Sound Blaster Pro test & demo

High tech multimedia from 1992! This was the first stereo Sound Blaster card. Its digital audio was still only 8-bit, though, and it was quickly superseded by the Sound Blaster 16. Nonetheless, Creative Labs packaged the Pro with a simple but cool multimedia demo, run in DOS using .FLI animations set to MIDI music and some digitized voice samples. But first I show the SBPro test program featuring some MIDI and digital audio samples.

This was recorded from my Gateway 486DX-33 with the real Sound Blaster Pro CT1600 card installed. Not emulated! I had my Sony Digital8 camcorder pointed at the monitor, but the audio is a direct hookup.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[thepirategamerboy12]

Just wondering, did you ever get a notice for "Matched 3rd Party Content" on this video? When I uploaded a video of "The Elements", I got that because of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy being used in it.

[vwestlife]

I don't remember. If there was one, I disputed it and it got removed, so there is no copyright match on it now.

[Raptor3388]

I'm testing my Soundblaster Pro 2 at the moment (no story about it for me, I found in the dumpster with some Voodoo cards and other pre-2000 goodies :D ). Well with the Win98 Soundblaster Pro compatible drivers, the MIDI sounds catastrophic, and it won't play mp3s (but I'm pretty sure that's normal). Previous to that, I had tested a Yamaha YMF719E equipped card, that has the OPL3 synth integrated to the chip, and the MIDI sounded fantastic. Now why does the SB Pro 2 sounds so bad ? Bad driver ?

[vwestlife]

Windows 98 uses a poor implementation of OPL3 MIDI and sounds bad on any sound card, not just the SB Pro. The SB Pro really works and sounds best in DOS and Windows 3.1/3.11, using the original Creative Labs drivers and software.

[Madd Martin Kroeger]

I have been looking EVERYWHERE for this. Well, specifically, "Creative Labs presents..... thee... elements..."

Dear word, I totally forgot how overly William Shatner acting this was lol

"Please call your nearest technical support" yeah, that was me...

[vwestlife]

They slowed down the voice to make it sound more dramatic. If you speed up the recording, it just sounds like some average guy talking.

[fezzadork]

I haven't seen that in over 15 years.

Wasn't there some sort of MIDI sequencer program in that package as well?

[mswickedlittlecritta]

I...have been looking....for this for fucking years! I remembered it almost to a T, too - this explains why I've been a hardcore fan of Tchaikovsky fan for a long time - because I used to watch this over and over when I was three years old. IT BLEW MY MIND.

[GalaxyJazzGirl]

hey a Team Rocket lover! ^-^

[GalaxyJazzGirl]

"Driver removed"  OOPS! ^-^;

[GalaxyJazzGirl]

didn't that have that annoying nutcracker suit :p

[Erik Jarl]

Did the original soundblaster also have a demo similiar to this? I'm trying to find out if this demo could be my first childhood memory.