VOGONS


Ye Olde Synthe i486

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First post, by Cloudschatze

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486s.jpg

I realize that this is sick and wrong, but hey, they all play nicely together - literally!

From left to right -

External SCSI adapter for the PAS16
Matrox Millenium
Creative GameBlaster
MediaVision Pro Audiospectrum 16 w/attached Roland SCB-55 daughterboard
IBM Music Feature Card
Roland LAPC-I 01

Now to find a HardSID PCI...

Last edited by Cloudschatze on 2011-10-24, 04:36. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 1 of 43, by 5u3

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Impressive! 😎

The back panel of my 486 looks similar, although I don't have such exclusive and rare sound hardware (Creative SB16 + Roland SCD-15, Gravis Ultrasound, Roland LAPC-I).

Reply 2 of 43, by HunterZ

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Holy crap. Okay, now hook some external MIDI synths and joysticks to all those game/MIDI ports 😀

What do you use to mix the sound outputs together? (5u3 this question is for you too)

I have an MT-32 and SC-88 (external synths), but I run the output of the MT-32 into a line-in on the SC-88, which is in turn connected to the line in of my sound card. I'm thinking of connecting a VCR to my computer, but I'm not sure I want to try to chain its audio with my synths.

Reply 3 of 43, by 5u3

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HunterZ wrote:

What do you use to mix the sound outputs together?

I use the onboard mixer on the SB16. The SCD-15 is connected via the wavetable connector, and the LAPC-I uses line-in. Since I do not need the GUS playing simultaneously with the SB, they are separatly connected to my receiver.
The receiver has six analogue and two digital inputs, so there is still room for more soundcards 🤣

Reply 5 of 43, by Cloudschatze

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The Midiman Multimixer 10 may be about the best thing ever designed for such purposes. They have been discontinued for some time now, but I was able to pick up another off of eBay for only $26.

I decided not to use it though, instead opting for a setup similiar to 5u3's, where I utilize the mixer on the PAS. The LAPC-I is still routed into a Multimixer, but the output from the GameBlaster and IMFC is redirected into the PAS.

Reply 6 of 43, by WolverineDK

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Very sweet 😀 I could think of some great synth concerts with that machine as a frontend to the synths 😀

that would be just great, and I would buy tickets, just to experince the sound from it 😀

Sweet 😀

Reply 7 of 43, by Cloudschatze

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One slight change, not that anyone should care...

I've removed the PAS16, along with the external SCSI connector, and have installed an AWE32 (CT2760). The SCD-15 was also transferred over to the AWE32, and I have yet to experience the note-hanging issue common to many Creative cards. Fifty-cents well spent, in my opinion.

486s_2.jpg
That's a whole lot of synth...

studio_s.jpg
And here it is, partially visible on the floor, with the MCB-1, MCB-10, and IMFC external MIDI boxes connected, along with a little sub-mixer for audio. Now, if only I had time to actually play games... 😀

studio.jpg
And, a more recent photo...

Last edited by Cloudschatze on 2012-01-31, 05:16. Edited 4 times in total.

Reply 10 of 43, by Mike 01Hawk

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You need more equipment.

You on a UPS at least?

Dell Optiplex Gxpro: Built solely so I could re-live my SB16 days properly with newly acquired sound pieces: MT-32, SCB-55, and DB50xg 😀

Reply 12 of 43, by abyss

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I'm sorry but why would you want a 486. Just get a cheap 1.3 ghz with 512 mbram and install windows 98se. It will work perfectly. Get a sound blaster awe64 and a very good dos video card and get a good slowdown program like throttle and install dos 6.22 and your ready or if can't afford it a 500 mhz computer with 95b and a very good dos video card and dos 6.22 and throttle and sound blaster awe64. With a slowdown program i really don't see the point of a 486. Can someone please explain to me why a 486.

Reply 13 of 43, by Mike 01Hawk

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Eh hem.. anyway.. 🤣

Dell Optiplex Gxpro: Built solely so I could re-live my SB16 days properly with newly acquired sound pieces: MT-32, SCB-55, and DB50xg 😀

Reply 15 of 43, by ChrisR3tro

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Every slowdown program I tried (bremze, moslo, ...) doesn't work as smoothly as expected. I think they won't come close to a real 486.

for more Retro-related tidbits follow me on X under @ChrisR3tro.

Reply 18 of 43, by Cloudschatze

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A few more additions – very likely the last.

I've installed a PCI/ISA-bracket CF-to-IDE adapter, and am now using a 2GB CompactFlash card as the primary hard-drive.

I've installed an external S/PDIF bracket, thereby gaining use of the AWE32's digital OPL3 and EMU8000 output. This necessitated the use of an external DAC, which was found cheaply in the form of a Klipsch ProMedia DD-5.1 pre-amplifier. When comparing the S/PDIF output to that of the AWE32's analog output, it's amazing how muddy the latter is.

With the LAPC-I, IMFC, and Game Blaster connected to the DD-5.1’s switched inputs, I am also no longer using the Midiman Multimixer. PCM playback (as well as the WaveBlaster header output, unfortunately) still exits the AWE32's line-out, and is routed into the Bose MediaMate speakers that flank the monitor.

There's little (if anything) left to do. I may remove the Matrox card at some point, and just use the on-board Cirrus Logic chipset.

That's all, folks!

And, in case anyone is interested, here are the costs involved, and when:

Addonics CF-to-IDE Bracket (2007) - $23.00
Creative AWE32, CT2760 (2006) - $0.50
Creative Game Blaster (2005) - $3.00
FrontX S/PDIF cable (2007) - $6.60
Gateway 486/DX2-66 (2001) - $6.00
IBM Music Feature Card w/MIDI box (2005) - $50.00
Klipsch ProMedia DD-5.1 (2007) - $50.00
Matrox Millenium (2005) - $0.00
Roland LAPC-I w/MCB-1 (2001) - $35.00
Roland MCB-10 (2006) - $3.00
Roland SCB-55 (2006) - $0.00 (Gift)
SanDisk 2GB CompactFlash (2007) - $20.00

Total - $197.10

Reply 19 of 43, by Cloudschatze

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And so it came to pass, that during a fateful visit to a nearby thrift shop, the decade-long dominance of the Gateway 2000 486/DX2-66 was suddenly threatened by the alluring call of two additional ISA slots...

Behold...

466DMT_s.jpg

COMPETITION.

😈