From: ptran@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca (Phat H Tran)
Subject: Re: GUS - What is it?
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 20:51:49 GMT

In article <92346.31866.J056600@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM> J056600@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM writes:
>In <1992Dec11.054756.8988@wuecl.wustl.edu>, Kevin Dean Matzdorf writes:
>
>>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?
>
>Gravis Ultra Sound.
>

Correction:  Gravis Ultrasound. :)

>>2) Is it FULLY SBPro compatible?  (i.e. will EVERYTHING that supports the SBPr
>>also work with the GUS)
>
>Not 100%, but pretty damn close in emoulation mode (note that I don't have a
>GUS, but I'm considering it for a new system I'm buying).  Hopefully, Gravis
>will release an emulator which is much closer to 100% compatibility.
>

The emulation is about 90-95%.  Most games work just dandy with it, and
new games, even if they don't support the GUS directly, will likely be
programmed to work with SBOS.  Take Commanche: Maximum Overkill, for example.
In its initial release, it did not work with SBOS, but later, Novalogic
released a patch for it to make it SBOS-friendly.  

As for native support, virtually all game makers are interested in supporting
the Ultrasound.  Many (perhaps most?) have already said they'll support
the card in their upcoming releases, and a few are just waiting to see how
the GUS is received by the market.

Sierra and LucasArts had said that they weren't considering support for the
Ultrasound any time soon, but recently changed their minds.  The official
word from LucasArts is that they "can't wait till the GUS catches on so
that they can start supporting it", and Sierra are currently working on
GUS drivers for their games.

>>3) Does it have the same i/o (or better) than the SBPro?  (i.e. line in, mic,
>>CD, line out)
>
>Don't know.  I'd like the answer to this one, too.
>

It has line in, mic in, line out, amplified out, and CD pins.  All of its
I/O jacks are stereo.

Sound-wise, the GUS has a much higher signal to noise ratio than the SB
and SBPro (i.e. the GUS sounds much cleaner).

>>4) Does it have the same number of sound channels?  (i.e. line, mic, CD, FM,
>>VOC)
>
>Don't know this one, either.
>

It has 32 digital channels.  In stereo mode, there are conflicting reports
as to whether it has 32 stereo channels or just 16.  The box says 16, but
the SDK says 32.

It has no FM voices, which may be a relief to some. :)  (FM synthesis
can't reproduce the realism that the GUS's wavetable synthesis can.)

>>5) How much is it and where can one buy it?
>
>I've seen ads for it as low as $129.
>
>>6) What do you all get for that price?  What upgrades are available?
>
>Supposedly there are daughterboards.  One of them (supposedly) is a board
>with a SCSI interface for CD-ROM support.  That's the one I'm most interested
>in.
>

The basic GUS does not come with a SCSI interface or 16-bit recording.
These two options are available as daughterboards.

(The GUS can record in 8-bit at rates up to 44.1 kHz, and can play back
16-bit samples at 44.1 kHz.)

>>7) Is it just a card, or does it also have an external component?
>
>I think it's just a card.
>
>>8) Does it have complete multimedia Windows drivers and software?
>
>Don't know.
>

Yes, the GUS comes with Windows Multimedia drivers.

[...]
>
>Biased answers are fine if the bias is genuine.  I'm thinking that some GUS
>owners want as many people as possible to buy a GUS so that the GUS will be
>directly supported without needing SB emulation, and is thus based on desire
>for support rather than strong feelings about the GUS.  Again, I'm not sure
>about that.  I could easily be wrong.
>

If anyone gets a chance to compare the sound quality of the GUS to that
of the SBPro (or PAS-16, for that matter), that person can't help but
be biased in favour of the Ultrasound.  The difference is great.

>I have a question, too:  Is the SBOS (SB emulator) a driver program?  If so,
>how much memory does it require?  Can it be loaded high?
>

SBOS is an 18k TSR, which can be loaded high.

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