You have to install them manualy
Add new devices -> Select from list
Set the configuration manualy

On traditionnal ISA, there is no way to autodetect cards, you must force win98 to use SB16 at 220 and MPU401 at (where is SCC-1)
SET BLASTER only works for dos

If you are installing some old ISA soundcards, I recommend setting 'Plug & Play aware OS' to NO (disabled) in bios to keep a certain IRQ/DMA assignments consistency. With my old Vibra 16c card IRQ and DMA assignments tended to go crazy when that bios setting was set to Yes.

bestemor wrote:

Granted, both autoexec.bat and config.sys are empty....
But what should I put there if this is not a Soundblaster card ?

Usually you don't need anything there to use a soundcard with Windows. Most ISA cards are Soundblaster compatible. You can try just installing the Soundblaster driver which comes with Windows. It's limited to 22 kHz, 8 bit, mono, though.
Some cards have a tool which is required to activate a Soundblaster mode, which has to be in config.sys or autoexec.bat. The installer which came with the card should do this automatically. Some cards have a windows sound system mode, which is preferable as you'll get 48000 kHz, 16 bit stereo with it.

There's of course those 'set blaster', 'set midi', and 'set sound' commands, which I have in another PC/files, but these require some sort of program/drivers, right ?

If you need a driver, there should come one with the card. If you lost them, look at the manufacturer's homepage. If it doesn't exist anymore, you might find one at one of those driver collection sites.

If it helps, one card is the 8-bit Roland SCC-1.... 😁

Just select the MPU401 driver in your midi mapper. If there is none, just install the one which comes with Windows. You have to set the IRQ manually in some cases.
If you have MPU401 on the mainboard, make sure it is set to a different port or disabled.

But, I only tried with one card at a time, and nothing is found.

Right, try only one at a time.

I tried installing some mpu401 driver/inf i found on the net, but still nothing... (no card, no sound device showing, and no sound)

The one on the Windows CD should be fine. If it doesn't work, it's probably a hardware issue.

Anyway, as of now, there are NO sound devices showing in my device manager... (haven't tried to remove any earlier drivers though, was previously working fine with a now removed SB AWE64 Gold)

You certainly should uninstall any driver for a hardware you are about to remove. Don't expect anything to work correctly if you don't.

Ok, thanks all for the input.

Haven't tried further with the soundblaster yet, but... (later)

...here's a quick one for those of you who actually own a Roland SCC-1:

- it CAN be used as a 'normal' soundcard on it's own/alone, right ?
- I mean, at least let me play midi files on it ?
- if so, how can I do that if there's no regular sound device found on my computer (device manager, win98) ?

I've already done the non-pnp OS, and IRQ 5 is reserved in bios, so...

And, I've installed a Roland 401 driver, which I can now see in the Multimedia(in Control Panel) Midi tab.

The 'Audio' tab however, is blank - no playback devices to choose from at all... and no sound...

The card is hard-set(jumper+switch) at IRQ 5, and port 330, as well as under the Multimedia properties.

- Do I actually HAVE TO use the midi out ports(which I CAN choose under the midi tab), and not the RCA ports ??

(I have no midi cables at the moment, so...)
(and there's 1 '401 midi port out', and 1 'serial midi port out A' showing)

Or, please tell me how YOUR rig is set up, in some detail, patch cables and whatever, so I can get a clue of what I'm doing wrong here...
(of course, the card may be dead, but see no reason why)

- And remember, I may be able to acquire the hardware parts, but from there to a working unity.... well, I still have a LOT to learn, so.... 😅

bestemor wrote:

Haven't tried further with the soundblaster yet, but... (later) […]
Show full quote

Haven't tried further with the soundblaster yet, but... (later)

...here's a quick one for those of you who actually own a Roland SCC-1:

- it CAN be used as a 'normal' soundcard on it's own/alone, right ?
- I mean, at least let me play midi files on it ?
- if so, how can I do that if there's no regular sound device found on my computer (device manager, win98) ?

The SCC-1 is basically a Roland SC-55 MIDI synthesizer module and a MPU-401 interface on a single card. As such, it only plays back samples from its internal ROM and can not be used as a "regular sound device".

Under Windows, it works as a MIDI device with the MPU-401 driver.
You should hear something when you open and play back a MIDI file in the Windows Media Player.
For DOS games, no driver is needed. Just configure the game for "General MIDI", "Sound Canvas" or "WaveBlaster" music, and select the correct port and interrupt.

However, the SCC-1 is no replacement for a standard soundcard, it's rather meant as an additional synth for MIDI music. It lacks the possibility to play back (or record) digital samples from main memory. There are some games which can use the SCC-1 to generate simple sound effects, but generally you'll need an additional soundcard (e.g. Soundblaster) to enjoy digital sound effects.

You should hear something when you open and play back a MIDI file in the Windows Media Player.

Well, that WAS just the problem...1hr ago at least(!)
Could get no sound when playing midi.

But, and I'm _really_ not sure what I did, if anything at all(frankly I only fiddled slightly with the midi settings in 'Multimedia' etc), it now actually WORKS!! I can hear midi songs playing, and there's STILL no card showing anywhere...

(lotta headscratching going on, I can tell you...) 😳

EDIT:
After some more testing, it would look like the trick is to pick the 'MPU-401 midi out port' in the Windows midi setup, AND to also QUIT the Control Panel program in addition to just pressing 'apply'... live and learn...
Which is why I wanted to know how others have theirs set...

I kinda figured the rest(FM/digital etc), sort of...
So, I guess I would need no (internal/external)cables or other remedies for a 2-card set-up to work ?

What then are these patch(?) cables I've (vaguely remember to) been reading about ? Not from card to card ? (3-card setup ?)

Maybe in connection with external boxes ?
(but I most likely wouldn't have remembered those cables in _this_ context if that was the case, so....)

Hmm, well... at least I now know my (free 😀, saved from the garbage bin) card actually works. Yay.

Then there's the task of making Windows find the non-pnp CT1750 card... urk... 😵

(for the record, I DO intend to use these in a DOS machine, but dual boot or even DOS 7 could possibly be an option, hence the Win98 testing...)

***

EDIT:

PS: how am I supposed to change volume, bass etc when playing midi files on that SCC-1 ???

Mediaplayer surely won't let me, and there' s of course no Volume settings to be found elsewhere....

All righty then - this _may_ be a semi-non-problem ?
I guess I'll HAVE to have another ('actual') soundcard beside it... or somehow send sysex(?) messages to it ?

bestemor wrote:

So, I guess I would need no (internal/external)cables or other remedies for a 2-card set-up to work ? […]
Show full quote

So, I guess I would need no (internal/external)cables or other remedies for a 2-card set-up to work ?

What then are these patch(?) cables I've (vaguely remember to) been reading about ? Not from card to card ? (3-card setup ?)

Maybe in connection with external boxes ?
(but I most likely wouldn't have remembered those cables in _this_ context if that was the case, so....)

Right, MIDI patch cables would only be necessary to connect external MIDI modules.
You will need an audio cable connecting the SCC-1 RCA output to the Soundblaster Line-in. This way you can hear General MIDI music and Soundblaster digital effects at the same time, and you can also easily change the volume of the SCC-1.

bestemor wrote:

Then there's the task of making Windows find the non-pnp CT1750 card... urk... 😵

This is really easy in Win98: Add Hardware -> Select device from list -> Creative -> Soundblaster 16. After the drivers are installed, make sure the resources in the device manager are the same as set with the jumpers on the card itself.