Tom's Ultima MP3 Files - Recordings and Arrangements


Welcome to my collection!  Most of these MP3 files have been encoded from recordings of Ultima MIDI files as played by the Roland MT-32.   The MT-32 is a MIDI synthesizer from 1985 and it was the standard in high-end PC music for many years.  If you haven't experienced music from a genuine MT-32 before, you're in for a real treat.  The MT-32 has a unique personality and its outstanding digital reverb (which I have set to 80% for these recordings) really adds to the overall output quality.

Some of the files were recorded from a Roland SCC-1.  This synth from 1993 still beats most modern consumer-level sound cards for MIDI playback quality.  It is equivalent to the SC-55 which was the first synth to feature the Roland GS MIDI extensions.  The SCC-1 has a very balanced and disciplined instrument bank, paying attention to the small details that collectively make or break a mix.

A few files were recorded from my Sound Blaster Live! Platinum.  For the August 2000 update I used the 60MB Fluid soundfont combined with the 12MB Chaos soundfont.  This is a powerful combination but it sometimes lacks balance and control.  But when it works for a piece, it works beautifully!  I also did a few arrangements with the sYnerGi 48 soundfont, which is much more balanced.

One file, the Ultima VI character creation music, is available as an arrangement done with the Roland SC-8850, a fine piece of equipment.

Updates:


All tracks below were recorded from the Roland MT-32 unless otherwise specified.


Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (1992)

Music by: George A. Sanger (aka The Fat Man), Dave Govett

Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (1993)

Music by: Jon Blackley, Dan Schmidt

Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990)

Music by: Kenneth W. Arnold, Todd Mitchell Porter, Herman Miller, David Watson, Kathleen Jones

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992)

Music by: Dana Glover, Kirk Winterrowd, Raymond Benson, Marc Schaefgen

Ultima VII Part 2: The Serpent Isle (1993)

Music by: Dana Glover, Marc Schaefgen, Raymond Benson, Kathleen Jones, Herman Miller, David Watson, Kirk Winterrowd

Ultima Online: The Shattered Legacy (1997)

Music by: Kirk Winterrowd, Joe Basquez


Comments?  Requests?  E-mail me at .

Note: This music is the property of Origin.  Since they don't seem to mind distribution of MIDI files from old Ultima games, I don't think they'll mind someone rendering those MIDI's into MP3's.  Especially since they've now gone out of business. :-(


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