Ultrasound Daily Digest     Fri Aug 20 00:45     Volume 5: Issue  19  

Today's Topics:
			 Any utils out there to test .mid integrity?
							Good Joystick
						MCS Stereo and the GUS
							Midi problems
					   NMI PROBLEMS, GRAVIS, RE
					Ultrasound Daily Digest V5 #18

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, 19 Aug 93 15:23:43 PDT
From: ascott@pcocd2.intel.com (Andy Scott - IMD ~)
Subject: Any utils out there to test .mid integrity?
Message-ID: <9308192223.AA27622@fiw128>

Hi, had my GUS up and running a week now.

Question #1: Is there a way to test the integrity of .mid files without
playing them?

 I had accidently forgotten to set mode to binary before ftp'ing a few
mids and corrupted them. I ended up using the GUS playmidi utility
from the DOS command command line, which would report something like
<Mtrk corrupted ...> and dump me back to the DOS command prompt.

Question #2: Playmidi's different succeptibility to corrupt midi files
depending how invoked.  As explained above, my cheers.mid was corrupted.

> playmidi cheers       
reported the corruption but returned me safely to the DOS command line.

> playmidi
then selecting cheers from the menu system, reported the corruption,
then hung my PC.

Is this a bug?

Thanks,
Andy Scott
 ------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed herein are mine, *not* Intel's.
Andrew M. Scott               Intel Corporation, M/S FM2-49
ascott@pcocd2.intel.com       1900 Prairie City Road
Voice: (916) 356-6369         Folsom, CA 95630-9599, USA
Fax:   (916) 356-2219

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

Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1993 00:18:53 -0500
From: Mark joseph Hemelgarn <mhemelga@etsun.tech.iupui.edu>
Subject: Good Joystick
Message-ID: <199308200518.AA20988@etsun.tech.iupui.edu>

>From: CiabattO@esc.syr.ge.com
>Subject: Search for Good joystick

	I use a Advanced Gravis Game Pad (Mhh, what any interesting choice!) 
for games. It works well plugged into the game port on the GUS and with ultrajoy
(Well it should. It was made by Gravis). I have had it for 9 months and have beem using it with the GUS for 3 months and have never had any problems what so ever with its performance. Some games even support it directly (Wolfstein, SOD).
	I highly recommend the Gravis Game Pad for serious game playing.

A Happy and Proud GUS owner
Mjhemelg@indyvax.iupui.edu

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 15:13:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: briana@tau-ceti.isc-br.com (Brian W. Antoine)
Subject: MCS Stereo and the GUS
Message-ID: <m0oTIET-0000PFC@tau-ceti.isc-br.com>

> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 15:56:08 +0200
> From: eralh@eras70.ericsson.se (Lars Hansson R/UP)
> Subject: Re: MSC Stereo & GUS
> Message-ID: <9308181356.AA06840@eras70>
> 
> If you want to use MSC stereo with your GUS you need an update from 
> Animotion. According to the manula you are supposed to be able to reach them on CI$, bau I havent found them there. The best way of obtaining the update is to 
> call their BBS at (205) 591 57 95 (or 57 15, Im not sure which is the the 
> voice and which is the data one).

  Try the 'animotion' area on compuserve, the updated driver is called 
gravis.zip and is in the library area.  It provides the ability to alter the
synth and wave output levels, but has a few minor problems still.  The
level meter doesn't work yet and you have to disable the CD player polling
for the current time.  If you don't, any DOS window you open will cause
windows to abort or crash.  Once it's disabled, it works fine.

-- 
Brian W. Antoine   --------|        "Most sane people try to avoid annoying
Olivetti North AM   ||   *             wizards, what's your excuse?"
E. 22425 Appleway   ||   |/\
Spokane, WA 99220   ||   `7l==  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  (*)            "Ribbit!"
				   ====  / l   briana@tau-ceti.isc-br.com

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

Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1993 00:36:25 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jerilyn Daniello <jerilyn@tenet.edu>
Subject: Midi problems
Message-ID: <Pine.3.03.9308200023.A11257-a100000@abernathy.tenet.edu>

I'm having a little difficulty with my new gravis midi adaptor.  In dos it
works just dandy, but in windows with sequencers like Cakewalk or
Recording Session, although I can see the note on event is being passed
from my synth to the midi box (because of those nifty LED lights on the
gravis box), every so often the note isn't captured by the computer.  This
is happening too frequently to ignore and I'm becoming a little frustrated
by the lack of response.  My machine is a 386sx 20 mhz, which I know isn't
all that fast, but it shouldn't be missing notes like this should it? 
I'm not exactly multitasking while I compose. Has anyone else had similiar
problems?

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 15:31:53 
From: matthew.arbeid@gravis.com
Subject: NMI PROBLEMS, GRAVIS, RE
Message-ID: <9308191531.A3009wk@gravis.com>

We at Advanced Gravis feel that the potential problems caused by non-standard
computers warrant this message.

The following excerpt is from a letter received from the Intel Corporation
dated August 18th, 1993, which confirms the standard guidelines for PC
motherboard implementation of the Non Maskable Interrupt (NMI), function.

<<< Excerpt Starts >>>

...Further to our conversation of last week, I would like to state Intel's
position on the use of NMI in PC motherboard designs.  There is no technical
reason not to use the NMI input on any of Intel's CPU products.  As I'm sure
you are aware, NMI is used in an IBM AT compatible design to signal memory
parity errors for motherboard memory and also to signal bus I/O errors
via the IOCHK pin on the ISA bus.  All of Intel's PC chipsets, motherboard
products, and design examples use NMI in this manner - to do otherwise
risks compatibility with the de facto industry PC standard...

<<< Excerpt Ends >>>

At this time Advanced Gravis is attempting to contact the designers and
manufactures of NMI faulted motherboards.  We're doing our best to make
manufactures of flaky boards aware of standard design requirements, but...
we need your help.

If you are using the GUS with software versions 2.05 and higher and you are
receiving the "The NMI procedure on this P.C. has been disabled" error you
can help us by e-mailing the following information to our NMI box,
(nmi@gravis.com), or contact John Spak of Advanced Gravis Computer
Technologies at +1 604 431-5020 ext: 1090.

1)      The brand name of your computer.
2)      The processor and speed of your computer.
3)      The motherboard make and model of your computer.
4)      The name and number of the company you purchased your
		computer from.
5)      Your name and phone number or e-mail address.


Matthew
Advanced Gravis Tech Support Group

matthew@gravis.com

---
 ~ QMPro 1.0 05-8925 ~ Advanced Gravis...it's not job, it's an adventure.

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1993 21:59:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V5 #18
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9308192121.A8725-d100000@sciborg>

> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 20:54:29 -0400 (EDT)
> From: dionf@ERE.UMontreal.CA (Francois Dion)
> Subject: A few more patches
> Message-ID: <9308190054.AA08840@brise.ERE.UMontreal.CA>
> 
> On archive.epas.utoronto.ca, you can find:
>
[...] 
> 
> guns.zip, are 2  .38 pistols and a machine gun (big, like a manual gattling).
> The .38 is intended to replace instrument 127, which is supposed to be a
> gunshot.
> 

Sound effects in games under Mega-Em are a lot better now that I have a
proper gunshot.  

> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 06:32:33 PDT
> From: deraud@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com (Robert Lee DeRaud)
> Subject: Bank-switching redux
> Message-ID: <9308191332.AA06515@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com>
>
[...] 
> Doesn't the GM standard already implement bank switching or is this just 
> a GS (Roland-only) thingy? Note that the controls to handle it are 
> already in Recording Session. This sure looks like a convenient place to 
> hook this stuff in without breaking a lot of existing S/W.
> 

GM has only one patch bank, so no specifications for bank switching under 
that standard.  Recording Session supports GS bank switching, but since 
there aren't any GS synths that require patch caching, I'm not sure
if the sequencer will take bank switch messages into account when caching
patches. 

> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 08:34:03 EDT
> From: ciabatto@esc.syr.ge.com (David Ciabattoni)
> Subject: Cakewalk out?
> Message-ID: <9308181234.AA19101@escsyr.esc.syr.ge.com>
>
[...] 
> Also, I bought a crap joystick a year ago and now since I have some time
> to play games want a REAL joystick that works well with Gus and the
> Ultrajoy port/software. Can some of you send me the names of the 
> joystick you use and if you like/do NOT like it, so I don't waste my
> money again. (Ill collect and post a list of my findings is there is
> not already a list floating around.)
>

I like my CH Flightstick for games that require proportional control,
such as flight simulators, while my Gravis Gamepad comes in handy for
fast-reflex type arcade games.  Both feel great in the hand, and both
are built to last.
 
> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 09:16:53 EST
> From: David Mitchell <davidm@hparc1.aus.hp.com>
> Subject: GUS and Syndicate sound - the solution!
> Message-ID: <9308182318.AA28444@hp.com>
> 
> Some time ago I asked how to get digitized sound working with Syndicate -
> music worked without a worry, but sounds were "off".
> 
> Last night I stumbled on a solution (courtesy of one of my workmates with a
> PAS-16, who had the same trouble):
> 
> - YOU NEED TO SET THE INTERRUPT IN BOTH THE BLASTER AND ULTRASND VARIABLES TO
>   7 (AS OPPOSED TO 5)
>

Or, you could just run main.exe with /iirq5.  My GUS' SB IRQ is on 5, and 
the game works just fine.  It assumes the defaults if you don't supply it 
with soundcard settings.  However, I can't get it to parse /iio$<address>
switches correctly, so I have to leave my GUS on 220h.

> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 10:55:39 +0200
> From: Guido.VanDenBerghe@esat.kuleuven.ac.be
> Subject: Maestro 16 sound card
> Message-ID: <9308180855.AA12100@updike.esat.kuleuven.ac.be>
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> A few days ago I bought a MAESTRO 16 sound card.
>
[...] 
> I was mainly interested in the aria synthesizer.  It sounds
> AWESOME,  even my old MT32 sounds better.  I also have a Roland E-70 
> (Sound Canvas).
[...]
> Everything on the Maestro 16 sound card is good, except the sound of the
> ARIA synthesizer!  If you want a card with a good scsi (e.g. better than a
>
 
Did you mean to say "awful" instead of "awesome"?  Otherwise, your message
lacks coherence. :)

> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 11:08:00 PDT
> From: "Tamashiro, Joey" <joey%spencer@uunet.UU.NET>
> Subject: SBOS option parameters for Willy Beamish?
> Message-ID: <2C7270BE@felix>
> 
> Anyone out there have the CD game "Willy Beamish"?  Before I start 
> experimenting to find the right combination which works, I thought someone 
> might have already gone through this excercise.
> 
> The problem is with the speech.  Most speech segments cut out portions and 
> also repeat portions like there is an echo.  Thanks.
>

Does this happen with any other games besides Willy Beamish?  If so,
try using SBOS 1.20 (on Epas).  The newer SBOSes don't handle the DAC
emulation properly on some machines.

If the choppy sounds only arise when playing off the CD-ROM, try changing
the DMA channel of your GUS to an 8-bit one if it's currently using a
16-bit DMA channel.

Also, check to see that the IRQ and DMA of the CD-ROM controller aren't
conflicting with any IRQ's or DMA's on the GUS.
 
Phat.

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End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V5 #19
*************************************
