You gotta admit there's only one place to get it that way....should be let's go retro instead of lazy game reviews.....everytime I load my computer I must put down the red bowl of chips, the mug of sodapop, and 1 napkin
This is why I love more people being brought into retro computing. Those of us who missed a lot of this great hardware back in the day can still experience these great items in all of their glory with these newer productions. I wasn't aware of this card being made so thank you for covering it.
I compare it to car enthusiasts looking for spares online and at swap meets. I started fixing up an old d630 laptop (even if it isn't THAT old) and I'm having great fun trying to source the parts to max it out!
@Guy Incognito Yeah - in a way this is all wrong... Back in the day it was a different config.sys and autoexec for each game, not one for all! For me a universal boot configuration was a holy grail.
On one hand, it gets very talented people to learn and contribute to the community with products like this card. On the other, it could turn it into yet another TikTok trend which long term does a lot of harm to hobbies and especially equipment.
@@BrunoFonsecaPT Yeah this is so awesome for DOS emulation as well because well, now the sounds will become much more accurate for people who use DOS-box and D-Fend Reloaded. Exciting time to be alive.
Honestly.. his voice is so calming, that I often use a playlist of his videos to put me to sleep. I'm not saying it's boring, because it's stuff I'm interested in from my past. It's just so non abrasive and pretty relaxing. Just had to say, He should do those self help audio books that people sleep to.
A new ISA Sound Card in 2020 sounds about right to me. This is beautiful. I hope they continue to make these for a while. I'm tapped out at the moment with a new PC build and wouldn't mind upgrading my Orchid Soundwave 32 to this in my Pentium with MMX system.
I miss seeing store sections dedicated to PC speakers and sound cards. All those Altec Lansing speakers for every budget then JBLs then Creative Labs then Logitech (which still exists in Best Buy).
I still ROCK my 2.1 Altec Lansing set. They sounded fantastic for my desktop back in the day and they just keep chugging along. Everyone is shocked to find out I spent $50 on them in like 2001 with how good they sound.
@@rapids444 I still have my Creative Labs Inspire T5400 that I bought back in 2005 from CompUSA for $65. I wanted to upgrade them to the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 or get a Logitech THX set but my speakers refuse to die. Ah, the old days of buying PC peripherals
This is probably the best way to mix the "talking head" shot with the stuff shown on the display. Best of both worlds. One might even say that it is an "on-screen personality"? ... *crickets* ... I'll let myself out.
I know I'm in the minority, but I always found the Jill sound FX to be a bit obnoxious. Like, it's cool for five minutes, but they start getting grating after an hour.
This is an incredible achievement! My sincere kudos to the engineers who put this together! Also, I'm a huge sucker for a glossy finish on soldermask :)
i really like how restrained they were in making this board. i tend to avoid putting modern parts in my vintage equipment, but this would be one of the rare parts i could reconsider if i decide to hook up one of my PCs to my main speakers (to use SPDIF and avoid noise).
The yucatan will be configured for general listening, whilst the SC55 is meant for studio work and thus needs a flatter response. I can understand why they sound different, and IMO no one should really be complaining about it. The SC55 was never made to be a computer soundcard.
@@LGRBlerbs The balance is certainly an issue, but hopefully that's just a software (firmware?) issue. The card overall is still super impressive all things considered.
17:43 shooting a fire extinguisher with a shotgun doesn't apply explosive damage to you. Fixed in modern ports, but still an issue in old DOS versions.
I think it's awesome that the community has built something like this. Really shows the love for the search for the perfect sound card for 1990s machines. Any chance the community might consider doing something similar for VLB graphics cards?
I'm still a proud owner of a Vipermax Ultrasound. Has Sounblaster/Adlib + Gravis Ultrasound support, the perfect DOS soundcard for me. Was the first card I bought my self and I'll never give it away.
One thing I find interesting is the ISA edge connector. Usually the contracts are squared off, but these are little round blobs. The PCB edge doesn't look like it's milled down either, or at least not much.
I got one of the first batch of 23 that went out to the public about 2 months ago and I have been more than happy with it, it replaced my SB Pro 2.0 and my PC Midi Card. I'm just using a S2 daughter board since I already have all of the MIDI equipment. The sound on this is beyond clean, none of the normal hum that you get from mid to late 90s systems is present with this card.
I guess the card is voiced to sound good on normal computer speakers. Quite a nice idea, although maybe having a kind of "flat EQ" mode selectable in the INI file would be a good additional feature, in case you wanted to use the card with a more full-range sound system. Saying that though, I would always prefer bass-heavy to lacking bass. You can always turn the bass down on your stereo system but if it isn't there to begin with, well, it isn't there. :-D
I think it is so cool that people are creating new hardware like this for vintage machines and my hats off to them for such an accomplishment. Yet another thing I would love to own and try out, but at the price of $160 USD I would never be able to justify purchasing it. I realize it must have cost a lot to have something like this created without being a Creative Labs....but man is that pricey for some DOS sound. At least it is to me.
The last time I tampered with an .INI file must've been 1996 and around the time the original cards were gracing the pages of magazines and Roland MT32's were kicking about! I feel old!
Many Soundblaster and AWE32 ISA cards had a S/PDIF out, but it was on a pair of pins on the board, meaning You had to make a lead terminating at a phono or EBU/XLR socket. The output mirrored the analogue outs.
The back story behind the GS chip is that Dream made unlicensed chips with samples recorded from the SC55. Roland realized what was going on and the two companies made a deal, from then on Dream could legally make those ROM chips. It won't give you full SC55 compatibility (for one because the effects section of a real sound canvas isn't present) but the samples should sound more or less the same.
It's a good price-- if my DOS machine weren't already stacked up with audio cards, I'd happily spend the money on this one. I spent 125 for the intelligent mode MIDI controller on its own! If I didn't have that, yeah. I'd definitely pre-order one of these. Pretty awesome project! It's a dream DOS card.
Sounds like sample truncation. That can be caused by mismatched sample rate, or simply a driver bug where the sample length is wrong. Maybe the buffer size is configured wrong. Basically, a sound is abruptly ended early, which can make some samples 'pop', leading to that crunchy sound.
You get the same CRUNCHY / CRACKLING sound after playing Hocus Pocus on DosBox after a while when you set the music and sfx to Sound Blaster. I believe it's solved if you set the music to Gravis. On my gameplay recordings (on which I prefered SB) I recorded the game music seperately and edited it in in post.
also back in the day ... we didn't know how crisp highs did really sound like .. so nostalgia memory warp is a possible factor. Also the card may be tuned for modern speakers ( in theory )
that Yucatan sounds really good, it's a bit bassier but it sounds kind of awesome in duke3d. I still prefer the brighter sound of the sc-55 but only barely
This is a really cool board - except for one thing: It’s not a Sound Blaster. I really wish I could be content with clones, but I find myself scouting eBay for CRTs, big box games on 5.25” disks, Matsushita 2x CD-ROM drives, WD Caviar IDE HDDs, and authentic period sound cards. This is better in pretty much every way. So is a Gotek, and an SD card, and a Mister. But it just isn’t the same.
I will add this to the list of things I'm never going to be able to buy :( It looks amazing! I hope in the future we can have a lot of projects like these to keep the technology of the time alive!
It's like someone added a compressor to those Yucatan 808 drums. I've always enjoyed a thick low end though so it isn't a big deal for me if not preferable!
I appreciate the look of this thing. Looks legit. Fancy white/black PCB's look very modern and are neat too but this is a 90s soundcard and 90s soundcards were green.
Literally just finished watching RMC's video on this very card lol. This looks like an awesome card, fortunately I was able to pick up an AWE64 Gold card for what I thought was a pretty good price earlier in the year, otherwise this would be very tempting.
It's unlikely that they will. But if you want a PCI card with OPL3 and excellent MIDI onboard, look for something YMF744 based like the excellent AOpen AW744L II.
I've been watching this project and I want one a lot. It's a cool $300AUD landed here (with the PCMIDI option) - so it's not a light decision. That said, original intelligent mode cards would cost me anywhere from $500 to $1000, which puts the Orpheus and its mass of features in perspective. It can even run two separate MIDI addresses. From Marmes on VOGONS: "For example you can have 330 on PC midi and 300 on Crystal MPU ... you can route PCMIDI (330) to WT and Jack connector and for DB15 connector you can use Crystal MPU (300). It's selectable by jumper." Awesome flexibility.
Yeah, it's not cheap, but I paid 120 eur for PC MIDI standalone, so 180 eur for a combo card doesn't sound so bad. This Crystal chip has its own OPL implementation, but it sounds different from the real thing, so the fact that it also has a real Yamaha chip makes the Crystal+YMF+MPU combo a pretty good purchase imo. But yeah, the price is still a bit high for an average enthusiast.
This is interesting. I’m listening to the MIDI on my studio cans and I notice something. The snare used for the Duke 3D Intro is quite reminiscent of an SC-55 snare, but the level 1 snare is SC-88-sounding. That’s an unusual combination they’ve chosen for the wave-table. The SC-55 ride bell has also been used in-place of the 88 version, which you don’t see much, so it’s a hybrid synth by the sound of it. I really would love to get my hands on this card, connect it up to a MIDI sequencer and actually play these sounds so I could compare them side-by-side with my SC-88 Pro. Very curious if they licensed these sounds from Roland directly or what.
The wavetable is an old Dream chip, apparently directly sampled from commercial Roland hardware. Dream straight up stole the sounds, got sued by Roland and eventually received a license as a part of the settlement.
Duke Nukem 3D on the Sound Canvas emulation reminded me of the ultimate soundcard of the day that I had:- The Gravis Ultrasound. 😎 The Ultrasound was an absolutely amazing sounding soundcard. It was such a shame that it did not get the support it deserved.
I'm wondering if you could reduce glare from sunlight by applying some self-adhesive polarising film to your windows. Not sure if you'd need a linear polarising lens filter on the camera, or if it works with a circular polarising filter though. Anyway, the card is pretty awesome! Definitely useful for someone who doesn't have access to a SB card for a reasonable price. Although I'm pretty sure what they're charging even for the base card, you could easily find a SB card for less with an eBay saved search and a little patience. That being said, I know how difficult it can be to source chips that have been out of production since the 90s or early 2000s, so the price isn't that unreasonable.
That Yucatan FX seems particularly tempting. I'm guessing you can just plug that into the wavetable header on any Sound Blaster that sports one, and it'll work just fine, will it?
@@LGRBlerbs Alright, nice. Very handy to know if I end up building a Win98 machine in the future, 'cause I dunno if I'll be going with a motherboard that has ISA slots. (Of course, if there's a PCI version of this Orpheus card in the works, then that would be an absolute no-brainer for me.)
Just keep in mind that the notorious hanging note bug on many SB16, 32 and AWE32 cards also affects the wavetable header. This isn't an issue on any PCI cards, but for DOS games it's highly recommended to stick to ISA for best compatibility.
My Favorite setup is a SB Pro 2.0 + PCMIDI card from these guys. I'll tell you why: 1) True SB compatibility for SFX 2) Lack of MPU-401 on the SB Pro 2 means I don't have to disable/change addresses between the SB Pro 2 and the MIDI card. 3) SB Pro 2.0 contains an OPL3 4) This configuration supports PC speaker + FM + 1 daughter board + 3 external midi devices without using any switches and still retain the game port. The only downsides are the SB Pro 2.0 is: 1) A noisy card (which is not really a con for me because this is how I experienced these games back in the day.) 2) This setup takes up 2 ISA slots. I pair this config with a Yamaha DB50XG daughter board, a MT-32, a SC-55 MKII and a Korg NS5R. Word of the wise your Sound Blaster or compatible should use IRQ7 as some older titles are hard coded to this.
When you get hit on Xargon the edges of the screen blink red. Just like on Crystal Caves when you've collected ALL crystals the edges turn green. That feature does not work on DosBox.
The muffled sound effects kinda remind me of just really low bitrate samples, but we know that’s not the case. Overall I do like this card because of its versatility but quality over quantity should be the focus of these cards. It is nice to see new cards coming out for these machines though.
Thanks to GOG and Steam was able to snag those titles I see in your videos. Especially since the Epic Megagames Compilation CD I scored and few games like Epic Pinball ended up being shareware and not full game. Interesting sound card.
This, to me, looks like a modern production version of the Turtle Beach Malibu Surround 64. I had one (and a RAP-10 and an SW-60XG) in the late 90s, it had the same CS4237B chipset, though no real OPL3 chip, and a 4MB (compressed into 2MB) Kurzweil MIDI ROM onboard. It was awesome for DOS gaming. This card looks like a very good option.
Capacitors are pretty easy to replace if you know what you're doing, or you could get someone to do it for you for probably not too much money (certainly cheaper than buying one of these anyway lol).
I kinda enjoy to see this lovely compact PC (no pun there) being paired with this sound card. Have seen Nostalgia Nerd's review this morning (greetings from Central Europe) and really enjoyed what I have heard especially in Duke and SC2000.
I took a stroll through eBay and yeah, a lot of them are kinda filthy looking, probably need new caps, and I forgot how many SB16 models there actually were to the point I'm not sure if I'm looking at ones with real OPL3 chipsets or not. Orpheus seems to have a lot going for it with the nicer caps, real OPL3 chipset, seemingly cleaner audio based on the above and wavetable options. The price isn't too offputting given how much SB16's were new (adjusting for inflation). I recall wavetable stuff was SUPER expensive back in the day as well. Seems like a great value! My only gripe based on the above is the ISA connector looks pretty sharp over a more "proper" connector (which I believe has some tapered edges and things)? I know a lot of niche cards like this have that problem (since making a proper connector is, I would guess, expensive or just unavailable at the fab houses being used). But it's the one thing that make me a little concerned. Otherwise this sure does seem like it'd make live a little easier in the vintage realm!
It's a really cool project and kudos to the creators for making this in 2020. Personally, I've always avoided any card with a crystal chip on it. I'm more a fan of ESS or Aztech when it comes to SB clones.
Another way to look at the cost today would be thinking of the cost with inflation for the original cards. If I had to guess, even with the Yucatan FX, this is a steal.
I have an earlier model SB16 that still has a real OPL3, but also the hanging note bug. I don't really have a nostalgic soft spot for MIDI/wave table, since I never utilized it back in the day when these machines were new. I'm happy with the SB16, since it provides better compatibility than other options I've tried, has a real OPL3, and a reasonable price. I was using an ESS SB clone, but it had the same issues with Tyrian that this card does. Tyrian was one of my go-to games back in the day, so having crackling sound was unacceptable. It's a CT2800
Sound Blaster Pro 8 or xx all the way! LOL Never liked the integrated sound when that was an option in the day. Now it is just not an issue. Emulators do very well today for running old dos games. :)
Coming back to this video... I have to say, I much much prefer the Yucatan sound over the SC-55. The SC-55 sounds tinny and weak, there's no bottom end at all. At least if you feel the Yucatan overdoes it you can always cut a few dB on the low end, but you can't add what isn't there. I also don't feel the mids or highs of the Yucatan are noticeably compromised at all.
You should try to attempt to play some Amiga MOD files using DMP 4.00 player. It was notorious for not working with sound cards, so that would be a challenge for this card if it would work, and work correctly.
When you said it wasn't cheap I was thinking $250+ easily BUT less then $150 is perfectly fine and puts it on par with the price of many modern soundcards from the likes of Creative and ASUS so yeah its solid
Kinda enjoyed the glare. The ominous reflective image of Clint. He's always there. There is no escape...
Oh no. That reminds me...
Christmas Clint is coming. You cannot stop him. XD
Christmas?
No recourse or intervention could work in this place!
Al Clintaida
That beard from the earliest days of LGR seems to be creeping back.
LGR in a nutshell: "Here's some old tech, let's see how Duke3D, Commander Keen 4, Doom, and Jill of the Jungle run with it"
Truth
But that’s why we come back here?
And yet I’ll never stop watching it
I would be doing the same as LGR.
You gotta admit there's only one place to get it that way....should be let's go retro instead of lazy game reviews.....everytime I load my computer I must put down the red bowl of chips, the mug of sodapop, and 1 napkin
The seller's website is a wall of text with an "under construction" gif at the top. Almost perfection.
If only it were hosted on Geocities...
The great thing is, you could use this website to make your soundcard order right from the 486 PC you're buying it for :) Love it.
This is why I love more people being brought into retro computing. Those of us who missed a lot of this great hardware back in the day can still experience these great items in all of their glory with these newer productions. I wasn't aware of this card being made so thank you for covering it.
I compare it to car enthusiasts looking for spares online and at swap meets. I started fixing up an old d630 laptop (even if it isn't THAT old) and I'm having great fun trying to source the parts to max it out!
@Guy Incognito Yeah - in a way this is all wrong...
Back in the day it was a different config.sys and autoexec for each game, not one for all! For me a universal boot configuration was a holy grail.
It's 90s NOS chips though, so it's not exactly a renaissance. There's only so many of those cards you'll ever be able to make.
On one hand, it gets very talented people to learn and contribute to the community with products like this card. On the other, it could turn it into yet another TikTok trend which long term does a lot of harm to hobbies and especially equipment.
I feel this should be on the main channel. This isn't just a blerb, it's a momentous occasion.
I suppose it's here because this is the test rather than the full review - I would expect a proper review may be on its way.
I agree this deserves to be on the main channel... fantastic sound card!
@@Lukeno52 That makes sense.
@@BrunoFonsecaPT Yeah this is so awesome for DOS emulation as well because well, now the sounds will become much more accurate for people who use DOS-box and D-Fend Reloaded. Exciting time to be alive.
@Niklas S Exactly.
Honestly.. his voice is so calming, that I often use a playlist of his videos to put me to sleep. I'm not saying it's boring, because it's stuff I'm interested in from my past. It's just so non abrasive and pretty relaxing.
Just had to say, He should do those self help audio books that people sleep to.
I get you, have the same on a Friday evening watching this getting completely in a zone ready to sleep.
You playing SC2000 with your face reflecting off the monitor gives a whole evil overlord vibe. ;)
Dungeon Keeper with that same glare LOL
A new ISA Sound Card in 2020 sounds about right to me. This is beautiful. I hope they continue to make these for a while. I'm tapped out at the moment with a new PC build and wouldn't mind upgrading my Orchid Soundwave 32 to this in my Pentium with MMX system.
I miss seeing store sections dedicated to PC speakers and sound cards. All those Altec Lansing speakers for every budget then JBLs then Creative Labs then Logitech (which still exists in Best Buy).
I still ROCK my 2.1 Altec Lansing set. They sounded fantastic for my desktop back in the day and they just keep chugging along. Everyone is shocked to find out I spent $50 on them in like 2001 with how good they sound.
@@rapids444 I still have my Creative Labs Inspire T5400 that I bought back in 2005 from CompUSA for $65. I wanted to upgrade them to the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 or get a Logitech THX set but my speakers refuse to die. Ah, the old days of buying PC peripherals
With Clint's beard like that, he'd fit right into a classic episode of The Computer Chronicles.
Glad to see the beard is coming back. He doesn't look right w/o one.
Oh man, what a great show! Would certainly enjoy seeing Clint react to some of his favorite moments of that one
@@TheLegoPerson Would be cool to see Clint green screen himself onto an episode and chat away about DOS. That would be epic.
Clint should steal the electronic themes of Computer Chronicles as a music bed. Bib-bib be beep be be-bip in the background would be sweet..
This is probably the best way to mix the "talking head" shot with the stuff shown on the display. Best of both worlds. One might even say that it is an "on-screen personality"? ... *crickets* ... I'll let myself out.
It’s crazy how “meaty” Jill feels like thanks to the sound effects. That thud when you jump etc.
Mmmm....Jill meat...
Fubuki Kai agreed I remember playing Jill of the jungle when I was 12 in 1996 a neighbor had the game installed on their pc it was a fun dos game 😌
I know I'm in the minority, but I always found the Jill sound FX to be a bit obnoxious. Like, it's cool for five minutes, but they start getting grating after an hour.
My mind threw that first sentence in a completely different direction... I'll see myself out...
@@jasonblalock4429agreed. My poorly configured sound blaster with no sound effects is a blessing.
This is an incredible achievement! My sincere kudos to the engineers who put this together! Also, I'm a huge sucker for a glossy finish on soldermask :)
i really like how restrained they were in making this board. i tend to avoid putting modern parts in my vintage equipment, but this would be one of the rare parts i could reconsider if i decide to hook up one of my PCs to my main speakers (to use SPDIF and avoid noise).
Thanks Clint - The Blerbs keep me going through lockdown.
The burps help me too :}
@@Dennis-ws7tv The Blerbs, the burps... and especially the derps. 🤦♂️
ME TOO I TYPE IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE OF MY BAD EYESIGHT
I loved that movie
The yucatan will be configured for general listening, whilst the SC55 is meant for studio work and thus needs a flatter response. I can understand why they sound different, and IMO no one should really be complaining about it. The SC55 was never made to be a computer soundcard.
True that! I really like the way the Yucatan sounds on old computer speakers, even if the balance of certain voices differs.
@@LGRBlerbs The balance is certainly an issue, but hopefully that's just a software (firmware?) issue. The card overall is still super impressive all things considered.
17:43 shooting a fire extinguisher with a shotgun doesn't apply explosive damage to you. Fixed in modern ports, but still an issue in old DOS versions.
A Video about the different Soundblaster Cards maybe interesting, it is totally new to me that some Chipsets Had Bugs, Like hanging Notes ...
Search youtube for Phil Computers Lab, he has nice retro sound card reviews.
I think it's awesome that the community has built something like this. Really shows the love for the search for the perfect sound card for 1990s machines. Any chance the community might consider doing something similar for VLB graphics cards?
I'm still a proud owner of a Vipermax Ultrasound.
Has Sounblaster/Adlib + Gravis Ultrasound support, the perfect DOS soundcard for me.
Was the first card I bought my self and I'll never give it away.
One thing I find interesting is the ISA edge connector. Usually the contracts are squared off, but these are little round blobs. The PCB edge doesn't look like it's milled down either, or at least not much.
I got one of the first batch of 23 that went out to the public about 2 months ago and I have been more than happy with it, it replaced my SB Pro 2.0 and my PC Midi Card. I'm just using a S2 daughter board since I already have all of the MIDI equipment. The sound on this is beyond clean, none of the normal hum that you get from mid to late 90s systems is present with this card.
Nice review but I was really hoping to hear the direct audio feed, rather than room mic recording of it playing through small computer speakers.
I guess the card is voiced to sound good on normal computer speakers. Quite a nice idea, although maybe having a kind of "flat EQ" mode selectable in the INI file would be a good additional feature, in case you wanted to use the card with a more full-range sound system.
Saying that though, I would always prefer bass-heavy to lacking bass. You can always turn the bass down on your stereo system but if it isn't there to begin with, well, it isn't there. :-D
Waiting for the next batch, can't wait to get my hands on it and install it into my 486 rig 😁
I think it is so cool that people are creating new hardware like this for vintage machines and my hats off to them for such an accomplishment. Yet another thing I would love to own and try out, but at the price of $160 USD I would never be able to justify purchasing it. I realize it must have cost a lot to have something like this created without being a Creative Labs....but man is that pricey for some DOS sound. At least it is to me.
The last time I tampered with an .INI file must've been 1996 and around the time the original cards were gracing the pages of magazines and Roland MT32's were kicking about!
I feel old!
I love those old ISA slits. The first card I ever added was a ISA Sound Blaster 16 Value. I was so nervouse. But turned out great. Miss those days.
Many Soundblaster and AWE32 ISA cards had a S/PDIF out, but it was on a pair of pins on the board, meaning You had to make a lead terminating at a phono or EBU/XLR socket. The output mirrored the analogue outs.
The back story behind the GS chip is that Dream made unlicensed chips with samples recorded from the SC55. Roland realized what was going on and the two companies made a deal, from then on Dream could legally make those ROM chips. It won't give you full SC55 compatibility (for one because the effects section of a real sound canvas isn't present) but the samples should sound more or less the same.
It's great that two guys could build something like this.
It's a good price-- if my DOS machine weren't already stacked up with audio cards, I'd happily spend the money on this one. I spent 125 for the intelligent mode MIDI controller on its own! If I didn't have that, yeah. I'd definitely pre-order one of these. Pretty awesome project! It's a dream DOS card.
Great video and amazing that this card exists! Would have loved to hear ROTT with the midi music (honestly the music in that game is just amazing!)
ROTT? I feel like I should recognize that but I don't... Return of.. The something?
I initially thought you were going to put it in the 486SBC.
He still should
@@lucyinchat I agree. I can understand putting it in the Compaq 425, though.
BEARDY CLINT IS BACK!
Or as I like to say, the Daniel Bryan Beard returns!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
"This is beard!"
Sounds like sample truncation. That can be caused by mismatched sample rate, or simply a driver bug where the sample length is wrong. Maybe the buffer size is configured wrong. Basically, a sound is abruptly ended early, which can make some samples 'pop', leading to that crunchy sound.
You get the same CRUNCHY / CRACKLING sound after playing Hocus Pocus on DosBox after a while when you set the music and sfx to Sound Blaster. I believe it's solved if you set the music to Gravis. On my gameplay recordings (on which I prefered SB) I recorded the game music seperately and edited it in in post.
also back in the day ... we didn't know how crisp highs did really sound like .. so nostalgia memory warp is a possible factor. Also the card may be tuned for modern speakers ( in theory )
Those are Nichicon Fine Gold caps, the same ones I put in multi-thousand-dollar vintage audio gear.
that Yucatan sounds really good, it's a bit bassier but it sounds kind of awesome in duke3d. I still prefer the brighter sound of the sc-55 but only barely
This is a really cool board - except for one thing: It’s not a Sound Blaster. I really wish I could be content with clones, but I find myself scouting eBay for CRTs, big box games on 5.25” disks, Matsushita 2x CD-ROM drives, WD Caviar IDE HDDs, and authentic period sound cards.
This is better in pretty much every way. So is a Gotek, and an SD card, and a Mister. But it just isn’t the same.
After using an awe64g I never looked back on FM sounds so best be using that wavetable for those way better sound font/banks.
Honestly the reflection made it feel like a normal LGR video, I dig it haha. Thanks for the vids dude!
I will add this to the list of things I'm never going to be able to buy :( It looks amazing! I hope in the future we can have a lot of projects like these to keep the technology of the time alive!
It's like someone added a compressor to those Yucatan 808 drums. I've always enjoyed a thick low end though so it isn't a big deal for me if not preferable!
These were all soldered by Leo .You can't even tell if it is done by a machine or by hand .
I appreciate the look of this thing. Looks legit.
Fancy white/black PCB's look very modern and are neat too but this is a 90s soundcard and 90s soundcards were green.
I'm so happy to see the S/PDIF is coaxial not optical. :)
that muffled sound is the butters worth software low pass filter taking in place for Sound Blaster PCM.
Literally just finished watching RMC's video on this very card lol. This looks like an awesome card, fortunately I was able to pick up an AWE64 Gold card for what I thought was a pretty good price earlier in the year, otherwise this would be very tempting.
If they make a PCI version or PcIe or whatever I'll buy one. For sure. Sounds so good even over YT you can tell the capture is fantastic.
It's unlikely that they will. But if you want a PCI card with OPL3 and excellent MIDI onboard, look for something YMF744 based like the excellent AOpen AW744L II.
I think theres ISA to USB adapters. No idea if they're any good or not tho. Should be something LGR should test!
Sooo... We aren't getting The Christmas Clint at LGR Blerbs?
Ordered one for me, the next batch will be available in early/mid 2021 (hopefully, fingers crossed)
Hearing those MIDI examples makes me want to hear two other games with professional MIDI music on it: Wacky Wheels and Transport Tycoon Deluxe.
Ah, that Lytro box. They were doing such neat things before the closed.
Your Duke voice has gotten to the point where I genuinely thought he'd said "MOUSE PAD" on the game audio. Good work.
I've been watching this project and I want one a lot. It's a cool $300AUD landed here (with the PCMIDI option) - so it's not a light decision. That said, original intelligent mode cards would cost me anywhere from $500 to $1000, which puts the Orpheus and its mass of features in perspective. It can even run two separate MIDI addresses. From Marmes on VOGONS:
"For example you can have 330 on PC midi and 300 on Crystal MPU ... you can route PCMIDI (330) to WT and Jack connector and for DB15 connector you can use Crystal MPU (300). It's selectable by jumper."
Awesome flexibility.
Yeah, it's not cheap, but I paid 120 eur for PC MIDI standalone, so 180 eur for a combo card doesn't sound so bad. This Crystal chip has its own OPL implementation, but it sounds different from the real thing, so the fact that it also has a real Yamaha chip makes the Crystal+YMF+MPU combo a pretty good purchase imo. But yeah, the price is still a bit high for an average enthusiast.
Wow ... as the guy who's doing the re-issue of the ARGUS your intro is just amazing.
This is interesting.
I’m listening to the MIDI on my studio cans and I notice something.
The snare used for the Duke 3D Intro is quite reminiscent of an SC-55 snare, but the level 1 snare is SC-88-sounding. That’s an unusual combination they’ve chosen for the wave-table.
The SC-55 ride bell has also been used in-place of the 88 version, which you don’t see much, so it’s a hybrid synth by the sound of it.
I really would love to get my hands on this card, connect it up to a MIDI sequencer and actually play these sounds so I could compare them side-by-side with my SC-88 Pro.
Very curious if they licensed these sounds from Roland directly or what.
The wavetable is an old Dream chip, apparently directly sampled from commercial Roland hardware. Dream straight up stole the sounds, got sued by Roland and eventually received a license as a part of the settlement.
Duke Nukem 3D on the Sound Canvas emulation reminded me of the ultimate soundcard of the day that I had:- The Gravis Ultrasound. 😎 The Ultrasound was an absolutely amazing sounding soundcard. It was such a shame that it did not get the support it deserved.
I'm wondering if you could reduce glare from sunlight by applying some self-adhesive polarising film to your windows. Not sure if you'd need a linear polarising lens filter on the camera, or if it works with a circular polarising filter though.
Anyway, the card is pretty awesome! Definitely useful for someone who doesn't have access to a SB card for a reasonable price. Although I'm pretty sure what they're charging even for the base card, you could easily find a SB card for less with an eBay saved search and a little patience. That being said, I know how difficult it can be to source chips that have been out of production since the 90s or early 2000s, so the price isn't that unreasonable.
The AWE64 Gold had SPDIF out on a bracket that connects to the sound card. Got that card myself and only paid $50 for it (CIB) back in 2019.
That Yucatan FX seems particularly tempting. I'm guessing you can just plug that into the wavetable header on any Sound Blaster that sports one, and it'll work just fine, will it?
Correct!
@@LGRBlerbs Alright, nice. Very handy to know if I end up building a Win98 machine in the future, 'cause I dunno if I'll be going with a motherboard that has ISA slots. (Of course, if there's a PCI version of this Orpheus card in the works, then that would be an absolute no-brainer for me.)
Just keep in mind that the notorious hanging note bug on many SB16, 32 and AWE32 cards also affects the wavetable header. This isn't an issue on any PCI cards, but for DOS games it's highly recommended to stick to ISA for best compatibility.
My Favorite setup is a SB Pro 2.0 + PCMIDI card from these guys.
I'll tell you why:
1) True SB compatibility for SFX
2) Lack of MPU-401 on the SB Pro 2 means I don't have to disable/change addresses between the SB Pro 2 and the MIDI card.
3) SB Pro 2.0 contains an OPL3
4) This configuration supports PC speaker + FM + 1 daughter board + 3 external midi devices without using any switches and still retain the game port.
The only downsides are the SB Pro 2.0 is:
1) A noisy card (which is not really a con for me because this is how I experienced these games back in the day.)
2) This setup takes up 2 ISA slots.
I pair this config with a Yamaha DB50XG daughter board, a MT-32, a SC-55 MKII and a Korg NS5R.
Word of the wise your Sound Blaster or compatible should use IRQ7 as some older titles are hard coded to this.
Great minds clearly think alike with you and RMC Neil covering this card at the same time!
More that we both received review units from the same folks, but yes :)
RMC has just covered this soundcard today. 👍
@Guy Incognito Formerly Known as retro Mann cave
When you get hit on Xargon the edges of the screen blink red. Just like on Crystal Caves when you've collected ALL crystals the edges turn green. That feature does not work on DosBox.
Yes indeed! I think it works on DOSBox-X though, if I remember correctly.
The muffled sound effects kinda remind me of just really low bitrate samples, but we know that’s not the case. Overall I do like this card because of its versatility but quality over quantity should be the focus of these cards. It is nice to see new cards coming out for these machines though.
It's so shiny! Can't wait for batch 3.
Thanks to GOG and Steam was able to snag those titles I see in your videos. Especially since the Epic Megagames Compilation CD I scored and few games like Epic Pinball ended up being shareware and not full game. Interesting sound card.
This, to me, looks like a modern production version of the Turtle Beach Malibu Surround 64. I had one (and a RAP-10 and an SW-60XG) in the late 90s, it had the same CS4237B chipset, though no real OPL3 chip, and a 4MB (compressed into 2MB) Kurzweil MIDI ROM onboard. It was awesome for DOS gaming. This card looks like a very good option.
The Yucatan FX card can also go in your korg module.
Would be a nice upgrade over my Vibra 16.
I fear the caps are going because im starting to hear heavy static.
Capacitors are pretty easy to replace if you know what you're doing, or you could get someone to do it for you for probably not too much money (certainly cheaper than buying one of these anyway lol).
I kinda enjoy to see this lovely compact PC (no pun there) being paired with this sound card.
Have seen Nostalgia Nerd's review this morning (greetings from Central Europe) and really enjoyed what I have heard especially in Duke and SC2000.
Fun looking in the monitor reflection sometimes 😅
Clint, give this the review it deserves on LGR
Rockin that quarantine-beard, I dig it.
Only see a gaul person, probably from the village where Asterix lives.
The graphics on that 486 are so life like!
(Its a reflection)
I took a stroll through eBay and yeah, a lot of them are kinda filthy looking, probably need new caps, and I forgot how many SB16 models there actually were to the point I'm not sure if I'm looking at ones with real OPL3 chipsets or not. Orpheus seems to have a lot going for it with the nicer caps, real OPL3 chipset, seemingly cleaner audio based on the above and wavetable options. The price isn't too offputting given how much SB16's were new (adjusting for inflation). I recall wavetable stuff was SUPER expensive back in the day as well. Seems like a great value!
My only gripe based on the above is the ISA connector looks pretty sharp over a more "proper" connector (which I believe has some tapered edges and things)? I know a lot of niche cards like this have that problem (since making a proper connector is, I would guess, expensive or just unavailable at the fab houses being used). But it's the one thing that make me a little concerned.
Otherwise this sure does seem like it'd make live a little easier in the vintage realm!
It's a really cool project and kudos to the creators for making this in 2020. Personally, I've always avoided any card with a crystal chip on it. I'm more a fan of ESS or Aztech when it comes to SB clones.
That has got to be the shiniest ISA card I've ever seen.
Another way to look at the cost today would be thinking of the cost with inflation for the original cards. If I had to guess, even with the Yucatan FX, this is a steal.
Great Scott! The Orpheus is from the FUTURE! The year - 2021!
never heard about Xargon .. but triggers some fine dune/blackthorne memories... i'll definitely check it out
I have an earlier model SB16 that still has a real OPL3, but also the hanging note bug. I don't really have a nostalgic soft spot for MIDI/wave table, since I never utilized it back in the day when these machines were new. I'm happy with the SB16, since it provides better compatibility than other options I've tried, has a real OPL3, and a reasonable price. I was using an ESS SB clone, but it had the same issues with Tyrian that this card does. Tyrian was one of my go-to games back in the day, so having crackling sound was unacceptable.
It's a CT2800
Sound Blaster Pro 8 or xx all the way! LOL Never liked the integrated sound when that was an option in the day. Now it is just not an issue. Emulators do very well today for running old dos games. :)
I'm not personally into retro-hardware but, after watching your unboxing, I want one!
Two videos on the same day about the same thing. Neat!
Coming back to this video... I have to say, I much much prefer the Yucatan sound over the SC-55. The SC-55 sounds tinny and weak, there's no bottom end at all. At least if you feel the Yucatan overdoes it you can always cut a few dB on the low end, but you can't add what isn't there. I also don't feel the mids or highs of the Yucatan are noticeably compromised at all.
You should try to attempt to play some Amiga MOD files using DMP 4.00 player. It was notorious for not working with sound cards, so that would be a challenge for this card if it would work, and work correctly.
(8:50) The Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold (ISA) had a SPDIF header on the board and came with a separate bracket with that connector should you need it ;)
I'm a simple man. Any LGR video where he uses his Duke voice is a win for me.
Just saw RMC do this. It looks like it work getting a few of these for any retro hardware collectors.
I think you have to set OPLBASE to 300, from what I saw on the RMC video
never mind, I was wrong :p
Pretty interesting, I think I'll keep an eye on it to see if some of the issues are fixed.
FYI, you can switch between the Crystal FM and OPL3 through and ini file. Check Neil's (RMC) video on it.
Yep, I mentioned it in this video too a couple times. I'm not a fan of how it sounds though so I didn't show it happening, just talked about it :)
@@LGRBlerbs My bad, didn't catch that.
Lot's of clones seem to add low pass filters on low frequency soundblaster digital sounds, makes them always sound a bit less crispy.
When you said it wasn't cheap I was thinking $250+ easily BUT less then $150 is perfectly fine and puts it on par with the price of many modern soundcards from the likes of Creative and ASUS so yeah its solid
It doesn't have Gravis Ultrasound support, but it _does_ have wavetable support. So, yeah. That's a thing. I don't know; I just like it.