TTD soundtrack on Ensoniq AudioPCI

[Dada]

Hi there. I've recently been looking into different ways to render MIDI files to FLAC, using different soundfonts. One of the soundfonts I really like is the Ensoniq AudioPCI, which unfortunately is a little difficult to record with given that its format (.ecw) is not well supported at all.

The TTD soundtrack is one of my all-time fave MIDI soundtracks, so I really wanted to have a nice copy it on AudioPCI, but as far as I could find no one has ever created one. So I ended up making it myself. It's recorded on Windows 98.
The reverb sounds really incredible. And so I'm posting it here in case any other fans of this OST are interested in listening to it.

https://archive.org/details/TransportTy ... GMAudioPCI

edit: also on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 9m-fsbQuaM

If you want to download a zip file of the album, you need to click the "35 Original" link on the right hand side.

Does anyone else have favorite "versions" of the TTD soundtrack? I'm a big fan of the MT-32 version too.

[kamnet]

You should consider uploading a sound recording to YouTube.

[jfs]

I've got a bunch of MIDI synths around, and I should make recordings off them. Roland SC-55st, Roland RA-50 (same synth as MT-32), a Korg sound module, and several PCI sound cards.
Really I haven't checked what other recordings are around since I always just played the music off my own hardware when I wanted to listen

If I could get a working system with ISA slot again, I could also redo my old ESS AudioDrive recordings, and do one from AWE64. (I hope. I don't know if my old AWE64 still works.)

[Dada]

You should consider uploading a sound recording to YouTube.

I'm planning to, I'll probably get to it sometime this weekend or so.

One of the problems with this recording setup is that, if there's a cpu spike or something, the midi event stream might lag and the resulting recording will have a small timing issue. Like a note occurring just a tad too early or late. I've had to redo a couple of tracks, and I just noticed that 3. Snarl Up has a very tiny blip as well somewhere just past the midway point. So I'll need to redo it.

I've got a bunch of MIDI synths around, and I should make recordings off them. Roland SC-55st, Roland RA-50 (same synth as MT-32), a Korg sound module, and several PCI sound cards.

That's really awesome! I don't have any keyboards anymore but I do still have an MT-32 and I should give that a try.
Also, I see now you're the one who uploaded these ESS recordings which I have in my music library as well. Thanks for that.

[Yisc]

Great to listen to these tracks.
Brings back memories from my childhood, when I was playing TT(D) for days.

[jfs]

I just finished a full recording off my RA-50. Attached some samples, I'll figure out something for the full recording

Recording setup: TTD DOS running on clean DOS 7 (no Windows loaded), configured for MT-32 music, no sound effects. PCI soundcard with gameport/MPU-401 with a non-resident configuration utility setting up the MPU-401-compatible port to function in real mode. (The TTD DOS music drivers are real mode TSRs called from the protected mode game. The game calling the TSR interrupt routine controls the playback timing.) SoftMPU running to provide the RA-50 "all notes off" hack. Line out from the sound module directly into a USB audio interface on my main computer. Recording level set so the volume generally seemed to hit -6 dB, no clipping observed.

@Dada: I'd like if you can check if the RA-50 does sound identical to a regular MT-32, I don't know if it might have some differences in the synth despite using the same program map and accepting the same SysEx.

[Dada]

Just finished uploading the soundtrack to Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 9m-fsbQuaM
I used pics from #openttdcoop for the video

@Dada: I'd like if you can check if the RA-50 does sound identical to a regular MT-32, I don't know if it might have some differences in the synth despite using the same program map and accepting the same SysEx.

What exactly is the RA-50 "all notes off" hack? I just had a listen, it sounds gorgeous and I think it's 100% accurate/correct.
You might be interested to know there already is an MT-32 rip of the TTD soundtrack available, though - in case you are planning to do the rest.

[jfs]

I already recorded the entire soundtrack though, so too late to stop me

The RA-50 "Realtime Arranger" for some reason does not implement the Standard MIDI channel controller message for "all notes off", so all software that depends on that can risk hanging notes. The SoftMPU program has a mode to translate the ANO messages to a sequence of individual note off messages. Without it TTD would get hanging notes when transitioning from main menu to game, when exiting, and when changing tracks in the Jazz Jukebox.
Having SoftMPU loaded can theoretically affect timing of MIDI messages, since it works by intercepting all writes to the hardware port and doing stuff before retransmitting it, but the computer I run it on should be fast enough for it to not matter.

[jfs]

That site with recordings has been updated! After 14 and a half years.
I added my own MT-32 recordings, moved Richard Nagel's to a subdirectory, and linked the PlayStation version soundtrack which was already uploaded since forever.

[orudge]

Nice. Also, I think it was me who ripped the PSX soundtrack (I still have the disc somewhere, could probably re-rip in FLAC if anybody cares), and I just dumped it into your web space as I didn't have anywhere else to put it at the time!

[orudge]

moved Richard Nagel's to a subdirectory

I noticed your comment that "Unfortunately, one file is missing". While looking through my 20-year-old bookmark list in my browser for the first time in many years, I happened to notice a page titled "The Music from Transport Tycoon". The Wayback Machine had the page in question, here. The missing song, it seems, is Road Hog, but it wasn't on archive.org.

Fortunately, I'm somewhat of a hoarder, and it turns out I downloaded it in December 2004 and it's still in my download folder. So, to cut a long story short, here it is.