Roland LAPC-I
The Roland LAPC-I is a sound card for IBM PC compatible computers produced by Roland Corporation. It basically consists of a MT-32-compatible Roland CM-32L and a MPU-401 unit, integrated onto a single full-length 8-bit ISA card. In addition to normal Roland dealers aimed at musicians, it was distributed in the USA by Sierra On-Line for use with the company's games. The MSRP of the card was around USD 425.[1]
Sierra On-Line was instrumental in working with Roland Corporation in introducing high-end sound modules and sound cards in the consumer gaming market in the late 1980s through early 1990s.[2]
It came with no software or accessories, although no specific software was necessary, since the MT-32 appeared as a MIDI peripheral connected to the MPU-401 on MIDI channels 2 through 10. To connect the LAPC-I to other MIDI devices, an MCB-1 module is required.
A model called the LAPC-N was also released for the Japanese NEC PC-98 system. To connect the LAPC-N to other MIDI devices, an MCB-2 module is required.
The card was and is often mistakenly called LAPC-1, but photos of the card's PCB and retail box show a capital letter I rather than a figure 1. Further evidence can be found in the owners manual which mentions the LAPC-I and also MCB-1, clearly showing specific use of I instead of 1.[3] The "I" presumably stands for "IBM PC", and the "N" for NEC.
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References
- ↑ Sierra On-Line 1989 10th Anniversary Catalog, page 25: http://www.sierragamers.com/uploads/24082/Catalogs/Catalog_1990_10th_Anniversary.pdf
- ↑ Sierra On-Line 1989 10th Anniversary Catalog: page 42 - 45, http://www.sierragamers.com/uploads/24082/Catalogs/Catalog_1990_10th_Anniversary.pdf
- ↑ , Roland LAPC-I owners manual.