Trying something a bit different with a topic I've wanted to explore for a while: sound hardware in video gaming. There aren't a lot of concise informative videos on these topics, and I wanted to fill that niche since it's something that I think is really cool. Hopefully everyone enjoys this and learns something from it, and if not... well, I guess I know what videos to not make again. EDIT: Oh, and I noticed this after the export: the clip from 2:16 to 2:40 is from The Open Door: Macintosh and MIDI, not Computer Chronicles. Oops. I also wanna clarify why I showed a picture of an NS5R when I said I used an NX5R for the Descent music. The NX and NS are basically siblings, with the only difference being the NX offering licensed Yamaha XG compatibility out of the box thanks to a pre-installed expansion card. Other than that and one or two additional features used for creating music, the two are identical and have the same performance in GM/GS music. The NX5R is much rarer though and I couldn't get a good shot of my unit or one online.
This is such a high quality video. You’re so knowledgeable on the topic and a natural presenter. Thanks for taking the time to edit in all the footage from these games from my childhood, especially the ones I vaguely remember but had forgotten the name! Lots of nostalgia :)
Very informative video. But i have to defend the poor Microsoft GS Wavetable a little here. While i agree that the MSGS isn't a great options for playing back midi files which were designed for something like a Sound Canvas, it can sound great if you specifically compose for it. Similarly of how music written for Commodore's SID chip or the YM2612 chip inside the Sega Genesis can produce beautiful music if the compositions specifically target it but will sound pretty weak when trying to emulate tracks written for other systems. The Doom community is one the most active places for midi compositions on the internet as there are dozens of new projects created every year that come with new bespoke GM midi soundtracks, and many of them target the Microsoft GS Wavetable since it's what most people will have access to. It also gives composers the chance to have their music heard in a standard way instead of everybody using one of the million different soundfonts that float around online. Check out the soundtrack for something like Back To Saturn X Ep1; it's a megawad (fan-made level pack) from 2012 that features a custom soundtrack that specifically targets the default Microsoft GS Wavetable and it sounds amazing. Tracks like "Within Reach" (map24) or "The Cry" (map20) by James Paddock, "Drilling At Night" (map03) and "24" (map14) by Stuart Rynn, or Sarah Mancuso's "Undersea" (map25) or "Entering"(Map01) are just beautiful compositions. Or the entirety of Stuart Rynn's magnificient OST for Ancient Aliens (check out Hell Jungle, map08), Heartland and 1000 Lines Community Project 3 OST from 2021; the list goes on.... And none of these tracks sound better - or even right - if you play them through a proper snyth or slap extra reverb and chorus effects on top of them. They were made to be listened to through your standard Windows midiplayer. And there's a growing number of projects like this. The Doom community is home to some of the best midi composers out there, and veterans like Lee Jackson have recently joined the ranks because it's one of the few places where new, high-quality GM midis are still in constant demand for new projects as the community continues to thrive. So i think it isn't quite fair to say the MSGS is inherently bad and a fancy synth or high-quality soundfont will always yield better results. Just like with any other sound chip or soundfont it depends largely on whether or not the music in question was specifically written for it. There obviously wasn't much of any music written for the MSGS back in the 90s and that can create the wrong impression that it is of no use; but there's actually a lot of beautiful music to be gleaned from it. Especially if you like Doom...;)
Great video! Seems with .mid being shelved by most, that only FluidSynth/Soundfont files being one of the few accessible ways of working with General MIDI.
Pretty much. It's either that or picking up old hardware synths - you can still pick up a lot of great ones for $100 or less. I think there's a couple of good softsynths out there like S-YXG50 but nothing has come close to the GM/XG/GS boxes of the 90s if you ask me!
I just wanted to say I liked your examples. Also, I had only heard the wav of Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea. I forgot that EoSD had a midi option not that I had proper hardware for it anyway.
Thanks! Many people seem to forget that EoSD has a MIDI soundtrack. It's a shame because it's my favorite way to listen to it. If you're interested, Romantique Tp. has a full upload of the 88 Pro soundtrack along with ZUN's other SC-88 and 88 Pro MIDI works - it's all great stuff, really recommend checking it out.
I think the creative AWE32 and AWE64‘s midi synth actually sound better than some hardware synthesizers. (But you need a good wavetable and large sound memory)
:^) EDIT: Naw but for real, I don't hate Half-Life 2 (I'm indifferent to it but I can see why people love it and why people hate it), it's just a joke between some friends and I.
MT-32: Dune, Dune 2, Wing Commander, Silpheed, any DOS game by LucasArts, any DOS game by Sierra SC-55: Descent, Descent 2, DOOM, DOOM 2, Rise of the Triad, Heretic, Hexen, Blood, Duke Nukem 3D I can't really help you with the VLSI software synth thing since I don't know what it is. If it's General MIDI compliant then try some of the SC-55 games I recommended.
It'll be back Eventually™️ Semi-joking aside, I am actually working on a new video now, life has just gotten in the way and I'm also dealing with work, so I don't have as much freedom to use as I used to. :x
@@SpeedySPCFan I'm waiting patiently. You have a unique charm of delivering a lot of information without making me tired watching your videos. Your sense of humor has to do with this, I guess :)
They folded before I could get my hands on one. Managed to get my first card 2 years ago. Despite sounding amazing, I find that since it wasn't the sound I grew up with, I wasn't as impressed as I would've been if I owned it in the 90's. I can understand why these things sometimes sell for over $1K on ebay. They weren't widely popular, so now there are very few remaining in circulation. I visited Gravis office a year ago. The building is practically abandoned at this point. Was sad to see the company go, having surrendered to competition from Creative Labs.
Nothing wrong with liking it - I admit I'm a little harsh on it just because of the really poor reputation it's given MIDI devices as a whole. I plan to do a full video on it sometime since it is actually a pretty interesting topic, and from there I'll be nicer and acknowledge a lot of the things it did right!
@@SpeedySPCFan Thanks for the reply. I recently found out about the Roland SCVA, and it's a real joy to be able to hear the samples I've known and loved for years in much higher quality. However, some instruments actually sound better on the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth. I'm looking forward to your video!
@@MegaSemi Glad to hear it! If you're curious, I've done videos on the SC-88 Pro and SC-8850 which are both very related to SCVA. The 8850 is actually, despite being a 20 year old piece of hardware, *superior* to SCVA still as it has higher quality samples (SCVA is based on the lower end 8820 which did away with many of the 8850's new samples, including the grand piano).
@@SpeedySPCFan Haha I guess you can call me Speedy, cause I've already watched those videos! I might have to rewatch though, I thought the SCVA was not based on any particular module. In any case, the issues with the SCVA don't come from sample quality, but a tendency of some instruments to have unstable tuning, as if it were an analogue synthesiser. Also, long notes automatically getting vibrato/tremolo... Both of these might be by design.
Trying something a bit different with a topic I've wanted to explore for a while: sound hardware in video gaming. There aren't a lot of concise informative videos on these topics, and I wanted to fill that niche since it's something that I think is really cool. Hopefully everyone enjoys this and learns something from it, and if not... well, I guess I know what videos to not make again.
EDIT: Oh, and I noticed this after the export: the clip from 2:16 to 2:40 is from The Open Door: Macintosh and MIDI, not Computer Chronicles. Oops.
I also wanna clarify why I showed a picture of an NS5R when I said I used an NX5R for the Descent music. The NX and NS are basically siblings, with the only difference being the NX offering licensed Yamaha XG compatibility out of the box thanks to a pre-installed expansion card. Other than that and one or two additional features used for creating music, the two are identical and have the same performance in GM/GS music. The NX5R is much rarer though and I couldn't get a good shot of my unit or one online.
If I recall correctly, the MS version of the Roland GS was also in the Windows 4 series (95/98/ME) as well as Windows NT 5.0 [Win2k]
I didn't know ANY of this. Now I know ALL of it! Great vid, Speedy.
11:31 This is why I use Midis2Jam2.
this is golden info right here. I just found out about roland sound canvas vst and loving the sounds. thank you
This is such a high quality video. You’re so knowledgeable on the topic and a natural presenter. Thanks for taking the time to edit in all the footage from these games from my childhood, especially the ones I vaguely remember but had forgotten the name! Lots of nostalgia :)
THE LICK!
Your documentary videos are awesome
Very informative video. But i have to defend the poor Microsoft GS Wavetable a little here. While i agree that the MSGS isn't a great options for playing back midi files which were designed for something like a Sound Canvas, it can sound great if you specifically compose for it. Similarly of how music written for Commodore's SID chip or the YM2612 chip inside the Sega Genesis can produce beautiful music if the compositions specifically target it but will sound pretty weak when trying to emulate tracks written for other systems.
The Doom community is one the most active places for midi compositions on the internet as there are dozens of new projects created every year that come with new bespoke GM midi soundtracks, and many of them target the Microsoft GS Wavetable since it's what most people will have access to. It also gives composers the chance to have their music heard in a standard way instead of everybody using one of the million different soundfonts that float around online.
Check out the soundtrack for something like Back To Saturn X Ep1; it's a megawad (fan-made level pack) from 2012 that features a custom soundtrack that specifically targets the default Microsoft GS Wavetable and it sounds amazing. Tracks like "Within Reach" (map24) or "The Cry" (map20) by James Paddock, "Drilling At Night" (map03) and "24" (map14) by Stuart Rynn, or Sarah Mancuso's "Undersea" (map25) or "Entering"(Map01) are just beautiful compositions. Or the entirety of Stuart Rynn's magnificient OST for Ancient Aliens (check out Hell Jungle, map08), Heartland and 1000 Lines Community Project 3 OST from 2021; the list goes on....
And none of these tracks sound better - or even right - if you play them through a proper snyth or slap extra reverb and chorus effects on top of them. They were made to be listened to through your standard Windows midiplayer. And there's a growing number of projects like this.
The Doom community is home to some of the best midi composers out there, and veterans like Lee Jackson have recently joined the ranks because it's one of the few places where new, high-quality GM midis are still in constant demand for new projects as the community continues to thrive.
So i think it isn't quite fair to say the MSGS is inherently bad and a fancy synth or high-quality soundfont will always yield better results. Just like with any other sound chip or soundfont it depends largely on whether or not the music in question was specifically written for it.
There obviously wasn't much of any music written for the MSGS back in the 90s and that can create the wrong impression that it is of no use; but there's actually a lot of beautiful music to be gleaned from it. Especially if you like Doom...;)
Well isn't this the most important video on the internet. Thank you.
Excellent video! Thanks for doing this. Take care, Sam.
Great video! Seems with .mid being shelved by most, that only FluidSynth/Soundfont files being one of the few accessible ways of working with General MIDI.
Pretty much. It's either that or picking up old hardware synths - you can still pick up a lot of great ones for $100 or less. I think there's a couple of good softsynths out there like S-YXG50 but nothing has come close to the GM/XG/GS boxes of the 90s if you ask me!
Nicely done! I might look into GM for my sound chip tribute page at some point.
Great Video Mister!!!
Thank you sir! :D
Great content; I was struggling to understand how General MIDI worked :)
I just wanted to say I liked your examples. Also, I had only heard the wav of Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea. I forgot that EoSD had a midi option not that I had proper hardware for it anyway.
Thanks!
Many people seem to forget that EoSD has a MIDI soundtrack. It's a shame because it's my favorite way to listen to it. If you're interested, Romantique Tp. has a full upload of the 88 Pro soundtrack along with ZUN's other SC-88 and 88 Pro MIDI works - it's all great stuff, really recommend checking it out.
the licc
This is a really good video.
I think the creative AWE32 and AWE64‘s midi synth actually sound better than some hardware synthesizers. (But you need a good wavetable and large sound memory)
Your recycle bin (7:30) is called Half-Life 2.
:^)
EDIT: Naw but for real, I don't hate Half-Life 2 (I'm indifferent to it but I can see why people love it and why people hate it), it's just a joke between some friends and I.
Fantastic video! I would have killed to have something like the SC-55 back in the mid 90s.
Wow, learnt a heap , thanks so much
Check out my Korg NS5R review intro. Mixed on ~30 year old MIDI synth boxes including MT-32. MIDI sounds amazing when handled properly.
Thanks! What games do you think I should try with an MT32, SC55 or newer VLSI software synth?
MT-32: Dune, Dune 2, Wing Commander, Silpheed, any DOS game by LucasArts, any DOS game by Sierra
SC-55: Descent, Descent 2, DOOM, DOOM 2, Rise of the Triad, Heretic, Hexen, Blood, Duke Nukem 3D
I can't really help you with the VLSI software synth thing since I don't know what it is. If it's General MIDI compliant then try some of the SC-55 games I recommended.
How to put a second Like on this video?
On a serious note, I miss your Sound Profile series...
It'll be back Eventually™️
Semi-joking aside, I am actually working on a new video now, life has just gotten in the way and I'm also dealing with work, so I don't have as much freedom to use as I used to. :x
@@SpeedySPCFan I'm waiting patiently. You have a unique charm of delivering a lot of information without making me tired watching your videos. Your sense of humor has to do with this, I guess :)
Thanks
I remembered my friends' jealousy when I bought the Gravis Ultrasound
They folded before I could get my hands on one. Managed to get my first card 2 years ago. Despite sounding amazing, I find that since it wasn't the sound I grew up with, I wasn't as impressed as I would've been if I owned it in the 90's. I can understand why these things sometimes sell for over $1K on ebay. They weren't widely popular, so now there are very few remaining in circulation. I visited Gravis office a year ago. The building is practically abandoned at this point. Was sad to see the company go, having surrendered to competition from Creative Labs.
I love the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth ):
Also, subbed!
Nothing wrong with liking it - I admit I'm a little harsh on it just because of the really poor reputation it's given MIDI devices as a whole. I plan to do a full video on it sometime since it is actually a pretty interesting topic, and from there I'll be nicer and acknowledge a lot of the things it did right!
@@SpeedySPCFan Thanks for the reply.
I recently found out about the Roland SCVA, and it's a real joy to be able to hear the samples I've known and loved for years in much higher quality. However, some instruments actually sound better on the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth.
I'm looking forward to your video!
@@MegaSemi Glad to hear it!
If you're curious, I've done videos on the SC-88 Pro and SC-8850 which are both very related to SCVA. The 8850 is actually, despite being a 20 year old piece of hardware, *superior* to SCVA still as it has higher quality samples (SCVA is based on the lower end 8820 which did away with many of the 8850's new samples, including the grand piano).
@@SpeedySPCFan Haha I guess you can call me Speedy, cause I've already watched those videos! I might have to rewatch though, I thought the SCVA was not based on any particular module.
In any case, the issues with the SCVA don't come from sample quality, but a tendency of some instruments to have unstable tuning, as if it were an analogue synthesiser. Also, long notes automatically getting vibrato/tremolo... Both of these might be by design.