From: k_deegan@bessel.concordia.ca (kenneth deegan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: ATI stereo F/X card ??
Keywords: soundcard multimedia advice
Date: 26 Jul 92 05:05:21 GMT
Organization: ECE - Concordia University

In article <1992Jul24.113505.4305@pttdis.pttnwb.nl> franki@prso.pttnwb.nl (Frank van Ierland) writes:
>
>I'am thinking of buying a ATI stereo F/X soundcard. Has anny anny experience 
>width it. Is is anny good ?.
>
>	Thanks,
>		Frank.

I bought a soundblaster pro, but it did not work very well in my 486.
(it seemed like an interupt or address problem, but with no other card
in the machine but the HD controller and the Video, it would have been
pretty hard to remove those)

Anyway I bought I stereo F/X (actually I bought the VGA stereo F/X 
which is a stereo F/X, a ATI wonder XL (with mouse), and it camer with
a midi interface and MIDI sequencer software (I do not know if the
standard stereo F/X has the MIDI)). I like this card. The card is 
an 11 voice yamaha sound chip, which I guess is the same as the one
in the sound blaster and adlib (I had an adlib before and it sounds
(The F/X) a lot better). The card adds a simulated stereo effect to
the sound which does add a little depth and makes the stuff sound a lot
better. It has the slots for the gameblaster chips to add those 12 voices,
but the docs say not to bother because little software uses them and their
is not much use. 

The DAC/ADC is superb. I have recorded from my walkman, CD player and a
stage mike. All have come in very nicely with no noise that I could make
out. It can record at 44000 samp/sec in mono (record left channel of input)
and 22500 in stereo. The record and playback software is very easy to use,
and comes in DOS and WINDOWS formats (use windows - it is a bit like
soundtool, only without the fancy wave editing).

The only compatibility problem I have encountered is the door opening
sound in Castle Wolfenstein (it screws up sometimes, but could be a 
timing thing, this is a tough program on the video/sound system). Jill
works like a charm.

The amplifier is 8 watts, so sno amplified speakers are needed (even though
I have it going through a small stereo I had lying around). There is no noise
at all.  

My only complaint is with the docs. They explain how to install and setup
the system quite well, and how to run the programs it comes with, but there
is little in the way of technical information. Such as the file format for
the stereo wave format. Also the recording software does not let you treat
each of the channels separately for editing a bummer.

Like I said above, I am not sure of the MIDI support of the standard card
but it is fun. The sequencer software is not too bad (Voyetra SP JR. if 
that means anything to you musical types) You can lay down 16 tracks, with
11 voices at a time with this software, it has 127 instuments (a lot sound
the same - but that is the yamaha chip (is it the same one as in my
old portosound?) - anyways you can use the keyboard for input but of course
you can't chord unless you write in the music yourself. It says you can hookup
a casio keyboard but I know nothing about MIDI so I do not know if this is 
good or bad.

So to conclude I say buy this card if what you want is to be able to play
games in great sound and fool around with some sampling. There is no question
that the PAS-16 and SB-Pro are superior in technology (SB-Pro has 22 voices
if I am not mistaken). But there are a lot of adlibs and standard SBs out there
so I do not think that many games will be writing 22 voice FM music just yet.


ken...
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard