I can think of only one card.
Sound Blaster Pro 2.0 (CT1600) or some 100% compatible clone (early ESS cards come to mind).

It has a true Yamaha OPL3 synth, stereo sound, and has 100% sound blaster compatibility.

The CT1600 is like an unicorn these days.. doesn't seem to be really available 🙁

When you mean the CT1600, you mean as single card or supporting other cards?

My original plan was to use MIDI through the HardMPU and then to the SC-55-MkII (until I get a reasonely priced MT-32) and to use the Resound for OPL3... but then I don't know what to use for wave/nonOPL/nonMIDI...

How would you use the SBPro2 in this setup? (or would you recommend to get rid of the SC55/MT32 and Resound and just use the SBPro2?)

MIDI and OPL are two completely different beasts, so no problem using different cards for them. Pre-1992 both are likely to be rare in any event - consider that the SBPro2.0 had only just been released then...

For MIDI, MT-32 is the (only?) period-correct way to go, as cards (other than the LAPC-1, which was just an MT-32 on a card anyway) with wave support didn't appear until well your window.

For OPL, the question is whether the hardware has to be period-correct or just compatible with period-correct. Tbh, most pre-1992 software that does any FM stuff will be doing Adlib, not Soundblaster, let alone Pro. If you want to be period-correct with best quality, that CT1600 is what you'll have to hunt... if not, however, there are a lot more options.

Given the very early time frame, you might want to consider support of other standards. The two that come to mind are Game Blaster and Covox. For Game Blaster stuff, you might try looking for an early (non-Pro) Soundblaster, either a 1.0 that has the necessary chips onboard, or a 1.5/2.0 (the latter are pretty easy to find actually) with correct revision that supports the chips. For Covox, I'd say a first generation Aztech card, say a Sound Galaxy NX Pro. It supports AdLib/SB up to SBPro2.0, but also Disney Sound Source and Covox Speech Thing.

But given you only referred to OPL, any clone with real OPL3 should do the trick for what you actually said to be looking for.

Aside from the sound hardware, with really old stuff your DX2-66 (which is a 1992 part, but ultra high-end at that time) might be too fast, both in terms of playability and possibly also relating to timing issues. Bear that in mind and down clock if you hit odd issues.

If you're on a budget you could also get a Yamaha YMF-719

dionb wrote:

MIDI and OPL are two completely different beasts, so no problem using different cards for them. Pre-1992 both are likely to be rare in any event - consider that the SBPro2.0 had only just been released then...

Well let's call it 1992-ish or just pre 1995 maybe (it's difficult to define an exact rannge)

I bought my DX2/66 when I started my first year at the university (and that was 1992), I bought my SB16 to play Doom and that was 1993 but then i had a DX5-133 (@160Mhz if my memory doesn't fail), and then at 1995 I switched to a P1-120@150 and AWE32.

In my mind Doom means Pentium era (same for X-wing vs Tie Fighter), that's why I want to focus my P4 build at the pre 1992-1995 times.

dionb wrote:

For MIDI, MT-32 is the (only?) period-correct way to go, as cards (other than the LAPC-1, which was just an MT-32 on a card anyway) with wave support didn't appear until well your window.

Yes, so far i have the SC55, but the MT-32 is in my list 😀

dionb wrote:

For OPL, the question is whether the hardware has to be period-correct or just compatible with period-correct. Tbh, most pre-1992 software that does any FM stuff will be doing Adlib, not Soundblaster, let alone Pro. If you want to be period-correct with best quality, that CT1600 is what you'll have to hunt... if not, however, there are a lot more options.

I mean compatible-with-period-correct, my build is pretty Hipster, I'm combining modern and old components (for example Floppy Drive Emulators and CF-IDE HDD)

I'm not much into "period-correct" if that means (for example) noisy cards or hanging-MIDI notes. I want the best sounding card that makes the game sound like the creator would haved wanted to sound.

dionb wrote:

Given the very early time frame, you might want to consider support of other standards. The two that come to mind are Game Blaster and Covox. For Game Blaster stuff, you might try looking for an early (non-Pro) Soundblaster, either a 1.0 that has the necessary chips onboard, or a 1.5/2.0 (the latter are pretty easy to find actually) with correct revision that supports the chips. For Covox, I'd say a first generation Aztech card, say a Sound Galaxy NX Pro. It supports AdLib/SB up to SBPro2.0, but also Disney Sound Source and Covox Speech Thing.

Those are good recommendations, but sounds very 80s 😀

In the middle term I want to configure 3 machines like this:

xx - 1990 --> 386 Build (pending)
1990-1995 --> DX2/66 (the built i'm doing now)
1995 - 2000 --> Pentium Build (pending)

dionb wrote:

Aside from the sound hardware, with really old stuff your DX2-66 (which is a 1992 part, but ultra high-end at that time) might be too fast, both in terms of playability and possibly also relating to timing issues. Bear that in mind and down clock if you hit odd issues.

I'm pretty confident that I was able to play pre-1992 games when I got my DX2 back in 1992 (mostly Sierra and Lucasarts). But maybe my memory is failing.. first time I played Larry1 (for example) was in 1987 and by then I had a 286... (i guess I'm going to have to try it with the 486) 😀

oeuvre wrote:

If you're on a budget you could also get a Yamaha YMF-719

I have one already 😀 but I can extend my budget if that means more quality (without getting ripped)

deibit wrote:

Well let's call it 1992-ish or just pre 1995 maybe (it's difficult to define an exact rannge)

I bought my DX2/66 when I started my first year at the university (and that was 1992), I bought my SB16 to play Doom and that was 1993 but then i had a DX5-133 (@160Mhz if my memory doesn't fail), and then at 1995 I switched to a P1-120@150 and AWE32.

I suspect you might be a bit optimistic about when you had that DX5 - that CPU wasn't introduced until 1995 😉

But if you want to extend to 1995, it makes a lot more sense.

In my mind Doom means Pentium era (same for X-wing vs Tie Fighter), that's why I want to focus my P4 build at the pre 1992-1995 times.

So basically you mean "DOS games" rather than any specific time.

Yes, so far i have the SC55, but the MT-32 is in my list 😀

Here your change of timeframe again changes the equation. SC-55 is (good) General MIDI with GS extensions. The first SC-55 dates to 1991, and by 1993 most PC MIDI music was composed for and on SC-55s, so you already have the ideal hardware for that. MT-32 was only really relevant for 1990-1993 - and even in that period only a subset of games did anything with it that wouldn't work on the SC-55. So you're pretty well covered for now.

I have (or rather my partner has) a Roland digital piano that is completely GM and GS compatible, so is essentially an SC-55 with keys. I also have an MT-32. Tbh, the biggest difference I notice is the cute little messages on the display of the MT-32 😉

I mean compatible-with-period-correct, my build is pretty Hipster, I'm combining modern and old components (for example Floppy Drive Emulators and CF-IDE HDD)

I'm not much into "period-correct" if that means (for example) noisy cards or hanging-MIDI notes. I want the best sounding card that makes the game sound like the creator would haved wanted to sound.

Unfortunately that still pushes you towards period correct, because a game composer in 1993 at best had access to high-end 1993 stuff, not better things without bugs that came later.

Still, not going for SB16 with hanging notes is definitely a good idea. In fact it's not too difficult, just avoid the earlier SB16s (and the later ones without real OPL.- i.e. just avoid the SB16s 😉 ).

Those are good recommendations, but sounds very 80s 😀

Yeah, well if you say <1992 you are talking mainly 1980s 😉

That said, all you lose with one of those Sound Galaxy NX cards is some SNR (they are noisy old beasts, I read articles recommending putting them at least two ISA slots away from other cards, preferably with a sheet of metal in between...)

In the middle term I want to configure 3 machines like this: […]
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In the middle term I want to configure 3 machines like this:

xx - 1990 --> 386 Build (pending)
1990-1995 --> DX2/66 (the built i'm doing now)
1995 - 2000 --> Pentium Build (pending)

OK, then the 'pre-1992' thing really set me off on the wrong track. That sort of stuff is what you need for the 386-build. For the 1990-1995 build you don't need Covox, Disney & Game Blaster stuff. Any SBPro2.0-clone should work in terms of compatibility, good OPL3 and low noise levels are added advantages for quality.

Of course, in that time period you could also start thinking about a Gravis Ultrasound - although that is only useful for a small number of games (and those demos) and increases costs significantly. Or more down-to-earth, a SB16 (or 32 or 64) alongside an SBPro2.

deibit wrote:

oeuvre wrote:

If you're on a budget you could also get a Yamaha YMF-719

I have one already 😀 but I can extend my budget if that means more quality (without getting ripped)

In terms of sound quality a Yamaha is hard to beat (unless the card designer really messed up). That's a solid SBPro2 clone with OPL3 from the people who invented it. You could do a lot worse.

The only single card-solution that has advantages over that is an ALS100-based card which supports both SBPro2 and SB16. The ALS100 (non-+) still has an external OPL3 (unlike the + and later that have a bad clone integrated) so if the card design is good it can deliver decent quality - but it's almost certainly going to be inferior to the YMF-719 card you already have. So using that one for starters makes a lot of sense.

🤣, Ok maybe I should have been more specific (i agree, years are confusing) 😀)

My (future) Pentium setup will also include DOS games.. let's say it starts (more or less) with DOOM (DOOM, DOOM2, Heretic, Descent, Quake...) and ends (more or less) with Unreal (Heretic2, Hexen2, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter...) including (but not only) 3dfx OpenGL games.

I can be a bit wrong with the years in my memory (getting old doesn't help) 😁

is there no love for the resound card? https://texelec.com/product/resound-opl3-4-ch … card-8-bit-isa/ i already have one, and I hoped it would be a better OPL3 solution than the YMF719 (I guess I really need to setup everything and start testing) 😁

deibit wrote:

I can be a bit wrong with the years in my memory (getting old doesn't help) 😁

I know the feeling...

is there no love for the resound card? https://texelec.com/product/resound-opl3-4-ch … card-8-bit-isa/ i already have one, and I hoped it would be a better OPL3 solution than the YMF719 (I guess I really need to setup everything and start testing) 😁

It's a great OPL3 but nothing more than that. The YMF719 is fully SBPro2 compatible, the Resound is only compatible with AdLib. That's not too bad for the 386 you mentioned but much too limited for your 1990-1995 build. No voice options, no sample playback etc.

Then again, in those years all I had was a PC Speaker (and a 386-16, so old it didn't even have a "DX"), so compared to that it would be great 😉

yeah I used PC-Speaker until I got my SB16 to play Doom.. PC-Speaker was good enough back in the time.. 😀)

Is there a category list somewhere that filters games by soundcard type? something like Covox games, Disney games, Adlib Games, OPL3 games, MT-32, GM.. whatever...?

For the 386 machine I got a Sound Galaxy Pro 16.. I hope this can help me with the old standards compatibility.. (or maybe not)

This soundcard thing is giving me more headaches than the machines themselves 😁

deibit wrote:

yeah I used PC-Speaker until I got my SB16 to play Doom.. PC-Speaker was good enough back in the time.. 😀)

Is there a category list somewhere that filters games by soundcard type? something like Covox games, Disney games, Adlib Games, OPL3 games, MT-32, GM.. whatever...?

Not complete, but best I know of:
http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/dos/tic,1/

Covox&Disney missing but the rest is in there.

For the 386 machine I got a Sound Galaxy Pro 16.. I hope this can help me with the old standards compatibility.. (or maybe not)

Which one exactly? (what's the I38- FCC ID?) In any event it gives you AdLib, Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro (2.0), so you're well enough covered for most stuff, although the SBPro2 is beyond that era. If anything, this is where I'd consider using the Resound. Or that Galaxy NX I referred to for Covox/Disney.

This soundcard thing is giving me more headaches than the machines themselves 😁

Relax! You can make it as complicated as you like, but you already have more than most and more than enough to do the job:

- either the Yamaha or the Aztech and in both cases the SC-55 for the 486
- either the Resound or the Aztech for the 386

The rest is just cherries on the cake.

The Aztech has the model number I38-MSN810, should be ok? (I guess? I hope...)

deibit wrote:

The Aztech has the model number I38-MSN810, should be ok? (I guess? I hope...)

I38-MMSN810 you mean? In that case, absolutely perfect!

https://ilovepa.ws/2017/06/08/aztech-sound-cards/

It's a first generation Aztech design with AZTSSPT0592-U01 chip, so basically the same as the NX - just with 16b ISA and a Wavetable header. Because it has the same chipset as the NX you get the Covox/Disney support as well. Only issue is that it's timing-sensitive so won't work on faster systems. Pentium is no-go, DX2-66 is borderline, but a perfect match for a 386 build.