The D value (Low DMA) can be one of 0, 1, 3. The H value (High DMA) can be one of 5, 6, 7. The typical values are D1 H5

The P value is the MPU-401 address, this is normally P330

NeoG_ wrote on 2025-12-05, 00:07:

The D value (Low DMA) can be one of 0, 1, 3. The H value (High DMA) can be one of 5, 6, 7. The typical values are D1 H5

The P value is the MPU-401 address, this is normally P330

Okay, DMA is sorted. It's just the MPU-401 that's being a problem. I did set it so it's 330, but it still won't have it for some reason. I'm guessing my Yamaha has already taken that resource/port...? So it's probably 300 then?

As an aside, it's good that the SB has an MPU-401 port as the Audigy 2 from before didn't, so I can always switch my adapter between the two cards.

EDIT: Nope. Even 300 doesn't work. 🙁

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-05, 00:37:

Okay, DMA is sorted. It's just the MPU-401 that's being a problem. I did set it so it's 330, but it still won't have it for some reason. I'm guessing my Yamaha has already taken that resource/port...? So it's probably 300 then?

As an aside, it's good that the SB has an MPU-401 port as the Audigy 2 from before didn't, so I can always switch my adapter between the two cards.

Yes it's likely that it can't initialize 330 because it's in use by the Yamaha card. 300 is the next best option.

Unfortunately the Live card software is hard coded not to output MPU-401 via a joystick adapter in DOS and I haven't seen any ways around it. It will only produce MIDI playback from the internal EMU10K1 hardware wavetable synth using the soundfont bank specified in ctsyn.ini

Edit: can you post the contents of your ctsyn.ini file?

NeoG_ wrote on 2025-12-05, 00:57:

Yes it's likely that it can't initialize 330 because it's in use by the Yamaha card. 300 is the next best option. […]
Show full quote

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-05, 00:37:

Okay, DMA is sorted. It's just the MPU-401 that's being a problem. I did set it so it's 330, but it still won't have it for some reason. I'm guessing my Yamaha has already taken that resource/port...? So it's probably 300 then?

As an aside, it's good that the SB has an MPU-401 port as the Audigy 2 from before didn't, so I can always switch my adapter between the two cards.

Yes it's likely that it can't initialize 330 because it's in use by the Yamaha card. 300 is the next best option.

Unfortunately the Live card software is hard coded not to output MPU-401 via a joystick adapter in DOS and I haven't seen any ways around it. It will only produce MIDI playback from the internal EMU10K1 hardware wavetable synth using the soundfont bank specified in ctsyn.ini

Edit: can you post the contents of your ctsyn.ini file?

Ahh. Great move Creative. 🙁

Maybe something is taking 300 as well, seems unlikely but you can also try 310 and 340

Just checking, are you also updating your BLASTER varibale to match the new values you are putting in ctsyn.ini?

NeoG_ wrote on 2025-12-05, 01:47:

Maybe something is taking 300 as well, seems unlikely but you can also try 310 and 340

Just checking, are you also updating your BLASTER varibale to match the new values you are putting in ctsyn.ini?

For some reason the variable won’t stick. Setting ctsyn.ini to read-only works, but the same doesn’t happen for autoexec.bat. It still keeps changing it back to the wrong values.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-05, 02:04:

For some reason the variable won’t stick. Setting ctsyn.ini to read-only works, but the same doesn’t happen for autoexec.bat. It still keeps changing it back to the wrong values.

I would expect that is because the autoexec.bat used by windows is being actively managed by windows and the installed drivers - That is another advantage of using the PIF shortcut as it uses an entirely different set of files

Alternatively if it's hell bent on using the windows values, you can manually override the SB16 resources in windows using device manager to use the same ones in DOS

Okay, I’ve done some adjusting with the resources. Even with my Yamaha, for some reason port 330 is no where to be found. I can’t seem to find it listed in Microsoft System Information either. Unless I’m blind. The Yamaha is set to 300 and 388. Would prefer to put it back to defaults though.

Also tested the audio during Simon the Sorcerer 2’s DOS installer. Sadly there’s no option to reconfigure the MPU—401 channel. The music plays according to the canvas, but no sound.

Okay, awesome. Got both cards working correctly, including the sound canvas in conjunction with the SB. The ports are all set up correctly. 😁 Just a case of setting up the cards for specific games via autoexec, config, and PIF files.

Happy days

Thanks for all your help. I'll report back if I run into any other issues, but hopefully I won't. 😀

Is it possible to daisy-chain two sound cards in DOS? Others have said you can have two sound cards activate in DOS, but can you hook one to the other like you can in Windows? I’m guessing not, but wanted to double check.

If I install a game and configure it to work with my SB, I’ll only get sound (after it’s initialised of course) if I have the audio jack plugged into the card. But can I not get audio from the SB via my Yamaha by hooking a two-way 3.5mm jack from one card to the other? Or is that beyond DOS’ capabilities?

I’m able to get MIDI from my sound canvas regardless of which sound card is hooked up, so surely it’s possible, no?

You can use the ek1m tool from PARUS to enable the audio jacks on the SB Live when using the Yamaha card
Multichannel DOS mixer for DOS sound builds v0.49 for Live, v1.01 for Audigy

The tool is a bit buggy and was never completed so it's generally a good idea to first play a blank audio file to the card using MPXPLAY which can initialize the card properly then run the ek1m tool. This solves the issue where EK1M doesn't work from a cold boot.
Re: SB Live and Orpheus not playing nice together!

You would run MPXPLAY and EK1M (they are not memory resident so no issues there) before or after initializing the Yamaha card and then you would daisy chan the yamaha to the SB Live line input. Your speakers would always be connected to the SB Live audio output. This also will produce sound from both cards in Windows.

NeoG_ wrote on 2025-12-11, 00:57:

You can use the ek1m tool from PARUS to enable the audio jacks on the SB Live when using the Yamaha card Multichannel DOS mixer […]
Show full quote

You can use the ek1m tool from PARUS to enable the audio jacks on the SB Live when using the Yamaha card
Multichannel DOS mixer for DOS sound builds v0.49 for Live, v1.01 for Audigy

The tool is a bit buggy and was never completed so it's generally a good idea to first play a blank audio file to the card using MPXPLAY which can initialize the card properly then run the ek1m tool. This solves the issue where EK1M doesn't work from a cold boot.
Re: SB Live and Orpheus not playing nice together!

You would run MPXPLAY and EK1M (they are not memory resident so no issues there) before or after initializing the Yamaha card and then you would daisy chan the yamaha to the SB Live line input. Your speakers would always be connected to the SB Live audio output. This also will produce sound from both cards in Windows.

Oh great, thank you. I’ll check it out. 😄

I've still yet to get the above mentioned utility working, but I'm just curious if anyone knows if it's possible to 'unload' or uninstall the Sound Blaster after initialising it via SBEINIT/SBINIT? Typing /U at the end doesn't appear to work.

Obviously, I've still yet to get both cards working at the same time, and setting up a custom boot-menu to choose between DOS with either the SB or Yamaha, but if I've been playing a game using the SB, and then want to play on a game that's better with the Yamaha, I appear to be stuck with audio quality of the SB. If it's possible to unload it, great! But if not, then I guess the only option would be to restart the PC. But just wanted to be sure.

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-12, 18:26:

I've still yet to get the above mentioned utility working, but I'm just curious if anyone knows if it's possible to 'unload' or uninstall the Sound Blaster after initialising it via SBEINIT/SBINIT? Typing /U at the end doesn't appear to work.

I was looking for something like that myself for a while, when I was originally going to use the Live's SB16 emulation. But I didn't find anything. AI tools just hallucinated options that don't exist.

NeoG_ wrote on 2025-12-12, 22:40:

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-12, 18:26:

I've still yet to get the above mentioned utility working, but I'm just curious if anyone knows if it's possible to 'unload' or uninstall the Sound Blaster after initialising it via SBEINIT/SBINIT? Typing /U at the end doesn't appear to work.

I was looking for something like that myself for a while, when I was originally going to use the Live's SB16 emulation. But I didn't find anything. AI tools just hallucinated options that don't exist.

Well, I was doing a bit of checking in DOS, and it looks like SBESET has an enable and disable option. Something like SBESET -d0/1. But unfortunately, it requires the PC to be rebooted, which defeats the point. Might as well just restart the PC anyway. ^^;

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-12, 23:08:

Well, I was doing a bit of checking in DOS, and it looks like SBESET has an enable and disable option. Something like SBESET -d0/1. But unfortunately, it requires the PC to be rebooted, which defeats the point. Might as well just restart the PC anyway. ^^;

What's currently stopping you from having both sound devices active at the same time?

NeoG_ wrote on 2025-12-12, 23:55:

DustyShinigami wrote on 2025-12-12, 23:08:

Well, I was doing a bit of checking in DOS, and it looks like SBESET has an enable and disable option. Something like SBESET -d0/1. But unfortunately, it requires the PC to be rebooted, which defeats the point. Might as well just restart the PC anyway. ^^;

What's currently stopping you from having both sound devices active at the same time?

Not trying that EKM1 utility. ^^; Once I've got it onto the system, I can give it a go. Until then, it's tricky having both enabled as one ends up taking precidence over the other. If the SB is initialised first, that's all games see when the audio is configured. Even with my Yamaha hooked up primarily and Unisound is run, if the SB is initialised, I get inferior audio. Though I'm guessing it's coming from the Yamaha. For instance, I configured Doom with my Yamaha, but if the SB is initialised when I load DOS, the audio is awful. The MIDI doesn't sound good and there are no sound effects.

I don't understand how one card would take precedence over the other. If they're both configured with their own separate hardware settings (address, IRQ, DMA), they should be able to run concurrently. Then it's just a matter of choosing the respective settings in game setup programs for the card you want to use.

I might test out running an SB Live! and a Yamaha-based card concurrently in DOS to see how this works.