SCC1A is no longer playing music

[Nagra]

Hi folks,

I recently bought an SCC1A on ebay which worked fantastic from the very beginning in DOS 6.2.
Whithout any problems I could listen to GM or MT-32 music when having that device attached to it.

But then there was yesterday.
I installed Windows 95 with USB for the first time and after that my entire system behaved strange. For example pushing F8 after a reboot only led two times into the boot menue. After the third time the machine hang even after a "coldstart".
Very short after the Win95 installation I installed the GS control panel for Windows as well but didnt have a deeper look at it. There was no time

At that point or after the first "format c: session" I noticed that my SCC1A was no longer playing music. Only its midi-interface function worked.


Right now, after another reinstallation of Dos 6.2 followed by Win 95 cause of the systemshanging after F8, the problem is still unsolved - absolutely silence from my SCC1A. I checked its output with a stereoheadphone as well - nothing.

I set the card back to GS mode with the dos utility. I tried SCMODE.EXE as well and got the message that everything was set back - but still nothing, no music in any GM-game. When set the audio option in a dosgame to General Midi or Sound Canvas only my attached MT 32 is playing (very poorly midi).


By the way, I noticed that only the utility for the SCC1 has an option to set the card back to GS after setting it to MT-32 mode.
The SCC1B software only comes with the first option. But as mentioned before, I tried SCMODE.EXE as well as the option of the SCC1 utility :cry:

Any ideas?

joe

[Cloudschatze]

Windows may have goofed the ESCD table; try clearing the NVRAM, and changing the "Plug-and-Play OS" setting to "No" in the BIOS.

[Nagra]

I tried both of it. But I didnt help.

Forgot to mention that I installed a Win95 update for my motherboard right after the first Win95 installation while the soundcard was plugged in. Maybe that caused a negative effect to it?

However, even after clearing CMOS by onboard jumper there is no change. The card is now only useful for serving my external MT-32


Since one week I got an SCC-1(not A) too. Couldnt resist when it appeard on ebay. But until today I didnt use it.
After reformatting drive c: and installing DOS for the fourth time, I plugged that card in and it works. Although I must admit that it plays music with a strange digital "echo". It sounds wrong, doesnt sound "clean and convinient". The audio output seems to clip or stutter as well. And the audiooutput seems to be very low in a game.
Oh, but having that card play the demo files from it´s utility the soundoutput is much louder and clearer. Just as it should be. Hmm, maybe some port conflict? Both roland cards were configured to their default settings. Only a soundblaster pro with default settings as well is installed in my pc. I dont have any windows installed right now.

Maybe my motherboard doesnt like scc-cards anymore? I don´t have an oppurtunity to test the cards on another pc. And when I put the SCC-1A back in, there is silence again.

Strange very strange. So, did I destroy the gs-part of the "-A" by a windows-installing-accident?

The first setup with pure dos and the SCC-1A/ Soundblaster Pro was like a dream. Right now I am having here two very great mpu401 interface cards.  

[glendower]

Do you have another lil harddrive you could use to try installing DOS on again and give that a shot? I have to blame Windows95 (and its version of DOS... 7.0 or whatever they called it). It would be good to test it in a true DOS machine just to remove your card from the list of suspects. Bummer if your card passed on

[Cloudschatze]

However, even after clearing CMOS by onboard jumper there is no change. The card is now only useful for serving my external MT-32

Clearing the CMOS isn't the same as clearing the ESCD. Do you have an option in the bios (probably under PnP settings) to "Reset Configuration Data?"

[Nagra]

Yes, thanks, I have this option in my bios. And after a reboot the system told me that ESCD was succesfully updated (or so). But still no music from my SCC1-A.

I think I will sit back for a while now and try to get another machine to conduct further tests. If I find a way to solve this problem, then I will report back here.

Thanks again
joe

[BlueMax]

Is it running at address 330 and IRQ 2/9?  Anything else and Sierra games won't work.

'Course those old ISA cards shouldn't give you any choice in the matter.  Maybe something else is trying to hog those particular resources, causing a conflict?  Maybe it's as simple as volume meter settings in whatever card you're taking the SCC1's output into....

[Nagra]

Boy this forum is great!

There is hope for at least the SCC-1:
In BIOS disabeling the EXTERNAL CACHE and
assigning IRQ9 to LEGACY ISA
now lets the SCC1-1 behave perfect and whithout any clipping, digital echoes  or stuttering in dosgames as I mentioned before.


I put the other card (-A) into another machine a P90. No GM-music on that machine as well, only silence. Strangely the utility program installed on that other pc located the cards IRQ set to 5 (!), what in fact wasnt true.
There is this feeling growing inside of me that makes me think that the win95 install somehow disabled/ destroyed the gm-output. Strange. Somehow I dont dare to install win98 SE on the first pc (AMD K6) on which the SCC-1 is now working perfectly under dos 6.2