Innovation 88-1011 Sound Board (SSI-2001) (SID sound card)

Technical details
Name:	88-1011 Sound Board (SSI-2001)
Company:	Innovation Computer Corporation
Chipset:	CSG SID (Sound Interface Device) 6581 R4 AR
Bus:	ISA 8 bit
Connectors:	Audio-Out Cinch (Mono), Game Port
Compatibility:	SID
Manufactured:	1989

The Innovation SSI-2001 sound card utilizes the SID chip known from the C64 for sound as ISA card. However the SID sounds not identical as some may know from the C64 because it runs with 0.89 MHz (0.98/1.02 MHz in C64) and uses different capacitor values for the analog filters with 1 nF (470 pF in C64).
The card introduces the INNOVATION sound standard which is basically music playback through the SID chip on PC. Though the card did not sell well and only a handful games even support it. The card is advertised in Docu 5 as the only sound board capable of human voice simulation. For stereo playback it is recommended to install a second 88-1011 Sound Board. More notable the card is one of the first that combines sound playback and game port on the same card. The game port supports two joysticks with Y-cable and its sensitivity can be jumpered to one of three levels. The card was first sold for $129 but dropped soon to $69. This was a low price for sound cards at this time. It is also reflected in a Review in Computer Gaming World 63 at Page 18.
The developer documentation images show an early PCB design.
While this card came equipped with a SID 6581R4 Advanced Resonance (AR), the other two known cards use a regular SID 6581R4.
The card is sensitive to the computers speed which should not exceed a fast 386.
More details can be found in Great Hierophants blog at SID and DOS - Unlikely but True Bedfellows


There are rumors that there was an earlier version of the SSI-2001 released as "The Entertainer" which was advertised on a sheet included with the game Gunship in version 429.04. An in detail discussion can be found at the Vintage Computing forums: "The Entertainer" sound card exposed.

Only a few PC games support the Innovation SSI-2001 sound card:

Airball
Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess / Digital Effects
Battletech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge / Digital Effects
F-19 Stealth Fighter
Falcon A.T.
Joe Montana Football / Digital Effects
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I
Red Storm Rising
Super Jeopardy! / Digital Effects
Ultima VI: The False Prophet / Music (Conversion from Commodore 128 version of Ultima VI)
Windwalker / Intro Music

See also Mobygames list
Most PC games supporting the SSI-2001 use the SID for 4-bit digital effects only played through the volume register. So they are not utilizing the capabilities of the SID chip at all.

Videos captures if the card in action can be found in the entry for the Innovation SSI-2001 replica

Card photos from Shock__ with permission.