Pentium because later DOS games like Doom and Duke3D run better on a faster CPU.

+1 for the Pentium, unless you're referring to the 60 MHz version which isn't that fast than the 486 in consumer software that were available at the time.

just some info: 486 cpu available for use are: from sx25 to DX2/4, PoD83, AMD120, Cyrix 5x86. Not a slow 486.

My question arises from the fact that the card I'm testing is an SC-55 but in ISA 8bit format so I thought that its scope of use was much earlier than Pentium.

POD83 is a real Pentium CPU for 486 motherboards that can handle it properly. Otherwise, I suggest using the Am486-DX4 120 MHz or the Cyrix 5x86 which are the fastest ones.

AlessandroB wrote on 2023-11-12, 14:49:

My question arises from the fact that the card I'm testing is an SC-55 but in ISA 8bit format so I thought that its scope of use was much earlier than Pentium.

Do you mean an SCC-1? An SC-55 is an external sound module.

Assuming you mean an SCC-1, it can function as both an internal Sound Canvas and an intelligent mode MPU-401 MIDI interface.

What system you install it in depends on what you intend to use it for.

Shponglefan wrote on 2023-11-12, 15:01:

Do you mean an SCC-1? An SC-55 is an external sound module. […]
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AlessandroB wrote on 2023-11-12, 14:49:

My question arises from the fact that the card I'm testing is an SC-55 but in ISA 8bit format so I thought that its scope of use was much earlier than Pentium.

Do you mean an SCC-1? An SC-55 is an external sound module.

Assuming you mean an SCC-1, it can function as both an internal Sound Canvas and an intelligent mode MPU-401 MIDI interface.

What system you install it in depends on what you intend to use it for.

exactly it's the scc-1, I didn't remember what it was called. I intend to use it for games and being ISA 8bit I thought that the games that used it were mainly designed for older machines like the 386 and 486. Furthermore on the Pentium I have an AWE32 with the possibility of both loading the modules into the 30pin SIMs and using a wevetable. But the real doubt is whether the games for which the midi card is used are older and if they don't require a Pentium I would like to keep the correct period.

AlessandroB wrote on 2023-11-12, 19:03:

exactly it's the scc-1, I didn't remember what it was called. I intend to use it for games and being ISA 8bit I thought that the games that used it were mainly designed for older machines like the 386 and 486.

It's an 8-bit card because it's just an MPU-401 interface with the Sound Canvas SC-55 sound chips built-in. Earlier MPU-401 cards were also 8-bit, along with the subsequent MPU-401AT card.

Since it's a General MIDI compatible playback device, any game that supports General MIDI would work with it. Most General MIDI supported games were published from 1993 to 1996.

Whether you put it in a fast 486 or a Pentium really depends on the games you want to play and what sound options they support.

The main reason to put it in an older system would be for the intelligent mode MPU-401 interface and use with external modules like the MT-32.

So the period correct is Pentium Territory.

And what if instead of the Pentium1 the Mattessi in a PentiumIII 550Mhz? I think it's fine anyway... because in the Pentium1 I ran out of ISA slots

On my 486 DX2 66MHz with a SCC-1 card, I need to slow down the bus clock speed from BIOS for some (mid 90s) games to sound OK: Re: Joystick and MIDI issues after upgrade to i486DX2. Don't know if this is a common issue or just my setup.

PS. The SCC-1 was released in 1991.

TamaMan wrote on 2024-01-19, 19:58:

On my 486 DX2 66MHz with a SCC-1 card, I need to slow down the bus clock speed from BIOS for some (mid 90s) games to sound OK: Re: Joystick and MIDI issues after upgrade to i486DX2. Don't know if this is a common issue or just my setup.

PS. The SCC-1 was released in 1991.

very interesting, it's almost the opposite of what some people told me, at this point I imagine that either your system is not very compatible or this card needs to be moved from one system to another as needed.

AlessandroB wrote on 2024-01-20, 06:50:

[...]

very interesting, it's almost the opposite of what some people told me, at this point I imagine that either your system is not very compatible or this card needs to be moved from one system to another as needed.

It's not the computer but the longevity of the SC-55 as the most used synth for game music creation. It was the first General MIDI synth in 1991 and it basically stayed the default until MIDI music in games went out of fashion almost 10 years later.

1991 was 386-era, 2000 was Pentium 3 / Athlon-era.

Pretty obviously, an Athlon would be much too fast for a 386 game that didn't manage its own speed, and conversely no way would a 386 run an Athlon game.

The SCC-1 card you have is pretty rare (take a look at prices it sells for...) as the very issue you are facing was and is common: an external module like the SC-55 is much more practical than an internal card limited to one system. The SCC-1 was only sold in the early 1990s, by 1994 Roland had released Wavetable modules with the same synth on it (eg SCB-55) as that was cheaper for all concerned as it could be paired with either a Roland MPU401AT or with any other sound or MIDI interface with wavetable module. That said, the SCC-1 would still work in any system with an ISA slot, and as the synth is essentially standalone, it's not dependent on performance or software of the host system (although software using it can be, of course).

exactly, now i know 100%