Virtual Sound Blaster
Virtual Sound Blaster
Virtual Sound Blaster v2.02
This is a program written by Andrew Zabolotny a long time ago when few people owned Sound Blaster's but many had Covoxes and similar things. It will emulate a real Sound Blaster (1.x) on PC-Speaker or on a Covox. The emulation is relatively accurate, but FM synthesizer is not supported, thus it will play only digital sound. It was tested on a number of DOS games.
download:
http://zap.eltrast.ru/en/dldos.html
source code:
http://cs.ozerki.net/zap/pub/vsb/src.zip
homepage:
http://zap.eltrast.ru/en/frames.html
This is a program written by Andrew Zabolotny a long time ago when few people owned Sound Blaster's but many had Covoxes and similar things. It will emulate a real Sound Blaster (1.x) on PC-Speaker or on a Covox. The emulation is relatively accurate, but FM synthesizer is not supported, thus it will play only digital sound. It was tested on a number of DOS games.
download:
http://zap.eltrast.ru/en/dldos.html
source code:
http://cs.ozerki.net/zap/pub/vsb/src.zip
homepage:
http://zap.eltrast.ru/en/frames.html
- CptKlotz
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Hello and welcome as a registered user :-)
(Our new user activation system requires users to introduce themselves in the "User-Anmeldungen" sub forum before we activate their accounts. This is meant to filter out spam, off topic postings and people who don't have a lasting interest in our forum anyway. The latter group are welcome to use the German or English guest forums.
If you don't speak any German, you couldn't, of course, be aware of that rule. Since you've posted here before, I've activated your account, which is now fully usable... We should probably mention our new activation system in the English Board, since users who don't speak English are welcome to create a user account as well. Your trying to sign up just made me aware of this issue :-) )
That software you mention sounds intesting. It's probably not that useful anymore, since most DOS users should have some form of Soundblaster card by now, but sure is an interesting thing to try... I wonder if it really runs smoothly or if it makes the PC run choppily every time a sample is played. As far as I'm informed, it's not a trivial thing to get the PC speaker to play samples while doing other stuff.
Pinball Dreams does it, though...
I guess I'll try it tomorrow. In Germany, it's 1:40 now and time for bed :-)
As for a Covox: I guess I'll have to build such a thing some day. I'm not a great expert (neither in understanding complex electronics nor in soldering), but a Covox is basically a set of resistors attached to the parallel port to act as a very basic D/A converter. So that might actually be an interesting thing to build for fun and an achievable goal with basic knowledge and a standard precision soldering iron :-)
Kind regards,
Stephan
(Our new user activation system requires users to introduce themselves in the "User-Anmeldungen" sub forum before we activate their accounts. This is meant to filter out spam, off topic postings and people who don't have a lasting interest in our forum anyway. The latter group are welcome to use the German or English guest forums.
If you don't speak any German, you couldn't, of course, be aware of that rule. Since you've posted here before, I've activated your account, which is now fully usable... We should probably mention our new activation system in the English Board, since users who don't speak English are welcome to create a user account as well. Your trying to sign up just made me aware of this issue :-) )
That software you mention sounds intesting. It's probably not that useful anymore, since most DOS users should have some form of Soundblaster card by now, but sure is an interesting thing to try... I wonder if it really runs smoothly or if it makes the PC run choppily every time a sample is played. As far as I'm informed, it's not a trivial thing to get the PC speaker to play samples while doing other stuff.
Pinball Dreams does it, though...
I guess I'll try it tomorrow. In Germany, it's 1:40 now and time for bed :-)
As for a Covox: I guess I'll have to build such a thing some day. I'm not a great expert (neither in understanding complex electronics nor in soldering), but a Covox is basically a set of resistors attached to the parallel port to act as a very basic D/A converter. So that might actually be an interesting thing to build for fun and an achievable goal with basic knowledge and a standard precision soldering iron :-)
Kind regards,
Stephan
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” (William G. McAdoo)
- CptKlotz
- Admin a.D.
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Status report:
I've tried Virtual Sound Blaster on my P200MMX...
If the AWE32 is activated, it will still play SB samples, regardless of whether VSB is loaded or not.
I have removed all AWE32 related entries from the config files. Now the AWE32 has stopped playing, but I am not getting any sound from the PC Speaker. I have tried Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Dune2 so far.
Maybe the number of sound cards in my system is still confusing VSB (The machine has a Gravis Ultrasound, SB AWE32 and Roland SCC-1 installed. While the SCC-1 very likely doesn't interfere with VSB, the other two cards might).
Maybe I'll try VSB again on a different machine. My PS/2 55SX might be a good candidate since I don't have any sound hardware for the Microchannel Bus :-)
I've tried Virtual Sound Blaster on my P200MMX...
If the AWE32 is activated, it will still play SB samples, regardless of whether VSB is loaded or not.
I have removed all AWE32 related entries from the config files. Now the AWE32 has stopped playing, but I am not getting any sound from the PC Speaker. I have tried Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Dune2 so far.
Maybe the number of sound cards in my system is still confusing VSB (The machine has a Gravis Ultrasound, SB AWE32 and Roland SCC-1 installed. While the SCC-1 very likely doesn't interfere with VSB, the other two cards might).
Maybe I'll try VSB again on a different machine. My PS/2 55SX might be a good candidate since I don't have any sound hardware for the Microchannel Bus :-)
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” (William G. McAdoo)
thanks for the upgrade.
i last used vsb in 1998, on a 486dx4-100. for games like doom or wolf3d, i think qemm.sys is required. i can't remember exactly where vsb worked for me, i think "electroman" and some other light games where memory optimization is not required.
i recently tried it to play an "asteroids" emulator but the game says it needed "sb v2.x". vsb only emulates "sb 1.x".
it may be true that sb sound cards are cheaply and widely available now, but they are getting harder and harder to configure on newer machines. also, newer sb models from creative are no longer "sb compatible".
which is why i'm trying to promote this old software. i am hoping some programmer out there would pick it up and give it a thorough update so we can play our games and apps in dos only mode the way it's supposed to be played. i talked to the author and he gave me the link to the source code. he's too busy to work on it now and is now using linux.
@CptKlotz:
maybe your pc is using "piezo transducers" --- good for beeps only. don't forget the "/s" option. try with "sbplay.exe" and "playwav.exe".
i last used vsb in 1998, on a 486dx4-100. for games like doom or wolf3d, i think qemm.sys is required. i can't remember exactly where vsb worked for me, i think "electroman" and some other light games where memory optimization is not required.
i recently tried it to play an "asteroids" emulator but the game says it needed "sb v2.x". vsb only emulates "sb 1.x".
it may be true that sb sound cards are cheaply and widely available now, but they are getting harder and harder to configure on newer machines. also, newer sb models from creative are no longer "sb compatible".
which is why i'm trying to promote this old software. i am hoping some programmer out there would pick it up and give it a thorough update so we can play our games and apps in dos only mode the way it's supposed to be played. i talked to the author and he gave me the link to the source code. he's too busy to work on it now and is now using linux.
@CptKlotz:
maybe your pc is using "piezo transducers" --- good for beeps only. don't forget the "/s" option. try with "sbplay.exe" and "playwav.exe".
- CptKlotz
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No, it has a paper cone loudspeaker, not a piezo beeper.@CptKlotz:
maybe your pc is using "piezo transducers" --- good for beeps only. don't forget the "/s" option. try with "sbplay.exe" and "playwav.exe".
You're right about the /s option, though. I somehow assumed that the internal speaker was the default output device.
I now managed to get the PC speaker to play some samples in Wolfenstein 3D. They were accompanied by some strange beep though, so the sound effects were hardly discernable.
Other games such as Raptor, Dune2 or DOOM didn't work.
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” (William G. McAdoo)
Re: Virtual Sound Blaster
Hi!
I am curious to know which programs that works with LPT/COVOX (Including with VSB).
I have seen a few lists here and there.. But they are ambiguous:
Examples:
Some state that Dune2 works, others say that it does not.
Impulse Tracker has some low and strange background noises (Bubbly cracking sounds)
Scream tracker is supposed to work, but i do not know how to do it.
(I am interested to hear more about these cases and other ones too)
So...
What about a sticky note, that could be updated over time, dealing with software compatibility in DOS for:
1) LPT (COVOX mono and stereo, without emulation),
2) + VSB,
3) + TEMU (Tandy emulation),
4) + Several other LPT emulations like COVOXER, COVOX ID, REMUS, WIN3.11 SB 2 LPT framework and so on.
This is my first post as a registered member here... and i wonder WHERE in the forum would it be a good idea to put such a post as the above mentioned. In English or not?
Thank you all for contributing to this great DOS forum.
I am curious to know which programs that works with LPT/COVOX (Including with VSB).
I have seen a few lists here and there.. But they are ambiguous:
Examples:
Some state that Dune2 works, others say that it does not.
Impulse Tracker has some low and strange background noises (Bubbly cracking sounds)
Scream tracker is supposed to work, but i do not know how to do it.
(I am interested to hear more about these cases and other ones too)
So...
What about a sticky note, that could be updated over time, dealing with software compatibility in DOS for:
1) LPT (COVOX mono and stereo, without emulation),
2) + VSB,
3) + TEMU (Tandy emulation),
4) + Several other LPT emulations like COVOXER, COVOX ID, REMUS, WIN3.11 SB 2 LPT framework and so on.
This is my first post as a registered member here... and i wonder WHERE in the forum would it be a good idea to put such a post as the above mentioned. In English or not?
Thank you all for contributing to this great DOS forum.
Re: Virtual Sound Blaster
Does someone still have the Source Code of VSB ?
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https://www.retroianer.de
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Re: Virtual Sound Blaster
archive.org still has it ![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
and also an Tandy 3-voice synthesizer emulator
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://cs. ... sb/src.zip
http://web.archive.org/web/200803130827 ... dldos.html
I googled "vsb202.zip" and found the source and program here
http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver. ... by-others/
http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver. ... sb-src.zip
http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver. ... vsb202.zip
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
and also an Tandy 3-voice synthesizer emulator
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://cs. ... sb/src.zip
http://web.archive.org/web/200803130827 ... dldos.html
I googled "vsb202.zip" and found the source and program here
http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver. ... by-others/
http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver. ... sb-src.zip
http://ericauer.cosmodata.virtuaserver. ... vsb202.zip
Re: Virtual Sound Blaster
Ich muss hier mal posten.
Geht um folgenden Thread :
http://www.dosforum.de/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9973
VSB v1.03 spielt zwar Sound im Spiel "Electro Body", aber dazu gibt es einen so hohen Ton, der in den Ohren weh tut.
VSB v2.02 spielt auhc Sound in Electrobody...aber der hohe Ton der dazu "gespielt" wird, hat mein Trommelfell zerrissen. xD :S
Geht um folgenden Thread :
http://www.dosforum.de/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9973
VSB v1.03 spielt zwar Sound im Spiel "Electro Body", aber dazu gibt es einen so hohen Ton, der in den Ohren weh tut.
VSB v2.02 spielt auhc Sound in Electrobody...aber der hohe Ton der dazu "gespielt" wird, hat mein Trommelfell zerrissen. xD :S