HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bxxmic01@uctvax.uct.ac.za
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: On GUS memory (question)
Date: 1 Jan 93 12:26:00 +0200
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Cape Town

>>Even if it loads them dynamically, that must be
>>time-consuming... and what if you want to have 32 14.4K 10 second voices
>>going all at once?  They'd never fit!
> 
> Not even one stereo 10 second stereo sample at 44.1kHz would fit, as that 
> would be 176400*10 bytes. So, quite simply, you use a smaller sample rate and 
> no stereo samples. Besides, few instruments are longer than a few seconds
> anyway. If we assume 16bit mono samples at 22kHz, we get 44000 bytes/second.
> At this quality, 256k would be enough for about six seconds, 1MB four times
> that, about 24 seconds. I think this still isn't enough, so the actual
> sample rate would have to be yet lower or 8bit samples would have to be used.

Not actually.  ;-)

If you look at the sample of say, an organ note, you can see two major
features.  There is a unique pattern at the start, and a pretty constant
repetitive pattern thereafter.  So, what you do is you sample the attackck
(first) portion, and a peice of the sustain (the rest) and the GUS will
automatically play the attack and repeat the sustain until the note ends.  So
you don't need to sample the entire note, but only a small peice of it.  Kinda
like MOD files, but more realistic (44.1KHz, 16-bit).

> I remember from the GUS digest that it's impossible to load samples while 
> playing, so you'd have to fit all samples a song needs in memory at once. I
> guess it might be possible to stop playing and load in a new lead instrument,
> for example, without notable delay. 

Apparently this IS possible, but no software has yet been written to support
the feature.

Cheerio
Mike
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: gting@fraser.sfu.ca (Gabriel Sii Kuok Ting)
Subject: Re: PAS16 is no sound in Under World II..... help!!!
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 07:55:06 GMT

yfwu@Uz.nthu.edu.tw (EE U780935) writes:

[...]

>PAS-16 is the best audio card. Ya!

Preeeeetty debatable, is it not? :)

>--
>===============================================================================
> Yuh-Fuu Wu                                      National Tsing-Hua University
> e-mail: yfwu@uz.nthu.edu.tw                     Dept. of Electric Engineering
>                                                 Hsin-Chu City, 300
> Like MS Visual Basic most!                      Taiwan, ROC
>===============================================================================
-- 
This is a sig. This is only a sig. What the heck did you think it was anyway?

Flames to /dev/null. Nonsense to gting@sfu.ca.
Happy New Year!
From: walsh@pilgrim.carlisle.ma.us
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Nec 74 and SB-16/PAS-16
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 19:02:55 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: Carlisle, Massachusetts USA

I have ordered a new home computer (Gateway 486SX/33MHz) and
am interested in getting a CD and Soundcard primarily for the
kids (educational and entertainment). I am looking at the
NEC CDR-74 for its higher sustained read speed. 
1. Is the external CDR-74 compatible with both the SB-16 and PAS-16?
2. Are most games and multimedia CD-disks compatible with the
   NEC and both the SB and PAS -16s ?

Since I am new to this newsgroup, please forgive if these are
FAQs (where is the FAQ?).

Thanks in advance, John Walsh
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca (Phat H Tran)
Subject: Re: GUS and GS2000
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 05:51:14 GMT

In article <rdippold.726431235@cancun> rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) writes:
>gt3017a@prism.gatech.EDU (Guy Elden Jr.) writes:
>>   Has anybody got decent digitized sound out of this game with the GUS?  I
>>just tried, and it wasn't surprising that something went amiss.... it seems
>>like the only games I have trouble with are ones Microprose makes...
>
>It might help on these requests to let us know which version of SBOS
>you are using.  I don't have GS2000, for instance, but F15 III sounds
>just fine with SBOS 1.22.

The original release of GS2000 would pause each time digitized sounds 
would play.  Subsequent patches have fixed this problem for SB cards,
though I haven't tried the patched game with SBOS yet.

Phat.
From: ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca (Phat H Tran)
Subject: Re: Some GUS problems...
Keywords: recording, SBOS
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 00:02:21 GMT

In article <1993Jan9.191454.19850@blaze.cs.jhu.edu> ebynum@panini.cs.jhu.edu (Evan Bynum) writes:
>Hiya fellas,
>
>	I have a few problems for you GUS experts to answer. Everything
>related to playback of prerecorded sounds is fine - mididemo and flidemo
>both work well. VOC and SND files are equally happy on my system. The first
>problem occurs when I try to record using playfile and USS8. There seems to
>be an awful lot of background hiss, and the sounds pop and stutter
>periodically. In addition, the volume is pathetically low. I've tried various
>sample rates and other fun and obscure switches to no avail.
>

What mic are you using?  Is it a dynamic or condenser mic?  Is it stereo?
Anyone know for sure what type of mic we should be hooking up to the GUS?
I have a stereo condenser mic and have found that the level is way too low
to be usable.

>	In particular, if the sample is especially long (say, 20 seconds or
>more) the playback halts for half a second at various points in the sample,
>as if the system were trying to "catch up" to the sounds it has to play.
>When I zoom in using USS8 and isolate the popping sound, however, it plays
>fine. Does this mean I have to limit the durations of the samples I record?
>

USS8 has some weird and potentially limiting quirks.  I tried the software
once when I first got my card and have never touched it since.

>	Second question - I downloaded SBOS 1.23 from wuarchive, nuked the
>old files and unzipped the new SBOS into the \ultrasnd\sbos directory, as
>instructed. But when I run SBOS it still displays version 1.20. Why?
>

You have to replace the sbosdrv.exe and loadsbos.exe that are in your
\ultrasnd directory.  The copies in \ultrasnd\sbos are not used.

Phat.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: kkoller@nyx.cs.du.edu (Capt. Sarcastic)
Subject: Re: mike cox / mod-obj
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 93 11:30:41 GMT

kkoller@nyx.cs.du.edu (Capt. Sarcastic) writes:

>I have a version of mod-obj, numbered something like 0.03 - and it
>is incomplete, and I cannot get it to link properly with Turbo C++ -
>there is a newer version than this???

>Where is it FTP-able, etc...

>Norman Lin should know this - I'd like to take a look at it before I
>register, and I can't get a clean compile with this version...

Yeah, it was in his own documentation that I didn't read...

>I tried him @bradford.ac.uk, but I get bouncy-mail.

I hate to follow-up to my own stuff, but (silly me) I spoke too soon.  I
fond it on ftp.brad.ac.uk in the /misc/msdos/mp directory.

I'll go bury myself now.

--
Capt. Sarcastic      |The U.S. economy is dominated by monopolies.  In order to
(Kurt S. Koller)     |gain higher profits they exploit the U.S. workers as well
kkoller@nyx.cs.du.edu|as the population of the countries dependent on the U.S.A.
From: aw2t+@andrew.cmu.edu (Alex R.N. Wetmore)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: programming info for sbpro wanted
Date: 9 Jan 93 18:00:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.UfHtxkm00iUzI2lXdw
Organization: Sophomore, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

I have been looking around for programming information for an sbpro that
I just got.  Mostly interested in programming the mixer and dac/adc
chips, but I would also be interested in seeing anything that has to do
with the the fmsynths.

I have looked at blast13.zip and sbf.zip.  I couldn't get the
blaster.obj part of blast13 to work (the machine would lock when I ran
"load_drv" even with SOUND in my environment).  The sbf package just
wouldn't compile (both BC2.0 and MSC5.0 both link time errors, and I
don't have anything more recent).  Also, both of those packages are only
designed for the sb, but don't include pro features (like the mixer).

thanks,
alex
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: norlin@midway.ecn.uoknor.edu (Norman Lin)
Subject: There *IS ALREADY* a MOD->MIDI converter
Summary: There is a MOD->MIDI converter
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 22:30:59 GMT
Organization: Engineering Computer Network, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Keywords: MOD->MIDI

After coming back from a brief holiday and noticing all the traffic about
MOD->MIDI conversion, I thought I'd point out that Patrick Aalto
(ap@palikka.jyu.fi) has written a skeleton program that converts MOD->MIDI.
(he says it's mildly buggy, but I wouldn't know, not having a MIDI synth
right now).  Source code is included, and the program is freeware.  I've
uploaded the program to wuarchive.wustl.edu, in
/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/mtracker.zip.

Norman Lin
norlin@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: stewarta@netcom.com (Alex Stewart)
Subject: Re: Ultrasound 3D Press Release!!
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 13:50:44 GMT

 (este0005@student.tc.umn.edu) wrote:
:                        [...] complete with a set of headphones with 512K
: of memory [...]

Gee, my headphones don't have any memory...

Seriously, though, I don't see any way that this can be done without more than
two speakers (or a change in the laws of physics).
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex Stewart:         Sysop of YBBS (510) 689-8952 |   This space for rent.
stewarta@netcom.com   .----------------------------'-------------------------
stewarta@carleton.edu | Somebody, somewhere, is offended by what I am saying.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jbuddenberg@vax.cns.muskingum.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Cakewalk
Date: 4 Jan 93 15:08:43 GMT
Organization: Muskingum College


I heard through the grapevine that Cakewalk was an excellent program for 
composing music and I was wondering if it is shareware.  If so, where may I
find it?  Also, where are some good ftp sites for soundblaster files?
thanks

-- 
Jimmy Buddenberg       INTERNET:  jbuddenberg@vax.cns.muskingum.edu
Muskingum College 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: dp@hydra.carleton.CA (Dave Perry VE3IFB)
Subject: Re: Gravis external midi port cable question
Organization: O.A.R.C. Packet Working Group at Carleton University
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 05:40:42 GMT

In article <1993Jan5.032247.22188@nuscc.nus.sg> matcsp@nuscc.nus.sg (Chan Shih-Ping) writes:
>Does anyone have a definitive answer on 
>   Whether the SB midi box or the SB Pro midi box would work
>   with the GUS game port cum midi port? I vaguely  remember 
>   reading someone's comment that OUT will work but IN won't 
>   because the 'level' is too high. Is this correct??
>
>Does anyone have a circuit diagram on how to make a midi box
>that will work? How are you connecting your external synths to

I'm trying to look into this too, and I have a couple of observations.
In poking around the DB15 connector I believe what they have done is
to redefine the function of pins 12 and 15. Pin 12, which is one of 3
grounds on a "normal" game connector is, I believe, the midi output
pin. You can see it move with a scope when you play a song out the
port with cakewalk, so I'm pretty sure of this. Pin 15, which is one
of 3 +5 pins on a "normal" game connector, has been claimed for use
as the midi input. I say this because it has a high impedance and 
can be pulled low with a 200 ohm resistor.

Note that I *don't* mean midi in and midi out in a literal sense -
I suspect you *STILL HAVE TO USE AN OPTO ISOLATOR CIRCUIT* similar
to the one on archive.epas.utoronto.ca.  Now - about that circuit -
has anyone successfully built and used it? I ask because I think it
may contain an error. Pin 15 is shown connected to the midi output
circuit, and if my assumptions are correct, it shouldn't be. 

I may be trying all of this out myself soon - if I aquire a midi
keyboard :-)

Dave


-- 
Dave Perry                  | Any opinions stated here are mine
dp@hydra.carleton.ca        | and have nothing to do with Carleton University
ve3ifb@ve3jf.#eon.on.noam   |
From: dcole@ua.d.umn.edu (david cole)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: SB16 + Waveblaster > Multisound
Date: 11 Jan 1993 09:50:54 -0600
Organization: University of Minnesota, Duluth
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: ua.d.umn.edu

Since it appears from press releases that the Creative Labs WaveBlaster
daughtercard uses the EMU chipset, it is very likely that it is the same chip
set that EMU sells to Turtle Beach for use in the Multisound card.  This is
the chipset from the EMU Proteus 1/XR synthesizer.  A year ago, EMU announced
that the licenseing fee for this chipset was $75 (including the chips!).

Thus it appears that the SB16 with this daughtercard will exceed the
multisound in total capability because of the addition of SB compatibility
and much broader software support.  Street pricing for the combo is likely to
be better.

Cheers,

Dave Cole
From: knepley@CS.ColoState.EDU (Ranseus (Jim Knepley))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: Ultrasound 3D IS software based!!!!!!
Keywords: Ultrasound 3D
Date: 10 Jan 93 17:41:12 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University

In article <dkennett.726684636@sfu.ca> dkennett@fraser.sfu.ca (Daniel Kennett) writes:
>I left a message on the Gravis BBS converning the UltraSound 3D and here
>is the reply:
>
>"3D sound can be played on the present UltraSound's... and the
>difference is mainly software, except that the UltraSound 3d will be using the
>new "chipped down" UltraSound.. same hardware but smaller..  
>
>So their we have it, _IT_ is software based!

AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOYCING!  It'll be interesting to see if the same
technology gets developed for the SoundBlaster Pro, though I somehow
doubt it.

Any news on when?  I sounded to me like they had a working model at Comdex,
when can we expect to see this on _our_ machines?

Jim

-- 
----- knepley@cs.colostate.edu --------------- Boycott Colorado -------------
 Jim "Ranseus" Knepley |  Avoid rectal-cranial inversion. 
 Programmer, magician, |  "Gun's don't kill, it's those bullet things"   
 computer geek.        |
From: morgan@dl5000.bc.edu (Morgan Stair)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: Opps!! Re: GUS SBOSv1.23 and MM4 sadness
Date: 12 Jan 93 18:06:45 GMT
	<C0Kq72.KDL@watserv2.uwaterloo.ca>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Institute for Space Research, Boston College


>>Sorry, I just realized that I confused the two programs that are launched by
>>SBOS.BAT. They are actually switched around. "sbosdrv.exe" is loaded first
>>and should NOT be loaded high, and "loadsbos.exe %1 %2 %3 %4" can be loaded
>>high if desired.

>Actually, sbosdrv.exe is the file that should be loaded high.  Loadsbos.exe
>isn't a TSR, it just "activates" sbosdrv.exe, so it releases itself from 
>memory after you run it.  
>
>Phat.

  I wasn't loading anything high anyway (though I will from now on -
thanks guys) and it doesn't seem to make any difference as far as the
speech working.  I've tried earlier versions of SBOS and I've tried
using different memory managers and nothing helps.  The best I've come
up with for MM4 is SBOSv1.23 and configuring for speech through an
AdLib card and music through SB.

  Unfortunately the SB music totally overpowers the AdLib speech in
SBOSv1.23 and the speech through an AdLib sucks because it doesn't
have DACs.

Morgan.
--
*************************************************************************
* W. Morgan Stair                        Phone: (617) 552-8783          *
* Boston College                         FAX:   (617) 552-8778          *
* Institute for Space Research           Email: morgan@dl5000.bc.edu    *
* 4 Alfred Circle                                                       *
* Bedford MA  01730                                                     *
*************************************************************************
From: dnwangus@flash.LakeheadU.Ca (Dave Angus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: MOD player for big mods? (over 700k)
Date: 5 Jan 1993 09:01:09 GMT
Organization: Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada

I ftp'd a monster mod file version of 2unlimited's Twilight Zone.
Now, how do I play it?  I tried TRAK, PLAYMOD, PP, WOW and they all
puked since they tried to load the file into low memory.  
I managed to load part of the file into modedit, and I could play
a couple of the samples, but modedit wouldn't load the whole mod
file.

The mod is 725,464 bytes long.  Any ideas?  Should I get an Amiga?

regards,

--
Dave Angus                                   "Kundalini wants his hand back"
From: s106275@ee.tut.fi (Anssi Saari)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: MOD player for big mods? (over 700k)
Date: 5 Jan 93 13:21:37 GMT
Organization: Tampere University of Technology, Computing Centre
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: ee.tut.fi

In <696@thunder.LakeheadU.Ca> dnwangus@flash.LakeheadU.Ca (Dave Angus) writes:

>I ftp'd a monster mod file version of 2unlimited's Twilight Zone.
>Now, how do I play it?  I tried TRAK, PLAYMOD, PP, WOW and they all
>puked since they tried to load the file into low memory.  

>The mod is 725,464 bytes long.  Any ideas?  Should I get an Amiga?

Winmod or Winmod Pro. Even with vidram and PP you fall a few kBs short. I don't
know if the GUS mod player has this limitation, if there is enough memory on
the card itself. It should be possible to have the samples in GUS's memory and
the playing info in main memory. Or maybe someone will come up with a protected
mode mod player...

Anssi

-- 
Anssi Saari s106275@ee.tut.fi                
Tampere University of Technology 
Finland, Europe                  

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: gting@fraser.sfu.ca (Gabriel Sii Kuok Ting)
Subject: Re: IS THE PAS-16 A *LEMO
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 08:39:35 GMT

terry.walter@outlan.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Terry Walter)  writes:

>ask you mentionsed, that GUS has drivers coming out all the time, new
>fixes and everything.  That is one thing I do not like, I own a PAS 16,
>and yes, there were 2 official updates, but if the GUS has new drivers
>coming out all the time, where do they get the money to send out new
>disk to their customers?  Mediavision has sent me my upgrades by FEDEX
>to Canada, but for those guys in the states or in Canada, do you d/l the
>new drivers from the BBS, or do you actual get a new package?

Unfortunately, Gravis does not mail out the software updates. They usually
leave them on their BBS and on compuserve, and some kind souls usually
pass it around on the other BBS's and the internet.

>If the GUS updates are too frequent, then it seems they will have the
>stereo-typical :() feedback, just like OS/2 has now.

>When you mention OS/2, you mention UPDATE DISKS! in the same sentence!
>                                                                                    
-- 
This is a sig. This is only a sig. What the heck did you think it was anyway?

Flames to /dev/null. Nonsense to gting@sfu.ca.
Happy Chinese New Year!
From: nukenin@access.digex.com (R. Cliff Young)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: GUS w/UW2
Date: 11 Jan 1993 18:31:54 GMT
Organization: Talas Nukenin, courtesy of Express Access
NNTP-Posting-Host: access.digex.com

In article <1993Jan11.081143.7840@sfu.ca> mtichy@fraser.sfu.ca (Martin Tichy) writes:
>What are you guys talking about?  There is NO speech in Ultima 
>Underworld II.

Only if you don't install digital sound effects (an option in UW2).
Otherwise, there *is* speech, only not in the intro.  The speech is a
la Ultima 7, with the Guardian talking to the Avatar in dream
sequences, etc.  If you've heard any of the sound effects in the game,
you should get speech, since both sound effects and speech are
contained within .VOC files in \UW2\SOUND.

I've heard a rumour that beta copies of the game *did* have speech
during the intro.  I wonder if Origin thought about the consequences
of deciding *not* to use the intro-speech, as thousands of sound-card
owners cry, "Not again!", as they proceed to delve once more into
checking their IRQ and DMA (and SBOS) settings... ;)

-- 
 R. Cliff Young --/\/-- Work: cliff@sfn.ORG | Fun: nukenin@access.digex.com
 Phone: (703)573-0913 (USA) | GEnie: R.YOUNG52 | AOL: Nukenin@aol.com
 Mail: 7374 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, VA  USA  22042-1515     /QR:RFO:SID
 "I'll teach you to laugh and to cry // They're really the same you'll see..."
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: glock@chip.cba.ufl.edu (Joe Granto)
Subject: GUS help, please
Organization: College of Business, University of Florida
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:38:27 GMT

I posted about a week ago, and got now reply.  Here I go again:


I have heard all these wonderful things about the GUS.  I currently have a 
SoundBlaster.  I use it for games.  I have been thinking about selling my SB 
and getting a GUS.  I want to know if this is a wise decision or not.  
Considering I will be using it mostly for games, is it wise to get the GUS?  
I have heard about SB compatibility problems.  I hope to attach a keyboard 
someday and do some MIDI stuff, but that will be a while.  What is the 
latest version of the GUS (or the SBOS software); I want to make sure I get 
the most recent stuff available.  What is the best mail order place to get 
it from, and how much would I be looking at for a GUS with 1 MB of memory?

Any help would be appreciated.






Joe

****************************************************************
**                 GLOCK@chip.cba.ufl.edu                     **
**                                                            **
**     "When the going gets tough, the tough get a GLOCK."    **
****************************************************************
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
From: terryh@cae.wisc.edu (Terry Henning)
Subject: ATTN:  ATI Stereo F/X owners
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Date: 11 Jan 93 23:29:38 CST

Hi,

I own an ATI Stereo F/X sound card and have been having problems with two games

Wolfenstein and now PowerMonger.  Apparently I have an old BIOS for my sound
card (1.01).  I called ATI and from what they said they have a 2.0 BIOS.  
They said they could send one out to me, but it would take three weeks!!  I
only have one week before classes start and I want to play PowerMonger while
I still have time.  (I have such problems, eh?) 

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone out who has the new BIOS and knows what
they are doing could copy the machine code from the ROM and email it to me
so that I could program my own EPROM.  I asked ATI if they would let me down
load the machine code and they said "No".  I figured I could save them the
cost of shipping, plus the cost of the ROM and I could get it a lot faster.

I don't understand.  Some people!!!!


Thanks,

Terry Henning

terryh@cae.wisc.edu
From: bs@mdavcr.mda.ca (Bruce Sharpe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: Winjammer (and GUS)
Date: 8 Jan 93 05:54:06 GMT
Organization: no evidence of any organization here...

>A quick try indicated that neither Winjammer or Cakewalk Windows would make any
>sounds unless the required patches were pre-loaded into memory....  

You can use the UltraSound Patch Manager to load the patches you need for
WinJammer or Cakewalk Windows.  Also, Dan McKee (author of WinJammer) has
just uploaded a GUS-compatible version of WinJammer to CompuServe.  I
haven't tried it yet, but no doubt it solves the problem you are having.

Bruce Sharpe
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games