VOGONS


New DreamBlaster S2 !

Topic actions

Reply 40 of 123, by gdjacobs

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++
dr.zeissler wrote:
I am more in real hardware :) Emulation needs a much bigger amount of different cables and other hardware. And newer hardware li […]
Show full quote

I am more in real hardware 😀 Emulation needs a much bigger amount of different cables and other hardware.
And newer hardware like USB interface etc. My Retro-Machines mostly do not have USB support because I don't need it,
what I need is network-support and that do indeed have all my machines from 286 on.

I thought about a different MIDI-Interface module.

Hey, no problem in my eyes. I certainly appreciate vintage hardware even if I'm way less hardcore in collecting than some.

I do want to correct a detail. The retro machine does not require USB to do this. You need a modern machine with a midi interface (USB to MIDI is the most flexible) to serve as the synthesizer. Everything on the side of the retro machine goes through your sound card or dedicated MPU-401 card, just like an external module.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 41 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Some other use of S1/S2 :
Katod posted a video where he uses the DreamBlaster S1 module in a spectacular live performance at the Retro Computers Demoparty :
https://youtu.be/HheuYKSBX5g
Stellar guitar play, also ! 😀 Like it !

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 42 of 123, by keropi

User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

Very nice performance!
These kinds of events are the best 😀

🎵 🎧 PCMIDI MPU , OrpheusII , Action Rewind , Megacard and 🎶GoldLib soundcard website

Reply 43 of 123, by Hummtaro

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
dreamblaster wrote:

The first to have proof of a smaller waveblaster board, I will send him an S2 for free 🤣 )
Dimensions are 24mm x 34mm.

This was my try to create a smaller wavetable board with a other synth chip. Produced just 2 weeks after your post. Sadly i did a little mistake in the layout and got demotivated..
😢

Attachments

X570|R5 5600X|32G|Rx6800

Reply 44 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Hummtaro wrote:
dreamblaster wrote:

The first to have proof of a smaller waveblaster board, I will send him an S2 for free 🤣 )
Dimensions are 24mm x 34mm.

This was my try to create a smaller wavetable board with a other synth chip. Produced just 2 weeks after your post. Sadly i did a little mistake in the layout and got demotivated..
😢

What chip did you use ? VS1053 ? I did tests with this chip too, and must tell it does not sound good.
But yeah, your layout is very small ! DO you need some help ? I will pm you 😀

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 45 of 123, by Hummtaro

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
dreamblaster wrote:

What chip did you use ? VS1053 ? I did tests with this chip too, and must tell it does not sound good.

I used a VS1103, basically a VS1053 without all the decoders.
I didn't found any acceptable sound reference on web, but crappy synths can also be charmful. 😈
I also had the idea to make a board with the Crystal CS9236 but.. Yeah, i should finish something.. 😒

X570|R5 5600X|32G|Rx6800

Reply 46 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Hummtaro wrote:

Yeah, i should finish something.. 😒

Yeah, I pm'd. 😀

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 47 of 123, by Hummtaro

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
dreamblaster wrote:

Yeah, I pm'd. 😀

Thank you very much for your tips and motivation! 😀
Today i finished my board.
To have some use from this small size, theres also a small Gameport adapter.. 😈

And here are some recordings:
https://youtu.be/sT3MQPtlaRI

Attachments

X570|R5 5600X|32G|Rx6800

Reply 48 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

hey,
congratulations !! very very nice !!!
It has a unique retro sound, I like it.
Truly a new milestone to the history of small waveblaster cards !! 😀
I'll send you an S2, well deserved. (I'll PM).

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 49 of 123, by sketchus

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Hiya,

I recieved my Dreamblaster S2 yesterday (only took 3 days to get delivered to the UK I couldn't believe it!)

I put it on my soundcard but I'm having a problem. I get sound to work, but for example Duke3D while testing it sounds very echo-y and for some reason it's way quieter than anything else my soundcard outputs. I have a brand new Audician 32 plus to try it with that I will do so shortly, but the one I'm using now is an Atrend 6631, which from what I understand is very similar.

Anyway, any idea as what could be causing it?

Thanks.

Reply 50 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
sketchus wrote:

I put it on my soundcard but I'm having a problem. I get sound to work, but for example Duke3D while testing it sounds very echo-y and for some reason it's way quieter than anything else my soundcard outputs. I have a brand new Audician 32 plus to try it with that I will do so shortly, but the one I'm using now is an Atrend 6631, which from what I understand is very similar.
Thanks.

Do you have any utility for your Atrend 6631, to change the mixer settings ?
--> volume of MIDI synth line in ?
--> very maybe even reverb effects on line in ?

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 51 of 123, by sketchus

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Not to worry, I ended up swapping in the Audician 32 and it sounds perfect. In pure DOS at least. I haven't got it working in Windows yet, not sure why, but this is tons better already.

EDIT: Now working in Windows 😀

Reply 52 of 123, by TimMer1981

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I bought the DreamBlaster X2 a couple of months ago for my old DOS-games, love it. 😀

Just one question, quoting from the manual:

Finally, we are working very hard on a conversion process of popular SoundFonts (.SF2) to Dream SoundBank format (.DXB). This is still work in process, but we are confident to make available alternative SoundBanks very soon.

How is this coming along? 😀

Last edited by TimMer1981 on 2017-10-22, 11:51. Edited 1 time in total.

"I will take your bones, still alive and in great pain, and make them into a chair. I will call it "My Screaming Chair". Every morning I will sit in it and listen to you scream. Any questions?"

Reply 53 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

Hi TimMer,
you have been reading the X2 user manual, not S2 ?
For S2, the soundbank is fixed in ROM, this cannot be updated.

For X2 : the first new GM bank was available since a few months : GUD :
available here : http://serdaco.com/downloads/X2/?dir=X2_SoundbankPack/GM/GUD
You can hear it in action here : https://soundcloud.com/dreamblaster/sets/x3m
Working on more, there is still no conversion path from sf2 though, so it requires a lot of manual work.

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 54 of 123, by TimMer1981

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
dreamblaster wrote:
Hi TimMer, you have been reading the X2 user manual, not S2 ? For S2, the soundbank is fixed in ROM, this cannot be updated. […]
Show full quote

Hi TimMer,
you have been reading the X2 user manual, not S2 ?
For S2, the soundbank is fixed in ROM, this cannot be updated.

For X2 : the first new GM bank was available since a few months : GUD :
available here : http://serdaco.com/downloads/X2/?dir=X2_SoundbankPack/GM/GUD
You can hear it in action here : https://soundcloud.com/dreamblaster/sets/x3m
Working on more, there is still no conversion path from sf2 though, so it requires a lot of manual work.

My bad: I bought the X2, corrected my message just now. 😉 So yes: that's what I meant, the SF2 to DXB conversion. But you are still working on a converter? 😀

Extracting SF2 instruments to WAV files isn't too hard, so I guess the part creating the DXB files is tough to do? Can't the guys at Dream help you somewhat with this, as they also promote a link to a translator package? http://www.chickensys.com/products2/translator/special.html

"I will take your bones, still alive and in great pain, and make them into a chair. I will call it "My Screaming Chair". Every morning I will sit in it and listen to you scream. Any questions?"

Reply 55 of 123, by dreamblaster

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie

yes actually I was the orginal requestor for these conversion routines, and have been working with chicken systems for more than 2 years
to test their successive updates and report issues. I bought that software (multiple licenses even), but progress is slow.
Only a few simple instruments work fine,also drum conversion is not yet supported, but I hope we will get there.

Visit http://www.serdashop.com for retro sound cards, video converters, ...
DreamBlaster X2, S2, S2P, HDD Clicker, ... many projects !
New X2GS SE & X16GS sound card : https://www.serdashop.com/X2GS-SE ,
Thanks for your support !

Reply 56 of 123, by TimMer1981

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
dreamblaster wrote:

yes actually I was the orginal requestor for these conversion routines, and have been working with chicken systems for more than 2 years
to test their successive updates and report issues. I bought that software (multiple licenses even), but progress is slow.
Only a few simple instruments work fine,also drum conversion is not yet supported, but I hope we will get there.

Wow! Quite the dedication! 😀

Hope all your hard work will pay off in the end. 😀

"I will take your bones, still alive and in great pain, and make them into a chair. I will call it "My Screaming Chair". Every morning I will sit in it and listen to you scream. Any questions?"

Reply 57 of 123, by dr.zeissler

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

How could I seperate S2 from SoftMPU ?
If I understood it correctly both are at 330, so both will play which means:

1. Audician32PLS Audio-Out has SB+MIDI
2. Audician32PLS Joystick-SoftMPU-MT32

If a game has SFX and MT32 support, I will get all three things at once... 🙁

Retro-Gamer 😀 ...on different machines

Reply 58 of 123, by the Goat

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member
dr.zeissler wrote:
How could I seperate S2 from SoftMPU ? If I understood it correctly both are at 330, so both will play which means: […]
Show full quote

How could I seperate S2 from SoftMPU ?
If I understood it correctly both are at 330, so both will play which means:

1. Audician32PLS Audio-Out has SB+MIDI
2. Audician32PLS Joystick-SoftMPU-MT32

If a game has SFX and MT32 support, I will get all three things at once... 🙁

Does the Yamaha Audician 32 Plus have a program to control the built in mixer? You should be able to mute the wave blaster input.

Reply 59 of 123, by jesolo

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t
dr.zeissler wrote:
How could I seperate S2 from SoftMPU ? If I understood it correctly both are at 330, so both will play which means: […]
Show full quote

How could I seperate S2 from SoftMPU ?
If I understood it correctly both are at 330, so both will play which means:

1. Audician32PLS Audio-Out has SB+MIDI
2. Audician32PLS Joystick-SoftMPU-MT32

If a game has SFX and MT32 support, I will get all three things at once... 🙁

For games to communicate with any MIDI "device" (being it a sound module or synthesizer), they use the MPU-401 MIDI interface to communicate with the MIDI "device".
Based on my understanding, your DreamBlaster S2 is attached to your Wave Blaster connector on your sound card and your MT-32 is connected to your joystick/external MIDI port via a joystick/MIDI cable?

If you want to play an MT-32 based game, to prevent hearing any sounds coming from the S2, you can just mute the MIDI/FM volume slider in your sound card's mixer utility (many of these had a DOS based command line utility as well that you can just put in a batch file and run before you start up your game).
You can then route your MT-32's output to your sound card's line input (just make sure the Line In volume slider is not muted) and then mix it with your output again.
Alternatively, you can route your sound card's & MT-32's output via an external mixer.

When you want to play a General MID based game (via your S2), just switch off the MT-32 or, mute the Line In volume slider in your sound card's mixer utility.

Just be aware that some MT-32 based games requires your IRQ to be set at IRQ 2/9.