badmojo wrote on 2022-01-19, 02:00:
The AWE64 value cards are readily available and relatively cheap too - I think they're great.
Pretty soon people will start posting walls of text in support of their idea of what a good ISA sound card looks like and why Creative cards suck - it's just that sort of a topic 😂
I had to physically restrain myself from doing just that 😁
Incoming...!!! 😜
No, actually agree with you here, the SB16 cards (which include everything up to the AWE64 Gold) are fundamentally flawed in a few areas, but those flaws are insignificant compared to what we put up with as poor ignorant youngsters back in the day, and sometimes even add 'authentic charm'.
Also, there's a simple way to nullify them: this board has three ISA slots. Instead of chasing the unicorn of the perfect card, or even the 'best' card, it's far easier to just use two cards that cover each others weaknesses. AWE64 value give you SB16 16b digital audio and Creative AWE MIDI. What it lacks is SBPro2 (stereo) compatibility, bug-free MIDI interface and a 'real' Yamaha OPL3 - plus WSS 16b digital audio as a nice-to-have. There are lots of card out there that can cover that, some very cheaply. Anything with a 3rd or4th gen Aztech (AZT2316 or 2320) fits the bill, as do Crystal CS4232 and OPTi 929 and 930-based cards. All can be found far cheaper than 'real' Creative cards, so you can combine one with an equally cheap AWE64 Value (still a far better card than SB16 Vibras that sell for more) to cover pretty much all the bases. Both cards will work in DOS and Windows, although in Windows the added value of the second card is far less and you can basically do everything with the AWE64.
Set the 'clone' card with good MIDI to A220 I5 D1 P330 U9 T4 and the AWE64 to A240 I7 (or 3) D3 (or 0) H5 (or 6) P300 E620 T6 and you're good to go for pretty much anything.
I have a very similar combo in my main late-DOS box: Aztech MMSN841 (3rd gen AZT2316R) for SBPro2, OPL3, WSS and MIDI, AWE64 Gold for SB16 and AWE - and a Gravis Ultrasound for good measure. The latter is only if you want to go expensively down the rabbit hole, but that Aztech card really complements the AWE64 well and costs peanuts. There's an almost identical one on eBay in the US for USD14.95 at the moment and a functionally similar one (well, no modem, but that's hardly an issue for retro-gaming) in DE for EUR 18, and if you're patient you can probably get something similar for less.