Your ULTRADIR setting is incorrect, therefore DOOM can't find the GUS instrument patches. The ULTRADIR setting is a DOS-compatible path on a mounted drive, not a path on the host OS.

Here's a GUS installation guide: Install Gravis Ultrasound Properly, All files, No Errors (With Pictures!)
It's not as concise as it could be, but should help set you on the right path (heh).

That's not the host drive and that's how I installed GUS by following that tutorial. The sound effects do work, but it's just the music. What do you mean by "DOS compatible" path?

The sound effects work without installing GUS drivers or instrument patches, but the music requires the instrument patches.

ultradir="I:\Program Files\DOS Box\ULTRASND"

You've got directory (folder) names longer than 8 characters, spaces, and "Program Files" is obviously a path on a Windows host.
Why did you even change the ULTRADIR setting? Just leave it at its default: ULTRADIR=C:\ULTRASND, then run the GUS installation inside DOSBox and install to C:\ULTRASND

A DOS-compatible path uses directory names with no more than 8 characters, and no spaces.

Then why does it work for me when I am playing games? As long as I have quotes around it I can have the directory as long as I want it with any characters. And it's not my host drive it's a drive I use to have from another computer.

I installed it to a "compatible" path and it's not solving anything, I had it working a few months ago so I don't know why it stopped out of the blue.

ripsaw8080 already explained it to you, instrument patches NEED to be in a compatible path INSIDE the places DOSBOX mounts as drives.

DOS (real or emulated) will not work with "I:\Program Files\DOS Box\ULTRASND" , no matter how many brackets you use, this is not windows.
Put the ULTRASND directory INSIDE the directory you are mounting as C: , change the ini to ultradir=C:\ULTRASND and if your ULTRASND directory is correct then you'll get music. If not you'll only get sfx like you do now.

OK, I have put everything in C:\DOS including DOOM2. NO SPACES! Nothing! I downloaded the pre-installed GUS files instead this time, directed it to C:\DOS\ULTRASND. It still doesn't work. Is there some ports I'm meant to be changing? Is this really worth the effort?

can you please report here your mount command?
you obviously mount C:\DOS , but how? mount c: c:\dos ?

mount c: c:\dos
I put everything in there, the installation, the game I am trying to get to work.
The configuration is set to c:\ultrasnd, I tried both c:\dos\ultrasnd and c:\ultrasnd neither worked. GUS is set to true, I didn't fiddle with the port or anything.

hmmm
if you set -> ultradir="C:\ULTRASND" it should work... I can only think that the pre-configured drivers need some configuration or are simply not good.
What happens if you run the config utility in the ULTRASND directory? Does it detect stuff allright?

Doom version matters too. GUS problems weren't uncommon with Doom

keropi wrote:

hmmm
if you set -> ultradir="C:\ULTRASND" it should work... I can only think that the pre-configured drivers need some configuration or are simply not good.
What happens if you run the config utility in the ULTRASND directory? Does it detect stuff allright?

What is the utility called?

leileilol wrote:

Doom version matters too. GUS problems weren't uncommon with Doom

I'm using the last version that was ever released.

BUMP! Ok I got it working finally! I put the ULTRASND folder into the DOOM folder and set the directory to there! Yay!

great! glad you solved it 😁

Thanks everyone 😀.