Q: I'm not getting any sound in my DOS games. What might be causing this?
A: Make sure that the Tropez is in the appropriate mode for the game that you
are playing. The Tropez card can operate in two modes: SoundBlaster (SB)
and Windows Sound System (WSS). Unless a game specifically says that it is
either Windows Sound System or Microsoft Sound compatible, you will want to
run in SB mode. To place the card in one of the two modes, type the TZMODE
command at a DOS prompt followed by a space, a hyphen, and the first letter
of the mode as shown in the following examples:
SB Mode: TZMODE -S
WSS Mode: TZMODE -W
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Q: Hello....still no sound in DOS games! Can you give me a little more help?
A: Assuming that you are using powered speakers and they are plugged into
the output of the Tropez card, there are some other things to check.
Check the volume settings of the Tropez in DOS by using the TZACMIX
command. To do so, type TZACMIX at a DOS prompt to check the current mode
as well as the volume settings of the different portions of the card:
Wave left=70, right=70, mute=off * This controls the volume level
of sound effects or voice in a
DOS game.
FM left=70, right=70, mute=off * This controls the volume level
of FM music for games which do
not support General MIDI.
CD left=70, right=70, mute=off * This controls the volume level
of the CD input if you have an
internal cable running from a
CD-ROM to the Tropez.
To change any of these settings, follow the examples below using the
TZACMIX command:
TZACMIX W=75 * This will change the volume level of the
digital audio, or "wave," output to 75
TZACMIX W=off * This will turn the Mute off for the output of digital
audio. Some games reset the mixer values after exiting
and it may be necessary to turn the mute back to the
off position.
TZACMIX C=75 * This will change the volume level of the CD output to
75.
You can place these text commands in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The card will
then reset to your default settings every time you boot up. To do so, go
into the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and place a line similar to the examples below:
c:\tropez\dosapps\tzacmix f=75
c:\tropez\dosapps\tzacmix w=off
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Q: I'm only hearing FM synthesis music in my games. How do I get the General
MIDI sounds to work?
A: If you have a game which supports General MIDI (or MPU-401, Sound Canvas,
etc.), first initialize the WaveFront Synthesizer on the Tropez card before
playing the game. This can either be done in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file so the
synthesizer will initialize every time you boot up or it can be executed at
the DOS prompt.
The program that initializes WaveFront is called SETUPSND, and can be found
in your c:\Tropez\Dosapps directory.
A typical SETUPSND line will look like this:
C:\tropez\dosapps\SETUPSND -a330 -i9 OSWF.MOT
a) b) c)
a) GM Port (must match hardware jumper settings)
b) GM IRQ (5,9,12, or 15)
c) Operating System file
Once executed, the SETUPSND program takes about 15 seconds for the
WaveFront Synthesizer to fully initialize. You will see a spinning cursor
followed by a "completed successfully" message. If you do not receive that
message or get a "program aborted" message, you probably have a conflict.
Check the following items:
1. Make sure that you spelled everything correctly.
2. Edit the TZACDOS.INI file in your C:\tropez\dosapps directory and make
sure that the MIDI setting is disabled: MIDI=DISABLED. If it is not,
type in DISABLED, save the file, reboot, and try running the SETUPSND
program again.
If SETUPSND still fails, try different IRQs (the -i setting), until you
have tried all four. If you are still getting an error message there is
probably a port address conflict. In order to change the port address you
must change the jumper settings on the card as well as the (-a) switch in
the SETUPSND program.
If the default, 330, does not work, a good first alternative is 260 (Top
jumper on, middle jumper off, bottom jumper on). Turn off the machine and
take out the Tropez card and move the three jumpers to the position shown
above. Place the card back in the computer and boot back up. Now, try the
SETUPSND program again with the new setting of port 260:
C:\tropez\dosapps\SETUPSND -a260 -i9 OSWF.MOT
If 260 does not work, consult your manual for the jumper settings of the
other possible port addresses. Once you have found settings that work in
DOS, write them down as they will serve as the settings for the WaveFront
Synthesizer in Windows as well.
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"Cannot find a MPU-401 compatible device" and similar errors:
a) Read the file "system.ini", located in your Windows directory.
1) From DOS, type "cd\Windows".
2) Type "edit system.ini".
b) Under the section [TROPMIDI.DRV], note the line that begins with
PortAddr=(some number)
Write down the number to the right of "PortAddr=".
c) Exit back to DOS by typing [ALT-X].
d) Type "cd.." (2 periods).
e) Type "cd\tropez\dosapps".
f) Type "setupsnd /a# (PortAddr) /i# (IRQ) oswf.mot
Example: If the PortAddr = 300, the command would be:
setupsnd /a300 /i9 oswf.mot
Note: The IRQ doesn't reflect a setting for any other driver.
By default, it is set to 9 (i9).
Note: The spaces before the "/", and after the IRQ# in the above
example are necessary, and must be typed accordingly.
After following these steps, and running this command, you should see
a read-out of the actions being taken to initialize the Tropez for GM.
The cursor will also act in a "spinning" motion when the process
is being carried out.
You can then enter the game's setup menu and select it for General
MIDI. If it asks you for a port or I/O address, select the same one
you used in "setupsnd" (a###).
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