How to test DOS Sound Card? \ VOGONS

How to test DOS Sound Card?

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First post, by p6889k

Posted on 2019-12-03, 04:24

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What's the easiest way to test DOS sound compatibility with sound cards, besides just trying random games? Is there any sound testing SW that can test different aspects of sound output, different compatibility modes SB, SB Pro, Soundscape, Adlib, ? If not, which combination of sw or games would give me good test coverage without going overboard and testing 50+ different games?

I did find this post: http://vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1572 Looks very comprehensive, is there a way to scale it down to significantly smaller set of games, or is there no easy way around the subject?

I will be specifically testing the following cards:

Ensoniq AudioPCI
ESS-Solo1
SB Awe64 (ISA)

Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k, 48k+, 128k, +2
Amiga 1200, 68030/40mhz
386DX/33, ET4000, SBPro2, MT32
Dual PPro/200, Millennium II, Voodoo 2, AWE32, SC-55
etc.

Reply 1 of 7, by dionb

Posted on 2019-12-03, 09:14

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Only way to scale down is to focus on what matters to you, both in terms of functionality and in terms of gaming.

Personally I'm not into shooters, graphical adventures, driving or sports sims so a lot of the list doesn't interest me the slightest. I just check what works with the stuff I do do, at least for personal evaluation. If I want to compare with someone else, obviously the comparison needs to use the same games/functionalities.

Reply 2 of 7, by chinny22

Posted on 2019-12-03, 10:21

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The biggest problem if you want to do a complete test is dos didn't have a standardized interface with hardware so different games used different methods.

Miles Sound System was a popular one as an example
You would only need to test 1 game that uses the same engine. eg Duke for the build games, Doom for the id Tech1 games, etc.

but a quick search on Moby shows the different sound engine's from dos games.
https://www.mobygames.com/search/quick?q=Soun … =on&sD=on&sC=on

Otherwise you can stick with how well the card copes with known issues like :
ADPCM issue in Duke Nukem 2
SB Pro revered stereo
...and others I can't think of off the top of my head

Reply 3 of 7, by zyga64

Posted on 2019-12-03, 20:51

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Check this out: ftp://retronn.de/docs/pc_hardware/pcisoundcards_v12.pdf

1) VLSI SCAMP /286@20 /4M /CL-GD5422 /CMI8330
2) i420EX /486DX33 /16M /TGUI9440 /GUS+ALS100+MT32PI
3) i430FX /K6-2@400 /64M /Rage Pro PCI /ES1370+YMF718
4) i440BX /P!!!750 /256M /MX440 /SBLive!
5) iB75 /3470s /4G /HD7750 /HDA

Reply 4 of 7, by gdjacobs

Posted on 2019-12-04, 20:59

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chinny22 wrote:
The biggest problem if you want to do a complete test is dos didn't have a standardized interface with hardware so different gam […]
Show full quote
The biggest problem if you want to do a complete test is dos didn't have a standardized interface with hardware so different games used different methods.

Miles Sound System was a popular one as an example
You would only need to test 1 game that uses the same engine. eg Duke for the build games, Doom for the id Tech1 games, etc.

but a quick search on Moby shows the different sound engine's from dos games.
https://www.mobygames.com/search/quick?q=Soun … =on&sD=on&sC=on

Otherwise you can stick with how well the card copes with known issues like :
ADPCM issue in Duke Nukem 2
SB Pro revered stereo
...and others I can't think of off the top of my head

Working at all with Mortal Kombat. 😵

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 5 of 7, by badmojo

Posted on 2019-12-04, 22:57

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The speed of the test system is also a factor - some ISA cards behave strangely in a fast machine. The original Sound Blaster for example, and I seem to recall my PAS16 being a bit of a jerk once the MHz get up there.

Life? Don't talk to me about life.

Reply 6 of 7, by Joseph_Joestar

Posted on 2019-12-04, 23:59

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Yup, CPU clock can be a big factor for some speed sensitive games.

If a game plays garbled sound, try downclocking your CPU and/or turning off its cache via Setmul before blaming the sound card. Day of the Tentacle is a good example of this behavior.

PC#1: Pentium MMX 166 / Soyo SY-5BT / S3 Trio64V+ / Voodoo1 / YMF719 / AWE64 Gold / SC-155
PC#2: AthlonXP 2100+ / ECS K7VTA3 / Voodoo3 / Audigy2 / Vortex2
PC#3: Athlon64 3400+ / Asus K8V-MX / 5900XT / Audigy2
PC#4: i5-3570K / MSI Z77A-G43 / GTX 970 / X-Fi

Reply 7 of 7, by p6889k

Posted on 2019-12-05, 03:25

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Thank you everyone for your responses, I’ll do some testing this weekend.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k, 48k+, 128k, +2
Amiga 1200, 68030/40mhz
386DX/33, ET4000, SBPro2, MT32
Dual PPro/200, Millennium II, Voodoo 2, AWE32, SC-55
etc.

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