Not sure if you tried this already, but here are some basic tips:

• In Doom2 setup, select "General Midi" for music playback
• Assuming you have the AWE Control Panel installed, select "User synth" then click "Browse" and load the GM35REVC.SF2 soundfont (found on the AWE64 Gold driver CD)

This should sound pretty decent. But if you want something that's a bit closer to a Roland Sound Canvas, use this soundfont instead.

There is an option in the Doom setup specifically for the AWE. If you select that you should be able to hear the additional sounds without doing any manual font loading. It works fine with my AWE 64 Gold, albeit under DOS, not windows.

Hezus wrote on 2021-01-04, 12:42:

There is an option in the Doom setup specifically for the AWE. If you select that you should be able to hear the additional sounds without doing any manual font loading.

That works too of course, but doing so will only use the samples from the built-in 1MB ROM of the AWE64. On the other hand, when you load a soundfont and select General MIDI, games can use samples from that soundfont which often sound superior to the built-in ROM.

For comparison, here's how Doom1 sounds in AWE32 mode and here's how it sounds using General MIDI with the GM35REVC.SF2 soundfont loaded.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-01-04, 11:59:

Not sure if you tried this already, but here are some basic tips: […]
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Not sure if you tried this already, but here are some basic tips:

• In Doom2 setup, select "General Midi" for music playback
• Assuming you have the AWE Control Panel installed, select "User synth" then click "Browse" and load the GM35REVC.SF2 soundfont (found on the AWE64 Gold driver CD)

This should sound pretty decent. But if you want something that's a bit closer to a Roland Sound Canvas, use this soundfont instead.

I tried loading both of them, but it
turns out my AWE64 only has 512kb of RAM so they wouldn't fit.

Dacobi wrote on 2021-01-04, 15:24:

I tried loading both of them, but it
turns out my AWE64 only has 512kb of RAM so they wouldn't fit.

Can you post a photo of the card?

All AWE64 Gold models should come with 4 MB of RAM.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-01-04, 15:32:

Dacobi wrote on 2021-01-04, 15:24:

I tried loading both of them, but it
turns out my AWE64 only has 512kb of RAM so they wouldn't fit.

Can you post a photo of the card?

All AWE64 Gold models should come with 4 MB of RAM.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gigabitps/CT4520.JPG

Don't know why I thought it was the Gold version.
Guess I'll have to buy a SIMMCONN expansion.

Dacobi wrote on 2021-01-04, 15:47:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gigabitps/CT4520.JPG

Don't know why I thought it was the Gold version.
Guess I'll have to buy a SIMMCONN expansion.

Yeah, the CT4520 is an AWE64 Value model.

In terms of soundfonts, very little can be done without expanding its memory.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-01-04, 14:36:

Hezus wrote on 2021-01-04, 12:42:

There is an option in the Doom setup specifically for the AWE. If you select that you should be able to hear the additional sounds without doing any manual font loading.

That works too of course, but doing so will only use the samples from the built-in 1MB ROM of the AWE64. On the other hand, when you load a soundfont and select General MIDI, games can use samples from that soundfont which often sound superior to the built-in ROM.

For comparison, here's how Doom1 sounds in AWE32 mode and here's how it sounds using General MIDI with the GM35REVC.SF2 soundfont loaded.

Yeah, loading up soundfonts surely is the better way to do it if you have the extra memory.

I suggested this route because he wanted it to sound like his friend's AWE 32 from back then, so I assume that would have been with the default extensions.