Ultrasound Daily Digest Wed, 22 Sep 93 0:47 MDT Volume 6: Issue 21 Today's Topics: 1-800 # 4pin CD Plugs Dagger of Amon Ra and MegaEm Digest Question email to gravis+log jams Fm, filtering, etc. GUS-Shopping GUS under WinOS2 ?? large .wav files under windows? MegaEM Piano Patch Mitsumi Drive Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #20 (3 msgs) Why would _I_ buy a Gravis? Here's why... 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: Tue, 21 Sep 1993 14:07:44 +0100 (METDST) From: alessandro miccolis Subject: Re: Message-ID: <9309211207.AA19172@pluto.sm.dsi.unimi.it> -- == miccolis@ghost.dsi.unimi.it ================================= | MICCOLIS (149.132.2.1) | | ALESSANDRO Department of Computer Science | =============================== University of MILAN (ITALY) ==== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 93 21:28:14 EDT From: ddr@math.ufl.edu Subject: 1-800 # Message-ID: <9309220128.AA20035@bebop.math.ufl.edu> The number for sales is 1-800-663-8558, take their addvice with a grain of salt though. I called the other day and was told that Gravis does not sell memory upgrades for the GUS and if they did I would only need 3 chips to go from 256k to a meg! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 93 03:20:00 BST From: b.williams44@genie.geis.com Subject: 4pin CD Plugs Message-ID: <9309220234.AA18749@relay2.geis.com> Hi, For anyone interested I've found a supplier for the 4 Pin CD pugs for the GUS Card.The andress to order them is Dave Redfern P.O.Box 765 Crystal Beach,FL. 34681 Send $2.00 and SASE.They fit perfect. ***StarHawk*** ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 93 04:24:34 EDT From: ddr@math.ufl.edu Subject: Dagger of Amon Ra and MegaEm Message-ID: <9309210824.AA14290@gomek.math.ufl.edu> When I play Dagger of Amon Ra with MegaEm the sound used for the typewriters is not like any typewriter I ever heard. It is more like musical notes. Sierra downloads its own data to the Roland/GUS so I would guess that I cannot change the sound ...... am I correct? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1993 01:29:13 +0200 From: chief@lysator.liu.se Subject: Digest Question Message-ID: <199309212329.BAA02778@ruben.lysator.liu.se> This is probably a question for the List owner (Dave?), but in case someone else have received these issues, here goes. Does these issues of the Ultrasound Daily Digest exist?: ULTRASOUND DAILY DIGEST Vol.1: 50 Vol.3: 3, 32 Vol.4: 28 and these issues of the Programmer's Digest?: ULTRASOUND PROGRAMMER'S DIGEST Vol.3: 1, 5-6 If they do, would someone please let me know where I can find them, or perhaps even e-mail them to me (to the address in the header)? Thanks in advance, /Erik ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 93 9:36:03 BST From: james@maths.exeter.ac.uk Subject: email to gravis+log jams Message-ID: <4734.9309210836@maths.exeter.ac.uk> Don Eller writes: >** Flame-on >Gravis,if anyone reads the digest, please wake up and realize that anyone >familiar with internet mail uses POSTMASTER to ask email address information >when reply's bounce back. It's very import to maintain this alias, especially >when you change your email addressing scheme! >** Flame-off In fact if it is true that gravis dont have a valid postmaster alias it probably breaks their conditions for being connected to internet email. But no one would be that stupid would they? Meshreki@ee.udel.edu sez: >I WANT LINEAR VOLUME DRIVERS FOR WINDOWS AND PLAYMIDI! RELEASE THEM! Your in luck then the gus ships with them. Unfortunately our hearing isnt linear. I suggest you replace your ears. I want a portamento controller..yes I will install Linux asap, if not sooner -- James Andrews, Computer Development Officer, Exeter University Maths Dept ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1993 13:54:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Christopher Jon Wilkins Subject: Fm, filtering, etc. Message-ID: <199309212054.NAA04582@elaine37.Stanford.EDU> On the topic of FM and filtering, etc... The most significant thing that Gravis could do to make the GUS more like a pro-level synthesizer is to alow multi-oscilator patches. This would enable some kind of tonal variation which didn't slow down or speed up with note pitch so that a kind of filtering sound could be done (same technique as, for example, the Yamaha SY-22,33 series use). It could also be used for tonal variation depending on key velocity by having different velocity-amplitude curves for different voices. (And it would let me do chorusing effects without having to double the track which would be far less painful). What's more, it can't be very difficult. Anyway, have to go and finish unpacking (back in the U.S. now!) Chris. ------------------------------ Date: (null) From: "ALEXANDER MAJAREK" Subject: GUS-Shopping Message-ID: <199309211509.AA01848@uibk.ac.at> Hi Guys! I bought my GUS early August, but that was far away from my terminal, so here is my report: I got my GUS (here in Austria, EUROPE) for ATS 2000 = USD 165. 756 KB RAM costed another ATS 600 = USD 50. I put the RAM in my GUS and started. Everything fine (for one day) except that there was heavy noise when I played files with many instruments until I tried the 3D-demo (fptest.exe). "Only 567 KB RAM onboard 512 needed" !??! When I made a RAM-Test I was shocked. Bank 2 completely bad, Bank 3 & Bank 4 only 34 & 65 KB OK. I blamed the RAM-chips (my GUS had noname 80ns; and I got SANYO 70 ns) and gave them back to my dealer (the same from which I got the GUS). After two (unsuccesful) days of phone calls for chips with the same mnemonics like the original ones I noticed that there were exactly the same (to my luck) in my TSENG-card. So I put them in my GUS and decreased therefore my graphics-card-memory to 256 KB. The RAM-Test now said Bank 1, 3 and 4 OK, Bank 2 BAD. Swapping the chips didn't change anything. So it was the GUS. I returned it to my dealer and got another one (Rev. 2.2, the bad one was Rev. 2.4). When I installed it, it made problems with the 16-bit DMA, which worked perfectly with the bad GUS. So I had to use 8-bit DMA (and it's not a faulty chipset on my motherboard!). When I tried some demos everything was OK (including RAM and so the noise was GONE), the Quality was *SUPERB*, but ...... when I tried the 3D demo I got nearly nothing on the left channel . I didn't notice that with the demos because I didn't use headphones when playing them and the speakers stood both in the middle. But when I replayed the demos with headphones the left channel was also dead. Same result with LINE OUT. Guess it! I returned it for a new one (Rev. 2.4). Many thanks to my very patient and friendly dealer. This time everything was fine (including 16-bit DMA). As a reward for my dealer I bought the "bad" chips again (although they are much cheaper at other shops) and put them in my graphics-card. Works like a charm. Seems like the GUS being kind of dificult concerning DRAM. Sorry for a very long report, but - yes - there's a point. I knew the Risk with RAM-upgrades, I knew about faulty DMA-controlers, I knew that SBOS isn't perfect and I have Internet access for e-mail and FTP, so I *chose* to give it a try. And after all the troubles I'm really satisfied with that piece of hardware which is NOW in my PC (I just can't put that SOUND (quality) in words). What I don't know is: what do people do if they don't have the install disks (2.06a) ready at home (who have to wait 2 month or more), if they can't solve their problems via email & Internet, if they are not used to open their computer 2 times a week (like I am) or dissembling their graphic-card, if they can't give the GUS back to a local dealer (instead have to wait weeks/months for a replacement from GRAVIS), etc. , etc., etc. FLAME ON *********** Without Internet-access (or a modem) you can FORGET the idea of having fun with a GUS! FLAME OFF ********** I really want the GUS (I love it by now) to become *the* standard soundcard and maybe these problems are solved in the newer revisions of the cards. The only reason (apart from superior sound) for me to buy the GUS (although there are troubles) is the GOOD WORK from GRAVIS I can see every day on the Internet (new drivers, customer support, etc.) and the possibility to implement nearly everything new simply via software(-changes). Gravis, go on like that. Sascha ********************************************************************* *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: Wed, 22 Sep 1993 02:49:32 +1000 From: els413c@fawlty1.eng.monash.edu.au (KWT Wong) Subject: GUS under WinOS2 ?? Message-ID: <9309211649.AA19003@fawltyds.eng.monash.edu.au> Hi. I am not sure if this is a FAQ but I haven't read anything about it for a long long time. Is there anyway to get the GUS to run under WinOS2 in OS/2 2.1 ?? I can get the GUS working under a DOS session but when I try to run the GUS in a WinOS2 enhanced mode session. I get the error that the GUS needs to be working under Enhanced mode but the session is already under Enhanced mode ! Any help appreciated Gravis come out with the OS/2 drivers quick !! A brand new market just waiting to be tapped !! Another almost unrelated topic: Does anyone know if there are drivers for the Matsushita/Panasonic CD-ROM drive that is normally packaged with the old SBPro ? I don't have the SBPro and running the drive with an interface card. It uses the MSCDEX at the moment. Thanks in advance Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 93 13:31:27 BST From: james@maths.exeter.ac.uk Subject: large .wav files under windows? Message-ID: <5247.9309211231@maths.exeter.ac.uk> To play a .wav file under windows does the whole thing have to be loaded into RAM or something? I've been experiencing very odd results with perc, the media player, cool, version 105 & even a registered version of noisemaster Trying to get a 2 meg 16bit/44.1 khz wav file to load. The best Ive had is that the file loads, it can be played once through and then I get a GPF. That was with cool, and its inconsistent. This is on a 486sx with 4megs of RAM. I figure maybe that other soundcards need the sample in RAM to pump a DAC at a realistic speed, perhaps. Playfile lets the file play under dos and it sounds good. Comments please. -- James Andrews, Computer Development Officer, Exeter University Maths Dept ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 93 13:30:25 EST From: "Bryan Cass" Subject: MegaEM Piano Patch Message-ID: <00972E0BEDE16A40.24407876@idx.com> I *finally* got MegaEM to work with my sequencer program (MusicPrinter Plus) and the MPU-401 MIDI card (Music Quest PC MIDI) I have installed. I use the following EMUSET command: EMUSET /SC/SS/CO2 and also install a TSR driver provided with the sequencer software for the MIDI card. Now, though, when I play back a sequenced song the notes all play with the same volume from attack to release (i.e. there is no envelope for the patch). 1) Is this normal for MegaEM? 2) Can I change the SCC-1 patch it's using to get a more realistic piano sound? 3) Was this problem answered in Phat's "Modifying Your GUS Patches" essay? 4) Can I possibly ask any more questions? Also, now that I got MegaEM to work for my needs, I'd like to register and get more that 20 minutes (great "make-em-register" idea!) of play time. Are registrations still on hold until Gravis decides what they want to do with MegaEM? (this could be a long wait) Thanks, Bryan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1993 00:23:05 -0500 (CDT) From: Phil Johnson Subject: Mitsumi Drive Message-ID: I will post on the digest in a few days, if someone doesn't beat me to it, on the phone # I have, as a salesman for a reseller, for Mitsumi.. the old number which people might know about, has been disconnected.. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | pjohnso2@ub.d.umn.edu Univ. of Minnesota - Duluth | "Lawnmower Man's in | ----------------------------------------------------- your head now." | | -- Jeff Fahey in | | Stephen King's THE | | LAWNMOWER MAN | |_____________________| ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1993 10:47:30 -0400 From: Gregory Chung Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #20 Message-ID: <199309211447.KAA15868@eden.rutgers.edu> I've heard all the fanfare over the Mega-EM program, so I finally went out and got it. Problem is I can't get it working, because it either tells me my ultrasnd.ini is corrupt or it can't find the patches in the directory. The documentation isn't very clear on this point, but I assume is uses the ULTRADIR environment var? What I have here is this: UltraSound directory = C:\ULTRASND, while the patches are located in E:\SOUND\MIDI. I've tried the ultrasnd.ini from my windows directory, which works (with Windows) to no avail. Any advice for the clueless? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1993 11:00:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Phat H Tran Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #20 Message-ID: > Date: Mon, 20 Sep 93 02:54:37 PDT > From: brian@ccnext.ucsf.edu (Brian Huddleston) > Subject: Dma probs.. > Message-ID: <9309200954.AA13695@ccnext.ucsf.edu> > > Greetings all, > > Can someone out there tell me the PROS and/or CONS of having a 16bit DMA channel > There is no tangible advantage that I can detect to using a 16-bit DMA channel over an 8-bit one, except that if you can't use DMA channels 5 and 7 for whatever reasons, you'd be short two alternatives when trying to resolve conflicts. There is no speed or sound quality difference. However, there is a difference in the steps required to transfer data to and from the GUS through an 8-bit and a 16-bit DMA channel, so if software doesn't take the difference into consideration, they might only work on a 16-bit channel and not an 8-bit one, or vice versa. An example would be Star Control II, which only transfers samples correctly if you use a 16-bit DMA channel. > Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1993 13:33:57 -0500 > From: Don Eller > Subject: Re: Mitsumi/GUS > Message-ID: <199309201833.AA10886@rwanda.inst.medtronic.COM> > > There is still a remote possibility that the problem with the Matsumi drive pauses is a hardware design problem with 16 bit DMA, that might possibly be corrected if Gravis used a different design, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that the problem is i n the software driver and will remain even with the GUS daughtercard. Speaking of pauses and the Mitsumi, I get a lot of them in Windows if I try to play a WAVE off a CD-ROM on my GUS if the GUS is using a 16-bit DMA channel. The pauses disappear if I use the GUS on an 8-bit channel. I also get pauses when copying files from the CD-ROM to my HD. In DOS, the pauses occur much less often. > Date: Mon, 20 Sep 93 02:31:00 -0500 > From: dan.roscigno@timeslice.gnv.fl.us (Dan Roscigno) > Subject: Sierra Drivers > Message-ID: <977.95.uupcb@timeslice.gnv.fl.us> > > I read in a FIDO conf that Sierra has released Roland drivers for their > old games. This is not the GUS support that is expected, but is better > than nothing. If anyone can call the Sierra BBS local and upload these > drivers to epas that would be peachy. > These are Roland-only drivers and you hope to use them with GUS and Mega-Em? I'm not sure what you mean by "better than nothing". > Date: Mon, 20 Sep 93 20:37:37 PDT > From: mikebat@netcom.com (Mike Batchelor) > Subject: Ultramid -c vs. neat > Message-ID: <9309210337.AA06573@netcom2.netcom.com> > > What's the diff between -c and not using that switch? -c loads a GM patch > set right? Does this imply that not using the switch will let the game > load its own patch set? > No. The -c switch just forces Ultramid to load a subset of the GM patches into the GUS' RAM, and then only use those samples, instead of caching on the fly in the game. But whether Ultramid caches on the fly or not, it's still limited to the patches laid out in ultramid.ini. A game can use its own custom patches if it includes its own ultramid.ini. > Date: Mon, 20 Sep 93 05:18:58 EDT > From: ddr@math.ufl.edu > Subject: ~Prince of Persia ONE > Message-ID: <9309200918.AA07880@gomek.math.ufl.edu> > > Does anyone know how to get POP ONE running with the GUS? I used to play it with my ThunderBoard, and pulled it out to try with GUS.. It locks up very quickly now. The original Prince of Persia worked fine for me with SBOS. The lock ups might just be due to improper soundcard configuration. Phat. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1993 10:50:43 +0930 (CST) From: Gavin Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #20 Message-ID: <930922105043.23d6@hfrd.dsto.gov.au> Robert Lee DeRaud writes.... I said >the problem lies in that FM as used by the SB is quite poor ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ RD>The little piece-of-shit FM chip the SB uses has the same relationship to a RD>'real' FM synth as a toddler's tricycle does to a Corvette. So stop agreeing with me then arguing about it. And you can only compare apples with apples er, IBM clones with IBM clones, so let's stick to the question asked and compare SB to GUS or at least soundcard to soundcard ;-). ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Sep 93 00:12 EDT From: CHEDBERG@hamp.hampshire.edu Subject: Why would _I_ buy a Gravis? Here's why... Message-ID: This post is to describe the reasons why, even though I no longer own one, I still think the Ultrasound is a fantastic card. At the beginning of the summer, I blew up my computer. Literally blew chips off boards, smoke out the power supply vents, etc. I blew it out trying to re-install my Gravis after moving from my college dorm to summer housing. Needless to say, I was irate. I had had several friends who had wierd problems with the Ultrasound, and I became convinced that the sound card was responsible. I called Gravis, and left a message with their tech staff. I also called several local consumer action groups, who all told me to work with Gravis on the problem. It took me about a week and a half to speak to a human being, but when I did get intouch with someone, he told me he had been trying to reach _me_, to find out about my problem. I told him about the accident. His first reaction was to explain how the Usound simply _could_ not do that kind of damage. His analysis of the accident and his reasoning were all perfect, and he explained it all in plain english. "That card can't put out enough power to blow off a chip. It doesn't have enough power to do it, " he told me. He and I then went over the rest of my system. We eventually discovered that my stereo tuner was old enough that it was ungrounded. ***Important note to _all soundcard owners: If your stereo's not grounded, it doesn't matter if your computer is. You can still transfer current. Always unplug everything before doing anything, or be aware of the risk.*** I'd touched my CD player and computer case at the same moment. The amp sent the current thru the system power, into the cd player's chassis, and into my computer. Boom. End of 386. The rep apologized, and told me that I should either put a grounded plug on my old reciever or chop it into kindling so nobody else would have the problem. He was right on the money. I took the stereo into a repair shop, and it turned out that the reciever was built before compliance to electrical standards became popular. I wound up replacing the reciever. The story could have ended there, but in the middle of the summer, two months after I had purchased the card, I recieved a package. In it were system upgrade disks, along with a note, apologizing profusely for their late arrival. I have _never_ gotten an apology in writing from a computer company, and never recieved updated drivers without yelling, screaming and threatening at gunpoint. The only other place I have seen tech support like this is at Wordperfect Corp. It has its problems, and the wheels turn slowly, but when it works, it works well. Gravis is your friend! How many other companies work to put out drivers to games for people who have already bought their card, rather than to entice people to buy it? What I'm saying is that they do a lot of things to inspire loyalty in their customers, and rather than working exclusively to get people to buy, they work to satisfy the customers they have. They really try to correct problems. So give 'em grief, but don't forget to thank them every once in a while. From the ranks of the Dispossessed, -Chris Hedberg Flames, and cheap offers on a new or used GUS to: CHEDBERG@Hamp.Hampshire.EDU ------------------------------ End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #21 ************************************* To post to tomorrow's digest: To (un)subscribe or get help: To contact a human (last resort): FTP sites: archive.epas.utoronto.ca pub/pc/ultrasound wuarchive.wustl.edu systems/msdos/ultrasound archive.orst.edu pub/packages/gravis FTP mail server: mail-server@nike.rz.uni-konstanz.de Hints: - Get the FAQ from the FTP sites or the request server. - Mail to for info about other GUS related mailing lists (UNIX, OS/2, GUS-MIDI, etc.)