TIE Fighter sounds best with General Midi, like a Roland Sound Canvas.
It can probably support the 1MB GM set of the AWE32 ROM natively, and without issues.
But if one simultaneously uses both the MPU-401 + digitized sound of the AWE; you will experience annoying delays in this game. Same goes for the SB16. Their MPU interface has buffering problems with this particular game.

As for the joystick: I just use an analog Quickshot Joystick. The same model that I used 15 years ago. (Surely not the ultimate solution.)

I'm currently playing TIE Fighter with the use of my ESS audiodrive and on-board usb. I use a Saitek X36 that has both gameport and usb. The Saitek through USB works for me in Windows. I have no problems or slowdowns with that config. In Dos, I can't use the Saitek through gameport because TIE Fighter doesn't understand the mode select buttons on the joystick and it causes the axes to jitter wildly. TIE Fighter CD has the disadvantage of not having configurable button setup. It will only take advantage of the first few buttons of any modern joystick and they can't be reassigned natively. For the Dos version of this game a simple 4 button joystick is all that's needed, there's no appreciable advantage to a more modern one, other than perhaps usb if you want to utilize that.

For your setup, the fact that the cable shares a ground shouldn't matter. If it doesn't work, I'd probably just use a spare sound card with a gameport to free up your AWE32.

Thanks both,

Nekurahoka, that's in Windows 98 I presume?

I'll try with USB first and see how it goes. I tried it before, but it wasn't ntirely happy for some reason but I've yet to rebuild it on my mid range retro box. I have an SC55 for MIDI as well as an MT32.

If USB doesn't work I'll try the gameport on a PCI soundcard, it's just an I/O port so should work I hope..

I do have to give a specific warning due to the mention of the MS SideWinder Force-Feedback Pro: that stick uses a digital gameport interface, without the analog emulation modes the 3D Pro had, and it uses the MIDI pins as part of its digital interface.

You'll want an analog gameport interface stick with a throttle that can emulate keystrokes in bands and any extra buttons beyond the basic four gameport buttons assigned via keyboard emulation. My suggestion would be a TM F-22 Pro or F-16 FLCS paired with a WCS or F-16 TQS, if you can find them for a reasonable price.

Yep, that's in Windows 98SE.

Thanks nameless - that stops me wasting money! I'll keep an eye out on ebay for analogue sticks if I can't get my USB one working