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Ultrasound Daily Digest Tue, 2 Feb 93 Volume 2 : Issue 30 Today's Topics: Can the GUS play ENSONIQ patches? Correction FAQ: Gravis Ultrasound ("GUS") FAQ v1.02 Programming..... Quickie USS-10 TRAX Review Ram Prices sbos & memory expansion problems UK registration for patches? wav2pat and software release rumours Information about the UltraSound Daily Digest (such as mail addresses, request servers, ftp sites, etc., etc.) can be found at the end of the Digest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 1 Feb 93 18:03:07 PST From: George Lane <GLANE@qualcomm.com> Message-Id: <728618587.0.GLANE@NIKE.QUALCOMM.COM> Subject: Can the GUS play ENSONIQ patches? To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Hey, I've seen this asked before, but never an answer. Since the GUS uses the Ensoniq chip (although modified), can it play Ensoniq patches? This is a good question for a gus FAQ. George ------- ------------------------------ Date: 01 Feb 1993 13:08:10 -0500 (EST) From: STU_JABIRCHE@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU Message-Id: <01GU7IK8PJ6Q90N7OZ@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU> Subject: Correction To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Ren & Stimpy .wavs will be in ccu.umanitoba.ca, not cc.umanitoba.ca. /pub/ren-stimpy sorry ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Feb 93 22:31:43 MST From: ddebry@itchy (Dave DeBry) Message-Id: <9302020531.AA26720@itchy> Subject: FAQ: Gravis Ultrasound ("GUS") FAQ v1.02 To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard,comp.music,rec.music.synth,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.answers,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: FAQ: Gravis Ultrasound ("GUS") FAQ v1.02 Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard Reply-To: ultrasound-request@dsd.es.com Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers) concerning the Gravis Ultrasound (GUS) sound card for IBM PC's. Keywords: gravis ultrasound gus faq synth soundcard adlib soundblaster music midi Archive-Name: gravis-ultrasound/faq Last-Modified: 02/01/93 Version: 1.02 GRAVIS ULTRASOUND ("GUS") FAQ VERSION 1.02 [02/01/93] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Certain questions concerning the Gravis UltraSound ("GUS") sound card are asked over and over on the UltraSound Daily Digest (a mailing list for GUS users) and on comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard. These questions tend to grate on frequent readers of both groups in much the same way that Ed "You May Already Be A Winner On Star Search" McMahon does on every living creature on the planet. In an attempt to alleviate some of that stress from the lives of USENET/Internet folk, this FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list has been created. It's maintained by Dave DeBry (ddebry@dsd.es.com, debry@peruvian.cs.utah.edu). If you have any questions, comments, complaints, or extra cash, please feel free to send them to him. Don't expect a reply very quickly, as Dave does have a life outside of this FAQ. If you would like to join the mailing list and be privy to the latest and greatest information, banter, and poor spelling concerning the GUS, mail to <ultrasound-request@dsd.es.com>. The automated server will tell you how to sign up for the mailing list, tell you where the FTP sites associated with the Digest are (they recieve software updates directly from Gravis often), and other such information that will eventually lead you down the trail to Nirvana, Valhalla, Heaven, or whatever Land O' Happiness your religion wants to get to. Index of Questions ------------------ 1] What is the GUS? 2] How does the GUS emulate the SoundBlaster and Adlib cards? 3] Where can I get a GUS, and how much will it cost? 4] What version of the GUS hardware is the latest? 5] What version of the GUS software is the latest? 6] Where can I get the latest GUS software? (AKA: Where is the GUS FTP site and/or Gravis BBS?) 7] Is the GUS still in beta-test phase? 8] What machines will the GUS work with? 9] Why should I upgrade the memory onboard my GUS? 10] Where can I get memory for the GUS, and how much will it cost? 11] I'm having trouble installing the GUS software... 12] I'm having trouble getting the GUS to work with Windows... 13] How do I get the GUS to work with this program? 14] How do I get the GUS to work with this aardvark? 15] What new hardware is coming out for the GUS? 16] What new software is coming out for the GUS? 17] How do I build the MIDI interface for the GUS? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1] What is the GUS? The Gravis UltraSound (generall referred to as the "GUS") is a sound card built by Advanced Gravis Technologies (GRVSF on the Nasdaq exchange). It is a stereo card that can play 32 synthesized voices and 32 sampled voices simultaneously. It is also MIDI compatible. The synthesizer on the GUS is based on a technology called Wavetable Synthesis (WS) instead of FM synthesis (like the Adlib and Soundblaster series). WS is flexible enough to emulate FM synthesis, and so an emulator has been created so SoundBlaster and Adlib programs can use the GUS (see question #2). The GUS, in its basic state, can sample 8 bit stereo at 44kHz. It can playback 16 bit stereo samples at 44kHz. There is a daughterboard that you can buy and plug on to the GUS that makes it possible to sample at 16 bit stereo 44kHz. The GUS has the following "external" ports: o Stereo line in o Stereo line out o Stereo amplified out o Stereo microphone in o Game port / MIDI port The game port can be changed to MIDI in/out/through ports by means of an adapter available from Gravis. Alternatively (and for a LOT less money) you can build your own (see question #17). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2] How does the GUS emulate the SoundBlaster and Adlib cards? Currently, the emulation is done in a TSR/device driver that comes with the card, called SBOS. It's pretty small, and doesn't conflict with too many programs. SBOS has several command line options available (if run in the TSR version; the device driver version requires a reboot to change the setup) for compatibility with various different programs. To find out what switches to use for which programs, there is a list of options being maintained (see question #13). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3] Where can I get a GUS, and how much will it cost? The "suggested retail" for the card is $200 (U.S. dollars), but if you pay that much, you haven't done your homework. However, homework on this card isn't easy because Gravis still hasn't actually advertised (they have a weird policy concerning advertising). If you call around, you should have no trouble getting the GUS for less than $150. Suggested places are Babbages, Bizmart, and Telemart. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4] What version of the GUS hardware is the latest? This is a question that is actually pretty irrelevant. Yes, there have been different "releases" of the GUS card (the number is etched into the board), but there really aren't any differences. Evidently, some of the newer cards have been redesigned to require less hardware (and less cost to Gravis), but no functionality changes have been made. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5] What version of the GUS software is the latest? SBOS: 1.23 Playmidi: 3.50 All updates are available on the GUS FTP sites. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 6] Where can I get the latest GUS software? (AKA: Where is the GUS FTP site and/or Gravis BBS?) GUS FTP sites: archive.epas.utoronto.ca pub/pc/ultrasound wuarchive.wustl.edu systems/msdos/ultrasound BTW: You can get a LOT more than just GUS software releases from Gravis on the FTP sites. There's lots of PD software written specifically for the GUS, music (midi music, midi patches, mods, 669 music, samples, etc., etc), tech info on the card, back issues of the UltraSound Daily Digest, etc., etc... check it out! Gravis BBS: (604) 431-5927 For those of you who don't have FTP access, find out about the email request servers that do remote FTP for you. (Someday the UltraSound Daily Digest will allow you to request files from those servers, but right now I'm busy with other things, so deal with it. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7] Is the GUS still in beta-test phase? Absolutely NOT. It doesn't matter where you hear this rumor, it's false. The rumor stemmed from the idea that you could get the very latest GUS driver software, SBOS, etc., from the Gravis BBS. These programs aren't beta test stuff. They are concrete examples of Gravis listening to bug reports from GUS users and turning out fixes as fast as they can. That's commitment to customers on Gravis' part, NOT a lack of a quality assurance department. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8] What machines will the GUS work with? You need an IBM compatible computer with at least a 286 processor. It needs to be at least a 386 if you want to use the GUS with Windows. As of now, there is no driver for the GUS that works with OS/2. Gravis is considering writing one; if it's important to you, voice your opinion and get it done sooner. There have been troubles with the GUS if your computer's chipset is made by OPTI. Not all OPTI chipsets are bad, but some of them have a faulty DMA controller. We're still trying to pin down which chipsets are flawed; when we have a better idea of exactly which ones are bad they'll be added here. Until then, be careful if your computer has an OPTI set, and try reading the UltraSound Daily Digest, or comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard on USENET. PLEASE! If you have an OPTI chipset, and have tried using a GUS with it (whether it worked or not), please announce it to everyone. It will help us figure out which chipsets are bad. Thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9] Why should I upgrade the memory onboard my GUS? For starters, the announcement has already come out of Gravis that the standard GUS will come with 512k instead of 256k. This means that software companies will write their programs to use *at least* 512k onboard the GUS. And with all the users going to 1meg, chances are that things will be written for that limit. It's a cheap upgrade. If your board came with 256k, it will only cost you about $30 to go up to 1meg (see question #10). There's already a lot of MIDI files out there that require the full 1meg to play them, because they use lots of different instrument patches. If you plan on doing any sampling, you'll need the space. You can do direct-to-disk sampling, but it can cause "skips" to go into the sample each time the sample goes down the bus to the drive. In a worst case situation, you could be sampling 16 bits in stereo at 44kHz. So, you're doing 88000 samples (stereo, remember) of 16 bits each every second. That's 171k (176000 bytes) every second, which means the full 1meg memory will fill up in 5 seconds at that rate. With only 256k, you can get about 1.5 seconds. Of course, only people doing very serious stuff with the card need to sample at that high of a rate in 16 bits. MOD files generally do 16kHz 8 bit mono samples. But upgrading the card is still pretty important in that case... do the math, and you'll see. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10] Where can I get memory for the GUS, and how much will it cost? You need six 256x4 DRAM chips, with speeds of 100ns or better (in other words, 100ns OR LESS). They tend to run about $4 a piece, so the total price will be $24 + shipping. To find a place with them, just look through the Computer Shopper magazine. Check the index for 'memory' and call a few places for prices. (After a little calling, I found a place selling them for $3.45 apiece. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 11] I'm having trouble installing the GUS software... One of the earlier versions of the GUS software disks (1.21) had a problem with the install program. Check out the GUS FTP sites or the Gravis BBS for the latest stuff (see question #6). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 12] I'm having trouble getting the GUS to work with Windows... There in one possibility that accounts for about 50% of the problems people have with the GUS and Windows: you can't have SBOS loaded before going to Windows. (You don't need it... if the Windows program was written right, Windows will handle the link to the card; the program shouldn't care.) Try running ULTRINIT (it clears the GUS' program memory), or rebooting. There is another common problem involving people putting a certain file into the ...\windows\system directory that they shouldn't, but I seem to have forgotten the details. Could someone please refresh my memory? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 13] How do I get the GUS to work with this program? Written by: rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) GUS Tested Programs Compatability List V1.05 Jan 26, 1993 Send updates to rdippold@qualcomm.com. This is a list of compatibility settings for the Gravis Ultrasound card. I have not personally verified all of these, most of them are submitted to me by other GUS owners. Your results may vary. Nor is this a list of all programs that will run with the GUS - this is just a list of those that have been tested by those who sent me mail. It is for the purpose of helping GUS owners run a program without hunting for the appropriate options. If the switches listed don't work, try removing EVERYTHING from your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. These settings worked for someone, and memory managers and other device drivers seem to be the main culprits when something doesn't work. The "Version" indicates the version of SBOS that the program was tested with. Please note the "Most Wanted" section at the bottom of programs which just don't seem to want to work. Please check all 16 combinations of settings ( -o= none, 1, 2, 3 and -x= none, 1, 2, 3) before submitting it as a "won't work." Things are now arranged in a hierarchical fashion. If you manage to "promote" anything up the hierarchy, please let me know ASAP. Ditto if you notice a problem with a game running with an old version of SBOS that no longer occurs with a new version. Native GUS Support ======================================================================== Chuck Yeager's Air Combat (new version) Star Control II (some people have problems with 1 meg of GUS RAM) SBOS Soundblaster support Version Parameters ======================================================================== 4-D Boxing 1.20 None (Announcer's voice is too slow) 4-D Boxing 1.23 None Aces of the Pacific 1.20 None Alone in the Dark 1.20 None Amazon 1.20 None Armour-Geddon 1.22 None ATP 2.0 1.22 None AV8B Harrier Attack 1.20 -o2 Battle Chess 4000 1.23 None Blaster Master 1.20 -x3 Brix 1.23 None (Strange if with SBOSDRV.SYS) Catacombs 3D 1.20 None Chuck Yeager's Air Combat (old) 1.23 None Civilization None Comanche: Maximum Overkill 1.20 None (Get Update from Novalogic) Comanche: Maximum Overkill 1.20 None (or music=adlib, digital=sb) Commander Keen (part 4) 1.22 -x2 Contraption Zack 1.22 None Darkseed 1.23 None Daughter of Serpents 1.22 None Dinosaur Adventure 1.22 None Dragon Flight 1.22 None Dragon's Lair III 1.22 None Dune 1.20 None Dune II 1.22 None Earl Weaver Baseball II 1.20 None (digitized sounds out speaker) Elite Plus 1.20 None Escape from Alcatraz 1.20 -o3 F-117A Stealth Fighter 1.23 -o1 F-15 Strike Eagle II 1.20 -o3 F-15 Strike Eagle III 1.23 -x2 F-29 Retaliator 1.23 None Falcon 3.0 1.22 None Fate of Atlantis 1.20 None Formula One Grand Prix 1.20 -o2 Front Page Sports Football 1.20 None (voice may echo) Galactix 1.3 1.20 -o3 (not fully compatible) Galactix 1.3 1.22 None The Games: Summer Challenge 1.20 None Gobliiins (Cocktel) 1.22 None Goblins 2 1.22 None Gods 1.23 None Grand Master Chess 1.22 None Gunship 2000 1.23 None (game pauses in digitized speech) Hardball III 1.22 None Heart of China 1.20 None Hole in One Minature Golf Dlx 1.22 None Humans 1.20 -o3 The Incredible Machine 1.20 None Jill of the Jungle 1.23 None (Strange if with SBOSDRV.SYS) Joe and Mac: Caveman Ninja 1.22 None Ken's Labyrinth 1.23 None Kiloblaster 1.22 None King's Quest V 1.20 None King's Quest VI 1.20 -o3 (no speech) King's Quest VI 1.22 -o2 -x3 King's Quest VI 1.23 -x3 Knights of the Sky 1.20 None L.A. Law 1.22 None Leather Godesses of Phobos II 1.20 -o1 Legend of Kyrandia 1.20 None Legend of Robin Hood 1.20 None Legends of Valour 1.22 None Leisure Suit Larry V 1.22 -o2 -x3 Lemmings 1.20 Lemmings -x for PC type Lemmings 1.22 None Links 386 1.05 or later 1.20 -o1 -x2 (turn off background sounds) Links 386 1.05 or later 1.22 -x2 (load with golf /s ) LHX Attack Chopper 1.23 None Llamatron 2112 1.22 None (Turn off QEMM) Mars 1.23 None Might and Magic IV 1.22 None (some have problems - try Adlib) Monkey Island II 1.20 None Overkill 1.20 None Patriot 1.22 None PGA Golf 1.20 -o2 Playroom 1.20 None Populous II 1.23 None Powermonger 1.20 None Prince of Persia 1.20 -o1 Putt-Putt Joins the Parade 1.22 None Quest for Glory III 1.23 -o2 -x2 Reader Rabbit I 1.20 None Reader Rabbit II 1.20 None Reading Adventures in OZ 1.20 None Red Baron 1.20 None Rex Nebular 1.22 -x3 Rome AD 92 1.22 None Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe 1.23 None Siege 1.20 -x3 Sierra Xmas Card '92 1.22 None Sim Ant 1.20 None The Simpsons 1.22 None Simusex 1.20 None Spear of Destiny 1.20 -o2 Spear of Destiny 1.22 None Starfire 1.20 None (no voice) Street Fighter II 1.22 None Stormovik SU-25 1.23 None Strange Deadfellows 1.20 GF1 int = MIDI int Stunt Driver (1.5?) 1.23 None Stunts (slight slowdown) 1.20 None Stunts 1.22 None Stunt Island 1.22 None Task Force: 1942 1.22 None Terminator 2029 1.23 None (MIDI IRQ must be 7) Thunder Hawk 1.20 -x3 (still flakey) Tristan Pinball 1.20 None Ultima Underworld 1.20 None Ultima Underworld II 1.22 None Ultima VII 1.23 None Unreal Demo 1.20 IRQ must be 2 Unreal Demo 1.23 None (sounds much better) V for Victory: Utah Beach 1.22 None V for Victory: Velikiye Luiki 1.22 None Where in the World is Carmen... 1.20 -o1 Where in the World... DELUXE 1.23 -o1 Willy Beamish 1.20 None Wing Commander 1.20 -o2 -x2 (slow) Wing Commander 1.22 -o2 -x2 Wing Commander II 1.23 None Wolfenstein 3D 1.22 None WOW II 1.3 (MOD player) 1.20 None World Circuit 1.23 -o2 Wrath of the Demon 1.20 None Note - Adlib support will usually allow you to select Adlib sounds and Soundblaster Music. You just don't get Soundblaster digitized sounds. SBOS Adlib Support Version Parameters ======================================================================== Altered Destiny 1.23 None Conan 1.20 None Covert Action 1.23 None Future Wars 1.20 None Heart Light 1.22 None So You Want To Be a Hero? 1.20 None Star Trek 25th Anniversary 1.22 None Tegel's Mercenaries 1.22 None Most Wanted List (Games that Just Don't Work so far) ======================================================================== Dr. Who Dalek Attack 1.22 Game freezes after explosion SimLife 1.22 Runs with -o3, but no sound Wizkid 1.23 Seems to wipe all TSRs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 14] How do I get the GUS to work with this aardvark? Sorry. I'm getting a little bored typing all this up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 15] What new hardware is coming out for the GUS? Written by: Bruce Sharpe (bs@mda.ca) ------------------------------------------------------------------- | Advanced Gravis Product Support BBS Pricing & Availability | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | Item When? SRP($US) | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | MIDI Connector Box | Apr '93 | $49.95 | | 16-bit Stereo Recording Interface Card | Apr '93 | $149.95 | | LMSI CD-ROM Daughter Card for CM205 and | Qtr 1 '93 | $59.95 | | and CM215 (Phillips, Magnavox, LMSI) | | | | Sony CD-ROM Daughter Card for Sony 31A | Qtr 1 '93 | $49.95 | | Mitsumi CD-ROM Daughter Card | Qtr 1 '93 | $49.95 | | SCSI CD-ROM Daughter Card | Qtr 1 '93 | TBA | ------------------------------------------------------------------- Details? Good question. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 16] What new software is coming out for the GUS? Gravis has signed contracts with several companies to release and/or support software for the GUS: a) Gravis Ultrasound 3D BIG IMPORTANT NOTE: YES, this is SOFTWARE. You will NOT need to upgrade your GUS to be able to do the GUS-3D stuff. "Advanced Gravis announced a development that will forever change the way PC game players, business, and multimedia software users perceive sound from their computer software. Gravis UltraSound 3D for the PC, the next step for the Gravis UltraSound card, places the computer user in the middle of an audio environment for immersive virtual reality audio. For the first time outside virtual reality labs and at an affordable consumer pricepoint, sound effects, music, even simple clicks of a mouse can be placed in an audio space that surrounds the user like a sphere. "Utilizing Focal Point technology, UltraSound 3D processes the audio signal through a technique called "convolution," new right and left binaural audio signals are generated that create a wraparound sound effect to the human ear. The sound signal is actually a stereo signal shaped electronically to make the listener hear the sound as three-dimensional and in the correct location -- a psychoacoustic effect that can be manipulated in real time. When compared to an equalizer, binaural processing adjusts the gain and phase of the frequency band. But it would take two hundred sliders for gain and another two hundred sliders for phase shift per ear and the ability to change all of them in real time to achieve the immersive virtual reality audio effect of Gravis UltraSound 3D." b) Midisoft Recording Session "Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. and Midisoft Corporation have signed an agreement whereby Midisoft music authoring software will be bundled together with Advanced Gravis UltraSound(tm) multimedia PC hardware. The world-wide, non-exclusive licensing agreement extends to the end of 1993. "Under the terms of the agreement, Gravis will license Midisoft Recording Session for Windows and a collection of MIDI songs for inclusion in the retail versions of the Gravis UltraSound sound card. The bundle will give users the ability to easily play, compose, record, and edit MIDI music for personal, business, or educational purposes." c) Power Chords for Windows "Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd. and Howling Dog Systems have signed an agreement whereby Howling Dog's music software will be bundled together with Advanced Gravis UltraSound(tm) multimedia PC hardware. The world-wide, non-exclusive licensing agreement extends to the end of 1993. "Under the terms of the agreement, Gravis will license Power Chords for Windows and a collection of MIDI songs for inclusion in the retail versions of the Gravis UltraSound sound card. The bundle will give users the ability to easily play, edit and compose MIDI music for personal, business, or educational purposes using a familiar guitar interface and powerful drum kit." d) Tons o' Free/Share/Cripple/*Ware Check out the GUS FTP sites (see question #6) for the latest stuff. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 17] How do I build the MIDI interface for the GUS? Written by: pcunnell@micrognosis.co.uk (Paul Cunnell) 15 pin D connector 220R pin-1 +5v ----+--------------------------/\/\/\---------------\ | \ 4 | Gnd--2 MIDI OUT | |\ |\ 220R / 5 pin-12 tr >---|------| o-----| o----------/\/\/\--------------/ | 13|/ 12 11|/ 10 | 220R +---------------------------/\/\/\-------------\ | \ 4 pin-15 rx <---|--------------------+ Gnd--2 MIDI THRU | |\ |\ | 220R / 5 | +--| o-----| o---+-------/\/\/\------------/ | | 1|/ 2 3|/ 4 | | | +------+ | 270R | 220R +--/\/\/\--+ +------+----------/\/\/\--------\ |B |C |A | \ 4 +-|----------|----|-+ | MIDI IN | 8 6 2 | ----- / 5 | | / \ IN914 or IN4148 +-/ | 6N138 | --- | | | | | | 5 3 | | | +------------|----|-+ | | | |K | | pin-5 Gnd --------------+ +------+----------------------+ Inverters are 74LS04. (This is a 14-pin IC containing 6 inverters. Connect pin 14 to +5V, pin 7 to GND). Leave pin 2 of the MIDI IN unconnected (Don't connect to ground) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Feb 93 19:07:08 PST From: brian@ccnext.ucsf.edu (Brian Huddleston) Message-Id: <9302020307.AA26150@ ccnext.ucsf.edu > Subject: Programming..... To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Greetings all, Can anyone send me any info/notes/etc on programming for the GUS? I have a friend that wants to put support of it in his game that he may be releasing. I would REALLY appreciate it. Thanks for any help. brian@ccnext.ucsf.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1993 10:15:53 EST From: barrym@physics.watstar.uwaterloo.ca Message-Id: <9302011516.AA13172@sail.uwaterloo.ca> Subject: Quickie USS-10 TRAX Review To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Quick One Line Review : Unless you require a 4 track mixing program right now, don't bother with this product. A buddy of mine needed to do some mixing of a song before Feb. 14, and since he couldn't get a multi-track mixer rented over the next cople of months, we decided to give the Ultrasound's recording capabilities a shot. I called up Forte in Rochester, NY a week ago and got USS 10 Trax. Cost : $49.95 USD + S/H ($10 USD). Basically, this looks exactly like USS8, except that you get a SLIGHTLY clearer manual (which has the world's most LAME cover, not even plasticized!). Mine was shipped with 5.25" disks (no big deal, I've got both formats), so I've got no idea if 3.5" is available. Does it run under OS/2 2.0? Nope. With this, you can record for as long as you have hard disk space. You can also have mulitple reels open (up to 10) at a time, plus mixing of them as well. The stupid thing about this program is that YOU CAN ONLY ACCESS ONE DISK DRIVE!!!!!!! God, would it be THAT difficult to allow to get a more than one drive? Features missing include - a REAL graphical interface - any sort of effects (reverb, pitch shift, output normalization, etc.) - better editting features - using LED meters instead of the needle ones (for a clearer output and less processor time) - mixing/converting multi-speed samples - programs to convert samples into patches - opening multiple master reels - easier zooming In short, it does what I need but not much else. You all might as well hold off buying this, as it is just not a full functioning product that you'd pay this much for. I'll try playing with it over the week and post some more stuff on it later. My hard disk can keep up, but I'm going to see what happens when you use a RAM disk. Also, I'm trying to figure out why this stupid thing won't record in stereo. Later and happy GUS'ing! Barry Marshall - BARRYM@PHYSICS.WATSTAR.UWATERLOO.CA P.S. Check out the The Jungly Kitchen on EPAS. In one of the modules, it only comes out of one of the stereo channels, but other than that it's pretty amusing! (Who ever thought up the Eat Donald Duck section was pretty warped! (smile!)) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Feb 93 10:15:24 PST From: jericho!gord@uunet.UU.NET (Gord Wait S-MOS Systems Vancouver Design Center) Message-Id: <9302011815.AA06000@ jericho> Subject: Ram Prices To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Several of the Electronics trade mags in our office at work describe the ram price problem as basically this: The US have notified a FEW select KOREAN dram manufacturers that they are being CONSIDERED for dumping violations. They will investigate the manufacturers, and IF found guilty, they will impose a tariff on the Korean manufacturers in the SPRING of 1993!! THERE IS NO TARRIF YET. THE PRICE INCREASES ARE DUE TO GOUGING BY DRAM SUPPLIERS. There probably will be a tariff assigned to the Korean co's. (Samsung was one) The Japanese co's are NOT going to get any tariff assigned. I asked one of our local PC suppliers about the latest ram prices ($40 something a megbyte simm) and asked him when he thought prices would get back to normal, and this is what he said: The prices probably won't ever come down again. The other companies obviously had to lower their prices to compete with the Koreans, and now they don't have to. I beleive this is a crock. If the other guys were dumping too, you can bet they would have been included in the action. They weren't. I don't think my local supplier is making it up, my guess is this misinformation is coming from his supplier. Some Japanese co's are sampling 64 megabit chips now, so I find it hard to beleive that the 1 and 4 megabit chip prices will stay high for too long. (GUS uses the one megabit chips ie 256k by 4) Pass it on to end the mass confusion. I will dig out the articles and quote them if anyone desires. Gord (wont buy a meg till its less than $30.00 Canadian) Wait ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Feb 93 06:42:35 -0800 From: wildermu@cod.nosc.mil (James H. Wildermuth) Message-Id: <9302011442.AA29543@cod.nosc.mil> Subject: sbos & memory expansion problems To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> Hi, I have never been able to get sbos to work with Kings Quest VI. The program just says that it can't find the sound board (Sound Blaster). My set up is 240,7,7,11,7. On another note I have been trying to upgrade to 1 Meg of RAM ($24 USA) but I have been getting error 28 when I try to use the gus programs. This does not happen consistently but it will often happen when I try to load sbos. Thanks for any help you can give me on these two problems. Jim Wildermuth ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Jan 93 22:20:07 GMT From: Mike Parkins <mike@kingpin.demon.co.uk> Message-Id: <728544007snx@kingpin.demon.co.uk> Subject: UK registration for patches? To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> I'm a happy (if slightly confused) GUS owner and I have managed to get most things running so far. What I was wondering is whether other UK owners have posted their registration cards to the address on the card (which is in the USA) or somewhere else? I want to make sure I get the new patches but I doubt if Gravis will despatch them directly to me unless they have a UK distributor. Any comments? Mike. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Feb 93 16:17:57 GMT From: "James Andrews, User Support" <james@sol1.east-london.ac.uk> Message-Id: <28661.9302011618@uk.ac.uel.sol1> Subject: wav2pat and software release rumours To: Ultrasound Daily Digest <ultrasound@dsd.es.com> I've been having trouble with wav2pat. It makes the patches okay, but they only work properly for the lower part of the keyboard and at 44Khz. I expect this is a "feature" ... still what do I expect from beta stuff? Works a bit...hurrah. As for the rumours on when the software update is going to be, UK support told me that it would be mailed out on February 12th and it would include Midisoft and Powerchord, the general midi patches and the 1.22 diskset. ------------------------------ End of Ultrasound Daily Digest V2 #30 ****************************** Digest Address: ultrasound@dsd.es.com To post to tomorrow's digest Request Server Address: ultrasound-request@dsd.es.com To subscribe, unsubscribe, and request files Owner Address: ultrasound-owner@dsd.es.com To contact a human if the server has troubles FTP Sites: archive.epas.utoronto.ca pub/pc/ultrasound wuarchive.wustl.edu systems/msdos/ultrasound