card?) That's what I have it hooked up to. Windows recognizes my joystick adapter in the hardware device settings under the control panel...hmm. Stumped. I'd hate to have to try a USB to Midi adapter after I just bought this Midi-to-joystick adapter off ebay. It was a whole, whopping five dollars lol

(edit)
I would actually try the MT-32 on my Dad's Vista system, but he has an Audigy Platinum Pro on his PC. That one has the "new" midi plugs that are smaller and have more connector pins than the older 1980's cables did.

Yes, I've got Midi-Out to the MT-32's Midi In and Midi-In to the MT-32's Midi Out...seemed fairly self explanatory lol I don't think it's a bad cable, I just bought it and the cord is in perfectly fine condition.

(edit)
Oh, what about a Midi file that has sysex data embedded in it? afterthought. I should be able to test with one of those right? I'm kind of a newbie at this, I wanted to get away from my substandard Sound Blaster soundfonts and try something spiffy with the Roland. 

Hey all, I've just received my nice, old MIDI to joystick cable in the mail today. I have yet to receive my 2 channel phono jacks to hook up speakers to my MT-32, so I'm using headphones on the left(mono) channel to output sound. Now I've hooked up the joystick part to my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS 12-pin port. I've also hooked up the MIDI-In to the MT-32's MIDI-Out and vice versa. However, I can't get any sysex data to send to the MT-32. I can't even test the general MIDI on Windows XP's dxdiag utility. My MT-32 passes all the system tests when I hold down channel 3 and the two volume buttons and powers on just fine, so I know it's not the unit. I have tried setting the Windows MIDI output to MPU-401, "Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS MIDI IO [D000] etc," but to no avail.

Am I missing something here?? Why in the world wont it play? I should at least see the green led on the MT-32's display light when music is transmitted to it, right? *scratches head*

Should I go for the USB to MIDI route instead of the gameport? Thanks for any advice! 
-John

Not quite fairlight, but nonetheless 80's retro and hillarious:

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=7db3106d500b6ab195ae021a05d090fb

(alternate AOL link:)
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sports/1189867624

PS: Sports! lol 

LOL "needlessly biased?" Yeah but it's just so cool to flip a vinyl disc on a turn table and listen to the snap-crackle-pop-ricekrispies analog sound.  I think I still have Hall & Oates' "Big Bam Boom" record from 1985. I remember going into the store as a child and my folks letting me hand pick whichever one I wanted out. Still sounds terrific, even after 23 years.

That is so cool