]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-04, 13:05:

I'm dissapointed with the Awe64. I expected more compatibility with early games.

awe32, no problems for me, its compatible right back to the original sb1.0 and adlib... ive not ran into anything that has not stopped me playing anything.

BloodyCactus wrote on 2025-04-04, 16:06:

sb1.0

Hey, full SB 1.0 compatibility would require CMS chips - AWE isn't that good!

But yes - in general, AWE is nearly 100% compatible with earlier SBs, and even Adlib.

I suspect the problem here is not the sound card, but too fast CPU.
With a Pentium, you can even install the original Adlib card, but it won't help with early Adlib games.

I don't wanna mix this problem that I have in unisound post because it is not a problem related with unisound. I've created this topic where mixes my low mood and the problem in question: An Isa sound card with high compatibility with earlier games

Thanks for all!

vico wrote on 2025-04-04, 14:55:

]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-04, 13:05:

vico wrote on 2025-04-02, 16:32:

Maybe this will help you
https://retrosystemsrevival.blogspot.com/2019 … ter-setter.html

Thanks, Vico! I'll try but I don't have much hope. 🙁

I'm dissapointed with the Awe64. I expected more compatibility with early games.

I have an awe64 and I can play Hocus Pocus with both Unisound and the Creative drivers.

I've tried setblaster.exe and I have the same problem. If I Iook autoexec.bat, the blaster environment has more of 4 parameters.

]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-01, 18:19:

If I set only the music with soundblaster and sound fx with nothing, the game runs but only music. Sound fx is pc speaker.

That is exactly how it is supposed to work!

I don't have an AWE64, but anyway, here is my INITSND.BAT, which I call from my AUTOEXEC.BAT:

@ECHO OFF
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
C:\TOOLS\UNISOUND\UNISOUND.COM /V50 /VW30 /VF30

Ok, I've discovered in this thread (Re: Correct setup of Soundblaster AWE64 Gold) that Blaster variable can't no change it in AWE64 because CTCM overwrites the parameters taking values from ctpnp.cfg file:

The SET BLASTER= line in the above example does nothing as for ISA-PnP Soundblasters CTCM sets/overrides the BLASTER environment after it configured the resources of the card successfully. You can find the desired configuration setting in ctpnp.cfg that should be where the CTCM environment variable points to.
After a successful resource setting CTCM writes back ctpnp.cfg if it's attributes are not set read only.

Maybe unisound has the same behaviour and it would fit what happens to me on both drivers.

I keep investigating.

That behavior is specific to CTCM that rewrites the BLASTER environment variable. You don't want to run CTCM and UNISOUND together, there's no reason to as they're basically trying to do the same thing.

UNISOUND does not change the BLASTER env variable at all, it actually tries to initialize the settings of the variable if you set it before running unisound in your autoexec.bat.

Boohyaka wrote on 2025-04-06, 11:53:

That behavior is specific to CTCM that rewrites the BLASTER environment variable. You don't want to run CTCM and UNISOUND together, there's no reason to as they're basically trying to do the same thing.

UNISOUND does not change the BLASTER env variable at all, it actually tries to initialize the settings of the variable if you set it before running unisound in your autoexec.bat.

Don't worry. I don't run both drivers together.

When I've said "same behaviour" I would mean that it is the same consequence from different ways. Although, if you shorten your blaster variable, Unisound will set the parameters that detects "missing" with its default values.

For example:

SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
C:\DRIVERS\SBAWE64\UNISOUND\UNISOUND.COM /V99 /VW99 /VF99 /XXG4

You'll look on the result the parameter E is 620 because unisound finds this value in Blaster variable.

But:

SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H5 P330 T6
C:\DRIVERS\SBAWE64\UNISOUND\UNISOUND.COM /V99 /VW99 /VF99 /XXG4

You'll look on the result the parameter E is 620 because unisound has by default value 620 if it doesn't see the E parameter in Blaster variable when it detects an Awe64. Furthermore, if I change T6 by T4, unisound will put T6 because it detects a awe64. At least, in my case, this happens to me.

Then something is wrong with your autoexec.bat. UNISOUND does not touch your BLASTER variable at all.

Boohyaka wrote on 2025-04-06, 12:08:

Then something is wrong with your autoexec.bat. UNISOUND does not touch your BLASTER variable at all.

Surely or in my config.sys....

I you want to take a look, I have the files in this thread: An Isa sound card with high compatibility with earlier games

Meanwhile, I keep looking if I can solve it by my own.

Thanks!!!

Your autoexec.bat is fine (and your config.sys has nothing related to soundcards anyway).

I think I understand your confusion. UNISOUND will not skip detecting the hardware compatibilities of your sound card because you set a BLASTER variable with A220 I7 D1 T4. Your sound card still has an EMU8K that UNISOUND will detect and initialize at E620. But it will initialize the card with the parameters you give it (in this case A220 I7 D1), and will default out on those you did not give it in the BLASTER variable.

But that will not change anything to your problems anyway. If a game reads the BLASTER variable to initialize the sound, UNISOUND will not have changed the blaster variable at all, and the game will still read and initialize the game like a SB Pro at A220 I7 D1, and it should work fine. It will not care about the extra stuff that UNISOUND initialized by default.

Case in point from one of my builds:

Checking the state of my BLASTER variable (that I set beforehand) after running UNISOUND, it has absolutely not changed it because it detected more capabilities.

Boohyaka wrote on 2025-04-06, 12:27:

Your autoexec.bat is fine (and your config.sys has nothing related to soundcards anyway). […]
Show full quote

Your autoexec.bat is fine (and your config.sys has nothing related to soundcards anyway).

I think I understand your confusion. UNISOUND will not skip detecting the hardware compatibilities of your sound card because you set a BLASTER variable with A220 I7 D1 T4. Your sound card still has an EMU8K that UNISOUND will detect and initialize at E620. But it will initialize the card with the parameters you give it (in this case A220 I7 D1), and will default out on those you did not give it in the BLASTER variable.

But that will not change anything to your problems anyway. If a game reads the BLASTER variable to initialize the sound, UNISOUND will not have changed the blaster variable at all, and the game will still read and initialize the game like a SB Pro at A220 I7 D1, and it should work fine. It will not care about the extra stuff that UNISOUND initialized by default.

Case in point from one of my builds:

The attachment uni.png is no longer available

Checking the state of my BLASTER variable (that I set beforehand) after running UNISOUND, it has absolutely not changed it because it detected more capabilities.

Thanks to your explanation and awe64 manual I've got it with unisound!!! 😀 😀

The error was in gohocus.bat file.... The space between name variable and equal sign... I was blind because other mates in his codes was correct but I thought that it is not space sensitive. Reading the manual it states that is very imporant not to put space between name variable and equal sign. Removing the space between name and equal sign, the blaster variable was shortened. I mean, in bat was:

SET BLASTER = A220 I7 D1 H5 P330 T6 ==> Wrong
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H5 P330 T6 ===> Correct!!

Now I would like to do it with creative driver but I don't know why when ctcu and diagnose are run... changes the blaster variable to values that after causes an aweutil error (ERROR12: AWE32 initilization failed). It's very strange because it didn't happen before using unisound for first time. I've commented all the lines without changing nothing.

Ok! I've solved the ERROR12. CTCM was not declared as DEVICE in config.sys. Now all start ok but general midi is not working. Keep fighting....

]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-06, 19:05:

Ok! I've solved the ERROR12. CTCM was not declared as DEVICE in config.sys. Now all start ok but general midi is not working. Keep fighting....

are you running aweutil ?
edit: is MFBEN jumpered? if its not jumpered then the mpu401 out the gameport is handling midi. If its jumpered it enabled the NMI for aweutil

]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-06, 19:05:

Ok! I've solved the ERROR12. CTCM was not declared as DEVICE in config.sys. Now all start ok but general midi is not working. Keep fighting....

To make MIDI work you need the Sound Bank files for General MIDI:
https://www.philscomputerlab.com/sound-blaster-awe-32.html

Pickle wrote on 2025-04-06, 19:15:

]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-06, 19:05:

Ok! I've solved the ERROR12. CTCM was not declared as DEVICE in config.sys. Now all start ok but general midi is not working. Keep fighting....

are you running aweutil ?
edit: is MFBEN jumpered? if its not jumpered then the mpu401 out the gameport is handling midi. If its jumpered it enabled the NMI for aweutil

Yes, I'm running it. And yes, MFBEN is jumpered.

Vico, yes, I had them installed from the beginning. I remember that is working without problems at the beginning... but I don't remember if it was set P330 or P300... I have to test with P300 if it works...

vico wrote on 2025-04-06, 19:35:

]--Freeman--[ wrote on 2025-04-06, 19:05:

Ok! I've solved the ERROR12. CTCM was not declared as DEVICE in config.sys. Now all start ok but general midi is not working. Keep fighting....

To make MIDI work you need the Sound Bank files for General MIDI:
https://www.philscomputerlab.com/sound-blaster-awe-32.html

no you dont sound bank files. the AWE rom has the default general midi instruments in it. you dont need to load anything.

and I'd also say, ctcm is not needed with unisound.

Well yes and no, the ROM does in fact have the instrument data but you still have to load synthgm.sbk to map them

Finally, I've solved the problem... In BIOS I have to set IRQ 5 to Legacy ISA and now, General MIDI is working !!!!! 😁 😁

In some games, General Midi with synthgs.sbk is very impressive like Colonization. It worth it!

Thanks everybody for the patience and the help!

maxtherabbit wrote on 2025-04-06, 21:39:

Well yes and no, the ROM does in fact have the instrument data but you still have to load synthgm.sbk to map them

oh weird, ive never used them. 🤣. ive just pointed the midi port and away i went.