keropi wrote:

it's the weird angle, I've drawn some lines now - DMA is set to 1 I got confused too looking at the pic as well LOL […]
Show full quote

it's the weird angle, I've drawn some lines now - DMA is set to 1
I got confused too looking at the pic as well 🤣

But can it run Crysis?

Oh yes, it can it's just nukem2 that won't work in 7.1 mode
🤣

tpowell.ca wrote:

So far, from my investigations the ESS Audiodrive ES688 is ideal. It is 100% Sound Blaster Pro compatible with what I've thrown […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote:

What ISA sound card do you think offers the best clarity and audio experience ?

So far, from my investigations the ESS Audiodrive ES688 is ideal.
It is 100% Sound Blaster Pro compatible with what I've thrown at it, has a real Yamaha OPL3 synth, supports ADPCM samples and uses a sliding low pass filter (unlike the fixed freq on the SB Pro) so it sounds clearer.
Oh, and it has a line-out and speaker out.

That ES688 is not very common and hard to come by. I there any other ESS chip number that sounds just as good ?

To be precise, and I do love being precise, the dummy load is not what provides the -5V supply.

A dummy load is placed on the 12V rail because most modern power supplies expect to be most heavily loaded on the 12V rail. Older computers drew more heavily on the 3.3V and 5V rails. Some power supplies will use a DC to DC converter to derive 5V and 3.3V from the 12V, which is usually sufficient to load the 12V rail satisfactorily enough to get correct voltages being produced. For those that don't, the dummy load helps to stabilise the voltage regulation by adding a load to the 12V.

The -5V is usually something that will step down -12V to create -5V.

All that to say that the eBay seller provides multiple options, so you need to know that a dummy load does not equal the provision of -5V.

This all becomes less important given that, as mentioned above, the Sound Blaster Pro 2 does not need -5V, but the Sound Blaster 2.0 does.

tpowell.ca wrote:

Here is the mixer I made a long time ago while learning about C programming and the Sound Blaster interface.
It requires a mouse to work, and I think it assume port 220h.

Sorry about the terrible look and crappy interface. I'll definitely update it soon as I am trying to resurrect my SB Pro card for my next 486.

Thanks much, I can't wait to try this out!

Shagittarius wrote:

tpowell.ca wrote:

Here is the mixer I made a long time ago while learning about C programming and the Sound Blaster interface.
It requires a mouse to work, and I think it assume port 220h.

Sorry about the terrible look and crappy interface. I'll definitely update it soon as I am trying to resurrect my SB Pro card for my next 486.

Thanks much, I can't wait to try this out!

Let me know if it works for you.

Of course, there is one hiccup in using it, that is that it cannot prevent a game or program from changing the filter setting from what you previously selected in the mixer.
For this I made a VERY basic TSR that allows you to change the setting from within games. I'll look for that in my highschool archive. 😵

keropi wrote:

hmmm I tested an 688 card with Duke Nukem 2 and after a while the sfx stop and the machine freezes - tested 2 different systems […]
Show full quote

tpowell.ca wrote:

So far, from my investigations the ESS Audiodrive ES688 is ideal. It is 100% Sound Blaster Pro compatible with what I've thrown […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote:

What ISA sound card do you think offers the best clarity and audio experience ?

So far, from my investigations the ESS Audiodrive ES688 is ideal.
It is 100% Sound Blaster Pro compatible with what I've thrown at it, has a real Yamaha OPL3 synth, supports ADPCM samples and uses a sliding low pass filter (unlike the fixed freq on the SB Pro) so it sounds clearer.
Oh, and it has a line-out and speaker out.

hmmm I tested an 688 card with Duke Nukem 2 and after a while the sfx stop and the machine freezes - tested 2 different systems that work fine with the game using a CT1600. Am I missing something?
My card is this one:

I will also try your mixer first chance I get, thanks for sharing!

I got the 1994 Compaq edition.
What do you think ?
Check out this mounting bracket, What do you think this card came out of ?

fitzpatr wrote:

To be precise, and I do love being precise, the dummy load is not what provides the -5V supply. […]
Show full quote

To be precise, and I do love being precise, the dummy load is not what provides the -5V supply.

A dummy load is placed on the 12V rail because most modern power supplies expect to be most heavily loaded on the 12V rail. Older computers drew more heavily on the 3.3V and 5V rails. Some power supplies will use a DC to DC converter to derive 5V and 3.3V from the 12V, which is usually sufficient to load the 12V rail satisfactorily enough to get correct voltages being produced. For those that don't, the dummy load helps to stabilise the voltage regulation by adding a load to the 12V.

The -5V is usually something that will step down -12V to create -5V.

All that to say that the eBay seller provides multiple options, so you need to know that a dummy load does not equal the provision of -5V.

This all becomes less important given that, as mentioned above, the Sound Blaster Pro 2 does not need -5V, but the Sound Blaster 2.0 does.

The most straightforward way is this, although it could be implemented from +5V or +12V via an inverting buck boost converter.

tpowell.ca wrote:

Here is the mixer I made a long time ago while learning about C programming and the Sound Blaster interface.
It requires a mouse to work, and I think it assume port 220h.

Sorry about the terrible look and crappy interface. I'll definitely update it soon as I am trying to resurrect my SB Pro card for my next 486.

Found a glitch in the keyboard routine that causes the mixer to quit abnormally if you move the mouse on fast Pentium or later systems.
I'm working on fixing this and the way the program handles cards at addresses other than 220h.

So anyone had a chance to test ess688 + d nukem 2 ?

keropi wrote:

So anyone had a chance to test ess688 + d nukem 2 ?

My 486 is in pieces as I try and figure out how to get 1M cache to work with decently quick timings on my MSI PCI/ISA board.
I'll try and find some time after my daughter goes to sleep to try it out.

How did you say you reproduced the problem ?
I assume you use port 220 IRQ7 and DMA1.

I'll be testing it on a Compaq ES688 card, identical to the one pictured above, except mine luckily has a standard slot plate.

Well, I just started a new game with sfx only, started shooting continuously and playing the level and sure enough after some time the sfx stopped playing and then the pcs froze. It might take 30secs it might take 3 mins ... I was using irq5 though.

keropi wrote:

Well, I just started a new game with sfx only, started shooting continuously and playing the level and sure enough after some time the sfx stopped playing and then the pcs froze. It might take 30secs it might take 3 mins ... I was using irq5 though.

Check for any resource conflicts, such as the parallel port or another add-on card might be using IRQ 5. Change it to another one, such as 7 (check for other peripherals, and add-on cards using IRQ 7).

I wish GOG.com had Duke Nukem 2 to purchase so that way I can test it on my Ultimate Sound System (Packard Bell Pack-Mate 28 Plus) with the ES1688F card.

keropi wrote:

Well, I just started a new game with sfx only, started shooting continuously and playing the level and sure enough after some time the sfx stopped playing and then the pcs froze. It might take 30secs it might take 3 mins ... I was using irq5 though.

How fast is the machine you ran this on?
How much conventional memory did you have at the time? Was EMM386 loaded?

I'll try and replicate this setup later and also try with a genuine Sound Blaster Pro 2, see if that makes a difference.

One system was a 486sx25 , 600+ kb free conventional, no EMS , MS-DOS 6.22
The other was a 486slc2/66 , same 600+ kb free conventional, no EMS , MS-DOS 6.22
Both systems were fine with a real SB PRO2 CT1600 card...

Really curious to see what you find tpowell.ca 😀

keropi wrote:

One system was a 486sx25 , 600+ kb free conventional, no EMS , MS-DOS 6.22 The other was a 486slc2/66 , same 600+ kb free conven […]
Show full quote

One system was a 486sx25 , 600+ kb free conventional, no EMS , MS-DOS 6.22
The other was a 486slc2/66 , same 600+ kb free conventional, no EMS , MS-DOS 6.22
Both systems were fine with a real SB PRO2 CT1600 card...

Really curious to see what you find tpowell.ca 😀

Ok, so my configuration is a little different but with my AMD 5x86-133 with HIMEM only, using the Compaq-branded ES688 card on 220,7,1 I had no problems.
I did not disable the adlib music.
The game ran fine for about 5 minutes with me running jumping around while playing the level and shooting non-stop.

keropi, is this the only game you have problems with?

Probs not partcularly relevant but DK mentioned that he had an ESS card that dropped sounds and one of the games I tested my Audiodrives with was Duke II to test for that - no problems over here when used with a P166:

ESS AudioDrive (ES1868) - a surprisingly good ISA sound card

I do have an ES688 + real OPL3 but it has a nasty pop when booting, so it never gets much air time.

badmojo wrote:

Probs not partcularly relevant but DK mentioned that he had an ESS card that dropped sounds and one of the games I tested my Audiodrives with was Duke II to test for that - no problems over here when used with a P166:

ESS AudioDrive (ES1868) - a surprisingly good ISA sound card

I do have an ES688 + real OPL3 but it has a nasty pop when booting, so it never gets much air time.

I don't have that problem, but mine had a real line-out. I did get loud pops on power-up with the real SB Pro due to its amplified output.
Was your card equipped with a line-out? Were there any jumpers for selecting line/amp out?

keropi wrote:

So anyone had a chance to test ess688 + d nukem 2 ?

I have not received it yet.

tpowell.ca wrote:

I don't have that problem, but mine had a real line-out. I did get loud pops on power-up with the real SB Pro due to its amplified output.
Was your card equipped with a line-out? Were there any jumpers for selecting line/amp out?

Good question! I'm guessing yes but will have to dig it out - where possible I always use Line out or disable the onboard amp, and nasty pops are still pretty common. My ES1688 cards have been pretty good, but my ES1868 does it. Creative cards are generally good with regards to startup pops, PAS16's hiss but that goes away when the appropriately set up mixer kicks in. I also have a few cards that emit a nasty pop or screach on power down - a couple of the OPLSAx cards I've tried have done that.

I settled for a Crystal based card in my P166 and it's lovely in that regard - in most regards actually.

I'm very sensitive to these unwanted sounds!