1677 lines
77 KiB
Plaintext
1677 lines
77 KiB
Plaintext
From meb117@cac.psu.edu Fri Apr 22 21:52:03 1994
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From: meb117@cac.psu.edu (Matthew E Bernold)
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard,comp.music,rec.music.makers.synth,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.answers,rec.answers,news.answers
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Subject: FAQ: Gravis Ultrasound ("GUS") FAQ v1.55
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Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
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Date: 21 Apr 1994 19:08:42 GMT
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Organization: Penn State University, Center for Academic Computing
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Distribution: inet
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NNTP-Posting-Host: curtiss.cac.psu.edu
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Summary: A list of Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) concerning the Gravis Ultrasound (GUS) sound card for IBM PC's.
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Keywords: gravis ultrasound gus faq synth synthesizer soundcard adlib soundblaster music midi sound audio os2 os/2
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X-Star-Trek-Quote: He's Dead Jim.
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X-Nickname: <<APOCALYPSE>>, Lord of Destruction
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Archive-Name: PCsoundcards/gravis-ultrasound/faq
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Last-Modified: 94/04/07
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Version: 1.55
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GRAVIS ULTRASOUND ("GUS") FAQ VERSION 1.55 [94/04/07]
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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QUICK NOTE: There is now a file posted that lists changes to the current
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FAQ from the last posting. This file is intended for those
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of you out there who have already read the FAQ, and don't
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want to have to read it all again to find changes. Look for
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it to be posted along with the FAQ.
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Certain questions concerning the Gravis UltraSound ("GUS")
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sound card are asked over and over on the UltraSound Daily Digest (a
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mailing list for GUS users) and on comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard. In an
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attempt to alleviate some redundancy from the lives of USENET/Internet
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folk, this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions, with answers) list has
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been created. It is maintained by Matthew Bernold (MEB117@PSUVM.PSU.EDU)
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If you have any questions, comments, complaints, or extra cash, (especially
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the cash) please feel free to send them to him. Please do not send your
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question more than once, as Matthew does have other things to do aside from
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answering FAQ mail. If you do not get an answer after a month or so, then
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there may be a mail problem. :-)
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NOTE: All submissions by mail to the GUS FAQ must have a subject line that
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looks like one of the following:
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Subject: GUS FAQ Q*: rest of subject
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Subject: GUS FAQ: rest of subject
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If the submission refers to a specific question in the FAQ, use the
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first subject line and replace "*" with the question number.
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Any FAQ submissions that do not have the proper Subject line may be
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deleted accidentally while I'm sifting through my mail discarding junk,
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so please, for my sanity, try to use the Subject lines above.
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If you would like to join the mailing list and be privy to the
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latest and greatest information, banter, and poor spelling concerning
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the GUS, mail to <gus-general-request@mail.orst.edu>. The automated
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server will tell you how to sign up for the mailing list, tell you
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where the FTP sites associated with the Digest are (they recieve
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software updates directly from Gravis often), and other such
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information that will eventually lead you down the trail to Nirvana,
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Valhalla, Heaven, or whatever Land O' Happiness your religion wants to
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get to.
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BTW: All FAQs, including this one, are available on the
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archive site rtfm.mit.edu in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers.
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The name under which a FAQ is archived appears in the "Archive-Name:"
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line at the top of the article. This FAQ is archived as
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PCsoundcards/gravis-ultrasound/faq.
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Special thanks are due to many people who helped (and are
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helping) with this FAQ. I won't try to name off people; I'll probably
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forget half of you, and you all know who you are, anyway.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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BIG IMPORTANT NOTE: Neither this FAQ, the mailing lists or
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digests, nor the FTP sites are owned or operated by Gravis. Gravis
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employees *read* the digest and mailing lists and they upload things
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to the FTP sites, but that's it.
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SO: Please don't email me about problems with your card, if
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the latest release of software hasn't arrived on disks in the mail
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yet, lack of documentation, etc., etc. I'm doing this on my own time,
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and I have no desire to receive hate mail intended for Gravis.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Index of Questions
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------------------
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1] What is the GUS?
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2] How does the GUS emulate other soundcards?
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3] Where can I get a GUS, and how much will it cost?
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4] What version of the GUS hardware is the latest?
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5] What GUS software is available? What version is it?
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6] Where can I get the latest GUS software?
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(AKA: Where is the GUS FTP site and/or Gravis BBS?)
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6a] What if I don't have FTP access?
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7] What machines will the GUS work with?
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7a] I've heard about problems with the OPTi chipset...
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8] Why should I upgrade the memory onboard my GUS?
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9] Where can I get memory for the GUS, and how much will it cost?
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10] I'm having trouble getting the GUS to work with Windows...
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11] What new hardware is coming out for the GUS?
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12] How do I build the MIDI interface for the GUS?
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13] What exactly is GUS 3D?
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14] What are *.PAT *.VOC *.WAV *.SND *.MOD *.669, and *.MID
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files, and how do I use them?
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15] What exactly is Wavetable Synthesis?
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16] Is there a GUS device driver for Linux/BSD386/*IX?
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17] How do I get the GUS to work with OS/2?
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18] How do I go about programming the GUS?
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19] What are the pinouts for the CD Audio IN on the GUS?
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20] I'm having trouble with... GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
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21] I can't seem to fit the new disks onto a floppy.
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22] Why shouldn't I use the comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.GUS
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newgroup?
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23] What are "Miles Drivers", and how do I use them?
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24] Where can I find more information on the GUS?
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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1] What is the GUS?
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The Gravis UltraSound (generall referred to as the "GUS") is a
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sound card built by Advanced Gravis Technologies (GRVSF on the Nasdaq
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exchange). It is a stereo card that can play 32 synthesized voices
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and 32 sampled voices simultaneously. It is also MIDI compatible.
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The synthesizer on the GUS is based on a technology called
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Wavetable Synthesis (WS) instead of FM synthesis (like the Adlib and
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Soundblaster series). WS is flexible enough to emulate FM synthesis,
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and so an emulator has been created so SoundBlaster and Adlib programs
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can use the GUS (see question #2).
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The GUS, in its basic state, can sample 8 bit stereo at 44kHz.
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It can playback 16 bit stereo samples at 44kHz. There is a
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daughterboard that you can buy (to be released) and plug on to the GUS
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that makes it possible to sample at 16 bit stereo 44kHz.
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Each voice can play independantly, but as the maximum number
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of voices goes up, the sample playback rate drops. With 14 active
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voices, the GUS can playback at 44100Hz. At 28 active voices, the
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playback rate drops to 22050Hz. With the maximum 32 voices, the GUS
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can playback at a rate of 19293Hz. Following is a chart taken from the
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GUS SDK v2.01 listing the number of active voices and the playback rate.
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Active Playback Active Playback Active Playback
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voices rate voices rate voices rate
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14 44100 21 29400 27 22866
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15 41160 22 28063 28 22050
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16 38587 23 26843 29 21289
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17 36317 24 25725 30 20580
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18 34300 25 24696 31 19916
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19 32494 26 23746 32 19293
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20 30870
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If you tell the GUS to play at a different rate than listed
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above, the GF1 processor automatically interpolates the sample, and
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simulates playback at the desired rate.
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Each voice also has 15 panning positions, and 4096 settings of
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volume. The GUS has automated volume-ramping that can be used as
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one-shot or oscillating volume modulators. Thus, amplitude envelopes
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use very little CPU horsepower. For more technical information, read
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the GUS SDK (see question #24).
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The GUS has the following "external" ports:
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o Stereo line in
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o Stereo line out
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o Stereo amplified out
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o Stereo microphone in
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o Game port / MIDI port
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The GUS has several "internal" ports, including:
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o CD Audio IN
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o Expansion ports for daughtercards (see question #15).
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o Other as of yet unexplained pins/ports.
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The game port can be changed to MIDI in/out/through ports by
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means of an adapter available from Gravis. Alternatively (and for a
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LOT less money) you can build your own (see question #17).
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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2] How does the GUS emulate other soundcards?
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Right now, there are several ways the GUS may emulate other
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soundcards/soundcard combinations. Following is a list of combinations
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that the GUS may emulate, and the program to be used for this emulation:
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Sound Blaster/Adlib SBOS
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Roland/SB Digital MegaEm
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General MIDI/SB Digital MegaEm
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-----
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Written by: Don ????? (????@????????) Don, please get in touch so I
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can fix this.
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The GUS can currently emulate the Sound Blaster (mono), and also
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the Roland MT32/LAPC1 and Sound Canvas, and even a combination of
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Roland+SB.
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The Sound Blaster FM music emulation is provided by a software
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program called SBOS - Sound Board Operating System. This is a TSR which
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links to the Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI). SBOS is currently supplied
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with the GUS but is continually being updated.
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[NOTE: A small number of motherboards have the NMI disabled. This
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is unacceptable practice and makes the motherboard not IBM-AT
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compatible. There may be a jumper to re-enable it. You should be
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within your rights to demand a motherboard with NMI enabled. If you
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have this problem help is around the corner - read on..]
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The emulation quality depends on the particular game but ranges
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>from very comparable to yuck, much of which is personal preference.
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However FM synthesis as used by the Sound Blaster never sounds good
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compared the GUS's native sound and other emulations.
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Sound Blaster DAC emulation is provided by two programs - SBOS,
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(giving full SBemulation for games), and Mega-em.
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The latest version as of 18Jan94 of SBOS is 3.7. This is
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available at the FTP archive sites and Gravis support BBSs around the
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world.
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Mega-em also provides the Roland MT32/LAPC1 and Sound Canvas
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cards emulations. Mega-em uses no conventional memory but does require
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and EMS memory manager suchas EMM386.EXE,QEMM,etc.
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A lot of older games support MT32. Most new games support the
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Sound Canvas as a'General MIDI' device. These games expect these
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devices to be connected to a MPU-401 compatible MIDI port and Mega-em
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emulates this. Mega-em then sets up theGUS's patches to match either
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the MT32 or General MIDI.
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The sound quality of Mega-em is very good. Emulation of General
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MIDI is better than MT32.
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[Many games support the MT32 by reprogramming it's patches to create
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new sound effects and new instruments. Mega-em cannot emulate these
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new instruments on thefly so some instruments/sfx may sound quite
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wrong. However you can manually replace patches in Mega-em's setup
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to more closely match the desired instrument/sfx.]
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Mega-em's SBDAC emulation means that you can use General MIDI
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for the music andSB for the sfx on many games. Only versions later than
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2.3b support SBDAC.
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This program is available the same places as SBOS but is not
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currently suppliedwith the GUS and it's free. Latest version is 2.02
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Now the good news for NMI problems, it is planned for Mega-em to
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support the Sound Blaster's FM music in the near future. It is also
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probable that Mega-em will provide full MPU-401 emulation for the GUS
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MIDI port under DOS.
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-----
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The G-List: (See also Q24)
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There is a GUS compatibility list available from the GUS FTP
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sites. It is called the G-List (glist.zip). This list tells you
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what programs work with the GUS, how well they work, and how you get
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them to work with your card (which emulator to use). It also tells
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you the latest version of the emulators, and where to find them.
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The author of this program, Marc Paulin
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(markus@clement.info.umoncton.ca), has made this program available by
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posting to netnews weekly, placing the latest version on the FTP sites,
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and by making the G-List his .plan file. If you can use finger, you can
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get the G-List by typing:
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finger markus@clement.info.umoncton.ca
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In unix, to put this in a file glist.txt, type:
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finger markus@clement.info.umoncton.ca > glist.txt
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For other operating systems, ask your sysadmin.
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This list is based on contributions from GUS users, so if you
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find a mistake in the list, or try a new game that works with the GUS,
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or anything else, mail him with the info.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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3] Where can I get a GUS, and how much will it cost?
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The "suggested retail" for the card is $200 (U.S. dollars),
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but if you pay that much, you haven't done your homework. However,
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homework on this card isn't easy because Gravis still hasn't actually
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advertised (they have a weird policy concerning advertising).
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Here are some mail order places that supposedly carry the GUS. Since
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prices tend to change faster than FAQs, I am not posting prices. For
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our non-american users, there are some FAX or non-800 numbers as well.
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Vendor 800 Number FAX Voice
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Bit Wit Software 1-800-259-2453 1-214-306-9603 1-214-539-5473
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Chips & Bits 1-800-753-4263 1-802-767-3382 1-802-767-3033
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Computer Express 1-800-228-7449 1-508-443-5645
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Disk-Count Software 1-800-448-6658 1-908-396-8881 1-908-396-8880
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Incredible Universe 1-503-682-8100
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Mission Control 1-800-999-7995 1-201-677-9484 1-201-677-1400
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Viking Software 1-800-852-6187 1-404-840-7925
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Zeroes & Ones 1-800-788-2193 1-702-897-1571
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If you call around, you should have no trouble getting the GUS
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for less than $150. Suggested places are Babbages, Bizmart, OfficeMax,
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and Disk-Count software.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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4] What version of the GUS hardware is the latest?
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This is a question that is actually pretty irrelevant. Yes,
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there have been different "releases" of the GUS card (the number is
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etched into the board), but there really aren't any differences.
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Evidently, some of the newer cards have been redesigned to require
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less hardware (and less cost to Gravis), but no functionality changes
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have been made.
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Also, the newest versions of the GUS (v3.4+) have volume
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control on some of the inputs, and adds an on/off and volume control
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on the CD input. The new windows mixer takes advantage of this.
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If you have an older GUS, the mixer just grays out the volume sliders.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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5] What version of the GUS software is the latest?
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Title Ver Filename Where?
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--------- ----- --------- -------
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Install 2.06L GUS FTP
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2.06 Mailed by Gravis to Registered owners
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SBOS 3.7B2 GUS FTP
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MegaEm 2.02 GUS FTP
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UltraMID 2.06 GUS FTP
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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6] Where can I get the latest GUS software?
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(AKA: Where is the GUS FTP site and/or Gravis BBS?)
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Ok everyone, here it is. archive.epas.utoronto.ca will now
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hold ONLY submissions and the latest files. (files that were validated
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during the previous validation period) The main archive site for
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the ultrasound will now be:
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archive.orst.edu /pub/packages/gravis
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This site will hold all gus files, INCLUDING the submit directory
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mirrored VERY frequently. The rest of the sites will hold all gus files
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as well, but may or may not mirror the /submit directory.
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Submissions will still be taken at archive.epas.utoronto.ca
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in the /submit directory as they always have.
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GUS FTP sites:
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North America:
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archive.orst.edu /pub/packages/gravis
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wuarchive.wustl.edu /systems/ibmpc/ultrasound
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Europe:
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theoris.rz.uni-konstanz.de /pub/sound/gus
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Asia:
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nctuccca.edu.tw /PC/ultrasound
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Submissions and newly validated files:
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archive.epas.utoronto.ca /pub/pc/ultrasound
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GUS Mailserver:
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mail-server@nike.rz.uni-konstanz.de
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NOTE: theoris is a low-bandwidth site. The sysadmins have
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requested that ONLY european users access the GUS archive from that
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site. Please respect this, or it might disappear.
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BTW: You can get a LOT more than just GUS software releases
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>from Gravis on the FTP sites. There's lots of PD software written
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specifically for the GUS, music (midi music, midi patches, mods, 669
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music, samples, etc., etc), tech info on the card, back issues of the
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UltraSound Daily Digest, etc., etc... check it out!
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Gravis BBS:
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(604) 431-5927
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6a] What if I don't have FTP access?
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Use the GUS Mailserver!
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Send mail to mail-server@nike.rz.uni-konstanz.de with the body
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of the message as follows:
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begin
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send help
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end
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Alternatively, you can call the Gravis BBS. There are several
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major disadvantages with this, though:
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1] Long distance to Canada (no offense to you Canadians :).
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2] 2400 baud.
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3] The BBS doesn't have all the public domain stuff that
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the FTP sites do.
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4] It's almost *always* busy.
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Please *DO NOT* ask people to post binaries to
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comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard. It's not a binary newsgroup, and that's a
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lot of wasted bandwidth to people who don't want the programs. Use
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email. It saves bandwidth, fights cavities, and builds character.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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7] What machines will the GUS work with?
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You need an IBM compatible computer with at least a 286
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processor. It needs to be at least a 386 if you want to use the GUS
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with Windows.
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7a] I've heard about problems with the OPTi chipset...
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There have been troubles with the GUS if your computer's
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chipset is made by OPTI. Not all OPTI chipsets are bad, but some of
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them have a faulty DMA controller. We're still trying to pin down
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which chipsets are flawed; when we have a better idea of exactly which
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ones are bad they'll be added here. Until then, be careful if your
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computer has an OPTI set, and try reading the UltraSound Daily Digest,
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or comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard on USENET.
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Written by: dantonio@magick.tay2.dec.com
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Actually, it's not just OPTi chipsets, UMC has been implicated
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as well (Gravis first noticed the problem with UMC chipsets) and
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according to Digital Audio Labs (who told Gravis what was going on),
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the bad datacode is 9149 and the bad chip is the 82C206. This is all
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explained in the docs for GUS0013.ZIP (I think), the OPTi fix posted
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to the GUS FTP sites.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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8] Why should I upgrade the memory onboard my GUS?
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For starters, the announcement has already come out of Gravis
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that the standard GUS will come with 512k instead of 256k. This means
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that software companies will write their programs to use *at least*
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512k onboard the GUS. And with all the users going to 1meg, chances
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are that things will be written for that limit.
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It's a cheap upgrade. If your board came with 256k, it will
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only cost you about $30 to go up to 1meg (see question #10).
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There's already a lot of MIDI files out there that require the
|
|
full 1meg to play them, because they use lots of different instrument
|
|
patches.
|
|
|
|
If you plan on doing any sampling, you'll need the space. You
|
|
can do direct-to-disk sampling, but it can cause "skips" to go into
|
|
the sample each time the sample goes down the bus to the drive. In a
|
|
worst case situation, you could be sampling 16 bits in stereo at
|
|
44kHz. So, you're doing 88000 samples (stereo, remember) of 16 bits
|
|
each every second. That's 171k (176000 bytes) every second, which
|
|
means the full 1meg memory will fill up in 5 seconds at that rate.
|
|
With only 256k, you can get about 1.5 seconds.
|
|
|
|
Of course, only people doing very serious stuff with the card
|
|
need to sample at that high of a rate in 16 bits. MOD files generally
|
|
do 16kHz 8 bit mono samples. But upgrading the card is still pretty
|
|
important in that case... do the math, and you'll see.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
9] Where can I get memory for the GUS, and how much will it cost?
|
|
|
|
You need six 256x4 DRAM chips, with speeds of 80ns or better
|
|
(in other words, 80ns OR LESS). They tend to run about $4 a piece, so
|
|
the total price will be $24 + shipping. Make sure you ask for
|
|
"page mode" ram, or they will not work correctly with your GUS.
|
|
|
|
To find a place with them, just look through the Computer
|
|
Shopper magazine. Check the index for 'memory' and call a few places
|
|
for prices. (After a little calling, I found a place selling them for
|
|
$3.45 apiece.)
|
|
|
|
To ensure compatibility, look for the number "44256" in the
|
|
chip number. If you do not see this number, you probably do not have
|
|
the right chip.
|
|
|
|
NEW NOTE: Gravis is now offering to sell the chips directly to
|
|
you for a much lower cost (they can buy in bulk). Give them a call
|
|
for latest chip prices.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
10] I'm having trouble getting the GUS to work with Windows...
|
|
|
|
There in one possibility that accounts for about 50% of the
|
|
problems people have with the GUS and Windows: you can't have SBOS
|
|
loaded before going to Windows. (You don't need it... if the Windows
|
|
program was written right, Windows will handle the link to the card;
|
|
the program shouldn't care.) Try running ULTRINIT (it clears the GUS'
|
|
program memory), or rebooting.
|
|
|
|
Other problems:
|
|
|
|
(a) No sound at all in Windows...
|
|
|
|
Written by: dantonio@magick.tay2.dec.com
|
|
People often put ultrasnd.ini into \windows\system which they
|
|
shouldn't. They SHOULD put \ultrasnd\windows\midimap.cfg into
|
|
\windows\system to get the MIDI stuff setup correctly.
|
|
|
|
(b) I'm not getting any sound when I play MIDI files under Windows.
|
|
The Patch Manager shows empty boxes.
|
|
|
|
Written by: bs@mda.ca (Bruce Sharpe)
|
|
You need a file called ULTRASND.INI. You can find this file
|
|
in any one of the following places:
|
|
|
|
1. The v2.06 distribution disk set.
|
|
2. One of the GUS FTP sites.
|
|
3. The Gravis BBS.
|
|
4. CompuServe: GO PCVENB, Library 14, name is ULTSND.INI
|
|
(rename it to ULTRASND.INI after downloading).
|
|
|
|
ULTRASND.INI must be placed in the directory pointed to by the
|
|
environment variable ULTRADIR (usually C:\ULTRASND). It does *not* go
|
|
into the WINDOWS or WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
|
|
|
|
Even if you have an ULTRASND.INI in your ULTRADIR directory,
|
|
look at it. It should have many lines in it saying things like
|
|
"0=acpiano". If it is only a few lines long, get another copy and put
|
|
it into the ULTRADIR directory. Reboot Windows and you will soon be
|
|
hearing beautiful music!
|
|
|
|
(The purpose of the ULTRASND.INI file is to let the Windows
|
|
driver know what patch file goes with what patch number. If the
|
|
driver doesn't find the .INI file in the ULTRADIR directory it creates
|
|
a truncated version with no patch names in it.)
|
|
|
|
(c) All the list boxes are blacked out in the UltraSound Patch
|
|
Manager.
|
|
|
|
Written by: bs@mda.ca (Bruce Sharpe)
|
|
This was a problem that was fixed in v1.02. It only occurs in
|
|
certain Windows color schemes (e.g., Ocean). If you can't get your
|
|
hands on a more recent PatchManager, then change your color scheme.
|
|
|
|
(d) Other general Windows/GUS problems.
|
|
|
|
Written by: john.smith@gravis.com (John Smith)
|
|
At least one major problem people have been having with the
|
|
new release has been solved. Many thanks to Fransisco Perez. He
|
|
noticed that he had a grvsultr.386 file in his \windows directory and
|
|
it was NOT the new one. Apparently, windows looks in the path and
|
|
uses the first one that it finds. It should have gotten the one in the
|
|
windows\system directory. Using the old one with the new patches etc.
|
|
causes SERIOUS problems. The old install software required the user to
|
|
copy some things manually and some people put the files in the windows
|
|
directory instead of the windows\system directory. The new install
|
|
will install windows automatically and puts the files in the
|
|
windows\system directory. To correct the problem, make sure the
|
|
following files are in your windows\system and ultrasnd\windows
|
|
directory ONLY!!! If you find them anywhere else, you should remove
|
|
them....
|
|
|
|
|
|
...\windows\system\
|
|
grvsultr.386 <
|
|
midimap.cfg < These files are also located
|
|
ultmport.drv < in the UltraSnd\Windows
|
|
ultrasnd.drv <
|
|
|
|
...\ultrasnd\
|
|
ultrasnd.ini
|
|
|
|
...\ultrasnd\windows\
|
|
ultrasnd.ini
|
|
oemsetup.inf
|
|
mixer.exe
|
|
patchmgr.exe
|
|
patchmgr.hlp
|
|
ultrahlp.hlp
|
|
|
|
Some of you have been trying to re-run the automatic Windows
|
|
install simply by running WINGUS from your UltraSound\Windows
|
|
directory. The problem with this is WINGUS is looking for an install
|
|
script file that has an extension of .INF. The first file it
|
|
encounters is OEMSETUP.INF, which it trys to execute but because this
|
|
is NOT a script file you will get MANY error messages. Try renaming
|
|
OEMSETUP.INF to OEM.TMP then run WINGUS. WINGUS will then see WIN.INF
|
|
and load that instead.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
11] What new hardware is coming out for the GUS?
|
|
|
|
Ed. Note: I know this list is out of date, but I don't have anything
|
|
better/more up to date, so I'm leaving it. If you have
|
|
some more recent info, let me know, and I'll put it in here.
|
|
|
|
Written by: Bruce Sharpe (bs@mda.ca)
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
| Advanced Gravis Product Support BBS Pricing & Availability |
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
| Item When? SRP($US) |
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
| MIDI Connector Box | Apr '93 | $49.95 |
|
|
| 16-bit Stereo Recording Interface Card | Apr '93 | $149.95 |
|
|
| LMSI CD-ROM Daughter Card for CM205 and | Qtr 1 '93 | $59.95 |
|
|
| and CM215 (Phillips, Magnavox, LMSI) | | |
|
|
| Sony CD-ROM Daughter Card for Sony 31A | Qtr 1 '93 | $49.95 |
|
|
| Mitsumi CD-ROM Daughter Card | Qtr 1 '93 | $49.95 |
|
|
| SCSI CD-ROM Daughter Card | Qtr 1 '93 | TBA |
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Details? Good question.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
12] How do I build the MIDI interface for the GUS?
|
|
|
|
Written by: pcunnell@micrognosis.co.uk (Paul Cunnell)
|
|
|
|
> Has anyone made the midi interface for the GUS that is in the FAQ?
|
|
> If so, were did you find the part# 6N138? I cant seem to locate
|
|
> this anywhere. Also, (excuse my ingorance i'm not an EE) but
|
|
> what exactly is that part and its purpose? Thanks...
|
|
|
|
The 6N138 is a high sensitivity opto-isolator, manufactured by
|
|
Hewlett Packard (and I believe, a company called Quality Technology)
|
|
The main point in using this part as opposed to other more common
|
|
opto-isolators is the low LED ON current spec. (1.6mA)
|
|
|
|
A midi out circuit is basically a LED in series with 600 ohms,
|
|
and a 5V supply. Taking into account the 1.7V forward drop across the
|
|
LED, you get about 5mA in the on state. Other optos generally need
|
|
more current to turn them on (say 15-60mA, but this varies a lot). A
|
|
'high speed' 6N137 opto will also work, I believe, but that would be a
|
|
bit marginal on the input current (spec. is min 5mA).
|
|
|
|
Since a number of people have been asking, I'll add below the
|
|
midi circuit that I'm using, plus a bit of general explanation I've
|
|
culled from other peoples' postings on the subject.
|
|
|
|
Generic Midi Out/In/Through Circuit
|
|
===================================
|
|
|
|
The following shows a typical OUT, cable, and IN circuit
|
|
|
|
MIDI OUT port ---->|<- cable ->|<---- MIDI IN port +5V
|
|
270 |
|
|
+5V DIN DIN +--\/\/\/-+
|
|
| 220 +-+ +-------+ +-+ 220 +--------+ |
|
|
|\ +-\/\/\/--|4|-|-------|-|4|--\/\/\/--| OPTO |-+-+- UART RXD
|
|
UART | \ | | | | | | |ISOLATOR| |
|
|
TXD ---| \---\/\/\/--|5|-|-------|-|5|----------| |-+ |
|
|
| / 220 | | +-------+ | | +--------+ | |
|
|
| / +--|2|-+ +-|2| 6N138 GND|
|
|
|/ 7407 | +-+ +-+ |
|
|
GND |
|
|
|
|
|
+-------------------------------------------+
|
|
|
|
|
| +5V DIN
|
|
| | 220 +-+
|
|
| |\ +-\/\/\/--|4|
|
|
| | \ | |
|
|
+--| \---\/\/\/--|5| MIDI THRU
|
|
| / 220 | |
|
|
| / +--|2|
|
|
|/ 7407 | +-+
|
|
GND
|
|
|
|
Note that when the UART TXD is high, no current flows through
|
|
the resistors and optoisolator's LED, causing the optoisolator's
|
|
phototransistor to remain off, allowing the UART RXD to be pulled high
|
|
by the 270 ohm resistor. When the UART TXD is low, current flows
|
|
through the resistors and optoisolator's LED, turning on
|
|
optoisolator's phototransistor, grounding the UART RXD. The voltage
|
|
drop across the optoisolator's LED is typically 1.5 volts, leaving 3.5
|
|
volts to be dropped across (3 times 220) 660 ohms, which allows about
|
|
5 ma to flow.
|
|
|
|
The reason a current loop is used is that it allows an ground
|
|
isolated interconnection. Note that the ground from the MIDI OUT
|
|
port's device is not connected to the ground of the MIDI IN port's
|
|
device. This prevents ground loops in systems where appropriate
|
|
attention has not been paid to grounding issues, such as the case of
|
|
typical musicians in a typical club!
|
|
|
|
Gravis Ultrasound Circuit
|
|
=========================
|
|
|
|
15 pin D connector
|
|
220R
|
|
pin-1 +5v ----+--------------------------/\/\/\---------------\
|
|
| \ 4
|
|
| Gnd--2 MIDI OUT
|
|
| |\ |\ 220R / 5
|
|
pin-12 tr >---|------| o-----| o----------/\/\/\--------------/
|
|
| 13|/ 12 11|/ 10
|
|
| 220R
|
|
+---------------------------/\/\/\-------------\
|
|
| \ 4
|
|
pin-15 rx <---|--------------------+ Gnd--2 MIDI THRU
|
|
| |\ |\ | 220R / 5
|
|
| +--| o-----| o---+-------/\/\/\------------/
|
|
| | 1|/ 2 3|/ 4
|
|
| |
|
|
| +------+
|
|
| 270R | 220R
|
|
+--/\/\/\--+ +------+----------/\/\/\--------\
|
|
|B |C |A | \ 4
|
|
+-|----------|----|-+ | MIDI IN
|
|
| 8 6 2 | ----- / 5
|
|
| | / \ IN914 or IN4148 +-/
|
|
| 6N138 | --- |
|
|
| | | |
|
|
| 5 3 | | |
|
|
+------------|----|-+ | |
|
|
| |K | |
|
|
pin-5 Gnd --------------+ +------+----------------------+
|
|
|
|
Inverters are 74LS04. (This is a 14-pin IC containing 6
|
|
inverters. Connect pin 14 to +5V, pin 7 to GND)
|
|
|
|
Leave pin 2 of the MIDI IN unconnected (Don't connect to ground).
|
|
|
|
Some hints for testing your circuit
|
|
===================================
|
|
|
|
1] Check *all* connections (use a continuity tester, and tick
|
|
them off on a printout of the circuit).
|
|
|
|
2] Check them again ;-)
|
|
|
|
3] Make sure you have the latest (GUS0012.zip) windows midi
|
|
driver, and make sure it is installed properly.
|
|
|
|
4] Make sure your midi sequencer package is set up to use the
|
|
Ultrasound Midi In/Out ports. (As opposed to the Ultrasound Synth)
|
|
|
|
5] If you still have no joy,
|
|
|
|
a] Just connect the +5V and GND to your midi circuit,
|
|
(leave the d-connector pins 12 and 15 unconnected), and then
|
|
connect pin 13 of the 7404 to +5V check you have (about) +5V
|
|
appearing on pin 10. This checks midi out.
|
|
|
|
b] Connect pin 4 of the midi-in DIN socket via 2 extra
|
|
220R resistors to +5V. Check pin 4 of the 7404. It should be
|
|
low (about 0V). Then connect pin 4 of the midi-in DIN socket
|
|
to 0V. Pin 4 of the 7404 should go high. This checks midi in.
|
|
|
|
c] Reconnect the d-type pins 12 and 15, and connect a
|
|
midi cable between midi-out on the circuit and and midi-in on
|
|
your synth. Set up your sequencer to use the Ultrasound MIDI
|
|
port as an output, and ensure that one of the tracks is set to
|
|
use this port. Check your synth is expecting MIDI data on the
|
|
same channel as sequencer is transmitting. Start sequencer
|
|
playing. Check that midi data is being transmitted at pin 12
|
|
of the d-type (look at it with an oscilloscope, if possible).
|
|
|
|
Note
|
|
====
|
|
|
|
Standard disclaimers apply - use this information at your own
|
|
risk, and if your fry your card/PC/synth/toaster, then you have my
|
|
sympathy, but not much else ;-)
|
|
|
|
If you're not happy about messing with circuits and soldering
|
|
irons and wires and stuff, then you may wish to wait for the midi
|
|
connector box from Gravis to become available.
|
|
|
|
I notice that in the older FAQs, there is a description (from
|
|
Dustin Caldwell <DUSTIN@gse.utah.edu>) of the solder side pinout for a
|
|
15-pin D-type connector. This looks wrong to me. I have a 15-pin male
|
|
d-type in from of me, and it looks like this from the solder side
|
|
(i.e. the side you attach the wires to, rather than the side with the
|
|
pins that plugs into the card):
|
|
|
|
Gnd +5V
|
|
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
|
|
+-----/-------------------------------\-----+
|
|
| \ o o o o o o o o / |
|
|
| ( ) \ / ( ) |
|
|
| \ o o o o o o o / |
|
|
+--------\-------------------------/--------+
|
|
15 14 13 12 11 10 9
|
|
Rx Tx
|
|
|
|
It is easy to get the pins confused on these connectors - the
|
|
female version seen from the solder side of course has everything the
|
|
other way around (pin 1 is on the left hand side).
|
|
|
|
Hope this helps (or at least doesn't add to the confusion :-).
|
|
All reasonable quality D-type connectors have pin numbers marked
|
|
against the pins anyway.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
13] What exactly is GUS 3D?
|
|
|
|
First and foremost: YES, this is SOFTWARE. You will NOT need
|
|
to upgrade your GUS to be able to do the GUS-3D stuff.
|
|
|
|
Written By: dionf@ERE.UMontreal.CA (Francois Dion)
|
|
|
|
There are several systems that are in use to get 3D sounds on
|
|
recordings and some have been around since the 50s. Now i wont go into
|
|
the "how it works" of the more recent ones, but i think this will
|
|
clear up some confusion. The first part is a "hands-on" experiment,
|
|
the second is informations, including the address and phone of the
|
|
owner of the technology that is used with the Gravis Ultrasound.
|
|
|
|
Let's get back to the early days of stereo. One record company
|
|
(i cant seem to remember) was pushing it, while another (again, blank.
|
|
anyone?) competed. Interestingly enough, technological development
|
|
was put on stereo, and not on the first 3D system which was called
|
|
"binaural recording" and it simply consisted of two microphones placed
|
|
like the ears. You can try it this way:
|
|
|
|
Go to a hat store and buy an extruded foam mannequin head.
|
|
You'll then need two microphones. Condenser will do, but you will need
|
|
to power them if you want to use them with the GUS, since it take a
|
|
dynamic microphone because it does not supply phantom power like some
|
|
mixer with XLR plugs. I will post a circuit later for Radio-shack
|
|
condenser mike unit (a small element that cost about 2$) if there is
|
|
some interest. If you dont want to mess with that, go with a cardiod
|
|
dynamic element. Note that sensitive enough cardiod will cost you a
|
|
lot, so think about that. You cut holes in the ears of the head, to
|
|
insert the microphone units (dont forget to make the wires of the
|
|
elements go inside the head and out the rear (or wherever). Use glue
|
|
to fill the crack around the mic. Also, the more the ears look like
|
|
real ears, the better it will work. If you trim the foam, dont forget
|
|
to use an hairdryer to soften it (it will be more uniform). That's it.
|
|
Try recording sounds, and you'll be surprised. I was! I did the
|
|
experiment with a polystyrene head on which i incrusted two PZM
|
|
microphones.
|
|
|
|
Now that you understand how 3D recording is nothing like
|
|
stereo recording, we'll see what is accesible presently.
|
|
|
|
First, the gadget we just built in the previous section exist
|
|
commercially, and is called "Mikey" and is made by Spherical Sound.
|
|
It's the only system commercialised where the microphones are placed
|
|
in a head.
|
|
|
|
Another system is made by Virtual Audio and claims to enhance
|
|
stereo depth, but is not labeled 3D audio. I dont have much more info
|
|
on it, but from the description it looks like the same thing as the
|
|
"mikey".
|
|
|
|
Two other systems use less restraining microphones situation
|
|
and can also be used on any signal because a DSP simulate a 3D signal
|
|
>from parameters entered on the machine. QSound (no hyphen) was
|
|
developped in Quebec, and the inventor sold the concept to another
|
|
company (Archer it seems). It is not that good even with electrostatic
|
|
headphones, and is pretty bad if you are listening to it thru speakers
|
|
and you are not in the sweet spot. And for trivia: Madonna, Sting,
|
|
Wilson Phillips and Paula Abdul to name a few have used the QSound on
|
|
their latest recordings. Another trivia: The Q logo is very very close
|
|
to Hydro-Quebec logo... QSound cost around 18K$ and is not midi
|
|
controllable.
|
|
|
|
The other variant with a DSP is Roland RSS (Roland Sound
|
|
Space). It is a bit better (depending on how it is used) than QSound
|
|
with headphones, but suffers the same faith as QSound when you are
|
|
listening with speakers. Just move a bit from the sweet spot, and
|
|
suddenly what was in front left is now back left. RSS was used on
|
|
Suzanne Cianni _Hotel Luna_ album. RSS cost around 40K$ and is midi
|
|
controllable.
|
|
|
|
Another system on which i have zero information is called
|
|
Audio Cybernetics.
|
|
|
|
The last technology is called Focal Point 3D Audio. It was
|
|
developped by Bo Gehring and first used on the Macintosh computers
|
|
with a modified Audiomedia (Digidesign). It cost around 1400$ in this
|
|
configuration. But, Gravis saw that (Focal Point is from Seattle) and
|
|
it is the system that we will be getting. At a much better price. The
|
|
system produce the sounds with these parameters: direction, elevation
|
|
and distance. I am pretty sure that Gravis will have to develop a
|
|
SYSEX command set. We already need it badly, but with 3D, i will shoot
|
|
myself if i cant control it thru sysex.
|
|
|
|
By the way, here's how to get in touch with Focal Point 3D
|
|
Audio, if you're interested.
|
|
|
|
Focal Point(tm) 3D audio
|
|
1402 Pine av., #127
|
|
Niagara Falls, NY 14301
|
|
Voice/fax: 1-416-963-9188
|
|
|
|
Ok, you have read the 3D thing, and you cant wait. You want
|
|
big sound. The only possibility for now is surround. Now surround cost
|
|
a lot of money, and it will not be useable anymore once you get the 3D
|
|
driver. Wrong.
|
|
|
|
Now, i hope you have an amplifier, cause if you dont, you
|
|
can't use this little hack to get surrounding sound. WARNING: i am not
|
|
responsible for any damage resulting from the use or misuse or
|
|
anything else related to this circuit. Check that your - posts are
|
|
connected to ground and not the +. If it's the case reverse the
|
|
connections to the amplifier.
|
|
|
|
It works surprisingly well considering the cost. Have fun!
|
|
|
|
| Amplifier |
|
|
| + - - + | You connect the front speakers as usual (dont mixup
|
|
/| | | |\ the polarities!) _
|
|
| |_| |_| | FLS: Front left speaker (/_\)
|
|
| /_\ /_\ | FRS: Front right speaker
|
|
| FLS FRS | R: variable pot 50 ohm. 10 watts or more (depends on
|
|
|_ _| the amplifier)
|
|
> | | <
|
|
><'R R'>< RLS: Rear left speaker (use a much smaller speaker
|
|
> < for rear than front. 8 ohm also.)
|
|
| RLS RRS | RRS: Rear right speaker (")
|
|
| _ _ |
|
|
| \_/ \_/ | the 2 - on front speakers are connected to the
|
|
|_/ \_._/ \_| ground of the amplifier internally, so you dont
|
|
+ -|- + have to connect them.
|
|
|_
|
|
> |
|
|
><'R
|
|
> Here, you do need to connect the 2 - thru R to the
|
|
_|_ amplifier ground.
|
|
- AMP GND
|
|
|
|
Put the 3 potentiometer in a box so that you have the control
|
|
in one place, and use enough wire so you can move with it. You'll have
|
|
to experiment so that the R going to ground is a little higher than
|
|
the other 2 and once that adjusment made, the other two must be
|
|
adjusted so that the rear speakers are just adding a touch of depth
|
|
(if you turn them off, you notice that the surround is gone). Also, if
|
|
you have A-B speaker selection, plug the rear speakers on the + of B
|
|
instead of A, you will then be able to switch them off easily. Of
|
|
course, when you will use the 3D audio, it will affect the signal, so
|
|
it's better to unplug the rear section. But for your video, tape, CD
|
|
and regular GUS, you will still find it cool.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
14] What are *.PAT *.VOC *.WAV *.SND *.MOD *.669, and *.MID files, and
|
|
how do I use them?
|
|
|
|
Written by: Matthew E. Bernold <MEB117@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
|
|
|
|
These are all different types of sound files.
|
|
|
|
*.PAT files are GUS instrument files, or PATCH files. These
|
|
files are what your GUS uses to recreate the various instruments it is
|
|
capable of playing. Your .PAT files should be in your /ULTRASND/MIDI
|
|
and /ULTRASND/SBOS directories.
|
|
|
|
*.VOC and *.WAV files are basic digital sound files with
|
|
headers. The *.VOC files are used on the soundblaster, and the *.WAV
|
|
files are used by Microsoft Windows. Players capable of using these
|
|
formats can read information on sampling rate, 8 or 16 bit, and
|
|
mono/stereo from the header of these files. *.WAV files can be played
|
|
in MS Windows by many programs. *.VOC files can be converted to *.WAV
|
|
by many different programs, including SOX which is available via FTP.
|
|
The latest version (7.0) has been ported to PC clones and can be found
|
|
on the GUS FTP sites.
|
|
|
|
*.SND files are raw sound files with no header information.
|
|
This is the format currently used by the GUS. This means that you
|
|
have to tell the player program about the sample, because the
|
|
information on how to play it is NOT in the file, like with the *.VOC
|
|
or *.WAV files. You can play these files using PLAYFILE which came
|
|
with the GUS.
|
|
|
|
*.MOD files are 4-voice 15 or 31 instrument music files which
|
|
originated on the Amiga. They use 8-bit, 16kHz samples to produce the
|
|
instruments, and note information to play the songs. *.MOD files are
|
|
similar to MIDI files, but they are a bit more flexible because you
|
|
can use any sample as an instrument (including voices and sound
|
|
effects) instead of relying on the MIDI synth's own built in
|
|
instruments. You can play these files using GUSMOD which can be found
|
|
on epas.
|
|
|
|
*.669 files are 8-voice music files. I don't know much about
|
|
them, so maybe Tran (author of the GUS 669 player) can fill in this
|
|
area. You can play these files using P669GU0 which can be found on
|
|
epas.
|
|
|
|
*.MID files are MIDI files. You can play these files with
|
|
PLAYMIDI that came with the Ultrasound package, or with MediaPlayer in
|
|
MS Windows. You might have to create a *.cfg file for the MIDI file
|
|
if it was originally created for a synth that does not conform to the
|
|
GM Midi standard.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
15] What exactly is Wavetable Synthesis?
|
|
|
|
Written By: dionf@ERE.UMontreal.CA (Francois Dion)
|
|
|
|
It is easier to find the Holy Grail than to find a text
|
|
describing precisely what synthesis method the GUS uses, so it's time
|
|
i take a shot at it. For this text i have searched thru ftp archives
|
|
troughout the world, have asked info from Ensoniq, Roland,
|
|
TurtleBeach, Advanced Gravis, Forte Creative Labs and i also took into
|
|
account the numerous comments, praise and flames i received to model
|
|
the text. Since this text is a result of a collective internet and
|
|
industry wisdom, flames will go the way of /dev/nul. And please, read
|
|
the text carefully, because i have received some comments from people
|
|
who were thinking i wrote something when in fact i wrote the opposite
|
|
(particularly from non anglophones).
|
|
|
|
You probably have heard about the GUS beeing a wavetable
|
|
soundcard. I have received some comments that the GUS is not such a
|
|
thing, but since the industry uses this term (i.e. CL waveblaster,
|
|
GUS, TB multisound etc...), i am not in a position to create confusion
|
|
by renaming the technology. Wavetable explains perfectly what it is.
|
|
A table containing a waveform.
|
|
|
|
The GUS uses the third generation of wavetable synthesis, so
|
|
before i start explaining it, i'll talk about the first two
|
|
generations first.
|
|
|
|
The first generation of wavetable synthesis was actually a
|
|
_digitally_ controlled _analog_ oscillator(s) where parameters
|
|
controlling the waveform were kept in memory. The curtis based synths
|
|
and some others are directly derived from this concept.
|
|
|
|
The second generation of wavetable synthesis uses a digital
|
|
oscillator, with the waveform held in memory in it's basic form (one
|
|
period usually). Parameters to alter the oscillator behaviour are
|
|
also in memory. I use the general term "memory" instead of RAM,
|
|
because in some case it's actually ROM, FlashROM, PROM, EPROM,
|
|
switches, buffers etc... The Ensoniq chip found in the Macintosh Plus
|
|
is an example (8 bit, 4 oscillators, 4096 byte wavetable).
|
|
|
|
The third generation of wavetable synthesis which can be found
|
|
in two flavors (RAM or ROM) is based on the second generation, but
|
|
uses bigger wavetables to hold the waveform (either in single period
|
|
or multi period format) including this time the attack and release. In
|
|
this section, i will focus only on the GUS implementation, which
|
|
basically encompass all other implementations. Basically, what you
|
|
have are 32 oscillators which can do the exact same thing, and be
|
|
programmed separately and/or simultaneously. What the hardware can do
|
|
without the operating system is not too important here since we are
|
|
looking at what the GUS _can_presently_do_ (with modifications to the
|
|
OS, the GUS could do pretty much any synthesis method one can dream
|
|
up), not what it would have done if the OS wasn't available. Of
|
|
course, more processing done in hardware means more CPU cycles left
|
|
for other things.
|
|
|
|
So in the GUS, you have some RAM (up to 1Mb) that holds 1, 2,
|
|
3, etc, wavetables which consist of a sampled (or soft-synthesised)
|
|
waveform, some parameters and optionally a sampled attack and release.
|
|
The GF1 chip (an asic based on the Ensoniq DOC-II chip) will then
|
|
playback a waveform when triggered based on some parameters it is
|
|
given, and on others it will fetch from the wavetable. I dont know if
|
|
all parameters can be fetched from RAM by the GF1, nor if the GF1 can
|
|
fetch some instructions from RAM, but by using the current OS built in
|
|
the windows drivers or in the DOS library, this is what the GUS
|
|
_can_presently_use_ to synthesise music:
|
|
|
|
- sampled or envelopped attack in 8/16 bit, signed/unsigned
|
|
format *
|
|
- sampled waveform (anything! a period, or a several seconds
|
|
sample) *
|
|
- sampled or envelopped release *
|
|
|
|
with:
|
|
- velocity (volume) *
|
|
- panning (balance) *
|
|
- precise frequency playback rates (with frequency based
|
|
antialiasing and oversampling) *
|
|
- mixing of all the channels *
|
|
|
|
Up to here, it's sample playback. But there is more:
|
|
|
|
- full vibrato (FM, depth, rate, sweep)
|
|
- full tremolo (AM, depth, rate, sweep)
|
|
- LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) *
|
|
- forward, reverse, dual direction looping or no looping *
|
|
- the loop points can be anywhere (for sampled attack and release) *
|
|
|-------|-------------|--------------|
|
|
Start Start loop End loop End
|
|
- 6 point envelope
|
|
- tuning *
|
|
- fractional endpoint *
|
|
- combination of oscillators (up to 4 if the GF1
|
|
implementation is the same as Ensoniq) *
|
|
- previous waveform usage *
|
|
|
|
And more recently:
|
|
- 3D (focal point 3D positioning)
|
|
|
|
( "*" indicates that the operation is done in hardware. Some
|
|
others may be done in hardware but i have not done any tests or found
|
|
any technical information to confirm it. I also base 1 item on the DOC
|
|
II capability, which should be implemented in the GF1.)
|
|
|
|
Also, reverb, flanger, phasing etc... could be easily
|
|
implemente within the drivers. Presently it can be done with a little
|
|
work on the patches and/or midi timestamp (i have succesfully made
|
|
flanger and phasing). Another thing that could be implemented is
|
|
dynamic patch loading since the card supports it (i have done it). You
|
|
can even get a distorted sound (ideal for guitars, vox, analog synths)
|
|
by simply changing the 2's complement flag (work best with
|
|
soft-synthesised patches).
|
|
|
|
Last, it is far better to have a RAM wavetable synth than a
|
|
ROM one, since you can upload your samples. Even sound canvas owners
|
|
(and other synths too) complain that their ROM based GS synth lacks
|
|
interesting drum and bass sounds, cannot play sound effects, and is
|
|
not usable for dance and techno. Also you can have more space for
|
|
each samples, because you always have only the samples you need in
|
|
memory, so you can have better sampling rates and better waveforms.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
16] Is there a GUS device driver for Linux/BSD386/*IX?
|
|
|
|
There is a group of people working on device drivers and C
|
|
libraries for Linux, BSD386, 386bsd, Minix, SysVR3/386, and whatever
|
|
other PC/UNIX flavors there are out there.
|
|
|
|
The GUS driver is now included in the Linux kernel
|
|
v0.99.14 or later, so you don't even need to get a seperate
|
|
driver. Thanks to Hannu Savolainen...the writer of this driver.
|
|
|
|
I do not have any information about GUS support on other
|
|
PC-unix platforms. If you use the GUS on a Unix platform other
|
|
than Linux, please let me know so I can include that in this FAQ.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
17] How do I get the GUS to work with OS/2?
|
|
|
|
As of now, there is no OS/2 specific device driver for the
|
|
GUS. According to Gravis, they are working directly with IBM to get
|
|
OS/2 drivers for the GUS written. A specific release date has not
|
|
been announced.
|
|
|
|
There are a few simple tricks to get the GUS to work with OS/2
|
|
to a small degree right now:
|
|
|
|
Written by: Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>
|
|
|
|
As it is right now, what you'll have to do is use a 8 bit DMA
|
|
channel in your setup of the GUS to make it work under a DOS window
|
|
under OS/2. If you have already installed/setup your GUS card, just
|
|
go into the c:\autoexec.bat file under OS/2 and manually change the
|
|
number in the environment variable. So, for example, use DMA channel
|
|
#1. By doing this, you can now use playmidi, 669 player, gusmod... a
|
|
number of GUS programs. But you still can't run playfile or SBOS (it
|
|
may crash). In other words, you can use a play a list of midi, 669,
|
|
mod...etc files in a DOS window, but can't play games. Gravis did say
|
|
they will come out with an OS/2 driver but no date is set.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
18] How do I go about programming the GUS?
|
|
|
|
Gravis and Forte have released a very detailed SDK for the
|
|
GUS. It includes source code, libraries, documentation, etc., etc,
|
|
and it's available on the FTP sites (see question #6).
|
|
|
|
Also, there are two UltraDox files written by Phat Tran up for
|
|
FTP as well. Read them carefully, learn to love them.
|
|
|
|
(If you want to use the GUS with another OS besides MSDOS,
|
|
read questions #21 and #23.)
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
19] What are the pinouts for the CD Audio IN on the GUS?
|
|
|
|
Written by: <grtorlba@seattleu.edu>
|
|
|
|
About two days ago I posted requested some info on the 4-pin
|
|
CD audio pin on the GUS. I never got a reply but I got the info by
|
|
downloading volume 1 of the digest.
|
|
|
|
The pin info was:
|
|
|
|
left ground ground right
|
|
|
|
I've tried this pin assignment and it seems to work. The
|
|
articles in the digest pointed out that they weren't certain of the
|
|
left-right assignment but the two pins in the middle are definitely
|
|
the grounds.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
20] I'm having trouble with... GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
|
|
|
|
Written by: john.smith@gravis.com (John Smith)
|
|
|
|
It looks like a lot of the problems are incorrect
|
|
installations.
|
|
|
|
Make sure that you put ALL the correct files in the
|
|
/ultrasnd/sbos directory and remove any old ones. Sbosdrv.exe,
|
|
Loadsbos.exe and Sboslib.sbs MUST all be from the same release
|
|
revision. They are NOT mixable. A lot of the problems you are seeing
|
|
could happen if the wrong driver is used with the new loader and patch
|
|
library. To make sure you are using the correct files, delete ALL
|
|
files from /ultrasnd/sbos. Then unzip the new release into the sbos
|
|
directory. Then COPY sbosdrv.exe up to the /ultrasnd directory. Then
|
|
COPY loadsbos.exe up to the /ultrasnd directory also. Now pick either
|
|
sboslo.bat or sboshi.bat up to /ultrasnd/sbos.bat. These two batch
|
|
files assume you are using emm386. If you are using another memory
|
|
manager (like qemm, 386max etc), use the appropriate command to load
|
|
it into high memory. (NOTE: If you installed your software in some
|
|
other directory, substitute it in place of /ultrasnd). ] Not all of
|
|
the tips below apply to all programs. This is just a brief summary of
|
|
some of the things we had to do to get some games running properly.
|
|
|
|
1) Make sure the BLASTER environment string tracks our
|
|
ULTRASND string. Many games look at BLASTER to set up their stuff.
|
|
SBOS needs ULTRASND. If they are not the same, the game will be
|
|
looking one place and SBOS will using another. This is another reason
|
|
NOT to have an SB and GUS in the same system. Presumably, the SB would
|
|
want BLASTER set up for it and any game looking at it would not work
|
|
with SBOS. BLASTER is set up like this:
|
|
|
|
BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T1
|
|
| | | |
|
|
| | | - Type of SB (1 = regular SB)
|
|
| | ----- DMA channel (MUST be 1)
|
|
| -------- IRQ used. (same as GUS midi irq)
|
|
------------- I/O base address
|
|
|
|
This variable is set up by the GUS setup program. It should
|
|
never need to be modified unless you modify ULTRASND by hand.
|
|
|
|
For example, wolf3d looks at BLASTER to get its parameters.
|
|
Sound will NOT function if the IRQs are different, but it will detect
|
|
an Adlib.
|
|
|
|
2) Make sure that SBOS is up and running BEFORE you install
|
|
your game. Some games configure themselves during their installation
|
|
procedure. If SBOS is not running, it will assume there is no sound
|
|
board present.
|
|
|
|
3) Some games have a separate setup/configuration section.
|
|
Make sure you run this after you install the game OR change the
|
|
ULTRASND variable. They are usually called setup, install or config.
|
|
Look around for it. Some games also save the last configuration to use
|
|
the next time the game is run. This means that if it didn't detect the
|
|
card (because SBOS wasn't loaded), it will save that info and will
|
|
start up the NEXT time with sound disabled. You will have to manually
|
|
turn sound back on somehow. See your games manual. For example,
|
|
Wolf-3d will do this.
|
|
|
|
4) Some games need all available RAM to run. Since SBOS
|
|
currently takes approximately 19K, it may not have enough to run. Some
|
|
games will shut off some of the sounds if RAM is short. Check your
|
|
manual. It may also be necessary to load SBOS high to reclaim some of
|
|
the RAM.
|
|
|
|
5) If you have poor performance with SBOS loaded, see if you
|
|
have an expanded memory manager running. (qemm, 386max, emm386 etc)
|
|
There is a SEVERE performance penalty to be paid if you run with
|
|
these. Its a byproduct of your machine running in protected mode.
|
|
Usually, only games that use direct I/O (mod players for example) are
|
|
seriously effected by this. If you must have SBOS loaded high, then
|
|
you will have to live with this. It is possible to disable the virtual
|
|
DMA if you are using qemm. (NOVDS) Doing so should speed things up a
|
|
bit.
|
|
|
|
Comments on above paragraph by mike@batpad.org (Mike Batchelor)
|
|
]
|
|
] This paragraph contains some errors, from where I sit.
|
|
] You may disagree, but I offer my perspective anyway:
|
|
]
|
|
] 1. Virtual 8086 mode entails no more than a 5%
|
|
] performance penalty over real mode. It does not matter which
|
|
] memory manager you use, the degradation is dependent on the
|
|
] CPU and the motherboard. In any case, the penalty is hardly
|
|
] what you might call SEVERE.
|
|
]
|
|
] 2. QEMM's NOVDS parameter has NOTHING to do with
|
|
] virtualization of the standard DMA channels. There is no
|
|
] switch to disable this feature of QEMM, DMA would not fuction
|
|
] in V86 mode if the memory manager does not virtualize it.
|
|
] They all do this, they all MUST do this. NOVDS tells QEMM not
|
|
] to support the Virtual DMA Specification, which has to do with
|
|
] virtualizing non-standard DMA used by bus-mastering adapters
|
|
] (usually SCSI host adapters, but can be network cards, etc.).
|
|
] The VDS spec is a means by which these non-standard DMA
|
|
] operations may be virtualized in V86 mode. QEMM normally
|
|
] virtualizes the DMA channels handled by the motherboard's DMA
|
|
] controller. So-called bus-mastering disk controllers do DMA
|
|
] on their own, without help from the DMA controller, so the
|
|
] normal way of virtualizing DMA will not work. VDS is the
|
|
] solution for this. Adding NOVDS to the QEMM line will disable
|
|
] support for ASPI4DOS.SYS, USPI24.SYS and other VDS-supporting
|
|
] SCSI host adapter drivers. This will prevent the user from
|
|
] loading anything into mapped memory in the first megabyte
|
|
] (High RAM) from the SCSI hard disk.
|
|
]
|
|
] The usual way to improve DMA performance is to
|
|
] increase QEMM's DMA buffer. The default on ISA systems is
|
|
] 12K, and 64K on MCA systems. It can be increased to 128K max.
|
|
] DMA=nnn specifies how large the length of a single DMA
|
|
] transfer can be, in nnn Kb. QEMM should prompt you to
|
|
] increase the DMA buffer if a program attempts to exceed the
|
|
] capacity of the current buffer. I have found that 64K is
|
|
] plenty for all programs I have used with the GUS.
|
|
|
|
6) It is possible for an application to detect the Adlib side
|
|
of the GUS without SBOS being loaded. It depends on the method it uses
|
|
to detect it. Obviously if that happens, the application will think it
|
|
has an Adlib, but nothing is going to work.
|
|
|
|
7) Many games need to detect (and use) extended/expanded RAM
|
|
before some sounds will be activated (usually digitized stuff) Refer
|
|
to your manual for these kind of problems. An SB will not operate
|
|
properly under these conditions either. For example, Falcon III will
|
|
not play digitized sounds until EMS is set up properly. SBOS has
|
|
nothing to do with this problem.
|
|
|
|
8) Some games hard code their I/O address and/or irq
|
|
selections. Refer to your manual. You will have to make the GUS'
|
|
selections match these. I believe some Sierra games do this. Wing
|
|
Commander requires a base port of address of 220 for digital speech to
|
|
work.
|
|
|
|
9) Unless you are POSITIVE that a particular game needs an
|
|
option, (-o1 -o2 etc) DON'T specify one, 99% of the games do NOT need
|
|
one. You may screw up the driver by specifying one that you don't
|
|
need. You should unload and reload the driver before specifying an
|
|
option. Since it is possible to use more than one option, you may be
|
|
telling it conflicting things if you don't unload it.
|
|
|
|
10) There are several new features in SBOS that you should be
|
|
aware of:
|
|
|
|
a) SBOS reloads its patches before an application
|
|
runs. This should eliminate having to reload it between
|
|
running windows or a native GUS application (GUSMOD Star Con
|
|
II, playmidi etc) and a game that uses SBOS.
|
|
|
|
b) You can change the vector that it uses for
|
|
communicating between sbosdrv.exe and loadsbos.exe. The
|
|
option is -Cxx, where xx is the new software vector to use.
|
|
This is specified to sbosdrv. Currently, only 1 application
|
|
is known to need this. Netroom uses the default vector (7E)
|
|
so sbosdrv thinks it is already loaded. If you are using
|
|
netroom, you MUST change the vector #. Netroom is the only
|
|
application that we know of that has this problem. There may
|
|
be others. We don't know of ANY games that do.
|
|
|
|
c) You can tell SBOS to leave line-in enabled by
|
|
specifying a -L when SBOS is loaded. This can be useful if you
|
|
want to monitor some other audio output source thru the GUS.
|
|
|
|
11) The volume up and down keys (defaults are [ and ]) do not
|
|
work in all games. Any game that takes over the keyboard vectors will
|
|
disable this feature. You must use the -V option when loading sbos to
|
|
alter the volume for these games. This option works like this: -vxx
|
|
where xx ranges from 0 to 31 (31 being max volume) Note: in SOME
|
|
versions prior to 1.4B2, hitting the volume keys would hang your
|
|
system. This has been fixed.
|
|
|
|
12) Some games grab all possible SB irqs (2,5 and 7) when they
|
|
initialize to find what IRQ the SB is on. If they do this with SBOS
|
|
and SBOS happens to have the UltraSound IRQ on one of the SB irqs, it
|
|
will not let SBOS get its irq. Make sure that you set the UltraSound
|
|
irq to one of the upper ones (11,12 or 15). Jill of the Jungle is an
|
|
example of a game that exhibits this problem.
|
|
|
|
13) Now for some simple things to look for.
|
|
|
|
a) Is board seated properly?
|
|
b) Is DRAM in sockets correctly (bent pins etc)?
|
|
c) Are stereo/speakers hooked up properly?
|
|
d) Are you connected to the right outputs on GUS?
|
|
(Some Ultrasound boxes are labeled wrong ...)
|
|
|
|
TOP OF ULTRASOUND
|
|
=================
|
|
|
|
Amplified Out
|
|
Line Out
|
|
|
|
Joystick/Midi 15 pin connector
|
|
|
|
Microphone In
|
|
Line In
|
|
|
|
BOTTOM OF ULTRASOUND
|
|
====================
|
|
|
|
e) Do you have enough environment space for ULTRASND
|
|
and BLASTER variables?
|
|
f) Did you set the volume too low?
|
|
g) Is \ultrasnd in your path?
|
|
h) Could you have gotten a bad download of new SBOS?
|
|
|
|
14) Several people have complained about sbos loading VERY
|
|
slowly. Is your joystick or MIDI plugged in? Try unplugging it. As
|
|
of now, we haven't been able to reproduce this problem. It may be
|
|
related to installing the software incorrectly or a DMA conflict.
|
|
|
|
15) If your joystick doesn't operate properly in a game, look
|
|
for these things.
|
|
|
|
a) Has it been calibrated (see manual)
|
|
b) Do you have 2 games ports in your system? (GUS and
|
|
another game port). If so, one MUST be disabled.
|
|
c) DO you have a line like the following in your autoexec
|
|
|
|
joycomp 20
|
|
|
|
where 20 is the compensation factor determined thru
|
|
the calibration utility, ultrajoy.
|
|
|
|
16) There are several things people have noticed that seem to
|
|
effect SBOS that need to be investigated. None of these have been
|
|
verified, but you should be aware of them and you might try
|
|
eliminating them as possible sources of your problem.
|
|
|
|
a) Loading SBOS hi can cause some FM stuff to sound
|
|
'weird'.
|
|
b) Using 'Stealth' mode on QEMM seems to have a
|
|
detrimental effect.
|
|
c) Change sbos.bat file to use loadhi instead of lh if
|
|
using QEMM.
|
|
d) Stacker seems to cause some people problems. It
|
|
works OK for others.
|
|
e) Order that TSR's are loaded may have an effect. Try
|
|
loading SBOS first, last etc.
|
|
f) When using XWing make sure that you have at least
|
|
896K of EMS (not XMS) and 563K of conventional. If
|
|
you are having problems with slowdowns try turning
|
|
off the music.
|
|
|
|
17) The only other thing we can think of is a hardware problem
|
|
on your card. The diagnostics in the new setup program should be able
|
|
to isolate it.
|
|
|
|
Granted, we are a bit biased, but we believe that you should
|
|
get SUPERB sound out of your GUS. If you are getting less than
|
|
satisfactory results, there can only be a few explanations.
|
|
|
|
a) in windows, make sure its in 'high fidelity' mode.
|
|
b) Incorrect software installation.
|
|
c) Incorrect hardware installation (IRQ,DMA etc)
|
|
(probably)
|
|
4) Bad hardware.(PC or GUS)
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
21] I can't seem to fit the new disks onto a floppy.
|
|
|
|
First of all, the files need to go on to a HD 3.5" disk.
|
|
|
|
Next, some of the disks were zip'ed a second time to include a
|
|
small README file (in other words, the .zip file you downloaded
|
|
contains two files: a README file, and another .zip file). This would
|
|
have been a good idea, except the .zip file got bigger; too big for a
|
|
HD 3.5" disk. So, you'll need to unzip the file, read the README, and
|
|
copy the new .zip file to a floppy.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
22] Why shouldn't I use the comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.GUS newgroup?
|
|
|
|
c.s.i.p.s.GUS wasn't created legally; ie: there was no formal
|
|
call for discussion, voting, etc., etc. As such, many sites refuse to
|
|
carry the group. Posts there get to few readers.
|
|
|
|
If anyone wants to take the time and energy to go through the
|
|
steps needed to get a new group created the correct way, I'm sure all
|
|
the GUSers would be more than happy to move there.
|
|
|
|
(USENET tip for newbies: Don't create a new group for every
|
|
new topic that comes along. Find the group that your topic fits best
|
|
in, and use that. If you don't like all the other posts in the group,
|
|
learn the magic incantations that go along with killfiles in your
|
|
newsreader.)
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
23] What are "Miles Drivers", and how do I use them?
|
|
|
|
Written by: Matthew E. Bernold <MEB117@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
|
|
|
|
Miles drivers (also known as MIDPAK/DIGIPAK) are a set of
|
|
drivers that software companies to easily support many soundcards.
|
|
The game is programmed to use these drivers, and then any soundcard
|
|
with an appropriate driver will automatically be supported. The Miles
|
|
drivers for the GUS can be found on the Epas archive site. The
|
|
current version of these drivers is v.97beta (filename GUSAIL97.ZIP)
|
|
|
|
There are three driver files and one TSR in the GUS Miles
|
|
Drivers. The drivers are GF1MIDI.ADV, GF1DIGI.ADV, GF166.COM and the
|
|
TSR is ULTRAMID.EXE In order to use these drivers, you need to copy
|
|
them over existing sound drivers for another card. These drivers
|
|
should have easily recognizable names like:
|
|
|
|
(List taken from Monopoly Deluxe)
|
|
|
|
SBDIG.ADV Sound Blaster Digital
|
|
SBFM.ADV Sound Blaster FM Music
|
|
SBPDIG.ADV Sound Blaster Pro Digital
|
|
SBP1FM.ADV Sound Blaster Pro v1 Music
|
|
SBP2FM.ADV Sound Blaster Pro v2 Music (OPL3)
|
|
MT32MPU.ADV Roland MT32 Music
|
|
PCSPKR.ADV PC Speaker driver
|
|
|
|
The above names are typical, but they may change.
|
|
|
|
To get the game to work, you should do the following (This
|
|
example assumes that your Ultrasound directory is c:\ultrasnd and that
|
|
your miles drivers are in c:\ultrasnd\miles and your game is in the
|
|
directory c:\game):
|
|
|
|
1) Change into your Game's directory
|
|
|
|
C:\>CD GAME
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Any of the below steps MAY not be necessary, depending
|
|
on what your application uses. If the app uses only Digital sound,
|
|
and no MIDI music, for example, you will not have to do step 3.
|
|
|
|
2) Copy GF1DIGI.ADV over a Digital driver. I would suggest
|
|
choosing the one that is most functional. Choose the SBPro driver
|
|
over the SB one and you MIGHT get stereo (depending on what the game
|
|
does) and choose the PAS-16 driver (if one is present) and you MIGHT
|
|
get 16-bit sound if the game uses it. We'll choose the SBPro driver.
|
|
|
|
C:\GAME>COPY C:\ULTRASND\MILES\GF1DIGI.ADV SBPDIG.ADV
|
|
|
|
3) Copy GF1MIDI.ADV over a Music driver. Here, I would
|
|
suggest that you try different ones and see which sounds best.
|
|
Sometimes the program plays a different version of the music depending
|
|
on your card. For Terminator 2029, I found that the MT32 setting
|
|
sounds better, but the SCC-1 setting sounds more like the movie music,
|
|
even though it isn't as clear and nice sounding. For this example,
|
|
we'll try the MT32 driver.
|
|
|
|
C:\GAME>COPY C:\ULTRASND\MILES\GF1MIDI.ADV MT32MPU.ADV
|
|
|
|
4) Copy GF166.COM over the .COM file for the card you selected
|
|
above. This should be fairly simple. If you chose 2 different cards
|
|
as we did in this example, then copy the GF166.COM over the .COM file
|
|
for BOTH cards (just to be safe)
|
|
|
|
C:\GAME>COPY C:\ULTRASND\MILES\GF166.COM SBLASTER.COM
|
|
|
|
(For this game [Monopoly Deluxe] there doesn't seem to be a
|
|
.COM file for the Roland MT32, so I didn't copy over it here)
|
|
|
|
5) This step is MANDITORY. Run the game's SETUP utility and
|
|
choose the cards you chose above. In this example, we chose SBPro for
|
|
Digital, and MT32 for Music. If the SETUP utility does NOT allow you
|
|
to choose two different cards, you must redo steps 2-4 patching only
|
|
ONE card's drivers. Most programs now allow you to choose 2 cards,
|
|
however.
|
|
|
|
6) Run ULTRAMID.EXE. This needs to be done before you run any
|
|
games that use the Miles Drivers. There should be instructions on
|
|
different command line options for ULTRAMID in the readme file that
|
|
comes with the archive. Realize that ULTRAMID takes around 50k right
|
|
now, so you may have to load it high to get enough conventional memory
|
|
to run your game.
|
|
|
|
That's it! Your game SHOULD now have full GUS support. If it
|
|
doesn't, here are a few hints on how to possibly fix things:
|
|
|
|
1) Try copying the GUS's *.ADV drivers over ALL the *.ADV
|
|
drivers in the game's directory. According to the README file, a good
|
|
indication of what a driver is is that if the driver is <10k then it
|
|
is a Digital driver, and should be replaced with GUSDIGI.ADV, if
|
|
larger, then it is a MIDI driver, and should be replaced with
|
|
GUSMIDI.ADV. The name should also give you a clue as to what to
|
|
replace it with.
|
|
|
|
a) MIDI drivers: MT32, SCC1, ADLIB (Usually), Anything
|
|
with 'FM' like SBFM or SBP2FM
|
|
|
|
b) Digital drivers: SBDIG, SBPDIG, PASDIG, PCSPKR.
|
|
Usually these drivers will have 'DIG' in them, but not
|
|
necessarily.
|
|
|
|
2) Try copying the GF166.COM file over ALL the .COM files in
|
|
the directory. BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU DO THIS! Some games have .COM
|
|
files other than the music drivers that should NOT be copied over.
|
|
Most of the time, the .COM files you are looking for will be small,
|
|
and will usually have a recognizable name, although this is not always
|
|
the case.
|
|
|
|
3) Some games on the list in the readme file from the archive
|
|
may use the Miles drivers, but NOT have *.ADV files anywhere. From
|
|
what I understand, the Miles drivers will have the word "Miles"
|
|
embedded in them somewhere near the beginning. Look through some of
|
|
the smaller files in the directory with an editor and see if you can
|
|
find the word "Miles" somewhere. Some games rename the Miles drivers
|
|
to *.DRV.
|
|
|
|
Good luck, and happy GUSing.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
24] Where can I find more information on the GUS?
|
|
|
|
1) GUS FAQ Posted in Netnews about every 2 weeks.
|
|
Located on FTP sites in ..../info/gusfaq.txt
|
|
|
|
2) 00Index.ALL Recursive listing of all GUS files on the FTP
|
|
sites with brief info. Located in the root
|
|
directory of GUS archive sites.
|
|
|
|
3) GUS digest The ultrasound digests are mailing lists for
|
|
ultrasound owners/users. Following are the
|
|
addresses for the various digests available.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------
|
|
GUS Daily Digest: General Gravis Ultrasound topics.
|
|
|
|
Subscribe/Unsubscribe: gus-general-request@mail.orst.edu
|
|
To post: gus-general@mail.orst.edu
|
|
To talk to a human: gus-general-owner@mail.orst.edu
|
|
|
|
GUS Musician's Digest: For Gravis Ultrasound musicians.
|
|
Subscribe/Unsubscribe: gus-music-request@mail.orst.edu
|
|
To post: gus-music@mail.orst.edu
|
|
To talk to a human: gus-music-owner@mail.orst.edu
|
|
|
|
GUS Programmer's Digest: For Gravis Ultrasound programmers.
|
|
|
|
Subscribe/Unsubscribe: gus-sdk-request@mail.orst.edu
|
|
To post: gus-sdk@mail.orst.edu
|
|
To talk to a human: gus-general-sdk@mail.orst.edu
|
|
----------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
4) info docs Various info files on various subjects including
|
|
MIDI, a description of 3d sound, a description of
|
|
wavetable synthesis, fixing up your UltraSound,
|
|
docs for the mailserver, advice on MIDI gear, and
|
|
lots of other stuff. Located in ..../info on the
|
|
UltraSound FTP sites.
|
|
|
|
5) Gravis info Gravis press releases and other information
|
|
including stuff from John Smith about Gravis
|
|
products and information on current/future Gravis
|
|
projects. Located in ..../gravis/bulletin on the
|
|
UltraSound FTP sites.
|
|
|
|
6) G-List GUS game compatibility list. See Q2 for full
|
|
description and how to get the G-List.
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Well, that's it for the FAQ for now. If there is anything you
|
|
would like to add/change, please let me know. It is constantly changing.
|
|
|
|
NOTE: All submissions by mail to the GUS FAQ must have a subject line that
|
|
looks like one of the following:
|
|
|
|
Subject: GUS FAQ Q*: rest of subject
|
|
Subject: GUS FAQ: rest of subject
|
|
|
|
If the submission refers to a specific question in the FAQ, use the
|
|
first subject line and replace "*" with the question number.
|
|
|
|
Any FAQ submissions that do not have the proper Subject line may be
|
|
deleted accidentally while I'm sifting through my mail discarding junk,
|
|
so please, for my sanity, try to use the Subject lines above.
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
Matthew E. Bernold MEB117@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
|
|
<<APOCALYPSE>> meb117@wilbur.cac.psu.edu
|
|
|