For speech/effects, choose Sound Blaster. Thunderboard gives poorer sound quality than a Sound Blaster in this game.

For music, choose Sound Blaster/Adlib, it works without needing to set up a software or hardware MIDI device. If you are running DOSBox on a Windows OS, you can choose General MIDI for superior music.

Thanks for that! 😉

I'm running DOSBox on Mac OS but the "General MIDI" works very nice anyway. I recognized that even the "Roland MT whatsoever" has a great sound, better than the Sound Blaster/AdLib stuff.

Great Hierophant wrote:

For speech/effects, choose Sound Blaster. Thunderboard gives poorer sound quality than a Sound Blaster in this game.

This is interesting! Does this game use 16 bit samples for example?

For music, choose Sound Blaster/Adlib, it works without needing to set up a software or hardware MIDI device. If you are running DOSBox on a Windows OS, you can choose General MIDI for superior music.

Agreed, Sound Blaster/AdLib Card (or compatibles) is the best option to use without having to configure Bassmidi or MUNT.

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Agreed, Sound Blaster/AdLib Card (or compatibles) is the best option to use without having to configure Bassmidi or MUNT.

No. Compare SoundBlaster with General MIDI or Roland for GK1 and tell me again that this should be the best choice!
When I first tried out the MIDI setting I couldn't believe it. It's amazing, especially with headphones!

It's Roland MT-32, but if you don't have an emulator, the best choice for your system is General MIDI (though I don't know how it sounds under a Mac...it's way better than OPL 3 FM).

kicker04 wrote:

Thanks for that! 😉

I'm running DOSBox on Mac OS but the "General MIDI" works very nice anyway. I recognized that even the "Roland MT whatsoever" has a great sound, better than the Sound Blaster/AdLib stuff.

kicker04 wrote:

No. Compare SoundBlaster with General MIDI or Roland for GK1 and tell me again that this should be the best choice!
When I first tried out the MIDI setting I couldn't believe it. It's amazing, especially with headphones!

Ha you don't have to tell me that. Just check out my YT channel and you'll get an idea.

Whatever MIDI device you are using sounds nothing like a Roland Sound Canvas. So while you might think it sounds superior, IMO it sounds garbage and totally unauthentic.

So either stick with Sound Blaster if you are new to all of this, or take the time and properly configure a decent Sound Font or MT-32 emulator.

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

Ha you don't have to tell me that. Just check out my YT channel and you'll get an idea. […]
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kicker04 wrote:

No. Compare SoundBlaster with General MIDI or Roland for GK1 and tell me again that this should be the best choice!
When I first tried out the MIDI setting I couldn't believe it. It's amazing, especially with headphones!

Ha you don't have to tell me that. Just check out my YT channel and you'll get an idea.

Whatever MIDI device you are using sounds nothing like a Roland Sound Canvas. So while you might think it sounds superior, IMO it sounds garbage and totally unauthentic.

So either stick with Sound Blaster if you are new to all of this, or take the time and properly configure a decent Sound Font or MT-32 emulator.

Aren't we being a little harsh here? Do you know what kind of software MIDI device he has available? I assume that Mac OS has some type of software General MIDI device, just like Windows. The game supports General MIDI devices, so the game will sound something like the device the music was originally composed for, presumably a Roland Sound Canvas.

Sierra's Roland MT-32 driver by this time was focused on making the MT-32 act as much like a General MIDI device as possible instead of exploiting the MT-32's unique features. So General MIDI is the better choice.

I am uncertain whether GK1 supports 16-bit sound, but I am uncertain whether the Thunderboard driver works in DOSBox. The Thunderboard is essentially a Sound Blaster 2.0 clone, but it works best when software is programmed for it.

Great Hierophant wrote:

I assume that Mac OS has some type of software General MIDI device, just like Windows. The game supports General MIDI devices, so the game will sound something like the device the music was originally composed for, presumably a Roland Sound Canvas.

Of course. That's what I think. Everyone who is in doubt should just try it out.
First time I played the game I just left the sound settings on default and didn't think about it. Now, as I tried out General MIDI, it's almost a complete new game feeling. As I said, the difference between it and SoundBlaster is huge.

Just try it out! The MIDI and the Roland setting are both supported if using DOSBox on Mac OS (got Mountain Lion). Don't know why the Operating System (Mac or Windows) should make a difference here.

kicker04 wrote:

Just try it out! The MIDI and the Roland setting are both supported if using DOSBox on Mac OS (got Mountain Lion). Don't know why the Operating System (Mac or Windows) should make a difference here.

Look, you came here asking for help, but now you are telling me to try it out. I have all these Roland devices in my computer room, if you think you know better that's fine, but don't sign up to this forum, asking for help and then you know everything better and tell me to just try it out.

Obviously you're happy with the sound, enjoy it, ignorance is bliss. If you want to hear what the original Roland sounds like, check out my YT channel 😀

Mau1wurf1977 wrote:

If you want to hear what the original Roland sounds like, check out my YT channel 😀

I won't but thanks anyway! Always nice to get objectively informed.

kicker04 wrote:

Don't know why the Operating System (Mac or Windows) should make a difference here.

If using MIDI, it depends very deeply on the sounds the MIDI device (Mac OS/Windows, musical keyboard) is using for playback.

(Btw if you use SVN of Dosbox (see my signature) you can easily load a soundfont in Dosbox (via the preferences file - don't know the exact entry offhand though)

Dominus wrote:

(Btw if you use SVN of Dosbox (see my signature) you can easily load a soundfont in Dosbox (via the preferences file - don't know the exact entry offhand though)

Interesting! What exactly is a sound font? Do you have any recommendations?

In short I'd say a replacement instrument set for the Midi device. Can make midi music sound much better or in extreme cases worse 😉 for details use google or wikipedia...
There is a soundfont recommendations thread on vogons

Great Hierophant wrote:

For speech/effects, choose Sound Blaster. Thunderboard gives poorer sound quality than a Sound Blaster in this game.

In a past version of DOSBox (0.71 or 0.72 or something), selecting Thunderboard would give absolutely no stutter/pops in Gabriel Knight 1. The game's Soundblaster drivers are not very good, making all kind of audio problems in recorded dialogue. There has apparently been some kind of regression since then, and today Thunderboard has the same issues in DOSBox.

Laukku wrote:

Great Hierophant wrote:

For speech/effects, choose Sound Blaster. Thunderboard gives poorer sound quality than a Sound Blaster in this game.

In a past version of DOSBox (0.71 or 0.72 or something), selecting Thunderboard would give absolutely no stutter/pops in Gabriel Knight 1. The game's Soundblaster drivers are not very good, making all kind of audio problems in recorded dialogue. There has apparently been some kind of regression since then, and today Thunderboard has the same issues in DOSBox.

Is there any solution for the sfx popping? It's getting really annoying.

Try selecting Thunderboard.

collector wrote:

Try selecting Thunderboard.

Unfortunately didn't work, no difference in popping noises in dialogue. Also tried adjusting the mixer rate and oplrate from default 22050 to 44100, no dice.

You are using DOSBox 0.74, aren't you? Post the contents of your RESOURCE.CFG.