Ah, THIS is the way it was meant to be heard. I'm convinced this music was written with the intent to be played through a Sound Blaster. It makes so much more sense than with any other sound card.
boptillyouflop No it isn't, but it's much easier to tell a less experienced user that it is a "soundfont" rather than calling it a built in FM-Synthesis module/patch configuration first showcased by the adlib family of sound cards. There.
Hahah, sounds completely different to AWE64 :D I want to find one that sounds like how I remember it, but I no longer have that PC so I don't know what sound card it was.
There should be tons. I kinda figured every built in soundcard in a windows 98 era computer would come with a SoundBlaster compatible wavetable. Maybe I'm just speaking off my own experience though. Basically any 90's era SoundBlaster or gravis ultrasound or what have you should play OPL-3 just fine. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster#Fifth_generation_Sound_Blasters.2C_PCI_cards.2C_Multi-Channel_Sound_and_F.2FX
***** I picked up a old Dell Optiplex GX110 from Goodwill, put Windows 98 on it to play old games, the only option for Midi it has is "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth." My old Packard Bell Multimedia 730 that the Dell is replacing has "Crystal FM Synthesis" onboard which is identical to this OPL-3/FM Synth. I have an old ESONIQ ES1370, but I can't get the drivers I found to install (and it can't find drivers through plug-and-play)
If I could compared this OST to food, I'd say it's like a stripped-down version of the MacOS OST, with the "seasonings" removed. This soundtrack feels "ported" from what one can hear in MacOS, with things like some notes and soundtrack richness overall missing. I was hoping this OST would take a different "approach", but I was disappointed...
The MT-32 version is surprising. The General MIDI version, while not as good as MT-32 or Mac, is OK. In 1993-94 that would have more or less been a Roland SC-55 or Gravis Ultrasound.
I think this is the version I remember having on my HP Pavilion back in 1995.
Memories!
Wow this is the closest soundtrack ive found to what i remember, THANKS :)
Ah, THIS is the way it was meant to be heard. I'm convinced this music was written with the intent to be played through a Sound Blaster. It makes so much more sense than with any other sound card.
You're correct. The "Adlib" soundfont was more or less the defacto standard in MIDI back in the early to mid 90's.
***** It's not a soundfont...
boptillyouflop No it isn't, but it's much easier to tell a less experienced user that it is a "soundfont" rather than calling it a built in FM-Synthesis module/patch configuration first showcased by the adlib family of sound cards. There.
+AndrosynthNuclear shut down the haters
Nope, I remember having a Phoenix sound card in my windows 98, and simcity actually sounded good with it. Any outher form is just terrible.
Hahah, sounds completely different to AWE64 :D
I want to find one that sounds like how I remember it, but I no longer have that PC so I don't know what sound card it was.
Childhood!
Does anyone know if there is an OPL-3 FM Synth card, that works natively with Windows 98, that comes in the PCI form factor?
There should be tons. I kinda figured every built in soundcard in a windows 98 era computer would come with a SoundBlaster compatible wavetable. Maybe I'm just speaking off my own experience though. Basically any 90's era SoundBlaster or gravis ultrasound or what have you should play OPL-3 just fine.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster#Fifth_generation_Sound_Blasters.2C_PCI_cards.2C_Multi-Channel_Sound_and_F.2FX
***** I picked up a old Dell Optiplex GX110 from Goodwill, put Windows 98 on it to play old games, the only option for Midi it has is "Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth." My old Packard Bell Multimedia 730 that the Dell is replacing has "Crystal FM Synthesis" onboard which is identical to this OPL-3/FM Synth. I have an old ESONIQ ES1370, but I can't get the drivers I found to install (and it can't find drivers through plug-and-play)
@@Geforce2187 SoundBlasters and the like aren't MIDI options. They have their own separate configuration for each game.
If I could compared this OST to food, I'd say it's like a stripped-down version of the MacOS OST, with the "seasonings" removed. This soundtrack feels "ported" from what one can hear in MacOS, with things like some notes and soundtrack richness overall missing.
I was hoping this OST would take a different "approach", but I was disappointed...
The MT-32 version is surprising. The General MIDI version, while not as good as MT-32 or Mac, is OK. In 1993-94 that would have more or less been a Roland SC-55 or Gravis Ultrasound.