I've got a bunch of questions about MIDI in Sierra games.

[The cranky hermit]

The way music works in DOS games, Sierra games in particular, is something I sort of understand, but not completely, and I'd like to get a better and/or more accurate understanding of what's meant to happen vs. what actually does. I have a rudimentary understanding of what MIDI is, and a somewhat cobbled-together idea of the history. So I think my first set of questions is just verification that I've got the basic history right. So, here's what I think I know:

King's Quest IV is the first computer game to support MIDI. The music is composed for the Roland MT-32, a MIDI module that implements Roland's proprietary MT-32 MIDI specification. The game also supports AdLib. Sound Blaster cards support AdLib's functionality, and therefore are also supported implicitly.

Police Quest I, SCI remake is the first Sierra game to support General MIDI, a MIDI standard that is newer and more advanced than Roland's MT-32 standard. MT-32 is still supported, and the music is still composed for it. AdLib is also supported. Sound Blaster cards support both AdLib functionality and General MIDI, so they are supported both implicitly and explicitly.

King's Quest VI is the first Sierra game whose music is composed for the Roland Sound Canvas, a MIDI module that implements General MIDI instead of the MT-32 standard. MT-32 and AdLib are still supported.

Did I miss any important milestones? Was everything I summarized accurate? I've got a lot more questions, but first I want to make sure I've got the basics right.

[Collector]

If MusicallyInspired sees this, he might be able give you more information.

[MusicallyInspired]

King's Quest IV is the first computer game to support MIDI. The music is composed for the Roland MT-32, a MIDI module that implements Roland's proprietary MT-32 MIDI specification. The game also supports AdLib. Sound Blaster cards support AdLib's functionality, and therefore are also supported implicitly.

Somewhat correct. Unlike any other MIDI standards that I know of, the MT-32 had the ability to create custom instruments through programming and sending System Exclusive MIDI messages to the MT-32. Sierra was one of the few game companies to actually make rather extensive use out of this while other companies simply used the MT-32's default settings. This resulted in some very impressive custom instruments AND sound effects used in Sierra's games that make Sierra's MT-32 soundtracks and gaming experiences lightyears ahead of other older MT-32 supported DOS games.

KQ4's soundtrack was also composed by film composer William Goldstein.

Police Quest I, SCI remake is the first Sierra game to support General MIDI, a MIDI standard that is newer and more advanced than Roland's MT-32 standard. MT-32 is still supported, and the music is still composed for it. AdLib is also supported. Sound Blaster cards support both AdLib functionality and General MIDI, so they are supported both implicitly and explicitly.

King's Quest VI is the first Sierra game whose music is composed for the Roland Sound Canvas, a MIDI module that implements General MIDI instead of the MT-32 standard. MT-32 and AdLib are still supported.

I'm not sure if any Sierra game was the first to utilize the General MIDI standard, actually.

I'm not sure which came first (I suspect KQ6 since King's Quest was Sierra's adventure flagship), but General MIDI and the Roland Sound Canvas are the same thing, at least where Sierra games are concerned. There was never a time when Sierra's games supported General MIDI but not the Sound Canvas. They are one and the same. The only difference with the Roland Sound Canvas is that it has an extended instrument list on top of General MIDI which they dubbed the Roland GS standard. But Sierra games don't take advantage of this. Mark Seibert, the music directory at Sierra at the time, prohibited (for lack of a better word) the use of the Roland GS extended library and forced the musicians to stick to the regular General MIDI standard. However, the Roland GS standard also supports some effects controllers like chorus and reverb settings for different MIDI channels and General MIDI Sierra games DID take advantage of these.

It's also interesting to note that the compatibilty between the MT-32 and General MIDI standards as time went on is a little unbalanced. A few General MIDI Sierra games actually have a decent MT-32 soundtrack where the music almost sounds better on the MT-32 than the technically superior Sound Canvas seeing as the musicians actually kept some decent focus time on the MT-32 version of the soundtrack. But most soundtracks actually only use a General MIDI-compliant instrument list dumped to the MT-32 and use the same MIDI information as the General MIDI tracks to play the music from. The result is most of the time is weak at best when compared to the Sound Canvas. Space Quest IV I believe was the only Sierra soundtrack to be written only in MT-32 first for the disk version and then reworked into General MIDI for the CD release version. Though, Eco Quest might also be another, I believe. Incidentally, Tom Lewandowski's site (Quest Studios) has digital soundtracks for download where he actually used instruments from both the MT-32 and later model Sound Canvas's for the music which sound superior to the originals.

Also, to say that the Sound Blaster supports General MIDI is a bit of a stretch. Only certain Sound Blasters support General MIDI and only certain Sound Blasters support Adlib. Only wavetable synthesis Sound Blasters support General MIDI (Ensoniq, PCI128, Audigy series, etc) and only Sound Blasters with the OPL2 chips support Adlib's FM Synthesis (Sound Blaster 1, Sound Blaster 2, Sound Blaster 16, etc). There were a couple Sound Blasters that supported both and those are the AWE32 and the AWE64 cards. I have an AWE32 myself and am loving it in my classic 486 gaming PC!

Did I miss any important milestones? Was everything I summarized accurate? I've got a lot more questions, but first I want to make sure I've got the basics right.

Hmmm, I don't know if it's considered a milestone but I believe Torin's Passage was the first Sierra game to come with a completely digital music soundtrack (though low quality). However, previous games did support this feature as well (KQ5, KQ6, SQ6 and more) they just didn't make extensive use of it and kept MIDI soundtracks as the main source of music.

You can find truckloads of more information on the Quest Studios website and forums.

[The cranky hermit]

General MIDI and the Roland Sound Canvas are the same thing, at least where Sierra games are concerned. There was never a time when Sierra's games supported General MIDI but not the Sound Canvas. They are one and the same.

But was there any transitional phase where GM was supported, but the music was still meant to be played on an MT-32? Or did they instantly transition from MT-32 to GM/GS?

I believe Police Quest 1 SCI Remake is the first Sierra game to use SCI1.1, and also the first to support GM. But Wikipedia lists it as supporting MT-32, and does not indicate that the music was originally meant for GM/GS. So, either there was a transitional period, or I'm wrong and it doesn't actually support GM, or Wikipedia is wrong and it *was* originally composed for GM/GS.

Also, if GM and Sound Canvas are the same thing as far as Sierra games are concerned, does that mean GM-capable devices such as later Sound Blasters are not properly supported? Back in the day, I always chose the Sound Blaster drivers for music. Now in the age of DOSBox, I use GM whenever it's supported, and I use the default Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth. Most games sound great, but a few Sierra games sound odd. Quest for Glory III is one example - I found it actually sounds a bit better using the MT-32 driver.

A few General MIDI Sierra games actually have a decent MT-32 soundtrack where the music almost sounds better on the MT-32

But GM through a Sound Canvas still sounds best, right?

[Collector]

There were a few games to support both General MIDI and MT-32, but the MT-32 was no where as well designed as the earlier MT-32 tracks. MT-32 in, say, the Christy Marx games sound far better than that in the likes of KQ6.

[The cranky hermit]

Unless I'm misunderstanding something, they all support MT-32. Space Quest 6 seems to be the final Sierra game to use MIDI, and MT-32 is one of the options in the setup menu.

[MusicallyInspired]

But was there any transitional phase where GM was supported, but the music was still meant to be played on an MT-32? Or did they instantly transition from MT-32 to GM/GS?

No. The transition was from MT-32 straight to GM. But all GM games support MT-32 as well.

I believe Police Quest 1 SCI Remake is the first Sierra game to use SCI1.1, and also the first to support GM. But Wikipedia lists it as supporting MT-32, and does not indicate that the music was originally meant for GM/GS. So, either there was a transitional period, or I'm wrong and it doesn't actually support GM, or Wikipedia is wrong and it *was* originally composed for GM/GS.

It does support GM but specifically for the Sound Canvas which is what all Sierra games' General MIDI selection was engineered for.

Also, if GM and Sound Canvas are the same thing as far as Sierra games are concerned, does that mean GM-capable devices such as later Sound Blasters are not properly supported?

Correct. Since many sound cards can support the General MIDI standard but have completely different sounding instruments no one game can possible cover the General MIDI equivalents of ALL sound cards out there.

Back in the day, I always chose the Sound Blaster drivers for music. Now in the age of DOSBox, I use GM whenever it's supported, and I use the default Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth. Most games sound great, but a few Sierra games sound odd. Quest for Glory III is one example - I found it actually sounds a bit better using the MT-32 driver.

Well, the Microsoft GS Wavetable synth was actually created by Roland and understands all the GS sysex messages that the Sound Canvas does. Basically the Microsoft GS Wavetable synth is a virtual version of the Sound Canvas itself (minus a bit of quality and clarity) so Sierra games should sound decent with it. And MT-32 is basically the exact same thing where QFG3 is concerned because it still uses the General MIDI standard. Like I said above, later GM games that also supported MT-32 were just bundled with an MT-32 GM instrument list so you're getting basically the same results. Only the earlier GM games actually put more than just a passing thought at compatibilty with the MT-32 than the newer games (PQ1 and LB2, for instance, have very good MT-32 soundtracks).

But GM through a Sound Canvas still sounds best, right?

That's a matter of debate. Technically the Sound Canvas PCM samples are superior to the Linear Algorithmic-created partials and timbres of the MT-32, but you can also create custom instruments and sound effects with the MT-32 which you can't do for with the Sound Canvas. And the reverb on the MT-32 is light years better than much of anything that came after it on any of the newer Sound Canvases. So they both have pros and cons. Some instruments sound better on the MT-32 and sound sound better on the Sound Canvas (like pianos, something that's nearly impossible to sound right on the MT-32).

There were a few games to support both General MIDI and MT-32, but the MT-32 was no where as well designed as the earlier MT-32 tracks. MT-32 in, say, the Christy Marx games sound far better than that in the likes of KQ6.

This is partially true. The MT-32-only games will always sound better in my opinion than the MT-32 soundtracks of GM-compatible games. But some of the early GM games composers like I said earlier actually had put a decent amount of time into the MT-32 soundtracks as well. After a while they just added support as an after thought by simply loading a General MIDI standard instrument remap to the MT-32 and hoping it sounds just as good as playing with a Sound Canvas (this results in some very unbalanced experiences when playing with the MT-32 on these games.

And yes, all Sierra games with MIDI soundtracks supports the MT-32 up until they went all-digital. The digital soundtracks they did do were recorded with the Sound Canvas, though. So they were still recorded for it. Early games that had pieces of digital music like KQ5 CD version had music recorded from the MT-32 and played digitally (all the cartoon sequences for instance).