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Turtle Beach ISA cards

JT64

Experienced Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
402
Location
Sweden
Is it hard gettting hold of turtle beach ISA cards, are they expensive? (I only had gravis and creative ISA cards back then).
I try get an idea of the order the cards was released and their differences.
multisound classic, tahiti, monterey, fiji, tropez, pinnacle?
Which had best sound most ram and best onboard? wavetable, if you only buy one which is the best card of the TB ISA era?

Unfortunatly i throw a way Gravis ACE and a Gravis Ulrasound Classic with all old computer stuff at end of 90's. But now i have a small collection of ISA soundcards once again.

CREATIVE
8-bit CT1350
16-bit CT2270, CT2290, CT4520, CT4390, CT4180 VIBRA :(
Yamaha
A151-A00 ISA
Compaq
Premier Sound ES1869 Audio Feature Board ISA
Unknown brand
ES1869

What ISA soundboards do you guys have?
 
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I have a sound blaster Awe64 Gold with the Simm conversion for the memory expansion slot, with single 32mb 72-pin simm, and the coaxial-digital connector backplate. I also have a hardware 16-bit creative card for dos.. sound blaster something or other with jumpers, it's late and I'm too tired to open my athlon system or I'd look at it to get a CT model.
 
I have a lot of different SoundBlasters, some OEM things and some older and more high-end synth cards:

Creative:
CT1320C SoundBlaster 1.5 (with Phillips-branded CMS chips)
CT1600 SoundBlaster Pro 2
CT1600 SoundBlaster Pro 2 (1992 model with onboard crystal for the OPL3)
CT2290 SoundBlaster 16
CT3980 SoundBlaster AWE 32 (First PnP version, one of the last models with proper OPL3)
CT1920 AWE 32 Upgrade (Basically a SoundBlaster AWE 32 without the SoundBlaster 16 part)
CT4390 SoundBlaster AWE 64 Gold

Compaq:
ES1868 AudioDrive OEM card

IBM:
Music Feature Card

Media Vision:
Pro Sonic 16 Basic (Jazz16 chipset)

Opti:
931 16-bit OEM soundcard (OPTi 82C931 chipset)

Roland:
LAPC-I

You can see pictures at my website: http://oldibmpc.sitesled.com/Expansion cards/

Later SoundBlasters don't actually contain real OPL3s. Instead they emulate it using a dedicated chip. Many people find the sound of the emulated versions inferior to the original. On the other hand, the majority of the soundblaster 16/AWE 32 cards have various problems like the infamous "hanging-note" MIDI glitch and generally noisy output.
 
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I have a lot of different SoundBlasters, some OEM things and some older and more high-end synth cards:

Creative:
CT1320C SoundBlaster 1.5 (with Phillips-branded CMS chips)
CT1600 SoundBlaster Pro 2
CT1600 SoundBlaster Pro 2 (1992 model with onboard crystal for the OPL3)
CT2290 SoundBlaster 16
CT3980 SoundBlaster AWE 32 (First PnP version, one of the last models with proper OPL3)
CT1920 AWE 32 Upgrade (Basically a SoundBlaster AWE 32 without the SoundBlaster 16 part)
CT4390 SoundBlaster AWE 64 Gold

Compaq:
ES1868 AudioDrive OEM card

IBM:
Music Feature Card

Media Vision:
Pro Sonic 16 Basic (Jazz16 chipset)

Opti:
931 16-bit OEM soundcard (OPTi 82C931 chipset)

Roland:
LAPC-I

You can see pictures at my website: http://oldibmpc.sitesled.com/Expansion cards/

Later SoundBlasters don't actually contain real OPL3s. Instead they emulate it using a dedicated chip. Many people find the sound of the emulated versions inferior to the original. On the other hand, the majority of the soundblaster 16/AWE 32 cards have various problems like the infamous "hanging-note" MIDI glitch and generally noisy output.

The LAPC-1 what a nice 8-bit card would be nice to have one, was the drivers XT compatible or just 286?
A bit better then my SB 2.0 CT1350(b?). But there is no audio in just for gaming and midisynth?
Did it support win 3.1 and win95 or just dos?

I guess turtle beach never released any 8-bit isa board, do you have any idea if they worked in 8-bit slots and had XT drivers?
 
I have a lot of different SoundBlasters, some OEM things and some older and more high-end synth cards:

Creative:
CT1320C SoundBlaster 1.5 (with Phillips-branded CMS chips)
CT1600 SoundBlaster Pro 2
CT1600 SoundBlaster Pro 2 (1992 model with onboard crystal for the OPL3)
CT2290 SoundBlaster 16
CT3980 SoundBlaster AWE 32 (First PnP version, one of the last models with proper OPL3)
CT1920 AWE 32 Upgrade (Basically a SoundBlaster AWE 32 without the SoundBlaster 16 part)
CT4390 SoundBlaster AWE 64 Gold

Compaq:
ES1868 AudioDrive OEM card

IBM:
Music Feature Card

Media Vision:
Pro Sonic 16 Basic (Jazz16 chipset)

Opti:
931 16-bit OEM soundcard (OPTi 82C931 chipset)

Roland:
LAPC-I

You can see pictures at my website: http://oldibmpc.sitesled.com/Expansion cards/

Later SoundBlasters don't actually contain real OPL3s. Instead they emulate it using a dedicated chip. Many people find the sound of the emulated versions inferior to the original. On the other hand, the majority of the soundblaster 16/AWE 32 cards have various problems like the infamous "hanging-note" MIDI glitch and generally noisy output.

Just took two pictures of the compaq 1869 card and the unknown, i do not fancy the compaq big and ugly, the unknown brand probably do things better. You have any idea what it is (must get both glasses and a magnifier). I can not read the damn fccid on card. What would it cost to post the ugly bastard from sweden to norway, just to get rid of him :D

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=b818a757899dc189#cid=B818A757899DC189&id=B818A757899DC189!380
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=b818a757899dc189#cid=B818A757899DC189&id=B818A757899DC189!381
 
A good card very good sounding for the time for recording much better then the SBLive, but i have three of them, the interesting thing is with the driver is that it actually support multiple instances of santa cruz in same computer. SBLive drives got haywired but later came the kxproject and made it possible with multiple live cards withou IO conflicts.
 
Ok I am going to attempt to list my cards but I am sure I am going to end up leaving a few out! >.<

ATI Stereo-F/X - In my ultimate 16 bit ATI Rig with a vga wonder - Am386sx 40! :D

CT 1320B Sound Blaster 1.5
CT 1600 Sound Blaster Pro 2

CT 2940 - Sound Blaster 16
CT 2950 - Sound Blaster 16 IDE
CT 3600 - Sound Blaster 32 PnP IDE - Dell, 2 simm slots, no ram onboard, no CSP socket. Weird awe32/vibra mutant! My fav sb, great bass! Much cleaner then the Ct 3990!
CT 3990 - Sound Blaster Awe 32
*CT 1920 - Goldfinch Awe32 upgrade card - just purchased , awaiting arrival

Ess ES1688F - Diamond 968F Sonic 3D
Ess ES1868F - Compaq
Ess ES1869 - Compaq

IBM Mwave Dolphin
Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16 NS Scsi - My fav period! Gotta love the onboard thunderboard chipset, I perfer it over any sb. =)

Opti 82c930 - Diamond MM930
Opti 82c931 - generic w/ wavetable soldered on AND header

Reveal Sc400 pro 16 rev4r w/ reveal rebranded 2x cdrom (bought it new as a kit when it was released!)

Unknown - Crystal CX4235-XQ3 - Genius Brand?
Unknown - Crystal CX4237b-XQ3 - Genius Brand?


Honorable Mention
----------------------
Disney Sound Source
Homemade Covox Resistor Dac
 
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BTW The compaq ESS cards are better then the generic due to better power filtering. Downside in their design is less bass, due to small caps on the amp. Upgrade those past 400uf and the sound is very bassy and clean...

And the santa cruz is a great card. I ran one of those for years from win98 to XP without problems. I eventually upgraded to a newer cmedia based card made by Auzentech for Dolby Digital Live. :thumbsup: I actually perfer Cmedia over X-fi. Even my M-audio Mbox2 is better then an X-fi. ROFL. X-fi (minus lowend like x-fi music) is great hardware, but terrible drivers. :(
 
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I have many... off the top of my head...

Creative Labs:
CT1320, CT1350 (boxed/complete w/ CMS), CT1600 (boxed/complete), CT2940 (boxed/complete), CT2950 (and various other SB16 models), CT3600, CT3990, CT5320 (boxed/complete - MCA card, w00t!), and a new/boxed Awe64 Gold (forget the model). A few variants on the SB16 ISA and PCI models. Several of the original Sound Blaster Live! cards (including the Gold! with the original Live Drive), SB Audigy 2 ZS

Roland:
LAPC-I w/ breakout (boxed/completE), MPU-IPC-T (boxed/complete), MPU-401 (boxed/complete, not the AT version w/ the midi waveboard header), SMU-AT (I think that's what it's called, boxed/complete), MPU-IMC (MCA-bus MPU-401), SCC-1a (boxed/complete, another one or two I'm forgetting. Also have boxed/complete both Roland daughterboards and a loose PCMCIA Roland interface. Also have a Roland CS-10 Studio Monitor... it just looked too cool/retro to pass up. Also have 2xMT-32 rev1, 1xMT-32 rev2, and an SC-55. Looking for an SC-55MKII.

Media Vision:
Pro Audio Spectrum 16, 2 variants (one with SCSI, one with a Mitsumi header, IIRC) - as mentioned above, these are pretty nice cards. I used one for years in my 486 days

Misc:
original Adlib card (loose)
Gravis Ultrasound v3.7 (on the way)
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz and Riviera PCI (Riviera boxed/complete) - these have waveboard headers, which was why I wanted them. One of them has the Turtle Beach GS daughterboard with Roland chips
a few Opti cards
at least one or two Crystal cards
a Yamaha DB50-based card
a Disney Sound Source (NIB - it was $10 shipped from Japan, also have a loose one)
MidiMan MM-401 midi controller
Music Quest MQX-32(m) and MQX-16(s)

These last 3 are intelligent-mode capable midi systems, and require a breakout cable which I don't have. I did find pinouts, but haven't wired them up yet. Several of these cards are in the spare bin... I like ensuring that I've a sound card and midi card in pretty much every machine I own - if you can't tell by the quantity :)
 
Add a Goldfinch awe32 upgrade to my list, just won one today on fleabay for 5 bucks shipped! Woot! ^_^
 
How much you had to pay for the LAPC-1 and the SCC-1, i always wanted a Roland ISA card. Any of them for sale?
 
None are for sale... I bought the LAPC-I from former forum member PeterNY when he was liquidating his selection. I purchased it with a handful of other items (half of my boxed Roland items came from him, as did my boxed SB1.5 and CT1320 w/ CMS chips). The SCC-1a cost too much.

Rule of thumb - if you're looking for Roland, be prepared to pay. If you're looking for an intelligent-mode compatible card that will work in your systems, the MidiMan and Music Quest cards are fully Roland-compatible and will generally run you alot less. They're not common, but they tend to fly under the radar a little bit. My last one was purchased from ebay.co.uk for 5 pounds plus shipping, all in all about $20 USD.
 
None are for sale... I bought the LAPC-I from former forum member PeterNY when he was liquidating his selection. I purchased it with a handful of other items (half of my boxed Roland items came from him, as did my boxed SB1.5 and CT1320 w/ CMS chips). The SCC-1a cost too much.

Rule of thumb - if you're looking for Roland, be prepared to pay. If you're looking for an intelligent-mode compatible card that will work in your systems, the MidiMan and Music Quest cards are fully Roland-compatible and will generally run you alot less. They're not common, but they tend to fly under the radar a little bit. My last one was purchased from ebay.co.uk for 5 pounds plus shipping, all in all about $20 USD.

What i am really looking for is a ISA card with real SC wavetable, brand isn't that important allthough a Roland really would be nice to have. I have a feeling though that the SC wavetables only available on the real thing.

I see the LAPC-1 is MT32 wavetable, which wavetable do you prefer LAPC-1=(MT32)? or SCC-1=(SC55)?
http://members.chello.at/theodor.lauppert/games/roland.htm
http://www.dor-lomin.com/archive/ultima//musicarchive/

How come no ISA turtlebeach cards in your collection? A very nice collection though, PS it is easier to collect soundcards then XT/AT and monitors in a small apartment :D

And soundcard history is very interesting but to few work testing out in my XT, i think i will build an AT 286 from a motherboard i have laying around so i can test out more soundcards. Biggest problem will be where to fit it into the shelf, it getting pretty stacked.
 
I don't have any Turtle Beach ISA cards because I've not found them cheaply :) For certain items that have nostalgic value (Creative Cards, PAS-16), I was willing to pay for the boxed/complete versions. Others that I always wanted but could never afford (Roland), I've purchased now because I could afford them. Though I still hunted around and took my time to find what I felt was the best available deals. Outside of my rev 2 MT-32, I think I succeeded in paying far less than the going rates on these items.

So far as preference, I really don't have one, tbh. I bought them because I enjoy DOS games, and I wanted to have the equipment available for which the game's audio was composed so that I could ensure that what I heard was what was intended. For instance, some games took advantage of the bugs in the rev1 MT-32 and programmed for those bugs in their music. When listening to the audio from those games with another unit, the sound is off.

As for your SC wavetable, do you mean GS sounds? Roland had two sound sets: GS and LA. LA was the set used in the MT-32 while GS was used in the later sound synths including the SC-55, SCC-1a, and SCB-55 and SCD-70 daughter cards (although the SC-55mkII and SCD-70 did used expanded GS sets with more instruments, but that's another topic)

If you're just after the synth used in the SC-55, track down a Roland SCB-55 daughter card, attach it to your sound card with a waveboard header, and have at it. They're available, and relatively cheaply. ISTR a forum member here letting a new/boxed SCD-70 go for $70 on ebay a few months back after relisting it about 4 times (he doesn't know how often I nearly bit, but it's the SCB-55 that I don't have boxed/complete). Alternately, get an external SC-55 unit - they can be had for about ~$50 USD if you're patient (mine cost $58 shipped with a power supply)

Something to be aware of, however... GS synth didn't come out until long after the LA synth. LA was what was in use around the timeframe that 8088-80286 systems were prevalent. GS was much later (around 1990/1991, IIRC) - what I'm trying to say is that you may run into some issues using internal GS stuff on older gear. Though, of course, if you were to pick up a CM-500 external unit, you'd have both LS and GA available, and all you would need is an internal midi interface, which is just about any sound card out there. Just find a sound card that works in your system, plug it up, and run with it.
 
I don't have any Turtle Beach ISA cards because I've not found them cheaply :) For certain items that have nostalgic value (Creative Cards, PAS-16), I was willing to pay for the boxed/complete versions. Others that I always wanted but could never afford (Roland), I've purchased now because I could afford them. Though I still hunted around and took my time to find what I felt was the best available deals. Outside of my rev 2 MT-32, I think I succeeded in paying far less than the going rates on these items.

So far as preference, I really don't have one, tbh. I bought them because I enjoy DOS games, and I wanted to have the equipment available for which the game's audio was composed so that I could ensure that what I heard was what was intended. For instance, some games took advantage of the bugs in the rev1 MT-32 and programmed for those bugs in their music. When listening to the audio from those games with another unit, the sound is off.

As for your SC wavetable, do you mean GS sounds? Roland had two sound sets: GS and LA. LA was the set used in the MT-32 while GS was used in the later sound synths including the SC-55, SCC-1a, and SCB-55 and SCD-70 daughter cards (although the SC-55mkII and SCD-70 did used expanded GS sets with more instruments, but that's another topic)

If you're just after the synth used in the SC-55, track down a Roland SCB-55 daughter card, attach it to your sound card with a waveboard header, and have at it. They're available, and relatively cheaply. ISTR a forum member here letting a new/boxed SCD-70 go for $70 on ebay a few months back after relisting it about 4 times (he doesn't know how often I nearly bit, but it's the SCB-55 that I don't have boxed/complete). Alternately, get an external SC-55 unit - they can be had for about ~$50 USD if you're patient (mine cost $58 shipped with a power supply)

Something to be aware of, however... GS synth didn't come out until long after the LA synth. LA was what was in use around the timeframe that 8088-80286 systems were prevalent. GS was much later (around 1990/1991, IIRC) - what I'm trying to say is that you may run into some issues using internal GS stuff on older gear. Though, of course, if you were to pick up a CM-500 external unit, you'd have both LS and GA available, and all you would need is an internal midi interface, which is just about any sound card out there. Just find a sound card that works in your system, plug it up, and run with it.

Well i actually have an external Sound Canvas module SC-7 (LA?) that i hook up with my XT at occasions, but beleive it or not i really like to do (sequensing) music on the XT using my synth(off course i could change midi out to the SC-7, but a soundcard with onboard wavetable would be the real thing).

My CT-1350b do not have any wavetable addon extension. And i do not think i can get my SB16 CT2290 to work in 8-bit with mode with roland,waveblaster and yamaha addon. Well actually it will not work at all in my 8088 as far i tried. Finally a cheap card will show up i guess :eek:
 
My CT-1350b do not have any wavetable addon extension. And i do not think i can get my SB16 CT2290 to work in 8-bit with mode with roland,waveblaster and yamaha addon. Well actually it will not work at all in my 8088 as far i tried. Finally a cheap card will show up i guess :eek:

There is a wavetable addon for any creative card, even the pros and 1.5s, and that be the goldfinch I just scored. Its just an awe32 midi card. The 8 pin jumper is just audio out that you connect to line in or cd player on any soundcard. :D

goldflinch001.jpg


Now Im not sure if it will work in 8 bit slots. I will eventually do some experimenting after I complete a few other projects. =)
 
I do not think that is correct,
The addon boards need the 26-pin attachment?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Wave_Blaster

How would you hook up a Roland addon board without the 26-pin header, i simply do not get it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Roland_SCD-15_on_Diamond_MX300.jpg
Could you explain howto hook up the addon board above with the CT1350B?

How would you transfer the mididata to the wavetable card?

It's not a waveblaster. It's more like a card that gives existing SoundBlaster 16 cards AWE32 capabilities (a SoundBlaster AWE32 is actually in many ways a SoundBlaster 16 with an EMU8000 synthesizer, while that card in the post above is more or less only the EMU8000 synthesizer). It outputs pure line-level analog audio, so you can connect it to anything with an analog input. It can also output S/PDIF digital audio if you chose to solder on a connector for it.
 
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I have a Tutrle Beach Pinnacle card, with Ram, in original box with drivers etc if anyone intressted.
 
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