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ROLAND MT-100 Japan 1987



This is basicly a Roland MT-32 in a Roland PR100 sequencer box, which is a 2 track real time sequencer.
Some people laugh at the Roland MT-32/MT-100, but I think the sound has a certain "magic".
Its already worth buying for the "Soundtrack" preset, its got a lush build in gritty warm sounding reverb and a truly ghetto drumkit!
I still want to know if Roland ever put that warm cheap reverb in a stand alone effects box.

The MT100/32 uses the Roland L.A. synthesis which is also used in the D5/D10/D110/D20 etc. (The D50 used a more advanced version of this).

This is a digital substractive method of synthesis, with digital square, saw, sine oscillators or a PCM sample. You can put these waveforms through an TVF (Time Variant Filter) which is a kind of digital Filter.

I would highly recommned one of those D-series synths over the MT100/32 because the MT100/32 does not have memory for user patches, you can put them in while its on
but if its turned off it loses all the user patches again. The only thing going for the Roland MT-32 is its unresistable cuteness:



the original MT-32

To pump out the maximum juice Roland also tried to market the MT-32 as a kind of MSDOS PC computer add-on, mainly in the form of the LAP-I soundcard.
This worked quite well and a  lot of games in the late 80s and (very) early 90s for the PC would have (optional) game music for this box. In 1990 They also released the CM32L which looked like something of a central heating thermostat, coloured beige and sporting only one knob with 2 LEDs, so it would fit more with the computer design from that time.


Design Minamalism, the Roland CM32L

A Legowelt track in which the MT100 was used heavily is E-PanMT100 You can hear the drums of the MT100 and the nice sound called "E-pan"
This track Bannock Bird Hat also uses a lot of sounds of the MT100, like the "Soundtrack" patch.

The Mysterious SN-MT-32-09???



Is this the MT-32 version of the famous Roland JD990/JV-series vintage card? Or its far predessor?
Wait a minute there are no card slots in an MT-32 or MT100 or CM32L...there are no ROM cards or whatever cards for those machines...what is going here?
Actually its a soundbank with some "analog"-style patches I programmed for the MT-32 you can download it here, this picture of a supposed MT-32 vintage ROM card is just to create confusion and chaos.

MT-32 Links:

MT-32 on wikipedia
Page with lots of cool mp3's demos
Synthmania MT-32 All the presets in mp3's
Radio MT-32 Roland MT-32 classic game music.