Ultrasound Daily Digest     Thu Aug 19 15:32     Volume 5: Issue  18  

Today's Topics:
						  A few more patches
						 Bank-switching redux
							Cakewalk out?
					   Demos that don't work...
							 FILE REQUEST
						Gratuitous Flame-bait
			   GUS and Syndicate sound - the solution!
						Maestro 16 sound card
						   MSC Stereo & GUS
				  SBOS & OS/2, Stereo in Win Mod Pro
			  SBOS option parameters for Willy Beamish?
						  Sierra GUS support
						Stereo? Yeah, maybe...
					  ULTRASOUND DAILY DIGE 1/2
					  ULTRASOUND DAILY DIGE 2/2
					Ultrasound Daily Digest V5 #17
					   VR Show features GUS (?)
					  WANTED: Keyboard Sololist
				   When will the MAXX be released?
							WinMod Pro....

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, 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:

acguit.zip, a multisampled (9 samples) accoustic guitar. Who said you couldn't
get more realist guitar patches? BTW, if anybody does a midi file with this
with lots of chords, i'd like to hear it... I have not done much real world
applications, just playing live a few chords and stuff (very hard to do with
a keyboard i must say to simulate the good feel). There are samples of each
strings plus a few more in the higher octaves. Unzipped it is in the 400K
territory... BTW, who said you couldn't do a patch > 256Kb? Now if only we
had the >64kb wavesamples...

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.

ttone.zip: have fun, these are touch tones :), small but cool.

TR707: another bunch of percs from a TR727 Drum machine from Roland. Nice
sounding samples, no hiss.

More to come... (and i'm looking into the GS controller 0 thingy too!)

Ciao,
-- 
Francois Dion
	'  _   _   _ 
 CISM (_) (_)  _) FM       Montreal , Canada       Email: CISM@ERE.UMontreal.CA
	  (_)  / . _)             10000 Watts          Telephone no: (514) 343-7511
_______________________________________________________________________________
Audio-C-DJ-Fractals-Future-Label-Multimedia-Music-Radio-Rave-Video-VR-Volvo-...

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

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>

>From: Christopher Jon Wilkins <chrisw@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>Subject: Custom patches, banks, etc.

>On the topic of how to organise custom patches ...

>The current idea being thrown around is to create a `bank loading' 
>program to swap ultrasnd.ini files. This might be O.K. as a temporary
>solution, but I think we should really seriously lobby Gravis to
>modify the windows drivers instead.

OK, six or seven messages later (I've been gone for a while: jury duty 
(gag, barf))...

>From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
>Subject: Custom patches, Sonic Sound.

>Managing custom banks/patches can be quite complicated.  If we get to
>define multiple banks in ultrasnd.ini, how will we choose among them
>in a .mid?  We can use controller 0, but then we would have to modify
>Media Player and other sequencers to look for it to keep track of 
>which program calls occurred in which banks so that the correct patches
>can be cached.  Thus, we will need to ask Twelve Tone, Howling Dog,
>MidiSoft, Microsoft, etc., to revise their software to accomodate bank 
>switching on the GUS.  (I'm assuming that current sequencers ignore
>controller 0 when scanning for patches to be cached.)

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.

************************************************************************
Lee DeRaud                             Will program Windows for food.
Rockwell Int. AESD                    (Hey, I'm easy but I'm not cheap!)
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
	  My own opinions only, not those of Rockwell International.
   (Yeah, right: like anyone around here cares what *I* say...NOT!)
************************************************************************

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

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>

Hi.

I remember seeing a few weeks ago that Windows Cakewalk 2.0? is due out,
(I thought it was yesterday the 17th). I am just curious if it did 
actually come out and if someone has purchased it. Does it have
the needed patch caching?

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.)

Thanx 
Ciabatto@esc.syr.ge.com


	^^^^^
   (  . .)           
	____         -- Dave
=oOo=====oOo=== 

".. all we are is Dust in the wind" (ohhh, violin solo)

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 12:21:48 -0400
From: "Momentary language, sexual situations" <dantonio@magick.tay2.dec.com>
Subject: Demos that don't work...
Message-ID: <9308191621.AA00470@magick.tay2.dec.com>

Has anyone had any luck with the emf_ecl.zip demo? All I can get is 'Packed
file is corrupt' messages. And no GUS support either. :-)

On the same theme, debute_f!.exe runs pretty well until it gets to the
"flying through the tunnel of dots" part. The "tunnel" is missing and I
just get brief flashes of dots and then an error message, "Can't free up
program memory (9" or something like that. Sure enough, tools like Manifest
report alot of free memory gone and it takes a reboot to fix it...

Am I the only one with these problems?

DDA

 

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 06:21:08 
From: jason.lin@support.com
Subject: FILE REQUEST
Message-ID: <9308180621.A4083wk@support.com>

File Request:  If anyone has a copy of Ultima 7 MIDs(Arranged for GM),
could you please send an uuencoded copy to me via email?
Thanks in advance..

---
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=                    Jason Lin <aKa> ~Captain Goodnight~                    =
-      Internet: jlin@batpad.org           izzyvu9@mvs.oac.ucla.edu         -
=                jason.lin@support.com     jlin%ghs.uucp@usc.edu            =
-                           Fidonet: 1:102/837                              -
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 06:33:34 PDT
From: deraud@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com (Robert Lee DeRaud)
Subject: Gratuitous Flame-bait
Message-ID: <9308191333.AA06521@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com>

>From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
>Subject: Efficiency in Patches

>It's great to see all those new patches people are making.  However, they
>are usually so BIG!  Sometimes they need to be big, but often, better
>use of looping, enveloping, and compromises in sampling rate and/or bit
>resolution can yield a much smaller patch that sounds nearly as good as 
>the larger one.

[snip]

>Envelopes.  Remember to use the enveloping and AM/FM features instead
>of sampling an entire note complete with sustain and decay.

>From: Christopher Jon Wilkins <chrisw@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>Subject: Shorter Patches thoughts ...

>The general principle of shorter patches is O.K., but I'd like to point out
>that AM and particularly FM can chew up a fair bit of CPU time on the GUS.

Well, you're both sneaking up on one of my 'hot buttons', so I guess 
it's time to repost this (originally sent to gus-sdk awhile back). It 
really is relevant (honest :-)):

One of the main problems with sample-playback synths (at least those 
without extensive and expensive back-end signal processing) is that they 
cannot emulate classical analog synths worth a damn. The kind of beast 
I'm talking about typically has MiniMoog somewhere in its gene pool:

	Signal Generator ---> VCF ---> VCA ---> Output

along with LFO's, controller wheels, envelope generators, etc  providing
"programmable" control inputs to the VCF and VCA.

The GUS can do a decent enough job of emulating the VCA since amplitude 
ramping is available, but it cannot handle the VCF at all: the frequency 
content of the output is ENTIRELY controlled by the sample being played.  

The next part of this conversation typically goes like: "Well, get a 
MiniMoog or Prophet or whatever and sample it!" WRONG! With the 
exception of some (optional) keyboard-follow effects, the control inputs 
to the analog synths VCF are INDEPENDENT of the note being played.  In 
particular, the LFO frequency and envelope generator time constants are 
usually fixed. Playing back the samples at various pitches makes these 
emulated controls appear to follow the pitch. E.g. if the sample is 
played back an octave higher than recorded, the LFO seems to be running 
twice as fast and the envelope reaches its release point at half the 
expected time.  The only way out of this is to multi-sample AT EVERY 
NOTE! (So when is the 8MB "SuperGUS" coming out?)

[An aside: anyone truly serious about synthesizers owes it to 
him/herself to sit down and fool around with an older analog synth at 
least once. But be warned, the knob/slider twiddling can be truly addictive!]

So...the whole point of this is the question: can a GUS emulate a VCF by 
using what amounts to a two-dimensional sample? If we have a bunch (say 
512) of small, simple waveform tables (say 512 samples each), that's one 
256K memory bank.  Each table has a different frequency content, i.e. it 
corresponds to a different VCF setting. The idea is to switch from table 
to table while the note is playing to emulate the VCF, in the same way
that the amplitude is changed to emulate the VCA. But can the sample 
base address be twiddled this way without generating an ugly assortment 
of clicks and pops? (Note that the table OFFSET is not modified, so 
there is a reasonable continuity in the output sample stream, assuming 
the wave tables are properly constructed.)

[Another annoying aside: I THINK this is how the Fairlight worked, but 
since they cost >$30K, I never got one to use at home :-)]

Comments?

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

(I went away for awhile, but I'm back now...)

This whole subject is an ENORMOUS can of worms, especially as regards 
compatability - I've stayed away from it in the digest, not wishing to 
provide irresistable flame-bait to the gamers, MOD fanatics, and SBOS 
twiddlers. :-)

What we REALLY need is source code to the Windows driver. There is really
only a very loose connection between the (current) GUS patch format and the
ultimate capabilities of the underlying H/W model.  I'm very much afraid
that the GUS will get locked into a patch model without layering, velocity 
mapping (using different sample sets or subpatches as volume increases) 
and other such stuff that (I think) the H/W will support.

************************************************************************
Lee DeRaud                             Will program Windows for food.
Rockwell Int. AESD                    (Hey, I'm easy but I'm not cheap!)
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
	  My own opinions only, not those of Rockwell International.
   (Yeah, right: like anyone around here cares what *I* say...NOT!)
************************************************************************

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

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)

I did this, ran SBOS, ran GUS-SYND and voila!  Windows rattling all round the
house, dogs in my neighbourhood started barking, traffic ground to a halt...
time to drop the volume!

I tried making a .BAT file to do all this, then restore BLASTER and ULTRASND
after exiting Synd back to their normal values, but SBOS seemed to kill the
.BAT file in its tracks.  I spent, oh, maybe 30 seconds on this...I'll look at
it again one day.

For all those having the same problem, this fix worked for me.

Dave Mitchell

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

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.
It comes with an ARIA chip and a DSP, 1/2 Mbyte rom sounds, a MPU 401
comp. Midi interface, an adaptec scsiII controller.  It has a 16 bit
DAC and a 10 bit ADC.  The card should be adlib and soundblaster
compatible.  The rom is upgrad. to 1 Mbyte. 
It has no stereo line out, only a stereo amplified out.
(270 US$, incl tax.)

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).
I wonder if someone can tell me how close the GUS is to the SC ? 
Where in Belgium,  Holland can I get a GUS or at least listen to it ?

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
future domain scsi) controller, a real mpu 401 compatible midi interface
(exactly the same as my roland mpu interface), soundbl compatibility
consider such a card.  If you want a good synthesizer-card, just forget it.

Ciao,

Guido.

guido.vandenberghe@esat.kuleuven.ac.be

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

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).
---
Lars Hansson    Ericsson Radio Systems AB, Sweden
"Steve Jobs new  wife were prety sad, when she, at their wedding nigth 
realized why his company is called Microsoft"

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 14:45:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: SBOS & OS/2, Stereo in Win Mod Pro
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9308181448.A8657-b100000@sciborg>

> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 08:34:33 EDT
> From: High-IQ male seeks multiplicative inverse <salzmann@scoman.enet.dec.com>
> Subject: Does anybody listen to this from Gravis?
> Message-ID: <9308171229.AA09751@easynet.crl.dec.com>
> 
>   It seems that there are so many people asking about SBOS and
> OS/2....
> 
> 1) Why doesn't it work?
> 
> 2) Why can't it be made to work? Since the really well-written DOS apps
>    have no trouble running in OS/2, doesn't this point a finger at SBOS?
>    Is there any way to get a driver written so we can at least get digital
>    audio and let a different driver handle the music?
>

SBOS uses the NMI, and OS/2 doesn't like that.
 
> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 00:01:26 -0600 (CDT)
> From: ddebry@grue.dsd.ES.COM (Dave DeBry)
> Subject: Win Mod Pro -- no stereo?
> Message-ID: <9308180601.AA29359@grue>
> 
>   Ok, I'll bite.  What am I doing wrong that makes WinMod Pro
> not work in stereo mode with a GUS?  When I turn Stereo on, I get
> absolutely no sound from the UltraSound.  Any hints?
> 

You have to choose a playback rate of 11025, 22050 or 44100, as those are
the only rates at which the GUS will handle interleaved stereo. 

Phat.

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

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.

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 03:23:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Sierra GUS support
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9308180306.A24329-a100000@sciborg>

After hearing that Sierra plan on supporting the GUS, the naysayers 
came back with "that'll only be through Windows."  So I checked up
with the CIS rep again, and here was his reply:

>Date: 18 Aug 93 02:15:24 EDT
>From: Sierra On-Line <76004.2143@CompuServe.COM>
>To: <ptran@sciborg>
>Subject: Ultrasound again
>
>Hi,
>
>>I hear that the support will only be through Windows.
>
>Nope, the driver will be for DOS, Windows programs should work now
>with the GUS as long as the drivers are setup and the right patches
>are loaded.
>
>
>Happy Gaming!
>
>- Chris/Sierra On-Line Tech Support

Phat.

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 06:33:06 PDT
From: deraud@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com (Robert Lee DeRaud)
Subject: Stereo? Yeah, maybe...
Message-ID: <9308191333.AA06518@power.amasd.anatcp.rockwell.com>

>From: FINK_MARTIN/HP2000_13@idacom.hp.com
>Subject: No Stereo-In in WINDOWS

>Well I hope the folks at Gravis are listening to this
>one.

>I just bought a microphone at Radio Shack.  I made sure
>it was the stereo one ( it's actualy got two mic heads
>on it).  I used the sound recorder in WINDOWS to record
>my daughter, to find out only the left side of the mic
>was working.  At first I thought I had a defective mic
>and then a deffective GUS.  I tried using the DOS based
>'playfile' that came with 2.06 disks, and it worked fine.

This is PROBABLY a hardware problem: as good as the functional (i.e. 
electronic) part of the GUS is (IMHO), the mechanical part well and 
truly sucks. I chased a similar problem for days on the output side and 
traced it down to the connector socket on the back of the card: wiggling 
the cable is often enough to make the left channel drop out even though 
the plug is fully seated. Three of the four sockets feel somewhat loose.
Also, the MIDI connector widget has no tiedown screws on the GUS-end 
connector: it just sort of HANGS there. Somebody saved a couple pennies 
per unit...which I then spent for duct tape!

Sometimes the obvious thing isn't...

************************************************************************
Lee DeRaud                             Will program Windows for food.
Rockwell Int. AESD                    (Hey, I'm easy but I'm not cheap!)
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
	  My own opinions only, not those of Rockwell International.
   (Yeah, right: like anyone around here cares what *I* say...NOT!)
************************************************************************

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 13:47:34 
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: ULTRASOUND DAILY DIGE 1/2
Message-ID: <9308181347.A2600wk@gravis.com>

 -----------------------------
>From: High-IQ male seeks multiplicative inverse
><salzmann@scoman.enet.dec.com> Subject: Does anybody listen to this
>from Gravis?
>        It seems that there are so many people asking about SBOS and
>OS/2....
>1) Why doesn't it work?
>2) Why can't it be made to work? Since the really well-written DOS apps
>   have no trouble running in OS/2, doesn't this point a finger at
>SBOS?
>   Is there any way to get a driver written so we can at least get
>digital
>   audio and let a different driver handle the music?
 -----------------------------

No we never read the digest <grin> Actually it is printed and posted on
our cork board nearly every day.

Remember SBOS uses the NMI (Non-maskable int.). OS/2 is a protected
envir. which does a great job of protecting other applications from
programs which try to remap/reroute interrupts. But it can't handle the
NMI. Hence SBOS won't work properly under OS/2.

If you are wondering why we use the NMI here is my standard answer about
SBOS and the NMI.


NMI stands for Non Maskable Interrupt.  When an NMI is generated the PC will
finish executing its current instruction then go and handle whatever called
the NMI.  This is usually caused by the parity checking circuitry of your PC
when an ONBOARD PARITY ERROR has occured.

SBOS requires a way of latching onto the PC in such a way that games won't
interfere with it.  By hooking onto the NMI, SBOS has a chance to run.
This type of emulation works great for any games that don't try and do
something wierd with the NMI (F15 II for instance).

There was problems with older versions of SBOS (1.x) where the user would
get NO sound at all out of SBOS.  This was eventually narrowed down to an
NMI problem with a FEW motherboards.  It seems the NMI never got generated
on these PC's or if it did the CPU wasn't responding to them.  Hence, SBOS
never had a chance to run.

So instead of SBOS simply giving the user NO sound it gives users the
following message, "NMI procedure on this P.C. is disabled".  The only known
ways to correct this problem are to:

1) Make sure the parity circuitry on your PC is enabled.  This can usually
   be done by making sure PARITY is enabled in your extended CMOS

2) Replace the motherboard.  NOTE: You don't need to replace the CPU.
   A new motherboard will range from $100-400 on average.

Remember, there is nothing wrong with your GUS or SBOS.  SBOS is simply
reporting a problem which has always existed with your PC and is just
bringing it to light.

Hope this helps.

John

Side Note:
		  Regarding the NMI error on Tandy 4850EP's (486DX2/50):

		  Under the power supply there is a bank of four DIP switches.
		  According to the Tandy tech manual, DIP 1 is marked
		  "Reserved for factory use"...in fact this switch enables the
		  parity checking for on board memory.  Thus solving the NMI
		  problem.

======================

Thought I should make you all aware of what has been happening in the
last little while.


NEW GRAVIS NODE APPLICATION
===========================

I released a new Authorized Gravis Node application kit called
GRAV-APP.ZIP. This has been updated to take into account SBCNET, new
worldwide hosts and new policies. If you are interested in becoming a
Gravis node please take a look at this file. You can download it from
our BBS or any of our Gravis nodes.

|                        Authorized Gravis BBS Nodes List
|                                    as of
|                                July 15, 1993
|
Name                    Location           Node No.    BBS Phone No.   Speed
=============================================================================
Advanced Gravis         Burnaby, Canada   *1:153/978   (604) 431-5927  V32bis
|                                         *13:900/3
|                                         *94:850/103
|                                         %gravis.com
Deep Cove BBS           White Rock, Canada 1:153/915   (604) 536-5859  DS
MIDI 1040               Vancouver, Canada  1:153/7040  (604) 732-4446  V32bis
Infinite Dreams         Vancouver, Canada  1:153/7042  (604) 733-6432  DS
|                                                      (604) 733-8193  V32bis
WolfPack                Richmond, Canada   1:153/811   (604) 275-3047  DS
T-8000 Info. System     Calgary, Canada   *1:134/160   (403) 686-2236  DS16.8
|                                     t8000.cuc.ab.ca  (403) 246-4487  V32bis
|                             ftpmail@t8000.cuc.ab.ca  (403) 686-0816  V32bis
Download Dungeon        Ontario, Canada    1:229/318   (705) 749-3233  V32bis
|                                                      (705) 749-2345  V32bis
|                                                      (705) 749-9632  V32bis
Super Sonic             Ontario, Canada    1:250/722   (416) 225-2872  2400
|                                                      (416) 225-8942  DS
QWERTY                  Quebec, Canada     1:167/625   (514) 473-9357  V32bis
The Sound Barrier       New York, USA      13:420/0    (718) 979-6629  DS
|                                                      (718) 979-9406  V32bis
Music Connection        Texas, USA (Plano) 1:124/3109  (214) 596-2827  DS
|                                          1:124/3110  (214) 964-3743  V32
CyberSpace - The Matrix Texas, USA(Carrol) 1:124/6201  (214) 394-9339  V32bis
|                                          13:100/22
JoyFull Noise           Oregon, USA       *1:105/55    (503) 335-9600 &DS
|                                         *1:105/5     (503) 335-3053 ZV32bis
I can 'C' Clearly Now!  Iowa, USA          1:290/102   (515) 472-3651  V32bis
Open Access BBS         Norway, Europe     2:210/18    +47-61-97945    V32bis
The 1st Dutch MIDI BBS  Netherland, Europe 2:281/610   +31-85811892    V32bis
Geniaal BBS 2           Netherland, Europe 14:1000/3   +31-2290-43038  V32bis
|                                                      +31-2290-45816  V32bis
New Age System          Estonia, Europe    2:490/12    +372-2-606319   V32bis
StarPort                Finland, Europe    2:220/630   +358-0-804-4626 DS
|                                                      +358-0-804-1133 2400
StarFire                Germany, Europe    2:2400/105  +49-9131-538303 V32bis
AWAX-CBL                Moscow, Europe     2:5020/105  +7-095201-5115 ZV32bis
MultiMedia              Singapore, Asia    6:600/408   +65-2521220    ZV32bis
Paranoimia-Art of Noise Victoria,Australia 3:635/541   +61-3-379-7041  V32
|
Files Only
=============================================================================
UltraSound Connection   Florida, USA                   (813) 787-8644  DS
Logical Solutions       Calgary, Canada    1:134/10    (403) 299-9923  V32bis
TechTalk                Calgary, Canada    1:134/40    (403) 280-4938  V32bis
P.O.P.                  Finland, Europe    2:221/119   +358-18-550136  DS
|                                                      +358-18-550982  DS
=============================================================================

NOTE(S): - All systems are No Parity, 8 Data Bits, 1 Stop bit (N81)
|        - All systems are online 24 hours/day
|        - Speeds: V32bis - 14,400 bits per second (CCITT standard)
|                  HST    - 14,400/16,800 bits per second (US Robotics Prop.)
|                  DS     - 14,400/16,800 bits per second (HST/V32bis)
|        - * - Files are File Requestable
|        - % - EMail Only.  No FTP or Telnet.
|        - & - Does not accept >= 2400 baud calls
|        - Z - Zyxel (16.8K and 19.2K bps)

About the Gravis Nodes
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 All nodes are independent BBSs', and are not run or sponsored by Gravis.  As
 such the logon procedures for each BBS may vary.  For instance, some give
 you immediate access, while others have a probation period which may last
 several days.  All nodes are encouraged to offer all the Gravis files and
 messages to first time callers but this may not always be the case.

 If you are interested in becoming an Authorized Gravis Node you may file
 request or download GRAV-APP.ZIP from the Gravis BBS.

Other Sources for UltraSound Files:
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|     CompuServe:         GO PCVENB  area #14                      71333,350
|                         GO MACDVEN area #10                      75300,733

|     FTP Sites:          archive.epas.utoronto.ca         pub/pc/ultrasound
|                         wuarchive.wustl.edu       systems/msdos/ultrasound

|     Internet EMail:     Tech Support 1 (Paul Malcolm)     tech1@gravis.com
|                         Tech Support 2 (Matthew Arbeid)   tech2@gravis.com
|                         Sales                             sales@gravis.com

|     Internet: UltraSound Digest:               ultrasound%itchy@dsd.es.com
|               GUS SDK Digest:                     gus-sdk%itchy@dsd.es.com
|                                               To post to tomorrow's digest


|     Request: Daily Digest Server:      ultrasound-request%itchy@dsd.es.com
|              GUS SDK Digest:              gus-sdk-request%itchy@dsd.es.com
|                               To subscribe, unsubscribe, and request files

|     Owner Address:                       ultrasound-owner%itchy@dsd.es.com
|                              To contact a human if the server has troubles

NOTE: the %itchy and dsd domains will be removed sometime during the beginning
|     of June.  So ultrasound%itchy@dsd.es.com will become ultrasound@es.com.

==============================================================================


ALIASES
=======

I am still trying to fix the problem with our aliases. IE: tech@gravis.com,
sales@gravis.com. We upgraded to a new internet mailer before I went to
Finland 4 weeks ago and it seems to still have bugs. I'll let you all know
when it is working correctly again.


PRESS RELE

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 13:47:37 
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: ULTRASOUND DAILY DIGE 2/2
Message-ID: <9308181347.A2601wk@gravis.com>

(Continued from previous message)

=============

This is a press release for the MIDI connector box that was originally
released to the press on May 24th '93. As you know I hate releasing things
before their time. So I've held off releasing this press release until the
product actually started shipping. The MIDI connector box started shipping
over 3 weeks ago.

May 24, 1993

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TORONTO:    AED
VANCOUVER:  AED
OTC BBS:    GRVSF

						Advanced Gravis Introduces
						UltraSound(tm) MIDI Adapter

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- May 24, 1993 -- Advanced Gravis has just
made it easier for users to fully utilize the high quality audio
reproduction of their UltraSound audio board with the introduction of
the UltraSound MIDI Adapter.

The universal UltraSound MIDI Adapter allows users to connect various
MIDI devices to the UltraSound board via an attached four foot connector
cable, and features MIDI IN, MIDI OUT and MIDI THRU.  MIDI Activity
Indicator LEDs for MIDI IN and OUT allow users to diagnose problems with
the MIDI setup. Two D15 connectors allow the adapter to also be used to
connect two joysticks or other controllers. The UltraSound MIDI Adapter
is compatible with other sound cards utilizing a D15 connector.

According to David Reid, vice president of marketing for Advanced Gravis,
"The Gravis MIDI Adapter Box allows us to combine the superior sound
quality of wave table synthesis with the large standard of MIDI
equipment. Our UltraSound board and MIDI Adapter are the perfect
complements to any keyboard, sequencer or other MIDI controller."

In addition to UltraSound(tm), Gravis' 16bit CD-quality stereo sound
card featuring wave table synthesis and recording, Advanced Gravis
Computer Technology Ltd. also designs, manufactures and markets high
quality microcomputer input devices, including the Gravis Analog Pro
Joystick and GamePad for the IBM platform, and the MouseStick II and
GamePad for Macintosh.

For more information contact Brad Craig, market development manager
for Advanced Gravis at 604/431-5020 ext 1074.


TECH NOTE
=========

I've been getting some questions about doing simultaneous recording
and playback on the UltraSound. I thought I would investigate it and
here is what I came up with.

TITLE:      Advanced Gravis Tech Note #20
AREA:       PROGRAMMING
DATE:       Aug 17, 1993
KEY WORDS:  ULTRASOUND PROGRAMMING RECORD PLAYBACK

SUBJECT: Simultaneous Record and Playback

Yes it is possible to record and playback on the UltraSound simultaneously,
but there is some information you should be made aware of.

If you enable Mic/Line In and try to play data through the UltraSound
at the same time then BOTH channels will be mixed for the final output.
There is NO way to disable the Mic/Line in from being passed to the
line out. Hence, you can record and playback at the same time but keep
in mine what you are trying to record and what you are trying to play
through the UltraSound will be mixed by the time it is outputed.

You could use this to your advantage however. For example, you
could write a recording studio program which would record to disk and
while it is recording have the UltraSound verbally tell the user how
much disk space they have left.

There are no immediate plans to add the feature of recording without
monitoring and still have the line out enabled.


AWAY FROM THE OFFICE
====================

I'll be in Colorado Springs for a BBS convention from Wed Aug 25th until
Tue Aug 31st. Hopefully finding out how to get our BBS connected to the
Internet full time <grin>. I will also be going in to the hospital on
Thur Sept 9th and I am expected to be off work for a week. So it may
take a little while for mail to get answered or Gravis news to get
released. Thought I should pre-warn you all before all this happens.
After all, most of you are my backup <grin>.


DEMOS & INTROS FROM ASM'93
==========================

We now have most of the intro's from Assembly '93 and some of the demos
on the Gravis BBS & nodes. I'm still waiting for the release of UNREAL2
from Future Crew as I'm sure we all are ;-)

That's all for now. TTUL

John
---
 ~ QMPro 1.50 05-8925 ~ People say I'm indecisive.  Am I?  I don't know.

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 07:18:52 CDT
From: rforeman@amoco.com (Rusty Foreman)
Subject: Re: Ultrasound Daily Digest V5 #17
Message-ID: <9308181218.AA13121@orca.trc.amoco.com>

Please remove me from email list.  Thanks

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 08:29:55 EDT
From: I smell garlic....I'm outta here <salzmann@scoman.enet.dec.com>
Subject: VR Show features GUS (?)
Message-ID: <9308181149.AA27454@easynet.crl.dec.com>

	Color me surprised....when I walked into a 'Virtual Reality' show
in Boston last night, there were some 486's (loaned by Digital- had to get
that in there) running, of all things, PLAYMIDI. Nothing saying that the
GUS was inside...the software looked, uh, real familiar. If Digital did a 
multimedia bundle and the card they used was the GUS, there'd be some more
sales...

	Good to see Digital has chosen the proper soundcard.

	On a different note, has anybody tried getting a GUS and an SBPro
to work at the same time? What things do I need to keep in mind to pull this
off?? Any known OS/2 problems?

	On yet another different note, is there any benefit in putting my
GUS into a local bus slot? I know that the card has a 16-bit connector,
(local has 32) but will the local slot address the card at the processor
speed (33 MHz), rather than the 8MHz ISA bus?

	On a final different note...as far as the NT drivers for the GUS goes:

1) Do the Windows drivers work?
2) Does SBOS work in a DOS session?


	NT has been pretty slow in sales here, near Boston....the guy I talked
to at Egghead (he was 'aware', i.e., not your typical computer sales type) said
they have only sold TWO copies since the retail release. Given the ripples that
the Sumitomo factory explosion caused, RAM SIMMs have really gone through the
roof, and NT wants 16 MB as a minimum. Throw in the fact that the OS costs 
as much as a GUS (flame me if I'm wrong) and you see you're talking a lot of
cash. This has probably taken a chunk of sales. The only people that will use
NT for home use are hardcore gadget types (like me) and software developers.
This may change over time, but it won't be overnight. NT will not take
the industry by storm, at least not in the next six months.

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 93 16:22:20 MDT
From: Stuart Yoshida <yoshida@elektra.fc.hp.com>
Subject: WANTED: Keyboard Sololist
Message-ID: <9308182222.AA14054@elektra.fc.hp.com>

  Okay, all you GUS'ers, I'm looking for a keyboard soloist who's
  interested in helping me out with a native GUS sequenced song that I'm
  working on.  I have a cool and funky tune that I'm composing (of
  course, you may not agree with me on the "cool and funky" part :-),
  and I'm in need of a studio-type muscian who's willing to add a killer
  keyboard solo.

  Since I'm doing this for free on my own time, the only thing I can
  offer is co-credits on the song and my enthusiastic input.  But I
  think there's plenty of possibility for synergy and having fun.

  My thoughts on how this process would work are as follows:  I send you
  the file in MID or POW (MIDI or PowerChords) format via Internet or
  Compuserve, and you add in your coolest chops.  You send me back the
  results, and I "audition" what you've done.  If I pick your work, then
  we become co-authors of the song and awaaaay we go!

  The really mondo part about this is that we could live in compeletly
  different parts of the world and yet compose a song together.  I
  forsee many iterations on the song, but all in the name of making it
  the best possible product.  Eventually I'd like to put the song into
  PowerChords format and submit it to Howling Dog as an example that
  they'd distribute on CIS and song disk.

  If you're interested, please send me a note at the Internet address
  listed below.

  adTHANXvance,

  P.S.  Hey, ERIC BELL:  I'll probably need PowerChords Pro for this
  project.  When's it going to be available?

--

  Stuart Yoshida

Internet: yoshida@elektra.fc.hp.com
   Voice: (303) 229-2324

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

Date: Thu, 19 Aug 93 13:24:54 EST
From: "Bryan Cass" <bc%idx.com@sadye.EMBA.UVM.EDU>
Subject: When will the MAXX be released?
Message-ID: <0097141CB0FCB3E0.2021B473@idx.com>

Does anyone know if/when the MAXX is to be released?  I'd like to buy a GUS
now, but if the MAXX has the 1 meg memory already on it with all of the other
goodies thrown in for good measure, I think I'll wait for it.

Or, will there be an upgrade policy for those who buy the GUS right before the
new version is released?

Bryan

P.S.  Are there dealers that have the GUS in stock?  I called around and either
they don't have it, or it is on backorder.

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

Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 23:49:58 -1000 (GMT-10:00)
From: Paul Murgatroyd <s1098@kowande.Bond.edu.au>
Subject: Re: WinMod Pro....
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9308182356.A18765-a100000@sand.kowande.Bond.edu.au>

> From: ddebry@grue.dsd.ES.COM (Dave DeBry)
> Subject: Win Mod Pro -- no stereo?
> Message-ID: <9308180601.AA29359@grue>
> 
>   Ok, I'll bite.  What am I doing wrong that makes WinMod Pro
> not work in stereo mode with a GUS?  When I turn Stereo on, I get
> absolutely no sound from the UltraSound.  Any hints?

I have no problems with WinMod Pro in Stereo (v0.004b). I do remember that
WinMod Pro stopped working for me a while ago, and simply re-installing it
solved my problems. Also, check that your sample rate is something that
makes sense. I use 44100 for my sample rate, but WinMod Pro happily
accepts numbers like 17623 as a sample rate. It should still work, but one
wonders what the program is doing trying to match to a weird sample rate
like the above example. 

One thing that doesn't work properly is the volume control.....stay away
from the volume slider. I am sure that is what caused WinMod Pro to fail
and force me to reinstall it.

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

End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V5 #18
*************************************
