Originally posted by Unregistered This set the midi to GM Wavetable that wont work for Dos will it?

DOS titles that provide MIDI-out will use the same primary MIDI device as Windows while running on Windows.

As I think I am right in thinking that Win and Dos save games are not compatible!!!

That would depend on the game, but usually they tend to be incompatible.

Could you explain the procedure to make the roland setting sound nice using VDMsound, plus is it possible to make the sounds nice without using VDmsound??

Not entirely sure I understand you on this...but there is no single "fix" to make every MIDI output from a game to "sound nice".

Sometimes the results will be excellent, other times it will sound dreadful. It's usually somewhere between the two. It all depends on how the MIDI in the game was originally implemented.

I have no idea if you are using the GUI launchpad along with "Update 1" for VDMSound. If not get them from Vlad's homepage and install them.

As a general "rule of thumb", I always leave the GS Wavetable as my primary MIDI output for Windows. From a VDMSound shortcut, you right-click on it to get it's Properties and you'll see the window on the left. From there you can choose General MIDI or Roland MIDI. To make sure that the game uses the MIDI output you want, you click the Advanced button, the click on the MIDI tab. Here you choose the output device for MIDI much like you do for Windows. Again The GS Wavetable is your best bet.

For games that support MIDI, I choose General MIDI within the game and also for the VDMSound shortcut. I give it a listen, then quit and try the Roland option for the shortcut (and if the game supports it) for the game as well. Note that this is not true MT-32 emulation, just an approximation of it. Choose to suit your tastes, but General MIDI usually best all-around output.

I'm very tired, so hopefully that was clear...

Thankyou! Very much!!

I got the Midi working in dos and it sounds a lot better!!

It doesnt sound as it used to in the old days using a SB16! But its very close and will have to do 🤣!

Thanks also for taking the time to post the screen shots, I'll try that when I finish work!

There is one more thing!!

If I run Kings Quest 5 in dos mode with VDMSound I get the lovely midi music (thanks to you) but I dont hear the voices!! I have tried enabling low level CD rom support and the CD spins a little when the game starts but no speech!! Would it work if I copied the resourse.aud to my hard drive and edited the resourse.cfg to reflect the change??

Thanks again

Chris

I GOT IT TO WORK!!!!!!

I HAVE EXCELLANT Sound Blaster music! (like I remember!!) and have speech! in the DOS! version!!! All I did was......................................... DISABLE Extended Memory!! in the installer!!

Thanks so much for your help! I dont even need to USE VDMSound!!! But I will definetly need it for my other dos games!! So thanks again!!

Chris

(Walks off into the mist... to the land of Daventry)

Originally posted by Unregistered Thanks so much for your help! I dont even need to USE VDMSound!

Native XP emulation only goes up to SoundBlaster 2.0 quality... if your game supports higher SoundBlaster modes, you should probably use VDMSound. This is especially true for SoundBlaster16 games as the difference with 16Bit audio is dramatic.

Hello,

I am running KQ5 on WIN XP with a Soundblaster Live 5.1 and my MT-32. I can get the game to play the speech if I don't use VDMS, but the MT-32 music is really jerky. It skips sounds and pauses. I can play the game with VDMS, but then I get a message from the game stating it can't initialize my audio hardware. I got around that by installing an updated AUDBLAST.DRV. It will let me get into the game but then it won't play any speech at all. However, the mt-32 will play flawlessly. Does anyone know a way to get the game to run with speech using VDMS?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Yea but when I try and use VDMSound I dont get any voices!! or music!

Thanks

Chris

Plus just found out, with my previuos method I get speech and the intro fanfare plays but I dont get ANY in-game music!!

Ok, first I want to let everyone know I merged two threads together. I didn't work quite the way I thought it would, so it now has the newer thread ID#, but with the older thread title. So sorry for any confusion caused...

I will say the KQ5, the CD version is a true "Problem Child". Unlike KQ6, which installed and ran fine with VDMSound using AdLib or MIDI for Music, with no audio issues at all.

At present, I'm unable to get the Windows version to work at all, it returns with an "Insufficient Local Memory:36702" error. Compatibility options not helping at all.

The only way I was able to get digital audio working at all was to manually copy the AUDBLAST.DRV from the game CD to the game directory on the PC. I processed the file with the GoSierra patch (as described earlier), then modified the RESOURCE.CFG audioDrv line to this:

audioDrv = D:\SIERRA\KQ5\AUDBLAST.DRV 220

This seemed to work properly using XP's native SB emulation. Lip-synch isn't working properly (all timer-related I certain...), and quality isn't all that hot (of course that because it's all early 8Bit).

This clip from Sierra Planet describes it best:

If you have a new computer with a 16-bit or higher sound card (most new computers these days do), then you may not be able to get the DOS multimedia version of this game to work. A lot of older DOS Sierra games that use MIDI have sound incompatibilities because they were originally programmed for 8-bit sound cards. While many Sierra games will give you an "unable to initialize your audio hardware" error, but you can press ENTER and continue with the game, King's Quest 5 can be one of the exceptions.

http://www.sierraplanet.com/kingsquest5/technical.html

The real oddity here is that XP's native emulation seems to work, whereas VDMSound doesn't (HomerJ would be thrilled to hear this...). I'm guessing that this is because XP's emulation is 8-Bit only, whereas Vlad supports 8Bit and 16Bit.

The trick attempting to remap to AUDIO001.MAP, just caused a crash (I rather expected that...).

For now, it appears that this is what's best for XP owners. NT and 2000 owners seem left in the cold. This sounds like emulating the Mac version would be the best fix. For now, you can emulate the Amiga version that is freely available at http://www.back2roots.org/

Remember that this version does NOT have voice samples in it and the color palette is limited to 32 colors (unfortunately Sierra didn't really optimize the palette, either....). The one upside is that the Amiga music was usually in MOD form based on the MIDI original.

If there are any NT4 or Win2K people willing to test, their input might help.

Um, hm, well, if you select the "SoundBlaster Pro" in the VDMSound control panel does it work?

If I use the original audblast from the CD and patch it with gosierra the dos version will play speech (but not in-game music unless MT-32 is selected which sounds half decent but not good enough).

Still with this original audblast patched if I use VDMSound (Have just tried selecting SBPro instead of SB16) I always get the cant initialse audio and the game stops at the sierra logo.

Any other suggestions guys???

I have Win98 (Im dual boot with XP) but if I try to run the dos version in 98 it says i dont have enough available memory!!

Maybe I should play around with boot disks or something.......

Chris

I have seen the light!

I have concluded that it is impossible! To get Soundblaster/Adlib Music and Soundblaster speech for KQ5 Dos version to work!!

I apologise for this thread and have found an apt solution to the KQ5 sound problems (And might I add lifes problems too!)

*Takes gun, puts in mouth, double-clicks KQ5.bat waits........ pulls trigger.............................................................................................................................

Chris

Okay....

Does anyone know how to create a good bootdisk for Win98??

The install.exe says it does not have enough mem to create one!!

A win98 bootdisk also does not work!

If I had a decent one I could try and add my mouse and SB settings to it. But not sure how to add dos CDrom drivers....

Thanks

Chris

P.S. I am a ghost!! Be scared! Very Scared!

****KQ5, he played it to DEATH!****

Originally posted by Snover Um, hm, well, if you select the "SoundBlaster Pro" in the VDMSound control panel does it work?

No. Tried all the different modes...no change.

Originally posted by Unregistered If I use the original audblast from the CD and patch it with gosierra the dos version will play speech (but not in-game music unless MT-32 is selected which sounds half decent but not good enough).

Until full-blown PC emulation arrives, it may have to do...

Any other suggestions guys???

We are rapidly running out of options...

I have Win98 (Im dual boot with XP)

A good thing to have.

...but if I try to run the dos version in 98 it says i dont have enough available memory!!

Start up a new thread in the DOS forum (not here) with your system specs like your motherboard and OS (Win98) and we'll see what we can do...

Thanks but where is the Dos forum??

Chris

Originally posted by Unregistered Thanks but where is the Dos forum??

Go o the main page of VOGONS: [url]http://www.vogons.org,[/url] then scroll down the page and you'll see a list of all the VOGONS forums.

Under "The Guide", you'll see:
DOS
Getting old DOS games working

Hey Guys!

I have just found a new program called SoundFX that is a 100% Soundblaster emulator and has Adlib software emualtion too!!

I havnt tested it but I'm told it DOES work with KQ5 and any other dos game!!

Im guessing its quite simialr too VDMSound but SoundFX had Adlib emualtion whereas VDMS does not.

I'll try it when I get home... Hope it works!!

Chris

p.s. here is the link 🤣

http://www.softsystem.co.uk/page3.htm

🤣 indeed...

SoundFX has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

I think I can safely say that the disadvantages easily outweigh the advantages.

Not the least of which is that it is a commercial product.
And lose the "any other DOS game" statement. That's not true for either.

If you do a quick search for SoundFX, you'll see we've known about it for quite some time.
It is hardly "new".

DosBox v.50 with KQ5

Hardly a solution, so let's just call it "progress".

Also note that using a GoSierra-modified driver caused AdLib music to disappear.

Using DosBox v.50 seems to allow the game, in general, to work with speech and music. The AdLib music has a slight "warble" to it, and I ran into a least one fatal error (Illegal Opcode).

The in-game mouse pointer is invisible, so the only way to play with the mouse is to play in a window and use Window's pointer.

Also, the bar at the top does not automatically appear, you must click up there for it to appear.

Like I said, not a real fix, but better than nothing.
UPDATE: Can't seem to find a way to exit at the bottom of the screen.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Unregistered
I havnt tested it but I'm told it DOES work with KQ5 and any other dos game!!

Good luck.

Im guessing its quite simialr too VDMSound but SoundFX had Adlib emualtion whereas VDMS does not.

What kind of emulation does VDMSound have then?

V.

Originally posted by vladr

Im guessing its quite simialr too VDMSound but SoundFX had Adlib emualtion whereas VDMS does not.

What kind of emulation does VDMSound have then?

Much better emulation. That's what kind. *Heh* I did think the AdLib thing was kind of funny. I guess I've just been imagining all the AdLib music I've been hearing.