Classic MIDI

eden · Jul 18, 2004

Prior to getting an SB Live, all older SB, especially the SB 16, gave a nicer MIDI sound (more classic) for games like Doom II and Hover. (well, I am not sure if Doom II used a MIDI table, but if not, it was still using some older form of synthesiser)

Well, I'd love to recreate that atmosphere, and was wondering if current Sound Blasters have some options you can fiddle with to set them to the older AWE or 16-bit MIDI table. And is it available as an option I can later come to switch back to more recent MIDI technology?

My goal is really just about recreating the old-school feeling as much as possible.

Thanks yall.

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confoundicator · Jul 18, 2004

You should be able to change between several different MIDI settings in the Sounds and Audio Devices part of the control panel. I was under the impression that new MIDI standards were a superset of previous versions.

He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it, hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart. -C.S. Lewis

eden · Jul 18, 2004

Yeah they sorta "improve", but for my case, they kinda screw up the old school sound. Think Mario Bros NES version and Mario Bros SNES version using the All-Stars 16-bit sound engine. (well it didn't make them bad per se, they still rocked, just that anyone would get a shot of nostalgia hearing the NES version anyday)

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eden · Jul 18, 2004

BTW I tried changing modes, nothing changed. I got about 5 different playback modes. There is one specifically different one, the MS GS Wavetable synthesiser, made by Roland.

Any other ideas?

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thaloc · Jul 19, 2004

I think the 'classic' midi you write about is FM-based synth

. No modern card have OPLx chip for FM synth, all use wavetable (if there is any hardware midi synth at all). If you want to play old DOS games with FM sound, try DOSBox emulator, it emulates FM music very well (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/).
Nice article about old PC sound cards, with many samples how they sounded, can be found at:
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/?lang=en&what=articles&name=showarticle.htm&article=soundcards

eden · Jul 22, 2004

Many thanks for that program!

Though I've still not yet perfected using it, I've gotten it to work at a satisfying rate.

EDIT: Also an interesting link you showed me there. I now understand more about the old sound cards and their origins, as well as why they had so many options when defining a sound card in your game. Damn those times weren't easy for newbies, who just wanted their game to work. Nowadays no sound card setting is needed most of the time, it's all preconfigured or detected and you just set the quality or volumes.
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NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEdited by Eden on 07/22/04 02:26 AM.

eden · Jul 28, 2004

Do you know of a program that could emulate also the sound card type or the MIDI table?

I have a few Windows games whose music I prefered with my old SB AWE64 than the SB Live, nevermind how much more sound quality there is from it.

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BunnyStroker · Aug 3, 2004

Try <A HREF="http://www.ece.mcgill.ca/~vromas/vdmsound/" target="_new">VDMSound</A>

1.4 Ghz AMD T-Bird underclocked to 1 Ghz...just to be safe!

eden · Aug 5, 2004

Alas this is just another DOS emulator. I was hoping for a Windows sound blaster emulator one.

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mopeygoth · Sep 13, 2004

You could try getting hold of some dirrefent soundfont bank -files for your sb!live, though there is no way you can realize that beautiful raw, metallic, evil sound of the AWE32/64

you are also given various choices as to what kind of synth you want to use. (winamp for fastswitch/just don't forget to stop playback to initiate the change)

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phsstpok · Sep 14, 2004

VDMSound is NOT a DOS emulator. It is a Soundblaster emulator. It doesn't care what sound card is installed in your system. It actually emulates the hardware, complete with all the hardware register, memory, DMA, and port emulations, all done by using Windows resources. An added benefit is old DOS applications have access things that weren't originally available at the time of DOS, like USB devices, including thumb drives, mice, joysticks, and other peripherals, access files on NTFS partions, maybe even CD burners (but only in packet writing mode I should think).

Unfortunately, VDMSound can only use what is available, if Windows doesn't have an FM Synthesizer available then neither will VDMSound.

To get the kind of sound you want you could try a cheap CMedia 8738 sound card. You can get one for about $7. It emulates SBPro in hardware complete with an FM synthesizer. My old games sound just the way I remember them.

A mind is a terrible thing

eden · Jan 11, 2005

Forgive this extremely late reply (hadn't checked on the thread and getting an answer almost a month later was something I didn't expect at all)
I'm trying to run that thing, but I just have no clue how to configure it properly. Unless I didn't look too far, the help system's just not too good.

I'm just trying to emulate an SB 16 card (AWE64).

Know how to do that? I would like to run a Windows game (from those old MS game packs) with the old SB 16 interface.

--
The <A HREF="http://snipurl.com/bl3t" target="_new">THGC Photo Album</A>, send in your pics, get your own webpage and view other members' sites.Edited by Eden on 01/11/05 00:48 AM.

phsstpok · Jan 11, 2005

The way I recall there really isn't any configuring to be done to VDMSound itself. Any configuring is done in the old game and usually there's not much there either as those games expected the standard SB hardware. You start DOS emulation, you load VDMSound, you load your DOS game, you configure your game (if necessary). I can't tell you any more than that (but see below). I don't use Windows XP.

VDMSound is only for true DOS games and those weird hybrid games, those games that load inside Windows but are actually DOS games that use 32-bit extenders.

If you have a true Windows game then VDMSound isn't going to do anything for you.

What game do you have?

If your game fits the criteria then hopefully this site link (at the end) will work as a guideline for VDMSound. It's intended for some particular games so be careful when patching is dicussed but the rest of the info looks very good.

I'm going to be studying it myself because I didn't have much luck with Shadow Warrior. (I occasionally use the Windows 98 port of VDMSound).

<A HREF="http://www.deathmask.net/buildxp/" target="_new">http://www.deathmask.net/buildxp/</A>

A mind is a terrible thing

eden · Jan 11, 2005

Unfortunately then the program is of no need for me. I had thought you meant the program creates and emulates a sound card for Windows programs too. I'm looking for that basically. The game, like I said, is part of a Microsoft Windows game collections. It's Chip's Challenge. But I am mainly wanting info on how to get music playing for any Windows game I used to play that I'd like to hear the same way as before.

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phsstpok · Jan 11, 2005

According to my sources "Chip's Challenge" was originally released by Epyx in 1990. It was a DOS game that was later re-released by Microsoft in the Windows Entertainment Pack. It's probably one of those hybrid programs I mentioned

It seems to be available as Abandonware.

This doesn't change anything for you now though. You probably had the game playing through Adlib hardware which you no longer own. VDMSound emulates the operation of the sound hardware but it can't duplicate sound without that exact hardware being present.

Did I mention that all my old games sound identical to the way that "I" remember them using a cheapo (I mean inexpensive) Cmedia 8738 soundcard? I can't find it now but I swear I read that the 8738 chips do include the real Adlib playback.

In my case the old game was SWOTL, Secret Weapons of the Luftwafee. Just had small Adlib music pieces but they were very rich sounding.

Anyway, now you got me curious about how Chip's Challenge really did/does sound.

OT: Does anyone know if abandonware is truly free and legal? or is it just a euphemism for old ware(z)?

A mind is a terrible thing

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