Rediscovering the Roland PMA-5 for DOS Gaming

The Roland SC-55 has long been considered the gold standard for General MIDI on classic MS-DOS games. But hidden inside the portable Roland PMA-5 is a genuine Roland GS sound engine that delivers a surprisingly authentic Sound Canvas experience, while fitting in the palm of your hand and running on six AA batteries. In this episode of my Space Saving DOS Gaming series, I restore a Roland PMA-5, compare it directly against the Roland SC-55, and put both modules through some of the most iconic DOS games ever made to find out whether this overlooked portable workstation can become a practical SC-55 alternative.