There's Gravis Ultrasound. But the best way ever to listen to MI2 music is with the Roland MT-32 module (or the internal PC card equivalent, the LAPC-I).
It's also widely accepted that the Amiga version had the best music, but of course, different tastes and all that.
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I don't think it is. It's only widely accepted among Amiga users who are clearly biased (and I say that as someone that was one of the Amiga users saying it). In fact I think you may be unknowingly exhibiting both of the biases I describe here!
I'd say it had less good music purely on the principle that it had much less music (and missed out some of the classic tunes), and that the music it did have was incomplete in that the sound engine was not capable of reproducing all the parts of the music at once, as I talked about earlier. The only, ONLY thing it had on the PC music was that at the time the samples were a big improvement on the FM synthesis that most PC gamers were hearing the game with back in '91. Everything else about the Amiga music was either substantially diminished or just plain missing due to technical limitations.
Also, standard PC Midi is much better than it was back then. Nothing uses FM synthesis anymore, really. Internal soundcards have basic (rubbish but still functional) wavetable and Windows MIDI uses (again basic) wavetable sounds that get the job done at least as well as the now-fairly-rubbishy samples the Amiga version used that seemed great at the time, so there's really no reason at all to go back to the Amiga version.
Actually, more technically, Windows comes with a Roland GS MIDI Wavetable synth which is very close to the Roland SC-55 module. The only difference being slightly lower quality samples and without the Reverb and Chorus control settings. Most games in the DOS days were composed for the Roland SC-55 after it came out and replaced the (superior, in my opinion) MT-32. Which is a bonus for DOSBox players because you get to hear almost exactly how the games were meant to sound back in the 90s.
Actually, more technically, Windows comes with a Roland GS MIDI Wavetable synth which is very close to the Roland SC-55 module. The only difference being slightly lower quality samples and without the Reverb and Chorus control settings. Most games in the DOS days were composed for the Roland SC-55 after it came out and replaced the (superior, in my opinion) MT-32. Which is a bonus for DOSBox players because you get to hear almost exactly how the games were meant to sound back in the 90s.
Well, that doesn't really contradict what I said, there just wasn't need for that much detail to make my point. Anyway, I would certainly also say that the MT-32 sounds beat out wavetable sounds like the SC-55 easily, which I think sound very anaemic by comparison... the version of the MI2 soundtrack here still sounds great http://s-island.mixnmojo.com/monkey2.php.
The Windows Midi sounds do the job though and, just as importantly, pretty much everyone has access to them now, which was never true of the MT-32 or the SC-55 (at the time of its release in 1991). About a year after MI2 came out you could pretty much rely on the average PC gamer to have a SB-16 or perhaps a Gravis Ultrasound (which both came out in 1992) and before that it wasn't unusual just to have the bleeps and bloops of the PC speaker. And even with rubbish FM synthesis I'd -still- take the full soundtrack with proper polyphony over the stripped down Amiga version, although at the time I said otherwise.
Just my opinion. Very few people had the option to play the last version though, back in '91.
(Admittedly, the Amiga sounds rough and a bit sharp on my laptop speakers, but then my Amiga was connected to a proper stereo, so it doesn't really compare)
28-36 seconds: some instruments not sounding every note. Bass line drops out several times. Drums patchy.
36-50 seconds: Several notes cutting out or not playing at all on the marimba and high keyboard sounds, and of course the drums again.
50-1:00 : the marimba trills are a complete and utter mess during this whole segment.
1:06-1:10 : more messy marimba and missed notes.
1:18 - 1:30 : I know this bit is supposed to sound chaotic, but this just sounds like someone set a keyboard to 'marimba' and threw it down a flight of stairs.
1:30 - 1:35 : Aha. finally a bit that isn't too complex for the sound engine to handle!
And the rest is largely a retread of the former bits.
1:18 - 1:30 : I know this bit is supposed to sound chaotic, but this just sounds like someone set a keyboard to 'marimba' and threw it down a flight of stairs.
Comments
I don't think it is. It's only widely accepted among Amiga users who are clearly biased (and I say that as someone that was one of the Amiga users saying it). In fact I think you may be unknowingly exhibiting both of the biases I describe here!
I'd say it had less good music purely on the principle that it had much less music (and missed out some of the classic tunes), and that the music it did have was incomplete in that the sound engine was not capable of reproducing all the parts of the music at once, as I talked about earlier. The only, ONLY thing it had on the PC music was that at the time the samples were a big improvement on the FM synthesis that most PC gamers were hearing the game with back in '91. Everything else about the Amiga music was either substantially diminished or just plain missing due to technical limitations.
Also, standard PC Midi is much better than it was back then. Nothing uses FM synthesis anymore, really. Internal soundcards have basic (rubbish but still functional) wavetable and Windows MIDI uses (again basic) wavetable sounds that get the job done at least as well as the now-fairly-rubbishy samples the Amiga version used that seemed great at the time, so there's really no reason at all to go back to the Amiga version.
Well, that doesn't really contradict what I said, there just wasn't need for that much detail to make my point. Anyway, I would certainly also say that the MT-32 sounds beat out wavetable sounds like the SC-55 easily, which I think sound very anaemic by comparison... the version of the MI2 soundtrack here still sounds great http://s-island.mixnmojo.com/monkey2.php.
The Windows Midi sounds do the job though and, just as importantly, pretty much everyone has access to them now, which was never true of the MT-32 or the SC-55 (at the time of its release in 1991). About a year after MI2 came out you could pretty much rely on the average PC gamer to have a SB-16 or perhaps a Gravis Ultrasound (which both came out in 1992) and before that it wasn't unusual just to have the bleeps and bloops of the PC speaker. And even with rubbish FM synthesis I'd -still- take the full soundtrack with proper polyphony over the stripped down Amiga version, although at the time I said otherwise.
I know that, I was just volunteering the extra information
And I prefer that one over this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lTz2nkPNXA&feature=related
But the best version of today is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fvO__ywTZg&feature=related
Just my opinion. Very few people had the option to play the last version though, back in '91.
(Admittedly, the Amiga sounds rough and a bit sharp on my laptop speakers, but then my Amiga was connected to a proper stereo, so it doesn't really compare)
Just as there won't be a reason to play the classic MI2 after MI2:SE comes out?
Just sayin'.
Well, just to quickly go through it...
28-36 seconds: some instruments not sounding every note. Bass line drops out several times. Drums patchy.
36-50 seconds: Several notes cutting out or not playing at all on the marimba and high keyboard sounds, and of course the drums again.
50-1:00 : the marimba trills are a complete and utter mess during this whole segment.
1:06-1:10 : more messy marimba and missed notes.
1:18 - 1:30 : I know this bit is supposed to sound chaotic, but this just sounds like someone set a keyboard to 'marimba' and threw it down a flight of stairs.
1:30 - 1:35 : Aha. finally a bit that isn't too complex for the sound engine to handle!
And the rest is largely a retread of the former bits.
Best line on the forums ever.
Yeah, its really good. I think thats what the SE is based off. Damn, my headphones are blasting that sound. My ears hurt.
Also, I'm starting another thread for what characters you are most looking forward to hearing the voices from.
It's dark, it's dirty, it's messy! :cool:
Well, you can already hear that in the E3 promo video. Bassline fully intact, sounds ace.