From: ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca (Phat H Tran)
Subject: Re: Which is better, the PAS-16 or the GUS?
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 00:47:27 GMT

In article <1992Dec22.040907.23711@en.ecn.purdue.edu> jbs@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Jeff Sponaugle) writes:
>	I am going to purchase a sound board real soon here and I am not sure
>if I should get the GUS or the PAS-16.  As far as I can tell the PAS-16 seems
>to be better for midi.  I am looking for something that does SB, Midi, CDROM,
>and 16bit 44KHz Stereo In/Out.
>
>As far as I see..
>
>Advantages to the PAS-16
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>o  16 bit Stereo 44.1 KHz in and out. (Available now!)
>o  Good Midi Interface
>o  "100% SB compatible"
>o  Good CDROM support.  (Supports quite a few CD-ROMS)
>o  $189 in Jan. Computer Shopper..
>
>Advantages to the GUS
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>o  Cheaper ($129??)
>o  On board RAM to load samples into. etc.
>o  Wavetable sysths. is better than FM.
>o  Sound better than SB!

The GUS sounds much better than the SB, the PAS16, the SBPro, the SB16,
and any other FM-based soundcard.  And, depending on who you talk to, 
it can also sound better than the MT-32.

>
>Does the GUS have MIDI?

The GUS has UART MIDI.

>Does the GUS have CDROM?

It has a CDROM connector, and a SCSI daughtercard option.

>How do they compare?

Since the PAS-16 has a 16-bit DAC, you can force samples through it to
make it sound about as good as a GUS or MT-32.  However, this is not 
synthesis.  It is mere sample-playback, requiring huge sets of digitized
data and immense cpu time.  The synthesis aspect of the PAS-16 is limited
to FM synthesis, which cannot deliver the sound quality that wavetable
synthesis on the GUS can.

The GUS is a wavetable synthesis device.  You load up patches into its
memory (patches are digital samples of instruments that are divided into 
an attack phase and a sustain phase) and the synthesizer chip then uses
them to reproduce the instruments independently of the cpu.  To someone
who has only heard FM, the results coming from the GUS are astounding.

>How soon will the 16 bit recording option be out? Any ideas on cost?
>

The pro-quality 16-bit recording daughtercard is purportedly going to
cost in the $100+ range.  Note that I said "pro-quality".  I don't know
if a simpler 16-bit sampler will be available.  I, myself, have no
need of 16-bit sampling, so I haven't investigated this matter very
thoroughtly.

>It seems that the best board to buy today is the PAS, but that perhaps the 
>GUS will be the best to buy in a few months?  The software approach to 
>simulating the SB has advantages and disadvantages.  Anyone care to comment
>on which board you think is better?

Depending on your personality, you may view the SBOS emulation TSR as
a glass that is either half-full or half-empty.  IMO, the TSR works
extremely well, considering that it's only software.  Practically all
FM-only games will work with SBOS, most with no slowdown, while
most games that use the DAC will function, but some will show a
deterioration in digitized sound quality compared to the real SB.
You should test the compatibility out for yourself and come to your
own conclusions.

Phat.