X68000's MDX

MDX is a Music Macro Language (MML) based format designed to be played on the X68000 series of computers. The music data is programmed then compiled into the MDX file. An optional PDX file containing PCM data may be present.

MXDRV is a terminate and stay resident (TSR) driver for playing MDX files. An external player is required to play MDX files. MMDSP was a popular multi-format front end on the X68000 whose interface is emulated by MDXWin on the PC. MDXWin also has a unique feature over other players. It has an online database of MDX files that you can access through the file browser.

The original MXDRV executable was developed by "K.MAEKAWA" and "Missy.M". It was later disassembled by "Gorry" and ported to Windows in the form of the MXDRVg DLL. The X68000 FM chip is emulated by the X68Sound DLL written by mpuusan. These have later been ported to XMMS for UNIX platforms. Hardware based sound boards also exist for PC such as ROMEO, GIMIC and Rebirth.

The X68000 contains two sound chips:

• A Yamaha YM2151 (OPM) (8 channel FM synthesis chip)
• A single OKI MSM6258 ADPCM chip (1 channel/4-bit/3.9/5.2/7.8/10.4/15.6 kHz).

Software mixing is available allowing for up to 8 PCM channels through drivers such as PCM8 and Rydeen. Later in the systems life an expansion card, called Mercury Unit, was released that provided stereo 16-bit 44kHz output.