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Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 7:55 am
by Spikey
Just thought I'd post this since it came up in my week.

NewRisingSun and I have been investigating Leisure Suit Larry 5. It had been theorized that the game was in fact, composed for the Roland CM-32L (which contains 32 extra sound effects, as well as the usual MT-32 instruments), and not the usual Roland MT-32. The devices are very similar, with the CM being higher audio fidelity and containing the extra effects.

So, the conclusion is that this is the case, due to there being unusual notes in several tracks' drum parts. This is how the CM-32L triggers the sound effects. These notes directly corresponded to sound effects instead of drum sounds.
Ironically, the MT-32 driver for the game stops some of the sound effects being heard while playing, so most will have never heard them.

Provided is a list of the game tracks and the sound effects used/notes which trigger them:
- Dream Theme
Wind Chimes (D7)
- Michelle Milken (Parts 1 and 2)
Wind Chimes (D7)
- Shill Building
Wind Chimes (D7)
- Gettin' Some Air
Laughing (A#4), Wind Chimes (D7)
- K-RAP Radio (Part 1)
Scratches/Car-Pass (E7), Laughing (A#4)
- Gym Dandy Gymnastics Center (Salsa This)
Laughing (A#4)

Hopefully this is interesting to somebody!
Regards,
- Alistair

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:28 pm
by GeoffB17
Well, not got the game, so cannot check. Maybe can download the midi files?

I've got the LAPC-I card, which is - I understand - more like the CM-32L than the MT-32.

According to my manual, I don't see 'Wind Chimes', but I do have 'Laughing' and 'Car Stop', and 'Scratch'. Don't know if the note assignments are the same, my manual just shows note numbers. The card shows 33 effects, from Note No 76 to 108.

Geoff

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:26 pm
by GeoffB17
Further..

Checking in more detail in my LAPC-I manual, I note that I do have Wind Chimes. So my card should be able to play the music as intended.

The data for Wind Chimes you give as D7. In my manual it's just Note No 86 (decimal). I've got notes penciled in, and this suggests the key is D, so could be D7? But you show 'Laughing' as A#, but on my chart it cannot be, but may be E (key 76).

I've downloaded a .MID file for all the 'tracks' in LSL5, I'll try to find them, but my Roland card should play OK.

Geoff

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 2:04 am
by jaffa225man
Spikey wrote: Fri May 27, 2016 7:55 am Ironically, the MT-32 driver for the game stops some of the sound effects being heard while playing, so most will have never heard them.
I've been curious for a while and have to ask. How would they be playable in-game? Did NewRisingSun create a patched driver, is there one available from a different game (I know some of my sierra games list the CM-32L and CM-64, but I doubt that means they corrected Larry 5's issue), or is it currently not possible?

Thanks,

Lucas

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 1:01 am
by Spikey
I don't believe there is a driver that fixes the issue, publically available at least. Asking NewRisingSun would be a good start.

I have only heard them out of game with MUNT and the CM ROM loaded.

To be perfectly honest, I think most of the sound effects, if not all, detract from the listening experience. They sound gimmicky and annoying. To be fair, it is hard when you are used to listening to the music without them and suddenly it's there.

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 2:35 am
by jaffa225man
Spikey wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2017 1:01 am I don't believe there is a driver that fixes the issue, publically available at least. Asking NewRisingSun would be a good start.

I have only heard them out of game with MUNT and the CM ROM loaded.

To be perfectly honest, I think most of the sound effects, if not all, detract from the listening experience. They sound gimmicky and annoying. To be fair, it is hard when you are used to listening to the music without them and suddenly it's there.
Do you know if NewRisingSun has registered on this forum yet? I know I've seen lots of vogons posts, and I do have an account there too... I should ask there; I like to think I'm not that lazy. ;)

Listening to them out-of-game would make the effects more unexpected and annoying, I'd think. So, you must know of a way to extract the music, because recording from the game with the faulty driver should yield the same result as in-game live play. Either that or, doubtfully, the game includes actual midi files. (I haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure other Sierra games don't.)

Yeah, I get very used to certain things and dislike change too. I recently bought the Larry series, and haven't played them (aside from a few intros), so I haven't gotten used to its music too much yet.

Thanks! :)

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2017 10:23 pm
by Spikey
There are a few ways to extract the music. Probably the easiest for someone who doesn't have the tools I have would be SCI Viewer, no longer supported but available on Sierra Help, amongst other sites.

You're right about recording the music from the faulty driver blocks the transmittal. That is why I only recently found this out, that there are all these effects in the resources.
Sierra games compress MIDI files into SND files, by the way. Dynamix games just basically zip them up in a proprietary format.

Larry has almost the most consistently high quality music across a series, maybe second to Quest for Glory I guess, since Larry 2 and 7 aren't great scores (in my book). But Larry 3, 5 and 6 are some of the best adventure game scores of all time, in my view. 3 in particular.

NRS is easiest to find on Vogons for sure. Just be patient for a reply, he is busy at the moment I think.

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:38 am
by jaffa225man
Thanks for all that great information. I had not heard of SCI viewer; it works great (through wine 32-bit) on other Sierra games I have installed through dosbox, but I have yet to install the Larry series on this machine before I can hear its hidden sound effects. Oh, proprietary formats... :roll: I wonder what they thought people would be doing with normal files. I'll try the method you mentioned before I bother NewRisingSun, but having all the in-game effects would be neat.

Thanks a lot, and for the fast response!

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 8:00 am
by Spikey
I have MIDI files of the tracks with the effects, too, so I can send them to you at some point. At least you know what the tracks are, that is a big part of it. They all play on the drum part, so finding them was a little annoying.

Re: Larry 5 and CM-32L

Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:02 am
by jaffa225man
That would be helpful; thanks! No hurry though, as I'm working on adding recorded versions of the SC-55 Akumajō Dracula tracks (however unlikely it is someone here hasn't got it). So I still haven't gotten around to installing Larry on my non-dos machine to play them with SCI Viewer.