From: markus@clement.info.umoncton.ca (MARC PAULIN)
Subject: Re: GUS - What is it?
Organization: Universite de Moncton
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 00:29:51 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.054756.8988@wuecl.wustl.edu> kdm1@cec1.wustl.edu (Kevin Dean Matzdorf) writes:
>From: kdm1@cec1.wustl.edu (Kevin Dean Matzdorf)
>Subject: GUS - What is it?
>Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 05:47:56 GMT

>I had never heard of the GUS until I got a SBPro and started reading this
>newsgroup.  I am interested in finding out more about it, and perhaps others
>are too.  Please do not respond to these questions unless you have had
>experience with both cards and can answer more than a few of them.

>1) What is the full name of the card and who makes it?

Name : Gravis Ultrasound.   Maker: Gravis and FORTE.

>2) Is it FULLY SBPro compatible?  (i.e. will EVERYTHING that supports the SBPro
>also work with the GUS)

	It is only SB compatible.  Not SBPro.  And through a TSR only.  One 
good thing about TSR compatibility is that Gravis can write TSRs for 
compatibility with other boards.  Like the widely-talked MT32 emulation TSR 
that is in the making.

>3) Does it have the same i/o (or better) than the SBPro?  (i.e. line in, mic,
>CD, line out)

	It has two line out (one amplified and one not) and two line in (
mono and stereo).  Recording with the GUS is a pleasure.  When you talk in 
the mic. you heard what you say through your speakers or headphone.  This is 
WYHISYG (What you hear is what you get).  You can set up the bass, temble, 
volume of your CD to have a prefect recording and then begin the recording.
The GUS is also sheilded so you won't have any 'hiss' sounds because of 
interference.  If there are some interferences, it come from your mic. wire 
or the recording source.

>4) Does it have the same number of sound channels?  (i.e. line, mic, CD, FM,
>VOC)

	This is where the GUS is totally different from the SB.  The GUS has 
32 digital mono voices/16 stereo digital voices.  The SB has 11 FM voices 
and 1 digital channel.  The GUS uses wave-table synthesis which is FAR 
better than FM technology (getting old).  Hard to explain on a message and I'
m trying to make this message as short as possible.

>5) How much is it and where can one buy it?

	You can call Diskcount or Telemart.  For price?  For sure, it's 
under $200 (I'd even say under $160).

>6) What do you all get for that price?  What upgrades are available?

	Upgrades are available from the Gravis BBS or archive.epas.utoronto.
ca   It's not the _official_ Gravis FTP site but it could be.  There are all 
sorts of files for the GUS over there.


>7) Is it just a card, or does it also have an external component?

	It's just card.  A damn huge card too.  But Gravis is working on a 
smaller version (with the exact specifications, though).

>8) Does it have complete multimedia Windows drivers and software?

	There's a Windows driver included.  That's all you need.  And there 
are many MIDI sequencers, editors, players available through FTP.  I don't 
have Windows so I can't help you very much here.


>Price is a major concern for me.  I got the SBPro because they had them at
>Egghead for $130.  But if the GUS truly does everything the SBPro does for less
>than $200, I'd probably return my SBPro.

	You won't be disappointed there!!

>Another thing is that I want to be able to mix my stereo sound with the sound
>card sound like I can do now with my SBPro.   

	You can still use Blaster Master for that but with mono files only 
since the GUS is only SB compatible (for now).  There a program called USS8 
that is included with the GUS to play with your digital files but it sucks (
that's my opinion, it may differ from person to person.  Please, don't flame 
me :-) ).  I think the author of Blaster Master received a developer kit of 
the GUS and a GUS compatible blaster master should come out soon.

>Thanks for complete and preferably unbiased answers.  ("SBPro is crap and 
GUS is the best thing since Windows" doesn't help much.) 

You know, there is truth in that comment.  It's about time we change to 
something new.  FM is getting old.
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