CM-32L - MAME machine

Musical Instrument (Electronic) published 37 years ago:

CM-32L © 1989 Roland

The Roland CM-32L was a compact MIDI sound module designed primarily for computer music, multimedia applications, and home studio use. Manufactured by Roland Corporation, it was based on the company's LA (Linear Arithmetic) synthesis technology and was closely related to the MT-32 Multi-Timbre Sound Module. The CM-32L combined synthesized and sampled waveforms to produce a wide variety of instrument sounds while adding several sound effects and percussion samples not found in the standard MT-32. Thanks to its rich MIDI capabilities and affordable price, the module became a popular choice for computer gaming, sequencing, and educational music systems during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

TECHNICAL

• Velocity sensitive.
• 8-32 voice (9 part multimbral).
• 1-4 oscillators (sample or resonant low pass filtered saw/square).
• dedicated pitch/filter/amp 5 stage envelopes.
• LFO.
• Reverb.
• 128 presets.

TRIVIA
The CM-32L is largely compatible with the famous Roland MT-32, one of the most influential computer music modules ever produced.

Unlike the MT-32, the CM-32L included additional sound effects samples such as explosions, gunshots, door slams, crashes, and other noises intended for multimedia and computer applications.

The module became widely used by PC game developers, particularly during the DOS gaming era, where its sounds provided a significant improvement over the simple FM synthesis available on most sound cards.

Numerous classic adventure games from companies such as Sierra On-Line and LucasArts were composed with Roland LA synthesis modules in mind.

Because of its extra sound effects bank, some games sound more accurate on a CM-32L than on an MT-32, even though both devices share the same basic synthesis engine.

The CM-32L was part of Roland's Computer Music (CM) product family, which included several modules tailored for MIDI-equipped personal computers.

Modern DOS gaming enthusiasts and preservationists often seek original CM-32L units because emulators may not perfectly reproduce every aspect of the hardware's sound generation.

The module's combination of sampled attacks and synthesized sustain portions was a hallmark of Roland's LA synthesis technology, helping achieve rich sounds with relatively modest hardware resources.

CONTRIBUTE
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