From: waardenb@cs.utwente.nl (Jerry van Waardenberg)
Subject: Re: Why I'm not buying GUS yet!
Organization: University of Twente, Dept. of Computer Science
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 08:45:10 GMT

In article <9212141829.AA21448@suned1.Nswses.Navy.Mil>, jkb@suned1.Nswses.Navy.Mil (John K Bunk) writes:
|> I've always thought wavetable synthesis with RAM loadable sounds was the way
|> to go for PC music making.  When I've discovered the Gravis Ultrasound card,
|> I thought my prayers have been answered.  However, the following problems still
|> prevents me from shelling out the bucks quite yet:
|> 
|> 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,
|> 
|> 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.

The daughter card will come out in January, so you see why you couldn't find it.

|> 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.

Many people don't want or need extra goodies, so Gravis didn't put them on the
card. This makes the card cheaper. If you buy a car, you can also choose for
a basic configuration, or a more luxurious one with automatic inflatable tires :).

|> 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!

Like most inexpensive soundcards, it has only general MIDI. You have to buy a
MIDI box when you want to connect a MIDI device. I believe the MIDI box is SB
compatible. The MIDI port is already on the card.

|> 5)  (more of a question than a gripe)  Can I drive the GUS with MIDI data
|> through the MIDI ports (assuming it has them) instead of internally?
|> I'm looking for a way for GUS to coexist with a Roland SCC-1 card and through
|> Windows 3.1.  I was thinking of using the Roland card as the MIDI interface and
|> running MIDI data out from the Roland, through a MIDI cable, and back into
|> the GUS.  Somewhat kludgey, but will it work?

Note that the GUS has general MIDI, whereas the Roland has a MPU-401 compatible
MIDI interface. I don't know if you can connect these two.

|> 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).

Some patches are good, others are less. Most .WAV files are 8-bit samples and
not 16-bit, which probably results in samples that are worse than the original
patches. Maybe someone could write a MOD to MID converter :).

|> 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.

This is a known problem. Probably the GUS got too popular too soon, so Gravis
didn't have time to test and write better software. They are working on it, but
it will take some time before they will release new software.

|> Hopefully, someone will shed some light on my gripes above, and convince me
|> to buy a Gravis Ultrasound soon!

The GUS cannot match the sound quality of your Roland. The only thing you need
besides the Roland is a DAC/ADC for sampling. Have you looked at the PAS16? It
has very good 16 bit sampling capabilities and is hardware compatible with SB.
Also I've heared the SBpro/LAPC-1 combo. That sounds real nice and has all the
things you need: CD-ROM interface, MPU-MIDI, General MIDI, FM-sounds, LA-sounds
(for SCC-1 this would be PCM-sounds, even better!), etc, etc. Since I like the
PAS16 better than a SBpro, the PAS16/SCC-1 combo should be really stunning!

|> John
|> 
|> -- 
|>                       John Bunk, Code 4G13, NSWC-PHD 
|>                        jkb@suned1.nswses.navy.mil
|>     Any statements / opinions made here are mine, alone, not the Navy's.
|>               But that's OK, the Navy is usually wrong anyhow.

Jerry

*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Jerry van Waardenberg                                ______ ____  _____   _____
Tele Informatics and Open Systems                      /     /   /    /  /_
Department of Computer Science                        /     /   /    /     -_ 
University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands      /   __/_  /____/  _____/
E-mail: waardenb@cs.utwente.nl                  
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard