General chip sets
(Version: page rev. 1.33/ 18.02.2004)
If you don't know the chip of your sound card, see the sound cards page or the code which is printed on top of the chip, or check the web site of the manufacturer of your sound card or motherboard. If these methods fail, use the latest version of the PCI hardware sniffer which has been ported by Veit Kannegieser. Search for pci*vk.zip at Hobbes.
Most of the time sound card vendors don't write OS/2 drivers themselves. But that does not necessarily mean that a card is not supported, because often the manufacturers of chip sets which are used to build the sound card, IBM, or freeware developers write drivers for certain chip sets. This results in support for all sound cards which use the specific chip set, albeit sometimes not all of a sound cards special features are supported.
| Vendor | Aureal | Avance Logic | Crystal | Crystal | CreativeLabs | CreativeLabs | C-Media | Ensoniq / Creative Labs |
Ensoniq / Creative Labs |
ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | Yamaha | Yamaha | IBM/Innotek ALSA driver | ALSA 2 Project | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | AU8820 | ALS4000 | CS 4630, CS4614, CS4624, CS4280 | CS4610, CS4612, CS4614, CS4615, CS4622, CS4624, CS4630, CS4280, CS4281 | EMU 10K1 | EMU 10K2 | CMI8738, CMI 8738b, CMI8338a, CMI8338b | ES1371 | ES1373/CT5880 | ES1938, ES1946, ES1969 | ES1948 | ES1968 | ES1978 | ES1980, ES1988, ES1989, ES 1930 | ES1970 ? | Win-OS/2 driver for ESS PCI sound cards without included Win-OS/2 driver | YMF724D (bzw. E) | YMF724F (DS-1), YMF740C (DS-1L), YMF744B (DS-1S), YMF754 (DS-1E) | Creativ Labs EMU10+EMU10K2, Avance Logic ALS4000, Crystal CS4281, C-Media CMI8738 | Creativ Labs EMU10+EMU10K2, Avance Logic ALS4000, Crystal CS4281, C-Media CMI8738, ESS Solo-1 (ESS 1938); ESS Maestro1/2/2E; ESS Maestro3/Allegro/Canyon3D-2, Yamaha YMF 724/724F/740/740C/744/754, Ensoniq ES1371/1373, Creative Labs 5880,Trident 4DWave | Chipset |
| alternative description | A3D, Vortex1 | SB Audigy, SB Audigy 2 | Solo1 | Maestro1 | Maestro-2 | Maestro-2e | Allegro-1 (ES1988+ES1989), Maestro-3 (ES1980) | Canyon3D-2 | DS-1 | DS-1, DS-1L, DS-1S, DS-1E | alternative description | ||||||||||
| alternative driver | / | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | Crystal or IBM/Innotek driver | IBM/Innotek ALSA driver, ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | IBM/Innotek ALSA driver, ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | / | generic Win-OS/2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | ALSA 2 driver | / | alternative driver |
| Driver version | 1.0 | See IBM or ALSA2 driver | 3.11 | See IBM or ALSA2 driver | 0.80 beta | See IBM or ALSA 2 driver | 0.19 beta | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.17 | 1.0 Beta | 1.0 Beta | 1.0 Beta | 2.0 | See ALSA2 driver | 2.0 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.04b | 1.09 | Driver version |
| Features | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wave | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Wave |
| Max. wave channels | 64 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 32 | n/a | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | / | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Max. wave channels |
| MIDI (OPL3 FM) | / | /* | x | / | x | / | x | /* | /* | x | /* | /* | /* | /* | / | / | /* | /* | /* | /* | MIDI (OPL3 FM) |
| MIDI wavetable | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | MIDI wavetable |
| RTMIDI (MPU401) Play & Rec. | / | / | n/a | / | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | RTMIDI (MPU401) Play & Rec. |
| digital Play & Rec. (S/P DIF) | / | / | / | / | / | / | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | digital Play & Rec. (S/P DIF) |
| 4 channel audio | / | / | / | / | / | / | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | 4 channel audio |
| Win-OS2 sound support | /** | /** | x | / | /** | /** | /** | /** | /** | x*** | x*** | x*** | x*** | x*** | x*** | x | /** | /** | /** | /** | Win-OS2 sound support |
| DOS sound support | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | / | / | / | / | / | DOS sound support |
| APM Support | / | n/a | x | / | / | n/a | x | n/a | n/a | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | n/a | n/a | / | / | APM Support |
| Full duplex | x | x | n/a | / | x | x | x | / | / | x | x | x | x | x | n/a | / | / | / | / | / | Full duplex |
| Odin-compatible (e.g. Win32 RealPlayer 8) | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | n/a | n/a | / | / | / | / | / | / | n/a | n/a | x | x | Odin-compatible (e.g. Win32 RealPlayer 8) | |
| VPC-compatible | / | x | / | x | x | x | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | * | / | / | / | x | x | VPC-compatible |
| Included Software | Included Software | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Joystick driver | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | Joystick driver |
| Mixer | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | Mixer |
| Mixer standard | Mixer standard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| IOCTL90 | / | x | x | x | x | x | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | x | x | IOCTL90 |
| IBM mixer | x | / | / | / | / | / | / | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | / | x | x | / | x | IBM mixer |
| System requirements according to manufacturer | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | OS/2 Warp 4.0 and eComStation | Warp 3 blue-spine and higher | Warp 4.0 and eComStation | Warp 4.0 and eComStation | Warp 4.0 and eComStation | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | Warp 4.0 and eComStation | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | / | / | Warp 4.0 and eComStation | Warp 4.0 and eComStation | System requirements according to manufacturer |
| System requirements (unsupported by manufacturer) | / | n/a | Warp 3 red-spine (without Win-OS/2) and higher | n/a | Warp 3 FP 40 | n/a | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | n/a | / | / | / | Warp 3 red-spine and higher | n/a | System requirements (unsupported by manufacturer) |
| Driver developer | Aureal | IBM/Innotek or ALSA 2 | Crystal | ALSA 2 driver project | Sander van Leeuwen | IBM/Innotek or ALSA 2 | Rüdiger Ihle | IBM | IBM | ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | ESS | ALSA 2 Project | ESS | IBM | IBM | IBM/Innotek ALSA | ALSA 2 Project | Driver developer |
| Homepage driver manufacturer | / | http://www.innotek.de; http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.php | http://www.cirrus.com | http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.php | / | http://www.innotek.de; http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.php | / | / | / | http://www.esstech.com/ | http://www.esstech.com/ | http://www.esstech.com/ | http://www.esstech.com/ | http://www.esstech.com/ | http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.cards.php | http://www.esstech.com/ | / | http://www.innotek.de | http://os2.kiev.ua/en/uniaud.cards.php | Homepage driver manufacturer | |
| Filename | OS2-a3d.zip | uniaud.exe uniaudio_104b_binaries.zip | PI0306.zip, aftpitos.exe, cwos2311.zip | see ALSA 2 driver | sblive080.zip | uniaud.exe uniaudio_104b_binaries.zip | CMedia019.zip | ensoniq.exe | ct5880.exe | 1938_OS2_117.zip | M2OS2-10.ZIP | M2OS2-10.ZIP | m2eos210.zip | 198x_OS2_v200E2.ZIP | see ALSA 2 driver | d81t06a.zip | pciymf.exe | pciymf.exe + Daniela Engert's patch patchymf.zip | uniaud.exe uniaudio_104b_binaries.zip | uniaud2003xxxx.zip | Filename |
| Sources | Sources | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Homepage driver manufacturer | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Homepage driver manufacturer | |||||||||||
| IBM Device Driver Pak On-Line | Software Choice | Software Choice | x | Software Choice | x | x | Software Choice | IBM Device Driver Pak On-Line | |||||||||||||
| Hobbes | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Hobbes | |||||||||
| others | www.commtalk.de ->File Library | IBM Device Driver Matrix for ThinkPad T20-T22 | IBM Device Driver Matrix for IBM IntelliStation (Mod.6565-E1G, P3) | IBM Device DriverMatrix for IBM IntelliStation PC300PL (Type 6565, 6566) | Developer home page | others | |||||||||||||||
| Availability | Availability | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Freeware | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | Freeware | |
| eCS/IBM Software Choice customers only | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | eCS/IBM Software Choice customers only | ||||||||||||
| Installer/Deinstall | x | x | / | x | x | x | x | x | x | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | x | x | x | x | Installer/Deinstall | |
| Comment | Chipset manufacturer has been taken over | This sound chip is supported by the IBM/Innotek ALSA driver (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/) | The latest driver version, which is strongly recommended, is only available from the IBM Thinkpad 21-22 Device Driver Matrix Homepage and at the Hobbes software archive. | This sound chip is not officially supported by the IBM/Innotek ALSA driver yet, but is reported to work without problems. | http://www.cmedia.com.tw/ | no recording via microphone | ESS Maestro 2 drivers cannot be guaranteed to work with an ESS Maestro 1 chipset. - Feedback required! | very bad driver | very bad driver, ESS ES 1968 driver and Daniela Engert's ESS Maestro 2e patch required | driver for all ESS 198x chipsets, download: ftp://64.152.86.249/pub/audio/pci/allegro-1/ | in contrary to information on IBM driver site (or in Hobbes archive) this is a driver for Win-OS/2 only | older driver version maybe at Hobbes; driver was free up to version 1.01 | older driver version maybe at Hobbes; driver was free up to version 1.01 | supported AC 97 codecs can be found in the AC 97 driver table and the driver readme file as well | Supported AC 97 codecs are listed in the AC 97 driver table and the driver readme file as well. The driver is based on the ALSA driver by IBM/Innotek! | Comment | |||||
| driver quality **** (1 = best, 6 = worst) |
2 | 3 | 2 | n/a | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4-5 | 4-5 | n/a | n/a | 4 | 4 | 3 | n/a | driver quality **** (1 = best, 6 = worst) |
Abbreviations
- x
- yes/supported/available
- /
- no/not supported/not available
- n/a
- no information available
- *
- Software-MIDI possible using TiMidity
- **
- output of system sound possible via generic Win-OS/2 driver
- ***
- possible if ESS Win-OS/2 sound drivers installed (http://hobbes.nmsu.edu/)
- ****
- Rating by author