hello all!

After having a discussion with a few PEERS on the dickord (and after realizing my old lv24 account can, in fact, host any battle at this point), I made the decision to test the waters in hosting a series of BATTLEs around making music for the MT-32!

I'll host these whenever I have time - usually whenever it's evening in the UK (since this is generally when both EU and US people are up to participate). Sadly with a new part-time job getting in the way, as well as a drive to finish other projects, there's no guaranteed weekly batol like before :(

I'll keep hosting them as long as there's interest (so boonloss doesn't affect chances if it needs to be covered & people still really want it). The goal is to get people a Roland MT-32 badge, it can be gold if y'all are up to the challenge (and certainly not everyone has the same goals, so I'll host them for as long as I can).

Wait, I don't have a MT-32
If you don't have a MT-32 laying around, fear not! You have the ability to use MUNT!
You can even get it as a VSTi now if your DAW can support addressing specific MIDI ports to VSTs. Just make sure you're using the appropriate roms, are running your DAW at 48khz, and use only MIDI channels 2 to 10 to write music.

You'll find that working with the MT-32 is a wildly different challenge compared to MSGS MIDI. You only have 32 partials, and a single sound can use up to 4. While you can set up your MUNT to have more than 32, this is not a feature on the real units!! Please make sure you're set to 32 partials. The MIDI map is also completely different. There's several resources available that aid with getting to know both aspects better:
- Lyceum info about MT-32 and MSGS GM/GS mode patches
- My spreadsheet, also contains XG patch info

If your DAW supports writing SYSEX (system exclusive) messages, you can mess around with changing the reverb type or mapping different channels to use with the MT-32. Maybe even send text messages to display on the little display the MT-32 has!

If you're an FL Studio 9+ user,
I have created templates for you to use!! donload

If you don't have MUNT VSTi or don't want to use it, kindly ignore the error message (delete the MUNT VSTi entirely if you don't wanna use it) and set up your MT-32 Synth Emulator's output to PORT 5 (if you want a different port, you'll need to go thru each MIDI OUT and change their output ports as well) IMAGE

How to listen to these entreis???!!!?
Firstly you need regular MUNT - not MuntVSTi!!
Afterwards, install it if you haven't and once its installed (and you supplied the right ROM files), go to Tools on the top left bar and select "play MIDI file"! Then you just drop teh MIDI vote pack on the window and press play!

Im so sorry for not explaining this earlier jdflhjd I DID NOT EXPECT DIDSASTRE

How accurate is MUNT?
It gets close, but close isn't really the real deal still. I don't own a MT-32 to be able to tell. Inaccuracy issues is a part of why fellow BotBr BubblegumOctopus decided to purchase a MT-32 for themselves, and will be offering hardware renders to the tunes we'll be creating along the way!

(If you want HW renders, please leave 1 bar of silence or so at the beginning of the song, so it doesn't get bugged out when it's just initializing the patches and panning and whatnot)

That all being said, if you're interested please let me know! I'll update this post to keep track of the OHC's we've done and I'll also keep track of who got a MT-32 badge, and similarly with bronze/silver/gold badges anyone obtains along the way (I'll put it next to your name or something we'll see)

Even if you don't feel fully confident in your abilities, I would encourage you to at least give it a try. Remember that we're here to have fun, not necessarely to have a SUPER OMEGA BOSS DEATH BATTLE POGCHAMPION EDITION II X GRANDMASTER CHALLENGE, we're a community!

Thanks for your time!!!

PAST BATOLS
#0 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9

HALL OF FAME
BubbleGumOctopus
damifortune
Yung Gotenks

EDIT #1!!! included FL Studio 9 & FL studio 20 templates!! I'll also make a tutorial video (hopefully soon) on how to set it up (again with FL, but I want to make it accessible to everyone with a DAW) with either MUNT or MUNTVSTi

EDIT #2!!! The pilot OHB turned out to be really loved and people definitely want more, so there's now a standardised times at which this will happen (every Wed, 8:30 pm GMT).

EDIT #3!!! This series had been dormant for a while. The Wrath of the Mountains return once again to challenge YOU. Every Sunday, 9 PM British Time.

I will not have felt like the MT32 paid for itself until I render 250 entries

(starts breathing heavily)

SUPER OMEGA BOSS DEATH BATTLE POGCHAMPION EDITION II X GRANDMASTER CHALLENGE WEHN GECGECGEC

@midori

@2a03fox in hindsight that's like a really good name for an ohb

maybe it can be used somewhere
btw - i'm glad there's some interest!

I wanna learn more about mt-32 and maybe get a badge. I've got a certain roland sound module with CM-64/32L backwards compability.... uses the same patch-map as well

UPDATE NUMERO UNO: i've included a FL 9 (and FL 20 but the FL 9 one works with all future FL versions after it) template to use with MUNTVSTi - you can delete MUNTVSTi if you want to use this setup with the actual MUNT installation

I know I'm one of few here, but if anyone else is a LOGIC PRO user, this is the gist of making reasonably accurate MT32 music. MIDI routing is something oft forgotten when discussing Logic, and it's honestly one of it's strongest features IMO (although I've been told from some Logic users that Reaper may actually have the upper hand at that??). Apologies if my afterward section is a bit stream of consciousness (^^;


ANYWAY, LET'S WRITE

1. get this soundfont

. I have had fairly good luck with it so far.

2. put it in ~/Music/Audio Music Apps/Sampler Instruments

3. After opening or reseting Logic, create a DLSMusicDevice

4. Create External MIDI Instrument with 10 tracks (or be fancy and create 9 starting with channel 10)

5. Open two Environment windows (Apple + 0, Apple + 8 if using older versions of Logic or their keysets) and have one as Mixer and one as MIDI Instruments

6. Drag patch cable from external MIDI device in the MIDI environment to DLSMusicDevice in the mixer environment

7. Open DLSMusicDevice in the inspector and change the sound with the dropdown menu to the MT32 soundfont. Also turn of the reverb. That reverb is very good but you can't have any, sorry.



NICE

Now, you'll need the Events window (looks like some stacked lines in top right corner of menu) to write your program changes.
If you switch the instrument in the inspector like your brain probably wants to, that is just going to send a program change one time without writing it.


When you're done writing, merge all of your regions (per each track!), highlight everything, and File > Export > Export selection as midi. This has proven safer than exporting project as MIDI file but it may have just been coincidence that it failed a few times for me when I've done that and I just never tried again.

Congrats!
It's not perfect, but as long as you were mindful of your event list, you have exported a MIDI file that will play back pretty darn close to what you wrote. The mix may be a bit different, but if this is all you have, it's definitely functional and imo the notes are what count most!

Can you write things that the MT32 can do, like reverb? Yes! But you won't hear it the way MUNT or the MT32 will play it back so you'll be guessing :P



IMPORTANT DETAILS AND PRO-TIPS
Logic uses internal indexing numbers for instruments. This is why Grand Piano is 0! Always subtract one for your instrument choices or you'll lose your mind trying to figure out why 'Celesta 2' sounds like a weird synth trumpet.

You can also edit notes/velocity/cc in this window if you so choose! You just need to remember to change what kind of thing you're writing with the dropdown menu next to the plus sign. This initially says "notes".

Notes with a length of "0 0 0 1" will usually not play back for anything outside Logic. If you're writing very staccato notes, crafting monster noises, or doing glitchy micropercussion style things, make sure lengths are like 0 0 0 8 or something :)

There are other quirks but I've said enough as is.


As with all programs and MIDI, it definitely helps to understand how MIDI actually functions, but if you don't own a copy of MIDI Power! by Robert Guerin or want to read boring articles, those basics should suit you well for this extremely specific situation.
Oh, and last reminder to not write in channel 1. It's MT32 :3



_{Additional note: if you are using Logic 8, panning and volume with MIDI will write correctly for the export, but they will affect pan/volume of DLSMusicDevice and you will be angry and not be able to hear what you're actually doing. Use expression instead of volume (just be warned that, again, much like velocity it's gonna play back a bit different on MUNT)}


PS This is how I write MIDI music, just using the default MSGS sourced sounds instead, and you can too!

I don't know what this is but I will slam my brain against it until I understand

haha that's the spirit!! although, genuinely if you have any questions don't feel afraid to ask

also, update two (not really an update, but thought it was worth butting h ere): theres now a guaranteed weekly batol (wednesday at 8:30 pm utc0), however most likely theres gonna be more than that, so definitely be on the lookout!! 👀

DOUBLEPLUSPOGCHAMPPILLED

BUMP: UPDATED THE MAIN THREAD WITH PLAYBACK INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTING IM SO SORRY I DIDNT THINK OF THIS EARLIER

(also, i won't be able to host more than once a week since i don't have reliable internet atm!!)

i can always (ok, usually) host for you if you've got a bitpack in mind :)

Bumping this to let everyone know that this week (and perhaps until Mel wants to host this series again) I will host an MT32 in its place at the same time. I don't know... if it will be Mount 32 yet though

And the second she wants the time slot back, well... I'll bug you all with MT32 other times of the week. Let's keep climbing! (^^