GUS Daily Digest Wed, 14 Dec 94 9:37 PST Volume 17: Issue 14 Today's Topics: Armored Fist and PQ4CD AUTOEXEC CAPS and STUFF GUS access to main RAM, Piano Patch on CD GUS Daily Digest V17 #12 GUS Daily Digest V17 #13 (2 msgs) Megaem doesn't like my computer - it never works Oops? I guess I've been staying up too late. Recording a MIDI file as a .WAV Shielding of GUS Warcraft Config file which CDROM ? Standard Info: - Meta-info about the GUS can be found at the end of the Digest. - Before you ask a question, please READ THE FAQ. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 16:13:27 +0100 From: rrijke@knoware.nl (Reinier Rijke) Subject: Armored Fist and PQ4CD I've got 2 (simple?) questions: - How do I get Nova Logic's Armored Fist (CD) to work with a gusmax, and - how do I get Police Quest IV (CD) " " " " " " That's all folks, cul8r P.S. I am selling my cd-rom player, so does anyone know how to get AF to work without a cd-rom player (except copying the whole cd-rom to my hd) ? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 14:03:53 -0600 From: bbaskin@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu (Bryan K. Baskin) Subject: AUTOEXEC CAPS and STUFF Hey HEGUIN, Don't even bother to change your autoexec.bat file and your standard settings from something you like and have all of your software working with for one game like DOOM. The GUS is software controlled so all you have to do is create a batch file similiar to the one below: set ultrasnd=220,5,5,7,5 d: cd\games\doom doom -file gus1m.wad cls cd\games\doom (I still use 1.2 since it has good FX) set ultrasnd=220,5,5,11,7 This is what i use. Normally i use 220,5,5,11,7 so all this does is switch IRQs around to lower ones. Then when DOOM initialized the card it uses these settings. This also works for Apogee's Boppin', etc. If the software does not initilaize the card, it may be needed to run ultrinit after the SET command. Anyway this is one solution if you like batch files. The GUS is software controlled so this is possible which makes the cars very flexible... Oh, yeah... even though Apogee's Wacky Wheels and Boppin' both sucked, they were supposed to support the GUS, and WW told me my card was broken and i never could get sound out of Boppin'. I have a 1 meg GUS. I don't really care about these games, but they may create something decent someday and i want it to work. Thanks. Baskin -) The University of Texas at Austin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 14:06:57 -0800 (PST) From: "Peter C. Chien Jr." Subject: GUS access to main RAM, Piano Patch on CD >Maybe the 'techies' can advise, but I doubt the practicality of using main >RAM for patches. The GUS has to scan the samples (up to 32 of them, as I >said) at up to 44kHz. If the samples were 16bit, then this makes about 2.8 >megabytes a second of data (half that for 8-bit samples). This sounds like >a hell of a lot of traffic for the PC Bus to handle, if it were possible >at all. That's why the patches are stored in memory >*local* to the GUS. Well, according to Jaleo's implementation of main RAM access by the GUS, it uses XMS handles per instrument loaded into main RAM. Since DOS's himem has a limit of 128 XMS handles, the docs say to use some other memory manager that allows more handles for more instruments loaded in main RAM. Other than that, the program works fine, and CPU load was still averaging 3% when playing the supplied MIDI files. I just downloaded the piano patch on the CD -- thanks to whomever loaded it. Any opinions on the quality? I think it is a *major* improvement over the acpiano.pat in the original set, but does anyone think it sounds more like a bright piano (britepiano) than a grand? IMHO, the high notes decay too fast, as if the strings of the piano were stretched across a granite slab than as if they were allowed to resonate against a wooden board, like they're supposed to. Just a pianophile's opinion. -Peter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 23:22:19 GMT From: Mike@sindev.demon.co.uk (Mike Watson) Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #12 In message <199412122230.OAA22375@gaia.ucs.orst.edu> GUS Server writes: > Hiyup, > > Probably old news, But I am a new subscriber.. Is there any way to get sound and music with Magic carpet... > > Also, When I play Ecstatica, whenever I change scenes the GUS makes a funny Buzzing noise.. It also happens in Tie Fighter, but everything else runs ok! any ideas? > I only got it working with my "emergency" soundblaster card. The funny thing is is that there is ANOTHER exe on the CD (cant rememeber where) that has a GUS option. Unfortunately the HMI drivers dont have any GUS code in them It is odd considering the demo had GUS support. If you are upset then I can give you bullfrogs email address. -- Mike Watson, Sinister Developments, Edinburgh, Scotland "I love to snicker at other peoples tragedy." - Calvin and Hobbes ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 21:17:23 -0400 From: blairj@is.dal.ca (Jeff Blair) Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #13 >Digital CD's. I think some of them are recorded in 18-bit. I have >successfully read in the title track to the Chiller CD (Erich Kunzel and the >Cincinatti Pops Orchestra) and playing back the digital recording on the GUS >is absolutely PHENOMENAL! It however, had a few errors, but I think the >errors occurred in the Thunder cracks, so you never really "hear" the glitches. > >Does anybody else have any success with 18 bit or 20 bit recording? (ie, >Sony GOLD disk recordings) None of these recordings are in 18 or 20 bit by the time they are placed on CD. For example: Sony uses a process called SBM (super bit mapping) what this process does is take an 18 or higher bit master and reduce it to 16 bits using special techniques that allow a 16 bit CD to achieve a greater than 16 bit resolution. It's just a very specialized compression algorithm that passes on the benifits of a higher resolution master tape to CD. Telarc uses a similar technique to reduce its 20 bit masters to 16 bit by using the Apogee UV-22 Hyper Resolution CD Encoder and several other companies do the same. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Blair | "God bless the Pagans" blairj@is.dal.ca | Homer Simpson jblair@ug.cs.dal.ca | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 11:09:16 -0500 From: Schitzo Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #13 On Tue, 13 Dec 1994, GUS Server wrote: > > GUS Daily Digest Tue, 13 Dec 94 9:37 PST Volume 17: Issue 13 > > ------------------------------ > > Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 14:23:49 -0800 (PST) > From: George > > > Lastly, can someone please upload the grand piano patch found in the > UltraSound Experience CD to the epas site. It's not because I don't want > to pay $7 bucks for the demo, but I have no access to a CD-ROM drive. > For those of you who want to know if it's legal to upload it, it is > okay, according the Advanced Gravis. > > Thanks, > -George > i've been hearing about this UltraSound Experience CD thingy ... how the hell do i get myself a copy??? for $7 i'm willing to shell out ... just for a decent grand piano patch .. btw are there any other good patches on the CD-rom? anyway, i second for someone to ul'd the piano patch. thanx in advance ... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 09:01:50 -0800 (PST) From: John Tomaszewski Subject: Re: Regarding one of yesterdays posts: >Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 03:53:09 -0700 (MST) >From: KKAHN@cc.weber.edu >Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #11 > I upgraded to windows 3.11 which is a new release from >microsoft. I guess it's just updated drivers and stuff for ver 3.1 which >has been around for some time now. It only cost $7.90 with microsofts >special $25 off coupon. > Anway, since installing it, my gus max won't record any >sounds to hard disk. When I try to use WAve to record to hard disk, it >just records silence.. Everything else seems to be working just fine.. >any clues anyone.???? I'm running Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (I think it has the same drivers as the regular 3.11 version) and also am having problems recording. I have a regular GUS with 1meg. My GUS is brand new to me so I thought the source of my recording problems was setup or pilot error of some sort. The troubleshooting section's only advice is to make sure the mic is plugged in to the right place, duh. I've tried Windows Sound Recorder, WaveLight, and GoldWave all with the same result; no sound and no error messages. The input for all the apps is GUS Waveform Input. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. ******************************************************************** ** ** ** ** * ** DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY ** ** ** ** ** * ** tomasz@helix.chem.washington.edu ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ***** ***** JOHN TOMASZEWSKI ** ******************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 09:51:20 -0600 From: ken@austin.ibm.com (Ken Goach IBM) Subject: Megaem doesn't like my computer - it never works Well, I got "Beneath a Steel Sky" and against my better judgement tried to use Megaem to do the sound. As usual, it didn't work. Megaem loads just fine, but the first time it plays a note of music, it locks up and reboots my PC. This has happened with every game I've ever tried to use it with! It has never worked for me. What could be the problem? I've tried so many combinations of flags that didn't work either. Then I tried SBOS and only got music - no digital sound on BaSS. Finally dook the damned GUS out and plugged in an 8-bit Thunder- board - at least I finally got digital audio! Any clues why Megaem hates my Packard Bell 386 25mhz 4MB RAM piece of junk? Thanks, Ken ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 14:26 EST From: HEGUIN@INDSVAX1.INDSTATE.EDU Subject: Oops? I guess I've been staying up too late. I am now confused. I had thought that the GUS setup was changing the autoexec.bat file to all caps when it wrote to it. But when I tried it again to see if the comments were changed as well, the capitalization wasn't changed. I now think that I must have hit a certain key-combo in my editor that changed the file to all caps. To be certain, I'll have to search for such an option in the docs to my editor. Ah well, I guess that too many OS's and too many different editors just make my brain (and fingers) get a little cross-circuited. / Name : Duane Guingrich | All my statements are \ / Company : GST - Guingrich Software Technologies | pure fact, not opinions./ \ E-Mail : heguin@indsvax1.indstate.edu | So don't argue with me./ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 00:22:24 EST From: timkwan@MIT.EDU Subject: Recording a MIDI file as a .WAV Hi, can someone tell me or point me to online documents about how to play a MIDI file with my GUS and record it to a file on the hard disk. Please give step-by-step instructions on how to do it, Thanks. -Tim ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 94 13:22:46 +0000 From: rst@ukc.ac.uk Subject: Re: Shielding of GUS Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 12:33:34 MST From: "Dean C. Johnson" Subject: Re: Noisy cards: anti-interference barriers? Here is a possible solution that I HAVE NOT TRIED MYSELF, but read someone's post about it a long time ago, and it seems plausable. Put a couple of layers of aluminum foil inside a SEALED anti-static plastic bag. ( the tinted plastic bags that circuit boards come in.) Then place it between you GUS and the interferace source as a barrier. If someone does this, let me know if it works. -Dean Ack! Dont do that! For one thing, the thing that makes anti-static bags anti-static is a conductive coating, not a good thing to be waving around near all those lines. Plus if the pins of the components poke throught the bag, you'll have them connecting directly with the aluminium, definitely not a good thing. On a more functional note, the aluminium isnt going to do much good unless it's connected to ground and may even make things worse if it isnt. If you're serious about shielding, probably the best thing to do is get thin gauge metal with all the holes in and make a box from it to fit around your GUS (you'll want the holes for ventilation and they'll be small enough not to permit any e-m at frequencies that matter) and make sure it has a good earthing. If you're less serious, a similar arrangement with a box made from aluminium foil glued to cardboard should be good but once again, make sure it has a good earth. In both cases, make sure you've plenty of clearance from components on the board and off to avoid accidental shorting. Rich ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Dec 94 17:21:00 EST From: David Ball Subject: Warcraft Config file Well, it sounds like people are still having trouble getting the full version of Warcraft to work native. I only have the demo, but here's some info that might be helpful. 1. Don't forget to run ultramid. There are two batch files in the ail30.zip file that run this and then run the demo they came with. You can either get the command line from one of the batch files or modify one of them to run war.exe instead of demo.exe 2. I had trouble, at first, getting the setup program to work, so I edited the config.war file manually. In the demo verion the file has the following format (binary): Two sets of 16 bytes with the same layout. The first is for the sound driver, the second is for the music driver. File Layout: |0 1 |2 3 |4 5 |6 7 |8 9 |A B |C D E F | |Unknown|Driver |Port |IRQ |DMA |DMA |Unknown | | |Number | | | | | | My values: 00 00 00 00 20 02 07 00 01 00 01 00 FF FF FF FF 00 00 02 00 20 02 07 00 01 00 01 00 FF FF FF FF Remember that Intel puts LSB first, so if your Port is 220 then byte 4 would be 20 and byte 5 would be 02. I don't know why DMA is listed twice. The driver number is an index (starting with 0) into the list of drivers shown in the setup program. I replaced the soundblaster files with the ones from ail30. SB was first in the list of sound cards, and third in the list of music cards, hence the values above. Good Luck!! (not liable for anything that might result from this post) -- Dave ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 11:02:45 GMT From: Jonathan Horden Subject: which CDROM ? OK - I know this question been asked a million times before, but I cant find it the FAQ or back issues of the digest... The question is which CD player should I buy ? I have a "standard" GUS with 1Mb, no daughter card. Will any CD player fit straight in, or do I need a daughter card ? what about the CDs that come with their own interface card - will they work ? Are any CD players simply incompatible ? Any help/hints would be gratefully appreciated! Thanks, Jon ------------------------------ End of GUS Daily Digest V17 #14 *******************************