What I wasn't particularly impressed with on the AudioPCI was how it uses the same waveset as the SoundBlaster Live! and all AudioPCI-based SoundBlasters. I was expecting a different sound using the Soundscape option for music in X-Wing, but it's the exact same sound as my SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 and SoundBlaster Vibra128 using General MIDI music. But the Soundscape support is a nice bonus in Ensoniq's drivers, and I really like the MIDI it puts out(call me stupid, but I prefer the 2MB waveset - kinda sounds like a modified Soundscape Elite waveset). Might have to try out the 4MB and 8MB wavesets a little more thoroughly some day. I know Doom sounds very good with the 4MB and 8MB wavesets.

Say, does the sound of the simulated FM Synthesis change in any way with the 4MB and 8MB wavesets?

It's all relative...

These cards are sooo cheap and simple and easy to find. They are also very quiet (not noisy at all). I guess this is because they are so simple / highly integrated.

The 4 recordings I just made (with the 8MB soundfont) sound great. They certainly sound better than native AWE32 / AWE64 option (which quite a few games have).

I don't think it's worth looking into the FM part at all, even with the 8MB soundfont. It will still sound like totally garbage 🤣

PS: Check out the Descent 2 music. Sounds great don't you think?

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

So looks like my two AudioPCI cards work with the Ensoniq and Creative driver.

Cool!
With ES1373 chipsets right?

I have my Ensoniq Dos driver "test report" somewere, let me see exactly what happened when I tried it back then.

Yea I have a picture as well:

Hey, except for the little creative overprint on the chip, it is all Ensoniq there. Mine looks different, it even got a creative labs card number: CT4810 IIRC.

Hmm maybe it's not a rebranded AudioPCI card but one of the later Creative designs.

CT4810 is a SoundBlaster Vibra128. I have one of those, and the Ensoniq AudioPCI drivers don't work on that card. You MUST use Creative's drivers because it doesn't use any of Ensoniq's chips. It uses a CT5880 rather than one of the Ensoniq ES137x chips, so it uses one of the later Creative chips based off the AudioPCI but not a 100% exact copy of the Ensoniq ES137x(all Soundscape support is removed and SoundBlaster 16 support is added).

Ah there you go 😀 Cheers for clearing that up!

EDIT: I love this cards. I will get one of these Aureal 2 cards soon and will do lots of testing and see what they are like...

Vortex 2s are nothing special. They do have very good SoundBlaster Pro support, but the rest is lousy as all hell. It uses a better software-emulated YMF262 than the SoundBlaster Live!, but it's still not very good for 3 reasons:

1) It sometimes gets distorted
2) The sound pitch is noticeably lower
3) It sounds VERY heavily downsampled

Not even the General MIDI is any good. If anything, it actually misses many notes, screwing up all the sound. I don't know if it will change anything if an MIDI daughterboard is fitted onto the wavetable header, but using General MIDI music usually resulted in nasty music with many notes that never play.

Well it was recommended to me and I want to see / hear it for myself 🤣

It's all about the journey...

Got defeated by an IDE cable today. Wanted to install W95B so I can test out rfnagel GM soundfont on my Live! 5.1 Digital / Audigy LS.

Tried to hook up my DVD drive and turns out the cabled don't fit. Pin 20 shouldn't be there, but it is 😒

Not sure what to do. Tried "ripping" out that pin but not much luck. All the IDE cables I got have pin 20 closed up.

Sort of related bump:
Does the YMF-724 have a hardware or software synth?

IIRC The chip has XG on it, but I can't check since it's upside down in the PCI slot.

TheLazy1 wrote:

Sort of related bump:
Does the YMF-724 have hardware or software midi playback?

IIRC The chip has XG on it, but I can't check since it's upside down in the PCI slot.

!= Edit

I read it is both software and hardware.
The instrument patch set is in software at least.
and in pure dos the midi wont work.

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Well it was recommended to me and I want to see / hear it for myself LOL […]
Show full quote

Well it was recommended to me and I want to see / hear it for myself 🤣

It's all about the journey...

Got defeated by an IDE cable today. Wanted to install W95B so I can test out rfnagel GM soundfont on my Live! 5.1 Digital / Audigy LS.

Tried to hook up my DVD drive and turns out the cabled don't fit. Pin 20 shouldn't be there, but it is 😒

Not sure what to do. Tried "ripping" out that pin but not much luck. All the IDE cables I got have pin 20 closed up.

I had that problem too, I just got a thin nail and poked a hole in the end of the IDE cable so the pin fits through 😀

Sounds like a plan 🤣

gerwin wrote:

I read it is both software and hardware.
The instrument patch set is in software at least.
and in pure dos the midi wont work.

I wonder if just a patch loader is needed for linux...

1lazyhost lazy # aconnect -o
2client 14: 'Midi Through' [type=kernel]
3    0 'Midi Through Port-0'
4client 20: 'Yamaha DS-1 (YMF724F)' [type=kernel]
5    0 'Yamaha DS-1 (YMF724F) MIDI'
6client 21: 'OPL3 FM synth' [type=kernel]
7    0 'OPL3 FM Port    '

Nothing plays through client 20, but I wonder if it would if the patches were loaded. Similar how to it is with emu cards.
Of course a loader would have to be written...