Ultrasound Daily Digest     Fri, 1 Oct 93   048 MDT      Volume 7: Issue   1  

Today's Topics:
                             Convince me
                    Getting Ultrasound on display
                          GUS Patch Quality
                          Ideas for Ultramid
                      Megaem availability rumor
              Sierra Drivers: KQ6 and Quest For Glory 1
            Sierra Drivers: UNREAL - but patch caching?? 
                        Sound Control 2 again 
               Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #29 (3 msgs)
                         Weird noises in SCII
                           ZORK AND HOCKEY

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: Thu, 30 Sep 93 08:48:44 EST
From: "Bryan Cass" <bc%idx.com@sadye.EMBA.UVM.EDU>
Subject: Re: Convince me
Message-ID: <009734F711AB1420.2440E697@idx.com>

>Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 11:01:11 ADT
>From: Damon Brodie <N0DI@UNB.CA>
>Subject: Convince me
>Message-ID: <ID4935.D930928.T110112.N0DI@UNB.CA>
>
>Lately I've ben seriously considering a sound card. I've decided
>one one of either the Ultrasound or the PAS-16.  Currently I'm
>leaning towards the Ultrasound, but I need to be pushed a little
>more.
>
>Question: Does the Ultrasound work with some of my favorite games:
>Flight Sim 4/5
>Syndicate
>Falcon 3
>F-117
>

I use the GUS in Soundblaster emulation for Falcon 3.0.  MegaEM *does* work if
you select "Roland" for music, but you lose digital effects and speech.  I find
it's fine using Soundblaster for Music and Effects because the game does not
play music except during "intermission".

Bryan

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 10:20:26 -0500
From: ken@austin.ibm.com (Ken Goach IBM)
Subject: Re: Getting Ultrasound on display
Message-ID: <9309301520.AA17432@quarlvis.austin.ibm.com>

>I don't think even a loud campaign will bring Ultrasound into stores.

I don't understand. Do you mean for sale in stores? Because there
are several computer stores (even chain stores in the mall)
that carry the GUS.

>But I've never seen a computer store demonstrate games on a Roland sound-
>card.

Hmm - is this about having the GUS on display in stores? The local
Best Buy had an IBM PC with a GUS installed on one of the end
of a row, and had it run into some nice Sony speakers. They
had a continuous demo going of MIDI files, demos, animation
with sound, etc. A *lot* of people stood there and watched
the whole demo several times.

Ken

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 93 09:16:24 EST
From: "Bryan Cass" <bc%vti.idx.com@sadye.EMBA.UVM.EDU>
Subject: GUS Patch Quality
Message-ID: <009734FAEF8EF1A0.24412D00@idx.com>

As a new GUS user, I have been experimenting with MIDI recording and playing
.MID files.  I am finding that while there are several very nice-sounding
patches (e.g. church organ, fretless bass, elec piano 2), there are several
really bad-sounding ones (e.g. grand piano, all saxes (except soprano),
violin, viola).

Are there better "replacement" patches for these or others?  I'd like to play
most realistic instrument sounds.  If there are patches on epas or somewhere
else, is there a text file describing what the patches are (so you don't have
to download some file called "UM12OOHS.ZIP", unzip it, change ultrasnd.ini,
and load and play it just to find out it ain't what you thought it was :-).

And a side note - is it illegal (or even possible) to "record" another synth's
patch into your own .PAT file?  I would really like to have some of Kurzweil's
nice piano, handbell, choir and piano/string patches on my GUS.

Thanks,
Bryan

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 18:05:06 +1000 (EST)
From: Andrew See <asee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Subject: Ideas for Ultramid
Message-ID: <199309300805.AA07636@arthur.st.nepean.uws.edu.au>

Technically this may not be feasible, but it's just an idea...

Why cannot the Ultramid TSR be downloaded to the Gus RAM, and be
processed by the GF1 chip? I know the GF1 has MOD files processing
abilities, so why not this?
And for that matter cannot the same thing be done, with MPU401 
emulation code. Sure would save a lot of Main memory, and we'd also
be able to do roland in 32 bit protected games.

If this isn't feasible, why not then add a programmable DSP to
the 16 bit daughterboard? This could handle Roland, FM, MT32, GM
just about anything, as well as add effects, like reverb, and chorus.

How about it? Is any of this possible.

It sure would make the GUS the one to beat...

(Which it already is now of course)

------------------------------

Date: 30-SEP-1993 09:52:58.44
From: Richard Wyckoff <RWYCKOFF@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU>
Subject: Megaem availability rumor
Message-ID: <01H3K0E97V7K8Y5ULJ@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU>

  Here's what John Smith told me the other day (when he was kindly responding
to my request to update my name in the registration lists): Megaem may be
available from Gravis as early as mid-October.  Bear in mind, of course,
that this was not an "official press release," but it seems that our wait
may soon be over.  I did not ask how it will be available, but I imagine
it will be offered to registered users for a reduced price, like PowerChords 
or the full version of USS8.  
  Personally, I would push for its inclusion in the GUS disks - it would be 
great to be able to advertise SB *and* Roland compatibility on the back of the 
box.  Maybe then we could smash the Microsoft/Creative Labs conspiracy. ;-)
(I'd love to offer further proof that there are indeed conspiracies, but
unless you were at least a 3rd order Illuminati, you'd never believe me!) 
--                                             
RWYCKOFF                      /Richard Wyckoff\                      CATULLUS
@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU          /   aka Catullus  \    @PELICAN.CON.WESLEYAN.EDU
             "Sage of the Labyrinth, Knight of the High Odiamor"
                           /- Robert Anton Wilson\

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 93 09:32:22 -0400
From: mrgate::"a1::gkmaier"%crlvax.dnet@crl.mobil.com
Subject: Sierra Drivers: KQ6 and Quest For Glory 1
Message-ID: <9309301332.AA01221@crlux1.crl.mobil.com>

From:	NAME: Gregory Maier                 
	FUNC: Central Research Laboratory     
	TEL: 8-432-4337                       <GKMAIER@A1@CRLVAX>
To:	ultrasound%dsd.es.com@Inet

KQ6 sounds incredible with the new Sierra drivers!  I played this 
game all the way through using the PC speaker, then bought a GUS 
and played it again using SBOS, then got Megem and played it 
again earlier this summer, but I am totally bowled over by how 
great it sounds now!  I find that too often with Megem, everything 
sounds like a piano (I'm exaggerating slightly, but the variety 
of instruments in KQ6 sounds best with the new Sierra drivers).  
I am writing to Sierra to let them know how pleased I am.

Now I wish I could get these drivers going with Quest for Glory 
1.  I DO have the VGA version (I bought the game just last Friday 
night).  The graphics are almost as good as KQ6, but alas, no 
sound at all when I run with the Sierra drivers.  I know I'm doing 
things right because KQ6 works, but for now I am using SBOS.  
Megem sounds even wierder than usual with this game - too many 
harp plucks and piano notes when there should be music playing.
I've called both Gravis and Sierra and got the following 
suggestions:

	1. Load Ultramid without the -M volume option.
	2. Start QFG1 immediately after exiting KQ6.
	3. Copy ALL of the files in the driver .ZIP into the game
	   directory.

None of these worked, but Sierra technical support has my phone 
number and said they'll contact me if this problem gets understood 
and fixed.

THANK YOU GRAVIS AND SIERRA FOR DELIVERING SUCH HIGH QUALITY 
SOUND IN KQ6 (and future games...)

Happy GUSsing,
Greg M
gkmaier@crl.mobil.com

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1993 12:27:31 +1000
From: adriano ennio raiola <adrianr@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU>
Subject: Sierra Drivers: UNREAL - but patch caching?? 
Message-ID: <199310010227.AA29194@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU>

Ok, The Sierra drivers are MEGA excellent, and about time, but a couple of
questions.

- Why wont Sierra support patch caching through ultramid? Is it a bug in their
  drivers, or did they decide the delay in loading patches would ruin game
  continuity? 

- WHY oh WHY does ultramid -c take SOOO long to load all the patches into 
  memory? MEGAEM has to load just as many patches, and it takes half the time.

And I wonder what will Sierra do with future release games? include ultramid,
and their own batch file for gus users to run that loads and unloads ultramid?


Anyway, well done Gravis and Sierra, but I guess it looks like from here the
chance of many games with TRUE natve, 32 voice-for-whatever-samples-you-like
games are a bit grim. Doesnt matter too much tho, midi is great! 

Adrian

(World Circuit drivers? What World Circuit drivers!)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 93 18:40:56 PDT
From: mikebat@netcom.com (Mike Batchelor)
Subject: Sound Control 2 again 
Message-ID: <9310010140.AA05787@netcom2.netcom.com>

It was suggested to me that to cure the weird sounds in Star Control 2, I
should play a 669 file with p669.  Well, I did that, but it made
absolutely no difference at all.  I also tried running gusdram.  The
suggestion was that SC2 does not clear the GUS RAM before it starts, and
p669 does.  I'd think gusdram would, too, but it didn't help either.

Has anybody else heard these strange sounds on the menus (squawks,
whooshing noises, backwards-sounding samples), and sometimes in the game.
It happens with SBOS and in native mode, clean boot, no TSRs, GUS at the
factory default settings.  Where it isn't screwed up, it sounds great.

-- 
Mike Batchelor      |
mikebat@netcom.com  |                  This space for rent
mikebat@qdeck.com   |

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 08:46:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #29
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9309300849.C22163-d100000@sciborg>

> Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 12:16:52 +1000 (EST)
> From: Andrew See <asee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
> Subject: CDin Plus Line in
> Message-ID: <199309300216.AA03413@arthur.st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
> 
> I have finally got a cable to attach my Texel CDrom to the 4 pin
> connector on the GUS. However, I am also using the line-in on the GUS
> for my SB compatible card. Question: Is there a reason that I shouldn't be
> doing this?
> Will I blow up my GUS :-)
>

There's nothing wrong or harmful with having a CD on the CD jack and an SB
on the line in.  Your GUS will not blow up.
 
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 11:01:11 ADT
> From: Damon Brodie <N0DI@UNB.CA>
> Subject: Convince me
> Message-ID: <ID4935.D930928.T110112.N0DI@UNB.CA>
> 
> Lately I've ben seriously considering a sound card. I've decided
> one one of either the Ultrasound or the PAS-16.  Currently I'm
> leaning towards the Ultrasound, but I need to be pushed a little
> more.
> 
> Question: Does the Ultrasound work with some of my favorite games:
> Flight Sim 4/5

I hear the some of the sounds in FS5 will not work 100% with the GUS, even
though MS say that they've tested the game with the card.

> Syndicate

Yes, but the game does slow down each time a digital sound plays.  

> Falcon 3

SBOS sounds pretty bad with this game.  Mega-Em sounds much better, but 
you'd then have to play radio messages through the PC speaker, and the 
engine and missile sounds will not play properly.  It remains to be seen
whether the upcoming Mega-Em with DAC support will handle the radio
messages well since the method SH uses to play those samples is not very
emulation-friendly.

> F-117

Most MPS games should work fine with SBOS.  I haven't tried F-117, though.

> Question 2: Will the optional daughter board make the playback
> of Audio-CDs sound better than the PAS? Does this board take
> an additional slot on my PC?
>

No to the second question, not really to the first.  Since the CD audio
is feed to the soundcard as an analog signal, it won't sound any different
on a GUS compared to a PAS.
 
> Question 3: If a game has native GUS support, does it then sound
> better than the competion?  If so what specifically sounds better?
> Is the sound more dynamic? more instruments?
>

GUS support can vary.  In all cases, you can expect much, much better
music than possible with the PAS16.  The instruments will sound like
real instruments.  As far as digital audio, the GUS won't sound that
much different from the PAS16 in most games.  However, the GUS is
capable of playing several overlapping digital sound effects simultaneously,
and already a couple of games have taken advantage of this feature.
 
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 23:51:09 -0500 (CDT)
> From: v345@rex.uokhsc.edu (Anthony C. Toppins)
> Subject: Problem with WinModPro ver. .04b
> Message-ID: <9309290451.AA11437@rex.re.uokhsc.edu>
> 
> I cannot seem to get WinModPro version .04b to work when I select stereo
> in the options menu.  Otherwise it works fine.  This is a real bummer when 
> I'm playing .669 files.  I have a 1meg GUS on a 486 DX/33.  Can anyone 
> help?
>

For stereo to work, you have to use a sampling rate of 11025, 22050, or
44100.
 
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 21:12:56 PDT
> From: mikebat@netcom.com (Mike Batchelor)
> Subject: Star Control 2 wierd sounds
> Message-ID: <9309290412.AA04832@netcom5.netcom.com>
> 
> Playing Star Control 2 with either native GUS, or SBOS, a lot of the
> sounds are really screwed up.  Playing melee in GUS mode gives a really
> raucus metal screeching noise when moving on the menu.  That goes away
> with SBOS, but other parts of the main game sound out of tune, or
> sometimes even backwards, like the sound data was signed wrong, maybe?

StarCon2 has a couple of pretty well known bugs with its GUS support.  First
of all, the game won't upload samples through an 8-bit DMA channel properly.
You'll need to use your GUS on a 16-bit channel.  Secondly, the game fails
to set up a voice correctly, so the voice ends up wandering through the rest 
of GUS RAM after playing the sound meant for it.  This means that whatever 
it finds in GUS memory will come pouring out your speakers, be it noise or 
the other samples in the game.  The only way to minimize this noise problem
is to clear GUS RAM before playing the game.  I usually use p669gu0 to play
a small 669 file to clear the memory.

Phat.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 93 7:31:41 PDT
From: mikebat@netcom.com (Mike Batchelor)
Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #29
Message-ID: <9309301431.AA16904@netcom2.netcom.com>

Not the Ultrasound Server once wrote...
$  
$  ------------------------------
$  
$  Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 12:16:52 +1000 (EST)
$  From: Andrew See <asee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
$  Subject: CDin Plus Line in
$  Message-ID: <199309300216.AA03413@arthur.st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
$  
$  I have finally got a cable to attach my Texel CDrom to the 4 pin
$  connector on the GUS. However, I am also using the line-in on the GUS
$  for my SB compatible card. Question: Is there a reason that I shouldn't be
$  doing this?
$  Will I blow up my GUS :-)
$  

Not at all.  In fact, if you have a CD ROM game that works with Sound
Blaster and Roland, that also happens to play part of its music sound
track directly off a normal CD audio track (like 7th Guest does), then you
should be able to get sound out of all three sources at once - SB, Roland
(via Mega-Em) and the CD audio input to the GUS.  The internal CD line-in
is always on, there is no need to activate it to make it work.  You do
have to enable the external line-in for the SB to play through.

$  ------------------------------
$  
$  Date: Tue, 28 Sep 93 11:01:11 ADT
$  From: Damon Brodie <N0DI@UNB.CA>
$  Subject: Convince me
$  Message-ID: <ID4935.D930928.T110112.N0DI@UNB.CA>
$  
$  Lately I've ben seriously considering a sound card. I've decided
$  one one of either the Ultrasound or the PAS-16.  Currently I'm
$  leaning towards the Ultrasound, but I need to be pushed a little
$  more.
$  
$  Question: Does the Ultrasound work with some of my favorite games:
$  Flight Sim 4/5
$  Syndicate

I've used it with these two, using the SBOS emulator.  FltSim sounds OK,
Syndicate really sounds good, probably as good as SBOS ever gets.

$  Falcon 3
$  F-117

Haven't played either of these at all.

$  Question 2: Will the optional daughter board make the playback
$  of Audio-CDs sound better than the PAS? Does this board take
$  an additional slot on my PC?

No, and no.  The sound of the CD should have nothing to do with the sound
card or any daughterboard, since it is just a pass-through connection to
the line-out of the card.

$  Question 3: If a game has native GUS support, does it then sound
$  better than the competion?  If so what specifically sounds better?
$  Is the sound more dynamic? more instruments?

More dynamic, yes; more instruments, yes, if the developers take advantage
of the GUS capabilities.  Star Control 2 is native GUS, but uses MODs for
music, so sounds only a little better than with a Sound Blaster (a DAC is
a DAC is a DAC).  But Zone66 more fully uses the capabilities of the GUS
and sounds really, really good.  Any game that uses Roland or General MIDI
is going to sound SUPER on the GUS using the Mega-Em emulator, and games
that use the Miles Drivers (Ultramid) will also sound better than a SB or
PAS.  In general, if the music is General MIDI, it will sound much better
on the GUS.

$  ------------------------------
$  
$  Date: Wed, 29 Sep 93 08:12 EDT
$  From: CHEDBERG@hamp.hampshire.edu
$  Subject: Looking for a player program that will handle .au
$  Message-ID: <CBD729C0F91F005064@hamp.hampshire.edu>
$  
$  	I am trying to find a program that can play (or decode) files with the
$  extension .au attached to them. I am running an IBM PC with Windows, PC
$  Speaker using sound drivers. I _might_ have an Ultrasound soon, but I don't
$  know. Let me know about _anything_ that will work on the PC. Thanks muchly.
$  							-Chris Hedberg

You want to get sox7gcc.zip, from Simtel or any fine mirror.  It will
convert .au files to something Windows or the GUS utilities can play.  The
GUS playfile utility ought to be able to play them, too, if you give it
the proper command line switches for frequency, and signed/unsigned data. 
AU files are pretty much the same as WAVs, just a little bit different
format.  Most sound sample files are very similar in format.

$  ------------------------------
$  
$  Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 08:44:13 -0400 (EDT)
$  From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
$  Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #27
$  
$  > Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 02:18:05 -0400 (EDT)
$  > From: tommylee@io.org (Tommy Lee)
$  > Subject: help...
$  > 
$  >     First of all, can I register Mega-Em?  Or will I soon be able to get a
$  > fully functional copy of it from Gravis in the NEAR future (I'm talking a week
$  > or two, MAX).
$  >
$  
$  Jayeson has asked people to hold off registering until negotiations with
$  Gravis are completed.  I don't know how long they will take.  However, if
$  you want to use a version of Mega-Em without the 20 min time limit _now_, 
$  download version 0.9B.  It doesn't sound as good as 1.00, though.

This is going to become a problem, I just know it.

Jayeson - is it you, or Gravis that has asked to hold off the
registrations?  You know how long they take to make decisions on this sort
of thing.  Mega-Em is a primary reason for recommending a GUS, IMO, and if
registrations are going to be held off indefinitely (which I think is what
is going to end up happening), that's a problem.  It is certain that
nothing is going to come of this within two weeks, so anxious persons who
are willing to register, like Tommy, need an alternative.  Mega-Em works,
there is no reason I can see not to continue taking registrations until
Gravis makes up their mind.  Just update the docs to indicate that
negotiations are underway, and note that the user registers at their own
risk, and that Gravis may include it for free at some point (but don't
hold your breath).

-- 
Mike Batchelor      |
mikebat@netcom.com  |                  This space for rent
mikebat@qdeck.com   |

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1993 16:33:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: Timothy B Martin <tm43+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #29
Message-ID: <Igeo_B_00WBNE_51FZ@andrew.cmu.edu>

Excerpts from mail: 30-Sep-93 Ultrasound Daily Digest V6 #29 

Mike Batchelor at netcom.com says:

> Playing Star Control 2 with either native GUS, or SBOS, a lot of the
> sounds are really screwed up.  Playing melee in GUS mode gives a really
> raucus metal screeching noise when moving on the menu.  That goes away

Yeah! me too!  I didn't use to have that problem though, I played for a
long time, got stuck and stopped for awhile.  I saved my save games, and
then a couple months later, reinstalled the game.  Now, it has this
awfull noise that plays after the 'bings' and some of the sounds are
just screwed up!  I've only changed mem managers since then, but since
it gives the error even with only himem loaded, i don't know what it
could possibly be!


 -----------===========> Tim! <===========-----------
 Email     : tm43+@andrew.cmu.edu        
 IP Address: 128.2.111.129 
 
"No cigar, no lady on his arm, just a guy made of dots and lines" -TMBG 
                        
 -----------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 93 09:14:25 EDT
From: ddr@math.ufl.edu
Subject: Weird noises in SCII
Message-ID: <9309301314.AA26223@gomek.math.ufl.edu>

I believe that I had the same problem when I first started playing SCII.
SCII requires a 16 bit DMA to work correctly with the GUS in native mode.
Run SETGUS and try choosing DMA 7, if this works OK let SETGUS change your
config files and reboot.  Now try SCII again.  It worked for me....

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 93 20:46:24 EDT
From: BGUZ000 <BGUZ@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA>
Subject: ZORK AND HOCKEY
Message-ID: <30SEP93.22435372.0075.MUSIC@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA>

     I went to buy Return To Zork today (Thursday Oct. 1) and the
box label did not include the GUS as a supported sound board. I
realized during installation that the drivers (*.adv and *.com)
were included so the box must have been printed before the decision
was made to support GUS.
     I am also having trouble with EA NHL HOCKEY and SBOS. I
suspect that the two are not compatible. I am using SBOS 2.08 and
the speech comes out very slowly and the sound fx do not work
properly. Does any one have a solution for me?
     I also noticed that PRIVATEER has arrived in the stores. Does
anyone know if the MILES drivers will work with this game?


EMAIL: BGUZ@MUSICB.McGILL.CA

------------------------------

End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V7 #1
************************************