cyclone3d wrote on 2026-01-28, 05:16:

Ok, I've got a compiled test initializer for the onboard wavetable. Just have to pull out my test rig, install DOS and the card […]
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Ok, I've got a compiled test initializer for the onboard wavetable. Just have to pull out my test rig, install DOS and the card and the base Jazz16 drivers and then run the program and see what it returns and, if it returns expected data, run a game to see if it works as expected.

It will be a miracle if it works the first try.. ha.

I'll post in the other thread that is specifically about the drivers for this card with detailed results and updates as well as an update here to look at the other thread. I'll only post simple updates here.

Probably will not happen for a day or 2 though as I need to not stay up all night.

This would be nice, do you have the link where this is shown?

The other page is linked near the top of this thread.

There is no link for anything else as I used two different chatgpt instances to help me with the research and the code.

Some of it has to do with the ALSA drivers as well as some other things it was able to find. Hopefully I can get it tested tonight. Provided it actually gives some insite, I will post it here.

I'll release the source as well as soon as it is to the point of working as needed.

Well, I didn't locate the WD drives like that I thought I have. Still have one or two more places to go through though.

Also working on locating the sound card. Been quite a while since I have touched it.

Found the Jazzwave card. Should have some results this evening.

cyclone3d wrote on 2026-01-31, 04:30:

Found the Jazzwave card. Should have some results this evening.

Looking forward to hearing your results. 😀

It'd be great to get some music out of this card for the first time in probably 30 years.

Found my Jazzwave in a tub yesterday, checked and the cap value at CT6 on mine is 10uF, 16V. At the least the value is the same for CT6, 10 and 11 and all the other caps in that part of the board.

I also got around to testing WFLITE, which is the synth driver written by ICS and used by the Soundforte 32 Wave card, but no joy there (as expected). Screenshot below.

But fingers crossed cyclone or the system disk can yield the needed files to get this show on the road!

JidaiGeki wrote on 2026-02-01, 06:29:

Found my Jazzwave in a tub yesterday, checked and the cap value at CT6 on mine is 10uF, 16V. At the least the value is the same […]
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Found my Jazzwave in a tub yesterday, checked and the cap value at CT6 on mine is 10uF, 16V. At the least the value is the same for CT6, 10 and 11 and all the other caps in that part of the board.

I also got around to testing WFLITE, which is the synth driver written by ICS and used by the Soundforte 32 Wave card, but no joy there (as expected). Screenshot below.

The attachment IMG_5986.jpeg is no longer available

But fingers crossed cyclone or the system disk can yield the needed files to get this show on the road!

Since we are currently using this thread, I'll just go ahead and post progress and info here. I'll update the original thread that talked about drivers later. I'll probably end up making a complete new thread with instructions, etc IF I get this working. In reality, we could then have an all-in-one utility for the Wavefront cards.

Ok, so the Turtle Beach cards with the Wavefront synths have another ICS chip that controls the Wavefront Synth. The JazzWave does not have this chip. It makes sense that WFLITE doesn't work with this card. This will probably give me a clue. The TBS2000 (Tropez32) ICS chips are also different from the Maui. The datasheet for the chip on the Tropez32 (ICS2302Y) is not available anywhere. The Tropez Classic and Maui use the ICS2116 and Topez Plus uses the ICS2116Y.

The other known cards are the JazzWave (Jazz16), the Anstar (ESS 1688), and the MeidaForte SF-32-WAV (Vibra16), none of which have the ICS Wavefront control chips and are thus controlled by the main chips. The Anstar and MediaForte cards appartently work with the same initialization programs but the JazzWave does not.

So far, I am able to enable and switch between the waveblaster header and the external midi interfaces.

Starting up new research into specifically enabling the wavefront synth (MPU jumper set to disable).

cyclone3d wrote on 2026-02-01, 20:22:

Since we are currently using this thread, I'll just go ahead and post progress and info here. I'll update the original thread th […]
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JidaiGeki wrote on 2026-02-01, 06:29:

Found my Jazzwave in a tub yesterday, checked and the cap value at CT6 on mine is 10uF, 16V. At the least the value is the same […]
Show full quote

Found my Jazzwave in a tub yesterday, checked and the cap value at CT6 on mine is 10uF, 16V. At the least the value is the same for CT6, 10 and 11 and all the other caps in that part of the board.

I also got around to testing WFLITE, which is the synth driver written by ICS and used by the Soundforte 32 Wave card, but no joy there (as expected). Screenshot below.

The attachment IMG_5986.jpeg is no longer available

But fingers crossed cyclone or the system disk can yield the needed files to get this show on the road!

Since we are currently using this thread, I'll just go ahead and post progress and info here. I'll update the original thread that talked about drivers later. I'll probably end up making a complete new thread with instructions, etc IF I get this working. In reality, we could then have an all-in-one utility for the Wavefront cards.

Ok, so the Turtle Beach cards with the Wavefront synths have another ICS chip that controls the Wavefront Synth. The JazzWave does not have this chip. It makes sense that WFLITE doesn't work with this card. This will probably give me a clue. The TBS2000 (Tropez32) ICS chips are also different from the Maui. The datasheet for the chip on the Tropez32 (ICS2302Y) is not available anywhere. The Tropez Classic and Maui use the ICS2116 and Topez Plus uses the ICS2116Y.

The other known cards are the JazzWave (Jazz16), the Anstar (ESS 1688), and the MeidaForte SF-32-WAV (Vibra16), none of which have the ICS Wavefront control chips and are thus controlled by the main chips. The Anstar and MediaForte cards appartently work with the same initialization programs but the JazzWave does not.

So far, I am able to enable and switch between the waveblaster header and the external midi interfaces.

Starting up new research into specifically enabling the wavefront synth (MPU jumper set to disable).

Definitely looking forward to seeing what you're able to come up with.

It would still be cool to salvage the data from that old hard drive, but having any way to get these things working would be awesome. 😀

Rubix wrote on 2026-01-27, 19:02:

The drive does spin up, but then can't initialize properly. […]
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The drive does spin up, but then can't initialize properly.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-01-27, 16:04:

Forgot to mention, can you post pictures of the PCB from the hard drive that is not working? If possible remove it from the drive so we can see both sides.

Sure:

Sorry, this is a bit late, but... those two boards look identical to me. They have the same PCB model.

Have you had a chance to back up the data on the working drive yet? There is a very good possibility that swapping the board from the working one to the non-working one will at least get you a step closer to reading it.

Here is the location of the Linux Wavefront source-code:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/tree/master … d/isa/wavefront
And the header file:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master … und/wavefront.h
Another needed header:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master … snd_wavefront.h

Current as of Feb 01, 2026:

Currently, I am running an address scan on the ISA bus to try to find anything that could be the base address of the WaveFront chip.

The Jazz16 based cards are not true PnP. PnP scans result in nothing found.. be it BIOS or ISA scans for devices. Plug-N-Pray is making a lot more sense now that I am digging into this.

Edit: added another header file i missed and updated the attached .zip

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-01, 21:55:

Rubix wrote on 2026-01-27, 19:02:

The drive does spin up, but then can't initialize properly. […]
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The drive does spin up, but then can't initialize properly.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-01-27, 16:04:

Forgot to mention, can you post pictures of the PCB from the hard drive that is not working? If possible remove it from the drive so we can see both sides.

Sure:

Sorry, this is a bit late, but... those two boards look identical to me. They have the same PCB model.

Have you had a chance to back up the data on the working drive yet? There is a very good possibility that swapping the board from the working one to the non-working one will at least get you a step closer to reading it.

I just received the IDE to USB adapter in the mail today and tried to backup the drive that initializes properly, but sadly it started doing the click of death as soon as my modern laptop tried to read it. Unsurprisingly, it's also dead. I'll see if ddrescue is able to read at least something. I haven't tested the other drive yet but that one didn't even initialize properly so I have no hope for that one.

From what I see on datasheet, it needs a pin !CSMM to initialize the ICS, that pin goes to a PAL chip. Therefore Mediavision used a different address to initialize it. If this chip can be read we can see the address and maybe hack the WFLITE to see that address.

It is so frustrating that websites were archived this far back but FTP servers were usually not...

https://web.archive.org/web/19971007073425/ht … rt/filelist.htm

Looks like absolutely everything MediaVision ever provided downloads for is there, but they all link to the long-dead FTP server.

MediaVision's alternative to their FTP was "GO MEDIAVISION" on CompuServe, so presumably the files were available that way too.

I guess some old CompuServe disk images exist, but I have not found any discussion online as to whether anyone has been able to get anything out of these...
https://archive.org/details/2015-05-compuserve-raw-disks

I looked at the MediaVision ftp list and neither that card, not any Jazz16 drivers were listed at all.

The 2.2b Jazz 16 drivers were the latest version to be released.

It seems like this card was the very last one to be released by MediaVision shortly before the went belly up.

Working through a few other things right now / tools that have come into being in the process of going down this rabbit-hole.

cyclone3d wrote on 2026-02-02, 16:07:

I looked at the MediaVision ftp list and neither that card, not any Jazz16 drivers were listed at all. […]
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I looked at the MediaVision ftp list and neither that card, not any Jazz16 drivers were listed at all.

The 2.2b Jazz 16 drivers were the latest version to be released.

It seems like this card was the very last one to be released by MediaVision shortly before the went belly up.

Working through a few other things right now / tools that have come into being in the process of going down this rabbit-hole.

It is listed, they just list the products on that page by the card name not the chip they use. They released other products that were not based on their own chips after the Pro Audio Wavetable and Jazz series too (see bottom of this post).

All of these are Jazz16 based:

650-0087-54/04 -- Pro Sonic 16 FD-SCSI Colored -- mv1287-1.exe and mv1287-2.exe

650-0097-05 -- Pro Audio 16 D "97" -- mvsan97.exe

650-0111-01 -- Pro Audio 3D SCSI -- prem3d-1.exe , prem3d-2.exe , prem3d-3.exe , prem3d-4.exe -- This driver set may not contain the CD-ROM drivers.

650-0117-01 -- Pro Audio 3D Triple -- 3dmulti1.exe , 3dmulti2.exe , 3dmulti3.exe , and 3dmulti4.exe -- This driver set may not contain the CD-ROM drivers.

650-0122-01 -- Pro Sonic 16 MCD -- son-mcd.exe (may not have CD ROM drivers)

650-0152-51 -- Pro Audio Wavetable Clr -- mv6200-1.exe and mv6200-2.exe

Also, it's really interesting to note that this page is the last version of the MediaVision site that seems to have been archived before it all went away:
https://web.archive.org/web/19971007071233/ht … com/index1.html

At that point they were already listed under "Silicon Valley Technology Inc."
https://web.archive.org/web/19971007071215/ht … w.mediavis.com/

And there is this really interesting bit of information on their support page. I will just quote it here too...
https://web.archive.org/web/19971007071447fw_ … om/new/new.html

Support […]
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Support

Effective June 30th, 1997, Media Vision will only be supporting the following products. The ProZonic sound card, the Pro-Spinner 8X kit, the Pro Value Kit, and the Pro Axcel video cards.

All previously released products, such as the Pro Audio Spectrum 16 and MV2200 kits, have not been manufactured since 1994. Media Vision feels that these products have reached the end of their life. In as much, after the June time period, Media vision will no longer support these products.
Legacy Products (not listed in the Media Vision Store section of the web site)

If the product, service or support you are concerned about relates to communication or activities of the former MEDIA VISION TECHNOLOGIES, INC. This Company no longer exists. That company was renamed AUREAL SEMICONDUCTOR, Fremont, California, and Aureal is now focused on a different business (see press release dated 3/26/96).

The new Company is MEDIA VISION INNOVATIONS, INC., headquartered in Milpitas,California. New management team; new products. Same brand name.

The current management team is attempting to make the transition as smooth as possible for the prior Media Vision customers. This is a complicated challenge. We want you to continue to be Media Vision customers. We have some very exciting new products for you to consider.

For technical support on Media Vision products please call the TECHNICAL SUPPORT HOT LINE: 1-408-934-0880 ($20.00 flat fee for up to 15 minutes. After this time it is considered a second call and will be charged as such.) Support questions will not be answered at this time on the Media Vision Web Site. We apologize for any further inconvenience this may cause.

Please follow our Web Site for the latest product release information. The specifications can be downloaded easily. Place a bookmark at http://www.mediavis.com.

New products (as listed in the Media Vision Store section of the website)

Contacting Technical Support Media Vision offers 30 days of free Technical Support from the date of purchase. In order to receive this free support you must FAX in your Registration Card and Proof Of Purchase to 408-934-8459 (NO technical support questions will be answered). This information will then be added to our data base. The data entry process takes a couple of days, so please allow for that time. Technical Support is then available within the U.S. and Canada on Media Vision products by calling 408-934-0880. After the 30 days has expired, Technical Support is available on a fee basis at $20.00 (flat fee) for up to 15 minutes. After this time it is considered a second call and will be charged as such.) This number requires you to provide a Credit Card number before any technical help is given. Inernational customers must call the US number above.

Returning Product

In order to return any parts to Media Vision, you must go through Technical Support and obtain an RMA number. This number is the only way that we have to track returned parts. Do not send any parts back without this number. Packages that are received by Media Vision without the RMA number will be REFUSED and returned to you without being repaired, and Media Vision will not be responsible for these packages. Once Technical Support confirms the part is defective, you are issued an RMA number. Proving the part defective requires that the part be installed in the PC, and that you call for the RMA while in front of the PC. To trouble shoot the Media Vision product you will need to call the above mentioned number for Technical Support. Once Technical Support determines that the part is defective, you will receive the RMA number along with the address to return the part to once a Proof-of-Purchase is received by the technical group.

So cool... it mentions how the company was renamed Aureal Semiconductor too.

Lastly, the products they list there as still being supported in late 1997 are listed here:
https://web.archive.org/web/19971007072010fw_ … re/mv_store.htm
Apparently they put out several cards that I, personally, have never heard of or seen anywhere else.

Looks like a PROAxcel video card that might be Trio64 or maybe Trident based (hard to tell from the pictures), and a PROAxcel 128 that was definitely a Tseng ET6000 (with a funky staggered memory chip layout I have never seen before).

The only soundcard they have listed is the PROZonic Stereo, which is ISA and seems to be ESS Audiodrive based since they list "ESFM Synthesizer" as a feature.

Anyway, this is all very cool to see. I honestly had no idea that they had a website that was online this late or that they transitioned from Media Vision to Aureal in such a visible way.

Ohhh, I missed it form the card names. I also may have been on an ftp listing that didn't mention the PAW.

Quick update: I connected one of the drives to my PIII tower (IDE) and am running ddrescue. Let's see what it can come up with. It's reading *some* small bits in between the clicks of death, but I don't have high hopes on extracting anything useful.

I'm not saying that I recommend doing this, but I have actually seen the "freezer trick" work with dying hard drives. There are also half a dozens reasons why you shouldn't do this though, so... yeah. 😅

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-02, 20:22:

I'm not saying that I recommend doing this, but I have actually seen the "freezer trick" work with dying hard drives. There are also half a dozens reasons why you shouldn't do this though, so... yeah. 😅

Yes, I've heard of it. But I thought it was only for drives that suffer from stiction. Let's first see what ddrescue manages to save. In my experience, it's often able to get quite a bit of data off of bad hard drives. Although this one is really bad, and especially executable files/drivers/etc. can't have errors in them.

Ddrescueview shows a nice visual of how bad the situation is 😅

This is very good!