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Canyon.mid

canyonmid.com

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Re: Canyon.mid

#181

Post by lbschenkel »

layer8 wrote: post #10
cluckindan wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The video shows Windows 3.11 though.

My point is that while there is a small time window where Zip drives were available and Windows 3.11 was still the latest consumer Windows (ignoring NT here), Zip drives feel more like Windows 95-era. A stack of 3.5” floppy disks would have felt more authentic.

As a data point/anecdote, I had a parallel-port Zip drive with a 386 and Windows 3.1. I remember quite clearly that I had to load a SCSI driver in CONFIG.SYS. I didn't understand back then why I had to load a SCSI driver for a parallel port device, years later I found out that the parallel port version was actually the SCSI version but it tunnelled the SCSI protocol via the parallel interface...

Re: Canyon.mid

#182

Post by whywhywhywhy »

Disposal8433 wrote: post #7

You remind me that I didn't have a sound card at the time and I played all my games (mostly LucasArts) with the PC speaker. For me, the MIDI versions are too boring as they lack the "raw electric power" of the speaker that I loved for years.

The midi versions are also pretty boring compared to the Amiga versions of the LucasArts soundtracks to be honest.

Re: Canyon.mid

#183

Post by whywhywhywhy »

sotix wrote: post #33
Disposal8433 wrote: post #7

You remind me that I didn't have a sound card at the time and I played all my games (mostly LucasArts) with the PC speaker. For me, the MIDI versions are too boring as they lack the "raw electric power" of the speaker that I loved for years.

What exactly was the difference between PC speakers and MIDI? Why do we no longer need a MIDI device today to play the “correct” sound?

When they say "PC Speaker" they mean that thing that beeps when your computer fails to boot being used to play music, not normal speakers vs dedicated midi device.

Re: Canyon.mid

#184

Post by ascagnel_ »

pixelpoet wrote: post #154
ascagnel_ wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Games are now infinitely more complex -- I can run an improved version of Ultima VII (1992) on a device that fits in my pocket, while the original wouldn't have run on this (it required a 486 and even the latest possible Tandy systems maxed out at the 386), and that's not even getting into stuff like Factorio or Satisfactory.

Gentle reminder that Ultima VII was probably the best period-relative RPG until Baldur's Gate 3, even considering Neverwinter Nights and Dragon Age :) No words for how this game blew my mind back in those days...

That's my point -- the onward march of technology means that not only can I continue playing U7, the work of passionate fans has made it so that I can play an improved version (higher perceptual frame rate, higher resolution, better and more consistent sound, etc) that takes advantage of the improved hardware on a device I bring with me everywhere.

Re: Canyon.mid

#185

Post by Cthulhu_ »

Sharlin wrote: post #110
badc0ffee wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The PC speaker could only play square waves, and had only one voice. There is no "correct" sound for a MIDI file as it's just note and tempo data. But many people probably associate them with the OPL2 synthesizer chip on AdLib and early SoundBlaster cards. [1] Now that we have high fidelity digital sound output on even the cheapest computers/devices, at least 44 kHz, at least two channels, and at least 16 bits per sa…

And, of course, because it could play square waves, you could bitbang it to play digitized audio using PWM. Sounded terrible, and super CPU-heavy (so not useful in games), but still.

There were two games that I remember had pretty good sound on the PC speaker, one was a golfing game which had like bird whistles and voices, the other was a 2d side scroller with voice acting, iirc it said "jesus is here!" when you picked up an extra life or something.

Re: Canyon.mid

#186

Post by bananaboy »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #144
stevage wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it very painful that modern computers still have such terrible midi chips, and modern operating systems don't come with decent midi synthesisers. It's a real hassle trying to get reasonable sounding MIDI on either windows or macOS.

Modern computers do not have integrated sound synthesis hardware whatsoever, there has been no point in shipping that since the start of the 21st century. Unfortunately, that does mean that for playing legacy General MIDI content, users are stuck with poor quality software implementations like Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth and the (modern successor of the) QuickTime synthesizer, which were designed for slow computers…

I just now went searching to see if there were any better quality GM drivers for Windows that let you upload a soundfonts and it looks really dire out there! The one that mainly shows up is VirtualMIDISynth (https://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/virtualmidisynth). It seems like it supports Windows 11.

Re: Canyon.mid

#187

Post by torcete »

I really like the windows 3.1/3.11 GUI. Simple, clear and snappy. I feel like anything else that has come after it is just inferior and bloated.

Re: Canyon.mid

#188

Post by andybak »

hliyan wrote: post #160

This reminds me of the demo tape that came with old Sony cassette players. It had Entertainer on side A, and another instrumental called Andalusia (or somehting similar) on side B, which I have never been able to track down.

My parent's Thorn music centre came with a cassette with Herb Alpert's Taste of Honey (although probably not the original).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRGOm071sE0

And I still love that tune.

Re: Canyon.mid

#189

Post by bux93 »

Disposal8433 wrote: post #7

You remind me that I didn't have a sound card at the time and I played all my games (mostly LucasArts) with the PC speaker. For me, the MIDI versions are too boring as they lack the "raw electric power" of the speaker that I loved for years.

If you did have one, it might be in the list of sound fonts on this incredible(!) player: https://chiptune.app/?q=canyon.mid

Re: Canyon.mid

#190

Post by kristopolous »

opello wrote: post #168
kristopolous wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

his story reminds me of Elwood Edwards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfrrif_sUOI

In the side bar was 'You've Got Mail' Voice Elwood Edwards Dies at 74[1] from 7 months ago. Among all the nostalgia from the MIDI sounds in here that was a bit of a downer. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ7EkDFl_3s

yep, that made the front page here when it happened. Not black bar but it was I think in the top 5.
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