Tandy 3-voice MP3 Demonstration

[Cloudschatze]

Here are a few "3-voice," SN76496-clone recordings from various Tandy systems (SX/RLX/RSX).

Castlevania
Title

Codename: ICEMAN
Pentagon This is interesting because of the "reverb", which is not heard with the more-capable AdLib and Game Blaster playback.

Hero's Quest
Introduction
Spielburg gates + Raking leaves
Erana's Peace Decent "reverb" effect.
Battle music
Cave of the Kobold

King's Quest III
Introduction

King's Quest VI - CD
Wedding Ceremony Combines both 3-voice and Tandy DAC playback.

Leisure Suit Larry 1 VGA
Death Sequence Combines both 3-voice and Tandy DAC sound effects.
I Can Can You
Her Albert Has Some Iguana Gas

Leisure Suit Larry 5
K-Rap News
Record des Rever

Maniac Mansion
Introduction Sure makes one appreciate the next recording...

Maniac Mansion Enhanced
Introduction

Police Quest I EGA
Introduction

Sentinel Worlds I: FutureMagic
Title Screen
Space
Norjaenn
Albert's Place
Caldorre

Silpheed
Introduction
Level 01
Credits

Skyfox II
Tandy Title Screen and Demo (sound-effects)

Just for fun, here is the "PC-Speaker" version of the above (which I also happen to like...)
PC Title Screen and Demo (sound-effects)


Space Quest I EGA
Introduction

Zak McKracken Enhanced
Introduction
End Sequence

Zeliard
Muralla Town
Tumba Town
Satono Town
Bosque Village
Cavern of Malicia
Cavern of Peligro
Cavern of Madera
Cavern of Escarcha
Cavern of Corroer
Cavern of Tesoro
Cavern of Caliente
Cavern of Absor


And now, for something completely different...

Golvellius (Sega Master System)
Area 1 BGM
Area 6 BGM
Area 7 BGM

[Tom]

Man....THANKS for that PQ1 recording; it brought back such fond memories of playing the game on my old Tandy 1000 SL.  I could never play Zeliard on my SL; no VGA graphic gard, and it didn't support Tandy graphics.

[BlueMax]

AWESOME!!!!   My Tandy 1000SX days relived!  You have the 286 accelerator too, don't you?

[Great Hierophant]

Unfortunately, I cannot detect any real differences between DOSBox and the Tandy 1000 SX sound output.  The Tandy does output some clear and loud tones if nothing else. 

[the_doctor]

Downloading now ... I wish I still had my 1000SX for these old games.  I loved that old thing.

[MusicallyInspired]

Sounds exactly the same as DOSBox and NAGI. The only slight differences might be in the note fade-outs.

Anyone else notice that the PQ1 theme sounds very similar to he KQ3 theme?

[Caliburn]

Anyone else notice that the PQ1 theme sounds very similar to he KQ3 theme?

Yep, for me, the resemblance is mainly in the bridge (starting at about 0:35 seconds into that MP3 file and ending at about 0:52 seconds) which, as you say, is very similar to the bridge in KQ3's theme.  The rest of the piece I find reasonably unique, given the limitations of the three-voice device and the fact that the music for both games is by the same composer, Margaret Lowe.

I really should explore more Zeliard music.  Those are some neat little tunes.

I don't seem to be able to download the Cavern of Caliente music.  Any idea what's wrong?  I can't see the directory in order to check the spelling of the link versus the filename itself, or anything like that.  And, of course, the problem could be on my end, though all the other files transferred fine.

-Luke

[Cloudschatze]

You have the 286 accelerator too, don't you?

Yep.

Unfortunately, I cannot detect any real differences between DOSBox and the Tandy 1000 SX sound output. 

Sounds exactly the same as DOSBox and NAGI. The only slight differences might be in the note fade-outs.

I'd wondered about DOSBox's implementation of the noise channel, given that the FAQ states that they guessed at the implementation. I guess they guessed well enough!

I don't seem to be able to download the Cavern of Caliente music.  Any idea what's wrong?

Err... Actually, I don't think I even recorded that one. Don't worry, I'll take care of it...

[Cloudschatze]

Added some stuff to the parent post...

[BlueMax]

Yay, Tandy!! 

Hey!  Big question!  The Tandy 1000 RSX - I know it has the Tandy sound chip, but if you choose an old AGI game (such as SQ2) will it detect Tandy graphics, or EGA?  Will it detect the sound OK?

[Great Hierophant]

Yay, Tandy!! 

Hey!  Big question!  The Tandy 1000 RSX - I know it has the Tandy sound chip, but if you choose an old AGI game (such as SQ2) will it detect Tandy graphics, or EGA?  Will it detect the sound OK?

Unfortunately, it will detect EGA graphics and PC speaker sound.  Moreover, if you use the -t argument at the command line, it still will not produce Tandy Sound because Tandy, in its infinite wisdom, moved the ports where the sound chip was previously addressed. 

[BlueMax]

That's what I thought. 

Looks like my plan is STILL to get a Tandy 1000 TL (/1, 2, or 3)

[Great Hierophant]

By the way Cloud, when are you going to record "Cavern of Caliente" so we can hear it?

[Cloudschatze]

Yay, Tandy!! 

Hey!  Big question!  The Tandy 1000 RSX - I know it has the Tandy sound chip, but if you choose an old AGI game (such as SQ2) will it detect Tandy graphics, or EGA?  Will it detect the sound OK?

Unfortunately, it will detect EGA graphics and PC speaker sound.  Moreover, if you use the -t argument at the command line, it still will not produce Tandy Sound because Tandy, in its infinite wisdom, moved the ports where the sound chip was previously addressed. 

NewRisingSun informed me that the address was moved from C0 to 1E0 due to the second, 16-bit DMA controller's use of C0.

He also graciously resolved the AGI and SCI0 issues.

By the way Cloud, when are you going to record "Cavern of Caliente" so we can hear it?

What, and ruin the joke? 

I don't have a save state for Caliente, so I'm going to have to do some back-tracking first...

[Great Hierophant]

NewRisingSun informed me that the address was moved from C0 to 1E0 due to the second, 16-bit DMA controller's use of C0.

He also graciously resolved the AGI and SCI0 issues

Makes perfect sense, and also gives the reason why you really cannot painlessly integrate a Tandy Sound Chip on a AT or better class system. 

[NewRisingSUn]

Oh, I'm sure it would work. First, the second DMA-controller isn't used much anyway, and second: port 0xC0 is the starting address for DMA channel 4, which is just used for cascading, so writing Tandy sound data to this port doesn't matter at all, even if a transfer is occuring on channels 5-7.

Ports 0xC1 and above might be a different thing, however, they are not used by the PSG, but only by the DAC, which all games I know program using the appropriate BIOS function, which can be emulated quite easily by installing a TSR that intercepts those calls and performs the appropriate Sound Blaster writes (something I had actually done a long time ago to get digital sound in the original Sim City).

In other words, fashioning a custom-made ISA card containing a Texas Instruments SN76489, or better yet, a NCR 7496, should be possible.

[Great Hierophant]

Actually, why stop there?  I was thinking about an ISA card that essentially gave you the necessary elements of the Tandy missing from a PC, Video and Audio.  I don't think it would be very hard to design the hardware necessary to output Tandy Type II Video (which also emulates Hercules) with 128KB of RAM.  Also, you could put the PSSJ chip on there as well for true Tandy 1000 sound, with a jumper to switch whether it uses I/O ports starting at C0h or 1E0h, just to be safe. 

Also, looking at the Tech Manuals, the following is evident:

1000, 1000A, 1000HD, 1000EX, 1000SX - Use TI SN76496
1000HX, 1000TX - Use NCR 8496
1000 TL/SL/RL/RLX/RSX - Use PSSJ

Personally, my preference is for the Texas Instruments chip (also used in the PCjr.), although the NCR 8496 is probably a mere clone. 

Now, the real difficulty is that most games that support Tandy do so using the BIOS.  Tandy's BIOS is markedly different than IBM's BIOS, so you just couldn't put BIOS chips on the card to override the on-board BIOS. 

[BlueMax]

That would take some interesting drivers to override interrupt calls and re-route them.

Fun idea though!  Fun to daydream.   

The ultimate would the the Tandy 1000TL/3 on a card.  It was the best of the "true" Tandy 1000 series.
The 1000TL just had such a nice physical design too!  So attractive...  long before iMac. 


...to think, my schoolmates in the 80's pooh-poohed the Tandy computers because they "weren't as good" - until they saw my 16 colours to their CGA and Hercules Mono - and my 3-voice pretty music to their PC Squealer. 

[Great Hierophant]

The ultimate would the the Tandy 1000TL/3 on a card.  It was the best of the "true" Tandy 1000 series.

I agree, it was the fastest Tandy 1000 that still possessed Tandy Video.  Unfortunately, it only possessed a 10MHz 80286.  I would also note its 8-bit slots, but 16-bit slots mean relocated Tandy sound.  (You could have 16-bit slots without a second DMA controller, but what would be the point.)  If I ever got a Tandy 1000, it would be either that or the SX. 

[Cloudschatze]

By the way Cloud, when are you going to record "Cavern of Caliente" so we can hear it?

Fixed. I added the Cavern of Absor as well.