Back then I would probably have preferred the MT-32 for its “realism”, but listening with today’s ears, I’d pick the FB-01. It sounds so much better and more musical than the MT-32.
The fb01 was a revolution for a poor teen trying to make music. My first multitimbral module, and it actually sounded quite cool. This was at the dawn of the sampling/rompler era, and everything was about mimicking real instruments. Here the fb01 failed big time, but it made me appreciate the lovely sounds of fm brass and bass. When my new akai x7000/ask 70 complemented my fb01 and my poly 800 I thought I had all the powers of the world😀
What people not always notice when using these models for eg PC gaming, the FB-01 is thinner in the sound when used for multitimbral usage, but being based on FM when used as playing more advanced layers the sound is much thicker and also much more dynamic than the MT-32. No question that as a gaming sound source the MT-32 was ahead of the FB-01's more dull and thin 4 operators sounds.
I went with the FB-01. I wanted a DX-7 as a teen in high school, but couldn't afford one. Or, my priorities were on my home computer such as my Amiga 1000. In my College days around 1987 or so, I traded my Commodore 64, Disk Drive & Disks to a friend for his FB-01. I wanted the FB-01 as a poor man's DX-7 substitute for my live rock bands. The FB-01 was not only far more affordable, but also far more portable. It's a tiny little box. My rig at the time consisted of the Amiga 1000 & it's soft synths including the Ensoniq Mirage sampler emulator and others, my CZ-1000 (I traded in my CZ-101) and my 2nd CZ-1000. I was much more into synth sounds & organ than piano, and the CZ-1000 didn't make a great piano MIDI controller. I also bought a set of effects pedals in the 80s from a guitarist and I ran everything through them via small mixer. Reverb, chorus, phaser & distortion. And a flanger later on I added. I was pretty happy with the FB-01 sounds. A lot of the classic famous DX-7 sounds can be made on the FB-01. It complimented the more analog knockoff type sounds the CZ's made and the samples I got out of the Amiga. I also used the FB-01 a lot for organ. I got a DX-7 in the form of the TX-7 in the 90s, but the FB-01 was definitely the right choice to get a lot of the DX-7 magic out of a far less expensive and much more portable device.
I had a commodore 64 with a stinberg pro 16 cartridge synced to my tascam 144. I used an FBO1,MT32 Roland 505 ,Casio CZ 1000, Casio FZ 1,Korg polly 800 mk2 and a Wasp. For the time it was a fantastic setup.
I still have my FBO1 from when I was 17. I’m 45 now and I still use the bass and strings and sample,them into my Mpc x for tweaking low or high pass filtering.
MT32 was nothing without editing software. I had Dr T's MT32 editor for mine which turned it into a monster. You got access to the individual partials and resonant filter. And I think you could even swich between diffrent reverb types, (Hall, Plate and Room) if I'm not mistaken.
Yep, definitely. In the 90s I was attempting to make Techno with a 909, DX-21 and a handful of mono synths. At first I thought the MT-32 kinda sucked, but with the editor you could squeeze lots of really cool and interesting sounds out of it.
Yes..I have a D-05 (D50 boutique) and with the software controller editor is a monster😀 I thought spend less time to program 4 partials. But the creativity is more and more.. and the time need to complete the patch is the same😂 (3..4 hours for a monster patch)
In 80's I had DX7, MT-32 and some simple midi-sequencer-sw for PC and boy, was that combination like a heaven for a home-studio musician at that time. Sigh ... those golden days ...
Nice video! My first synthesizer module was the FB-01. My dad bought it for me in the late 80's. I still have it. Thanks for bringing back the memories. Take care, Sam.
I owned both. I recall the FB01 to be thin and it had a noisy output. I bought the MT32 because I couldn't afford the D50 but almost immediately trade up to the D50. The D50 holds a special place in my heart. One of the most magical synth ever. Great video Espen!
When these modules were current I was an ambitious teenage musician who couldn’t really afford either one. By the time I had saved a few bucks I upgraded from my DX21 to a new DX11, which brought me multitimbrality, 8-wave 4op FM, velocity and aftertouch. I never gave the FB-01 much thought after that. I love that at the end of this video it sounds like you are saying “cheese”. Perhaps an unintentional confirmation of the modern perception of both of these models!
I was a broke amateur musician in 1986 (and after...). And I needed, so much, a multitimbral synth. "Multitimbral", what a magic word, imagine that, you could buy 1 synth, for the price of 1 synth, and you can get more than one synth! And I got an FB01. It's still on a shelf in my studio. To be honnest I haven't used it since 1993*, but well, I keep it, it's a nice memory. (*yes I still used it in 93, mainly for simple/classic FM bass sounds) Regarding the MT32 in the time of its release I was passed to the sampling world with an EPS and I bought a TX81z, so I didn't need an MT32 it any more. I never realised thet the MT32 was still made in 1992! Quite a remarquable longevity for this kind of product (for my defence I never was in gaming things). The FBO1: Was it a "desktop unit" or an "half rack unit"? Yes the facade is slighltly angled but it's half of 19''. 😉
Excellent historical recount Espen! I got my D50 new for my 16th birthday in 87' then worked my ass off for the MMT8 that Xmas to only then learn what multitimbality meant! Never got either module but I squeeked some amazing **** out of my D50. Wish I could find those program cards! 😪
I bought both of them back in the day & still use them today. I used an Atari with Steinberg Pro 24 for sequencing then. Great video taking me back to when I first tried them.
They seem to complement each other quite well! I'd say the FB01 excells a bit more in Bass heavy sounds, whereas the MT32 in textural sound pallettes. Lovely video again.
I love the FB-01. It's my go to synth for bass. I run from my Arturia KeyStep Pro. The arpegiator works great for a simple octave or doubled octave bass. I also sequence my drums with the KSP. So everything stays in time nicely. Someone converted DX21 patches to work on the FB-01. I still need to install those. Given the low price and small size the FB-01 is a no brainer to add to your studio.
I love how both the MT-32 and FB-01 sound ❤, particularly the EPiano patches, a subtle blend of shimmer and cream of Roland L/A, and warmth of Yamaha DX. All the EPianos in the MT-32 are exactly the same as the Roland D-10. Your playing is on-point and suits exactly to all the Epiano patches :) Thanks Espen! You taught me a bit of chord voicing here
There used to be an FB-01 module here where I live (it is also on solo track of mine titled “Grand Deception” under my real name). The one who took it later told me he wanted me to have it back. Between this demo of it & the MT-32 and a review of the FB-01 from a TH-cam series called “Bad Gear”, I’m more inclined than ever to try *getting* it back. The sound at 7:23 put me easily in mind of a certain Synclavier bell tone associated with Michael Jackson.
Wow, I never knew the MT-32 could sound so good! But that's probably due to that I never hooked it up to some real speakers. I bought one from a friend at the computer club, back in the days. He bought himself a Sound Canvas. I used it on some computer games (you could connect a MIDI interface to a joystick controller PCI card, which had a large, i believe serial, connector). One of these days I'm going to get mine from upstairs and hook it to my monitors. :) Thanks!
My first synth (that I owned) was a DX 27, and I got a TX81Z at the same time. The MT-32 did have drums, which the FB-01 did not, so back then (before I got a drum machine) I would have rather had the MT-32. But these days, I would probably still use a FB-01, but I doubt I'd use a MT-32. Great video.
I owned both MT-32 (1987 LA sound generator ¥69,000) and FB-01 (1986 FM sound generator ¥49,800), but I sold them to buy SC-55 (1991 PCM sound generator ¥69,000). *Prices do not include tax in Japan at the time of release.
I’ve long noticed these digital synthesisers referred to as sound/tone generators in Japan, is that done to distance them from analogue synthesisers? Like a marketing thing? After all, シンセサイザー was already a word. Apologies if that’s a bit random, I tried to look it up a while ago but there was nothing in English; and my kanji knowledge are worse than a preschooler 😅
@@kaitlyn__L In Japan, synthesizers not equipped with a keyboard were called "Sound Generator" or "Sound Module.” Since Sound Generators (Sound Modules) at that time were rack-mountable, they were not called "desktop modules" as they are today. This is a literal translation of the original Japanese word "音源 (Ongen). "音 (On)" means “Sound”, and “源 (Gen)” means “Generator”. The expressions were different even among Japanese makers. Roland : Sound Generator / YAMAHA: Tone Generator / KORG: Sound Module
Still got my MT-32! Sierra/Lucasfilm games often preloaded the module with a bunch of fun and interesting custom patches at launch (way beyond the default patches). Would rip and save the best ones and save them to custom libraries, super fun back in the day! Educational as well. :)
Good memories and overview of a period of time. Had the Cx5m which had a similar sound engine to the FB01, and later bought the FB. Classic 4op FM could sound good, but until the 81z didn’t enter the bedroom producers world all that strongly. For the gaming world, the MT32 was king here in the states until the Soundblaster and Gravis made things like this much more affordable. I’d argue the MT32 still sounded better than the early GM cards, though you couldn’t get PCM samples for effects etc.
I had both of these modules. The MT32 had superior polyphony and, importantly, sound. Its DACs were extremely noisy (especially noticeable when using the onboard reverb) but that wasn't necessarily a problem onstage which is where I predominantly used mine.
Both modules are great, and because of the difference in their sound, I cannot tell which one is better, I'd like to have them both :) Add an Atari ST, a MIDI keyboard and a basic 80s home studio is starting to take shape :)
A few dozen Atari ST games also had MT-32 support, but mostly the same ones that were available on DOS/Windows that were available on both platforms. Unfortunately, the MT-32 isn’t General MIDI-compliant like later Roland synths (or has someone hacked an OS ROM that provides it?), so can’t use GM audio options in computer games. I wasn’t aware there were multiple revisions of the MT-32. I wonder if the noisy reverb in mine was just a rev 1 thing (or just my unit/batch)? My only Roland synth now is a JV-1080 module with Vintage Synth and one other expansion card I forget.
The MT-32 is essentially a desktop version of the D-110, albeit with only 512KB of PCM ROM. Somebody even managed to convert their D-110 to run as an MT-32.
D-110, D-10 and D-20, yep. So the differences in practice are 2 major things: 1. PCM ROM having different samples (for better or for worse) 2. D-110/10/20 has MUCH slower P-ENV, resulting in way glitchier sounds (good examples would be Strings 1 or Violin or listen to the ROM demo 6 when the strings start playing) You _can_ run most, if not all MT-32 sounds on the D-series and vice versa, especially if there's no specific PCM involved. However, the D-series is not as efficient in performance as MT-32 when it comes to handling lots of P-ENV in each tone, so if you need to convert tones you'll probably have to end up disabling it entirely because it really does suck on D synths. Newer versions of ROMs do help a bit but not enough. I think a better way would be to find a good way to toy around with the 8096/MCS-96 firmware to try to improve the software (i.e. disable sequencer on D-20 for better performance) and/or overclock the CPU.
What a great and extremely informative video, my friend! Well done, Espen! As i said before i come from the "retro computing" niche, but i always love to hear the connection to the music world. I really love the sound of the FB-01 has a kind of 80's scifi "Terminator" vibe (i am a non musician). The MT-32 sounds more like a cheap synthesizer and much softer in my ears. Definatly prefer the FB-01. Thank you so much again for this very interesting video!
I have both (MT-100, but it's basically the same). Both are proper synths, editable and great sounding. The MT has resonant "filters", ring mod, pwm, and crunchy waveforms. The FB is basically a DX-100 in a box. They complement each other very well.
The CM32L was a MT32 without buttons, to be used with à computer, but the CM32P was à U110 without buttons. And the CM64 was à CM32L+CM32P. It was interesring because we have the MT32 sounds with editor on computer and very good acoustics sounds (piano, strings...) even if we couldn't edit them (If I remember correctly). It was my first synth.
Great sounding modules, but there were some mistakes on technical information. MT32 has a different sound chip as D50 / D550 had. The sound chips having some common base partially, but they are not the same. They also having different Roland type numbers, which can be known of the datasheets of the chips, that they are not the same. DACs and filters were also completely different on the two engines also (D50 had 10bit and 12bit, MT32 had 16bit), as the wave rom content and size were also very different technically and logically also (D50 has more times bigger content (stored with incredible compress ratio) in bytes and much more waves - the two synths having only a few common waves (but those also sounds different), D50 could mix them, MT32 cannot). The only common what I found through the years is the following: all these two having the "LA32" engine, which means nothing in real due to the fact that all the D-series (as D50, D20, D10, D5, D70, D110, etc) was marked that they having the "same" "LA32" engine - but really: all of these sounds very unique and completely different from each other. Why? Because mostly they had a different sound chip from each other. Anyways, if you ever see the mainboard of the D50 and MT32, then you can be ensure that they have almost nothing common. I think that it was only a marketing trick of that years. The fact is MT32 has partially the same sound chips and other components as D5, D10 and D20 had - and a bit similar sounding (but not the same). I wonder how cannot be heard that the MT32 is sounding much simpler, weaker and different than the glorious and deep D50 has. Not mentioned the waves and the content and TVA, TVF filter capabilities of D50, which were mostly not implemented to the MT32. MT32 was an entry level synth engine in a module version - the first of Roland. I love this module for using to the old games and it is also having a great General Midi implementation (its another story that almost the only from Roland). I also missing the fact that MT32 and FB01 cannot be compared completely. If you can be fair compare the wave rom based MT32 (which has 512kbyte stored content) to the FM based FB01 (which has 0 byte stored waves). FB01 does not having pre-made waves, just settings how to generate a wave. Technically the FB01 has an own sound generator chip, which Roland does not have. Roland sound chip can generate only a few waveforms, mostly replays pcm waves and mix these. Different concept and technique. Its like comparision of apple to banana. As far as I know the lovely FB01 was the second MIDI module of the world. The first was the Böhm Dynamic 12/24 Expander - which should be also interesting to compare to FB01 or their mates.
The MT-32 does have waveform generation (square /saw wave with pulse width) as well as PCM sounds present, using the same subtractive style as other LA series synths, with TVF and TVA, pitch envelope and pitch LFO among other things. Up to 4x partials per timbre of either type + a ring modulation option between upper and lower. It is surprisingly deep! These parameters are only accessible via a software editor though and custom patches cannot be stored on the device.
No, there are no errors or mistakes in my video in terms of technical information. I don't have much technical information in here at all actually. ;-) This video is more about the musicality of the modules, not their electronics. Your comment is valuable though so thanks for that. If I'd added such details to my videos I'd have a very different channel, but in the comments I'm always happy that people chip in. Cheers
Those chords are directly from my song "Golden Boy" from my album "Those Days". You can find a tutorial on that here on the channel. Apart from that you should watch my video "Why does 80s music sound so good" which takes a deep dive into 80s chords.
I still have - and still use - my MT-32. I use it in combination with an Akai note splitter, which means I can play up to four parts at once while using only one MIDI channel. I particularly use it for drone bass sounds.
I have a pair of FB01s chained via MIDI THRU on the same channel, the slight delay plus subtle detune of the 2nd FB01 makes sound far thicker than an external chorus. Bought the first one new, the 2nd one was second hand a few years later for £10 at a car-boot sale!
Great video. I really dig all of your vids. I have a question though, i have s Yamaha SY77 would it benefit me to get the Yamaha FB01 or would that be redundant? I'm torn between the FB01 and The TG55. Damn G.A.S. got me
Espen Please allow me to ask you where is the song ( Happy 4th of July America - The Golden Boy ) because I can no longer find it on your channel, and frankly I have a strong attachment to the chords of this song
I deleted the video, but you can find the song on all streaming platforms. It's my most populist song by far. I also have a video tutorial on it right here on the channel. Cheers
Have used both these instruments...the FB01 was in a friends studio and is/was good for all round sounds you need. The MT32 was hard to find an editor for, but zoyks!! I had a link to one on the Atari 1040! Devilish thing with MT32....always went back to factory reset on power down?! Ouch! 2 x ways to remedy:Record a system exclusive sound data into your sequence or I had a boss datafiler to save and dump! Great sounds on MT32, especially accoustic but synth lfo or waveforms, poor man's immitations! Just not so good as D50 Mat:-)
With little programming the FB01 can produce sounds you'll never get with the MT. Especially for electro music. To bad it is missing some onboard effects. However the MT will sound better for 'traditional sounds'. I still have my FB01 and use it for 'out of space' sounds. Nice video btw cheers
The FB01 wins this hands down! I had the Yamaha V50 and I can tell you the flexibility you get with a programmable synth beats the rigidity of the sample based synth hands down.
I miss the VA filter of the MT-32 in the demo, it is what brings it very close to the D50. Space Quest 3 and Codename Iceman are some games that utilize it. They generate custom patches over sysex. The MT32 is way overpriced today, but luckily Roland has a hidden gem that is 1/5th the price and 100% sounding and working the same for MIDI games.
IMHO I think is should have been stated more clearly that the FB-01does not come with any built in effects like reverb and chorus (Which has been added in this video) Without it will sound like a beefed up Adlib-card. MT-32 was a ready to use "band in a box" the FB-01 was not, so that might defend the price difference. That said, I really do appreciate your videos Espen 👌
No dedicated synth magazines in Scandinavia. I don't think there ever was one actually. Some general music tech magazines still exists. The magazine I show in this video is still running paper issues.
It's funny the MT-32 is like a cheap plastic D-110 but it costs twice as much as the D-110 these days because all the retro gamers want the MT-32. The FB-01 sucks but at least it doesn't cost twice as much as a TX81Z.
I have a Yamaha B200 synthesizer that is essentially a 4op FM synth with built in speakers and maximum fun. If Mr Kraft ever gets a chance to compare one to either or both of these I'd love to know how they differ and compliment one another.....
Back then I would probably have preferred the MT-32 for its “realism”, but listening with today’s ears, I’d pick the FB-01. It sounds so much better and more musical than the MT-32.
The fb01 was a revolution for a poor teen trying to make music. My first multitimbral module, and it actually sounded quite cool. This was at the dawn of the sampling/rompler era, and everything was about mimicking real instruments. Here the fb01 failed big time, but it made me appreciate the lovely sounds of fm brass and bass.
When my new akai x7000/ask 70 complemented my fb01 and my poly 800 I thought I had all the powers of the world😀
What people not always notice when using these models for eg PC gaming, the FB-01 is thinner in the sound when used for multitimbral usage, but being based on FM when used as playing more advanced layers the sound is much thicker and also much more dynamic than the MT-32. No question that as a gaming sound source the MT-32 was ahead of the FB-01's more dull and thin 4 operators sounds.
I went with the FB-01. I wanted a DX-7 as a teen in high school, but couldn't afford one. Or, my priorities were on my home computer such as my Amiga 1000.
In my College days around 1987 or so, I traded my Commodore 64, Disk Drive & Disks to a friend for his FB-01. I wanted the FB-01 as a poor man's DX-7 substitute for my live rock bands. The FB-01 was not only far more affordable, but also far more portable. It's a tiny little box. My rig at the time consisted of the Amiga 1000 & it's soft synths including the Ensoniq Mirage sampler emulator and others, my CZ-1000 (I traded in my CZ-101) and my 2nd CZ-1000. I was much more into synth sounds & organ than piano, and the CZ-1000 didn't make a great piano MIDI controller. I also bought a set of effects pedals in the 80s from a guitarist and I ran everything through them via small mixer. Reverb, chorus, phaser & distortion. And a flanger later on I added.
I was pretty happy with the FB-01 sounds. A lot of the classic famous DX-7 sounds can be made on the FB-01. It complimented the more analog knockoff type sounds the CZ's made and the samples I got out of the Amiga. I also used the FB-01 a lot for organ.
I got a DX-7 in the form of the TX-7 in the 90s, but the FB-01 was definitely the right choice to get a lot of the DX-7 magic out of a far less expensive and much more portable device.
I had a commodore 64 with a stinberg pro 16 cartridge synced to my tascam 144. I used an FBO1,MT32 Roland 505 ,Casio CZ 1000, Casio FZ 1,Korg polly 800 mk2 and a Wasp. For the time it was a fantastic setup.
I still have my FBO1 from when I was 17. I’m 45 now and I still use the bass and strings and sample,them into my Mpc x for tweaking low or high pass filtering.
MT32 was nothing without editing software. I had Dr T's MT32 editor for mine which turned it into a monster. You got access to the individual partials and resonant filter. And I think you could even swich between diffrent reverb types, (Hall, Plate and Room) if I'm not mistaken.
Yep, definitely. In the 90s I was attempting to make Techno with a 909, DX-21 and a handful of mono synths. At first I thought the MT-32 kinda sucked, but with the editor you could squeeze lots of really cool and interesting sounds out of it.
Yes..I have a D-05 (D50 boutique) and with the software controller editor is a monster😀
I thought spend less time to program 4 partials.
But the creativity is more and more..
and the time need to complete the patch is the same😂
(3..4 hours for a monster patch)
I had both the mt-32 and FBo1... loved the bass sounds on the FB. Eventually switched to roland d110 and tx81z.
FB01 is also pretty useless without an editor
I bought a used (obviously) FB-01 a couple years ago. Fun little FM box.
In 80's I had DX7, MT-32 and some simple midi-sequencer-sw for PC and boy, was that combination like a heaven for a home-studio musician at that time. Sigh ... those golden days ...
Why "had", not "have"? I bought SC88pro,SC8850 & Yamaha TG300 recently, happy days are back
Nice video! My first synthesizer module was the FB-01. My dad bought it for me in the late 80's. I still have it. Thanks for bringing back the memories. Take care, Sam.
Nice. Thanks Sam!
I owned both. I recall the FB01 to be thin and it had a noisy output. I bought the MT32 because I couldn't afford the D50 but almost immediately trade up to the D50. The D50 holds a special place in my heart. One of the most magical synth ever. Great video Espen!
Cheers!
When these modules were current I was an ambitious teenage musician who couldn’t really afford either one. By the time I had saved a few bucks I upgraded from my DX21 to a new DX11, which brought me multitimbrality, 8-wave 4op FM, velocity and aftertouch. I never gave the FB-01 much thought after that.
I love that at the end of this video it sounds like you are saying “cheese”. Perhaps an unintentional confirmation of the modern perception of both of these models!
I was a broke amateur musician in 1986 (and after...). And I needed, so much, a multitimbral synth. "Multitimbral", what a magic word, imagine that, you could buy 1 synth, for the price of 1 synth, and you can get more than one synth! And I got an FB01. It's still on a shelf in my studio.
To be honnest I haven't used it since 1993*, but well, I keep it, it's a nice memory. (*yes I still used it in 93, mainly for simple/classic FM bass sounds)
Regarding the MT32 in the time of its release I was passed to the sampling world with an EPS and I bought a TX81z, so I didn't need an MT32 it any more.
I never realised thet the MT32 was still made in 1992! Quite a remarquable longevity for this kind of product (for my defence I never was in gaming things).
The FBO1: Was it a "desktop unit" or an "half rack unit"? Yes the facade is slighltly angled but it's half of 19''. 😉
Oh the memories when you played the theme from Monkey Island by Michael Land. What a module ❤😃
Excellent historical recount Espen! I got my D50 new for my 16th birthday in 87' then worked my ass off for the MMT8 that Xmas to only then learn what multitimbality meant! Never got either module but I squeeked some amazing **** out of my D50. Wish I could find those program cards! 😪
Cheers!
I bought both of them back in the day & still use them today. I used an Atari with Steinberg Pro 24 for sequencing then. Great video taking me back to when I first tried them.
Cheers!
They seem to complement each other quite well! I'd say the FB01 excells a bit more in Bass heavy sounds, whereas the MT32 in textural sound pallettes. Lovely video again.
Cheers!
I love the FB-01. It's my go to synth for bass. I run from my Arturia KeyStep Pro. The arpegiator works great for a simple octave or doubled octave bass. I also sequence my drums with the KSP. So everything stays in time nicely.
Someone converted DX21 patches to work on the FB-01. I still need to install those.
Given the low price and small size the FB-01 is a no brainer to add to your studio.
Dude your playing always brings me back to those times. 🤘
Cheers!
You really bring the best out of both of these old gems.
Very enjoyable!
Cheers!
I love how both the MT-32 and FB-01 sound ❤, particularly the EPiano patches, a subtle blend of shimmer and cream of Roland L/A, and warmth of Yamaha DX.
All the EPianos in the MT-32 are exactly the same as the Roland D-10.
Your playing is on-point and suits exactly to all the Epiano patches :) Thanks Espen! You taught me a bit of chord voicing here
Cheers!
There used to be an FB-01 module here where I live (it is also on solo track of mine titled “Grand Deception” under my real name). The one who took it later told me he wanted me to have it back. Between this demo of it & the MT-32 and a review of the FB-01 from a TH-cam series called “Bad Gear”, I’m more inclined than ever to try *getting* it back.
The sound at 7:23 put me easily in mind of a certain Synclavier bell tone associated with Michael Jackson.
Nice comparison and interesting historical narrative! Loved seeing the Norwegian magazine too.
Thanks man! I might do a "What was in it?" from one of those, but not sure if people will like it so I've put it on hold.
Wow, I never knew the MT-32 could sound so good! But that's probably due to that I never hooked it up to some real speakers.
I bought one from a friend at the computer club, back in the days. He bought himself a Sound Canvas. I used it on some computer games (you could connect a MIDI interface to a joystick controller PCI card, which had a large, i believe serial, connector). One of these days I'm going to get mine from upstairs and hook it to my monitors. :)
Thanks!
Got an FB-01 - Love the FM sounds on there! :)
My first synth (that I owned) was a DX 27, and I got a TX81Z at the same time. The MT-32 did have drums, which the FB-01 did not, so back then (before I got a drum machine) I would have rather had the MT-32. But these days, I would probably still use a FB-01, but I doubt I'd use a MT-32. Great video.
Cheers!
I owned both MT-32 (1987 LA sound generator ¥69,000) and FB-01 (1986 FM sound generator ¥49,800), but I sold them to buy SC-55 (1991 PCM sound generator ¥69,000). *Prices do not include tax in Japan at the time of release.
I’ve long noticed these digital synthesisers referred to as sound/tone generators in Japan, is that done to distance them from analogue synthesisers? Like a marketing thing? After all, シンセサイザー was already a word.
Apologies if that’s a bit random, I tried to look it up a while ago but there was nothing in English; and my kanji knowledge are worse than a preschooler 😅
@@kaitlyn__L In Japan, synthesizers not equipped with a keyboard were called "Sound Generator" or "Sound Module.” Since Sound Generators (Sound Modules) at that time were rack-mountable, they were not called "desktop modules" as they are today. This is a literal translation of the original Japanese word "音源 (Ongen). "音 (On)" means “Sound”, and “源 (Gen)” means “Generator”.
The expressions were different even among Japanese makers.
Roland : Sound Generator / YAMAHA: Tone Generator / KORG: Sound Module
Still got my MT-32! Sierra/Lucasfilm games often preloaded the module with a bunch of fun and interesting custom patches at launch (way beyond the default patches). Would rip and save the best ones and save them to custom libraries, super fun back in the day! Educational as well. :)
That’s really cool! I love transmitting presets over MIDI to see how they’ve been made. Bet it felt super futuristic back then!
I have both and love them both for what they each provide.
Great job with this comparison. I really liked how you tried to put similar patches side by side.
Thanks!
Both are awesome! Thank you for the video, all the best!
Cheers!
I love these modules! I got them in college when they came out and they served me well for over two decades.
Hi Espen, great video! I still have my FB-01, and occasional use it. It is built like a tank, and just keeps going and going! 👏
Cheers!
Nice video as always. I have got 2x fb01 and I love it! A rasberry project replaced the mt32. With these modules you can easily make good music!
Cheers!
Good memories and overview of a period of time. Had the Cx5m which had a similar sound engine to the FB01, and later bought the FB. Classic 4op FM could sound good, but until the 81z didn’t enter the bedroom producers world all that strongly. For the gaming world, the MT32 was king here in the states until the Soundblaster and Gravis made things like this much more affordable. I’d argue the MT32 still sounded better than the early GM cards, though you couldn’t get PCM samples for effects etc.
I had both of these modules. The MT32 had superior polyphony and, importantly, sound. Its DACs were extremely noisy (especially noticeable when using the onboard reverb) but that wasn't necessarily a problem onstage which is where I predominantly used mine.
Huh
bought these during release and love them both! i sold the MT32 few years ago, FB01 i kept tho. i'll buy MT32 back some day. nice content Espen!
Thanks!
Both modules are great, and because of the difference in their sound, I cannot tell which one is better, I'd like to have them both :) Add an Atari ST, a MIDI keyboard and a basic 80s home studio is starting to take shape :)
A few dozen Atari ST games also had MT-32 support, but mostly the same ones that were available on DOS/Windows that were available on both platforms. Unfortunately, the MT-32 isn’t General MIDI-compliant like later Roland synths (or has someone hacked an OS ROM that provides it?), so can’t use GM audio options in computer games. I wasn’t aware there were multiple revisions of the MT-32. I wonder if the noisy reverb in mine was just a rev 1 thing (or just my unit/batch)?
My only Roland synth now is a JV-1080 module with Vintage Synth and one other expansion card I forget.
The DAC was updated during the upgraded revision, but they all sound noisy none the less. ;-)
The TX81Z is still on my "maybe" list (as is the D-550). The Jan Hammer-esque electric guitar-like sound from the FB-01 is actually quite impressive.
The MT-32 is essentially a desktop version of the D-110, albeit with only 512KB of PCM ROM. Somebody even managed to convert their D-110 to run as an MT-32.
I assume the MT-32 does not share the synth engine with the D-110.
D-110, D-10 and D-20, yep.
So the differences in practice are 2 major things:
1. PCM ROM having different samples (for better or for worse)
2. D-110/10/20 has MUCH slower P-ENV, resulting in way glitchier sounds (good examples would be Strings 1 or Violin or listen to the ROM demo 6 when the strings start playing)
You _can_ run most, if not all MT-32 sounds on the D-series and vice versa, especially if there's no specific PCM involved. However, the D-series is not as efficient in performance as MT-32 when it comes to handling lots of P-ENV in each tone, so if you need to convert tones you'll probably have to end up disabling it entirely because it really does suck on D synths.
Newer versions of ROMs do help a bit but not enough. I think a better way would be to find a good way to toy around with the 8096/MCS-96 firmware to try to improve the software (i.e. disable sequencer on D-20 for better performance) and/or overclock the CPU.
What a great and extremely informative video, my friend! Well done, Espen! As i said before i come from the "retro computing" niche, but i always love to hear the connection to the music world. I really love the sound of the FB-01 has a kind of 80's scifi "Terminator" vibe (i am a non musician). The MT-32 sounds more like a cheap synthesizer and much softer in my ears. Definatly prefer the FB-01. Thank you so much again for this very interesting video!
Cheers!
I have both (MT-100, but it's basically the same). Both are proper synths, editable and great sounding. The MT has resonant "filters", ring mod, pwm, and crunchy waveforms. The FB is basically a DX-100 in a box. They complement each other very well.
The CM32L was a MT32 without buttons, to be used with à computer, but the CM32P was à U110 without buttons.
And the CM64 was à CM32L+CM32P. It was interesring because we have the MT32 sounds with editor on computer and very good acoustics sounds (piano, strings...) even if we couldn't edit them (If I remember correctly). It was my first synth.
Walks down memory lane. I enjoyed my old MT32. Thanks for posting.
Cheers!
Thank you Espen, great stuff, you would be sunk sometimes without Anders helping you out with his equipment, cheers from New Zealand.
Haha, I'm never sunk. ;-)
Soundblaster cards were sold with the equivalent of an FB-01 in them. But there was later a 64 voice Roland MT-32 synth inside the soundblasters..
Great sounding modules, but there were some mistakes on technical information.
MT32 has a different sound chip as D50 / D550 had. The sound chips having some common base partially, but they are not the same. They also having different Roland type numbers, which can be known of the datasheets of the chips, that they are not the same. DACs and filters were also completely different on the two engines also (D50 had 10bit and 12bit, MT32 had 16bit), as the wave rom content and size were also very different technically and logically also (D50 has more times bigger content (stored with incredible compress ratio) in bytes and much more waves - the two synths having only a few common waves (but those also sounds different), D50 could mix them, MT32 cannot).
The only common what I found through the years is the following: all these two having the "LA32" engine, which means nothing in real due to the fact that all the D-series (as D50, D20, D10, D5, D70, D110, etc) was marked that they having the "same" "LA32" engine - but really: all of these sounds very unique and completely different from each other. Why? Because mostly they had a different sound chip from each other.
Anyways, if you ever see the mainboard of the D50 and MT32, then you can be ensure that they have almost nothing common.
I think that it was only a marketing trick of that years. The fact is MT32 has partially the same sound chips and other components as D5, D10 and D20 had - and a bit similar sounding (but not the same).
I wonder how cannot be heard that the MT32 is sounding much simpler, weaker and different than the glorious and deep D50 has. Not mentioned the waves and the content and TVA, TVF filter capabilities of D50, which were mostly not implemented to the MT32.
MT32 was an entry level synth engine in a module version - the first of Roland. I love this module for using to the old games and it is also having a great General Midi implementation (its another story that almost the only from Roland).
I also missing the fact that MT32 and FB01 cannot be compared completely. If you can be fair compare the wave rom based MT32 (which has 512kbyte stored content) to the FM based FB01 (which has 0 byte stored waves). FB01 does not having pre-made waves, just settings how to generate a wave. Technically the FB01 has an own sound generator chip, which Roland does not have. Roland sound chip can generate only a few waveforms, mostly replays pcm waves and mix these. Different concept and technique. Its like comparision of apple to banana.
As far as I know the lovely FB01 was the second MIDI module of the world. The first was the Böhm Dynamic 12/24 Expander - which should be also interesting to compare to FB01 or their mates.
The MT-32 does have waveform generation (square /saw wave with pulse width) as well as PCM sounds present, using the same subtractive style as other LA series synths, with TVF and TVA, pitch envelope and pitch LFO among other things. Up to 4x partials per timbre of either type + a ring modulation option between upper and lower. It is surprisingly deep! These parameters are only accessible via a software editor though and custom patches cannot be stored on the device.
No, there are no errors or mistakes in my video in terms of technical information. I don't have much technical information in here at all actually. ;-)
This video is more about the musicality of the modules, not their electronics. Your comment is valuable though so thanks for that. If I'd added such details to my videos I'd have a very different channel, but in the comments I'm always happy that people chip in. Cheers
how can i learn to play those 80s sounding chords at 4:43 ? what music theory should i look into?
Those chords are directly from my song "Golden Boy" from my album "Those Days". You can find a tutorial on that here on the channel. Apart from that you should watch my video "Why does 80s music sound so good" which takes a deep dive into 80s chords.
I know your thing is the 80s but would you consider doing a video on the Roland JV1010?
Sold that years ago. I mean decades ago. ;-)
I still have - and still use - my MT-32. I use it in combination with an Akai note splitter, which means I can play up to four parts at once while using only one MIDI channel. I particularly use it for drone bass sounds.
Love the videos where you actually play some sounds.
Happy to hear it. Thanks!
I have a pair of FB01s chained via MIDI THRU on the same channel, the slight delay plus subtle detune of the 2nd FB01 makes sound far thicker than an external chorus.
Bought the first one new, the 2nd one was second hand a few years later for £10 at a car-boot sale!
A fantastic duel, thank you Espen 👍🙂
Cheers!
Both are awesome
Espen: Beautiful use of Jan Hammer's "Crockett's Theme" @ 4:00 !!!
Cheers!
One midi channel was devoted to the drum samples.. I got Pamela from Keyboard magazine programmed it on the Amiga's Electronic Arts DMCS..
Puhh, i am meltin of that sound around 9:00 by the fb-01 - anyone knowing the name of this 4op yamaha patch?
thanks :-)
Thanks for the excellent review.
Cheers!
I owned both of them but the FB01 won out for me, as it just had a certain "something" the MT32 didn't. 👏
The Roland had an effects unit too.. It had like a number of waveforms.. Like a wavetable synth..
My love was always more the Fm synthese because of his rawer sound .
Still have my MT-32 although I'm thinking of selling it :P
Great video. I really dig all of your vids.
I have a question though, i have s Yamaha SY77 would it benefit me to get the Yamaha FB01 or would that be redundant?
I'm torn between the FB01 and The TG55.
Damn G.A.S. got me
The FB-01 does not sound quite like any of the other 4 operator DX synths and of course even farther from the SY77 which is a 6 operator DX. Cheers
Espen Please allow me to ask you where is the song ( Happy 4th of July America - The Golden Boy ) because I can no longer find it on your channel, and frankly I have a strong attachment to the chords of this song
I deleted the video, but you can find the song on all streaming platforms. It's my most populist song by far. I also have a video tutorial on it right here on the channel. Cheers
I'm also one of the herd of UDIO users.. And I prefer it to anything synth or otherwise.. Nothing is making me go back to the use of instruments.
Have used both these instruments...the FB01 was in a friends studio and is/was good for all round sounds you need. The MT32 was hard to find an editor for, but zoyks!! I had a link to one on the Atari 1040! Devilish thing with MT32....always went back to factory reset on power down?! Ouch!
2 x ways to remedy:Record a system exclusive sound data into your
sequence or I had a boss datafiler to
save and dump! Great sounds on MT32, especially accoustic but synth lfo or waveforms, poor man's immitations! Just not so good as D50
Mat:-)
4:40 to 5:40 is beautiful.
Multitimbral is pretty cool. ✌
Lovely video! Which chord progression did you play at 4:44?
Thanks! That's my song "Golden Boy" from my album "Those Days" from 2017. You can find a tutorial about that here on the channel.
SUPER ,I prefer the sounds of the Yamaha FB-01 , but it's just a personal opinion
With little programming the FB01 can produce sounds you'll never get with the MT. Especially for electro music. To bad it is missing some onboard effects. However the MT will sound better for 'traditional sounds'. I still have my FB01 and use it for 'out of space' sounds. Nice video btw cheers
MT32 for sure. And yes... Monkey Island! Shiver me timbers!!
The FB01 wins this hands down! I had the Yamaha V50 and I can tell you the flexibility you get with a programmable synth beats the rigidity of the sample based synth hands down.
I just bought a v2 MT-32 to get some retro inspiration. I passed on the FB-01, I’ve just never felt FM has any heft.
I miss the VA filter of the MT-32 in the demo, it is what brings it very close to the D50. Space Quest 3 and Codename Iceman are some games that utilize it. They generate custom patches over sysex. The MT32 is way overpriced today, but luckily Roland has a hidden gem that is 1/5th the price and 100% sounding and working the same for MIDI games.
FB-01 ❤
Had the MT32. Quite nice, but stopped using it once I got my U220
IMHO I think is should have been stated more clearly that the FB-01does not come with any built in effects like reverb and chorus (Which has been added in this video) Without it will sound like a beefed up Adlib-card. MT-32 was a ready to use "band in a box" the FB-01 was not, so that might defend the price difference. That said, I really do appreciate your videos Espen 👌
Cheers!
Did I just hear a glimpse of Scarface playing or was that Miami Vice?
Miami Vice
Had the MT32 and D110 before i could afford the D550...
In the words of Morrissey, "why can't you love two"
Does the FB-01 complement the sound palette of a DX7 or it's pretty much the same ?
It's simpler in sound as it's a 4 operator FM synth instead of 6 like the DX7.
The built in effects on the MT32 are a hige plus
Ah, but didn't Yamaha end up carrying the day in gaming over Roland with the OPL chip on soundcards?
I have an FB01 mint in a box. 😳
MT32 heavily used on Code's The Architect masterpiece album
👍
Sega kids will prefer the Yamaha. Like me :)
Yep!
Are there still some synthmags on the market in skandinavia? could not find any in the shops there on my trips?
No dedicated synth magazines in Scandinavia. I don't think there ever was one actually. Some general music tech magazines still exists. The magazine I show in this video is still running paper issues.
It's funny the MT-32 is like a cheap plastic D-110 but it costs twice as much as the D-110 these days because all the retro gamers want the MT-32. The FB-01 sucks but at least it doesn't cost twice as much as a TX81Z.
The MT32 is better for dos gaming while the FB01 is better for musicians
Had an FB-01 then got a U-220
If you gave me a MT-32 today I'd toss it in the trash.. My Ipad can kick its butt..
We only care about 1 thing these days: can you connect the FB01 to PC and play DOS games or not If the answer is not it can stay in the trashcan :/
Games are nothing, the sound is everything.
No games are everything i could learn synth for a decade and still be a 🐒 for it cause i have no talent like most of us but we all love games
I have a Yamaha B200 synthesizer that is essentially a 4op FM synth with built in speakers and maximum fun. If Mr Kraft ever gets a chance to compare one to either or both of these I'd love to know how they differ and compliment one another.....