Dos-BeepSynth is a PC speaker synthesiser that runs in DOS (or DOSBox) or any supported operating system, featuring a text-based UI, mouse control, and full keyboard input. It provides a playable piano interface with support for octave shifting, transposition, decay control, and visual feedback. This was created because I am a music producer by profession, and I have a passion for retro hardware and software. I made it with the help of ChatGPT and Gemini Pro.
Table of Contents
- Features
- UI Modes
- Screenshots
- Keyboard Controls
- Mouse Controls
- Settings
- Requirements
- Interactive graphical interface (box-drawing or ANSI fallback)
- Play notes using your PC keyboard or mouse
- Support for both white and black keys
- Octave and transpose adjustment (with real-time pitch calculation)
- Settings panel with persistent controls
- Help screen with key mappings
- Option to use ANSI-only mode
- Mouse support (using INT 33h)
- Fully compatible with DOSBox and real-mode DOS environments
You can switch between:
- Box-drawing UI (default for colourful rendering)
- ANSI UI (compatible fallback mode for systems not supporting extended characters)
Running under DOSBox
Settings page
Help page
Compatible ansi only mode
Running under Windows XP
Demo video converted to gif
Watch Demo Video with sound
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| C V B N M , . | White keys (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C) |
| F G J K L | Black keys (C#, D#, F#, G#, A#) |
| / | High C (C6) |
| ↑ / ↓ | Octave up/down |
| ← / → | Transpose up/down |
| F1 | Help screen |
| F2 | Settings screen |
| ESC | Exit |
- Click the keys on the piano to play notes
- Use the UI buttons to navigate and adjust settings
- Click
xin the top-right to quit
- Decay Time (100ms–900ms)
- Key Labels On/Off
- Animations On/Off
- Default Octave
- ANSI UI Mode On/Off
- DOSBox or real DOS environment (MS-DOS/FreeDOS) or Windows 95/98/ME/XP (32-bit) — with native DOS compatibility
- VGA-compatible graphics (80x25 text mode)
- PC speaker
- Keyboard + mouse (for full UI support)