GUS Daily Digest            Thu, 23 Mar 95  9:37 PST     Volume 20: Issue  23 

Today's Topics:
				   16 bit DB (& cheap motherboards)
						 address researching
						  Dark forces media
					   FS 5.1 and PMODE/Mega-Em
						  Ftp File Problems
								 GUS
						  GUS & SB under Win
							GUS and CDROM
					   GUS Daily Digest V20 #16
					   GUS Daily Digest V20 #22
				  isn't this REALLY a 386? not a 486
							 MEGAEM 3.03
						Midi-in not available.
					   New MegaEm won't work...
						P-mode Megaem (where?)
						Protected Mode Mega-em
			 Why MEGA-EM 3.03b Music sounds different...
				  write-through vs. write-back cache

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, 23 Mar 1995 09:26:49 GMT
From: engineer@mail.soc.staffs.ac.uk (Ian Silvester)
Subject: 16 bit DB (& cheap motherboards)

Yesterday Len Moskowitz wrote

>The 16-bit DB only goes to 44.1 kHz.  The Max goes to 48.  If you do DAT
>taping that matters.

>You can't record and playback simultaneously (as in multi-track
>recording, including SAW) unless you have two DMAs.  The Max does and
>the DB doesn't.

Incorrect on both counts I'm afraid. The DB uses the same hardware as the
Max and therefore can record using 48kHz. The extra DMA it uses is for the
CODEC chip; it uses the GUS's normal record and play DMA channels for, well,
recording and playing! It can therefore record and play at the same time, as
per standard GUS and Max.

I have owned a Cyrix 486DLC-40, so in reply to John Patrick Lestrade, yes,
it is based on a 386, but has cache and additional microcode to provide 486
functionality. The DLC version (as compared with the SLC) also has a
separate 386 coprocessor on the motherboard. All this means that a Cx486DLC
running at 40MHz gives performance nearly equivalent to an Intel 486DX-33,
let down only by floating point performance. I consider it to be a bargain
buy; at the time I got it, I would only have been able to afford an SX-25
from Intel.

Enough warbling from me,

Yan.
------------------------      --------------------------------------
Ian Silvester,                Phone: +44 (0)1785 353348
Research Associate,           Fax:   +44 (0)1785 353331
School Of Engineering,         
Staffordshire University.     "He dreams... while he's not sleeping" 
-----------------------       --------------------------------------

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

Date: Thu Mar 23 14:39:32 1995
From: gherpai@is1.bfu.ulb.ac.be
Subject: address researching

Hello Gussers,
Can anybody give me some cool www addresses about computer games 
stuff and things like that. Thanks for any help.
										  Gergo

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 19:14:28 -0500 (EST)
From: hansonka@RoseVC.Rose-Hulman.Edu (KrisJon Hanson)
Subject: Dark forces media

Dark forces comes only on CD. Although with some trickery with a few files
you can trick it into thinking your HD is a CD-ROM. It helps quite a bit on
those cool cut scenes.

Hope that helps.

-KrisJon Hanson
HansonKA@RoseVC.Rose-Hulman.edu
 ----------------------------------------------
"I see the works of gifted hands
 That grace this strange and wondrous land.
 I see the hand of man arise
 With hungry mind and open eyes."  - Neil Peart

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 22:56:03 -0400
From: "Chris Campbell" <campbell@fox.nstn.ca>
Subject: FS 5.1 and PMODE/Mega-Em

I got Flight Simulator v5.1 and I'm having problems, I loaded SBOS because 
it STILL dosen't support the GUS but the sound is all crackally when I run 
it HELP!

I got PMODE Mega-Em and I'd kinda peeved ya know?  I mean, they promised it 
by the end of '94, and we finally get it and who the heck has found 
something that WORKS?

Chris Campbell * Port Hawkesbury * Nova Scotia * Canada
aka: Popcorn / Epinicon / Hornet / TraxWeekly

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 11:33:02 -0800 (PST)
From: David McDougall <mcdougal@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: Ftp File Problems

> Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 08:48:08 -1000 (HST)
> From: Stanley Leong <nikmabc@ohana.com>
> Subject: Mega303b.zip
> Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.91.950321084551.2064A-100000@oahu.ohana.com>
> 
> I have downloaded Mega303b.zip twice and each time there was something 
> wrong with the zip files.  The first time was from  
> archive.epas.utornonto.ca and the other from ftp.orst.edu.  
>  
> Is there something wrong with this file or did something happen to my 
> downloads?  I have had no problems downloading from ftp sites so I 
> suspect something is wrong with this file.

I downloaded Mega303b.zip from Archive.Epas.(etc) and it unzipped just fine, 
and I've Ftp'd files from Orst.edu, some successfully.  But I have had no 
luck after multiple downloads of Gus357-1 through 6.  Has anyone else had 
problems with these files?  I did download them as binary files, and I 
used both Pkunzip v2.04 and an earlier version, all to no avail.  All of 
the zips report crc check failures in some files. I am clueless at this 
point.

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 13:34:00 +0100
From: nuno.neves@skyship.alce.pt (NUNO NEVES)
Subject: GUS

 Guys, my questions are simple. I don't own a GUS, they're not
distributed here, (SB everywhere) so I guess I'll have to mail order.
 I've heard a lot about the GUS, and I have over 1200 demos, most of
them support GUS. The thing is, some people say it's excellent, some say
it sucks because of all the software problems and emulations, etc.

 I'd like some comments of a vet user, good aspects, bad aspects.
 I have an old SB 2.0, works great for the SFX, I don't need more, but
FM is not pleasant at all, so a GUS would be nice for the music.
 I want a GUS, but lots of people say I should pick a AWE32
 "So the GUS is good, but it is not supported, so it's useless! Also,
you really have to expand it to 1MB or it sucks"

 Also if you can mention stores in Europe or USA that sell (cheap) GUSes
for foreign customers, I'd really aprecciate it.

 Thanks.

 Nuno
 (net: nuno.neves@skyship.alce.pt  fax:351-1-7166758)

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

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 10:14:45 +1000 (EST)
From: Paul Conroy <tetsuo@daemon.apana.org.au>
Subject: GUS & SB under Win

Running a SB16 with a GUS under windows couldnt be easier if you get the 
SB16 WAVE ONLY DRIVER (mine is vers 3.06) from Creative labs.

It's on my BBS, and should be on any good site.
It allows you to use the SB16 as a Wav Device (Digital Sound) and you may 
load the AUX driver from any SB16 install disk too. Then you can load 
your GUS drivers for MIDI use and  WAVE1, AUX1 etc.

I never ever have a Windows sound problem. I can control the Volume of 
everything from the SB Mixer even Treble and Bass on the GUS (my GUS 
output goes into the SB line-in).. I use the Gravis MIDI drivers to play 
and Sequence using a standard SB Midi connector box and can control my 
outboard synths (Roland Samplers, Modules, Keyboards etc) from Cakewalk 
for Windows using Instruments on the GUS, Roland, and even can throw in 
the odd WAV sample that plays on the GUS in the Midi (CW lets you do this).

For those interested, the SB driver is called the "WAVE ONLY" driver. 
It's probably the best solution to people who want to use both cards 
under windows as it never faulters.

By the way, I use different IRQs under Windows for the GUS, and this isnt 
a problem either as under windows i have a scanner that wants my 
GUS-SB/MIDI IRQ (irq 5), but as the Gus can be configured on the spot via 
software, this isnt a hassle. 

	 ******  Sysop at INTERZONE BBS - StKilda beach - Australia  ******
	 EMAIL: tetsuo@daemon.apana.org.au  FIDO: 3:634/378  BBS: 035317846
	 INTERZONE ANONYMOUS FTP SITE -  daemon.apana.org.au:/pub/InterZone
	 Cyberpunk, Manga, Gravis, Midi, Sampliing, Cracks, Hacks, Bizarre!

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

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 15:20:07 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <clarke@lsl.co.uk>
Subject: Re: GUS and CDROM

Two questions yesterday about connecting CDROMs to GUS.

a) You don't need a daughtercard, or an interface on the GUS.
   Using an interface connected to the GUS will save you a slot,
   but give no other benefits. You will still need to connect an
   audio cable from CD to GUS if you intend to use disks with audio
   tracks (as opposed to e.g. WAV files) on them, and want the sound
   piped through the GUS.

b) The CD-audio in pins on a GUS (4 of them) are Right-Ground-Ground-Left.
   You can experiment to get the R and L the right way round. If the
   CD only has three pins, then connect the ground to both the grounds
   on the GUS. You might need to make your own cable if you can't find
   the correct kind.

c) I don't know a way of connecting digital output from a CD to the
   GUS, but there are some programs which can read digital data
   from the disk over the bus (and maybe play it on the GUS at
   the same time??).

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 10:31:44 GMT
From: Alan Wood <Alan@abfl.demon.co.uk>
Subject: GUS Daily Digest V20 #16
Message-ID: <3345@abfl.demon.co.uk>

In article: <199503161740.JAA28017@gaia.ucs.orst.edu> 
gus-general-request@gaia.ucs.orst.edu writes:
> 
> Hi!
> 
> > I have had no problems using a joystick with Nascar (apart from the 
> > usual ones of learning to drive with a stick not a wheel 8-) )
> 
> Eesh... you mean, you chose GUS in both music and sound effects, you 
> lauched up Nascar, calibrate your joystick and never had a problem going 
> trhu the Menus?!  
> 
> What are your Ultrasnd settings ?
> 
> Thanks, Bye!

Can't remember my settings, sorry. But Yep, I can handle the menus 
without problems. In fact due to the cheap joystick I have, these are 
much easier than the driving 8-) hmm, I have heard though that there is 
a company in Canada or somewhere like that that makes good joysticks 
though, maybe I ought to invest in one !! ;-)

I shall check up on the settings though, and let you know as soon as I can.
By the way, i am using the CD version if that makes any difference.

  Alan Wood     I have mastered the programming,
 ~~~~~~~~~~~        now to get the programs working.

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

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 13:49:19 +0100 (MET)
From: appel@stack.urc.tue.nl (Stanley Appel)
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V20 #22

> Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 09:05:00 GMT
> From: dwj@kid01pml.icl.co.uk (Dave Johnson)
> Subject: Software Development
> 
> Hello all. 
> 
> Well, Gravis have released the new version of Megaem and the digest has been
> filled with responses to that. We don't want to start a flame war here so
> this is just a quick opinion.

Why do you think this list exists, the flames a part of it, or else it will
die. Look at the development mailing list is (used to be one 1 or 2 messages
on some days).

> We think some of you guys want blood. We should be acknowledging the fact 
> that this is a step in the right direction rather than tearing it to 
> shreds. If any of you had to work in software development, you would 
> understand how difficult it is to get stable, bug-free software ready
> for general release. 

Who says we dont work in the software development business.

>                      It is good of Gravis to let us use their
> beta code at all. Most people only give their betas to select groups 
> (read: Windoze 95) so many of us never get to see software until it is

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 10:22:22 HST
From: ross@math.hawaii.edu
Subject: isn't this REALLY a 386? not a 486

In reply to my recommendation of a cheap, CyDX2/66-based motherboard,
John Lestrade asked:

"Isn't this the `486slc' that is in actuality a 386 with a cache added? 
(and that is why it is so cheap.) comments?"

No!  This board has the (fairly new, IBM-made) Cyrix true 486DX2/66 clone
on it.  It tests out about 5% slower than the Intel and AMD chips, but
for $160 who cares?  (You can get full specs from Olympic's web site, 
http://www.pic.net/olympic/olympic.html.  Again, I'm in no way connected
to the company, except as a happy customer.)

The board itself is pretty nice: besides the all-important 
GUS-compatibility, it has all the `green` power-down functions available.

- David

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

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 15:44:14 +0800 (SST)
From: Lee Teck Chee <teckc@darwin.technet.sg>
Subject: Re: MEGAEM 3.03

> > > Hi, i tried to work with the new mega-em here are my new findings:
> > > - some dirty error message about pre 3.xx revision boards not working
> > >   with most protected mode programs doing Roland emu. (he Gravis there
> > >   are lots and lots of people owing a v2.4 revision board, so why dump
> > >   them, they made your card a big hit you know.)
> > 
> > I own the early rev2.2 boards. But I can understand why the new Megaem
> > requires a 3.xx rev board for protected mode programs. You see, Gravis
> > started building port 'trappers' into their boards from v3.xx onwards. It
> > has hardware assisted SB port trapping and MPU401 trapping. This is the
> > feature that is used in MEGAEM for better support under protected mode.
> > 
> > .tc
> 
> But I/O port trapping can also be done with the 386+ in protected mode
> from what i know. But why does the old mega-em work better. did they
> remove the old code.

Because of the nature of DOS and the protected mode extenders (mainly
DOS4GW), it is quite a difficult task to trap ports for protected mode
programs. Programs compiled with DOS4GW for example, expect themselves to
be in ring 0 with full control of the system. MEGAEM however requires
ring 0 functions as well in order to trap ports, with the slave programs
in virtual 86 mode (ring 3 and below).

The new MEGAEM uses NMI because that is the only exception that cannot be
masked by any extender. The hardware assist ports on the new rev cards
will generate a NMI whenever the port has been accessed to inform MEGAEM,
SBOS, of the situation. This makes protected mode support easier.

As to why the new megaem doesn't support old rev cards as well as older
versions, this is probably due to Jayeson concentrating on the new code,
after all this is a beta version, and the final release should probably
fix any problems with older rev cards. But it's a fact that pre 3.xx
boards will not have as good support under protected mode as the newer
boards.

 tc

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

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 16:04:08 +0100
From: "Robert Bicharz" <BOBBY@eskulap.am.lublin.pl>
Subject: Midi-in not available.

Hi everyone,
I hope someone can help me to solve my problem with MIDI. I am a 
happy owner of GUS but when I tried to make use of my synthesiser 
MIDISOFT Recording Session announced that "Windows reports no MIDI-in 
devices available..........if needed reinstall using Control Panel"

I did my best to solve the problem, but unfortunatelly even in a 
place where I bought my GUS I didn't get any help.

I hope someone can help me.
							Robert Blicharz
							e.mail:bobby@eskulap.am.lublin.pl

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 10:57:32 MST
From: ac446@rgfn.epcc.Edu (David C Gilliland)
Subject: New MegaEm won't work...

Whenever I try to load up the new Mega EM, it says something
about the card not being on 220 hex for Soundblaster 
emulation, and then the whole computer freezes.  Should I 
put the gus on 220 instead of 240?  What are the ideal 
settings for this program?
Dave

--
"Walk a mile in a man's shoes before you kick his a$$ with 
them just to piss him off."

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 22:45:35 -0500 (EST)
From: cliu@sas.upenn.edu (Chia-Shang J Liu)
Subject: P-mode Megaem (where?)

	I've been looking for the beta release of the p-mode Megaem on EPAS,  
but I could not find it (I looked in every directory, or thought I did).  
Can someone tell me exactly where (i.e. directory, or different FTP site) 
it is?

				Thanks,

					Jason 

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

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 10:00:17 +0900 (GMT+9:00)
From: c2a_vesn@aelmg.adelaide.edu.au (a vesnaver)
Subject: Re: Protected Mode Mega-em

I tried using the new mega-em with tie fighter and I thought that the 
music wolume had decreased slightly from the old mega-em, even though I 
increased the music volume in mesetup.exe. Apart from that I found that 
the anoying high pitched squeaks which occur part way through a mission 
dissapeared. I wasn't sure but I think Tie Fighter also sounded 
different, but maybe that was just the different music volume level.

>Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 13:01:50 +0100 (MET)
>From: appel@stack.urc.tue.nl (Stanley Appel)
>Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V20 #20
>
>  [stuff deleted]
>
>- !!!! does anyone look in the ultrasound dir. LOOK for a file called
>  1024.bnk IT IS ABOUT 1024Kb big and is the complete GUS memory. SO
>  WHAT THE HELL ABOUT THAT MONSTER, it is nice, almost quick but it just
>  eats space. (nice to see a trick i thought of, take a look a gusdump
>  in one off the gusutil packages i wrote).
>
>  [stuff deleted]

I agree, I would prefer if you had the option of enabling the file or
disabling it.

>Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 11:20:42 -0800 (PST)
>From: "Peter C. Chien Jr." <pchienjr@ocf.Berkeley.EDU>
>Subject: New Mega-em problems
>
>  [stuff deleted]
>
>BTW, Jayeson says that mega-em requires emm386 to act as a loader, 
>essentially.  Why not use DOS4GW to load mega-em and then the game?  Can 
>DOS4GW run more than one program (i.e., mega-em first, then the game).  

Most protected mode games don't seem to like emm386 running on a machine with
4mb RAM. I would prefer if it didn't have to use emm386 at all. However, if
you made it use DOS$GW, then would it run as well in non-portected mode
games?

Overall I think gravis should have upgraded the Sound Blaster 
compatability with megam-em to at least that of a SB Pro, as the original 
SB is getting on and it doesn't provide Stereo sound.

-- 
	,-_|\    Adrian Vesnaver    MAIL:      godfathr@.student.adelaide.edu.au
   /     \   Adelaide, SA                  c2a_vesn@aelmg.adelaide.edu.au
   \_,-*_/   Australia          PGP Key:   finger godfathr@student..........
		v

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 12:18:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Francis Li <fli@nermal.santarosa.edu>
Subject: Why MEGA-EM 3.03b Music sounds different...

In case you're curious, GM music with MEGA-EM is a little different 
because MEGA-EM uses some of its own custom patches...

When it builds the .BNK file using BUILDPAT.EXE, it uses some custom 
patches made using PatchMaker.  It replaces some of the toms, synth 
strings, etc.  I assume this is to optimize the space available...

You can tell if you use a hex editor of some kind to look in the 
BUILDPAT.EXE.  You can see the patch headers in it...

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 12:21:35 HST
From: ross@math.hawaii.edu
Subject: write-through vs. write-back cache

I wrote (re Cyrix DX2-66):

"does have the 
benefit of an on-board 8k write-back cache, making external cache a bit 
superfluous"

Jeff replied:

"	8K caches are standard on 486's, maybe not on SL's, but defineitely on
DX's-- in fact, the DX/2 has 16K. The fact that it is write-back rather than
write-thru will never render an external cache 'superfluous'"

Write-back is a huge improvement, which is why Intel and AMD both plan
to implement it in future versions of their chips.  I only asserted that the
external cache is "a bit" superfluous.  Using Comptest (both on my own machine
and using reported scores) I was able to judge the Cyrix throughput about 
3-5% slower with cache disabled than an i486DX2-66 with cache disabled, and 
only about 10%
slower with just the 8K internal on the Cyrix and a 256K external on the i486
both enabled.  In other words, an additional 256K external cache would be a
real but relatively small improvement in performance.

Now, let's stop talking about chips and get back to talking about the GUS:-)

- David

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

From: (null)

> released in its entirety.
> 
> As for requiring a Memory Manager. Read the readme file. It contains an
> explanation and warns of compatibility problems.

The memory manager is just a easy way to use protected mode. There are
surely more programs available to do this. There are some mentions about
a porgram PMODE by Tran. They could have used this but then had also have
to implement a way if i/o trapping / task switching and some other things.
I is just much,much easyer to use a memory manager.

> We have used this software and found it an improvement over ver 2, and look
> forward to the final release. So come on. Let's have constructive criticism!

All criticism can be used as constructive criticism, By all the coments
he gets he knows his software is used by all those people and the took
some time to test it, i think it is the best what can happen to him. 

> Give the guy a chance to show what he can do!

He already showed us that he can do it, but this release is goning to look
like the software Gravis is writing (maybe they brain washed him). 

I have to say they are doning some good job. Keep on working 

> Thanks for listening ...
> 
> Kieran Hoban / David Johnson

Stanley Appel

+===============================================================+
|  Stanley Appel                          I cant have said that |
|  Hoolstraat 73                          because I cant        |
|  4847 AB  Teteringen                    even speak english    |
|  The Netherlands                        right.......          |
|                                                               | 
|  Tel +31-76-810346                                            | 
|  EMail APPEL@STACK.URC.TUE.NL (pref)                          |
|        s390058@STUD.TUE.NL                                    |
+===============================================================+

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

End of GUS Daily Digest V20 #23
*******************************
