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MUNT Text Mode Interface

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First post, by 95DosBox

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In my retro legacy testing of Munt and the port of Munt to 9X some issues I feel need to be addressed.

One of the main issues is software compatibility. While in the 9X environment, 95OEM, 95A, 95B, 98FE, 98SE, and Millenium Edition the need for a graphics card driver to run Munt shouldn't be necessary.

Another possibility to run in GUI mode is to use only 2 colors or up to 16 colors mode only as a requirement. The default built in 16 Color Standard VGA driver should work. Also 9x allows you downgrade to 2 color mode B/W which makes the OS run super fast especially for older systems. Having both of these modifications will make it more MUNT more compatible as a standalone sound emulator.

Sergm,

I'm proposing the Text Mode Interface for Munt. I'm hoping you can take this design and add it to Munt so the user can choose the User Interface (Text Mode or GUI) version to run Munt. This setting can be changed in the Munt.ini file I will be explaining in detail.

Munt typically will not run without a compliant graphical OS driver to attain the 256 colors requirement and DOSBox also does not run correctly without one.

However Munt shouldn't require any OS graphics driver to be installed to function properly so if we can create an alternate user interface that doesn't depend on it it would allow any computer legacy or modern to run Munt as a MT-32 Sound Emulation device only without any need for a specific 9X compliant graphics card driver installed. Later this might be ported to Windows 3.1 and DOS.

Here is the Munt Text Mode Interface Look:

Unfortunately due to the way ASCII characters are interpreted on this forum I'm including a
NotePad Text File to download to see the actual Ascii Characters as intended using the Font MS LineDraw

You must use Notepad and the Font: MS LineDraw

20 Squares for Text Panel Info for Sierra Sys Ex Messages Compatibility

This is a substitute version on this forum though not as ASCII pretty but viewable on this forum and will have spacing alignment issues.

New Text Mode Munt Interface Font Lucida Console

Font:
Lucida Console

Dimensions:
27x8 characters

[PANEL ASCII Text Mode] - POWER ON TEST DISPLAY OR NO ROMS CHOSEN
===========================
|=========================|
||Unknown Emulation Mode||
||[12345678901234567890] ||
||[PROPERTIES] [MIDI MSG]||
|=========================|
| MIDI VOLUME SETTING:100 |
===========================

[FINAL OUTPUT DISPLAYED] - NO MIDI SIGNAL RECEIVED
===========================
|=========================|
||MT-32 Emulation Mode||
||[1 2 3 4 5 R |vol:100] ||
||[PROPERTIES] [--------]||
|=========================|
| MIDI VOLUME SETTING:100 |
===========================

[INSTRUMENT OUTPUT DISPLAYED] - MIDI SIGNAL RECEIVED
===========================
|=========================|
||MT-32 Emulation Mode||
||[8|Synth-1|Glasses ] ||
||[PROPERTIES] [MIDI MSG]||
|=========================|
| MIDI VOLUME SETTING:100 |
===========================

[INSTRUMENT PLAYING OUTPUT DISPLAYED] - MIDI SIGNAL RECEIVED
===========================
|=========================|
||MT-32 Emulation Mode||
||[1 * 3 * 5 R |vol:100] ||
||[PROPERTIES] [MIDI MSG]||
|=========================|
| MIDI VOLUME SETTING:100 |
===========================

* = indicates active channel

When a Midi Message signal is encountered it will display the text
"MIDI MSG" on or off depending if receiving a MIDI Message Signal.

The actual MIDI Text will of course be displayed in the
20 characters space marked by the [12345678901234567890] Panel space

Attached will be the correct ASCII look using the Font:
MS LineDraw

Reply 1 of 4, by 95DosBox

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MUNT will load default settings from MUNT.INI to determine:
User Interface
ROM files for emulation mode
Default settings
Synth settings

MUNT TEXT MODE CONFIGURATION FROM FILE MUNT.INI
CAN BE EDITED IN DOS OR NOTEPAD MANUALLY.

;[MUNT.INI] SAMPLE CONFIGURATION FILE
;USER INTERFACE CONFIGURATION
InterfaceMode = Text ; No OS graphics driver needed
;InterfaceMode = Gui ; Regular Graphical Mode requires OS graphics driver with 256 Colors or Higher

;ROM CONFIGURATION
ROMEmulation = C:\MUNT\ROMS\MT32_PCM.ROM ;(Rename Roms to 8.3 Filename Format) for Future DOS Port Compatibility

ROMControl = C:\MUNT\ROMS\MT32C107.ROM ;(Rename Roms to 8.3 Filename Format) for Future DOS Port Compatibility

[Synthesizer Settings]
Synth = C:\MUNT\SYNTH.INI ; Default Synth Settings
;Synth = C:\MUNT\SYNTH2.INI ; (Can Load Alternate Synth Settings)
;Synth = C:\MUNT\SYNTH3.INI ; (Can Load Alternate Synth Settings)

;MIDI SIGNAL INPUT
MidiInput=MIDI Yoke Junction: 1 ; Windows 9X with Midi Yoke

;MIDI SIGNAL OUTPUT
AudioOut=WinMMAudio: Intel (R) Display Audio Output 2; Intel (R) Display Audio Output - HDMI

;OTHER AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICES
;AudioOut=PortAudio: (MME) Microsoft Sound Mapper - Output
;AudioOut=PortAudio: (MME) Intel(R) Display Audio Output 2
;AudioOut=PortAudio: (Windows DirectSound) Primary Sound Driver
;AudioOut=PortAudio: (Windows DirectSound) Intel(R) Display Audio Output 2
;AudioOut=PortAudio: (Windows WDM-KS) Speakers (Intel(R) Display Audio Output 2
;AudioOut=QtAudio: Default
;AudioOut=AudioFileWriter: Audio file writer

;VOLUME CONFIGURATION
Volume = 100.0

;PLAY MIDI FILE TEST ON MUNT LAUNCH
PlayMidi=C:\MUNT\MIDI\MIDITEST.MID

;MESSAGES DISPLAY CONFIGURATION
;PLAY SYSEX MESSAGE ON DISPLAY PANEL
DisplayMessageWhenIdle=Off ;(On, Off);On will Enable displaying the Midi Message when No MIDI Activity is detected

DisplayMessageWhenIdleTime=60 ; (When No MIDI Activity is detected after X Seconds the Midi Display Message will display)

DisplayMessageOrder=Sequential ; (Sequential,Random) ; Sequential Displays Message in sequence ; Random will choose randomly

DisplayMessage ="Munt is Working..." ; Displays Message within quotes
DisplayMessage2="Message 2..." ; Displays Message within quotes
DisplayMessage3="Message 3..." ; Displays Message within quotes

DisplayMessage100="Message 100..." ; Displays Last Message within quotes

DisplayMessageAction=LeftToRight ; Scrolls the Message from Left to Right
DisplayMessageAction=RightToLeft ; Scrolls the Message from Right to Left
DisplayMessageAction=Once ; (Once, Repeat) ; Once Displays the Message Just Once ; Repeat Displays the Message Continuously

DisplayMessageScrollSpeed=1 (0 for Static text will not move, 1-1000 ms) Scrolls the Text 1 Character Block per X ms)

;PIN OPTIONS
PinSynth = ON; (ON, OFF)
PinPosition = BOTTOMRIGHT ; (BOTTOMLEFT, BOTTOM, BOTTOMRIGHT, TOPLEFT, TOP, TOPRIGHT)

Last edited by 95DosBox on 2018-10-28, 16:22. Edited 2 times in total.

Reply 2 of 4, by 95DosBox

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MUNT will load synth settings file specified from MUNT.INI to determine:

MUNT TEXT MODE SYNTH SETTINGS FROM FILE SYNTH.INI
CAN BE EDITED IN DOS OR NOTEPAD MANUALLY.

;[SYNTH.INI] SYNTH PROPERTIES SAMPLE CONFIGURATION FILE

;[MIDI Delay Mode]
MidiDelayMode=Delay short MIDI messages only
;MidiDelayMode=Process all midi events immediately
;MidiDelayMode=Delay any MIDI events

;[DAC Emulation Mode]
DACEmulationMode=High Quality
;DACEmulationMode=Generation 1
;DACEmulationMode=Generation 2

;[Reverb]
Reverb=Default - depends on control ROM version
;Reverb=MT-32 Compatible
;Reverb=CM-32L/LAPC-I Compatible
;Reverb=OFF

;[Reverb Enabled Settings]
Reverb=Enabled
ReverbMode=0 ;Room
ReverbMode=1 ;Hall
ReverbMode=2 ;Plate
ReverbMode=3 ;Tap Delay

;[Reverb Settings]
ReverbTime =0 ;0 Min -> 7 Max
ReverbLevel=0 ;0 Min -> 7 Max

;[Analog Output]
AnalogOutput=Accurate analog path emulation
;AnalogOutput=Coarse analog path emulation
;AnalogOutput=Digital path emulation

;[Gain]
OutputGain=1 ;0 Min -> 4 Max
ReverbOutputGain=1 ;0 Min -> 4 Max

;[Miscellaneous Settings]
Reverse Stereo=OFF ;(ON, OFF)
SetChannels=2..10 ; Default Channel Assignment
;SetChannels=1..8,10 ; Alternate Channel Assignment #2
;SetChannels=Alt ; Use Alternate Channel Assignment on Synth Start

Reply 3 of 4, by 95DosBox

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Reply 4 of 4, by 95DosBox

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