Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This video demonstrates CMS, Covox and Adlib audio emulation on PicoMEM 1.11 using real DOS hardware.
No commentary — just clean audio capture for reference, testing and comparison.
Hardware Used
EuroPC 1
512 KB RAM + 128 KB PicoMEM RAM
PicoMEM 1.11 (FW: 16 Nov 2025, Fast RAM enabled)
MCE2HDMI (Serdashop) – CGA to VGA conversion
VGA2USB LR
Behringer UCA222
ffmpeg for scaling
About the Audio Modes
CMS (Creative Music System)
12‑voice stereo square‑wave audio using dual SAA1099 chips.
Covox
Simple 8‑bit DAC on the parallel port, used by many MOD players and demos.
Adlib (OPL2)
FM synthesis using Yamaha YM3812 — the classic DOS game sound.
This video shows how each mode behaves on real hardware through PicoMEM’s emulation layer.
Chapters
Prince of Persia – Adlib & Covox: 0:08
Rastan – Adlib: 1:36
Rastan – CMS: 2:25
Space Quest 1 – Patched for Adlib: 3:14
Leisure Suit Larry 1 – Patched for Adlib: 4:06
MOD Master XT – Covox: 5:04
MOD Master XT – CMS: 5:33
What “Patched for Adlib” Means
Some early Sierra and DOS games did not originally support Adlib or Sound Blaster FM music.
However, they did support Tandy 3‑Voice sound (using the SN76489 PSG chip).
The “Adlib patch” converts the Tandy music data and sends it to the Sound Blaster’s OPL2 FM synthesizer, allowing these games to play FM music even though they were never designed for it.
This is why Space Quest 1 and Leisure Suit Larry 1 can output Adlib music in this video — the patch redirects their Tandy sound routines to OPL2.
Purpose of This Video
Clean reference recordings for anyone interested in DOS audio, PicoMEM emulation accuracy, or retro PC sound behavior.
#retroerik #picomem #cms #covox #adlib #dosgaming #vintagepc #opl2 #retromusic
This video demonstrates CMS, Covox and Adlib audio emulation on PicoMEM 1.11 using real DOS hardware.
No commentary — just clean audio capture for reference, testing and comparison.
Hardware Used
EuroPC 1
512 KB RAM + 128 KB PicoMEM RAM
PicoMEM 1.11 (FW: 16 Nov 2025, Fast RAM enabled)
MCE2HDMI (Serdashop) – CGA to VGA conversion
VGA2USB LR
Behringer UCA222
ffmpeg for scaling
About the Audio Modes
CMS (Creative Music System)
12‑voice stereo square‑wave audio using dual SAA1099 chips.
Covox
Simple 8‑bit DAC on the parallel port, used by many MOD players and demos.
Adlib (OPL2)
FM synthesis using Yamaha YM3812 — the classic DOS game sound.
This video shows how each mode behaves on real hardware through PicoMEM’s emulation layer.
Chapters
Prince of Persia – Adlib & Covox: 0:08
Rastan – Adlib: 1:36
Rastan – CMS: 2:25
Space Quest 1 – Patched for Adlib: 3:14
Leisure Suit Larry 1 – Patched for Adlib: 4:06
MOD Master XT – Covox: 5:04
MOD Master XT – CMS: 5:33
What “Patched for Adlib” Means
Some early Sierra and DOS games did not originally support Adlib or Sound Blaster FM music.
However, they did support Tandy 3‑Voice sound (using the SN76489 PSG chip).
The “Adlib patch” converts the Tandy music data and sends it to the Sound Blaster’s OPL2 FM synthesizer, allowing these games to play FM music even though they were never designed for it.
This is why Space Quest 1 and Leisure Suit Larry 1 can output Adlib music in this video — the patch redirects their Tandy sound routines to OPL2.
Purpose of This Video
Clean reference recordings for anyone interested in DOS audio, PicoMEM emulation accuracy, or retro PC sound behavior.
#retroerik #picomem #cms #covox #adlib #dosgaming #vintagepc #opl2 #retromusic
