GUS Daily Digest            Sat, 8 Jan 94   007          Volume 10: Issue   8 

Today's Topics:
						Crashes on record line
						  GUS + OPEN SEASON
						  GUS + Sound Canvas
				   GUS Daily Digest V10 #7 (2 msgs)
					   GUS Daily Digest V9 #17
					  Installing Windows drivers
								linux
					 New Windows drivers and NDW
				   new win drvr: waves but no midi
							 OS/2 Drivers
					Progress on OS/2 drivers?!?!?
						SBOS ver. 3.7 on EPAS?
	 Ultrasound Internet Archive - Discussion on EPAS limitation
					  What are these files for?
						   Windows drivers

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: Fri, 7 Jan 94 17:43:59 MET
From: marcel@tophat.cdh.cdc.com (Marcel Schoffelmeer)
Subject: Crashes on record line

Hi Gussers,

Does any one of you experience Windows 3.1 crashes when 
trying to record with the GUS from line in?
The moment I press the record button in either Goldwave or
Cooledit (great programs by the way) Windows turns into 
a black screen where reseting the PC is the only way out.
At DOS level, recording with PLAYFILE is no problem!

Thanks in advance,

Marcel.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
  Marcel M. Schoffelmeer   Internet : Marcel@tophat.cdh.cdc.com
									  Marcel.M.Schoffelmeer@cdc.com
									  
		   

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

Date: Sat, 8 Jan 94 00:59 WET
From: marius@io.org (Marius)
Subject: GUS + OPEN SEASON

Hey guys, wondering if anybody figured out how to get GUS to work with Police
Quest 4 (OPEN SEASON). I tried the sierra drivers but they wouldn't work. I
guess PQ4 uses those 32bit drivers that people keep complaining about and that
we still don't have for the GUS. Well, OK. I also tried SBOS 3.7b2 and MEGAEM
v2.02 (or whatever is newest) and no luck with both. The game just jumps out
with error messages. HELP!
 

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

Date: Fri, 07 Jan 1994 15:27:47 EST
From: mkalisia@electrical.watstar.uwaterloo.ca
Subject: GUS + Sound Canvas

A buddy of mine has a Roland Sound Canvas and he just possibly might buy a GUS
but what he wants to know is whether he can get the two to work simultaneously.
Specifically, can you have a GUS playing any digital sounds (like SB in Megaem)
and having the Sound Canvas MIDI passed on to the actual Sound Canvas through
the MIDI port on the GUS. Also, is the external MIDI part of the GUS MPU-401
compatible? What we want to do is run games with Sound Effects going on the GUS
and the MIDI music on the REAL Sound Canvas.

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

Date: 7 Jan 94 08:49:00 EST
From: "VULCAN::WATTERS_C" <WATTERS_C%VULCAN.decnet@gate.hosp.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V10 #7

>Date: Thu, 6 Jan 1994 11:37:43 -0500
>From: Dale Luther Bewley <dbewley@tech.iupui.edu>
>Subject: Return To Zork

>        Has anyone gotten Return to Zork to work? It is supposed to
>support the GUS, but when I tell it that's what I have it won't find
>the IRQ and DMA settings, it leaves them blank.  Yes all enviro.
>variables are set.  I can get it to run with SBOS UNTIL it tries to
>play speech! Then the animation goes into a loop... Can anyone help
>me?!
>        thanx
>dbewley@etsun.tech.iupui.edu

Return to Zork doesn't need to know about the IRQ and DMA, when you specify
the Advanced Gravis Ultrasound as the soundcard, the drivers RTZ uses check
the DMA and IRQ, rather than RTZ itself.

I had been running it using Megaem 2.3b (off Epas), but after a marathon
session of memory management, I managed to get my free conventional up to 
around 610, and RTZ-CD now had enough memory to run the Ultrasound support.

It sounds better with the Ultrasound driver, though I had no complaints about
Megaem.  Megaem works great if you can't get that little bit of extra memory
required for the Ultrasound drivers (forget the manuals 590-600k, you need
about 608k conventional for RTZ-CD using the Ultrasound drivers.

-Coyt
"Want some Rye?  'Course you do!"

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 16:22:00 PST
From: Scott Bobo <scott@mothra.rose.hp.com>
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V10 #7

For those of you who haven't seen it, the January issue of Computer Gaming
World has, in it's letters column, a couple of replies to CGW's review of
soundcards.  Both letters were critical of CGW's results, which were not
positive for the GUS.  Phat's letter, in particular, played up the versatility
of the GUS and it's ability to provide developers with a robust platform
for sound.  CGW's reply to these letters ("CGW is for game-playing; thus
our magazine has a responsibility to our readership to recommend only that
hardware which best supports games") was, I felt, particularly lame in light
of their editorial that month.

That month's editorial was critical of developers who, rather than making
the most of available hardware, pushed the technology envelope and forced
consumers to invest in increasingly higher-powered (and -priced) hardware
just to run their games.  The article praised early adopters (those consumers
who are not afraid to try the latest technologies) and explained how it seemed
that these people were not being rewarded for their efforts.  Early buyers of
single-spin CD's were used as an example of those who were quickly punished
for their pioneering spirit.

I happened to read the editorial before reading the letters, and as I read
the editorial, I saw GUS written all over it:  Early adopters of superior
technology who have been shafted by short-sighted (or just plain lazy) 
developers (Origin - are you listening?).  Rather than making the most of
available technology (GUS) developers take the easy way out and just force
consumers up the Sound Blaster price ladder.

So, after reading the editorial, I thought maybe CGW had the right spirit.
I thought they had the best interests of the consumer in mind.  Then I read
the letters and saw that they blindly follow the industry rather than try to
lead.  Lame.  They have a voice, but refuse to sing.

Nice letter, Phat.  I thought you made all the right points.  I'm going to
write a letter to CGW in response to their response, quting heavily from
their editorial.  It'll be fun.

Scott
 

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 08:15:50 -0500
From: "Michael Grant Wilson" <Mcq@oti.on.ca>
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V9 #17

on Thu, 16 Dec 93 10:00:01 FWT, tblanchot@vnet.IBM.COM wrote:
> Subject: problem with MOD4WIN: stereo
>
> Hello|
> Mod4win works fine for me, at 16 bit 40Khz, but whenever I try to click
> on the "stereo" button in the setup screen, my system hangs.
> I've also tried to set it to stereo with 8 bit playback only, with the
> same result.
> I have 8MB ram, a DX2/66 and my GUS is at 220,7,7,11,7. Could the 16
> bit DMA (7) be faulty?
>
> Thierry.
>
I just tried mod4win and had the same problem. I am running on DMA channel 1,
so it can't be the 16 bit DMA screwing you. Is it possible that the windows
driver just doesn't work (or work right) in stereo? I've tried a fairly recent
version of WinMod Pro (doesn't sound as good, but it will play 669 files), but it
won't play in stereo either. In this case, it doesn't hang, but just refuses
to play the file. I'm running the latest windows driver.

btw, I've got a (lowly) 386DX/33 and if I run mod4win at 16-bit 44KHz mono
it tells me it's using 97% CPU (ughh!). If I drop back to 22Khz, the usage
goes down to about 30%. *sigh*.

McQ

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 9:30:03 CST
From: umcoyne0@CC.UManitoba.CA
Subject: Re: Installing Windows drivers

To the chap who was having problems installing later drivers than v1.21
for Windows, you might want to try installing the >new< drivers and then
checking SYSTEM.INI to make sure that multiple references to GRVSULTR.386
or whatever it's called do not exist.  Usually, Windows is supposed to
give you an error when that happens, but, well, this is Windows... what do
you want, consistency? <g>.

Anyway, this might help, and then again it may be totally off base.  Good
luck.


Michael

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 10:32:15 -0500
From: "Daniel Damon Roscigno" <ddr@beach.cis.ufl.edu>
Subject: linux

Can someone tell me where to get info on using the GUS unnder Linux?
If possible please e-mail me at ddr.
ddr@cis.ufl.edu
as most paople on this list don't care about Linux.  Thanks!

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

Date: Sat, 08 Jan 1994 00:09:36 +0200
From: CRTGRA01@Uctvax.UCT.AC.ZA
Subject: New Windows drivers and NDW

Hello all,

Recently I purchased a new HD. Upgrading involved re-installing my
software. At the same time I upgraded my Windows GUS driver to the one
in the patch maker lite zip file. Here is my problem which it has taken
me a week to find out what the problem is:

If I run the new Windows GUS drivers and Norton Desktop for Windows 2.0
and have 32-bit access turned on, my system chugs along very slowly. It
takes over 1 min to get windows running. Whenever the disk access I lose
total control of my mouse etc. If I now turn 32-bit access
off, the problem disappears i.e. windows loads in <20 seconds. My system
worked fine with 32-bit access before I installed NDW. If, however, I
replace the GUS drivers with the ones in GUS0035.zip I can run NDW with
32-bit access and no speed problems at all.

Are there other NDW users out there with the same problems?? I take it
that there must be a conflict caused by the GUS drivers. Gravis: are you
aware of this and could you post a fix or a corrected set of drivers??
Can any other GUS users shed some light on this??

Many thanks,

Grant Carter
e-mail:   crtgra01@uctvax.uct.ac.za

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 94 14:20:52 EST
From: Dan Liszewski <liszewsk@lf.hp.com>
Subject: new win drvr: waves but no midi

Michael Scholten <michael@apanix.apana.org.au> wrote :

> A few digests ago I read of some peoples problems with the new Windows
> drivers where they couldn't get _any_ midi sounds.  Unfortunately I have
> not read a 'fix' yet  ...
> One thing I found was that I could not even load the patches manually using
> Patch Manager.

I had the same problem but now I'm embarassed having found out what I was
doing wrong:  In haste I copied _everything_ from the .zip into
\ultrasnd\windows - the problem was that the new ultrasnd.ini needed to
be in \ultrasnd.

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

Date: Fri, 07 Jan 1994 09:15:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: "By this time, my lungs were aching for air" <JKS4675@ritvax.isc.rit.edu>
Subject: OS/2 Drivers

Given the lack of OS/2 drivers, I suggest doing what Gravis seems to be pushing
us to- buying a cheesy SB for the OS/2 stuff.

I find it ridiculous that a company is so hell-bent on rewriting SBOS, Megaem,
Win3.1 drivers ad nauseam and STILL NO BETA......

Maybe they could pay IBM to do it


Extremely Disgusted,
Jeff

****************************************************************************
*                                                                          *
*      Goldschlager- because you can't puke a Rolex....                    *
*                                                                          *
****************************************************************************

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 10:12:00 -0800 (PST)
From: Mark Harrison <harrison@lclark.edu>
Subject: Re: Progress on OS/2 drivers?!?!?

On Fri, 7 Jan 1994, GUS Server wrote:

> Date: Tue, 04 Jan 1994 00:43:00 GMT
> From: thomas@hammer.hacktic.nl (Thomas van Kuipers)
> Subject: WHY DOES GRAVIS NOT POST THE PROGRESS ON OS/2 DRIVERS EVERY 2 WEEKS!
> 
> Do you find that reasonable? I find this NECCESSARY because they are 
> saying they produce it for a year now...

Well, I'd say every two weeks is a little much.  But for as long as we've 
been waiting, I'd say some kind of reply is certainly in order. 

GRAVIS!  Are you working on them or not?  Simple yes/no question.  We've 
been patient for over a year and deserve at least SOME kind of answer.

If you *really* post the digest on the wall every day like you claim, the 
least you could do is take 30 seconds to let your faithful customers know 
what's going on.  Otherwise I guess you're either lying about reading 
this every day or just don't care.  And that's not exactly the image 
you've been putting forward so far.  So PLEASE answer.

Thanks.

PS.  If you really do read this, can you tell me if I can order a 
replacement directional pad for my Gamepad?  Not the joystick, but the 
purple piece it plugs into?  I sent mail to John, but I guess I screwed 
something up since I've not heard back yet.

Mark Harrison
harrison@sun.lclark.edu

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 22:01:37 -0700 (MST)
From: Keith McIntyre-ELlis <kmellis@santafe.edu>
Subject: SBOS ver. 3.7 on EPAS?

Hello fellow GUSers:

Anybody know if the new SBOS is on epas? I haven't been able to find it
anywhere. (Of course, it would have to be in the submit dir, since nothing
seems to have been moved out of there since november...)

Anyway, I wanted to have it to use with Simcity 2K, which I'll be getting
shortly. Probably old versions will work fine, but I wanted to keep
up-to-date. Incidentaly, I have seen here that Gravis is working on the
32-bit Miles drivers which everybody has seemed to suddenly switched to
(inlcuding Maxis)- when are they going to be available?

Finally, someone here mentioned a few weeks ago the possibility of editing
the music section of the DOOM .wad file. I see (and have played with) the
sound FX editor (DMAUD.EXE)- wonder if anyone out there knows about the
MIDI music, hmmm?


 

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

Date: 7 Jan 94 19:24 -0800
From: Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>
Subject: Ultrasound Internet Archive - Discussion on EPAS limitation

				 GRAVIS ULTRASOUND INTERNET ARCHIVES NEWS
==========================================================================
Ftp Site: archive.epas.utoronto.ca     Directory: pub/pc/ultrasound
		  wuarchive.wustl.edu                     systems/ibmpc/ultrasound
		  archive.orst.edu                        pub/packages/gravis
		  theoris.rz.uni-konstanz.de              pub/sound/gus
		  << NOTE! theoris is for European users only since overloaded >>
		  nctuccca.edu.tw                         PC/ultrasound
		  << nctuccca is biggest asian ftp site >>
Mirror:   garbo.uwasa.fi                          mirror/ultrasound

Mailserver for archive access: mail-server@nike.rz.uni-konstanz.de
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, here is the situation that I'd like to bring up for general
discussion.....

GUS is getting TOO popular! Stop it! Just kidding.... 8)

Yes, the GUS's popularity is once again growing faster than we can
handle. At the beginning, we were happy to see any contribution to our
archive. But it wasn't long till popluarity grew and grew and grew. At the
beginning of last year, we thought getting 5 Megs a month was quite a lot
of contributions. By the summer, we were getting more than 10 megs a
month. And yes, by then, all the programs has native GUS support.

Well, as I told you all after Xmas, I was going to validate the new
files. I have done that but hit a road block. Over the month of Dec, the
new files totalled about 20 Megs. Hence I can't move them over to the
appropriate directories cause file system is full again. We will
probably figure something out so that I can finish the validation but
looks like the size of contribution is doubling every 1/2 year. By the
summer, we'll be getting 40 Megs of new files a month?!? (and knowing
how I'm always off with my predictions, we'd probably get more!).

Mind you, this is a good thing. Great news in fact. The Ultrasound is a
BIG hit and growing more and more popular. So don't get me wrong, keep
the growth growing! And thanks for all the supporters!!!

But of course as you all know by now, EPAS is only a PC and has limited
diskspace. We have already made some limitations such as sound files and
older Gravis files are not to be stored in EPAS. While the other sites
will remain as full archives. Well, this will continue, all other sites
will still be full archives, but we'll have to cut another directory
(or two?) from EPAS. So now the question is, what to cut?

I will probably take files from /misc off EPAS, but that hardly makes a
dent in the filespace used.

Another suggestion from our discussion between us (the admins) was to
remove files from /games. My response was, one of the main problems and
source of complaints is the problems running games on the GUS, the SB
support sucks, this game and that game doesn't work....etc. And this
directory holds not only patches to games make it work with the GUS, but
it also hold hints and games that does have GUS native support. So I
figured this to be an important directory. But as was pointed out, these
files can be had from other ftp sites as well, so... 

So the question is priority. What do you all think is the least
important directory in EPAS so that I can clear it out and say EPAS
won't carry these files? But note, all other of our Ultrasound Internet
Archive sites will still have the full archive. So what do you all
think? Let's hear your suggestions.


Thomas.

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 18:52:42 -0800 (PST)
From: swartz@sfu.ca
Subject: What are these files for?

Does anyone at tech@gravis.com answer email inquiries?  I have
sent the following questions to Gravis twice (Dec. 26 and Jan. 1)
but have received no answer.  Perhaps readers of this mailgroup
can answer these questions.

   1.  I have installed the software on disks 2.06a.  There is
	   now a `mysterious' subdirectory (ISFYZQVO.TWJ) on my hard
	   drive; it contains a single file, SWAPFILE.HDR, of 18800
	   bytes.  I have `snooped' in that file and it contains,
	   scattered among the binary coding, the names of various
	   .PAT files, etc.)  My guess is that it is a `temp' file
	   created by the installation program in 2.06a.  Is it?  May
	   it safely be erased, or is it in fact a file needed by the
	   Ultrasound software?

   2.  I have obtained and unzipped the files for SBOS37b.  Among
	   these files is one named "SBOSDRV.SYS".  Previously, when
	   I have used .SYS files I have installed them by putting
	   their names in the CONFIG.SYS file.  There is nothing in
	   the accompanying README file about SBOSDRV.SYS.  Is it a
	   companion file to SBOSDRV.EXE?  What, exactly, is it used
	   for and how?

   3.  I seem to recall someone writing that it is safe to remove

		   device=C:\ULTRASND\ultrinit.sys ultrasnd=.......

	   so long as one has

		   SET ULTRASND=...[customized as the case may be] ......
		   C:\ULTRASND\ultrinit.exe

	   in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  Can someone confirm that this
	   is so?  Is the device command in the CONFIG.SYS file
	   placed there by the installation of 2.06a or is it a
	   remnant of an earlier installation?

Many thanks.

-- Norman Swartz
   swartz@sfu.ca

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 10:38:50 -0500 (EST)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Windows drivers

> Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 08:44:40 +0100
> From: rve2@sh.alcbel.be (Rudi Verbist SH27)
> Subject: <grvsultr.386> problem
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Could anyone tell me what's the difference between the <grvsultr.386>
> files shipped with v1.21 and with v2.06a ?

I don't know the specific differences, but I would assume that they're
quite major.  Only certain versions of grvsultr.386 and ultrasnd.drv
can work together.

> I ask it because I can only install the Windows drivers shipped with v1.21
> and NOT those of later versions. In the latter case, when I start Windows, the
> Windows logo appears, but when it arrives at the line <device=grvsultr.386> 
> in the [386Enh] section of the <system.ini> file, Windows exits to DOS 
> (without leaving an error message).

Check to see that grvsultr.386 is indeed the latest one and is not
corrupt.  Safest thing to do would be to copy the newest grvsultr.386
file from the disks over top any occurrences of it in your /windows/system
and /ultrasnd/windows directories.  Also, keep track of where Windows
is looking for the drivers.  A drivers without path specifications 
must be located in the /windows/system directory.

If, even after all that checking, the drivers from the 2.06a disks
don't work, try the new ones in pmak110.zip on Epas.


> Date: 6 Jan 94 16:31:00 PST
> From: EBULALACAO@CSUPomona.Edu
> Subject: Patch Maker Lite
> 
> Where can I get a copy of this?  What filename is it under?  Is it in EPAS?
> Thanks for any replies.

It can be found in /pub/pc/ultrasound/submit/gravis.bbs/pmak110.zip on
archive.epas.utoronto.ca

> Date: Thu, 6 Jan 1994 09:11:15 +1030 (DST)
> From: Michael Scholten <michael@apanix.apana.org.au>
> Subject: Problems with the new Windows drivers
> 
> G'day everyone.
> 
> I am a new subscriber to this digest, but have read a few copies from
> someone else.
> 
> A few digests ago I read of some peoples problems with the new Windows
> drivers where they couldn't get _any_ midi sounds.  Unfortunately I have
> not read a 'fix' yet (probably due to missing the relevant issues) and I am
> having the same problem, except that I do get output from Patch Maker Lite.
> One thing I found was that I could not even load the patches manually using
> Patch Manager.

You must edit _all_ the PatchDir fields in your ultrasnd.ini file (the
one in your /ultrasnd directory, not the one in /ultrasnd/windows) so
that they correctly point to your /ultrasnd/midi directory.  Without
properly setting PatchDir's, the Windows drivers and Patch Man won't be
able to locate the patches.  The new drivers update the PatchDir's for 
the instrument banks automatically, but it fails to update the first
PatchDir under [Ultrasound].

> Until I find the solution I have simply replace my new ultmport.drv and
> ultrasnd.drv files with my old ones, but I am obviously not getting
> the benifits from the new drivers by doing this.

Note that Patch Maker Lite requires the new drivers, so if your problems
with it were when you tried to run it using the old drivers, try it
again with the new drivers.

> It may be important to mention that I got the new drivers from the SDK
> rather than from the zip file which had PM Lite and the drivers only.

This shouldn't make a difference.

> Date: Thu, 6 Jan 1994 11:37:43 -0500
> From: Dale Luther Bewley <dbewley@tech.iupui.edu>
> Subject: Return To Zork
> 
>   Has anyone gotten Return to Zork to work? It is supposed to
> support the GUS, but when I tell it that's what I have it won't find
> the IRQ and DMA settings, it leaves them blank.  Yes all enviro.

It doesn't matter what settings the game chooses as it drives the
GUS through Ultramid.  Ultramid handles all the settings for you.

> Date: Thu, 06 Jan 1994 11:58:04 -0800 (PST)
> From: MDENAULT@POMONA.CLAREMONT.EDU
> Subject: WAV Volume with new Windows drivers
> 
> A few people have recently complained about problems setting the WAV
> volume with the new Windows drivers.  For the record, I have had no
> such problems.  I go to Mixer, set the WAV volume, click on "Save",
> and the volume is set to that level.  I should add that I've locked
> the Left/Right volumes -- maybe there's a bug if they're not locked?
> 
> Anyway, as a temporary fix, you might try adjusting the WaveVolume,
> WaveVolumeL, and WaveVolumeR parameters in system.ini under the
> ultrasnd.drv section.  For max volume, I have mine set to 3586, 3563,
> and 3563, respectively.

Note that the new mixer settings are no longer saved in system.ini, but
in /ultrasnd/ultramix.ini instead.  Also, you must use the new mixer if
you've installed the new Windows drivers found in pmak110.zip or the
new SDK.  The new mixer has a Save button on the right, while the
old ones did not.

Phat.

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

End of GUS Daily Digest V10 #8
******************************
