DUKSNDFX.exe from Duke Nukem 3D "echo" crash patch may resolve the crash in Duke Nukem 3d.

Stretch wrote on 2026-07-08, 23:47:

DUKSNDFX.exe from Duke Nukem 3D "echo" crash patch may resolve the crash in Duke Nukem 3d.

From what the page says, the crashes caused by the bug it fixes occur from episode 1 level 2 on, but the issue I am talking about crashes games right at the beginning, before you can even enter a level, so I guess it is another incompatibility entirely.

You could consider a PicoGUS instead of a GUS PnP and let it handle the problematic games that the YMF724/744 causes issues with

NeoG_ wrote on 2026-07-09, 04:51:

You could consider a PicoGUS instead of a GUS PnP and let it handle the problematic games that the YMF724/744 causes issues with

That's a great idea, and I do have a single PicoGUS, but as long as all games I care for are have GUS support, I'd stick to the GUS PnP clone anyway to keep the PicoGUS for situations where I actually need one or more of the other features it has.
Also I haven't used the SB16 emulation so far and am somewhat sceptical how close to a hardware SB16 it sounds, since I have heard some other SB16 emulations (e.g. by VIA) and the quality was poor, with occassional clicking or crackling.
Again, I am sceptical, but if someone here with an actual SB16 and good headphones tells me it sounds the same, I'll believe it.

Anyway, let's still compile where the YMF744B works and where it won't - there are plenty of systems without any ISA slots at all, with or without SB_LINK, and it would be relevant for all of those.

YMF-744 owner here, with SB-Link cable, have used on my BH6 booting into DOS. Initially works well, but I lose sound effects when running Doom for more than 15 mins, music remains.

I now run alongside an Awe64, so use that for sound effects, and the Yamaha for MIDI, works well on Tyrian as have Awe and XG music to choose from, although CQM.

If I want to run the Yamaha's OPL3, I have to disable the Awe in device manager and reinstall the Yamaha drivers.

NorsteinB wrote on 2026-07-09, 06:59:

Anyway, let's still compile where the YMF744B works and where it won't - there are plenty of systems without any ISA slots at all, with or without SB_LINK, and it would be relevant for all of those.

DOS compatibility of PCI soundcards depends a lot on the chipset of the mainboard. Some cards may work fine on one system but completely fail on another for different games.
So any "compatibility matrix" will be quite extensive with lots of games and lots of chipsets to cross-check...

Unfortunately PCI sound card compatibility, is an exceptionally complicated subject.

Making a PCI compatibility spreadsheet is an enormous undertaking.

Chipset, driver version, hardware revisions, DOS version, BIOS version, PnP, other PCI cards ,and memory management all these can effect Sound Blaster compatibility.

That being said, SB-Link usually has good compatibility. Other methods of DMA for PCI are less likely to work.