GUS Daily Digest            Wed, 14 Dec 94  9:37 PST     Volume 17: Issue  14 

Today's Topics:
						Armored Fist and PQ4CD
					   AUTOEXEC CAPS and STUFF
			  GUS access to main RAM, Piano Patch on CD
					   GUS Daily Digest V17 #12
				  GUS Daily Digest V17 #13 (2 msgs)
		   Megaem doesn't like my computer - it never works
			 Oops? I guess I've been staying up too late.
				   Recording a MIDI file as a .WAV
						   Shielding of GUS
						 Warcraft Config file
							which CDROM ?

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: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 16:13:27 +0100
From: rrijke@knoware.nl (Reinier Rijke)
Subject: Armored Fist and PQ4CD

I've got 2 (simple?) questions:
- How do I get Nova Logic's Armored Fist (CD) to work with a gusmax, and
- how do I get Police Quest IV (CD) "   "    "    "     "      "

That's all folks,
cul8r

P.S. I am selling my cd-rom player, so does anyone know how to get AF to
work without a cd-rom player (except copying the whole cd-rom to my hd) ?

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

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 14:03:53 -0600
From: bbaskin@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu (Bryan K. Baskin)
Subject: AUTOEXEC CAPS and STUFF

Hey HEGUIN,

		Don't even bother to change your autoexec.bat file and your standard
settings from something you like and have all of your software working with
for one game like DOOM.  The GUS is software controlled so all you have to
do is create a batch file similiar to the one below:

set ultrasnd=220,5,5,7,5
d:
cd\games\doom
doom -file gus1m.wad
cls
cd\games\doom                    (I still use 1.2 since it has good FX)
set ultrasnd=220,5,5,11,7

		This is what i use.  Normally i use 220,5,5,11,7 so all this does is
switch IRQs around to lower ones.  Then when DOOM initialized the card it
uses these settings.  This also works for Apogee's Boppin', etc.  If the
software does not initilaize the card, it may be needed to run ultrinit
after the SET command.

		Anyway this is one solution if you like batch files.  The GUS is
software controlled so this is possible which makes the cars very flexible...

		Oh, yeah... even though Apogee's Wacky Wheels and Boppin' both
sucked, they were supposed to support the GUS, and WW told me my card was
broken and i never could get sound out of Boppin'.  I have a 1 meg GUS.  I
don't really care about these games, but they may create something decent
someday and i want it to work.

		Thanks.
												  Baskin -)
												  The University of Texas at 
												  Austin
											 

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

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 14:06:57 -0800 (PST)
From: "Peter C. Chien Jr." <pchienjr@ocf.Berkeley.EDU>
Subject: GUS access to main RAM, Piano Patch on CD

>Maybe the 'techies' can advise, but I doubt the practicality of using main
>RAM for patches. The GUS has to scan the samples (up to 32 of them, as I
>said) at up to 44kHz. If the samples were 16bit, then this makes about 2.8
>megabytes a second of data (half that for 8-bit samples). This sounds like
>a hell of a lot of traffic for the PC Bus to handle, if it were possible
>at all. That's why the patches are stored in memory
>*local* to the GUS.
Well, according to Jaleo's implementation of main RAM access by the GUS, 
it uses XMS handles per instrument loaded into main RAM.  Since DOS's himem 
has a limit of 128 XMS handles, the docs say to use some other memory manager 
that allows more handles for more instruments loaded in main RAM.  Other 
than that, the program works fine, and CPU load was still averaging 3% 
when playing the supplied MIDI files.

I just downloaded the piano patch on the CD -- thanks to whomever loaded 
it.  Any opinions on the quality?  I think it is a *major* improvement 
over the acpiano.pat in the original set, but does anyone think it sounds 
more like a bright piano (britepiano) than a grand?  IMHO, the high notes 
decay too fast, as if the strings of the piano were stretched across a 
granite slab than as if they were allowed to resonate against a wooden 
board, like they're supposed to.  Just a pianophile's opinion.    -Peter

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 23:22:19 GMT
From: Mike@sindev.demon.co.uk (Mike Watson)
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #12

In message <199412122230.OAA22375@gaia.ucs.orst.edu> GUS Server writes:

> Hiyup, 
> 
>   Probably old news, But I am a new subscriber.. Is there any way to get sound and music with Magic carpet...
> 
>   Also, When I play Ecstatica, whenever I change scenes the GUS makes a funny Buzzing noise.. It also happens in Tie Fighter, but everything else runs ok! any ideas?
> 
I only got it working with my "emergency" soundblaster card. The funny thing is
is that there is ANOTHER exe on the CD (cant rememeber where) that has a GUS 
option. Unfortunately the HMI drivers dont have any GUS code in them
It is odd considering the demo had GUS support.
If you are upset then I can give you bullfrogs email address.

-- 
Mike Watson, Sinister Developments, Edinburgh, Scotland 

"I love to snicker at other peoples tragedy." - Calvin and Hobbes

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

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 21:17:23 -0400
From: blairj@is.dal.ca (Jeff Blair)
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #13

>Digital CD's.  I think some of them are recorded in 18-bit.  I have
>successfully read in the title track to the Chiller CD (Erich Kunzel and the
>Cincinatti Pops Orchestra) and playing back the digital recording on the GUS
>is absolutely PHENOMENAL!  It however, had a few errors, but I think the
>errors occurred in the Thunder cracks, so you never really "hear" the glitches.
>
>Does anybody else have any success with 18 bit or 20 bit recording?  (ie,
>Sony GOLD disk recordings)

None of these recordings are in 18 or 20 bit by the time they are placed
on CD.  For example: Sony uses a process called SBM (super bit
mapping)  what this process does is take an 18 or higher bit master and
reduce it to 16 bits using special techniques that allow a 16 bit CD to 
achieve a greater than 16 bit resolution.  It's just a very specialized
compression algorithm that passes on the benifits of a higher resolution
master tape to CD.  Telarc uses a similar technique to reduce its 20 bit
masters to 16 bit by using the Apogee UV-22 Hyper Resolution CD
Encoder and several other companies do the same.
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Blair                           |      "God bless the Pagans"
blairj@is.dal.ca              |           Homer Simpson
jblair@ug.cs.dal.ca       |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 11:09:16 -0500
From: Schitzo <g4psycho@cdf.toronto.edu>
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #13

On Tue, 13 Dec 1994, GUS Server wrote:

> 
> GUS Daily Digest            Tue, 13 Dec 94  9:37 PST     Volume 17: Issue  13 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 14:23:49 -0800 (PST)
> From: George <gmontem@mercury.sfsu.edu>
> 
> 
> Lastly, can someone please upload the grand piano patch found in the 
> UltraSound Experience CD to the epas site.  It's not because I don't want 
> to pay $7 bucks for the demo, but I have no access to a CD-ROM drive.  
> For those of you who want to know if it's legal to upload it, it is 
> okay, according the Advanced Gravis. 
> 
> Thanks,
> -George
> 

i've been hearing about this UltraSound Experience CD thingy ... how the
hell do i get myself a copy???  for $7 i'm willing to shell out ... just
for a decent grand piano patch .. btw are there any other good patches on
the CD-rom?  anyway, i second for someone to ul'd the piano patch. thanx
in advance ...

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 09:01:50 -0800 (PST)
From: John Tomaszewski <tomasz@helix.chem.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: 

	Regarding one of yesterdays posts:

>Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 03:53:09 -0700 (MST) 
>From: KKAHN@cc.weber.edu
>Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V17 #11 
>   I upgraded to windows 3.11 which is a new release from 
>microsoft.  I guess it's just updated drivers and stuff for ver 3.1 which 
>has been around for some time now.  It only cost $7.90 with microsofts 
>special $25 off coupon.
>   Anway, since installing it, my gus max won't record any 
>sounds to hard disk.  When I try to use WAve to record to hard disk, it 
>just records silence..  Everything else seems to be working just fine..  
>any clues anyone.???? 

	I'm running Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (I think it has the same 
drivers as the regular 3.11 version) and also am having problems 
recording.  I have a regular GUS with 1meg.  My GUS is brand new to me so 
I thought the source of my recording problems was setup or pilot error of 
some sort.  The troubleshooting section's only advice is to make sure the 
mic is plugged in to the right place, duh.  I've tried Windows Sound 
Recorder, WaveLight, and GoldWave all with the same result; no sound and 
no error messages.  The input for all the apps is GUS Waveform Input.  
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


********************************************************************
**  **  ** ** * **            DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY             **
**  **  ** ** * **        tomasz@helix.chem.washington.edu        **
**  **  ** ** * **                                                **
**   *****  *****                JOHN TOMASZEWSKI                 ** 
********************************************************************

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 09:51:20 -0600
From: ken@austin.ibm.com (Ken Goach IBM)
Subject: Megaem doesn't like my computer - it never works

Well, I got "Beneath a Steel Sky" and against my better judgement
tried to use Megaem to do the sound. As usual, it didn't work.

Megaem loads just fine, but the first time it plays a note of
music, it locks up and reboots my PC. This has happened with
every game I've ever tried to use it with! It has never worked
for me. What could be the problem? I've tried so many combinations
of flags that didn't work either.

Then I tried SBOS and only got music - no digital sound on BaSS.
Finally dook the damned GUS out and plugged in an 8-bit Thunder-
board - at least I finally got digital audio!

Any clues why Megaem hates my Packard Bell 386 25mhz 4MB RAM piece
of junk?

Thanks,

Ken

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

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 1994 14:26 EST
From: HEGUIN@INDSVAX1.INDSTATE.EDU
Subject: Oops? I guess I've been staying up too late.

	I am now confused. I had thought that the GUS setup was changing the
autoexec.bat file to all caps when it wrote to it. But when I tried it again
to see if the comments were changed as well, the capitalization wasn't changed.
I now think that I must have hit a certain key-combo in my editor that changed
the file to all caps. To be certain, I'll have to search for such an option in
the docs to my editor. Ah well, I guess that too many OS's and too many
different editors just make my brain (and fingers) get a little cross-circuited.

 /  Name   : Duane Guingrich                       | All my statements are   \ 
/  Company : GST - Guingrich Software Technologies | pure fact, not opinions./
\ E-Mail   : heguin@indsvax1.indstate.edu          | So don't argue with me./

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 00:22:24 EST
From: timkwan@MIT.EDU
Subject: Recording a MIDI file as a .WAV

Hi, can someone tell me or point me to online documents about how
to play a MIDI file with my GUS and record it to a file on the hard
disk.  Please give step-by-step instructions on how to do it,
Thanks.

-Tim

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 94 13:22:46 +0000
From: rst@ukc.ac.uk
Subject: Re: Shielding of GUS

	Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 12:33:34 MST
	From: "Dean C. Johnson" <JOHNSODC@caedm.et.byu.edu>
	Subject: Re: Noisy cards: anti-interference barriers?
	
	Here is a possible solution that I HAVE NOT TRIED MYSELF, but read 
	someone's post about it a long time ago, and it seems plausable.
	Put a couple of layers of aluminum foil inside a SEALED anti-static 
	plastic bag. ( the tinted plastic bags that circuit boards come in.) 
	Then place it between you GUS and the interferace source as a barrier.
	
	If someone does this, let me know if it works.
	
	-Dean

Ack! Dont do that! For one thing, the thing that makes anti-static
bags anti-static is a conductive coating, not a good thing to be
waving around near all those lines. Plus if the pins of the components
poke throught the bag, you'll have them connecting directly with the
aluminium, definitely not a good thing. On a more functional note,
the aluminium isnt going to do much good unless it's connected to
ground and may even make things worse if it isnt.

If you're serious about shielding, probably the best thing to do is get
thin gauge metal with all the holes in and make a box from it to fit
around your GUS (you'll want the holes for ventilation and they'll be
small enough not to permit any e-m at frequencies that matter) and make
sure it has a good earthing. If you're less serious, a similar arrangement
with a box made from aluminium foil glued to cardboard should be good
but once again, make sure it has a good earth. In both cases, make sure
you've plenty of clearance from components on the board and off to avoid
accidental shorting.

Rich

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

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 94 17:21:00 EST
From: David Ball <dball@hp8c.nrl.navy.mil>
Subject: Warcraft Config file

Well, it sounds like people are still having trouble getting
the full version of Warcraft to work native.  I only have
the demo, but here's some info that might be helpful.

1. Don't forget to run ultramid.  There are two batch files
in the ail30.zip file that run this and then run the demo they
came with.  You can either get the command line from one of the
batch files or modify one of them to run war.exe instead of demo.exe

2. I had trouble, at first, getting the setup program to work, so
I edited the config.war file manually.  In the demo verion the
file has the following format (binary):  Two sets of 16 bytes
with the same layout.  The first is for the sound driver, the
second is for the music driver.

File Layout:

 |0   1  |2   3  |4   5  |6   7  |8   9  |A   B  |C   D   E   F  |
 |Unknown|Driver |Port   |IRQ    |DMA    |DMA    |Unknown        |
 |       |Number |       |       |       |       |               |

My values:

  00  00  00  00  20  02  07  00  01  00  01  00  FF  FF  FF  FF
  00  00  02  00  20  02  07  00  01  00  01  00  FF  FF  FF  FF

Remember that Intel puts LSB first, so if your Port is 220 then
byte 4 would be 20 and byte 5 would be 02.  I don't know why
DMA is listed twice.  The driver number is an index (starting
with 0) into the list of drivers shown in the setup program.
I replaced the soundblaster files with the ones from ail30.
SB was first in the list of sound cards, and third in the list
of music cards, hence the values above.

Good Luck!!  (not liable for anything that might result from this post)

  -- Dave

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 11:02:45 GMT
From: Jonathan Horden <jrh@Harston.CV.COM>
Subject: which CDROM ?

OK - I know this question been asked a million times before, but
I cant find it the FAQ or back issues of the digest...

The question is which CD player should I buy ? I have a "standard" GUS with
1Mb, no daughter card. Will any CD player fit straight in, or do I need
a daughter card ? what about the CDs that come with their own interface
card - will they work ? Are any CD players simply incompatible ?

Any help/hints would be gratefully appreciated!

Thanks,
Jon

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End of GUS Daily Digest V17 #14
*******************************
