Features
Like the Roland D-50 Linear Synthesizer, it uses Linear Arithmetic synthesis, a form of sample-based synthesis combined with subtractive synthesis, to produce its sounds. Samples are used for attacks and drums, while traditional synthesis assures the sustain phase of the sounds.
The original MT-32 comes with a preset library of 128 synth and 30 rhythm sounds, playable on 8 melodic channels and one rhythm channel. It also features a digital reverberation effect. Successors (see below) added a library of 33 sound effects. Because of the absence of a piano attack sample, it cannot play a convincing acoustic piano sound.
Being a synthesizer rather than a wavetable device, the MT-32 is very programmable. Sounds are created from up to 4 partials which can be combined in various ways (including ring modulation). With 32 partials available overall, polyphony depends on the tonal complexity of the music, and 8 to 32 notes can be played simultaneously.
The MT-32 by default does not play on the otherwise most popular MIDI channel 1 (and by consequence neither do MIDI files targeted for it), but can be reprogrammed to do this, through MIDI system exclusive messages, for example to achieve a certain level of General MIDI compatibility.
Read more about this topic: Roland MT-32
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