GUS Daily Digest Thu, 9 Dec 93 007 Volume 9: Issue 9 Today's Topics: A little matter about GUS and Virtual Reality... Can the Windows driver do multiple simultaneous WAVs? EMS chips for GUS RAM?? GUS-Mixer and SBOS bug? GUS Daily Digest V9 #8 (2 msgs) Jurassic Park Line-In Connection of a Walkman Master Tracks Pro not playing On GUS MAX, Digital Playback OS/2 drivers Rebel Assault Speed Recording Music sequencing software Ultrasound Lowlevel Toolkit ultrasound sound quality vs. orchid 32 Usenet Newsgroups? 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: 8 Dec 93 08:43:00 EST From: "VULCAN::WATTERS_C" Subject: A little matter about GUS and Virtual Reality... I grabbed this from the REND386 (Homebrew Virtual Reality) mailing list. I thought you might be interested... ----- Begin message from GATE::WINS%"thinman@netcom.com" 3-Dec-93 Subject: Sound for Rend386 If you want to do sound under DOS coexistent with rend386, you have two choices for minimal CPU time: 2-op or 4-op FM synthesis on the stereo soundblaster-type cards, or the gravis ultrasound. The former makes a variety of 80s-style synthesized blats. They don't sound very true; I have a library of 400 2-op voices in netcom.com:pub/thinman/instr.tar.Z for the curious. The latter has up to a meg of sample ram, and a 16-channel stereo mixer chip. You poke a few registers and it does all the work, using its own ram. Plus, you can take a sound sample and generate versions around you (8 quadrant points) and pan between them in real-time. The GUS is absolutely perfect for this job. $170 street price around here. No 16-bit sampling, I think, so you need an SB-type card to do that. Under Windows you get all the sound manipulation software you need to get the job done. The GUS has a very nice toolkit; they've done the best job of all sound cards on documentation. ----- End forwarded message -Coyt ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 9:55:17 EST From: Mark Pfeifer Subject: Re: Can the Windows driver do multiple simultaneous WAVs? I don't think that the Windows .WAV driver can play multiple .WAV files. However, Microsoft has made available the specs for WAVEMIX.DLL, which Microsoft uses in Arcade to mix multiple .WAVs. I grabbed it off of Compuserve, in the Windows Multimedia forum (wavmix.zip, I think). Using WaveMix, you can mix as many as 8 .WAV files. Arcade uses this to play the background noise, while mixing in shots, explosions, and other noises. Mark -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mark Pfeifer (302) 633-8260 Internet: pfeifer@lf.hp.com Hewlett-Packard Little Falls Site #include Wilmington, DE 19808 #define OPINIONS mine ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 20:47:02 PST From: ud907@freenet.victoria.bc.ca (Christopher L. Mackay) Subject: EMS chips for GUS RAM?? I just ordered my GUS, and decided to join the mail-list so I know what to expect to come from this card. I'm hearing that I'll most likely need 1MB RAM to put on the GUS in order for all (patches?) to load into memory. I'd heard a rumour that some EMS chips from some old EMS boards would work just fine.....I have an old EMS board with some chips that have these markings on them(some of the chips are made by OKI): M514256-10 | M5M44256AP OKI | 9152J1H-10 JAPAN 8X2019 | As far as I can gather, these are 256K chips. I don't about their nanosecond ratings, though. Thanks for any help you can give me. Please leave e-mail at ud907@freenet.victoria.bc.ca -- Chris Mackay aka ud907@freenet.victoria.bc.ca ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 18:29:15 CST From: Erick_Bergquist@edtng.Kenosha.WI.US (Erick Bergquist) Subject: GUS-Mixer and SBOS bug? Hello, I was wondering if there was a TSR GUS Mixer similar to the PAS16's Mixer for the GUS? I would love to be able to have keyboard (TSR) control of volumes, and such in DOS. Any luck? Gravis, can this be done? Also, I noticed a small problem with SBOS (not a big deal), but if its not loaded and you do a SBOS -F to free it, it saids can't find interrupt or something like that, and saids keyboard interrupt hooked I think. And SBOSDRV stays in memory? I just thought I would let people know about it. I found out the hard way, was trying to get a program to work with MegaEm and couldn't get it working, and was playing with SBOS earlier, so thought I forgot to unload SBOS, so I went to unload it, and above happened. Hehe. BTW, I was showing some friends what the GUS can do, and now they are going to get one. They were amazed when I loaded up Second Reality 2, then UltraWolf, then Pinball. ;) -- Via DLG Pro v0.995 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=//-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=\\-=-=-= ITCnet: 85:872/203 -!- KENOnet: 10:11/0 // The Project Team '93 \\ T 9 Erick_Bergquist@EDTNG.Kenosha.WI.US // CIS Major - Happy GUSing \\ P 3 [------Insert Wise Saying Here------] // Programmer/Artist\Musician \\ T -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=//-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=\\-= ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 11:18:53 -0800 (PST) From: Vincent Poy Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V9 #8 On Wed, 8 Dec 1993, GUS Server wrote: > ------------------------------ > > Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1993 09:51:31 -0800 (PST) > From: Mark Harrison > Subject: GUS & CD-ROM answers > > > Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1993 09:59:39 GMT > > From: Clarke Brunt > > Subject: Answers > > > > > I was wondering if I had a Toshiba 3401 SCSI CD-ROM drive and a GUS, > > > besides saving a slot, what difference would it be if I hooked up the > > > CD-ROM to my Adaptec 1742A SCSI Controller, would I still be able to get > > > sound from the CD-ROM out of the Soundcard? > > > > As long as the audio out pins of the CD are connected to the CD-audio-in > > pins on the GUS. I don't know how this is achieved with the daughtercard - > > is there a separate cable for it? > > Note that the cable to go to the CD-audio-in pins are only necessary to > get Red-Book sound. That is the kind that you would find on a normal > music CD. The only disks I know of that use this method (though I'm sure > a lot of others do as well) are Mammals, Software Toolworks Encyclopedia > and the Nautilus disks. > > Most other disks (like games) will access the card directly just as if > they were run off the hard drive. So no cable would be necessary (of > course it's still recommended since you never know when something will > need Red-Book style output.) But I would say 90% of the stuff doesn't > need the cable. > > > Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1993 18:08:03 -0800 (PST) > > From: Vincent Poy > > Subject: CD-AUDIO Line IN Connector > > > > I have heard from many people that there is a CD-ROM Audio Line IN > > Connector on the GUS... I have the Internal Version of the Toshiba 3401 > > CD-ROM and I have looked in both the GUS Manuals that came with the GUS > > and the Manuals that have came with the Software Update that Gravis > > shipped but have not seen anything mentioning this line in. Does anyone > > out there know anything about this? > > Look on the card itself. They should be on the opposite edge from the > slot, roughly in the middle of that side. For better information (and pin > layout) check out the FAQ. > > > And also where I can get the cable for the connection? > > I made my own. > > Mark Harrison > harrison@sun.lclark.edu > Mark, How do you exactly make your own cable for the connection? Thanks. Cheers, Vince hippo@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu root@kingdom.com System Administrator/Owner Kingdom Communications Inc./California Unix Public Access Systems Inc. San Francisco, California USA \|/ (o o) _____________oOO__(_)__OOo_______________ | No warranty for my actions of any kind | ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1993 10:16:43 +1100 (EST) From: Charlie Brady Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V9 #8 On Wed, 8 Dec 1993, GUS Server wrote: > > Date: Wed, 08 Dec 1993 10:15:52 +1000 > From: David Vu > > > From: Nemesis > > Subject: S.G.I. compatibility and GUS > > > > I wanted to know if anyone knows if the Silicon Graphics Industries > > Indy computer(almost home PC) would be compatible with the GUS. I own a GUS > > and a 386 but might be getting an Indy...(on a longshot). I love GUS, but > > What I see of Indy is just too amazing... both would be awesome! > > I didn't know the Indy has ISA bus. Doesn't matter, the Indy and most SGI > boxes have digital sound modules built-in, with DSP, I think. So one can > probably write a modplayer and wave recording/processing for the Indy, but > gamewise and musicwise, I don't think so. > > -David- The SGI Indy is an advanced Unix workstation, no ISA bus. It already has substantial audio and video software. You can read about it in a special Video Computing issue of Byte, issued a few months ago. Charlie Brady * (W) charlieb@tplrd.tpl.oz.au * (H) charlieb@budge.apana.org.au "Make it as simple as possible - | Tel: (02) 413 6838 ____Telectronics__| /\__ but no simpler" Einstein, A | Fax: (02) 413 6868 Pacing Systems \/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1993 00:24:05 -0500 (EST) From: Doug Nashold Subject: Jurassic Park A lot of postings have listed Gravis as supporting Jurassic Park for the PC. Electronic Boutique's latest catalog suggests it will be ready for Christmas, but others think that JP isn't coming out at all. Any answers out there? Doug Nashold nashold@wpi.wpi.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 11:25:19 -0800 (PST) From: Vincent Poy Subject: Line-In Connection of a Walkman I connected my Walkman using the headphone jack on the walkman to the line in using a cable that's 1/8" Male to Male Stereo that I purchased from Radio Shack. It's just a standard round Grey Cable and somehow even when I'm playing tapes, I get alot of static out of the Speakers... Could this be a poor quality cable? If so, Does anyone know if I can buy better parts from Radio Shack and Make my own? Since this is a SONY SuperWalkman, the sound quality is supposed to be superior even with headphones... I did do ultrinit -l -o in dos and enabled the line in and line out in the mixer in windows. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks! Cheers, Vince hippo@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu root@kingdom.com System Administrator/Owner Kingdom Communications Inc./California Unix Public Access Systems Inc. San Francisco, California USA \|/ (o o) _____________oOO__(_)__OOo_______________ | No warranty for my actions of any kind | ------------------------------ Date: 8 Dec 93 15:27:00 PST From: EBULALACAO@CSUPomona.Edu Subject: Master Tracks Pro not playing This program probably doesn't support patch caching...that's why you don't hear anything when you play a song. The only thing you can do is ask the manufacturer whether they have a newer version that supports patch caching or you can load the sound patches manually using one of the GUS's patch loading utils in Windows. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 08 Dec 93 08:05:57 EST From: Steph Subject: On GUS MAX, Digital Playback > Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1993 11:58:14 -0500 (EST) > From: Phat H Tran > Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V9 #7 > > > Date: Mon, 06 Dec 93 23:44:49 EST > > From: Steph > > Subject: Dr. Dobb's Journal > > > [...] > > No manufacturer, except 3-4, gave out how many of their sound cards were > > installed, not even Creative Labs. > > > > On the other hand, Advanced Gravis did : 100,000 GUS installed, they > > say. There was another column listed for Advanced Gravis -- GUS MAX. > > 100,000 installed, as well. > > Technically, no GUS MAXes have been sold yet, so I guess since the Max and > the original GUS are so functionally similar (identical) in their native > modes (disregarding 16-bit recording and compression), this number of > installed Maxes has the normal GUS factored in. > I sort of guessed that much. Another case of the "100% SB Compatible" misinformation blues. > > The difference between those two columns? $100, and under "sound > > compression", the GUS MAX was listed as "Yes", while GUS said "No." That > > is all the difference I could see. > > The Max is also supposed to have a SCSI-2 interface. > Could've been. I just glanced at the columns quickly. > > You know, I'm starting to think the GUS will always be an 'emulation' > > card. If software developpers don't have to write native code for it > > because it can emulate Roland, SB, etc, then why bother? Maybe this > > will be the Amiga of the soundcards : emulate everything that exists out > > there. (Go ahead, flame on. It's just an opinion) > > Since the GUS can do so much more in its native mode than any of its > competition (in any price range), we GUS users must pressure the game > makers to support our card to its potential. > Hmmmm. Maybe so, but a card that can emulate another is still less trouble to program for gamemakers: simply ignore it. If the SoundWave has a native mode (anyone?), I'm sure it'll be a long time before it has native support. > Phat. > > ------------------------------ > I forget who it was, but someone said that SBOS emulates a true SB so will not play multiple samples at the same time. Seems to be true, at least in Alone in the Dark 2. On the other hand, MegaEm does play more than one digital sample. I don't know if it mixes or uses more channels, all I know is that there is more than one at the same time. Steph. ------------------------------ Date: 8 Dec 93 18:33:36 +0100 From: Tom Skoglund Subject: OS/2 drivers HELP !! I know there are GUS drivers for OS/2 2.1 out there somewhere. They where betareleased a week or two ago, but I just don't know where to get them. | Tom Skoglund | E-mail: Toso@oscar.bbb.no | Phone +47-55-321977 | Windows: From the people who made EDLIN ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 04:05:50 -0800 From: owjohn@hurricane.seas.ucla.edu Subject: Rebel Assault Speed I have ab SB16 ASP and a GUS installed in my system. Rebel Assault runs noticeably faster with the SB16 than with the GUS. I believe the music in this game is all digitized ((the sound quality seems about the same from both cards, though the GUS provides a bit more bass). Can anyone explain this difference in speed? is it due to the ASP chip on the SB16? -Johnny Ow ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 11:29:26 -0800 (PST) From: Vincent Poy Subject: Recording Music I attempted to record music from my Sony Walkman under the Microsoft Window Sound Recorder under Accessories and it not only recorded the music but even the voices, but it can only record 60 seconds maximum, is there anyway or anything out there that will make longer recordings? Thanks! Cheers, Vince hippo@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu root@kingdom.com System Administrator/Owner Kingdom Communications Inc./California Unix Public Access Systems Inc. San Francisco, California USA \|/ (o o) _____________oOO__(_)__OOo_______________ | No warranty for my actions of any kind | ------------------------------ Date: 8 Dec 93 15:21:00 PST From: EBULALACAO@CSUPomona.Edu Subject: sequencing software You might want to try a shareware midi player/sequencing software package called umm....damn...forgot the name. I believe it's in one of the GUS ftp sites...I'll have to check my Windows sound group for the name of that shareware package. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 21:49:00 EST From: aa993@freenet.carleton.ca (Christopher L. Tumber) Subject: Ultrasound Lowlevel Toolkit I've just started playing with the Lowlevel Toolkit, and I'm running into some linking problems... Undefined symbol 'F_LXLSH' in module DMA Undefined symbol 'F_LXLSH' in module DMADRAM Undefined symbol 'F_LXURSH' in module DMADRAM Undefined symbol 'F_LUDIV' in module VOCFREQ Undefined symbol 'F_LXMUL' in module VOLRATE I *think* I've #included everything, and I get the last four errors when I try to compile ultralib\example.c so I'm stumped. I tried #include because of the last two, but it made no difference. I'm using the large model Borland libs with Turbo C, any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 08:08:23 -0600 (CST) From: mjs7529@tamuts.tamu.edu (Michael J Stumpf) Subject: ultrasound sound quality vs. orchid 32 Has anyone actually compared the GUS and the Orchid card head to head? I read that the Orchid card is compatible with everything, but some GUS users say it sounds bad.. Just curious if anyone with a good sound system has tested dynamic response , distortion, etc.. I can't believe some of my friends that buy SB16's.. I ask them why, when it sounds so pathetic. They listen to 2nd reality on my sound system and 1/2 of them say "what? so what? Mine does that too" [imbeciles] and the other half seem to think they've made a HUGE mistake. ;) I might buy one of these Orchid cards, but if I do, it will only replace my sound bastard, leaving my gus where it is. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 8 Dec 93 07:35:49 -0500 From: jdimich@ajiant.dnet.dupont.com Subject: Usenet Newsgroups? I was just wondering if anyone out there was aware of GUS newsgroups that would be available? This would be a definite bonus. However, if there are not any newsgroups, do you guys think that it would be a good idea to get one going? Regards, Jason DiMichele jdimich@ajiant.dnet.dupont.com ------------------------------ End of GUS Daily Digest V9 #9 ******************************