Jo22 wrote on 2020-08-16, 20:57:
I second that. The TTSolo has an advanced OPL3, also. And SB-Link.
SBLink isn't going to help on a board without it. This thing will have to rely on one of the other DMA modes, with TSR.
Just one thing: By default, XP has a poor OPL3 driver installed. It has nothing to do with the TTsolo, though, it will even make […]
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Just one thing: By default, XP has a poor OPL3 driver installed. It has nothing to do with the TTsolo, though, it will even make a true SB 16 sound poor.
As a workaround, you can use an open-source OPL3/YMF262 emulation driver for Windows any time.
It will sound like a proper OPL3 Midi synth when used with Windows software.
Here's one version: https://github.com/datajake1999/OPL3EMU
Alternatively, just dual-boot with Win98SE and use the Ensoniq ESFM driver that comes with the TTSolo driver pack. It has much higher polyphony in native mode than the plain YMF262.
Eh? Unless OP has totally changed his post it says:
"OS: Ms-Dos 6.22 only.
No Windows, nothing, just pure MS-Dos."
Tbh, this isn't an ideal DOS system. It's fast enough that any DOS program with speed issues will be showing them (and no DOS game requires even half the performance of this system with the slowest Duron you could stick in it), no ISA (or SBLink) and nothing of real added value to offset that.
Still, if you don't have anything more appropriate, you have to make do with what is available. I'd agree with ESS Solo-1, and indeed Terratec's TTSOLO-1 in particular. Note that there are many, many different versions of this card, some with wavetable header, some without. If you have basic soldering skills, you can safely choose one without: just solder in a 26-pin header and it works with no further hard or software tweaks.
Plan B just in case you can't source an ESS Solo-1 card or if it - more particularly the required DMA modes - doesn't work with the SiS 741GX chipset on that board (never tried that combo...) is to try a C-Media CMI-8378. Cheap as hell, quite nasty, but there is DOS support. Don't expect perfect compatibility though. Here again the Terratec Aureon cards are the best choice as they are at least well-made with good low noise levels.