You can't. Sound Blaster AudioPCI cards don't do OPL and will be approximate emulation at best. DOS is dead, bleep bloops are lower priority than environmental audio, HRTF, full duplex, and clean MP3s. Those were the goals of sound cards at that point.

If you're running Win95, then your board's probably old enough to have an ISA slot for an OPL'd sound card...

leileilol wrote on 2024-09-02, 19:29:

You can't. Sound Blaster AudioPCI cards don't do OPL and will be approximate emulation at best. DOS is dead, bleep bloops are lower priority than environmental audio, HRTF, full duplex, and clean MP3s. Those were the goals of sound cards at that point.

If you're running Win95, then your board's probably old enough to have an ISA slot for an OPL'd sound card...

If you search in youtube sound blaster 128 pci doom music you will see that the music should sound better

Are you sure? And the only way to get the real music is to use an older ISA card?

psaez wrote on 2024-09-02, 19:40:

If you search in youtube sound blaster 128 pci doom music you will see that the music should sound better

Search comes up with nothing relevant except this 😁 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AZI07_qts8

Review: Sound Blaster PCI 128 (CT4810)

Scroll down a bit for the softsynth part. FM is terrible, but GM music should work (sound better)

psaez wrote on 2024-09-02, 19:40:

Are you sure? And the only way to get the real music is to use an older ISA card?

It depends on what type of music you mean.

Generally, there are two ways people remember Doom music. Either FM synthesis or General MIDI, usually the latter being a Roland sound set.

If you want FM synthesized music, the most accurate way is going to be via genuine OPL synthesis or something very close to it (such as ESS OPL emulation).

If it's in General MIDI music you're after, then the most accurate will be a genuine Roland SC-55 sound set or something very close to it.

My first Doom music experience was with a Sound Blaster 16 (CT2230) which I bought new back then.
Then I bought a Gravis Ultrasound Max and man, that was WAY better!!

But I totally agree with Shponglefan: Roland SC-55 is the best. Or get a Dreamblaster X2GS and a decent soundcard with wavetable header.

Shponglefan wrote on 2024-09-02, 21:21:

It depends on what type of music you mean. […]
Show full quote

psaez wrote on 2024-09-02, 19:40:

Are you sure? And the only way to get the real music is to use an older ISA card?

It depends on what type of music you mean.

Generally, there are two ways people remember Doom music. Either FM synthesis or General MIDI, usually the latter being a Roland sound set.

If you want FM synthesized music, the most accurate way is going to be via genuine OPL synthesis or something very close to it (such as ESS OPL emulation).

If it's in General MIDI music you're after, then the most accurate will be a genuine Roland SC-55 sound set or something very close to it.

Why if I select general midi in doom setup it doesnt play music?

leileilol wrote on 2024-09-02, 19:29:

You can't. Sound Blaster AudioPCI cards don't do OPL and will be approximate emulation at best. DOS is dead, bleep bloops are lower priority than environmental audio, HRTF, full duplex, and clean MP3s. Those were the goals of sound cards at that point.

If you're running Win95, then your board's probably old enough to have an ISA slot for an OPL'd sound card...

Well finally I solved it configuring the game to general midi and modifying the port to 320. Then the music is perfect and wonderful. Why you told that was not possible?

psaez wrote on 2024-09-03, 11:39:

leileilol wrote on 2024-09-02, 19:29:

You can't. Sound Blaster AudioPCI cards don't do OPL and will be approximate emulation at best. DOS is dead, bleep bloops are lower priority than environmental audio, HRTF, full duplex, and clean MP3s. Those were the goals of sound cards at that point.

If you're running Win95, then your board's probably old enough to have an ISA slot for an OPL'd sound card...

Well finally I solved it configuring the game to general midi and modifying the port to 320. Then the music is perfect and wonderful. Why you told that was not possible?

He didn't.
There are two ways to play the soundtrack, FM and MIDI. Synthesis and samples. AudioPCI does horrible synthesis, and via emulation, but the MIDI sampler part is real with an average soundbank.

When people talk about bad sound of AudioPCI in DOS it is implied they're talking about FM.

There is no attribute "perfect" for MIDI music, you get what your soundbank is capable of. Plug in a Roland on that card, game a bit, disconnect the Roland, and then tell me is that default card sound "perfect and wonderful".