I tried - and failed - to get a 5 sound card build to work, but I could manage 4. But... I'd not recommend it.

Mine consisted of MusicQuest MQX-16 (MPU-401-clone), Aztech NXPro or SB16 (could NOT get these two to work in the same system at the same time), Mediavision PAS16 and GUS Classic.

This being DOS and and the SS Elite and GUS Max being non-PnP cards, they occupy their respective resources regardless. The only thing you can choose not to initiate is the SB compatibility (which is awful anyway). So you need to plan all your resources around these cards whatever you do. The AWE64 Gold is PnP, so you can neglect to initialize that if you want, but you don't win anything other than the option to run SBos... Now, you can almost certainly get this all to work, but - you'll probably have to choose some less default settings. Which means that a significant number of games won't want to work with one or more of the cards.

In the end I just gave up, split my single P100 system with my 5 cards into a U5S (~486SX)-33 with NXPro, PAS and MQX-16, and a K6-2 350 with GUS Classic and AWE64. Works much better, all the more so as the P100 was too fast for Covox games supported by the NXPro, but on the slow side for last-gen DOS games that did justice to GUS and AWE.

Of course the 486 system is suffering feature creep, as I'm going to add an SSI-2001 replica as soon as I find a working SID, but that card is so weird it doesn't hog anyone else's resources.

Well, even more overkill configurations have been done — you might want to check this out.

I've been successful with AWE32+GUS Max+MPU 401 controller and MT-32 under Windows 95 DOS mode and I've also done SB16 with a daughterboard + GUS + MPU 401 with MT-32 under DOS 6.22 with both 486 and Socket 5.

My few tips:

1) this might obvious to many, but I was happy when I've learned that GUS doesn't really need two couples of IRQ and DMA unless you need to use it in full duplex mode for some reason (that is simultaneous playback and recording). That means that you can set a GUS to 240, 7, 7, 7, 7
2) I would assume that the biggest issues will come from MPU parts of your sound cards — conflicting with each other and also network cards, multi I/O and so on. Your ISA MPU controller should use IRQ2 and 330h since most MT-32 games expect that. Because IRQ2 is shared with IRQ9, you should make sure to disable LPT as usually it occupies that. Some VGA cards can also have a setting to occupy IRQ9 — I guess, for compatibility? With 3COM cards you might also use the official EEPROM utility so that the network card will use something more exotic than 330h or 300h.

Anyways, be sure to add extra hardware only after you've set up the sound cards
3) obviously make sure to disable all the gameports and IDE controllers
4) I know it's a matter of choice, but do you really need AWE64 in this setup? Seems kind of wasted in a pure DOS environment. No soundfonts + issues with protected mode games

Jackhead wrote on 2020-05-25, 18:53:

Hi, […]
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Hi,

i research on the posts here about the topic multi Sound cards in one system but i dont really found my answer. So here the idea.
I want build a Sockel 3 system with a 486 DX4 100 as base. It should be a Gaming system for DOS with external and internal Midi devices.

For external Midi i will use a MPU-401 (i have the box and the AT ISA interface) on
- MT-32 OLD
- CM-32L
- SC-88 pro

Internal i like to have 3 sound cards.

- Soundblaster AWE64 GOLD
- Soundscape Elite
- GUS max

I really like the nativ support (midi and sound) on some games for the sound cards.

First at all, the 4 boards need all a separate address and IRQ ok.
My idea was to install them all and than create a Dos boot menue where i choose what sound card i like to init with the MPU-401.

Is this possible with the plan i have? Any suggestions to do it better? I dont think i can boot all boards at once?

Happy if someone can help me out.

regards
Chris

This guy did it.
He posted his config files before to share somewhere but I can’t find it.
You might want to PM him and ask for his config files.
Re: The MIDI General

I'm running
- AWE64 with MPU-401 connected to what is effectively a MIDI splitter (did not want to daisy-chain) that feeds an MT-32 , an SC-88 and an MU500 . The splitter is a MIDISPORT 2x4 with one of the outputs looped back, but standalone MIDI splitters and switchers are available .
- Yamaha YMF715 based card for SB Pro compatibility with a Monster Sound duaghterboard .
- Gravis Ultrasound

All outputs are hooked up to an Akai DPS12 that I use as a mixer. Pretty much any mixer will do, but I went with what I had .

I am not familiar with the resource a Soundscape Elite needs, but the AWE64, GUS MAX and the MPU-401 should have no trouble co-existing simultaneously, at the very least . The GUS MAX's codec is practically useless (for gaming), IMHO, and will use an IRQ , unless it can be disabled (not sure about that).