The Mockingboard is a sound card for the Apple II line produced by Sweet Micro Systems?. It uses one or more AY-3-8913? chips and one (or more) SC-01? or SSI-263? speech synthesis chips, depending on the card version. There was an enhanced Mockingboard compatible sound card called the Phasor? made by Applied Engineering?. Another clone with additional features was made by PCL, see http://johnson.tmfc.net/apple/mockingboard.html for some details. There has also been a modern reproduction of the Mockingboard A called the Mockingboard v1 produced by GSE Reactive available at http://www.gse-reactive.com.

Mockingboards and related AY-3-891x cards

Card Number of AY-3-8913 Number of voices Speech Capable? Speech Chip notes
Alf Music Synthesizer 1 3 N n/a This is an AY-3-8913 based card, not sure how compatible it is with the mockingboard
Arcade Board 1 3 N n/a This is an AY-3-8910 based card, not sure how compatible it is with the mockingboard.
Mockingboard Sound I 1 3 N n/a  
Mockingboard Speech I 0 0 Y SC-01 unsure if different versions supported SSI-263
Mockingboard Sound/Speech I 1 3 Y SC-01 unsure if different versions supported SSI-263
Mockingboard Sound II/Mockingboard A 2 6 Y SSI-263 Has 2 sockets for speech chips. This allowed for multiple voices.
Mockingboard Sound II/Mockingboard A 2 6 Y SSI-263 Has 2 sockets for speech chips. This allowed for multiple voices.
Mockingboard B 0 0 Y SSI-263 Just the SSI-263 speech chip.
Mockingboard C 2 6 Y SSI-263 Mockingboard A with SSI-263 speech chip preinstalled. Some (?) revisions have only a single speech chip socket.
Mockingboard D 2 6 Y SSI-263 With speech chip installed. External serial controlled model for Apple //c
Mockingboard M 2 6 Y SSI-263 (Unsure of official "M" name) Variant of Mockingboard A with a single speech chip slot. Sold bundled with Bank Street Music Writer. It was also sometimes sold as a Mockingboard A. (I'm pretty sure I received one in my mockingboard A box.)
Mockingboard v1 2 6 Y SSI-263 Mockingboard A clone. No built in volume controls on card.
Phasor 4 12 Y SSI-263 With speech chip installed.
Pro-Mocking Board 2 6 Y SSI-263 Appears to be a Mockingboard A clone with (optional?) SSI-263 speech chip. Also appears to use the 28 pin version of the sound chip, the AY-3-8912. Also supports an additional drum instrument and a nonstandard mini midi keyboard. Made in hong kong by PCL (Peninsula computerland company)
Mocker Board 2 6 N   Appears to be a Mockingboard A clone with no socket for a speech chip. Also appears to use the 28 pin version of the sound chip, the AY-3-8912. Made in hong kong by PCL (Peninsula computerland company)
Mocker Extension 0 0 Y SSI-263 Adding this 2nd board to the Mocker Board (appears to require a jumper cable between boards) made an equivalent "Pro-Mocking Board" apparently. Appears to contain sockets for (possibly 2?) SSI-263 speech chips. May also contain the support for additional drum functionality? Made in hong kong by PCL (Peninsula computeral company)
Supersprite? 1 3 Y T.I. TMS 5200 This is an AY-3-8912 based card, not sure how compatible it is with the mockingboard. Speech capable via Echo II? option (not sure if this was onboard or separate card)

Software Titles supporting the Mockingboard

Software Title Sound I Speech I Mockingboard A/Sound-2 Mockingboard D Phasor Music Sound Effects Speech Max # of AY chips utilized (notes -- e.g., must the card be in slot 4, configurable, how to activate card, etc?)
Adventure Construction Set?                    
Airsim-3?         Y          
Apple Cider Spider?         Y          
At the Gates of Moscow 1941?                    
Auto Gyro?         Y          
Bank Street Music Writer?                    
Battle Cruiser SMS-2000?     Y             Example Game shipped with some Mockingboards. "A Stereo Space Adventure by Eric Hammond"
Bejewelled? Y Y Y   Y Y Y Y    
BerZap!? ? N Y     Y Y Y 2 Card must be in slot 4. ctrl-c to reach setup menu to select which card type. Menu says "sound 2" and "sound/speech" so perhaps they meant sound 1?
Bouncing Kamungas?         Y          
Broadside? Y N Y   Y N Y      
Clarinet Master?         Y          
Crime Wave?         Y     Y    
Crowther and Woods Adventure?                   Example Game shipped with some Mockingboards
Crypt of Medea?                    
Flute Master?         Y          
GI-Joe?                    
GuitarMaster?                    
Lady Tut?         Y          
Lancaster?         Y         Card must be in slot 4.
Legionnaire?                    
Lethal Labyrinth?                   From UpTime? monthly disk vol 13 no 4 (verified from disk picture)
Maze Craze?         Y          
Microbe?             Y Y   Synergistic software, special mockingboard enhanced version. Card must be in slot 4
Music Construction Set?       Y Y          
Music Star?                    
Night Flight?                    
One on One?         Y         Plays music at title screen. (Maple Leaf Rag)
Operation: Obliteration?                   From UpTime? monthly disk or Nibble magazine?
Pitfall II?           Y       Card must be in slot 4.
Popeye?           Y       Plays music at title screen. Asks if card in slot 4.
Rescue Raiders?               Y   v1.3 required
Saxophone Master?         Y          
Silent Service?         Y          
Singing Master?                    
Skyfox? Y N Y   Y Y Y      
Spy Strikes Back?         Y          
Tactical Armor Command?         Y          
Thunder Bombs?               Y    
Total Replay? Y Y Y   Y Y Y Y   v4 of this collection will auto detect and patch the supported mockingboard titles to work in any slot
Trumpet Master?         Y          
Ultima III? Y Y Y   Y Y N N 1 Menu slot setup. Mockingboard version required
Ultima IV? Y N Y   Y N N N 2 Menu slot setup, Also supports dual Sound 1 cards
Ultima V? Y   Y   Y Y N? N 4 Menu slot setup, Also supports midi sound output
Under Fire?       Y            
Willy Byte?         Y          
Window?         Y          
Zaxxon?         Y         Only the latest version supported
ZooKeeper ?         Y          

Mockingboard Documentation and References

  • A+, December 1985, Volume 3 Issue 12, page 142

-- KevinGreene - 23 Dec 2005

  • Ultima III mockingboard setup:
    ultima_3_mockingboard.jpg

  • Ultima IV mockingboard setup:
    ultima_4_mockingboard.jpg

  • Ultima V mockingboard setup:
    ultima_5_mockingboard.jpg

  • berzap! mockingboard setup:
    berzap_mockingboard.jpg
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ultima_3_mockingboard.jpgjpg ultima_3_mockingboard.jpg manage 22.3 K 25 Dec 2005 - 04:03 KevinGreene Ultima III mockingboard setup
berzap_mockingboard.jpgjpg berzap_mockingboard.jpg manage 77.8 K 17 Jan 2006 - 04:48 KevinGreene berzap! mockingboard setup
ultima_4_mockingboard.jpgjpg ultima_4_mockingboard.jpg manage 59.6 K 25 Dec 2005 - 04:04 KevinGreene Ultima IV mockingboard setup
sc01.pdfpdf sc01.pdf manage 626.9 K 23 Dec 2005 - 21:28 KevinGreene Votrax SC-01 Speech Synthesizer data sheet
SSI-263A_data_sheet.pdfpdf SSI-263A_data_sheet.pdf manage 411.5 K 08 Jan 2006 - 05:25 KevinGreene SSI-263A Data Sheet
6522.pdfpdf 6522.pdf manage 2103.5 K 11 Feb 2006 - 17:11 KevinGreene Rockwell 6522 VIA datasheet
ultima_5_mockingboard.jpgjpg ultima_5_mockingboard.jpg manage 64.9 K 25 Dec 2005 - 04:05 KevinGreene Ultima V Mockingboard setup
This topic: Main > WebHome > Mockingboard
History: Updated 4 January 2024 (added mockingboard manual scan) KevinGreene
History: Updated 24 July 2020 (thanks to Andrew Roughan for updated info) KevinGreene
History: r11 - 17 Aug 2006 - 04:29 - KevinGreene
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