From: harrison@lclark.edu (Mark Harrison)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: Why I'm not buying GUS yet!
Date: 15 Dec 92 00:30:00 GMT
Organization: Lewis & Clark College, Portland OR

In article <9212141829.AA21448@suned1.Nswses.Navy.Mil> jkb@suned1.Nswses.Navy.Mil (John K Bunk) writes:
>
>1)  Why, oh why, did the card have 16 bit output (great) but ONLY has 8 bit
>sampling input as a default (not so great).  I can't think of any situation
>where this combination makes sense.  Furthermore,

It makes sense for (I would guess) most people like me.  I would love to
have 16-bit sampling, but since that would raise the price, I can do
without it.  I have no need for it, it would just be fun to play around
with.  If you want to do serious music stuff with it, you would want it,
but most people can do without it.  And leaving it out lowers the price,
so more people will buy it.  That's why it makes sense.

>2)  Finding the card itself is difficult enought (more so than the SCC-1 card 
>I have), but finding the 16 bit daughter card is downright impossible (at least 
>from my search).  Without the 16 bit sampling input, I cannot buy this card at 
>all.  Nobody at any computer store I've been to has heard of GUS or the 
>daughter card.

GUS's are showing up all over the place now.  I've seen two in the
Portland area without searching for one, and that was about three weeks
ago.  They should start appearing everywhere in bigger quantities.  Lots
of people have seen them in stores all around the country.  As for the
daughterboards, they unfortunately aren't done yet.

>3)  Sure the price of the default card is great, but to make this card my primary
>card for music synthesis, I already need the daughter card (which I can't find)
>AND a 1 Meg expansion right out of the box.

Why do you need 1 Meg right out of the box?  I called a computer store,
they had them, I stopped home after work and installed them that night. 
The chips aren't hard to find.

>4)  The (as far as I know) non-standard MIDI interface (non-MPU401).  Furthermore,
>I don't know if MIDI in / out jacks come standard with the card or do I have
>to find another non-existent daughter card to add to the 16 bit sampling!

You will need an (cheap) interface, but not another daughter card.

>6)   Nobody has mentioned any way of converting .WAV, MIDI sample, etc. to
>sounds that GUS can use for wavetable synthesis.  What a market if this is
>possible.  I'm thinking of this as I read many complaints of "static" in
>default waveforms which is packaged with GUS (and how everyone says they
>could be better).

They probably will be better when someone has a chance to make better
ones.  That's the advantage of loading samples into on-board RAM.

>These items I talk about above probably would not bug me very much (especially for
>the price of the card!), but other cards rumored to be coming soon sounds like
>they would give GUS some real competition soon.  So unless Gravis gets their
>marketing, software, and sample library act together, I'm going to wait for
>something better.

From what I've heard, none of the new cards will compete in price.  And if
the GUS can gain enough support before these other cards show up, it
should become the least common denominator for wavetable cards.  Kind of
like the SB is now for FM cards.  And more companies are jumping on the
GUS bandwagon.  Now it's just the old 'wait and see' game.
-- 
=============================================================================
Mark Harrison           |  "We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
harrison@sun.lclark.edu |   Our great computers fill the hallowed halls."
              -- Me     |                                    -- Rush
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard