Running dosbox in machine=tandy mode?

Yep, I run all my AGI sierra games in tandy mode and they use the 3-voice support.

The thing I don't understand is, didn't dosbox used to have just tandy 3 voice without having to switch to a tandy machine? I recall hearing it without changing the vga default. I'm just wondering because some games won't run in tandy mode but have tandy 3-voice sound support (an external tandy synth?)

avatar_58 wrote:

The thing I don't understand is, didn't dosbox used to have just tandy 3 voice without having to switch to a tandy machine? I recall hearing it without changing the vga default. I'm just wondering because some games won't run in tandy mode but have tandy 3-voice sound support (an external tandy synth?)

Yes, it used to be possible to use tandy sound separately. Not any more (the argument is that it was not possible on a real computer).
IMHO Tandy sound should be usable independently... But developers have a different opinion...

Mirek

I see. But is it possible? If it isn't then why do some sierra SCI games have tandy 3-voice suport yet clearly do not support the tandy itself.

There must have been a synth sold seperatly.....

Although I guess it doesn't matter since running in tandy mode for games that need an internal spaker work just fine.

I don't think Tandy sound to be any "synth" type. Just a three-channel internal speaker.

avatar_58 wrote:

I see. But is it possible? If it isn't then why do some sierra SCI games have tandy 3-voice suport yet clearly do not support the tandy itself.

There must have been a synth sold seperatly.....

They didn't. Quoting oldskool.org:

Once VGA and sound boards became mainstream, there was little reason to own a Tandy that specifically catered to the old standards. "The Tandy 1000 TL/3, 1000 RL/2 and 1000 RL-HD were the last. Most of these appeared in the 1992 catalog (printed Fall 1991). The 1000-RLX that appeared in the fall of 1992 was VGA-based, but still had the PSSJ sound hardware, as did the 1000-RSX."

So the later Tandy's were VGA compatible, but did have the sound hardware from the original Tandy 1000. Maybe this is a good argument for the developers for seperate Tandy music?

JAL

Reference: http://www.oldskool.org/shrines/pcjr_tandy

In computers that have a 2nd dma controller, which are all AT and up the tandy sound overlaps with the second dma controller's ports

Harekiet wrote:

In computers that have a 2nd dma controller, which are all AT and up the tandy sound overlaps with the second dma controller's ports

True, but setting Tandy-sound on would then just disable the 2nd DMA controller.

JAL

mirekluza wrote:

Yes, it used to be possible to use tandy sound separately. Not any more (the argument is that it was not possible on a real computer).

There is a guy on vogons forum who said he has a PCJr (Tandy) sound card for a PC. So it is possible.
PCjr Emulation Plays At Incorrect Pitch
Tandy Sounds/PCjr emulation flaw

robertmo wrote:

There is a guy on vogons forum who said he has a PCJr (Tandy) sound card for a PC. So it is possible.

Well, reading the topics, I think he assumes there are. He speaks of a "hardware soundrecording", but doesn't say he made it on his own PC, and in the second post, he talks about "support for Tandy add-on cards", without explicitely saying he has one himself.

My conclusion is that he heard of VGA + Tandy PC's, which did exists more or less, as the last Tandy models had VGA + Tandy sound (although they were still Tandy's, not 100% PC compatibles).

Of course there was little reason for Tandy add-on boards, since by the time that VGA appeared, AdLib and Soundblaster cards were readily available, offering superior sound quality.

JAL

You are correct that there are no actual PCjr/Tandy sounds add-on boards for PC ATs. This was a misconception of my own after having read several vague comments on the web about PCjr/Tandy Sound System support in games. However, irrespective of this, all of the points that have been previously made still stand. There are games that support PCjr + Tandy sounds but do not support their native graphic modes.

Therefore, those games must have been designed with later Tandy models in mind, and support for those models should still be present in DOSBox. How hard would it be to include an option to turn PCjr/Tandy sounds support on for those games? I know that the authors labour to correctly emulate actual existing hardware, but such combinations are not unheard of. For example, ScummVM supports PCjr/Tandy sound emulation and it certainly does not support their graphic emulation [this may be a poor comparison, however, since the two projects aim to do completely different things -- but at least, as I said, the combination is not unheard of].

tbcarey wrote:

However, irrespective of this, all of the points that have been previously made still stand.

I completely agree (as you might have concluded from my previous comments). Tandy sound should be configurable independently from Tandy graphics, for two good reasons:

1) Computers used to exist having Tandy sound + VGA graphics
2) Games exist with allow a configuration of Tandy sound + VGA graphics

I really hope this time the DOSbox developers will bow to our arguments.

JAL