From: kgermann@zeos.com (Ken Germann)
Subject: sound card faq's
Organization: Zeos International, Ltd
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1992 14:03:01 GMT

PRO AUDIOSPECTRUM'S
MOST COMMONLY-ASKED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
                             January 25, 1992

THE PRO AUDIOSPECTRUM PACKAGE CONTAINS:
     Media Vision Pro AudioSpectrum Audio Adapter Board
     Pro AudioSpectrum User's Guide
     Pro AudioSpectrum Disk 1 & Disk 2 v1.1 on
          5 1/4" High Density and 3 1/2" Double Density

The bundled software consist of:
     Installation Software and Diagnostic
     AudioMate & Utilities
     SP Spectrum MIDI Sequencer

ABBREVIATIONS:
     PAS       = Media Vision Pro AudioSpectrum
     TB        = Media Vision Thunder Board
     AdLib     = Adlib sound card
     SB        = Creative Labs Sound Blaster sound card
     MPU-401   = Roland's proprietary MIDI interface protocol
     BBS       = Bulletin Board System
     MWINDOWS  = Windows 3.00a with Multimedia Extensions 1.0
     RMA       = Return Material Authorization number

Generic CONFIG.SYS:
     DEVICE = C:\MWINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
     FILES = 30
     BUFFERS = 10
     LASTDRIVE = X       (Refer to Question 27 below)
     DEVICE = C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE    (Refer to Question 25 below)
     DEVICE = C:\PROAUDIO\TSLCDR.SYS /D:MVCD001 /R     
     DEVICE = C:\PROAUDIO\MVSOUND.SYS D:X Q:X V:X (Refer to Question 2
                                                  below)
     DEVICE = C:\MWINDOWS\SMARTDRV.SYS 2048 512

Generic AUTOEXEC.BAT:
     @ECHO OFF
     PATH = C:\;C:\DOS;C:\MWINDOWS;C:\PROAUDIO
     PROMPT $P$G
     C:\PROAUDIO\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MVCD001 /M:12 /L:X /V   
          (X is the drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM drive)

The current version for TSLCDR.SYS is v1.31e and for MSCDEX.EXE is v2.2. 
If you have an older version, please contact Media Vision Technical Support
for updated drivers.  When calling, please provide us with the version
number which you currently have.
     
SOUND TYPES:
     Digital Audio     = Recorded sounds, usually speech and sound effects. 
                         These sounds are played back by the Digital-To-
                         Analog Converter (DAC) on the PAS.  Designated by
                         the ".WAV" extension.    
     Synthesized Audio = FM sounds, usually music but can also be used to
                         produce speech and sound effects.  These sounds
                         are played back by the FM Synthesizers on the PAS. 
                         Designated by the ".MID" extension.
     CD Audio          = Sounds produced by the CD-ROM drive which can be
                         heard when connecting the headphones directly to
                         the CD-ROM drive.  Also known as Red Book Audio.
     PC Speaker        = Crude music tones, speech and sound effects 
                         produced by the System Timer Chip on the
                         motherboard.  These sounds are played back by the
                         internal PC Speaker.

INTERNAL CD-ROM DRIVES SUPPORTED BY PAS:

Chinon              CDS-431.  Please contact Chinon at 310-533-0274 to get
                    the 40-pin to 50-pin converter.
Hitachi             CDR-3650
NEC                 CDR-80, CDR-82, CDR-83
Sony                CDU-541
Texel               DM-3020, DM-3021
Toshiba             XM-3201B

EXTERNAL CD-ROM DRIVES SUPPORTED BY PAS:

Apple               CD-SC (Sony CDU-8001)
CD Technologies     Porta-Drive
Chinon              CDX-431
Denon               DRD-253
Hitachi             CDR-1553S, CDR-1650, CDR-1750S
IBM                 3510
Laser Magnetics     CM212, CM214, CM231
NEC                 CDR-35, CDR-36, CDR-72, CDR-73, CDR-77
Panasonic           CR-501-S
Pioneer             DRM-600 6-disc changer
Sony                CDU-6211
Texel               DM-3010, DM-3120, DM-5020, DM-5021, DM-5120, DM-7120A,
                    DM-7120B
Toshiba             XM-3201A, XM-3301, XM-5100A

If your CD-ROM drive is not on this list, it will NOT work with the PAS. 
If it is on this list and you would like to use the Pro AudioSpectrum's
SCSI interface to control the CD-ROM drive, please contact Media Vision
Sales at 1-800-845-5870 to order an Internal SCSI Cable/Driver Kit for
$39.00 or an External SCSI Cable/Driver Kit for $79.00.
 
PRO AUDIOSPECTRUM USES THE FOLLOWING:

     DMA 1 at default.  Selectable between 1, 2 and 3.
     IRQ 7 at default.  Selectable between 3, 5, 6 and 7.
     And all of the following I/O port addresses which are fixed:

     Speaker             042h      Speaker Timer Count*
                         043h      Speaker Timer Control*
                         061h      Speaker Control*
     Joystick*           201h      Joystick Status
     FM Synthesizer      388h      Left FM Synthesizer Address
                         389h      Left FM Synthesizer Data
                         38Ah      Right FM Synthesizer Address
                         38Bh      Right FM Synthesizer Data
     Interrupt Ports     B89h      Interrupt Control
                         B8Ah      Audio Filter Control
                         B8Bh      Interrupt Control Register
     PCM Circuitry       F88h      PCM Data
                         F89h      Reserved
                         F8Ah      Cross Channel Control
                         1388h     Sample Rate Timer
                         1389h     Sample Buffer Count
                         138Ah     Local Speaker Timer Count
                         138Bh     Local Speaker Timer Control
     SCSI Interface      1F88-1F8B SCSI Register
                         3F88-3F8B SCSI Register
                         5F88-5F8B SCSI Data Register
*Located on PC system board

NOTE:  If you questions regarding Windows 3.00a with Multimedia Extensions
1.0, please refer to the MPC Upgrade Kit's Most Commonly-Asked Questions
and Answers.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

*******************************INSTALLATION********************************
1.   Q:   Do I have to change any switches or jumpers before I install the
          PAS?
     A:   The default settings will work in most computers.  Only try with
          different DMA and IRQ settings if you experience any problems. 
          Whenever changing the settings on the PAS, make sure you make the
          same changes in the MVSOUND.SYS statement, in CONFIG.SYS.

2.   Q:   What is the MVSOUND.SYS driver for?
     A:   You must have "DEVICE = C:\PROAUDIO\MVSOUND.SYS D:X Q:X V:X" in
          the CONFIG.SYS file.  The first two X's correspond to the DMA
          channel and IRQ settings.  The third X in "V:X" represents the
          initial volume level, a value between 0 and 40, where 40 is the
          maximum volume level.  This driver resets the mixers and the
          volume settings on the PAS.  Without this driver, none of your
          Adlib games will play sounds.

3.   Q:   I have tried with all settings and PASTEST.EXE still fails.
     A:   First, PASTEST.EXE may need to be run twice in a row.  Second,
          reduce the system to a generic CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT to
          eliminate possible software conflicts.  Third, remove all
          unnecessary peripheral boards (scanner, tape controller, network
          cards, etc.) in the system to eliminate possible hardware
          conflicts.  Fourth, in most computers, it will accurately report
          if there are conflicts; however, in some 486/33 computers, it may
          not be accurate.  If you have already tried everything and
          PASTEST still fails, go on and run AudioLnk.

4.   Q:   After I have installed the PAS and connected the PC Speaker cable
          to the PAS, I do not hear any PC Speaker sounds in my 486/33.
     A:   Some 486/33 computers do not allow the PAS to implement PC
          Speaker sounds.  Therefore, leave the PC Speaker cable on the
          motherboard so that these sounds will be produced by the
          motherboard and played through the internal PC Speaker.

*********************************AUDIOLNK**********************************
5.   Q:   a.   When I run AudioLnk to play MIDI, it does not produce any
               sound.
          b.   When I run AudioLnk to play WAV, it does not produce any
               sound.
          c.   When I run AudioLnk to play WAV, it plays the same sound
               over and over like a broken record.
     A:   a.   If MIDI does not play, it is a possible IRQ conflict.  
          b.   If WAV does not play, it is a possible DMA conflict. 
          c.   If WAV plays like a broken record, it is a possible IRQ
               conflict.

          First, you must have the sound drivers (TAPIMV/VMP/AUDIOMAT)
          loaded prior to running AudioLnk.  Refer to the AudioMate Section
          in the PAS User's Guide.  Second, select a different DMA/IRQ and
          try again.  Whenever changing the settings on the PAS, make sure
          you make the same changes in the MVSOUND.SYS statement, in
          CONFIG.SYS.  Third, reduce the computer's bus (I/O CLK) speed to
          10MHz or less and try again. 

6.   Q:   When I run AudioLnk to play CD-Audio, the CD-ROM drive's light
          does not come on and I do not hear any sound.
     A:   You may need to press F3 twice in a row.  

7.   Q:   There is a lot of noise in the microphone recordings.
     A:   First, make sure that the microphone has 600-ohm impedance (or
          higher).  Second, mount the microphone on a stand instead of
          holding in your hand.  Third, use headphones instead of external
          speakers/amplifiers to eliminate the possibility of feedback
          which can cause distortion or noise.

8.   Q:   Running PAS.EXE to adjust the mixer and volume settings before
          going into AudioLnk does not make any difference at all.
     A:   First, AudioLnk ignores the settings made in PAS.EXE.  Second,
          once inside AudioLnk you can adjust the mixer and volume settings
          by pressing F4 to activate the Recording Menu and then F9 to
          access the Mixer Control Panel. 

********************************SP SPECTRUM********************************
9.   Q:   When I bring up Sp Spectrum (by running SEQ.BAT), TAPIMV.COM
          reports that it cannot find the interrupt.
     A:   Edit the SEQ.BAT to add the "/IRQ:X" switch to the end of the
          TAPIMV.COM statement, where X is the IRQ setting, and try again.

10.  Q:   When I run Sp Spectrum, I do not hear any sound when it is
          supposed to be playing.
     A:   First, make sure the port in Sp Spectrum is set to 2 to use the
          FM synthesizer chips on the PAS.  Port 1 is for playing through
          an external MIDI equipment.  Second, select a different IRQ and
          try again.  Whenever changing the settings on the PAS, make sure
          you make the same changes in the MVSOUND.SYS statement, in
          CONFIG.SYS.  Third, reduce the computer's bus (I/O CLK) speed to
          10MHz or less and try again. 

11.  Q:   Page 18 of the Sp Spectrum Section in the PAS User's Guide refers
          to the Tutorial file which I cannot find.
     A:   The current version of the PAS disks has this file.  Please send
          in your PAS disks to the attention of Customer Support.  Include
          your name, address, phone number and a note to request for an
          update.

********************MPU-401 AND SOUND BLASTER EMULATION********************
12.  Q:   a.   Does the PAS support MPU-401?
          b.   Does the PAS support SB?
     A:   a.   No.  The MIDI Interface chip on the PAS is the Yamaha 3802
               MIDI controller and not the Roland MPU-401 MIDI Interface
               chip.  
          b.   No.  The method used on the PAS to record and play back is
               different on the existing SB card.  

     Note:     Media Vision has developed an emulation program which
               enables the PAS to emulate the MPU-401 in "DUMB mode" and
               the SB to work with most SB games.  Please note that this
               program requires a 386SX or better and will work in DOS and
               Windows 3.0.  This emulation program is called SB2MV.ZIP and
               is located in the ZIP files area of this BBS.

*********************************GAMES*************************************
13.  Q:   My PAS is set to DMA 3 and IRQ 5.  I hear music but I don't hear
          any sounds when running Sierra games that support the PAS.
     A:   The PAS driver in your Sierra games require that the PAS is set
          for DMA 1.  Some Sierra games also require IRQ 7.  Sierra is
          working on updating the PAS driver to allow DMA 1/2/3 and IRQ
          3/5/6/7 to be selected.  Please contact Sierra for the update.

14.  Q:   I have games/software that provide drivers for the SB and AdLib. 
          Which driver should I select?
     A:   The PAS is 100 percent AdLib compatible and will work with any
          package that provides driver for AdLib.  If the package does not
          support digital audio, then the AdLib driver or SB driver can be
          selected.  Otherwise, if the package does support digital audio
          with the SB driver, please refer to the "MPU-401 and Sound
          Blaster Emulation" section above.

15.  Q:   Does the PAS make my game sound better than my AdLib board?
     A:   PAS.EXE is a utility that allows you to adjust the mixer, volume
          settings, bass, treble, loudness, enhanced stereo (will make a
          mono signal simulate stereo), and realsound (to improve PC
          speaker sounds).

16.  Q:   Sometimes when I play a game that supports AdLib, I only hear
          sound out of one speaker.
     A:   There are two ways to run PAS.EXE.  The first way is to run "PAS
          RESET" to reset the mixer.  The second way is "PAS *" to bring up
          the Mixer Control Panel on screen.  Press F1 to get help, then F4
          to reset the mixer.

17.  Q:   The joystick does not work at all or does not work properly when
          using the PAS's joystick port.
     A:   First, some computers have a built-in joystick port on the
          motherboard.  Other computers have a multi-I/O board that has a
          joystick port.  Make sure that only one joystick port is enabled
          and the other one is disabled.  Second, if the computer is too
          fast that may also cause a problem.  Reduce the computer's BUS
          (I/O CLK) speed and try again.  Refer to your computer user's
          guide for instructions on how to adjust the BUS (I/O CLK) speed. 
          Third, contact the game manufacturer to ask for a joystick driver
          that works on fast machines.

*****************************SCSI INTERFACE********************************
18.  Q:   Which CD-ROM drives can I use with the PAS?
     A:   See CD-ROM Drives Support List above.  The PAS has a SCSI
          interface which only allows it to control SCSI devices.  Please
          contact Media Vision Sales for the SCSI Cable/Driver Kit
          (Internal/External).  

19.  Q:   Do I have to use the PAS SCSI interface to control my CD-ROM
          drive which has its own controller?
     A:   If your CD-ROM drive is SCSI, you can use its own controller or
          the PAS SCSI interface.  

20.  Q:   Can I use the PAS to control other SCSI devices?
     A:   Yes.  Trantor Systems is currently selling SCSI drivers for the
          PAS for a variety of SCSI devices (hard disks, removable media,
          optical, etc.).  Please contact Trantor Systems for the PAS
          driver set at (510) 770-1400.  The price for the driver set is
          $59.00.

21.  Q:   Will the SCSI interface on the PAS conflict with another SCSI
          controller if they are both installed in the same computer?
     A:   They should work fine together.  Make sure that the drive ID's
          for the SCSI devices are different.

************************CD-ROM DRIVE INSTALLATION**************************
22.  Q:   I get the error "No SCSI host adapter found".
     A:   First, the SCSI CD-ROM driver is board dependent.  If you would
          like to use the PAS to control the CD-ROM drive, you need to use
          our TSLCDR.SYS driver; otherwise, if you would like to use
          another SCSI controller (such as Adaptec or Future Domain) to
          control the CD-ROM drive, you need to use its driver (contact the
          SCSI controller manufacturer for the driver).  Second, check the
          internal, flat ribbon SCSI cable to make sure it is properly
          connected to the PAS.  Third, make sure the red painted edge of
          the cable is closest to the 4-pin connector on the PAS at J6. 
          Fourth, make sure the terminator is connected securely to the
          back of the CD-ROM drive.  Try both with and without the
          terminator.  Fifth, reduce the system to a generic CONFIG.SYS and
          AUTOEXEC.BAT.  Sixth, reduce the computer's bus (I/O CLK) speed
          to 10MHz or less.  Seventh, if there is a co-resident Thunder
          Board, make sure Switch 4 (FM synthesizer switch) on the TB is
          set of OFF.

23.  Q:   I get the error "No devices respond on this SCSI host adapter".
     A:   First, check the internal, flat ribbon SCSI cable to make sure it
          is properly connected to the back of the CD-ROM drive.  Second,
          make sure the terminator is connected securely to the back of the
          CD-ROM drive.  Try both with and without the terminator.  Third,
          make sure you have inserted the computer's power plug into the
          CD-ROM drive connector and pushed it firmly into place.

24.  Q:   I get the error "Device driver not found: MVCD001.  No valid CD-
          ROM selected".
     A:   First, if you are using DR DOS 6.0, it is necessary to change the
          device name for both the TSLCDR.SYS and MSCDEX.EXE statements
          from "MVCD001" to "TSLCD".  Second, make sure that the device
          names in both of these statements match.

25.  Q:   MSCDEX.EXE issues the error "Incorrect DOS version".
     A:   If you are using MS DOS 5.0, MSCDEX.EXE v2.2 requires that
          CONFIG.SYS has the statement "DEVICE = C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE".  We
          will make an announcement in the BBS Newsletter when the new
          version of MSCDEX.EXE is available, which will not require
          SETVER.EXE when using MS DOS 5.0.

26.  Q:   I cannot use the CD-ROM drive.
     A:   First, refer to the questions listed above.  Second, make sure
          the MSCDEX.EXE statement precedes any menu, DOS Shell, PCTOOLs,
          or any desktop manager statements in AUTOEXEC.BAT to ensure that
          the driver has been properly loaded.

27.  Q:   I get the error "Invalid drive specification" when I type the
          drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM drive.
     A:   First, make sure you have "LASTDRIVE = X" in the CONFIG.SYS,
          where X is the next logical drive letter after the letter
          assigned to the CD-ROM drive in the MSCDEX.EXE statement. 
          Second, make sure that the TSLCDR.SYS driver statement precedes
          any driver statement that creates a RAM drive such as
          RAMDRIVE.SYS.  Third, check if the TSLCDR.SYS and MSCDEX.EXE
          drivers have been loaded up properly.  If not, refer to the
          questions above.

28.  Q:   I get the error "CDR 101: Drive not ready".
     A:   First, check the internal, flat ribbon SCSI cable to make sure it
          is properly connected.  Second, make sure the terminator is
          connected securely to the back of the CD-ROM drive.  Try both
          with and without the terminator.

29.  Q:   a.   I get the error "CDR 103: CD-ROM not High-Sierra or ISO-9660
               Format Reading Drive X.  Abort, Retry or Ignore?" 
          b.   My CD-ROM drive fails at random.
     A:   First, check if the LASTDRIVE statement and TSLCDR.SYS driver are
          loaded before a hard disk driver and/or a memory manager.  If so,
          load the hard disk driver and/or memory manager first.  Second,
          refer to the question above.

******************************MISCELLANEOUS*******************************
30.  Q:   Do you have a software development toolkit for the PAS?
     A:   Please contact Media Vision Sales at 1-800-845-5870 to order the
          Pro AudioSpectrum Developer's Toolkit for $79.95.  This toolkit
          contains a 3 1/2" disk which contains drivers, utilities, source
          codes for both DOS and MWINDOWS and a manual which contains a
          software reference and a hardware reference.

31.  Q:   I have questions regarding MWINDOWS.
     A:   Please refer to the MPC Upgrade Kit's Most Commonly-Asked
          Questions and Answers.

Before returning a defective product for repair, please call to request an
RMA number first.  Please contact Media Vision Technical Support at 1-800-
638-2807 if you have any questions or would like an update to this list. 
Media Vision Sales can be reached at 1-800-845-5870.

pasq&a.doc
-- 
       	     
Ken Germann		ZEOS International, Ltd.  
Technical Support				support@zeos.com.
Operating Systems Group.			os@zeos.com	
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard