GUS Daily Digest            Fri, 4 Feb 94   007          Volume 11: Issue   2

Today's Topics:
						   "The Last Byte"
						3.1 software, IndyCar
							  32-bit AIL
								6x9=42
				ABOUT OS/2 & GUS..... suggestions....
						Argh!  No GUSTRIT.ZIP
						   Can't get files
				  Creative Labs Voice Assist Demo??
						  Customize MEGAEM ?
	 DIGEST ADMIN: You're right, there were no digests yesterday!
				 Dracula Unleashed CD w/ GUS work ??
						 ElectroMan and SBOS
				  GUS0037.ZIP (sbos v3.8b) (2 msgs)
							   GUS0038
						 gus0038.zip (3 msgs)
					   GUS0038.ZIP revealed...
				   GUS Daily Digest V11 #1 (2 msgs)
						  GUS Windows driver
								Help!
							   Indycar
							Indy Car Racer
					   Just to let you know...
					  Just to let you know  1/4
					  Just to let you know  2/4
					  Just to let you know  3/4
					  Just to let you know  4/4
						   New GUS software
							   New MIDI
							   New SBOS
			   New windows drivers and kq6 :: and GK CD
			   Nice new version, or is it a bad thing?
					Playfile, MegaEM and QEMM 7.03
							PlayMIDI bug?
							  Privateer
				  Problems with new Gravis software
				  Problem with new playmidi (v5.03)
								Sierra
					   Syndicate with 32bit Ail
						   UMC motherboard
							voice blaster
				wrong sounds in games/new Win drivers
						   WWW MTV.com URL
				  You want more samples, you got it!

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, 2 Feb 94 16:30:36 -0500
From: liaor@churchst.ccs.itd.umich.edu
Subject: "The Last Byte"

In yesterday's digest, someone posting about the UMC 486 motherboard mentioned
that "The Last Byte v?.?? now supports UMCxxx chipset"

What exactly is the Last Byte?  Is it just like UMBDRIVER (is UMB522 the
latest version)?  UMBDRIVER used to let me access (before I upgraded
to SiS motherboard and MSDOS 6) UMB memory WITHOUT a memory manager.
Thus I could loadhi stuff without loading EMM386 or QEMM>

This was awesome for games that insisted on hogging the 386-protected mode
(can you say "Ultima VII"?)  Anyway, what's this program Last Byte?  Does
it perform the same function or did I just misread the post?

Royce

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 09:29:35 -0500 (EST)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: 3.1 software, IndyCar

> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:32:16 +1030 (CST)
> From: Gavin <SCARMAN@hfrd.dsto.gov.au>
> Subject: GUS0038.ZIP
> 
> OK, who uploaded a 2.5meg file? How about if some nice person could split this 
> up into something that fits onto a floppy please.

I thought it rather inconsiderate of Gravis to release a file that size. :)

> Also what's the story with the v3.1 disks, are these to be mailed to anyone?

No, not for free, anyway.  The base 3.1 software (without the MIDI patches)
is in gus0038.zip, which you can DL from Epas.  To get the other 3.1 stuff,
you'll have to order the disks from Gravis.  Seems reasonable, seeing that
Gravis can't really afford to email software out to every GUS user per
update.

> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 94 10:19:04 EDT
> From: Henrique 'Snoopy' Vianna <HVIANNA@BRUFPEL.BITNET>
> Subject: GUS Windows driver
> 
> I am a happy recent owner of a GUS... well, I still have some
> problems to make both my GUS and my SBPro live together, but
> it's fun after all.
>  
> One thing that is really boring me is my Windows start. Since
> I installed the GUS drivers, Windows now takes several seconds
> to start up because the driver loads a lot of those patches...
> It looks kinda useless, since the correct patches will be loaded
> again for each .MID file I want to play.
>  
> My question is: IS THERE A WAY TO TELL THAT STUPID DRIVER NOT
> TO LOAD THE DAMNED PATCHES BY THE WINDOWS START ???

Yes, if you use the new Windows driver.  DL the software in gus0038.zip
and install it.  The new ultrinit.exe found within it will also make
the GUS coexist much better with your SBPro.

> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 21:50:38 -0500
> From: Michael Dauria <dauria@cs.umb.edu>
> Subject: indycar
> 
> Hi, I have a question about indycar and the 32 bit miles drivers, how
> do I get engine sounds? I assume that I have to somehow adjust the 
> patch.ini file.

IndyCar only supports engine sounds through the SB' FM chip (or another
card's emulation of SB FM sounds).  You won't get engine sounds with any
other soundcard configuration.

Phat. 

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 22:13:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Roger Frederi Clark <helios@strauss.udel.edu>
Subject: 32-bit AIL

Maybe I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that Police Quest 4 from
Sierra also used 32-bit sound drivers, and the drivers in gail3213.zip
don't appear to be what PQ4 needs.  Am I mistaken, or are the Sierra
32-bit drivers something different?

Thanks,
Roger Clark

						| /\       
helios@strauss.udel.edu |/^^\     o            "I'd rather be biking."
University of Delaware  |    \    J\.                           
Chemistry (and others)  |     \__O_<_O_______________________________________

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

Date: Thu, 03 Feb 94 22:49:26
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: 6x9=42

Hello, ladies, gentleman, fellow Gravoids and members of this planet.

Jayeson and I decided to take a peek at the digest before going home
to Star Trek. Glad to see all your great comments regarding the latest
releases of software. I won't be back to work until next week (taking
some courses) so I thought we'd answer your questions now.

 GUS0038  - you can install this from your hard disk. Just unzip all the
			files into a directory and go for it.
		  - this install no longer looks at the volume lable or disk.id
			to figure out which disk it is. It simply looks for a file
			called GUS.001, GUS.002, GUS.003 etc...
		  - If anyone knows a way to tell which icons are installed
			within a program group from within Windows I'd like to
			hear about it.
		  - MODUS V1.5 - doesn't take over the WAV/MIDI devices so
			don't try playing MIDI/WAV files while this is running.
			Well...you can if you want. Makes for a very interesting
			effect <grin>
		  - 2.5Mb - Actually it never occured to me that this would
			be a problem. I figured there are plenty of large files
			out there (CD2, Unreal, DOOM, etc...) so people should
			not have a problem with it. All I can suggest is try
			unzipping it on your local host.
		  - Your MIDI mapper should have been backed up.
		  - Only files which or newer or not equal to the current
			files on your disk will be copied. Hence, it makes
			reinstalling the software a snap
		  - SETUP vs SETGUS. The entire purpose of SETGUS is simply
			to determine a set of parameters that will work on your
			system. The setup will then use this information to
			setup the correct configuration files in your system.

 Jayeson here.

 GAIL3213 - SYNDICATE. Due to a bug in LOADPATS Syndicate will crash
			without fail. This has been fixed and will be released
			soon. In the meantime modify PATCHES.INI as described in
			the previous digest.
		  - INDYCAR. As already noted several times, there are no
			engine noises or tire squeals when using the UltraSound
			drivers. As described in the IndyCar readme, these effects
			are only available for FM boards. The routines bypass the
			AIL drivers and access the hardware directly. So if you
			wan't sound effects while driving, you'll need to use
			SBOS -o3, sacrificing the GM music and digital effects.

 Jayeson gone.
 John here

		  - Jayeson forgot to mention that Sierra does not use the AIL
			drivers so you will NOT be able to get them to work
			with your 32 bit Sierra games. Native mode Sierra drivers
			are being worked on however. Just don't ask me when they'll
			be done <grin>

C'ya

John & Mr. Lets attempt to grow a beard Lee-Steere

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

Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 00:04:00 GMT
From: thomas@hammer.hacktic.nl (Thomas van Kuipers)
Subject: ABOUT OS/2 & GUS..... suggestions....

I posted a while ago about why gravis should tell us every 2 weeks how far
os/2-drivers are .....

I would like to add that if say: 3 months from now on .... we COULD say: 
we don't pin you on it ..... perhaps they tell us more of which % they 
have finished...

<-------------------------------------------------------------------->
 Thomas van Kuipers    Email: thomas@hammer.hacktic.nl
 De Wadden 49          Examenyear of HighSchool (6 VWO)
 3524 AG Utrecht       Important: Computers, Math, Women and Music!
 Telephone: +31 30 884235         Netherlands (in Europe)
<-------------------------------------------------------------------->

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 00:54:40 -0500
From: hal wayne black <sylk@mik.uky.edu>
Subject: Argh!  No GUSTRIT.ZIP

Hey everyone...

  I have been searching for GUSTRIT.ZIP that was supposedly released by
Gravis.  It is not in the submit directory of any of the archives or mirrors.
  I did see it on a BBS, but I don't have DL access.

  If someone who has it could please put it on an ultrasound ftp site, I would
greatly appreciate it!
  Thanks!

For those of you wondering, this is a GUS flyby demo.

-- 
| sylk@mik.uky.edu | hwblac00@ukpr.uky.edu | Entitlements kill |
(tastefully short signature)

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 18:12:40 -0500
From: David A Denis <denis@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Subject: Can't get files

I have been trying to get gus0038.zip for 2 days now.  I set it to binary,
then I try to get the file and it sits there for usually half an hour,
and then it says timed out.  It I tried getting the smaller one too, and
I get timed out.  I have gotten bigger files beforre with no problem.
Any idea whats wrong?
Dave
PS-Don't forget to d/l DAVEMIDI.ZIP from epas!
:)

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 17:56:23 -0700 (MST)
From: Keith McIntyre-ELlis <kmellis@santafe.edu>
Subject: Creative Labs Voice Assist Demo??

Hello, fellow GUSers...

I noticed that the fellow who uploaded to epas the Creative Labs Voice
Assist Demo (for non-SB cards) mentioned that if anyone wanted it, he
would upload it again to epas. I would be very interested in taking a look
at it. (I believe that it was deleted because it was corrupted...)

Also, can anyone who knows post a list of all the upadted files which are
included in GUS0038.ZIP that are not available otherwise? Or
alternatively, this hypothetically kind person might simply upload these
individually to epas...

Finally, got the new 32-AIL patch. Couple of comments: although I am
thrilled to soon be able to throw our that ugly SBOS sound, it seems to me
that the AIL drivers suffer from the large problem that they don't support
hardware mixing (or whatever). Playing a SFX causes (as far as I can tell)
unfortunate pauses that I don't hear when running games that support the
GUS truly natively. Also, isn't SimCity 2000 wonderful with the new
AIL drivers? We get to hear the awfull music now played with real
instruments! Joy!

 ---------------------------------------------------------
				   Keith McIntyre-Ellis
				   kmellis@santafe.edu
"Great Books, No Gym" -Unofficial St. John's Collge Moto
 ---------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 14:49:23 +1030 (CST)
From: Gavin <SCARMAN@hfrd.dsto.gov.au>
Subject: Re: Customize MEGAEM ?

>I wonder if it is possible to customize MEGAEM,

Yep, just edit ultramid.ini.

>you can decide which of the standard patches to replace by other

This is the hard part of course. One way I've not done but could be tried is to 
make a whole heap of patches that say " patch 1", "patch 2", so that you know 
which patches are being used. Of course you will want to turn the music off and 
just have sfx. The down side is that Mega-em does not differentiate between ROM 
and RAM patches on the MT32, so if the game uses RAM patch 1 for explosions and 
ROM patch1 (piano) for music, then you can't replace it. IMHO Megaem _should_ 
differentiate between a RAM (memory) patch and ROM patch, but with Jayeson 
seemingly so busy I don't expect it soon......

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 07:20:35 -0700 (MST)
From: ddebry@lhasa.dsd.ES.COM (Dave DeBry)
Subject: DIGEST ADMIN: You're right, there were no digests yesterday!

	There were no digests yesterday.

	This may not seem like an amazing news item to many of you,
but then a lot of you thought it might be one for me, and so promptly
mailed me to let me know that there was no digest.

	Folks -- I know when the digests have screwed up.

	I'm not just the President of the Gus Digests, I'm also a
client. :)

	In any case, hopefully the sysadmins have fixed the problem (I
wish they'd just give me access to the offending machines so I could
fix them, but nooooooooo), and the digests will be sent out tonight.

-- 
Dave  ddebry@ debry@   \ "In summing up, the moral seems
DeBry dsd.    peruvian. | A little bit obscure...
	  es.     cs.utah.  | Whatever you do, 
	  com     edu      /  Take care of your shoes."

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

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 94 15:15:18 MST
From: Kirk McFaul~ <kmcfaul@sedona.intel.com>
Subject: Dracula Unleashed CD w/ GUS work ??

 
Hello all -
 
I just picked up Viacom's Dracula Unleashed CD.  I have a 1MB GUS,
and so far, the only audio I can get is a heavily echoed soundtrack
using a variety of new and older SBOSes.  Mega-EM didn't work at all
for me, even though the G-List said Midi was supported and Digi was
not.  Dracula Unleashed seems to rely heavily on digital audio, and
has an extensive dialog soundtrack.  Playing with all that echo (both
the character's voices and the background music) just isn't acceptable.
A friend of mine with a PAS16 had trouble too trying to use his SB
emulation s/w.  Seems Dracula Unleashed truly wants to see 100% h/w
compatible SB cards.  The game uses DOS4GW by the way.  I have a 1X
Mitsumi CD-ROM in a DX2-66 system.  GUS IRQ @ 15, DMA @ 7, I/O @ 220.
(I've tried playing with these too).  I will try the newly released
SBOS I just pulled off epas tonight.  In general, it seems the older
SBOSes worked better ... maybe I need to dig out my old 1.22 disks.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
- Kirk

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:52:47 -0800 (PST)
From: mikebat@netcom.com (Mike Batchelor)
Subject: ElectroMan and SBOS

I've got a game "Electro Man" that offers Adlib, Sound Blaster, PC Speaker
and LPT DACs.  I've tried using SBOS 1.20, 3.8b and 3.7, and each one
causes ElectroMan to reboot the PC with a CMOS memory mismatch.  This
happens under a clean F5 boot with DOS 6, or just himem.sys.

It works just fine with MegaEM -ROFF, though, so this is not a big deal
(sounds pretty good too, just a little static).  I'm wondering if the
static is absent with SBOS, but I can't get that far.  Anyone else have
this problem?  I'm not really missing anything, since it plays FX and MOD
music only, no FM synth music.



-- 
Mike Batchelor      | UseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinux
mikebat@netcom.com  | XuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesU

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

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 19:15:56 +1100 (EST)
From: Andrew Leahy <A.Leahy@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Subject: Re: GUS0037.ZIP (sbos v3.8b)

>2.  On my machine the gus settings are 220,1,1,5,7.
>    If I try a "sbos -f" and also have the ULTRASND environment variable
>    set my machine hangs. Anybody else care to verify this?
 
Yup..I have the same problem, ULTRASND=220,1,1,7,5 though.
Setup: 486/33 8Mb, DOS 6.2, GUS 1Mb.

 ___________________________________________________________________________
| Andrew "Alf" Leahy                        email: alf@st.nepean.uws.edu.au |
| Computer Systems Officer                    phone: (047) 360622 (work ;-) |
| Department of Computing, University of Western Sydney - Nepean, Australia |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 10:29:30 -0500
From: Steve Hitchman <srhitch@ranger.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: GUS0037.ZIP (sbos v3.8b)

A couple of comments regarding this latest SBOS.

1.  The "readme" file seems to be an old one (SBOS v3.7B2). Although, the
	software is new! This is unfortunate because there are some changes 
	that could do with some explanations.

2.  On my machine the gus settings are 220,1,1,5,7.
	If I try a "sbos -f" and also have the ULTRASND environment variable
	set my machine hangs. Anybody else care to verify this?


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Steve Hitchman                             srhitch@ranger.uwaterloo.ca
Dept. of Mech Eng                                            
University of Waterloo                                          


 

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 06:07:45 -0500
From: gmyles@cml.com (MajorBBS: Amber)
Subject: GUS0038

First of all I would like to say that the new installation program in
this is pretty good.  It only overwrites files that have an older date
stamp.
-
There are a few small problems:
-
1) If you run the install twice it will give multiple icons of the same
program in the Gravis windows group.  To avoid this (if for some reason
you have to run the install twice), just say no when windows boots up
the second time and asks you to create Gravis program icons.
-
2) The installation won't get rid of your old mixer icon and any other
program icons that were named differently than the new names.  You can
just delete these extra icons (note: the older copies will be the first
occurence of the icon in the Gravis program group).
-
3) To run the GUSsetup you must now run the install program first.  This
is annoying as it means a couple of extra steps in changing things, but
not really that bad.
-
4) The only real bug I found is that the GUSSetup doesn't work properly.
When you change your DMA or IRQ settings it correctly changes them in
Windows for you but not in your Autoexec.bat.  You have to do this
manually: change the lines Set Ultrasnd= and the Set Blaster= lines.
One thing that is definitely better in the installation is the problem
of falsely identifying bad 16 bit DMA channels is gone.  Yeah!
-
Later
Garry Myles

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:32:01 +0100 (MET)
From: ralam@cs.vu.nl
Subject: gus0038.zip

These are the new installation disks (2). Unfortunately they don't have a
disk,id on them, so unless you copy the ones from your older disks to them
end edit them (change the version number to them and give them the the
correct disk number) you won/t be able to install the second disk.

Remco Lam

e-mail: ralam@cs.vu.nl

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 17:31:18 MET
From: John Vernooij <J.Vernooij@earth.ruu.nl>
Subject: gus0038.zip

Dear fellow-gussers,

I've got gus0038.zip installed and because yesterday someone asked 
about the contents and because the enclosed readme doesn't tell 
you much I will give it a try.

INSTALLATION
You can do it in two ways: take two 1.44MB disks; unzip README 
GUS.001 GV.EXE INSTALL.EXE + PARSE.EXE to the first disk; unzip 
GUS.002 to the second disk and then start with install from the first 
disk. I noticed that somebody has already split the archive at epas.
A faster way is to unzip the entire archive into a temporary 
directory on your harddisk and start install from that directory.
For me the installation worked flawlessly, it even skips the parts 
that are older than already installed (like SBOS from gus0037.zip).

CONTENTS
First, I checked Gravis BBS and yes, that's were it's coming from, 
it's an official release from Gravis. It's called 'Gravis Ultrasound 
Installation v3.1' and contains an update from the 2.06a disks and 
several in-between updates. Basically it's a stripped down 
installation: patches, Recording Session and Power Chords are not 
included but just about everything else is.

It installs new versions of Playmidi, Playfile, Setgus, Ultrinit, 
Mega-em (not sure if v2.03 was out already), Ultramid, 
Windows-drivers, Mixer and PatchMaker Lite. 
Included are also the latest versions of Ultrajoy, Gusmod (this time 
complete) and Patch Manager. Although the names of the midi-files are 
the same the dates have changed so maybe they are modified too, 
Gravis also added some new ones.

SBOS is also included, but if you have already installed the SBOS 
from gus0037.zip (which is newer) the installation skips this part.

I mentioned Mega-em and Ultramid earlier but also 3ddemo, Midifier 
and Modus are now part of the installation.

That just about covers it, I think.

Things worth mentioning at first sight:

- Playmidi (v5.03) now defaults to a lineair volume map - that's   
quite an improvement. A switch for using a logarithmic volume map, 
handy if you Vmapped your midi-files, is provided. I also noticed 
that in Midi1mb.bat a switch -Xnn is used, which is not mentioned if 
you enter Playmidi -?; I guess it's used to set the number of voices.

- Modus is a MOD-player for Windows that nevertheless uses the GUS in 
it's native mode unlike WinMOD Pro or MOD4Win. As a result it sounds 
awfully good and I didn't even notice any processor overhead on my 
486DX/33MHz. Listen to it and you'll probably never use WinMOD Pro or 
MOD4Win again. Modus is in it's 1.50 version: if you quit Modus you 
will be able to play midi and/or wav-files afterwards and exit 
Windows without crashing. Just don't play any MIDI or WAV-files 
while Modus is playing, unless you like weird music. 

- Windows drivers are new: for me installation went without problems 
(but I have never had any problems with that). Mixer looks improved, 
probably reads ultramix.ini correctly now, but didn't check that yet; 
so far it only refuses to load minimized from my StartUp-group.

CONCLUSION
This is a must for every GUS-owner, see that you get it.

And to Gravis: thanks very much!

Greetings,
John


+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + 
| John Vernooij              | e-mail j.vernooij@earth.ruu.nl   |
| Universiteit Utrecht       |                                  |
| Faculty of Earth Sciences  |                                  |
| The Netherlands            |                                  |
+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +

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

Date: Wed, 02 Feb 94 07:53:45 -0600
From: "David Grayless" <grayless@shell.com>
Subject: gus0038.zip

Hello,

I installed the new GUS0038 software, and am very pleased except for
one thing.  I had spent several months creating some custom patch maps
and key maps in the Windows MIDI Mapper, and now they have suddenly
disappeared.  I have two questions:

1.  Where did they go?

2.  How do I get them back?

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:11:26 -0400 (AST)
From: Jurassic Mark <markus@Info.UMoncton.ca>
Subject: GUS0038.ZIP revealed...

G'day,

	I downloaded the file yesterday and installed it today.  I was 
impressed.  The installation file is DOS6 multi-config compatible.  
Wonderful!!!  
	At last, a linear volume compatible PLAYMIDI.EXE and the graphic 
screen has a nice "Gravis Ultrasound" logo on top.  But there is one 
thing I don't like about this new playmidi.  It seems to screw up on the 
drums.  I have some MIDI files that has drums that sound like hitting on 
plastic cans and they sounded correct with the old playmidi.  I checked 
all my patches, they're all correct.  What's wrong?
	I tested the Windows drivers very quickly and couldn't get the 
infamous note-dropping problem.  Did they get rid of it?  Will test more 
later.  But what I nice surprise when I saw MODUS for Windows.  Clearly 
the best MOD player for Windows (for the GUS) I've seen.  But after using 
MODUS, your Windows WAV files and MIDI files might play twice as fast as 
a side-effect.  That's what it did for me.
	The GUS 3D demo included is the same you can find on the GUS FTP 
site from Dust.  And they still distribute the old GUSMOD.
	There is MegaEM 2.03 and Ultramid 1.07.  I only gave a quick 10 
mins look to the whole kit because I was late for a course.  The README 
file didn't say what was new about MegaEM 2.03 and I didn't check 
Ultramid 1.07.  
	The biggest problem is with the new playmidi.  The drums don't 
sound right at all on many MIDI files either with linear and log volumes.
Also, there is still the "strange not deleted directory" problem during 
the installation.  You'll have to do it manually.
	Overall, the package is nice, very nice.  But Gravis, please fix 
that playmidi problem.  I have two GUS demos to give this month.  I can 
do it with this playmidi.  :)

		 Marc Y. Paulin - Jurassic Mark (Usenet) - J-Mark (IRC)
			  Graduating CS student in search of a job...
   - markus@clement.info.umoncton.ca (Talk 'n Mail) - (506)856-9518 -
 Inertia Player Beta Tester - Author of the G-List for Ultrasound owners

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 10:04:39 CST
From: Jon Fletcher <fletcj@tenfwd.uci.COM>
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V11 #1

Also sprach GUS Server:
> GUS Daily Digest            Tue, 1 Feb 94   007          Volume 11: Issue   1 
> 
> Date: Mon, 31 Jan 94 09:53:55
> From: blevins@MIT.EDU
> Subject: .au files
  
  
  
> MTV has a WWW site where you can download .au files of current songs, if 
> you have an ethernet hookup to the net, check it out using Mosaic.
> 
> Matt Conway
> blevins@mit.edu
> 
Matt, this sounds interesting and I would like to check it out.

What is the Document URL (i.e. http://.... ) for this "MTV" site?
I was browsing through the Web with XMosaic and I didn't come across it.

Thanks, in advance - Jon

P.S. You may replay by email to fletcj@tenfwd.uci.com if wish.

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

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 94 14:16:00 CST
From: Maestro Assaf the Younger <bsc835!bassaf@uunet.UU.NET>
Subject: Re: GUS Daily Digest V11 #1

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
On Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 17:41:39 +0200, Erik Bunn wrote:
 
> I was trying to unsubscribe and resubscribe in order to start
> receiving the digest again. Has anyone else been missing copies? I
> haven't received anything for a few days.

It seems that I, too miss some copies of the GUS digest, since sometimes
I get digests which jump in numerical order from issue 1 to 3, or something
similar.  I'm curious as to what has happened as well.
--
\\=--=Maestro=--=\_/=-=internet=-=\_/=---------=--------=--------=-----=-----//
| (Bernard) Assaf _ bassaf@bsc.edu _ Birmingham-Southern College | math & cs  |
//==the Younger==/ \=-=address=--=/ \=---------=--------=--------=-----=-----\\

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 09:19:44 EST
From: "Burns Fisher, VMS Engineering  01-Feb-1994 0923" <fisher@skylab.enet.dec.com>
Subject: GUS Windows driver

 
>One thing that is really boring me is my Windows start. Since
>I installed the GUS drivers, Windows now takes several seconds
>to start up because the driver loads a lot of those patches...
>It looks kinda useless, since the correct patches will be loaded
>again for each .MID file I want to play.

Well, it's not actually loading them.  It is checking to make sure they are all 
there.  But it is still annoying.

> 
>My question is: IS THERE A WAY TO TELL THAT STUPID DRIVER NOT
>TO LOAD THE DAMNED PATCHES BY THE WINDOWS START ???

The last few revisions of the drivers have had a switch in the setup to make 
them not do that.  You need to go into the control panel/drivers applet to get 
at it.  If you do that, select the gus midi driver, and then go to the 
"Settings" (I think) dialog box and there is no check box that seems relavent, 
you probably have the older drivers.  Download a new set from epas or wherever.

Good luck!

Burns

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 11:17:52 GMT
From: Hauxwell James S BSc 1 Mod Comp 93-94 <J.Hauxwell@teesside.ac.uk>
Subject: Help!

I have just downloaded the new version of SBOS ( v3.8b )
and I cannot get it to work.

The version I recieved with my card was v3.6 and when I tried to install
it it came up with a message
	' The NMI Procedure on this PC is dissabled '

I then upgraded to v3.7 which seemed to fix the installation problem but it
didn't acctually appear to function - i.e. wouldn't play any sound but the GUS 
test program said it functioned.

Now I have upgraded to v3.8b I am getting the original problem back of -
	` The NMI Procedure on this PC is dissabled '

My machine is a 486SX local bus with 4 megs of ram and both
local bus I/O card and Video.  Can anyone help me or am I better not to bother
with trying to emulate an inferior card?

Jim ( J.S.Hauxwell@uk.ac.teesside )

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

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 20:17:51 +1100 (EST)
From: Andrew See <asee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Subject: Indycar

Phat, regarding indycar, and it's inability to produce engine
sounds on a Wavetable synth, don't forget we have RAM. THere
is no Engine sound in the GM set, so I guess that is why they decided
not to implement engines on the SCC-1 and others.
 
 Now, to produce the fm engine noises on the SB's, it must still
 be using MIDI with an SB custom patch. It may be possible,
 with a custom patch (Engine noise), and the right INI file
 to get a real digital engine on the GUS with INdycar.

 What do you think? Am I being an optimist :-)

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 16:11:22 FWT
From: tblanchot@vnet.IBM.COM
Subject: Indy Car Racer

I can't get digitized sounds with 32 bit ail drivers. Does it need a
special setup? My GUS is currently at 210,7,7,11,5.

Also does the couple Xwing & Megaem need the GUS to be in 220? Since
I moved the GUS to 210 to install a sb 2.0 at 220, Xwing crashes when
I start it.
Third question: does anybody know if the game Kill Mr Rogers has been
uploaded elsewhere on the net? I only have the part that was uploaded
then deleted from epas.

Thierry.

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 15:06:42 -0600 (CST)
From: Michael D Hobbs-1 <hobb0001@gold.tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Just to let you know...

The latest letter from John Smith can be found on the musicians digest a
couple of days ago.  It explains quite a few things such as the latest
GUS*.ZIP files, CES, etc.  I'm not sure why it wasn't posted here. 
Perhaps he was interrupted or having problems, I don't know.  Anyway, if
it doesn't show up here sometime soon, some kind soul might want to
consider cross-posting it.

Thought I'd let you know.

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

Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 15:30:56
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: Just to let you know  1/4

I'm not sure if this message made it around to everyone so I'm reposting
it.

Gravis JUST TO LET YOU KNOW #11
 ------------------------------

Gravis Macintosh MouseStick II & Mac GamePad SDK V1.2 (MACSDK.SEA)
 ----------------------------------------------------
The game developer's joystick guide for Macintosh contains a book,
joystick artwork and sample code for supporting the Gravis MouseStick
and Mac GamePad.

This guide provides a look at the various styles of Mac game
controllers and their implementation with an emphasis on the Gravis
MouseStick and Mac GamePad.


SBOS V3.8B (GUS0036.ZIP)
----------
This version of SBOS adds the following:

 - Automatically loads itself high (ie: no need to use load high - LH).
   A -m switch will by pass this.
 - No longer hooks the keyboard interrupt. This means by default you
   will not be able to use the keyboard to adjust the volume. You may
   use a -k switch to enable this feature.
 - Improved help screen in LOADSBOS
 - -O5 switch added to help improve digital audio. May cause problems
   with some memory mangers.

NOTE: You should not have to use any switches with SBOS. A file called
	  SBOS.CFG contains a list of all the known games that require
	  switches. In total there are only about 10.


UltraSound V3.1 Software (GUS0037.ZIP)
------------------------
The new UltraSound software is now an 8 disk set. Six for the base
software (patches, windows drivers, midi players, etc...) and 2
for the bonus software (power chords, midisoft, wavelite, etc...).
A full install requires 17Mb of disk space. Now, that is one heck
of a bundle. You not only get a great sound card (yes I could be
considered biased) but you get enough software to keep you and your
family entertained for months.

Note that this software will NOT be shipped to our users free of
charge. I'm working on putting a package together so that you will
be able to order the software and manuals directly from us. I'll let
you know the cost of this upgrade once I finish putting the package
together.

GUS0037.ZIP will consist of the BASE software minus the MIDI patches,
not the BONUS software. The following is a quick overview on what
has changed since V2.06a.

 Installation
 ------------
   Handles DOS 6 multiple configs
   Windows Setup - Windows is now all setup and configured from DOS
				 - Check for presense of other sound devices/drivers
					(VSB*.386, VPAS*.386, or anything in the midi=,
					 or wave= that isn't the UltraSound drivers)
				 - Groups/icons created next time Windows loaded
				 - Drivers now put in the user's WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory

 Software Included
 -----------------
   Ultrajoy       - Will no longer give a MIDI IRQ timeout error
   Ultrinit V2.16 - -S  Silent - Do not display heading
					-ej Enable Joystick (V3.4 GUS or higher)
					-dj Disable Joystcik (V3.4 GUS or higher)
					No longer floats the AdLib ports to improve
					 coexistence with other sound cards.
   Windows Drivers - Auto detects UltraSound hardware installed
					 Support for ICS/Codec mixer chips
					 Combined 16 bit and regular GUS drivers
					 Reads in Ultramix.ini file
					 > 64K patch sample size support added
					 ADC DAC set to 0db for 16bit CODEC by default
		   Mixer   - Now changes depending on hardware installed
					 Gain slider (w/CODEC)
					 Added ALWAYS on top
   PLAYFILE V3.2   - Fixed sine wave problem
   PLAYMIDI V5.3   - Control 7 Messages fixed
				   - Sampled Release added
				   - Possible solution to droped notes added
   Mega-Em V2.03   - Master volume switch (-Vxx) fixed
				   - Corrected problems with IRQ 2 and EMM386
				   - EMUSET now checks to make sure SB IRQ's are working
				   - General purpose check for other resident GUS software
				   - Added -FAST switch to EMUSET for problems with
					  Sierra software on fast machines.
				   - Added support for Netroom 3.
				   - Fix EMUSET SB IRQ check
   SBOS V3.7       - Added support for comments in SBOS.CFG
				   - Some fixes for Carmen SanDiego
   Patch Maker Lite- Windows based patch editor
   MODUS V1.5      - More stabel version since .5
   DEMO3D          - 3D Demo (InterActive/Running Demo)

(Continued to next message)
---
 ~ QMPro 1.51 ~ How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise MY hands

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

Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 15:30:59
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: Just to let you know  2/4

(Continued from previous message)

   UltraMID V1.7   - Fixes controller #7 messages
				   - Fix possible divide by zero error message


UltraSound AIL32 (GAIL3212.ZIP)
----------------
Gravis has released AIL32 drivers for the UltraSound card. These are the
32 bit protected mode versions of the AIL sound drivers. Unlike our
real mode AIL drivers these do not require the loading of a TSR. Howeverr
they do require that you preload your patches onto the UltraSound card
via a program called LOADPATS (note that LOADPATS is NOT a TSR).

The immediate benefit of these drivers is you can now gain UltraSound
support in SimCity 2000, Shadow Caster, Syndicate, and Indy Car racing
to name a few. Many of the major game developers are moving to a 32 bit
platform and are excited about adding UltraSound support. This includes
Maxis, SSI, and many others.

I know the question will come up that why don't the drivers support
patch cacheing. The problem is loading the patches and DMA them to the
card will halt the system and possibly lockups during the transfer.
Since a MIDI file may contain any number of patches to load this
pause could be from 5-20 seconds depending on the number of patches
and speed of your system.

Jayeson is now working closely with game developers to get the AIL32 and
other protected mode drivers implemented into their games.


OS/2 Drivers
------------
We have been hearing from many OS/2 owners wanting drivers for the
UltraSound. We are letting you know that your messages ARE heard
and Gravis is commited to getting them done. We are not a $500
million company and do have limits on our resources.

The core of the drivers are looking good but are not making sound
yet. This is the next step <grin>. What you will see is OS/2 MMPM/2
drivers. They will NOT be Win/OS2 drivers and they do not give improved
SBOS support in a DOS box. I know you are waiting for an expected
release date but I can not. All I can do is tell you that we are
working on them and are commited to getting them done as soon as
possible. Once they are ready for public beta you will be the first to
know. I can tell you that it is not that far off, so please be patient.


Gravis and TRITON (GUSTRIT.ZIP)
 ------------------------------
When I was working on the Gravis sales demo last year I asked Triton
(Swedish demo group) to write a virtual reality fly by. This included
writing on the sides of buildings giving information about the UltraSound.
GUSTRIT.ZIP contains this demo.


Gravis Nodes - Software Creations
 --------------------------------
The Software Creations BBS, which was voted the Number 1 BBS in North
America (BoardWatch Magazine - September 1993) is now an official
Gravis node. With over 150,000 users we are proud to welcome them
aboard. There phone number is (508)368-7139. They will be setting up
the areas this week and should have them all visible the first week
in February.


UltraSound CDROM Audio Cable Fulfillment
 ---------------------------------------
SC&T International Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona will sell UltraSound audio
cables directly to users for a flat price of $12.95 plus shipping. You
may reach them at 1(800)-208-2080.


Consumer Electronics Show
-------------------------
We had some press releases during the CES show in Las Vegas. I've seen
some rumours spreading on the nets regarding these products so I would
like to clarify on what they actually are.

PS: The VFX1 was a huge success at the show among buyers and developers.

 VFX1 - VR System
 ----------------

Release Date:  January 07, 1994

TORONTO:        AED
VANCOUVER:      AED
OTC BBS:        GRVSF


			Advanced Gravis and Forte Technologies Announce
			 New Joint Venture for Virtual Reality Systems


Forte Technologies, Inc. ("Forte") and Advanced Gravis Computer
Technology Ltd. ("Advanced Gravis") today announced they have signed
a letter of intent to form a new joint venture to introduce new
technology and products targeted at the consumer Virtual Reality market.

The letter of intent calls for the formation and financing of a new

(Continued to next message)
---
 ~ QMPro 1.51 ~ How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise MY hands

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

Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 15:31:02
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: Just to let you know  3/4

(Continued from previous message)

company that Gravis and Forte would jointly own.  The new entity would
be the exclusive licensee and developer of the VR technology and
products. Advanced Gravis will negotiate to acquire rights to
manufacture and market products licensed from this venture.  The
formation of the venture is subject to the parties concluding formal
agreements concerning the terms, conditions and financing of the new
joint company and the receipt of all regulatory and governmental
approvals, as may be required.

The first product from this proposed new company is the VFX1 being
demonstrated this week in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronic Show.

The VFX1 is a fully integrated interactive head mounted virtual reality
system equipped with color 3D stereo display, proprietary 3D head
tracker to detect head motion, and stereo sound, all packaged in a
sleek ergonomic shell.

"This level of integrated design with displays, head tracker,
headphones, and PC interface video card, at a consumer price point, is
unprecedented in this young VR market," explains Paul Travers, President
of FORTE technologies.

"The VFX1 system connects easily with existing PCs and entertainment
software, so users can gain a whole new sense of realism.  The full
capability will come from true 3D VR software applications which are
currently being developed", said Grant Russell, President of Advanced
Gravis.

The VFX1 is the first truly integrated full VR headset to enter the
market at a target retail price of under $1000.  The product should be
ready for introduction by Fall 1994.  Features include:

 o  Dual 0.7 inch color LCD displays that offer high quality 428 X 244
	resolution
 o  Provides an image equivalent to watching a 35 ft screen in 3D at a
	distance of 35 ft.
 o  High fidelity stereo headphones
 o  Virtual Orientation System - VOS  head motion tracker provides roll,
	pitch and yaw coordinates
 o  Compatible with existing Multimedia IBM PC's

The VFX1 is aimed at the PC market, but is compatible with workstations,
or any device that utilizes a standard VGA card.  There is also an option
to accept NTSC or PAL video signals from home entertainment systems such
as Sega  and Nintendo .


 Piano Bundle
 ------------

Release Date:  January 06, 1994

TORONTO:        AED
VANCOUVER:      AED
OTC BBS:        GRVSF


		  Advanced Gravis Provides Total Musical Solution with
					  Gravis Personal Piano System


Vancouver, British Columbia -- January 06, 1994 -- Advanced Gravis
Computer Technology Ltd., an innovator in affordable wavetable audio
boards and software, announced that they will ship in February a
complete home piano package based on the Gravis UltraSound board.
The "Gravis Personal Piano System" provides all the elements for a
versatile musical keyboard system that will satisfy the needs of
beginning  piano students to sophisticated orchestral composers for
under $495.  Unlike proprietary musical systems, the Gravis Personal
Piano System provides important multimedia components that can be used
by non-music computer users as well.

The Gravis Personal Piano System includes the following:

 Gravis UltraSound board, providing natural piano sounds along with
  192 MIDI instrument sounds. Gravis UltraSound uses wavetable
  synthesis to provide true-to-life sounds of musical instruments and
  special effects.

 A four octave velocity sensitive MIDI keyboard with full size keys,
  manufactured by Fatar, the worlds leading manufacturer of master
  keyboards.

 Pair of Powered Speakers.

 Musicware's Piano, a self-pacing, instructional piano teaching program
  for all ages levels, which steps users through a programmed teaching
  system designed to give users keyboard skills and build their
  confidence to explore the world of multimedia applications.

According to Grant Russell, president of Advanced Gravis, "the Gravis
Personal Piano System reaffirms our commitment to product development
by providing high quality multimedia solutions that the whole family
can experience and benefit from together."

The Gravis Personal Piano System includes Musicware Piano's
professionally developed and curriculum based teaching program.  Six
courses in all, Musicware Piano is designed to take beginning music
enthusiasts from the basics to the classics and beyond.  Following is a

(Continued to next message)
---
 ~ QMPro 1.51 ~ How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise MY hands

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

Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 15:31:05
From: john.smith@gravis.com
Subject: Just to let you know  4/4

(Continued from previous message)

comparison of Musicware Piano and Miracle Piano (based on information
available 12/29/93):

										Musicware Piano                 Miracle

Runs under Windows                      Yes                             No

Integrated Sequential Curriculum
Teaches:

Music Theory & Notation     Yes             No
Ear Training                            Yes                             No
Rhythm                      Yes             No
Sight Reading                           Yes                             No
Tracks Individual Students  Yes             No
Provides Immediate Feedback Yes             Yes

Structured Learning Format  Yes             No

Multiple course offering taking student
through 3+ years of traditional piano
instruction.                            Yes                             No

Once users become familiar with their new "piano", they can explore
other bundled software including Midisoft Recording Session and Power
Chords for Windows, and sample the variety of 192 patches provided
with the UltraSound board.

In addition to UltraSound, Gravis' 16-bit CD quality stereo sound
cards featuring wavetable synthesis and recording, Advanced Gravis
Computer Technology Ltd., also designs, manufactures and markets high
quality microcomputer input devices including joysticks, gamepads for
both PC and Macintosh platforms.


Wew, thats all that I can think of for now. Have a good weekend and
keep on GUSsing!

C'ya

John
---
 ~ QMPro 1.51 ~ How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise MY hands

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 10:40:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Phat H Tran <ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: New GUS software

> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 22:13:01 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Roger Frederi Clark <helios@strauss.udel.edu>
> Subject: 32-bit AIL
> 
> Maybe I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that Police Quest 4 from
> Sierra also used 32-bit sound drivers, and the drivers in gail3213.zip
> don't appear to be what PQ4 needs.  Am I mistaken, or are the Sierra
> 32-bit drivers something different?

They are something different, but should be out soon.

> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:32:01 +0100 (MET)
> From: ralam@cs.vu.nl
> Subject: gus0038.zip
> 
> These are the new installation disks (2). Unfortunately they don't have a
> disk,id on them, so unless you copy the ones from your older disks to them
> end edit them (change the version number to them and give them the the
> correct disk number) you won/t be able to install the second disk.

Actually, just make sure that the volume labels on the disks are set to
NONE and the install program will be able to recognize them.

> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 17:31:18 MET
> From: John Vernooij <J.Vernooij@earth.ruu.nl>
> Subject: gus0038.zip
>
[...] 
> It installs new versions of Playmidi, Playfile, Setgus, Ultrinit, 
> Mega-em (not sure if v2.03 was out already), Ultramid, 
> Windows-drivers, Mixer and PatchMaker Lite. 
> Included are also the latest versions of Ultrajoy, Gusmod (this time 
> complete) and Patch Manager. Although the names of the midi-files are 
> the same the dates have changed so maybe they are modified too, 
> Gravis also added some new ones.

Of interest to users with both a GUS and an SB is the new ultrinit.exe
which automatically floats the GUS' Adlib ports for better co-existence
of the two cards.  Users need not go through the load SBOS, unload SBOS
ritual any longer.

>   The biggest problem is with the new playmidi.  The drums don't 
> sound right at all on many MIDI files either with linear and log volumes.

(Sorry, Marc.  I chopped your message header.)

PlayMIDI 5.03 has a bug with the percussion channel, so people shouldn't
worry about something they've done.  In short, many of the percussion
instruments should choppy (as though they're plastic canisters, as someone
so aptly put it).  This problem is also exhibited by the new Ultramid 1.07,
and the new AIL32s.  I hope Gravis gets them fixed soon!

> Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 11:35:04 -0500
> From: "Momentary language, sexual situations" <dantonio@tay2.dec.com>
> Subject: Re: New windows drivers and kq6 :: and GK CD
> 
> > Solution:  I reverted to the earlier windows drivers and everything works
> >         fine.  (even emm386)  This is my suggestion to your
> >         problem.  If you miss the fact that you can save the
> >         ultrasound settings from the mixer, you can do the 
> >         same thing from the control panel.
> 
> I tried GK CD under Windows and it was unbearably slow (this might have
> been due to the "tiny" installation, but I don't think so). It's fine under
> DOS, though...There is a patch available from Sierra that fixes some bugs,

If you're using a 16-bit DMA channel, you might want to switch to an 8-bit
one.  I can't play things of my CD ROM with my GUS on a 16-bit DMA channel
in Windows (but I can in DOS).

> Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 15:48:22 +0800 (WST)
> From: Adam Boyt <aboyt@tartarus.uwa.edu.au>
> Subject: Re: Syndicate with 32bit Ail
> 
> I followed the instrutions which came with the 32 bit drivers and used 
> the batch file to copy the files across.  When I run syndicate it plays 
> the first sound then when it tries to play the music hangs and says 
> divide by 0 error.  I mucked around and it appears it thinks the midi ail 
> driver is not a standard xmidi driver.
> 
> Has anyone else had this problem and has anyone fixed it?

Brian Semotiuk found that editing the line

M026 026 027 026 000; Electric Guitar (jazz)

found in patches.ini to

M026 026 024 026 000; Electric Guitar (jazz)

gets rid of the divide error in Syndicate.
 
Phat.

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 14:39:15 -0500
From: David A Denis <denis@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Subject: New MIDI

There is a new great MIDI that I uploaded to Epas, called DAVEMIDI.ZIP.
It has a different name when you unzip it, but that is another story.  If you
want more original Midi's that I and some friends have done, let me know, and I'll upload the  
I'll upload them.  denis@acsu.buffalo.edu
Its 11+ minutes, so sit back and enjoy!
Dave

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 10:56:16 -0600 (CST)
From: Fitzgerald Jr Steele <fjsteele@icaen.uiowa.edu>
Subject: New SBOS

Has anyone gotten this new SBOS to work with Front Pages Football Pro? 
The documentation said it should work with the -o4 option, but maybe it
was talking about FPS Football, not Pro.  Anyway, when I tried it (with a
variety of option switches)  I would get the Dynamix logo screen with no
sound save a little "bloop" as the football hits the logo.  When the
screen clears, the computer locks up, requiring a cold boot.

Something else happened with this version.  Whenever I tried to release
the SBOS driver from memory (sbos -f), I lost all keyboard control. 
Couldn't type a thing (it obviously would let me do Ctl-Alt-Del).  Any Ideas?

--------------------==========*********==========----------------------
Jerry Steele                   "Give me a lever, and a place to stand
fjsteele@icaen.uiowa.edu                  and I will move the world"
fsteele@umaxc.weeg.uiowa.edu                     -- Archemedes
--------------==============*************==============----------------

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

Date: Tue, 01 Feb 94 11:35:04 -0500
From: "Momentary language, sexual situations" <dantonio@tay2.dec.com>
Subject: Re: New windows drivers and kq6 :: and GK CD

> Solution:  I reverted to the earlier windows drivers and everything works
>       fine.  (even emm386)  This is my suggestion to your
>       problem.  If you miss the fact that you can save the
>       ultrasound settings from the mixer, you can do the 
>       same thing from the control panel.

I tried GK CD under Windows and it was unbearably slow (this might have
been due to the "tiny" installation, but I don't think so). It's fine under
DOS, though...There is a patch available from Sierra that fixes some bugs,
but prevents the use of old saved games! So, if you haven't played much,
get the patch now...

I was looking through the installation files and there are help messages
related to various soundcards, including the Gravis UltraSound. Apparently,
they really are set up to handle the GUS, except the driver (gmgus.drv)
isn't included with GK CD. Sigh...

DDA

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 16:21:00 +0000
From: da930908@mcis.messiah.edu
Subject: Nice new version, or is it a bad thing?

And so another version of the Ultrasound software is released.....

IN ONE FILE?!?? Now lets see... are we supposed to DL this to our local server,
split it up on our local network, and then cart it back to our local computers
to run it? Or is it 8 seperate files?

Come on... Don't expect us to DL a huge file and split it up when it's MUCH
easier for YOU to split it into 8 seperate files... Hey, it's the same amount
of space and alot easier on the end user.

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 12:48:41 -0800 (PST)
From: mikebat@netcom.com (Mike Batchelor)
Subject: Playfile, MegaEM and QEMM 7.03

Don't you love little problems like this:

If I play a .snd or .wav with the playfile.exe from gus0038.zip, and then
try to load MegaEm 2.03 or 2.02 (only versions I tested), the PC will hang
solid before emuset terminates, just at the point where it would have
posted "Emulation is now on." This happens with QEMM 7.03 loaded, but not
DOS 6 EMM386.  If I use the playfile.exe from the 2.06a disks, neither
version of emuset has any trouble with either memory manager.  I do not
have to create any high RAM for this problem to occur, nor is any other
software involved.  You should be able to reproduce this with only
device=qemm386.sys in the config.sys, set your variables, run ultrinit,
play a .wav, then run megaem & emuset.  My ULTRASND=220,7,1,7,5, and I use
-SBI5 with MegaEm.


-- 
Mike Batchelor      | UseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinuxUseLinux
mikebat@netcom.com  | XuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesUxuniLesU

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

Date: Wed, 02 Feb 1994 18:04:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Matt Denault <MDENAULT@POMONA.CLAREMONT.EDU>
Subject: PlayMIDI bug?

Hmm...people have been complaining about PlayMIDI having a problem playing a
particular patch.  Well, I noticed that in Gravis' press releases, they say the
Ultrasound has 192 patches, while the 2.06 disks only had 189.  So, could it be
that the order got messed up because of the addition of 3 new patches, and thus
the new PlayMIDI, which is meant to be used with 192 patches, has problems with
only 189?

On the other hand, I don't know that much about the innards of MIDI, so it
might just be a bug...has anyone talked to Gravis about this?

On a completely unrelated note, what do people think of the Triton GUS demo.  I
don't have the time to d/l big files often (miseries of a slow modem), but if
it's good, I'll get it ASAP.

Thanks and happy GUSing

ciao
matt                        mdenault@pomona.claremont.edu

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 11:59:01 +0100
From: rock@POOL.Informatik.RWTH-Aachen.DE
Subject: Privateer

Hi!
Is there any way to get the digital part working ? I use SBOS 3.7 and
have patched sound.tre with the ailpatch.
Thanx...Olli

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

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 21:46:20 -0500 (EST)
From: "D. Michael McIntyre" <dmcintyr@vt.edu>
Subject: Problems with new Gravis software

I was wondering if anyone else had had the following problems:

First of all, the Windows MOD player seems to be CPU sensitive.  It plays on
my 386-40 but it sounds like a 45 being played at 33.3 and is, as such,
pretty worthless to me.  WinMOD may not sound that great, but it doesn't
drag like that.

My second problem is probably my own fault.  I got Ami Pro for Windows and
got to screwing around with fonts in Windows for the first time, and I
decided to clean out all of the fonts that I wasn't using, to reduce the
number of worthless choices from the font menu.  I killed everything with an
8514 or an EGA in it.

Now, when I run Patch Manager the font it uses for all the text in the main
dialog box is really gigantic so that the dialog box won't fit on one
screen.

Does anyone have any idea what specific font file is needed for the font
that it wants to use?

Also, when I edited the dialog box with Borland's Resource Workshop to
change the font, it wouldn't let me select any text attributes.  The
checkboxes were grayed out, and the bold box was checked.  The only font I
could find that would work was something called Gil Sans and it's really
gross looking in that dialog box.

Did anyone else have this problem by chance?  Or did I just screw myself by
deleting the un-wanted font files?

--Michael--

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

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 11:04:07 +1100 (EST)
From: Andrew Leahy <A.Leahy@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Subject: Problem with new playmidi (v5.03)

I've just installed the "gus0038.zip" file from epas on my system at
home, and while being impressed by the new playmidi, it seems to have
problems playing a particular patch!

I was listening to the XWing MIDI files again...which sound a lot better
with linear vol, and I noticed that there were no Snare drums! Where the
snare usually was I get this tom-tom sorta sound.

I tried the same files under Windows and they sound fine (ie. snares in the
right places)! (BTW the MODUS Windows MOD player, is mucho cool :)

Using "playmidi -verbose" I found that the snare is Patch 38 "Acoustic Snare"
(snare1.pat), a good file to try is HANGER1.MID, it has a snare drum roll at
the beginning, which becomes a tom-tom roll under playmidi...yuck!

Does anyone else have this problem...or is my config now totally rooted?

(\ULTRASND\MIDI\DEFAULT.CFG doesn't get updated when you install "gus0038.zip")

FYI: My setup 486/33, 8Mb RAM, GUS 1Mb, DOS 6.2, Win 3.1.
__________________________________________________________________________
Andrew "Alf" Leahy                         email: alf@st.nepean.uws.edu.au
Computer Systems Officer                   phone: (047) 360622 (work ;-)
Deptartment of Computing, University of Western Sydney - Nepean, Australia

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 13:15:11 -0600 (CST)
From: Mike Allen <mlallen@comp.uark.edu>
Subject: Sierra

Can anyone tell me where to find the Sierra Drivers?






------
_________________________________________________
| Mike Allen                                    |
| University of Arkansas                        |
| email                                         | 
| mlallen@comp.uark.edu                         |
|_______________________________________________|

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 15:48:22 +0800 (WST)
From: Adam Boyt <aboyt@tartarus.uwa.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Syndicate with 32bit Ail

I followed the instrutions which came with the 32 bit drivers and used 
the batch file to copy the files across.  When I run syndicate it plays 
the first sound then when it tries to play the music hangs and says 
divide by 0 error.  I mucked around and it appears it thinks the midi ail 
driver is not a standard xmidi driver.

Has anyone else had this problem and has anyone fixed it?

Thanks

Adam Boyt (aboyt@tartarus.uwa.edu.au)

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

Date: Wed, 02 Feb 1994 15:47:44 +1000
From: David Vu <ccdvu@cc.uq.oz.au>
Subject: UMC motherboard

I 've seen posts about bad UMC motherboards.  Specifically the 206 part
made by UMC.  I bought a UMC 486/50 motherboard about three months
ago and have had absolutely no problems with using 16-bit DMA.  So 
I guess UMC have fixed it in the new revision.  The chipset is indeed
a UMC480 including a 481 and a 482 part.  You must have been unlucky
and got the old revision motherboard :-(.

BTW, another good news for UMC motherboard owners:  The Last Byte
v 2.31 now supports UMC480 chipset so you can get more high RAM 
and more conventional RAM, yet with the 486 still in real mode.  So all of 
you who can't play games cause you can't load the ultramid TSR now can.

-David-

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 00:01:55 -0800
From: dross@ultrix4.cs.csubak.edu (Dean Ross-Smith)
Subject: voice blaster

whether or not the voice blaster is compatible with the gus (and whether or
not it actually works) may now be a moot point: Last week Covox was ordered
to Change the Voice Blaster's name because Creative Labs had set a marketing
precedent by selling a bunch of (crummy) products using the Blaster Name
(soundBlaster, Video Blaster).  So basically CReative Labs has intimidated another competitor (who has been around much longer than Creative Labs).
Hey- anyone remember the speech recognition for the c-64 by covox?
oops i'm off topic...

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 13:17:42 EST
From: dmcintyr@muselab.ac.runet.edu
Subject: wrong sounds in games/new Win drivers

>I wonder if it is possible to customize MEGAEM, so that (most of) the
>correct patches are loaded - instead of the standard set of patches.
>I imagine that one could find out (don't ask me how) which MIDI
>instruments are really used by a certain game, so that you can decide
>which of the standard patches to replace by other, more suiting ones.
>This could eliminate the 'wrong sounds' you can hear in many game
>tunes and which I find extremely annoying.
>Let me know what you think of this idea, and if you know how to do
>this.

The problems with the wrong sounds are twofold.  Sometimes it uses the
wrong instrument because, say, there was room for only one guitar sound
and that guitar sound is the wrong one for the particular sound they
REALLY wanted.

The other problem is the problem of General MIDI in general when used
for sound effects.  Take the high pitched engine sounds in X-Wing, for
example.  They sound fine on a Sound Canvas, but the particular
instrument that sound effect uses doesn't sound the same on the GUS, so
the sound effect is all wrong.

Both problems can be fixed, but the second is much more difficult.

In either case, you need someone with a REAL MIDI setup, and not just
the GUS MIDI which is worthless outside of Windoze.

What you need to do is get someone with an external sequencer, or
another computer, and send the game's MIDI data (by playing the game)
out the real MPU-401 card.  Then you capture it with an external,
portable sequencer, save it to disk on the sequencer and play it back
into a program like Cakewalk, and then you can look at the data stream
and see all the patch changes, and configure your ultrasnd.ini
accordingly.

For sound effects that are off, doing the above may not be the total
solution.  If the sound effects are totally wrong, the only REAL way to
fix it is to get a sample of whatever isntruments are being used to make
the effect, being played on a Roland Sound CAnvas, and then set up a GUS
patch with that sound as close as possible to the real thing so that
when the sound gets manipulated by the game to make the sound effect the
result will be the same as the sound canvas.

Just sampling the end result sound effect is not enough, as it will just
get distorted when the game tries to play it in the wrong octave or
whatever.

In other words, this is a big pain in the ass, and generally a big
problem with General MIDI as a whole, and not necessarily the GUS's
fault in all cases.

%$%$%$%$%$%$%
 
>One thing that is really boring me is my Windows start. Since
>I installed the GUS drivers, Windows now takes several seconds
>to start up because the driver loads a lot of those patches...
>It looks kinda useless, since the correct patches will be loaded
>again for each .MID file I want to play.
>
>My question is: IS THERE A WAY TO TELL THAT STUPID DRIVER NOT
>TO LOAD THE DAMNED PATCHES BY THE WINDOWS START ???

Yes.  The new Windows drivers let you tell it you don't want to check
the patches at boot time.  HOWEVER, it doesn't make a damned bit of
difference on my system, and Windows STILL takes like 1.5 minutes to
boot.

--Michael-- << dmcintyr@muselab.ac.runet.edu >> <<dmcintyr@vt.edu>>


That's odd...  My strip program didn't work...  Oh well...

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

Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 19:27:28 +1100 (EST)
From: Andrew Leahy <A.Leahy@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Subject: Re: WWW MTV.com URL

> What is the Document URL (i.e. http://.... ) for this "MTV" site?
> I was browsing through the Web with XMosaic and I didn't come across it.

Linkname:  MTV's Web Site
Filename:  http://mtv.com/

(I only found it two days ago :)

I don't think it's actually sponsored by MTV...although they "know" about
it. 

For some more Music related WWW/Gopher/ftp sites try:

Linkname:  Music on the Net
Filename:  http://www.music.indiana.edu/misc/music_resources.html

Which provides a super-list of sites.  
 ___________________________________________________________________________
| Andrew "Alf" Leahy                        email: alf@st.nepean.uws.edu.au |
| Computer Systems Officer                    phone: (047) 360622 (work ;-) |
| Department of Computing, University of Western Sydney - Nepean, Australia |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Wed, 02 Feb 1994 15:11:16 +1000
From: David Vu <ccdvu@cc.uq.oz.au>
Subject: You want more samples, you got it!

Fellow GUSicians,

With right patch editor, a sample editor, and a little bit of patience, you can 
turn your GUS into many classic analog synthesisers.  If you've never heard
an analog synth before, you are missing a great many beautiful sounds of 
the world.

So where 's the 16-bit daughterboard?  


------- Forwarded Message

February 1st, 1994

Hi!  It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the "Analogue Collection"
sampling CD is now shipping (heh-heh... that felt good to say :)  Your copy
of the disc is ready to be mailed -- I can ship COD or upon receipt of payment
(the ordering info is in the attached message).  

Thanks for your support!

Best regards,

James Grahame

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -
		The Analogue Collection Sampling CD
	Over 650 samples of 24 classic analog synthesizers
 
The Analogue Collection is an audio compact disc
of patches taken from two-dozen classic analog synthesizers.  The material for
this disc was provided by an intrepid and adventurous bunch of internetters,
compusmurfers, pan users, delphi subscribers (IOW, some cool guys, me included:
)
There are over 650 samples on the disc, comprising approximately 160 different
multisampled patches which can be loaded into digital sampling keyboards.  
Most patches are multi-sampled over three or four octaves. 
 
The disc is similar to a standard audio Compact Disc, and plays on any 
audio CD player.  To use it, just listen for a classic synth patch that you
like, and sample the output of your CD player into your digital sampling 
keyboard.
 
		***** The Analogue Collection is US$30 ******
 
TO ORDER:
 
If you live in the United States or Canada, I can ship your order COD.
simply email me telling me; (a) that you'd like me to send you a copy of
the disc COD; (b) your street address; (c) your email address; (d) a 
daytime phone number (answering machines are fine, as long as I can reach you
if I have to).  If you want to avoid the hassles of being around to accept a 
COD shipment, you can send a check or money order for $30US to the address
below.
 
If you live in Europe, Asia, Africa, or South America (IOW, anywhere else),
you will have to prepay your order.  Email me telling me; (a) that you're
sending me an order; (b) send an international money order for $30US plus
$2US to cover international air mail to:
 
			Grahame Digital
			1940 South Broadway
			Unit 223    
			Minot, North Dakota   58701
			United States of America
 
Should you have any questions about the disc or the status of your order,
don't hesitate to email me at Grahame@skyfox.usask.ca , or telephone me
at (306) 757-5706.
 
Happy sampling! 

------- End of Forwarded Message

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

Date: Tue, 1 Feb 1994 13:52:42 GMT
From: Chris Barrett <se1cb@de-montfort.ac.uk>

>I wonder if it is possible to customize MEGAEM, so that (most of) the  
>correct patches are loaded - instead of the standard set of patches.
>I imagine that one could find out (don't ask me how) which MIDI  
>instruments are really used by a certain game, so that you can decide  
>which of the standard patches to replace by other, more suiting ones.
>This could eliminate the 'wrong sounds' you can hear in many game  
>tunes and which I find extremely annoying.
>Let me know what you think of this idea, and if you know how to do  
>this.

I used a program called XRAY to trace which patches MEGAEM loaded.
It reads the ULTRASND.INI file to get the patches, and all you have to
do is make a back-up of this file, and change the right patches for your
own selection. You can delete the rest of the patch text, to make it 
neater.

The patches that MEGAEM loads (for the 1 megabyte card) are :

[melodic]
0   acpiano     20  reedorg     32  acbass      42  cello
56  trumpet     65  altosax     73  flute           6   hrpschrd
8   celeste     12  marimba     16  homeorg     24  nyguitar
29  odguitar    40  violin      49  slowstr     80  sqrwave
88  fantasia    96  aurora      105 banjo           112 carillon
123 jungle      75  clave           11  vibes           17  percorg
19  church      27  cleangtr    30  distgtr     32  acbass
38  synbass1    43  contraba    47  timpani     48  marcato
52  choir           58  tuba            61  hitbrass    67  barisax
68  oboe            69  englhorn    71  clarinet    76  bottle
77  shakazul    86  lead5th     104 sitar           107 koto
108 kalimba     109 bagpipes    110 fiddle      114 steeldrm
125 helicptr    126 applause    127 ringwhsl

[percussive]
36  kick2           37  stickrim    38  snare1      39  claps
41  tomlo2      42  hihatcl     49  cymershl    53  cymbell
54  tamborin    56  cowbell     58  vibslap     60  bongohi
63  congahi2    65  timbaleh    67  agogohi     70  maracas
71  whistle1    73  guiro1      76  woodblk1  79  cuica2
81  triangle2 44  hihatpd       46  hihatop     47  tommid1
48  tomhi2      51  cymride1    52  cymchina    55  cymsplsh
57  cymcrsh2  59  cymride2  61  bongolo     62  congahi1

I hope these are all correct. Sorry for not putting them in
numeric order, this is the order MEGAEM loads them.

Be careful when choosing patches, as I believe you have to leave some
memory free (8K + 32 bytes) free for digital sound effects.

Hope this helps!

Chris Barrett.

				"Fish!"

--- se1cb@dmu.ac.uk ---

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

End of GUS Daily Digest V11 #2
******************************
