From: mccreary@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Sean McCreary)
Subject: Re: Turtle Beach Multisound vs Other Sound Boards
Keywords: Gravis Ultrasound, Sound Blaster, Turtle Beach Multisound, etc.
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 22:15:49 GMT

davecole@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (David Cole) writes:

[...]
>Also don't forget that you can connect the original EMU Proteus module to the
>midi port on some cheap card (e.g. Gravis) and get a flexible system with with
>a real user interface (LCD display, knobs and Buttons) and exactly the same
>sound as the Multisound card -- it is not obvious what the advantage is of
>cramming the Proteus onto a card, if they are not going to price it more
>reasonably.  The street price for the Multisound is similar to that for the
>Proteus, maybe higher.

Well, the street price for an Emu Proteus 1/XR and the street price of the
Multisound aren't really that different.  For example, according to the
rec.music.synth pricelist for new equipment:

E-Mu Proteus/1		645 	Thoroughbred Music (FL)			Apr 92
Turtle Beach Multisound	691	PC-Zone 				Jul 92

Note that the Proteus price is not necessarily for the XR version, which
used to cost ~$100 more (the difference is that the XR has enough memory
for 384 patches, instead of 128(?)).  With the Multisound however, you get
a 1 in, 2 independent out MIDI interface (requires Windows 3.1!) and a 44.1
KHz 16-bit stereo hard disk recorder as well.  Additionally, the Proteus
MIDI I/O is fully independent of the external MIDI I/O, allowing a full 16
MIDI channels to be dedicated to the Proteus itself (the Proteus is 16
voice polyphonic, 32 voices max.).  This allows the Proteus to be used with
a fairly large external rig without the need for a second MIDI interface
(16 channels in, 32 channels out, 16 channels for the Proteus, and a
separate set of channels for Proteus sysex in).  

As far as disadvantages go, you don't have a front panel with an LCD and
knobs to play with.  BUT Turtle Beach includes a small program (which
multitasks w/ your sequencer) which duplicates the functionality of the
missing front panel (limited as it is).  The up side of this is that when
Turtle Beach releases Windows versions of their Oview series patch
editor/librarians, you can just multitask that along with your sequencer
instead.  This would give exactly the same user interface as with the
external Proteus using Oview.

The external Proteus also has three stereo outputs and an innovative design
to allow the easy insertion of outboard effects boxes into the Proteus main
output mix.  The Multisound only has a single output, although it has two
inputs (one for recording, one for an auxillary source (CD-ROM player)).
This is more of a problem for some people than others.

Another disadvantage is that the Multisound cannot accept the ROM
expansion card Emu sells for the external Proteus.  This is not so severe a
disadvantage as it may at first seem!  The cost of the ROM upgrade is
exorbitant (~$400) and the module may overheat after it has been installed
(the fix is to leave space around the Proteus to allow air to circulate,
but this means the Proteus occupies more space in your rack).  The
expansion module sold by Emu is also just a subset of the samples available
in the Proteus/2, and if you buy the Proteus/2 you get 32 more voices to
play the samples with.  The ROM upgrade does not seem to be much of a
bargain.  To be fair, Protologic sells an alternative ROM upgrade for the
Proteus/1 which is not available in another Proteus model, but the price is
still quite high.

Oh, and don't forget the onboard Motorola 56001 DSP.  Currently there isn't
much software to make use of this extra horsepower (I think Wave for
Windows is the only thing available) but it does run at 40 MHz.  There is a
world of potential waiting to be exploited in future software using this
chip.  This card is by no means limited to generating sound effects and
music for games.

If you haven't been able to tell, I bought the Multisound because I thought
it was the best deal out there in a sound card.  It is not supported by any
games, but then my intended use is more in the area of electronic music.
The software situation is still a bit grim, but the drivers work (they
allow multiple programs to use the card simultaneously) and I can use the
Proteus with Wincake and my external MIDI rig without any limitations.  If
all you want is a card for games, it is definitely not worth the price.
But for use in serious music applications, I don't think any of the Roland
cards give nearly the same value for your money.
-- 
Science, like Nature/ Must also be tamed/ With a view towards its preservation
Given the same/ State of integrity/ It will surely serve us well -- Neil Peart
Sean McCreary   University of Colorado at Boulder   mccreary@ucsu.colorado.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard