Best soundcards for true DOS sound

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PCI soundcards and "true DOS": Do-able?...

Hi.

I'm gonna be upgrading to a new mobo soon, and I have an unusual question. Does anyone know of any PCI soundcards that have "true DOS" compatibility (drivers for same, etc.)?...

I run multiboot systems, and I plan to have this new rig run Win 9x and also boot to DOS 6x to play my older WC games with. The mobo I'm considering has no ISA slots, and that's where this question arises from. (I realize that if a card does work in pure DOS, it won't nec'lly be able to give the full range of features as it does in Win 9x, but that's OK--these games don't demand that anyway, since they're older...).

Those PCI cards that I've read the box of (on the store shelves) don't seem to be DOS compatible, except in a DOS window, or Win 9x "DOS mode". Yet, I do have a (?2 yr old) "Ensoniq PCI" card that, to read it's doc's on the CD, seems to be able to support "pure DOS".

So, I'm wondering if any anyone knows of, or can you recommend, any other PCI cards that'll let you play in DOS 6x?... Thanx....
 
Originally posted by Johnl12
Do not go with a SBLive card. These DOS drivers are the worst. The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and Hercules Game Theater XP cards are very popular
with ex-sblive card owner.
http://3dsoundsurge.com/
Click to expand...

Yeah, but are those 2 cards you mention able to run in DOS 6?...:confused:
 
They have Real Mode DOS drivers. It just you won't be able to use they any special feature under Real DOS. But that's the same with any new sound card. The best sound card for DOS is SB16. I have a old IBM P60 with DOS and a SB16 PCI install for my DOS games. You can have a SB16 and another sound card install on one system. I used to have a SBLive Value and SB16 PCI install on a Win98 machine.

One problem with DOS games is that the newer PC's are just to poweriful for them to run. Also, newer OS's - WinME, NT, W2000 and XP just won't support them. XP is suppose to have a DOS emulator for DOS games to play in windows, but only games like DUKE or DOOM will work on them. P1 most likey won't play on it. The best way to play DOS games now is to get a old 486 DX and install DOS on it. These systems go for under $100.00. Check Ebay or EggHead.com
 
Originally posted by Johnl12
Do not go with a SBLive card. These DOS drivers are the worst. The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and Hercules Game Theater XP cards are very popular
with ex-sblive card owner.
http://3dsoundsurge.com/
Click to expand...

that MUST be the SBLive! 5.1 or Gold you're talking about then... got a SBLive! Value here and even WC1 has ok music, even privateer works fine.

True that most unfortunately older DOS games are very often unplayable on our new and fast machines. High time someone started developing a 386EnvironmentEmulator for PIII and AMD so we can play our old games again.
 
I had the impression that CPUs support instructions from the previous generation, and that the problem with playing old games on new computers was excessive speed (lacking a frame limiter), and the operating system and the drivers it supports (or doesn't support).
 
For Computers or any new tech. to become faster and more reliable we must said goodbye to backward comparability. MS is doing everything it can to get rid of DOS. This is why W2000 and XP don't have native DOS support. CL doesn't even have a SB16 emulator for W2000. CL has remove most of it DOS drivers for their older products off their web site.

Sound Blaster's new Audigy sound card's Minimum System Requirements state Win98 and not Win95. And for Firewire to work you need Win98 Se.

Intel/MS are working together on a 64 bit processor. It is believe that WinMe and earlier OS's will not able to work on these new processors.

This is the way of the future of Computer - Hi-tech. In about three years programs written for Win9x will not be able to run on these new systems unless someone writes a patch.
 
Originally posted by Johnl12
They have Real Mode DOS drivers. It just you won't be able to use they any special feature under Real DOS. But that's the same with any new sound card. The best sound card for DOS is SB16. I have a old IBM P60 with DOS and a SB16 PCI install for my DOS games. You can have a SB16 and another sound card install on one system. I used to have a SBLive Value and SB16 PCI install on a Win98 machine.

One problem with DOS games is that the newer PC's are just to poweriful for them to run. Also, newer OS's - WinME, NT, W2000 and XP just won't support them. XP is suppose to have a DOS emulator for DOS games to play in windows, but only games like DUKE or DOOM will work on them. P1 most likey won't play on it. The best way to play DOS games now is to get a old 486 DX and install DOS on it. These systems go for under $100.00. Check Ebay or EggHead.com
Click to expand...

1) I didn't know SB16 was avail. in PCI flavor--Thx
2) How do you switch betw the 2, if they're both in yer system @ the same time?... Obviously, you'd wanna change the speakers/mic cables/etc., but I'm more curious how you avoid any software conflicts from having the drivers of 2 diff cards in your registry....Please xplain...
 
The SB16 takes over the SB16 Emulation so you'll need to disable the primary sound card's SB16 Emulation in the Device Manager. SB16 comes with a black cable that you'll plug into SB16 sound out and into the primary sound card "Line In". The PC Volume Control you'll need to enable "Line In" volume. There is no conflict because SB16 will do the 8-16 bit sound and the primary does the 22+ bit sound.

But for under $100.00 you can get a older PC for DOS at Ebay.
 
Originally posted by Johnl12
The SB16 takes over the SB16 Emulation so you'll need to disable the primary sound card's SB16 Emulation in the Device Manager. SB16 comes with a black cable that you'll plug into SB16 sound out and into the primary sound card "Line In". The PC Volume Control you'll need to enable "Line In" volume. There is no conflict because SB16 will do the 8-16 bit sound and the primary does the 22+ bit sound.

But for under $100.00 you can get a older PC for DOS at Ebay.
Click to expand...

Thx for the explanation. Maybe I'll try it, when I get around to it.

As to the DOS PC suggestion, no thanx. I have a couple machines I could use for that purpose, but I like the idea of having an "all-around" PC. I like to "do it all in one place". I've had a good success record thus far being able to adapt my primary machine to do all I want it to do. That's why I'm into multiboot setups--I can sorta "have my cake & eat it too", digitally. So, I search for ways I can get my new PC set up to do this; once I'm finally ready to make the plunge & buy a new mobo, I'll hopefully have done enough homework ahead of time to be able to "have it all" with a minimum of fuss. :)

In fact, once I get there, maybe I'll post a note telling of all the glorious feats I've been able to accomplish with this. Then the CZ world will tremble in awe of my exploits (LOL!)
 
I have gone at length about this... but I'll say it again.

Firstly, the soundcard I have is quite old in terms of technology. It is a Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128. It can emulate the SB16, Roland MPU-401 and Adlib sound cards in DOS.

The fools at Creative did a really bad job of putting the DOS drivers together, but with a little elbow grease, you can get it to work. In Windows DOS though, you don't have to do any configuring and it'll work fine. I've never heard the MIDI in WC3 sound so real before.
 
heh... well it's not ANCIENT... I bought it in new condition. It's got great MIDI banks, but I don't have lots of memory, so I have to enable the 2MB waveset, but it comes with a 4MB waveset and an 8MB waveset. Of course, the more MB equals better sound.

Plus, I've found ways around some problems with their driver installation programs to get it working perfectly in DOS and in Windows.

The odd thing though, and this probably belongs in another thread, is that MIDI and sound in WC2 in DOS isn't perfect. The timpani in the songs sounds like a xylophone. Also, the sounds of lasers firing is odd, because some Confed fighters sound like xylophones when they fire. Changing sound card type doesn't change it, but it doesn't hurt anything because the speech is still perfect and the game runs fine.
 
Originally posted by Saturnyne
...more MB equals better sound.
Click to expand...
Usually. ;)

The problem with the xylophones seems to be mismatched patches or channels. I get that sometimes playing MIDIs in Winamp, where the drum track is played as a normal instrument. Sounds awful.
 
heh... the odd thing is, once... ONCE of all the times I played WC2, the timpanis did sound fine, but only once. My sound card was on IRQ 7 at the time, but speech doesn't react well to that, so I changed the card to IRQ 5 a few plays after.

As for the laser sounds and stuff... why would they sound like MIDI instruments? I would have thought they'd be digital noises.
 
Nah, WC1/2 both used MIDI sounds for guns. I noticed this when the sound FX would remain loud even after significantly reducing the "Wave" volume bar in the sound mixer in DOS.

AFAIK, Priv onwards use digital sounds for sound FX.
 
ah... I suppose it would save memory because you wouldn't need to load up the digital sounds. I'll just have to worry about dodging the killer xylophones. :p
 
Originally posted by Silent Warrior
GO WITH THE ENSONIQUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a Maestro-2 myself (ESS-make, wuv it), and it works with EVERYTHING! No way around it, you can't make that thing fail to work. No EAX-issues, DirectSound is always there for back-up (you know, for those games who don't really like A3D for some reason), no problems in any way with older Wing Commanders (Privateer sounds just great, as far as I can tell), AND IT'S GREAT!

:D

I love my Maestro. ;)
Click to expand...

Ummm, never heard of "Maestro" soundcard--who makes it?... Are you sure you ain't talkin' 'bout the Guillemot "Fortissimo, or perhaps their (lower end) "Muse"?... Please clarify...
 
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