Is this in bare DOS or inside Windows? I have a Sound Galaxy Pro 16-IIB and the WDM drivers that 98SE comes with makes every DOS game trying to use OPL synthesis mute. Using Win95 VxD drivers, though, works fine.

This is in "Real" Dos (not a DOS window/command prompt)

It is this card? http://www.amoretro.de/wp-content/uploads/azt … r_pro_32-3d.jpg
I see it has a jumper for the base address, 22xh or 24xh. For best compatibility it should be at 22xh.

There are some drivers linked in this thread, perhaps there's some config/test utility in there that may help: Question about Aztech Sound Galaxy Waverider Pro 32-3D (AZT-2316R)

Scali wrote:

It is this card? http://www.amoretro.de/wp-content/uploads/azt … r_pro_32-3d.jpg
I see it has a jumper for the base address, 22xh or 24xh. For best compatibility it should be at 22xh.

There are some drivers linked in this thread, perhaps there's some config/test utility in there that may help: Question about Aztech Sound Galaxy Waverider Pro 32-3D (AZT-2316R)

Yes, that is the card.
The jumper has been configured at the default base address of 220h.
However, my problem is related to the FM synthesis playback (there is no sound) which is normally via port 338h (I don't have an option to change this anyway).

I have downloaded and installed the correct drivers for this particular model.
I've run the Diagnose program. Both 8-bit & 16-bit wave (digital voice) playback is fine but, I'm not getting any FM "music" playback (I can see it's playing back the sample in the Diagnose utility but, there is no sound, which tells me there must be some component that isn't working properly).

I've also tested the card in some games. Voice playback is fine and, for supported games, even General MIDI playback is fine.
The sound card's mixer utility controls both the FM & MIDI playback on the same volume slider. So, it's not related to the mixer.

Now, I'm wondering what else could be wrong.

jesolo wrote:

However, my problem is related to the FM synthesis playback (there is no sound) which is normally via port 338h (I don't have an option to change this anyway).

Yes, the original Adlib was fixed to 388h, and so Adlib-compatible cards don't usually allow you to configure that address either.
For OPL3 however, the SB Pro was the standard, and the OPL3 chip could be addressed either at 2x0h or at 388h, so there is at least some software that expects 220h.

Well, if you've also checked the mixer, and it's not actually muting the FM in some way, I'm not sure what could be wrong. I would suspect it is some kind of defect in the output circuitry on the card.

Could be lots of reasons, like a copper trace accidentally cut by a scratch, or some component hit by something and now it's broken/missing. Can you compare your card carefully to the picture if you see anything different.

If you happen to have access to an oscilloscope, I can give some things to verify if something works or not.

One thing that immediately comes to my mind is that if a program/game configures the FM chip into OPL3 mode and it exits without configuring the FM chip back to OPL2 mode, you won't hear a thing with any program that only uses OPL2 music.

I suspect it could very well be former but, I doubt whether it has anything to do with the modes it's in.

The reason why I say this is that the Aztech range of sound cards (I have collected a couple of them now over the years) have a Diagnose utlity that enables a user to test the various functions of the card (Config.exe).
However, there are also standalone programs that allow you to individually test the voice and FM synthesis output.
The one for the FM systhesis is called DEMOFM.exe
When I run the demo, I can see that it is playing back the demo FM song (there is a pause before the cursor returns to the screen) but, there is no sound output.

If the OP3 chip was faulty, would it still play back anything or, would it just freeze up?
I haven't seen anything that is missing from the card.

Is the OPL3 getting warm/hot? If so, then its most likely dead since it normally remains cold to touch.

Do other programs/games detect the FM chip? It is possible that your sound card diagnosing program detects the sound card presence through other means and assumes there FM chip is happily there. Music playing programs may appear to play correctly even if the chip is dead. It is possible the FM chip does not have clock or is somehow disconnected from bus. It can be the audio dac YAC512 that is broken or connections to it. It can be the op-amp on dac output that is broken or connections to it.

If you run DOS DEBUG.EXE and type "i 388" or "i 220" what do you get? ("q" quits it)

By running Debug.exe, I just get two zero's.
The OPL3 chip isn't hot to touch.
Games are playing back FM sound as if the chip is there. Except, no sound output.

On this particular sound card, I can't seem to find the YAC512 DAC.
I can see some of the traces of the OPL3 flowing to the MIDI synthesis chip (the one in the upper left corner of the picture).
I suspect that maybe the DAC is being shared between the OPL3 and the MIDI synthesis chip?
Since my MIDI playback is generating sound, it's probably the OPL3 chip that is dead or, some of the traces are not functioning properly.

Maybe I should heat flow the card?
If that doesn't work, then maybe swop out the OPL3 chip. However, I will have to get someone who is more skilled with this type of soldering.

If the OPL3 is going through the Wavetable MIDI then, maybe, the wavetable needs to be initialized in order to OPL3 input as one of its "voices"?

Did u try to plug the speakers into the line connector?see if u get sound?

jesolo wrote:

By running Debug.exe, I just get two zero's.

That's good, there is something there driving the bus, otherwise it would be FF. If you want, I can give you info how to test the OPL chip timers. But many games detect presence of OPL by timers, so if any game detects OPL chip, it appears to work on the bus side.

jesolo wrote:

On this particular sound card, I can't seem to find the YAC512 DAC.

It's U5, right on top of 7805 regulator.

jesolo wrote:

I can see some of the traces of the OPL3 flowing to the MIDI synthesis chip (the one in the upper left corner of the picture).

Which ones? I only see the that the 8-bit data bus does go toward the CDROM connector. The OPL3 digital audio bus must run under the card towards the 7805 regulator, where they come to top side of the card and go up towards YAC512.

jesolo wrote:

I suspect that maybe the DAC is being shared between the OPL3 and the MIDI synthesis chip?

In some sound cards yes, but highly unlikely, as I see the YAC512 DAC, and the NEC 6376 DAC (U10) sits right next to the ATZ3310. Besides YAC512 has so weird data format no sane chip would ever output it 😀

jesolo wrote:

Since my MIDI playback is generating sound, it's probably the OPL3 chip that is dead or, some of the traces are not functioning properly.
Maybe I should heat flow the card?
If that doesn't work, then maybe swop out the OPL3 chip. However, I will have to get someone who is more skilled with this type of soldering.

Don't heat flow it, don't swap OPL3 chip. If your car does not start, would you swap the engine first, and then check if something else is wrong if it still does not start? I'd rather buy the card from you than let you ruin it 😀

You can give me some info on how to test the OPL chip timers. Might just help to track down the root cause.
Thank for pointing out the location of the YAC512 chip. I was using another Aztech card as reference and that one's YAC512 chip was located right next to the OPL3 chip.
You are correct that there are traces running under the card to the YAC512 chip.

I can't seem to see any obvious damage or other defect on the card.