This is a good place to start:

My Wavetable Sample Thread

IMO the best bang for the buck MIDI card is the SB AWE 32 CT3670

It's basically an AWE64 EMU chip on an AWE32 board, allowing for generic memory expansion instead of the rare memory boards.

It's not brilliant for DOS, because unless there is explicit support for it, any DOS extenders will not work with it (Except for OPL synth, of which it uses CQM). The exceptions I know of include Duke Nukem 3D and some Doom sourceports like DosDoom

For Windows it's perfectly fine, and any game that uses the card as a MIDI device should work fine.

The only other idea is to get a regular card with a MIDI interface, and use something like a RasPi with a USB MIDI interface, and load soundfonts to your heart's content.

Price-wise, it depends where you're from. If you're from the EU, the AWE64 and the Yamaha DS-XG (YMF724) are your best bets. The DS-XG only has wavetable midi in windows, but lots of dos games run fine under windows dosbox. Under DOS it has standard OPL3 midi. It also has another advantage over the AWE64 - the MIDI is reachable under port 330, witch means the game doesn't need to specifically support it like with the AWE64 witch uses port 620. The AWE64's default waveset doesn't sound half as good as the DS-XG, but it does have WT support under pure dos. They are both pretty cheap and easy to find in europe.

If you're from the US, I'd say AWE64 (again) or Turtle Beach cards. I keep seing them pop up on ebay for decent prices.

If you're from asia, you might get lucky and bag a SC55 MK2 for as low as 50$ - otherwise DS-XG cards should be easy to find and dirt cheap.

If you're on a budget, can't go wrong with ESS ES1869F or Yamaha Audician 32 (YMF-718/719)

oeuvre wrote:

If you're on a budget, can't go wrong with ESS ES1869F or Yamaha Audician 32 (YMF-718/719)

For wavetable? Maybe with a daughterboard.

cyclone3d wrote:

For wavetable? Maybe with a daughterboard.

Yep or something like this would rock:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Addonics-Wavetable-10 … yEAAOSwT-FZBJPS

cyclone3d wrote:

oeuvre wrote:

If you're on a budget, can't go wrong with ESS ES1869F or Yamaha Audician 32 (YMF-718/719)

For wavetable? Maybe with a daughterboard.

Some ESS boards came with onboard wavetable and a header too. I have one.

Also, you could just hook a GM module up to any old sound card.

One thing you could try is to have a Sound Blaster 16 or similar, combined with a Sound Blaster Live! for similar, in systems with PCI slots. SBLs are notorious for not working with DOS games, but I am wondering if you can't just load in a good soundfont, and use the MIDI port on the Sound Blaster 16 to interface with the MIDI port on the SBL. This will, effectively control the SBL through an ISA card, providing full MIDI support. You also have full DMA on PCI, so you can load soundfonts into system memory instead of sound card memory.

This is also an excuse to put loads of, what is today, cheap retro memory in. Check out 18004memory if you are in the US/Canada. They sell memory for normally 5 bucks per stick of whatever you could want, up until DDR2/3 stuff. If you can get enough to load the Timbres of Heaven soundfont (Maybe shaved down with some of the non General MIDI soundfonts removed) then you will have a spicy MIDI setup, without any external units.

@badmojo: That is an awesome thread, thanks!
@Ampera: I'd like something that'd work a bit better under DOS.
@kanecvr: I am from the States, so AWE64 I've seen, and I love older Turtle Beach stuff, but I haven't seen anything other than PCI cards from them... will keep eyes open.
@oeuvre/badmojo: Why on earth is this stuff coming from Hungary?!
@manbearpig: I've been looking for an affordable GM/GS module for years. Would love to have a SoundCanvas 55mkII.

Might also be worth mentioning, I have a Turtle Beach Montego II (the Vortex 2 PCI card), but I've heard it's default wavetable, and it's quite awful. Better than Microsoft GS, but that isn't saying much.

Have no idea, I tick US only when browsing ebay

What's wrong with a cheap card like the audician and a dreamblaster for midi? Am I missing something?

konc wrote:

What's wrong with a cheap card like the audician and a dreamblaster for midi? Am I missing something?

Nothing wrong with it... but I'm not a fan of how the S1/S2 sound, and the X1/X2 are really expensive just to be able to load a wavetable that might not sound quite right.

konc wrote:

What's wrong with a cheap card like the audician and a dreamblaster for midi?

Seconded.

I am a fan of any Yamaha based card with a Dreamblaster S1/S2. I''m personally using a YM719 based card. There are many available from many different brands and most of them work really well.

I just recently threw in an ESS Audio Drive card into my 386 and I gotta say it's one of the best midi boards I've heard in a while. DEFINITELY worth a shot if you can snag one.

The only other thing I may suggest would be an AWE64 gold as it has MT32 emulation built in. Never tried it as I have an external MT32, but would be worth a shot. Other than the AWE64 Gold, CL midi is crap. Pro Audio Spectrum is only moderately better, but ESS = win.

Erik765 wrote:

I just recently threw in an ESS Audio Drive card into my 386 and I gotta say it's one of the best midi boards I've heard in a while. DEFINITELY worth a shot if you can snag one.

The only other thing I may suggest would be an AWE64 gold as it has MT32 emulation built in. Never tried it as I have an external MT32, but would be worth a shot. Other than the AWE64 Gold, CL midi is crap. Pro Audio Spectrum is only moderately better, but ESS = win.

I don't want to be a negative nelly but what do you mean by 'midi' here? Audiodrives generally don't do MIDI (as in General MIDI), nor does the PAS. Both are FM only unless the Audiodrive has onboard wavetable, which not many do.

And regarding CL MIDI - the AWE64 Value / AWE32 / SB32 cards provide a very similar experience, so specifiing the AWE64 Gold is a bit misleading.

Erik765 wrote:

AWE64 gold as it has MT32 emulation built in.

It has no such thing as mt32 emulation in the awe64.

It does say 'MT-32 emulation mode' but it doesn't really mean it, it just gives the capital tones. Useless for gaming outside of a few (and even then obviously it is GS PCM tones, not true LA synth).

OP: What is your budget? That might help. It sounds like what you want and what you are needing specs wise is a Sound Canvas of some variety. I tried for years before I got my first SC-55 to find soundfonts that were any good, but they inevitably sucked on one commonly used sample or other (for MIDI gaming, that is). In my humble opinion, mind you. And with memory on PC's being much better these days I'm sure you can do way better with a soundfont now versus 10 years ago.

Price wise, looks like on eBay even 80 USD will get you an SC-55 from Japan, shipping included, for example.

For gaming on the cheap this might be worth a look (depending on whether people bid at last minute), currently $9.99:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Edirol-Roland-SC-55ST … 0AAAOSwLsBZQevT

Guitar Center used to have SC's, but I think someone told me they have ditched the retro gear. (After searching, they have some retro gear, but no SC's any more.)

If MIDI creation is big for you, might consider a SC-8820 or similar (or equivalent Yamaha MU series), tons of instruments, good variety. As they are pricy, the Sound Canvas VA (virtual) might be an option, which is a virtual SC-8820. Although even the virtual is $125.

in Europe the yamaha cards are expensive imho. better of with some sb16 with a midi-extension and a dreamblaster Midi-board. I think it's the cheapest. You could argue about the hanging note bug, but at least nearly every game is compatible 😀