I still don't understand the difference between these two. If I want to get an MSX Turbo-R, which kind of cartridge should I use for the maximum functionality with games? MSX AUDIO cart or MSX MUSIC cart?
http://www.faq.msxnet.org/msxaudio.html http://www.faq.msxnet.org/fmpac.html in short to me it seems that MSXAudio was more powerful hence expensive but MSXMusic was what ended up being used the most. From the second link: Which MSX computers have MSX-Music built in? Most MSX2+ and all the MSX turboR machines have MSX-Music built in, including the 16kB of FM-Basic which allows user to write music and add into their own BASIC programs Which software uses the MSX-Music? Almost all MSX2/2+/turboR games produced after 1988 Almost all demos/disk magazines/music disks e.g. made after 1990
The MSX Audio provides better music, but most games worth playing, like Aleste or R-Type, will use the FM-PAC (which is called MSX Music when built into the system). R-Type actually has two different soundtracks - actually, the game has two entirely different versions of the game built in depending on the hardware being used. Run the thing on a normal MSX and you'll see different sprites with greatly reduced colors and hear a different soundtrack. An MSX2 with an FM-PAC or an MSX2+ will display different art and play different music. When I got into my MSX, I asked a friend what to choose and he suggested an FM-Pac. Since then, I have yet to run into a single game that'd benefit more from MSX Audio. In fact, I have more games that use Konami's external SCC+ carts than MSX Audio.
Compile stuff (mostly disk based) will use a MSX-Audio if it has the basic extension (call audio) rom installed. The only model that comes with it from factory is the Panasonic unit FS-CA1. Also, for the op: MSX-Audio is a powerful synthesizer chip which contains an OPL1 chip (YM3526) plus a Microsoft ADPCM hardware sampler/digitizer and a GPIO port which is usually used for a keyboard input. Some MSX Audio carts also have a MIDI interface in them. MSX MUSIC is slightly different in the sense it has a simplified form of the OPL2 chip (YM3812) called OPLL (YM2413) as synthesizer element. Also because it has no ADPCM it cannot play samples. The FM instruments patches on the ROM of the MSX-MUSIC are different than those on the MSX-Audio ROM and that makes up for some slightly different sound even with them being chips from the same synthesizer family. I'd suggest you having both, and get a copy of Moonblaster 1.4 plus some music files to play with it. Also look for the Muzax music discs.
