QEMU/Devices/Sound cards
Sound cards can be added easily to QEMU virtual machines easily through using -audio
or the deprecated since QEMU 7.0 -soundhw
argument.
How to add a sound card
QEMU 7 and above: You can add a card with the following:
qemu-system-(arch) -audio driver={output_driver},model={sound_card_model},id={id}
output_driver and id are the same as -audiodev {output_driver},{id} in older versions with their respective arguments.
QEMU versions before 7.0: You can add a card with the following:
qemu-system-(arch) -soundhw (sound_card_model)
Devices
i386/x86-64
Model | Name | Bus | Notes | Minimum OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
ac97 | Intel(r) 82801AA AC'97 | PCI | 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and later require a third-party driver for AC'97 support | Windows: Windows 95 Linux: ? DOS: Requires per-application support |
adlib | Yamaha YM3812/Adlib [OPL2] | ISA | Low-cost sound chip developed by Yahama, not useful outside of really old OSes | Windows: Windows 3.1 Linux: ? DOS: Requires per-application support |
all | All sound cards | ISA/PCI | Enables every single sound card | N/A |
cs4321a | Crystal CS4321A | ISA? | Windows: Windows 3.1? Linux: ? DOS: ? | |
es1370 | ENSONIQ AudioPCI ES1370 | PCI | PCI card from 1997, has DirectSound3D support, supports .ecw file format playback | Windows: Windows 98 Linux: ? DOS: ? |
gus | Gravis Ultrasound GF1 | ISA | Sound card from 1992, very popular demoscene card | Windows: Windows 3.1 Linux: ? DOS: Requires per-application support |
hda | Intel HD Audio | PCI | Supported natively since Windows XP SP3 (can be installed on Windows 2000 with a separate driver). This card is recommended for more modern Windows and Linux hosts, i.e. Windows 7+ or Debian 10+. | Windows: Windows 2000 Linux: supported in nearly every modern distro DOS: Requires per-application support |
pcspk | PC Speaker | None | Generic PC speaker, works on everything | All |
sb16 | SoundBlaster 16 | ISA | Very popular and famous card from the early 1990s - most emulators, including QEMU, support this card. It is recommended for use in older hosts, such as Windows 98, Debian 5, or DOS. | All |