zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 13:05:

1 - Does the SB32 really support the MT32 compatible games?

Both cards should support MT32 emulation thru the AWEUTIL, however the MT32 emulation is far from perfect and only works well with games that doesn't use any custom samples.

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 13:05:

2 - Are both on par with 16-bit 44.1khz playback?

Feature-wise yes, but the sound card that has lower noise and better output quality of the two is the CT4500 due to improvements in the components compared to the SB32 CT3600.

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 13:05:

3 - Being an Vibra-ish SB does this specific SB32 model (or ANY SB32 model) support chorus and reverb?

If you want to use chorus and reverb for AdLib music, no since the chip that does the OPL stuff is external unlike the AWE64 CT4500.

Another important difference is that the AWE64 CT4500 comes with 512KB equipped and the port used for upgrading the memory is proprietary unlike the SB32 CT3600.

Thanks, @Gmlb256 =]

Yup, the proprietary port for upgrading RAM is the only thing so far that makes me think twice about the ct4500 =/
I heard somewhere that some SB32 had an AWE64 chip, if that's so do you think it would translate into a less noisy sound quality?

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 13:05:

I'm in the process of building a p54c era machine and due to local and money restraints these are the only boards I could buy: […]
Show full quote

I'm in the process of building a p54c era machine and due to local and money restraints these are the only boards I could buy:

·A SB32 CT3600, already with two memory modules, although the seller does not specify how many megs (I'm guessing worst case scenario would be two 1meg modules?).
·An AWE64 value CT4500

What I'm looking for: Decent DOS games compatibility, AWE32 support on games, low noise, maybe mt32 emulation.
A few questions tho:

1 - Does the SB32 really support the MT32 compatible games?
2 - Are both on par with 16-bit 44.1khz playback?
3 - Being an Vibra-ish SB does this specific SB32 model (or ANY SB32 model) support chorus and reverb?

Worst case on an SB32 CT3600 is two 256k modules. As the CT3600 doesn't come with onboard RAM, even 2*256KB makes sense on that card.

The SB32 hardware does not support either GM or MT32 games. But the SB32 assists a software emulator that can emulate MT32 or GM or even GS. This software emulator is part of the SB32 drivers, and it is called AWEUTIL. The support of MT32 games is basic. That means: The SB32 can play back the default instruments of the MT32.

The real MT32 can do more than just play back its default MIDI instruments: You can redefine how the MIDI instruments are mapped to the internal waveforms stored in the MT32, and create new custom sounds by remixing the waveforms. The SB32 doesn't contain the base waveforms of the MT32, it only contains wavetable samples that imitate the sound of the default instruments. Any custom instrument setup will be ignored by AWEUTIL, and games making use of custom instrument parameters will sound strange or aweful on the SB32.

The SB32 and the AWE64 are on par with digital sound playback and recording. This part of the card is (nearly) unchanged since the later SB16 revisions.

Every SB32 supports chorus and reverb on music synthesized by the AWE wavetable synthesizer chip (the EMU8000). Some SB AWE32 versions route the OPL3 (emulated) FM synthesized sound also through the EMU8000, and those AWE32 versions do also support chorus and reverb on FM-type music. The CT3600 does not support applying chorus and reverb to FM music. The CT4500 most likely does, but I couldn't find a definitive source for that claim.

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 13:55:

I heard somewhere that some SB32 had an AWE64 chip, if that's so do you think it would translate into a less noisy sound quality?

There is one SB32 model that uses the AWE64 chip that I know and it is the CT3670, this one doesn't use any propietary port for memory upgrade.

mkarcher wrote on 2021-08-05, 14:00:

The CT4500 most likely does, but I couldn't find a definitive source for that claim.

I have a AWE64 CT4520 which is similar to the CT4500 just more integrated and does support reverb and chorus for AdLib music.

mkarcher wrote on 2021-08-05, 14:00:

Worst case on an SB32 CT3600 is two 256k modules. As the CT3600 doesn't come with onboard RAM, even 2*256KB makes sense on that […]
Show full quote

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 13:05:

I'm in the process of building a p54c era machine and due to local and money restraints these are the only boards I could buy: […]
Show full quote

I'm in the process of building a p54c era machine and due to local and money restraints these are the only boards I could buy:

·A SB32 CT3600, already with two memory modules, although the seller does not specify how many megs (I'm guessing worst case scenario would be two 1meg modules?).
·An AWE64 value CT4500

What I'm looking for: Decent DOS games compatibility, AWE32 support on games, low noise, maybe mt32 emulation.
A few questions tho:

1 - Does the SB32 really support the MT32 compatible games?
2 - Are both on par with 16-bit 44.1khz playback?
3 - Being an Vibra-ish SB does this specific SB32 model (or ANY SB32 model) support chorus and reverb?

Worst case on an SB32 CT3600 is two 256k modules. As the CT3600 doesn't come with onboard RAM, even 2*256KB makes sense on that card.

The SB32 hardware does not support either GM or MT32 games. But the SB32 assists a software emulator that can emulate MT32 or GM or even GS. This software emulator is part of the SB32 drivers, and it is called AWEUTIL. The support of MT32 games is basic. That means: The SB32 can play back the default instruments of the MT32.

The real MT32 can do more than just play back its default MIDI instruments: You can redefine how the MIDI instruments are mapped to the internal waveforms stored in the MT32, and create new custom sounds by remixing the waveforms. The SB32 doesn't contain the base waveforms of the MT32, it only contains wavetable samples that imitate the sound of the default instruments. Any custom instrument setup will be ignored by AWEUTIL, and games making use of custom instrument parameters will sound strange or aweful on the SB32.

The SB32 and the AWE64 are on par with digital sound playback and recording. This part of the card is (nearly) unchanged since the later SB16 revisions.

Every SB32 supports chorus and reverb on music synthesized by the AWE wavetable synthesizer chip (the EMU8000). Some SB AWE32 versions route the OPL3 (emulated) FM synthesized sound also through the EMU8000, and those AWE32 versions do also support chorus and reverb on FM-type music. The CT3600 does not support applying chorus and reverb to FM music. The CT4500 most likely does, but I couldn't find a definitive source for that claim.

Thanks for the valuable info!
The MT32 emulation is just because an MT32 costs as much as a 5 year old popular car here xD. But I wouldn't be expecting anything spectacular from the emulation. Having a closer look to the specific CT3600 I figured out it's not one of the "AWE64 with SIMM slots" versions, so I'll probably stick to the CT4500 and forget about expanding the memory unless I travel outside here in the future ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 14:14:

Having a closer look to the specific CT3600 I figured out it's not one of the "AWE64 with SIMM slots" versions, so I'll probably stick to the CT4500 and forget about expanding the memory unless I travel outside here in the future

Having extra memory is nice if you plan to use the card under Win9x.

You can load some pretty decent soundfonts that way and use them for General MIDI music in DOS games. This will sound much better than just the on-board ROM samples which the card uses in AWE32 mode. If you want specific examples: AWE32 mode vs. 4MB soundfont.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2021-08-05, 14:34:

zatara wrote on 2021-08-05, 14:14:

Having a closer look to the specific CT3600 I figured out it's not one of the "AWE64 with SIMM slots" versions, so I'll probably stick to the CT4500 and forget about expanding the memory unless I travel outside here in the future

Having extra memory is nice if you plan to use the card under Win9x.

You can load some pretty decent soundfonts that way and use them for General MIDI music in DOS games. This will sound much better than just the on-board ROM samples which the card uses in AWE32 mode. If you want specific examples: AWE32 mode vs. 4MB soundfont.

Thanks, Joseph_Joestar!
Yeah, it's kinda win and lose game. I managed to find a CT3670, which would give me everything I was looking for, but at twice the price. I'll probably end up buying it anyway because I'd regret later not doing so.

You can also flash the CT3670 with the AWE64 firmware. That will permanently disable the IDE interface in the CT3670.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-08-06, 00:26:

You can also flash the CT3670 with the AWE64 firmware. That will permanently disable the IDE interface in the CT3670.

Hey, that's nice to know! Thanks =]