From: bjornhk@dhhalden.no (BJORN HAAVARD KLEVEN)
Subject: Re: GUS - What is it?
Organization: Ostfold College
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 16:50:15 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?

UltraSound, made by Advanced Gravis Ltd, Vancouver, Canada

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

The included SBOS (Sound Board Operating System) software makes the board 80-
99% compatible with the Sound Blaster and consequently the Ad Lib. Since SBOS
does not actually emulate FM synthesis, but mixes a set of samples to get as 
close as possible, the FM sound doesn't always sound as on a SB, sometimes 
it sounds better, sometimes it sounds worse. In some games, the SBOS also 
slows down the overall performance somewhat, due to it's use of CPU power 
for the emulation. To get the program as efficent as possible, SBOS also 
operates on a very low hardware level, causing compatability problems with 
certain computers (certain OPTi chip sets being the most problematic due to 
their problems of handling DMA). Currently, the SBOS is not compatible with 
the SB Pro.

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

The UltraSound has: LINE IN, MIC IN, LINE OUT, AMPLIFIED LINE OUT 
connectors, as well as an on-board CD AUDIO IN connector. In additio, there 
is a joystick/MIDI port.

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

The SB Pro has 2 DAC/ADC channels for digitized sound output/input (8 bit 
sample resolution, 22.05 KHz max frequency (stereo) or 44.1 KHz combined (
mono)  and 22 (v.1.x) or 20 (v.2) FM synthesized music voices, using either 
OPL-2 (v.1.x) or OPL-3 (v.2) technology. 

The UltraSound has 32 DAC/ADC stereo voices (16-bit resolution, 44.1 KHz 
on all voices), which can be used independantly for input/output. The 
onboard ASIC (GF-1) use all these voices for it's built in Wavetable 
synthesizer, using samples (of actual instruments, or whatever) as
instruments/patches. These patches can be stored in onboard RAM (256KB 
standard, expandable to 1MB using standard 44256 DRAMs), which also acts as 
a buffer memory for sample recording/replaying. 

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

It should be out all over the US now, at least most major mail order 
companies has got it. Price varies from ~$125 to ~$150

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

You get the above mentioned card (sampler/synthesizer/mixer). Also 
available is or will be:

- A daughter board allowing 16-bit sampling with a DSP (Digital Signal 
  Processor) - available January '93

- A standard SCSI CD-ROM controller - available now

- MIDI connector box with MIDI IN/OUT/THRU and 2 Joystick ports - available 
  within a few weeks

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

It is 'just a card' except for the MIDI connector box

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

The complete driver is finished, and will be released soon (the existing 
driver isn't complete)

>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.
>
>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.   

Mixing can be done in the same way.

As a conclusion, the GUS has better performance than the SB Pro, a just as 
good/better price and has state-of-the-art technology -> what will be 
supported in the (not very distant) future. However, SBOS doesn't make the 
board 100% SB compatible, so software support lacks somewhat for the moment. 
However, most major software companies will support the board, some of them 
already do.

Hope this helps,

     -=* Bjorn :: bjornhk@sofus.dhhalden.no
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