Ultrasound Daily Digest Tue May 4 00:07 Volume 3: Issue 34 Today's Topics: [GUS,...] midi player for linux Any demand for my mids in 256k format? Buzz Aldrins Race Into Space and GUS - not impressed! (2 msgs) GUS DRAM problems How to create MIDI files for the GUS? John.Smith@gravis.com Mailing List Admin... Now what? OPTi and UMC chipsets SBOS 2.06Beta Simple program for making music? Starcon 2 Starcon II probs (2 msgs) Tips on playing back chris.mids XWing on EXIT tries to access PRN?!? 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: Sun, 2 May 1993 11:47:12 GMT From: lee@Hawaii.Edu (Greg Lee) Subject: [GUS,...] midi player for linux Message-ID: ReprintFrom: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard I uploaded to the epas archive the source code to "mp", a midi file player for linux and Hannu Savolainen's sound driver. The file name is mp-prel.tar.Z (it's a preliminary version). It plays on the GUS, the SoundBlaster, the PAS16, and in general whatever cards the sound driver supports. It uses midi output and input (the latter to record new tracks) for the PAS16. When there are multiple cards or a synth connected to a midi ouput port, it divvies up the notes among the available output devices. (I use it with GUS, PAS16, and Kawaii K1 synth.) This version works with version 1.99.2 of the sound driver. The sound driver version on epas right now is 1.99.1 (in /pub/pc/ultrasound/util/unix), but I think that will work, if you supply a #define for the symbol OPL3_PATCH. Envelope control for the GUS is pretty crude right now, because I understand so little about how the GUS works. I gather that there is envelope information in GUS patches, but I haven't been able to decode and make use of that. If any of you who know something about this could post some more information about it, that would be helpful. (And could someone unpack that file udox-20.exe on epas?) -- Greg Lee ------------------------------ Date: 3 May 1993 11:52:21 PST From: chrisw Subject: Any demand for my mids in 256k format? Message-ID: <9305031855.AA23701@leland.Stanford.EDU> ------------ Hi people. Just thought I'd actually check out what the RAM requirements of my mids really were. (You never know when you're writing them because you've got a lot of spare noises loaded up as well). Anyway, they are: chris1.mid : 345k chris2.mid : 581k chris3.mid : 590k chris4.mid : 627k chris5.mid : unfinished! The other thing I did was to use for the first time the 'conserve memory option' on the GUS Windows driver. As it turns out it sounds a lot better than I thought it would. (I guess it's because the DAC's still 16-bit). Anyway, this makes me think that perhaps passable versions of my files could be made for 256k GUSes. The question is, is it worth it? If anyone wants to write me an Email explaining why they can't possibly afford $25 of Ram chips (eg. the children have already been sold to the white slave traders, the only piece of furniture left in the house is the video monitor stand, and negotiations for sale of the cat to the cat food company are already underway) then I'll consider it. One other thing. Anyone know if there's some way to have midi channels other than 10 play as drum channels as well? I'd like to do some stereo drum effects but I've got no control over the drum mix at the moment (unless I use seperate GM patches rather than the drum noises). Cheers, Chris. ------------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------ Date: 1 May 93 22:55:33 GMT From: brian@woody.win.net (Brian Semotiuk) Subject: Buzz Aldrins Race Into Space and GUS - not impressed! Message-ID: <19@woody.win.net> ReprintFrom: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard I just bought Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space by Interplay today because it said on the box that it supported the GUS. This was the only reason I bought it. After installing it, I found out that in the music setup there is no selection for the Gravis Ultrasound. But there is one for digitized sounds. The readme file included says that at this time they do not support music on the GUS, but only the digitized sounds. As far as I'm concerned, there is no significant difference in digitized sound capabilities across the different soundcards as compared to the GUS (I realize differences in sampling rate and resolution but this isn't my point). The big difference is that the GUS uses wave table synthesis, which sounds alot better than the FM synthesis found on these other cards. I am dissappointed at Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space by Interplay because it doesn't fully support the GUS native mode as led to believe by reading the box. If Interplay didn't have their GUS routines done then they shouldn't have advertised GUS support yet (It's not like they have to redo the box, it's just a sticker!). I am going to send a mail to Interplay asking them when we can expect full GUS support. Just thought I'd put a message up warning all GUS owners out there not to buy this game if they're only interested in the GUS support.(Game looks good otherwise). Brian ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 1993 03:39:00 GMT From: mccarty@netcom.com (Michael K McCarty) Subject: Re: Buzz Aldrins Race Into Space and GUS - not impressed! Message-ID: ReprintFrom: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard brian@woody.win.net (Brian Semotiuk) writes: >it doesn't fully support the GUS native mode as led to believe by >reading the box. If Interplay didn't have their GUS routines done ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 93 9:26:51 PDT From: hippo@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu (Vincent Poy) Subject: Re: GUS DRAM problems Message-ID: <9305031626.AA07134@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu> > Date: Sat, 1 May 93 21:47:21 +0200 > From: chief@lysator.liu.se > Subject: GUS - Digest - More > Message-ID: <9305011947.AA03335@ruben.lysator.liu.se> > > [Okay. This is the third re-post of this message. The first time, it > got completely garbled, without headers and without subject-line. > The second time, it didn't make it at all (but issues 30 and 31 were > numbered 30 and 30). I don't know if I dare to post it again, but > here goes. Lets see what happens this time. /Erik] > > > In GUS Digest Vol.3 Issue #28, his@hiogron.rhg.nl (Henk Hindriks) wrote: > > > I experienced the same problem: Ultraram and Setgus telling me that I > > have a DRAM-failure while swapping the RAM's doesn't help anything. > > You're the lucky one! My Setgus won't even run! > > > After some research I found out that the failure is in the highest > > 128K of the memory independent of the IC's, so it's problably a wrong > > adres-decoding. > > Well, it can't be that in my case though, as the GUS works fine with > the old set of disks (1.22) UNLESS (John Smith, you still out there?) > GRAVIS did something pretty nasty to the new set of disks, OR, SETGUS.EXE > and ULTRINIT.EXE, because I can't load anyone of them AT ALL. > > > So please everyone try the Ultraram or the Setgus (advanced- > > diagnostics) to find out if Your ultrasound functions O.K. > > I would if I could. > > ::::: (oh, by the way .. I guess the next digest won't be making it, > so I better save this letter too and re-mail it again. Isn't it > strange that both times the Digest have been completely erased > or whatever, previously, I sent stuff to it. And that's the ONLY > times I did send something too. So I better save this one or > just mail it twice and see what happens Then to the digest. > Hold on to your hats!) > > -/- Erik (with his v1.22 disks. Got mail from JS who said Gravis would > probably handle the distribution of the new disks to Europe > from the U.S. - Thanks.) Well, I found out what the problem is.... It's the memory brand NMBS in general.... They have problems in their timing as I was told by my friend who is a computer dealer..... You can't always trust things that says Made in Japan I guess..... My friend sold me 6 80ns DRAMS, 1 NEC, 2 Hyundai and 3 Samsungs and it all pasted the SetGUS test and I guess it's just a matter of the brand name not even where it's made anymore now adays... And remember, I exchanged the NMBS chips like 5 times already so it confirms that it's that particular brand of chips that had these problems... Just to let all of you GUS users know so you won't end up going back and forth to that dealer 5 or 6 times.... -- Cheers, Vince ------------------------------ Date: 3 May 1993 12:56:33 -0400 From: kevin@msai.com (Kevin Smith) Subject: Re: How to create MIDI files for the GUS? Message-ID: <1s3is1INN24l@pluto.msai.com> ReprintFrom: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard In article <1993Apr29.125441.29236@se01.elk.miles.com> sjm@se01.elk.miles.com (Scott Mark) writes: >From se01!sjm Thu Apr 29 07:51:26 EST 1993 > >Is there any program out there that makes it easy to write midi files to >play on the Ultrasound? > >I remember back in the days of the Atari 800 we could just pick one of >four voices and then enter notes and durations, and then play the thing >back. Pretty easily. > >I understand that MIDI is more than just notes and durations, but I tried >using WinJammer and I have to enter "events" and so forth. I had the same problem when I downloaded WinJammer thinking it would allow me to enter music with my keyboard (qwerty, not musical), but I don't think it has this capability. >Maybe it isn't too hard, but all the jargon scares me. And WinJammer's >claim that the Track Name field (say what??) is going to be overwritten >fills me with a nameless dread that I can write a bunch of stuff that >I won't be able to get back unless I have the registered version. All this means is that if you create a song and it has six tracks: French horn Honky-tonk piano Acoustic snare ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 May 1993 14:38:42 -0400 (EDT) From: elminstr@hudlink.hoboken.nj.us (J.J. Pierson) Subject: John.Smith@gravis.com Message-ID: <8mLZ3B1w165w@hudlink.hoboken.nj.us> Does any body get a responce from John Smith when you send mail asking about the GUS? I've sent like 5 messages over the last few months and only got one reply when I first sent him something. --- J.J. Pierson Internet EMail: elminstr@hudlink.hoboken.nj.us Prodigy Email: TVFF82B ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 93 12:38:03 CDT From: ddebry@itchy (Dave DeBry) Subject: Mailing List Admin... Message-ID: <9305031838.AA18084@itchy> This is a message to readers of all the mailing lists I maintain: I'm going to be away from the office until Friday, so any problems that come up with your list will have to wait at the very least until then. I'm anticipating a big task load at work when I get back, so it may be even longer. -- Dave ddebry@ debry@ \ "This is why, when I was in high school, DeBry dsd. peruvian. | all my friends were getting it fast and es. cs.utah. | and furious while I was manning the phones com edu / for the Peer Counseling Hotline." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 May 1993 16:55:37 -0500 (EST) From: BRIECK@uoft02.utoledo.edu Subject: Now what? Message-ID: <01GXQUZI0MLU0016B1@UOFT02.UTOLEDO.EDU> I just added RAM to my GUS. Now that I'm at 1 meg, what do I need to do to get the most out of it? I assume I need to adjust some Windows settings like voices, channels, etc. Can anyone help me out? Brian Rieck ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 2 May 93 23:29:46 PDT From: schottd@ucs.orst.edu (Derek Schott) Subject: OPTi and UMC chipsets Message-ID: <9305030629.AA06579@ucs.orst.edu> After reading through some of the past bulletins on the GUS FTP sites, I found that not only does the GUS have problems with the OPTi chipset, but also the UMC chipset. One text went on to say that the DMA timing is incorrect for the 16-bit DMA on these chipsets, and the GUS defaults to a 16-bit DMA channel. It also says that an 8-bit DMA should work alright, and that the new setup program from GUS will default to an 8-bit DMA. Does this mean that the OPTi and UMC problems are now obsolete, and that a computer system with the OPTi or UM chipset is safe due to the corrected 8-bit DMA setting? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 1993 18:32:45 -0700 From: Eric N. Liao Subject: SBOS 2.06Beta Message-ID: <199305040132.AA25874@aerospace.aero.org> I heard this is already on Gravis's BBS. Could someone put it on epas? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 1993 13:22:41 -0500 (EST) From: sjm@se01.elk.miles.com (Scott Mark) Subject: Simple program for making music? Message-ID: <9305031822.AA00355@se01.elk.miles.com> I've got a GUS and I don't even know where to start with making music. I don't have any idea how to enter MIDI music (except that I better reserve channel 10 for percussion??) and I have had ZERO luck getting Winjammer to work for me. Where can I turn? Do I need to read a book on all the steps needed in order to make MIDI music? [First you need to pick a track, then assign a channel to the track, a patch to the channel, and events to the track, etc, etc] Or is there a simpler program-- one that understands quarter notes and flats and sharps and so on? I'm not trying to get the best vibrato on my instrument -- I just want to get started somewhere. What do I do? Do I have to buy stuff? Is there PD stuff available? Or for the best of all worlds -- is there a program where I can work with sheet music for starters, and then edit the events for velocity, etc, in the area where I think it would matter? Is there any easy way to get started, or is there just a horrendous learning curve and no way to get around it? Scott Mark sjm@se01.elk.miles.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 1993 11:37:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Pete Kilcullen Subject: Starcon 2 Message-ID: <199305031537.AA14643@access.digex.net> RE: Starcontrol 2 problems. In answer to yesterday's post, the fellow said he tried gusclear and the 669 player. Have you tried "gustest.exe /z" to clear memory? It works fine for me and SC 2 sounds great!! Pete ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 93 9:21:19 PDT From: roberts@brahms.amd.com (Dave Roberts) Subject: Starcon II probs Message-ID: <9305031621.AA27793@angelo.amd.com> In GUS Digest you wrote: > I know, I know, I don't want this to become a gaming-only > list, either, but I'm really getting annoyed at these two games. > > 1] Star Ctrl. II: I'm still getting noise. I run GUSCLEAR, no > dice. I run the 669 player, and it locks up my system. (Grrr...) I have the same problem. Lots of pops and clicks when the music is playing. I don't have problems with any other game so I don't think it's my setup. Zone 66 works great as do a lot of other games under SBOS. How much RAM do you have on your GUS? I'm still sitting at 256K and I'm wondering if it doesn't have enough and just won't tell me that. BTW, is the music in this game just LOUD, or what? I'm playing with head phones and my ears just about got blown apart. Is there any way to turn down the volume? I'm almost thinking of going back and using SBOS (ack!) just so I can have the "[]" keys. Dave Roberts Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Network Products Division david.roberts@amd.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 93 13:38:24 CDT From: ddebry@itchy (Dave DeBry) Subject: Re: Starcon II probs Message-ID: <9305031938.AA24563@itchy> > > 1] Star Ctrl. II: I'm still getting noise. I run GUSCLEAR, no > > dice. I run the 669 player, and it locks up my system. (Grrr...) > > I have the same problem. Lots of pops and clicks when the music is > playing. It's not pops and clicks during the music, it's when the music is finished and it plays everything else in the GUS's memory, which is a lot of annoying noise. I'll try the 'gustest -z' that someone on the list suggested yesterday (thanks to the suggestor). -- Dave ddebry@ debry@ \ DeBry dsd. peruvian. | "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick es. cs.utah. | ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum." com edu / ------------------------------ Date: 3 May 1993 22:29:10 PST From: chrisw Subject: Tips on playing back chris.mids Message-ID: <9305040531.AA00986@leland.Stanford.EDU> ------------ Hi people. Sorry for posting yet again to the digest. Just wanted to give a few more instructions about playing back my mid files. As far as I know there's not much difference in the various ways you can play them back (Playmidi, Windows media player, Cakewalk for Windows, Winjammer). However, if you're using an application that uses the midi mapper (like the media player) PLEASE make sure that you're using the 'Ultrasound patch cache aware' setup and NOT the 'Ultrasound 1024k' setup. Also please edit this setup so that ALL 16 CHANNELS go to the GUS. I'm using them all on some tracks so if you don't have this you're going to be losing things. Lastly, I'm currently using 28 active voices. You can try less if you want, but notes may get cut short or not sound at all. I don't know. Actually, notes sometimes don't sound for me. I don't know why. Might try 32. Chris. Chris. (The Midiman!) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 3 May 93 7:54:20 CDT From: ibmpa!hartmann.austin.ibm.com!lance@ibminet.awdpa.ibm.com (Lance Hartmann) Subject: XWing on EXIT tries to access PRN?!? Message-ID: <9305031254.AA15171@hartmann.austin.ibm.com> We've all seen the posts about "jerkiness" in XWing when music is enabled, BUT has anyone see this? Upon exiting from XWing to DOS, I got an error message stating something about problems accessing PRN: Abort? Retry? Very strange... I haven't had a chance to reproduce it -- will try to do so tonight. Lance Hartmann (lance%hartmann.austin.ibm.com@ibmpa.awdpa.ibm.com) Yes, that IS a '%' (percent sign) in my network address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- All statements, comments, opinions, etc. herein reflect those of the author and shall NOT be misconstrued as those of IBM or anyone else for that matter. ------------------------------ End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V3 #34 *************************************