Ultrasound Daily Digest Fri, 16 Apr 1993 Volume 3 : Issue 16 Today's Topics: Drum Patches and WinJammer 2.24 game patches GUS w/MoreControl HARDWARE-SB-EMU [Ultrasound Daily Digest V3 #7 et al.] Making room for SBOS in Ultima 7! Midi Sequencing Software [LONG] Sierra support for GUS... NOT.! Ultima 7 ULTRINIT crash & burn on OS/2 unsubscribe Information about the UltraSound Daily Digest (such as mail addresses, request servers, ftp sites, etc., etc.) can be found at the end of the Digest. *** HEY!!! *** Before you ask a question, *** READ THE FAQ ***. It's available on the request server and the ftp sites, or check the newsgroup archives. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 11:58:59 +0000 From: Clarke Brunt Subject: Re: Drum Patches and WinJammer 2.24 Message-ID: <0096B10D.D052CEC2.5627@lsl.co.uk> Nathan Sandland queried how to play percussion instruments in WinJammer: The GUS plays percussion on channel 10, so you must use that. For percussion, it's the note pitches that correspond to a particular instrument (e.g. incorrectly C5 = bass drum), rather than a 'patch' or 'program' select. You don't need to specify a patch for channel 10, indeed if you do then you will get the 'failed to load patch' message. So just create a track using channel 10, put a few notes in it, then play it. WinJammer will look what notes are used, and load the correct percussion patches. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 18:20:20 +0501 (EDT) From: Gunnar Swanson Subject: game patches Message-ID: Hey what is the deal is the only game patch available for Commanche Maximum Overkill? I have X-Wing and the list says that Lucas Arts will be supporting the GUS. Is it true? If so, is there a patch in the works. Also if there are all of these patches available why aren't they on the Internet? I got an $80.00 dollar phone bill calling VANCUVER I did not know that the Gravis BBS was in CANADA. So I am using the Internet its cheaper. What's the low down? Oh by the way if you have X-wing do not use the key board arrow keys with a joystick because it locks out most of the other keyboard functions. Well I hope this gets through. If anyone wants to my address is gunnar@gibbs.oit.unc.edu Thanx Gunnar end. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 06:47:37 -0600 (CST) From: "Neil D. Danylczuk" Subject: GUS w/MoreControl Message-ID: I don't have much time to list all the details here, but I have found that the Gravis Windows driver does not work properly with the freeware MoreControl. If you have MoreControl, you should remove it before installing the GUS drivers. The only way to uninstall MoreControl is to remove the files. There are 3, morecon.cpl, morecon.hlp, mcspin.dll. If anyone knows differently, let me know. I don't believe that the sound driver and More Control can exist together on the system. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Apr 93 15:46:35 GMT+0100 From: "Alexander Majarek, Sascha, SAM" Subject: Re: HARDWARE-SB-EMU [Ultrasound Daily Digest V3 #7 et al.] Message-ID: Hi folks! There have been several guys pointing out, that a hardware solution would be better than SBOS. I think that SBOS (as far as I hear from the list) is quiet a superb solution for the GUS. The GUS is an outraging soundcard and it's capabilities are much higher than those of sound-cards in the same or even higher price-range. The wave-table-synthesis (WTS) is better than FM-systhesis used by common sound-cards, but (as usual) the better (newer, more improved) something is, the more compatibility problems arise. Therefore the problems are not so big as one might expect (regarding the ratio IMPROVMENT : PROBLEMS) and they are - if I'm right - limited to a few games (SCII, XWING, and a few others) - simply forget them. So I think we should be satisfied that all the other games work! So far my $ 0.03 concerning SBOS. But I have 3 arguments why Gravis should IMHO definitely NOT include a compatibility-chip on the GUS: 1. It would become too expensive (probably more expensive than a SBP alone, perhaps even more expensive than a SB-16), at the moment the GUS is better and cheaper and that should also be so in the future. 2. Hardware compatibility is not so flexible as Software-comp. If they put a chip on the board for SB-support, tomorrow games will support SB-Pro, and if there is a chip for SB-Pro-supp. on the GUS, there will soon be the next FM-chip generation. With Software there should be no problem in adding support for future releases of the FM- chips, because they are compatible to the older versions and changes (in the software) would be minimal. 3. No SB-hardware on the GUS (the soundcard of the future) means (in the long run) that this old technology has to DIE. :)))))) Again, one question asked one week ago: Will there - somewhen - be the possibility to have - for instance - 16 MB on the GUS, in order to: 1. Hold all MIDI-patches on board (7 MB at the moment, tendency increasing), sampling to a large amount of GUS-memory, emulate for instance an EMU- Proteus (4 MB patches + software), let emulation- and oterh sound-based software run on the board, etc., etc., etc. Anybody out there (John Smith?) who knows? Flames to my personal email-address, constructive critizism to the list, please. Greetings, SAM ********************************************************************* *Alexander.Majarek@uibk.ac.at * There are 3 ways (fast, sweet, sure)* *Perthalerg. 1c/11 * for a man to ruin himself: * *A-6020 Innsbruck * 1. Gamblin' (fast), * *AUSTRIA (EUROPE) * 2. Women (sweet) & * *Tel.: 0043-512-84-26-15 * 3. Computers (sure) * ********************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 93 8:37:49 PDT From: jenkinch@ucs.orst.edu (Charley Jenkins) Subject: Making room for SBOS in Ultima 7! Message-ID: <9304151537.AA25922@ucs> Are you frustrated at not being able to load TSRs in high memory while running Ulitma 7? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to run Stacker, mouse driver, SBOS, disk cache, and Ultima 7? You can! Download UMBDR522.ZIP ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 09:09:50 GMT From: g2kafka@cdf.toronto.edu (Tierney Patrick) Subject: Midi Sequencing Software [LONG] Message-ID: <1993Apr15.090950.19550@cdf.toronto.edu> ReprintFrom: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard To preface this rather long posting, let me say that this is for those who either have a GUS and wish to know about some of the midi sequencer software products availible, or those with any soundcard with midi capabilities who are interested in using midi without using a synth or keyboard. Later on I poke my finger into that bee hive of GUS advocacy vs. GUS denouncing. I'm am neither an expert in music nor computers, nor do I believe that Pepsi_Cola et al do or should arbitrate whether or not a style of music is "good" or "real". ;-) Having nothing better to do (except study for a calculus on manifolds exam) I have been fiddling around with some of the demo sequencers that are availible for FTP. (By demo, I mean crippled commercial products, not music/anim pieces) These include 3 products for windows: CakeWalk, Musicator, and Cadenza. These are, as far as I can tell, working versions of the software with Save and Print functions disabled. They are availible from the ftp.cica.indiana.edu FTP site in the "somethingOrOther"/win3/demo directory. (Sorry, cant remember the first part of the path) This is mirrored (and from my experience, the download speed is significantly better) at wuarchive.wustl.edu in /mirrors/win3/demo directory They are called 1. cadwdemo.zip [=cadenza] 800k 2. musicato.zip [=musicator] 1.3 Mb 3. cwdemo.zip [=cakewalk] 600 k I still have the zipped versions of these files on floppy, and if there were sufficient demand, and the site admin didn't mind the several Mb involved, I could upload them to epas? Anyway, for those Gus users who wanted to know about how CakeWalk works with the GUS, I'd have to say very well. Be warned however that until Twelve Tone Music offers a version specifically aimed at working with the GUS, you have to use PatchManager to manually load the samples you're going to use for a song into DRAM. One way around this is (when loading an existing song) to start to play the song with media player after opening PatchManager. Then quit Media Player. The samples should remain in the GUS's memory. Start CakeWalk and load your song. I'm working without an external keyboard, so I can't comment on compatibility with GUS with one. However, for those who also have no keyboard, and would like to write their own songs using the mouse, I can tell you my impressions. First let me admit that I never got Cadenza to work with the GUS. You have to manually load drivers after the basic setup, and either I screwed up, or it just can't be done (probably the former). Cadenza looked very good, however, so please don't use my problems as any guideline. The 3 software sequencers I have used (in demo/shareware form) with the GUS are CakeWalk, Musicator, and WinJammer (availible as shareware at archive.epas.toronto.edu in /pub/pc/ultrasnd/ ? (I think it's sound/midi/util but I forget-- look around!) The first two will not let you save files (in demo form) , but both will let you create songs by either entering the notes onto a music staff, or by something similar using a music roll (player piano type thingy). WinJammer doesn't (at least in the unregistered version) have a music staff display/input, but at least you can save a copy of your work with the unregistered version. My impressions: For work without a keyboard, CakeWalk is excellent. I was creating my first song within minutes of unzipping the demo, and the music staff is well designed so that it's quite conceivable you could compose entirely in cyberspace :->. The Musicator product also has these capabilities, but while it seems an even more sophisticated product, the controls are not as intuitive (to me, at least) and the help was sometimes less than helpful. It does have a effects window (reverb and chorus, etc.) for GS instruments. Unfortunately, I don't think the GUS has these capabilities. [Please correct me if I'm wrong.] Both CakeWalk and Musicator have a Mixer Window which can be used for setting levels and panning on the fly, for playback and/or recording to tape. WinJammer automatically loads the needed patches for the GUS, and as I mentioned before, you can save anything you write before you decide whether to keep using it and register or not. However, without a keyboard, entering a song is a bit like writing a file in hex manually. It can be done, and if anyone wants to know how, e-mail me, and I'll let you know. If WinJammer had the note entry feature of the other two, there is no question that I would purchase their product. The price is more than fair, and I like supporting high-quality shareware products. But it looks like I'll have to save up, and opt for the CakeWalk product. I don't have room for a keyboard, and call me weird, but I love the idea of composing entirely in my computer. On a related topic, I want to bring up a point in this raging debate on the value of the GUS to the average computer user. I think an important concept has been overlooked. The GUS, and other cards in their time, brings sophisticated music and sound tools to the hands of almost everyone. I have previously rented midi equipment, and the rental cost for one month exceeds the price of GUS + WinJammer for keeps. Sure the technology is already out there in more sophisticated form, BUT I'm not going to buy it, because I'm neither rich nor a professional musician. (I used to be semi-pro, but that's another story.) Also, I think this stuff about most people getting soundcards only for games is crap. It's interpreting the present by the standards of the past. With earlier cards, none but the diehards probably used them for anything but games, because they didn't know how or feel it was worth the effort. With the newer cards, the sound quality opens up the possibility to "non-musicians" to play around and explore, without investing a bundle up-front. I believe a killer app in this area would be a midi sequencer that entirely hides the ugly midi control language from the user, and hides some of the complexity of music notation from the would-be composer. The point I'm hammering at here is that with the GUS, I think that the sound itself is the selling point. People are interested in MultiMedia, and the idea that they can have sound in their computer of that quality for the low price entices them. The game support thrown in, and the possibilities for creativity are added features. The game support is more than adequate, and without meaning to be rude, it seems to me that people who are terribly miffed by not having perfect SB emulation in their games are perhaps displaying a certain lack of life priorities. :-> If you are wondering about buying the GUS, and are put off by some of the problems you have read about in this group, here's my 2 cents worth. I have had the problems with installation, with the OPTI chipset, with sound in certain games, with Windows drivers, with lack of info in the _manual_ , yet I have never been happier with my purchase than I am today. The problems were mere trifles compared to the rush of composing your own _symphony_ at 5 in the morning, while your SO sleeps undisturbed in the next room. If I have become a GUS fanatic, then it's only because I love what it lets me do for a reasonable price. I still think there must be other cards out there that also make their owners happy, so check around. One last complaint: What the hell do people mean with all this fear-mongering about whether or not the GUS gets support (or even disappears)? Who cares? It's a cheap soundcard, not the new messiah. Of course there will be cheaper and better alternatives appearing in the future. There always are. And maybe (or not, it's immaterial except to them) Gravis will be offering one of them. But since I didn't sell the farm to buy my GUS, I'll be able to buy one of the newer cards when they significantly outperform my GUS (say within 2 years). I mean, this is computer tech we're talking about here -- it's all outmoded long before it's even released. Isn't that half the fun of the damn things anyway? Apologies to any of the mentioned companies if I've misrepresented your product in any way, and to the net-at-large if I've spoken false or wasted bandwidth. Also, since this is long, if responding by posting, PLEASE use an editor to trim the quoted stuff just to what you're commenting (flaming?) on. patrick tierney g2kafka@cdf.toronto.edu DISCLAIMER: I can hardly articulate my own ideas. You can be sure I am incapable of articulating the ideas produced by the augean stable called institutional thinking, including those of the learned institution I am currently infrequently attending. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 21:04:17 -0400 From: dave@rylos.n2idf.ampr.org (David Mutterer) Subject: Sierra support for GUS... NOT.! Message-ID: <9304152104.ZM3971@rylos.n2idf.ampr.org> I just asked Sierra 2 weeks ago and they said NO WAY... So after someone posted in a recent digest that Sierra WAS going to support the GUS, I asked again... here is the response: >From rutgers!compuserve.com!76004.2143 Thu Apr 15 16:38:41 1993 >Date: 15 Apr 93 16:27:42 EDT >From: Sierra On-Line >To: >Subject: Re: GUS & PAS 16 >Message-Id: <930415202742_76004.2143_CHN43-4@CompuServe.COM> >Status: OR > >I do know of any current plans to provide support, but, as is the >case with everything, this can change. The last "Official" word I had >was there would be no support in the near future. If I hear >different, I will let you know. > > >Happy Gaming! > >- Chris/Sierra On-Line Tech Support > Oh well... I don't know were you got your Sierra info.?? -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I never met a computer I didn't like," - David Mutterer -------- - dave@rylos.n2idf.ampr.org "unless it was made by IBM." - rutgers!rylos!dave -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 10:25:10 -0400 From: Michael Dauria Subject: Ultima 7 Message-ID: <199304151425.AA06456@ra.cs.umb.edu> Hey fellow Gusers. I have a question about Ultima 7, does anybody have a good setup for this game. The install program complains that I'm running in protected mode and it wants to run in real mode (I thought it was the other way around, oh well), so I've disabled emm386, but now I've got to load the sbos driver and the mouse driver low and I have no room left for smartdrv. The amount of time I have to wait while I access the disk is very annoying, and its very very annoying when I save and restore games (seems alot slower on these parts). Thanks in advance, MIKE B-) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1993 05:59:38 -0400 (EDT) From: lebeld@JSP.UMontreal.CA (David Lebel) Subject: ULTRINIT crash & burn on OS/2 Message-ID: <9304150959.AA13387@spt1.jsp.umontreal.ca> Well, to warn everyone that ULTRINIT.EXE crash & burn OS/2 system pretty hard here... Well, not that visually. Instead, it caused me so much headache to empty a tylenol bottle. Well, lemme explain. First of all, I just bought a new hard drive, so I reformated my WD Caviar, and put my new Quantum on drive C:. Just days before I installed the new install disks with success... (well, I never tried what failed with them before I switched)... Two days ago, I wanted to print my long term project with Word on WIN/OS2. Everytime I tried to print something, I got an OS/2 message telling me that my pretty was offline. Well, I say, just reboot, maybe it will be okay... ERROR! It still not worked... Even OS/2 simple copy prn wouldn't work. I turned everything off. Rebooted. Now, OS/2 could print, native OS/2 programs like Describe printed just fine. Until I booted a DOS box, Win/OS2 or anything that launch DOS. Bang, no more print could work, and I needed a full turn off to bring back everything to normal. I messed with my IO cards, my cables, tried a friend IO card with same results... Until I figured out that I had problems since: 1. Re-installed OS/2 on my new harddrive. 2. Installed the new Ultrasound software. Number 1 was rulled out quickly, so I remove ULTRINIT from my AUTOEXEC.BAT file, closed everything off, and rebooted... Fired up OS/2 Window, issued up copy prn, it works. Fired up Describe; it works. Fired up Win/OS2, IT WORKS, and then fired up DOS Full Screen, IT WORKS! . . . . . . typed 'ultrinit' on the DOS prompt; got back to OS/2 window, copy prn; BANG, IT DOESN'T WORK... Hah hah, I got you bummer! So, I suggest every OS/2 user to REMOVE ULTRINIT.EXE from their AUTOEXEC.BAT if they suspect something like this happening on their system. It sure does on mine... John Smith; I've also sent you this message so you can forward it to the ULTRINIT programmer for corrections. Now, time to get rest... It's 6:00AM, and didn't slept since 18hrs. -- David 'vectrex' Lebel " ... I'm hanging on your words, living on your UdeM - BSc. Informatique ,,, breath, feeling with your skin, will I always lebeld@JSP.UMontreal.CA (o o) be here? In your room ... " - Depeche Mode =======================oOO=(_)=OOo============================================= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 93 9:38:41 GMT+0200 From: Gideon le Grange Subject: unsubscribe Message-ID: <9304150738.AA18769@itu1.sun.ac.za> ------------------------------ Date: (null) From: (null) This program will allow you to loadhi all your TSRs WITHOUT putting your cpu in Protected Mode which Voodo Memory Manager hates. You can even create expanded memory in REAL mode in case your favorite disk cache works better with expanded memory. I tried it out last night and it worked great! For the first time I was able to load Stacker 2.0, mouse drv, click, smartdrv, SBOS, and run Ultima 7. Credit needs to go to Chris Kalin the orginal poster of this information! Chris Kalin -- Chris Kalin-----> ckalin@csd4.csd.uwm.edu -OR- ckalin@watt.cae.uwm.edu Charley Jenkins jenkinch@ucs.orst.edu ------------------------------ End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V3 #16 ************************************* Digest Address: ultrasound@dsd.es.com To post to tomorrow's digest Request Server Address: ultrasound-request@dsd.es.com To subscribe, unsubscribe, and request files Owner Address: ultrasound-owner@dsd.es.com To contact a human if the server has troubles FTP Sites: archive.epas.utoronto.ca pub/pc/ultrasound wuarchive.wustl.edu systems/msdos/ultrasound