I finally got around to re-recording the Ensoniq Soundscape VIVO samples with a cold boot between recordings.

I was able to get Tyrian to play music with this card by using Quarterdeck's QEMM386 instead of EMM386.

Also, this time I had a chance to test out the Vivo's MT-32 emulation capability with Heart of China and Gods. I was impressed with its handling of the latter!

Cleaned up the samples of the final card needing an update: the Soundscape Opus. Like my treatment of the Vivo update, I added two samples using MT-32 mode.

Added the Turtle Beach Montego II, featuring the Aureal Vortex2 chipset. My review ignores the wavetable header that its fans gush over and features its native synth that they don't gush over!

Added the very special NEC XR385 wavetable daughterboard. Deep thanks to badmojo for his generous contribution to this thread and to my collection!

Yamaha XG goodness!

Added the Reveal Sound FX Wave SC500. This is a nice wavetable card that may be a clone of an OEM card. If anyone knows its origin, please post!

Added the Serdaco DreamBlaster S1 2017 Final Limited Edition. Vogon Salute!

boxpressed wrote:

Added the Serdaco DreamBlaster S1 2017 Final Limited Edition. Vogon Salute!

Great little card 😀 Any plans for an X1 or X2?

Couldn't get my hands on an X1 before they sold out, but the X2 review will be the next one.

I really like what you are doing here. I own a few wavetable cards and modules myself and I think that these recording are really a great service to the community.

I'm glad you're finding it helpful. By the time I'm finished, there should be a synth for every price range and taste.

I'm noticing a lot of noise on my recordings, so I'm going to look into fixing the problem. I may end up rerecording some samples in the future.

I discovered the causes of the excessive background noise on some samples: a poor-quality minijack cord in combination with too-high level input into the recording computer.

I will be hosting most daughterboards on a YMF719E ISA card that I've configured to be virtually silent. I'll slowly be rebuilding the database, but this will be a long-term project since the existing samples still give you a good idea of the characteristics of each synth even if they are a bit noisy. If you try to link to a sample and are unsuccessful, it probably means that I am uploading the new, improved sample at that moment!

What do you guys mean by "noise"? Your samples sound fine to me! I'm not using headphones though, just my el-cheapo Logitech 5.1 system 😵

That little S1 sounds pretty good, but I still prefer the sound of the 1MB Crystal CS9233 which can be picked up cheaply from time-to-time. But it's great that these newly made doodads are on the market for those who aren't interested in scouring eBay for months at a time.

badmojo wrote:

What do you guys mean by "noise"? Your samples sound fine to me! I'm not using headphones though, just my el-cheapo Logitech 5.1 system 😵

That little S1 sounds pretty good, but I still prefer the sound of the 1MB Crystal CS9233 which can be picked up cheaply from time-to-time. But it's great that these newly made doodads are on the market for those who aren't interested in scouring eBay for months at a time.

Hah, that's what I was hoping to hear, badmojo. The noise/hiss is most noticeable in the early part of the Tyrian sample. The CT3930 and Soundscape S-2000 have a lot of noise too. When the music gets going in any sample, you tend not to notice the noise. I didn't really notice the noise from my laptop's speakers, but once I started noticing it, I couldn't stop. I guess I'm a perfectionist.

Yes, I would recommend picking up any wavetable card with the CS9233, especially if it comes with the CS4112 ROM.

Added the Serdaco DreamBlaster X2. These samples and those from the DreamBlaster S1 are recorded using my new and improved, less "noisy" technique!

No "new" updates today, but I hope to get one more in before the Christmas holiday here in the US. However, if you purchased or are considering purchasing the DreamBlaster X2, please check my update to that daughterboard. Serge told me that the "muddy" sound in Doom comes from the default reverb/chorus, and these can be easily adjusted using the preset editor.

Also, I decided to use the Vortex2 to host all daughterboards, not the YMF719E. I have now resampled all of the daughterboards to eliminate as much noise as possible. In some cases, the samples won't be as "loud" as before because I also tried to eliminate clipping from "hot" output. The samples are much cleaner now, though maybe not as loud. I also updated the samples from the SB32 CT3930, Aopen AW32 Pro, and Soundscape S-2000, three cards that had excessive noise before. All cards/daughterboards that have been resampled have an "x" at the end of their narrative review.

After a holiday hiatus, I'm happy to return with a new addition to my collection, the BTC 1855. This card is for ESS purists: ES1868F controller + ES690F wavetable synth + ES981P ROM patchset. This is a very nice card that could be a one-and-done solution for many if it weren't so difficult to find. If anyone has info on the size of the ES981P ROM or on the origin of the instrument samples, please chime in.

(I'm also making progress on rebuilding the database with samples with little to no background noise or hiss. I have about ten left to update. Those that have been updated have an "x" at the end of the narrative.)

gdjacobs wrote:

Yes, I understand the CS4235 was extra special awful where the Crystal Semi FM clone is ordinarily awful.

It's classic. You need to hear it. I have 3 4235 cards already. Had a good laugh at how Keen4 sounds when I tested the first one.

boxpressed wrote:

BEHAVIOR TECH / BTC 1855
ESS ES690F, 1MB ROM, 32 voices

Card holding ESS fanboy here and yes I think that sounds excellent 😎 Raw and dirty perhaps but excellent for games of that era. I saw one for sale in the U.K a few months ago but balked at the postage cost; next time I'll man up and pay it.

Thanks again for your efforts in this excellent thread boxpressed.

Thanks for being a loyal listener and contributor, badmojo. It's a shame that ESS couldn't make this chipset a major player at retail. For games, the card is superior to the AWE32 in almost every way. It even has a wavetable header. I like its drum samples better than those of even the premium cards. The seller advertised this as a Newcom card, but the FCC ID linked it to Behavior Tech (BTC).