| Original author(s) | Vlad Romascanu [1] |
|---|---|
| Initial release | July 4, 2000 [2] |
| Final release | |
| Preview release | |
| Operating system | Windows NT/2000/XP and 95/98/Me |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Emulator |
| License | GPLv2 |
| Website | sourceforge |
VDMSound was an open-source (licensed under GPLv2) emulator of legacy sound card devices, designed to allow video games and other applications written for MS-DOS to run on the Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/95/98/Me operating systems. Its author is Vlad Romascanu. [1] [3]
VDMSound emulates Adlib and Sound Blaster cards (standard, pro and 16), parallel port DAC, and an MPU 401 MIDI (UART-mode) interface. It also provides joystick support. [4]
The official VDMSound builds runs on Windows NT/2000/XP. A Windows 95/98/ME port was contributed by Chris Chua. [5]
VDMSound allows the recording of all captured sound and music to WAV and MID files. [6]
VDMSound allows the user to provide custom mappings for MIDI instruments as well as for joystick buttons and axes.
As of version 2.1.0 beta, VDMSound also includes a Wizard graphical user interface (integrated as a Windows shell extension), accessible by right-clicking on any MS-DOS executable. [9]
As opposed to DOSBox, which emulates an entire x86 personal computer with DOS, VDMSound emulates only the sound hardware. All other aspects of DOS emulation are managed natively by the Windows operating system's 16-bit subsystem (NTVDM) through virtualization. [10] This results in reduced system load (and thus games will run faster than under DOSBox on the same hardware specifications), at the expense of reduced compatibility (see limitations below.)
The Windows operating system's 16-bit subsystem is lacking in several areas which directly or indirectly affect VDMSound emulation:
DOSBox does not rely on the Windows 16-bit subsystem and is thus not subject to these limitations.
VDMSound started as a private project in 1998, in Montreal, its motivating purpose being that of capturing in-game MIDI music through software while taking advantage of Windows NT's 16-bit subsystem virtualization. It became open-source and moved to SourceForge after a full rewrite in the early spring of 2001. It was discontinued in early 2004 (last checkin occurred on 2004-02-14), when additional improvements in emulation were no longer possible due to limitations in the Windows 16-bit subsystem. The sound emulation code from VDMSound has since been integrated into DOSBox. [12]
VDMSound was not compatible with Windows Vista, making the project obsolete. The current version, 2.1.0 beta, will remain the final version.
The game port is a device port that was found on IBM PC compatible and other computer systems throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was the traditional connector for joystick input, and occasionally MIDI devices, until made obsolete by USB in the late 1990s.
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