Sound issue running Zsnes 1.42 in DOS

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:49 pm

I have a Sound Blaster PCI 128 running in MS-DOS 7.0 and I'm trying to get sound working with Zsnes 1.42 but to no avail. Everything else except zsnes works with sound. I'm sorry if this question has been asked before but I couldn't find it on this forum. Please can anyone help?

P.S. I have set the SET BLASTER variable in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Joe Camacho · Post by **Joe Camacho** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:59 pm

Set the sound, exit zsnes and then run it again. I assume you are using the DOS ver.

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:01 pm

Yes I'm using the DOS version. I've set the sound, exited and ran it again but there still isn't any sound. I've got a Sound Blaster PCI Vibra 128 card (if that can help you narrow down the problem). Thanks!!

Joe Camacho · Post by **Joe Camacho** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:02 pm

Try deleting both .cfg and .dat files generated from zsnes. Then run the emulator and set everything again. Remember the exit the emulator.

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:07 pm

I've deleted those files and restarted zsnes but no difference.

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:27 pm

I'm running DosMame with no sound issues so I really don't think it's anything to do with my sound card config. When I switch 'Force 8-bit' sound on I get a click as the game starts but still no sound (and zsnes crashes when I exit the game).

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 8:58 pm

I've just noticed that there are two IRQ's assigned for my sound card. One of them is SBIRQ and the other is just plain old IRQ. These numbers are different. Would this have anything to do with it?

I also read that it might be the case the zsnes just won't work on my type of sound card. Has anyone out there got sound working in zsnes using a PCI based sound card in DOS?

Post by **Agozer** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:03 pm

Please don't triple post. Edit your old post if you have something to add.

As for your problem, I've experienced the same problem back when I still used the DOS port. The sound usually got fixed by simply enabling the sound, then exiting the emulator and running it again.

What are your SBIRQ and IRQ values anyway?

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:50 pm

I'm sorry, I've never even heard of 'triple posting' but I'll do the edit thing from now on. My SBIRQ is 10 and my IRQ is 5.

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:57 pm

I'm just going to tell you right now that the hardware just doesn't work with ZSNES in DOS mode. You really aren't going to get it to work no matter how hard you try. The problem is between the SB emulation of the hardware (it is somewhat poor as the best hardware it emulates is the Ensoniq Soundscape - particularly because it is actually based of Ensoniq's hardware) and the somewhat poor DOS sound support in ZSNES. You are better off using the Windows port of ZSNES or using an ISA sound card (or a SB Live) for your DOS audio needs.

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:00 pm

Cheers to the heads up. I've got an SB Live! in my main computer that I could install into it. I'll post up if (when) I get it working. Thanks for the help!!

Update: I've put the SB Live! card in and installed the drivers. It's working perfectly with other DOS programs but when I start a game in Zsnes I get a message saying 'Vibra16x mode enabled' and the sound still won't work.

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:59 pm

Hmmm..

I forget if the SB Live! worked well in DOS mode.. but I guess it works better in DOS within Windows.

To be blunt though, why are you using ZSNES for DOS? The Windows port has significantly better audio compatibility (and superiority) in the first place.

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:06 am

Because I built an arcade cabinet and it's running DOS. The machine isn't powerful enough to run Mame within windows 98 but it purrs along within DOS and it never crashes, boots up extremely quickly (about 10 seconds from pushing the power button) and never slows down. Zsnes also looks great in DOS and I'm getting a smooth 60FPS but it slows down in Windows 98. Do you think there's a snowballs chance in hell of me getting this working or should I just give up?

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:43 am

dhenniga wrote:Do you think there's a snowballs chance in hell of me getting this working or should I just give up?

Probably not.. you have a better chance of getting the last version of Snes9x for DOS to work (1.26).

dhenniga · Post by **dhenniga** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:16 am

Oh well!

Thanks for all your help!!

Edit: I have to say I don't really understand why there's a Zsnes version for DOS if something as basic as a PCI soundcard won't work. I understand that nearly everybody would be running the Windows version so why would they even release a DOS version that they aren't updating? Just getting it off my chest!!

SUPER UPDATE!!!
Not to be one to give up easily I started thinking back to the olden days when I used to play zsnes on my windows 98 machine (mid-late 90’s) and I distinctly remembered playing zsnes under DOS with a PCI soundcard and it working perfectly.

With this in mind I started to go back through the releases of Zsnes and testing them out in DOS. All seemed hopeless until I got to the ZSNES v0.9891a (ASM version). This version works perfectly with the PCI soundcard in DOS. You can download this from:

http://www.zophar.net/zsnes/archives.html

This version won't play games like 'Super Mariokart' or 'Pilotwings' but, what the hell, it plays a lot of other great games like 'Yoshi's Island' and 'Donkey Kong Country'.

I hope this post will help someone in the future because it took me ages to figure out. I'm really glad I stuck at it.

Baldho · Post by **Baldho** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:32 am

BUMP!

I'm having this trouble right now. I'm on a laptop so i can'T really change the soundcard

But i'm pretty sure that if I get an earlier version of zsnes, i'll get my sound back. snes9x and Out Of This World play fine and with sound so heh

But I was wondering... What happened? Why did the sound just take off? Yeah some features have to suffer at the profit of a better emulation but.. sound?!

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:13 am

Ok, this is awful thread necromancy and its finest, but let me reiterate that PCI sound cards REQUIRE SB emulation so that ZSNES can use it, because PCI sound cards do not use the same resources an an ISA sound card and do not communicate the same way. Most PCI sound cards that was released during the 9x ERA has SB emulation that had to be initialized so you could hear audio in DOS games. (Those that did not provide SB emulation is the fault of the hardware manufacturer.)

So anyways, ZSNES never had great SB compatibility, other than having a Creative based SB16/32/64 card. It is the same issue across all DOS games, so it's not like we can do anything that doesn't natively support the SB16.. it was like that to begin with.

Baldho · Post by **Baldho** » Mon May 21, 2007 7:56 pm

yes sound has always been an issue in dos, regardless of the game. But what I would like to understand is why it used to work in zsnes, and then at some point, stopped. I mean yes its dos sound supprt has never been very good but how (and when) did it get worst? Unless it has gotten better but just not for me and dhenniga

Deathlike2 · Post by **Deathlike2** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:04 pm

It hasn't really changed. All you need to do is to force 8-bit sound (it is an actual ZSNES option) and make sure your SB emulation is initialized.

The sound output in DOS hasn't really changed at all, it's more likely the SB emulation (or lack thereof) in modern PCI sound cards that aren't as good (or simply not provided). You can't blame ZSNES for that.

Baldho · Post by **Baldho** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:14 pm

Well count me out... It works now. And it's nothing related to zsnes or drivers sb emu etc...

I have two IBM ThinkPad laptops. a 380d and a 380z. They both have the same sound hardware and they both have hardware that get messed up with time. or something like that i really have no clue. All I had to do is is to initialize the hardware in the laptop's Bios... and bam, sound is back in every game.

Sorry, i was even in the process of getting all dos zsnes versions to see which was the latest to have sound working on my system. well the latest version does

Thanks