I know the value cards are missing the daughterboard header but do they support external devices attached to the game/midi port?
On a related subject can anyone confirm what DSP version the AWE 32 Value CT3910 has? Anything bad about this card I should know before getting it?
Thanks
I'm pretty sure it'll either have DSP 4.12 or 4.13... my CT3900 has 4.13, but early builds of the CT3900 had 4.12
you should stay away from the value cards, they have no SIMM slots for ram upgrades... the SB32 will be a better choice (however, the SB32 has no ram despite having SIMM slots, whereas all AWE32s come with 512kb)
in any case, the CT3910 should still support external midi devices as it was a much touted by seldom used feature for all the 16-bit sound blaster cards... besides that, the chips on the CT3910 are the same as the CT3900, except for the lack of the CSP
4.13 bugger! if thats the case I dont want to use internal or external if its just going to play hung notes at me 🙁
Reason I'm interested is it has the real Yamaha OPL3.
Plus I want to hear what games sound like with the EMU8000 which is why I'm not looking at SB32's
It'll only be the games that have native suppport that'll really get to use it. I can see e being lazy and not loading soundfonts after a while.
If it can handle a midi device then thats good support for the 3 main formats Adlib, DAC & Midi.
a CT2760 or CT3900 are my ideal choice but think they are hard to come by
wrote:Plus I want to hear what games sound like with the EMU8000 which is why I'm not looking at SB32's
I thought all SB AWE and SB 32s had the EMU8000?
wrote:It'll only be the games that have native suppport that'll really get to use it
Could you not use MPU-401 emulation? Are you talking about Windows games or DOS games?
all of the AWE32s earlier than CT3900/3919 had the YMF262
some of the SB32s had the YMF262 too... the CT3930 did!
all of the AWE32s/SB32s are capable of FM synth, whether it comes from the YMF262 or not is a different story...
From what I have read the creative CQM can’t compete with a true YMF262 probably not an issue for later games but I like the idea of getting a pretty close to perfect sound solution out of 1 card for dos, so the mpu-401 emulation is out.
SB32 has the cut down Vibra EMU so no Treble, Bass Gain. probably not a big issue but like to know its there if I want it.
the vibra chips are supposed to provide a cleaner output despite the loss of the bass/treble controls for most variations
the 2nd generation CT2502 was a licensed crystal semi-conductor chip which had bass/treble controls, but you were forced to put up with CQM instead
for true YMF262, you're forced to live without bass/treble controls with the CT2501 and CT2504 vibra chips
wrote:the 2nd generation CT2502 was a licensed crystal semi-conductor chip which had bass/treble controls, but you were forced to put up with CQM instead...
Not necessarily. Take Creative's CT2940, for example. Both CQM and OPL3-L configurations exist...
interesting...
wrote:Not necessarily. Take Creative's CT2940, for example. Both CQM and OPL3-L configurations exist... […]
wrote:the 2nd generation CT2502 was a licensed crystal semi-conductor chip which had bass/treble controls, but you were forced to put up with CQM instead...
Not necessarily. Take Creative's CT2940, for example. Both CQM and OPL3-L configurations exist...
How does a SoundBlaster such as this one know whether to use CQM or output OPL3 from the YMF289? Does it simply send FM data to both the YMF289 and CQM and only the outputs from the YMF289 are used? Or does CQM shut itself off when there's a YMF289 on the sound card?
Some SoundBlasters with CQM have solder spots for a YMF289 and accompanying YAC516, and I'm quite curious to know what goes on with these SoundBlasters that have both CQM and OPL3.
Creator of The Many Sounds of:, a collection of various DOS games played using different sound cards.
wrote:Some SoundBlasters with CQM have solder spots for a YMF289 and accompanying YAC516, and I'm quite curious to know what goes on with these SoundBlasters that have both CQM and OPL3.
You won't find a card bearing both a standalone CQM chip (CT1978) and an OPL3; a set of solder pads for one or the other and its accompanying DAC will always be empty.
Oh, I see. I thought CQM was within the CT2502. So I guess to get OPL3 out of a sound card with solder spots for both the CT1978 and the YMF289/YAC516 combo, the CT1978 would need to be removed? If both chips were to be soldered onto a SoundBlaster 16 or AWE32 which can take both CQM or OPL3(if, for example, I add a YMF289 to my SoundBlaster 32 CT3600), would both chips work at the same time?
Creator of The Many Sounds of:, a collection of various DOS games played using different sound cards.
I took a multimeter to a CT3990, and the outputs for both the CQM and OPL3 DACs (unsurprisingly) share the same circuit. I can't imagine anything good happening if both were installed and sounded concurrently... which they would, since the synth chips would be simultaneously addressed.
Keep in mind that there are a number of other components that need to be installed in addition to the Yamaha chips - a crystal, and surface-mounted resistors and capacitors. You can likely scavenge everything needed off of one of the OPL3-bearing CT2940s. Here is an auction listing that may help...
I don't think it's worth the trouble... I should add the CT2940 to my "want" list 😁
but it appears not all of the CT2940s had the OPL3:
it's hard finding a CT3930 (SB32 non-PNP, which has OPL3) too
wrote:but it appears not all of the CT2940s had the OPL3:
As I'd already mentioned... 😉
From what I've seen, the CQM version seems to be the most common. I have looked for both CT3600 and CT3990 cards with the OPL3-L, from time-to-time, but without success.
