Roland MT-32

ID: ROLAND-MT-32

RELEASED 1987

PRICE

DISCONTINUED 1992

UNITS SOLD Niche

I/O PORTS

MIDI In/Out/ThruStereo Audio Out

System Analysis

The "gold standard" of PC game audio. LA (Linear Arithmetic) synthesis combined samples with subtractive synthesis. Sierra and LucasArts games sounded incredible on this.

Processor

N/A

Custom Roland DSP

8-bit CPU controlling LA synthesis engine.

Audio Subsystem

8 Melodic + 1 Rhythm (32 Partials)

Roland LA32

LA Synthesis. Reverb effects. Rich, expressive sound.

Memory

ROM

32 KB PCM ROM + 64 KB Program

Expandable to N/A

Storage

N/A

Graphics Architecture

N/A

Palette: N/A

Hardware Tricks

Did You Know?

? Required an MPU-401 interface or compatible card to connect to a PC.
? Monkey Island, Space Quest III, and Wing Commander had dedicated MT-32 soundtracks.
? The distinctive startup sound ("Nice to meet you!") became iconic.