Roland SC-88 covers all the games.

[cometclean]

I finally have a proper midi module setup. I am using the sc88 which seems to do a great job at emulating the cm64 and therefore sounds great on mt32 only games. It also has a built in mixer so that is handy and saves from more wires/mess/money. If anyone has any info about the sc-88 please share

[SuperDeadite]

SC-88 does not emulate the LA modules.  It simply changes it's default instrument mapping to match that of the LA units.

What this means is that games which only use the default instruments built into the LA units will sound decent on an 88.   But you are not hearing true LA sound, just normal 88 sounds.

What's important is that games that use custom instruments and patches (such as Castlevania) will sound awful, as the 88 does not understand LA System Exclusive MIDI messages.

I have a buddy who has had an X68K for at least twice as long as myself.  For years he was happy with his 88pro, but after he heard my recording of Castlevania off my real CM64, he went online and purchased one for himself with the hour.  He was that impressed with it.

Even if you are happy with the 88's sound in LA titles, it lacks other features as well.  The games Gemini Wing and Choujin support the U110 PCM Expansion cards.  These cards will only work on a real 64 or 32P combo.

Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4jq3ql8etY

[corpsicle]

I think its Super HangOn that actually plays wrong notes when played in mt-32 mode on my sc-55 at least. Dunno about sc-88.

[cometclean]

I can't say castlevania sounds awful at all. It's quite good actually. While I am sure having all of the specific midi modules offers some advantages and sound improvements, I think my main point was that I have found an all in one solution for less than $100.00 having the built in mixer is an added bonus as well.

[SuperDeadite]

Even if it sounds ok to your ears, you are not hearing what an LA synth sounds like.  You are hearing what an 88 sounds like.

There is no all in one solution.  The best single option is the CM-500, but these go for a lot of money these days and are still not compatible with the PCM Expansion cards.

And if you really want to dive down the MIDI rabbit hole:
Asuka 120% supports Yamaha TG100
Group X supports Yamaha SY22/TG33
Motos supports Korg M1

SC-88 is a fantastic sounding module for GS/GM based games.  But it is far from an all in one solution.  Worth having just for Deadly Edge though

[cometclean]

Perhaps "all in one solution" was a bit of a exaggeration :p but I'm not quite sure what you mean about "hearing what an sc-88 sounds like".. If I put the 88 in cm-64 compatibility mode it is using all of the ilinstruments from the 64 sound bank. What is missing is some of the custom modified instrument sounds. What this means is that some songs might end up songmding different then they should. But castlevania has support for GS midi and the 88 natural sound bank so there is no reason that gane would sound wrong if I select it's 3rd midi option. Even still I've tested the 2bd option with the 88 in cm64 mode and it sounded awesome. Either way, I will likely invest in either a 32 or a 64 in the near future, but I still feel the sc-88 is an easy module to start with. As it is cheap (atleast mine was), it is easy to use, and it doesn't require a mixer.

Superdeadite, I'm a bit stuck between the mt-32 and cm-64, other than expansion cards why is the cm-64 better than the mt-32?

[corpsicle]

The cm64 has a spit sound effect that is extensively used in the DOS version of Monkey Island 2. =D

[SuperDeadite]

MT-32 = Original Module

CM-32L = MT-32 upgraded, and marketed towards home computer use.  It has 32 additional sound effects that the MT-32 lacks.  Some games use these sound effects, so you will not hear them on an MT-32.

CM-32P = PCM (U110) based module, with games its useless by itself, but can be linked to a MT-32 or 32L using a mess of cables.  Besides it's built in sounds, it has a card slot for Expansion cards adding additional sounds.

CM-64 = 32L and 32P in one box.  Retains full functions of both units, including the expansion slot without the need of 2 AC Adapters and the mess of cables.

CM-500 = 32L and CM-300 (SC-55) in one module.  With this you get real LA and real GS sound.  However it lacks a real 32P, so in CM-64 mode, it uses sounds from the CM-300 to emulate the missing PCM.  Because of this it can't use the expansion cards, and sounds "colder" then the real 64.  Also due to hardware overlap, the 300/55 (GS) hardware has more noise then a standard 300/55.

Many X68K games were meant for the 32L, and a fair amount for 64.  If you are confused about what the expansion cards are, here's and old vid of mine.  Though only 2 games are known to support them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FBR4ktmhMo