98/ME audio on unsupported machines

[awkduck]

If your audio device is not supported, you might have another option. This is most useful on laptops, but it isn't always pretty. Many of you will already know about this. But until a couple of years ago, I didn't.

Most USB audio devices (cheap ones) are supported by the Windows "Generic USB Audio Device" driver.

But its not perfect. Here is a description on USB audio, from Microsoft.
 

Quote

 

In Windows 98, the USBAudio driver supports the following features:

-All Type I formats (except 8-bit signed PCM)

-AC-3 Type II format

-Synchronization types synchronous and adaptive

-Multichannel devices

However, USBAudio in Windows 98 does not support:

-8-bit signed PCM format

-MPEG Type II format

-Type III formats

-USB MIDI

WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE wave format (USBAudio uses packed WAVE_FORMAT_PCM for 24-bit data instead.)

In Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), Windows Me, and Windows 2000 and later, USBAudio supports all the same features as Windows 98, with one exception: USBAudio supports WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE but does not support packed WAVE_FORMAT_PCM for 24-bit data.

In Windows Me, and Windows XP and later, USBAudio supports all the features that are supported in Windows 98 SE and Windows 2000. In addition, Windows Me and Windows XP support USB MIDI but do not support USB MIDI Elements.

 

It is also a WDM driver. So performance may be chunky, depending on your system. Some systems I have tried, end up with choppy audio. For example, window's sounds will stutter, but synth is fine. Seems to be more a problem on Virtual Machines. Using a ASIO driver may help, if you application supports it.

Good luck!

Edited May 12, 2022 by awkduck
Adding clearity

[Goodmaneuver]

On 5/12/2022 at 10:45 AM, awkduck said:

Seems to be more a problem on Virtual Machines.

This seems the operative statement. I have had no trouble at all with real machines. Clean clear sound is what I have experienced on all machines. What is different with ME to that of Win7 or 10 etcetera is that a green LED flashes when sound is outputting where as a red LED flashes with win7 or 10. Some cards have a red LED some have a Green.

If sound is stuttery it will most likely be from other causes like full CPU usage from lack of reproducible frame-rate from an old video card at high resolutions while playing video as an example, or bad USB throughput but this has to be bad but it is possible with older hardware which has been worn out. Typical example here could be a front panel card reader that has been connected to a USB port but has not been used much. I had been given this machine and that USB port was not functioning although WinME did get it listed as functioning but throughput was really bad and not sure if it would get better. Other OSes listed port as faulty.

As far as rendering is concerned PCM is the default output for direct audio in KMP and PotPlayer. There is also an option for LPCM output which I have used also with the USB device. I use 32bit (float) for the PCM.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Goodmaneuver

[pangoomis]

There's a Q269601 update released by Microsoft that updates the USBAUDIO.SYS driver. Never noticed it personally improving or breaking stuff, but still nice to be aware of it.

USB Sound Cards require a USB 1.1/2.0 controller, those have been removed from motherboards staring with Intel Skylake and AMD Ryzen motherboards.

You can get around this by using:

- PCI Sound Card if your modern motherboard has a PCI port

- CMI8738 PCI-E Sound Card from Aliexpress

- PCI-E USB 2.0 card with a USB Sound Card

- Windows 3.1 HD Audio Driver (though the sound quality is poor, and the installation/setting up procedure is very convoluted)