US Daily Digest            Wed, 22 Mar 95  9:37 PST     Volume 20: Issue  22 

Today's Topics:
						  16-bit DB vs. Max
						   16 bit Db vs Max
							 Dark Forces
							 GUS & CDROM
				 isn't this REALLY a 386? not a 486.
						Mega-Em protected mode
							 Mega303b.zip
					  New Megaem and other stuff
							 OOOps again
					 P-mode (sure it is!) Mega-em
							 Pmode MegaEm
					  Problems adjusting volume!
							  Questions
			   SB and GUS Windows Coexistence (2 msgs)
						   SB system sounds
						 Software Development
								Stuff
	  Ultrasound card (rev 2.2) and NEC quad speed cd rom drives

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: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 14:22:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Len Moskowitz <moskowit@panix.com>
Subject: Re: 16-bit DB vs. Max

engineer@mail.soc.staffs.ac.uk (Ian Silvester) wrote:

> 1. The functionality of a GUS+DB and a Max is identical (same mixer, CODEC
> chip etc.)

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

> 3. Yes, the DB requires its own IRQ, DMA (one only) and I/O port, whereas
> the Max uses (in total, excluding SB/MIDI) one IRQ, two DMA and two I/O
> ports (the extra one over normal GUS is for the CODEC).

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.


Len Moskowitz
Core Sound
moskowit@panix.com

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 08:40:23 GMT
From: J.Screaton@sheffield.ac.uk (James Screaton)
Subject: Re: 16 bit Db vs Max

To also comment on the difference between the 16 bit Daughterboard 
vs the Max.

Can the Daughterboard simultaneously record & playback as the Gus can?
You need to use 2 DMA channels for this, and it's quite important when
using the GUS with SAW or similar products (so I've been told by a rich
person who has SAW). It allows you to hear whats already recorded while
recording a second (or whatever) track.

James Screaton

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 08:42:12 GMT
From: dwj@kid01pml.icl.co.uk (Dave Johnson)
Subject: Dark Forces

Somebody please enlighten this poor ignorant soul.
Does Dark Forces come on installation diskettes or CD-ROM?

Cheers,
Dave.

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

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 12:46:04 -0600
From: jiang@ux5.cso.uiuc.edu (Blade)
Subject: GUS & CDROM

I currently own a GUS and I am planning on getting a CDROM for it. I am
considering a double speed (or even a quad speed) CD-ROM that is under $250
($300 tops) that is fully compatible with GUS. I was wondering if anyone has
any good suggestions... How is that Sony 2.4X CDROM? 

Also, do I need a CD-ROM daughter board from gravis in order to have my GUS
work with CDROMs? 

All suggestions or recommendations are welcome, please send them to me via
email. Thank you very much and happy GUSing :)
############################################################################
#                     email: jiang@ux5.cso.uiuc.edu                        #
#                     WWW: http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~jiang                  #
#                  University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign              #
############################################################################
	There is no war on internet...yet because no one has figured out how
	  to send a zillion megawatts from point a to point b and fry the 
				   obnoxious user on the other end. 

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

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 13:27:26 -0600 (CST)
From: John Patrick Lestrade <lestrade@Ra.MsState.Edu>
Subject: isn't this REALLY a 386? not a 486.

> Date: Mon, 20 Mar 95 11:51:21 HST
> From: ross@math.hawaii.edu
> Subject: cheap GUS-compat.ible 486 MB: a recommendation
> 
> In case anyone else is considering a similar upgrade, last week I bought and
> installed a new, inexpensive 486DX2-66 VLB motherboard that (so far) works 
> perfectly with the GUS.  It was only $160 from a place called Olympic 
> Technologies in Texas (WWW URL  http://www.pic.net/olympic/olympic.html); while this was supposedly a 1-week sale, it was still listed on their WEB page last 
> time I looked.
> The board *does* have some drawbacks: no installed external cache (it *will*
> take up to a megabyte), and the chip is a Cyrix (which does have the benefit of
> an on-board 8k write-back cache, making external cache a bit superfluous).  On

Isn't this the `486slc' that is in actuality a 386 with a cache added? 
(and that is why it is so cheap.) comments?
patrick
--
John Patrick Lestrade               | Begin PGP Public Key
cnesta::lestrade  or SSL::lestrade  | ``Open Sesame''
lestrade@ra.msstate.edu             | End PGP Public Key         

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 07:26:00 -0500
From: Dennis-'t.Hart@lcnnl.sprint.com
Subject: Mega-Em protected mode
Message-ID: <"Wed Mar 22 07:26:01 199502*/G=Dennis-'t/S=Hart/OU=2496WVLC/O=TMNL.LCN/PRMD=LANGATE/ADMD=TELEMAIL/C=GB/"@MHS>

	 Yoh all,
	 
	 Where can I get a copy of Mega-em for protected mode.....?
	 
	 
	 |--\      /--| _______                            _______
	 |   \    /   | |   ___| |--\  |-| /-----\ |----|  |   ___|
	 |  \ \  / /  | |  |___  |   \ | | |  _  | | |--   |  |___
	 |  |\ \/ /|  | |   ___| |  \ \| | | |_| | | |     |   ___|
	 |  | \__/ |  | |  |___  |  |\   | |  _  | | |__   |  |___
	 |__|      |__| |______| |__| \__| |_| |_| |____|  |______|
					 Scott me up, Beamy.....
	 
	 e-Mail : dennis-'t.hart@lcnnl.sprint.com
	 OR
	 Ronald.Bleeker@lcnnl.sprint.com

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

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.

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 10:39:02 +0800 (SST)
From: Tay Chee Chong <isc00011@leonis.nus.sg>
Subject: New Megaem and other stuff
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950322102939.11357A-100000@leonis.nus.sg>

Ryan Iler wrote:

>  For a reason which I can not figure out the sound effects for the game 
>Rise of the Triad do not work for me.  Even when I set it up for sound 
>effects only I get nothing but wierd clicks and pops.  It worked when I 
>first got the demo version but it won't work now.  Any help would be 
>appreciated.

make sure your GUS IRQ setting is 7 or less....

Tried a few protected mode games with the New Megaem 3.03

Magic Carpet:
Can get General MIDI music (pretty good), and sound effects from my SB-PRO

Wing Commander: Privateer (CD version)
Finally I can use the General MIDI option for the music and it sounds 
really good!!...againe I use my SB-PRO for digital effects

USNF
Also get G-MIDI musioc...but prefer to use the patch from EPAS

Well thats all for the moment....

My setup is:
P90 (Neptune) with 16meg RAM, using QEMM 7.5 and Ultrasound MAX with 1 MEG



SNOOP

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

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 12:49:13 -0500 (EST)
From: Buddy <cs3mh3dn@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca>
Subject: OOOps again

(With regards to the message that Roland emulation will not work with 
MOST games on an older Ultrasound)

>I found it, it's inside the executable. Not sure if the message 
>actually appears if you run it on a 2.x GUS.

>Anssi

Maybe I'm not losing my mind after all......


Kevin

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 00:03:40 -0500 (EST)
From: All Hail Brak! <JKS4675@ritvax.isc.rit.edu>
Subject: P-mode (sure it is!) Mega-em

Special thanks to Gravis for using NMI. This release is ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS
to all of the OS/2 users you seem to keep forgetting about. Incidentally,
this need for NMI means that it won't work in Unix, NT, or Windows 'whatever.

also, there was a posting concerning a dx2-66 MB that said something like this:

> The board *does* have some drawbacks: no installed external cache (it 
> *will* take up to a megabyte), and the chip is a Cyrix (which does have the 
> benefit of an on-board 8k write-back cache, making external cache a bit 
> superfluous).  On the other hand, it is remarkably cheap, and *does* work 
> with the GUS.  (If anyone knows of any programs which stress this 
> compatibility to the limits, I'd be happy to try them.)


	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'. 

	Awaiting Manley to finish the REAL OS/2 drivers,

			Jeff 

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 15:24:31 +0100
From: "Sigurdur R. Helgason" <dv3sighe@ida.his.se>
Subject: Re: Pmode MegaEm

:Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 21:16:47 -0500 (EST)
:From: Mike Batchelor <M.Batchelor@babylon4.clark.net>
:Subject: Re: PMode MegaEm

:What works:

:Nothing yet.

:What I've tried:

:Xwing - no sound or music at all.  Unload the new one, load the old one,
:works perfectly.
I tried it and it worked excellent (GUS 1MB)
Though funny sound when I entered hyperspace.
Unloaded it and loaded megaem(special version for tie fighter)
Worked fine to.

This new p-mode megaem seems to have a bit of hardware problem,
works with some but not all.

My hp vectra doesn't complain at all :)
- --
/-----------------------------------------------------------\
| S.R.Helgason        |I come from the land of Ice and snow |
|                     |with the midnight sun and where the  |
| dv3sighe@ida.his.se |      hot streams flow.              |
\-----------------------------------------------------------/

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 11:37:17 +1000 (EST)
From: aantonio@acs.itd.uts.edu.au (a.antoniou-student-phy-acacia-95052890)
Subject: Problems adjusting volume!

I noticed that when I bought my GUSMAX the output volume when playing 
 wav files and my CD-ROM was too loud. Now, I can put a volume control in 
between the MAX and my amp but I'd much rather be able to control the 
volume from the MAX itself.

SO I try the -v option with PLAYFILE and all I get in the end is dead 
silence. The wav file will load up but no sound. So then I find that the 
outputs from the line and even the CD are dead. So then I have to go to 
ultrinit using the -o -l -cd commands.

So before I decide to make myself a little volume control to stick in 
between, is there something that I can do about this? I'm using the 
latest version of Ultrinit (2.23 I think it is - it's the one after the 
version released in the 3.59 disks).

It's got me quite baffled so your help would be most appreciated. 
Otherwise, I'm totally blown away by the awesome GUSMAX!

Death to Creative Labs...

Adios,
LarZ

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 11:00:35 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <clarke@lsl.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Questions

>  1)   Is it possible to play let's say about 10 Mb of patches
>   in one song? Is there any software which can load new patches
>   to GUS max when a song plays. I mean that I could first use
>   on 1024 k set of pathes and then the other set etc. in a same song.

If you were writing your own software, then it is easy to load patches
whenever you want, but it causes quite a pause, and I think turns all
notes off. I don't know if there are any existing programs which will
try to switch patches in mid-song.

>  2)    I would like to use my computer only as a midi-instrument (with
>   another sequencer) which plays my own patches (more than 1024 k
>   together). What software I should use? Where to get it?
>   How can I make it to receive only in channel 1 or 2? 
>   In "Patch Manager-mode" :) my computer receives in every channel 
>   and can use only one 1024 k set if I don't load the other 
>   patches by Patch Manager. :(

What do the MIDI-Thru options in say WinJammer or the CakeWalk Demo
offer, or even in MidiSoft Recording Session? There may be options
to only respond to selected channels. Failing that, select MIDI
Mapper as the MIDI output device in these programs, then go into
MIDI Mapper and turn off the channels you don't want. Again, it is
easy to write a program of your own which just sends the input from
the MIDI port to the GUS MIDI Synth, possibly loading any patches
which it sees in Program Change events. I had a small program which
did just this, but it was only intended for experiments.

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

Date: 21 Mar 95 13:37:44 EST
From: Jon Grieve <100102.145@compuserve.com>
Subject: SB and GUS Windows Coexistence
Message-ID: <950321183743_100102.145_EHK178-1@CompuServe.COM>

To: Mr DG Jones

I have a GUS and an Orchid SoundWave 32 in my machine - where the Orchid is
providing my SB emulation (using hardware!  hint, hint Gravis).

Under Windows, to control which card gets used, you can fiddle the settings.
For MIDI, it's no problem 'cos the MIDI Mapper will usually do the trick.  For
Wave input and output, Microsoft did release such a thing as the Wave Mapper,
which will allow you to select which driver is used for Playback and which for
Record.  Sorry, I got it from CompuServe, but I'm sure it'll be on the Microsoft
Web or FTP site somewhere.  As a help, the filename on CI$ was ACM2??.EXE (maybe
ZIP).  It's named this, as the other component instrumented via this driver is
the Audio Compression Manager - which handles the CODEC's for ADPCM, etc..

Alternatively, you can juggle the WAVEn= entries in SYSTEM.INI, as the 'first'
WAVE= driver is the default driver used for digital.

Hope this helps,
Jon Grieve

P.S. Can the total idiots who keep including the entire Digest in their return
messages please learn how to use their mail packages, or can they be taken off
the distribution list.  Or, maybe they would like to contribute to my phone
bill?  I think I may go back through my Digests and compile a Top 10 list of
idiots - and send them 100k files each day for a week - see how they like it...

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 10:51:44 GMT
From: Clarke Brunt <clarke@lsl.co.uk>
Subject: Re: SB and GUS Windows Coexistence

>When it comes to windows, I would like to use the SB for wave output only
>(for system sounds) and use the GUS for MIDI playing, MOD playing, etc.  As
>everyone knows, play a MIDI file and then cause a system sound, the 
>MIDI playing is - well let's just say, ruined.
>
>I have tried mucking about with the AUX1, AUX2, MIDI1, MIDI2 devices in the
>system.ini file but to no avail.  (Why are there 5 MIDI devices?)  System
>sounds always come out through the GUS (when my tweaking doesn't cause an 
>error).

You don't mention having played with WAVE, WAVE1, WAVE2 etc. I used to
get system sounds to play using the PC speaker driver, rather than
the GUS (which was usually connected to the hi-fi, which wasn't
switched on) by putting the device you want as WAVE=...

And no - I don't know why 5 MIDI devices. What is on the right hand
side of the '=', as in e.g. MIDI=ultrasnd.drv. You might perhaps
expect one MIDI port, and one on-board synth from each card, making
4. Does the SB perhaps offer an alternative synth? I same to remember
a friend's AWE32 having one device for FM synthesis, and another for
WaveTable.

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 19:08:45 +0200
From: Yossi Oren <LIOREN1@WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL>
Subject: SB system sounds

ftp to ftp.microsoft.com and get the newest Video For Windows package.  It has
a device called "Sound Mapper" installed which does just that.  Moreover, it
plays 2 system sounds at once if needed by falling back to the next driver if
the first is occupied.
Besides, what's this about MIDI files being ruined by system sounds?  I have
RIPBar set for a chime sound every 15 minutes (a nice ding-dong wave I ripped
off DOTT) and MIDI is always playing on my system - no problemo, ever.
Yossi.

lioren1@weizmann.weizmann.ac.il / The people are with the Golan Heights.
Currently serving somewhere in / Politically correct my ass.
the Israeli Defense Forces.   / Gravis Ultrasound - you'd better buy one
--------( "ObKibo" )---------   or I'll hit you (like my slogan?).

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

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.

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. 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
released in its entirety.

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

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

Thanks for listening ...

Kieran Hoban / David Johnson

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

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 12:20:19 -0600
From: bbaskin@mail.utexas.edu (Bryan K. Baskin)
Subject: Stuff

Hey Y'all,

I too tried the new Mega-Em. Music works with DOOM 1.9, no SFX, but i didn't
try too hard since its native. Tie Fighter works wonderfully with music, a
real improvment. So is the digital, very clear. However when BOTH are used
OH MY GOD THE NOISE! Oh well, i'll fill out a bug report. Anyone else have
similar results. Looks promising.

For people looking for new boards,
		I got a new computer over spring break, and it works well with the
GUS. I have ASUS PVI-486-SP3 w/ 1 16MB SIMM, Am486DX4-100. No probs with
NMI, the BOIS is very complete and works fine, runs OS/2 like a dream. The
board is availbe wholesale for about $135 and the CPU runs about $210. Not
bad for nealry P5-60 performance. ASUS makes good boards and i recommend
them to anyone.

To Jari Komppa;
		Good call. Alpha software is alpha. Theres a reason they call it
that. Wait for the final release, then bitch. Until then fill out bug
reports like they ask you to. 
												  Baskin -)
												  The University of Texas at 
												  Austin
												  Team OS/2

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

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 8:47:15 GMT
From: "Mark.Carline BSc Elec Eng." <mark.carline@unn.ac.uk>
Subject: Ultrasound card (rev 2.2) and NEC quad speed cd rom drives

I will be buying an NEC quad speed CD-ROM drive soon and I just wondered if
anyone knows of a way I can plug the output of the cd-rom drive into the
gravis ultrasound ??.  I've seen a connector on the gravis card does anyone
what the pin outs are for this ??.  Is there anyway I can use the digital
output of the cd-rom drive (if one exists) to plug it into gravis card ??

I was hoping to have *ONE* phono output (left and right) for my cd-rom drive
and my gravis ultrasound card - ie avoiding using some form of switching
box between the output of my gravis card and the headphone output from the
front of my cd-rom drive ??

If anyone can help can they mail me or post it up here!

Many thanks

Mark.Carline@unn.ac.uk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

p.s. if anyone has any programming info on using MSCDEX stuff for cd-rom
drives then can they mail me! - cheers !

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

End of GUS Daily Digest V20 #22
*******************************
