The background music is annoying and it can be turned off. The problem is that there is an error in the manual that inroduces some confusion which register controls that setting. I think one part of the manual calls out register 28 and another (correctly, I think) lists register 27. Going from memory here, as I am on travel and away from my EBC. The droning background sound is on the same pot as the squawk, so you don't have the option of turning down the drone but keep the non-voice sounds. The voice can be balanced against the squawk though.

If you need any reference pics or help, let me know. I was pretty much in the same place you are now a couple of months ago, and I now have a 100% working EBC (well 99%. I am replacing a rollover switch capacitor this weekend) It has been at least a half dozen woohoo! moments along the way as I diagnosed and fixed mine.

Heed advice from frunch. He helped me a ton and never gave me bad advice.

The capacitors on switches are there to help register quick hits. They get cut out when they stop working and start scoring ghost hits, like mine was doing on the right rollover. The rollovers gain value with each hit, so a haywire rollover can score a couple million in a few seconds. After I cut out the cap, I don't get ghosts any more, but fast rollovers occasionally don't score. The rollovers and targets behind the drops should have caps for optimum performace. Easy fix if you have the parts, tools, and the will.

...and the drops themselves don't have capacitors, but the white square E I G H T targets behind them do. The gameplay has you earn 1-7 (player 1 or 3) or 9-15 (player 2 or 4) balls by hitting the yellow drops. The white targets behind trigger the drop to reset. Drops also reset for each new ball.

To get the eight ball bonus on one ball, you need to hit each of the five drops, hit the I and H targets to reset the drops, hit the I and H drops a second time, and then the saucer.

Shooters game for sure. Especially since thumper bumpers and slingshots don't hit targets very frequently. The targets face the flippers and you can't count on glancing blows by richochets.