On subjectivity

While few people would choose PC speaker audio when better options are available, the “best” choice becomes genuinely subjective as you move up the list of preferred sound devices — and the differences between them run deeper than you might think.

To save cost and effort, developers usually commissioned musicians to create the soundtrack for the most advanced audio device their game had support for. Music for the other “lesser” devices had usually been derived from these original compositions, often by secondary composers, or in some cases by the programmers themselves. The worst possible solution was to let an audio middleware library called Miles Sound System, widely used by DOS developers to handle audio across multiple devices, do an automatic by-the-numbers translation from General MIDI to OPL — a wholly disappointing practice found in some late DOS-era games. As a result of these different approaches, the quality of these derived soundtracks vary greatly between games and development studios.

For example, Sierra On-Line was famous for attracting high-profile musicians to compose the Roland MT-32 “master” soundtracks for many of their post-1987 adventure games. Their first game with Roland MT-32 support was King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella released in 1988, which was the first PC game to feature a fully-orchestrated soundtrack written by a professional media composer, William Goldstein.

Similarly, the music of Police Quest III: The Kindred from 1991 was composed by Jan Hammer of Miami Vice fame specifically for the Roland MT-32. Jan Hammer had a particular affinity for the LA synthesis of the Roland D-50 — the MT-32’s bigger sibling, and a defining sound of 1980s pop music. Sierra simply couldn’t have found a more suitable musician for the job!

Most people could only afford an AdLib or a Sound Blaster back in the day, but given that now everybody has the option to listen to these soundtracks in their original form — true to the composers’ intentions. Not doing so feels almost like a sacrilege.

But the picture isn’t always this clear-cut. Some games were composed primarily for OPL synthesis, with MT-32 or General MIDI support added as an afterthought. Others have OPL soundtracks with such character and charm that many players genuinely prefer them over the “objectively better” MIDI versions. There’s an argument that smooth, richly articulated MT-32 or General MIDI music can feel strangely at odds with the chunky pixel art of a 320×200 game — a kind of uncanny valley where the audio and visuals seem to belong to different worlds. Sometimes the gritty texture of OPL just fits better. And a handful of titles simply sound best on the Gravis UltraSound or with raw FM synthesis.

The takeaway is simple: always try the different audio options your game supports. Start with the highest-ranked option from the suggested preferences, but don’t be afraid to switch if another device sounds better to your ears. The “right” choice is whichever one brings you the most enjoyment.