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SOUND BLASTER DIGEST Number 9 August 1991 Edition. A newsletter for Sound Blaster Enthusiasts. Made possible by the contributions of Sound Blaster users. /\ ____________________________ / \/\ \ / \ ________________________________ \ / \ / \/ \ / \/ TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= Title: Page: ------ ----- From the Desk of the Editor.....................1 From the Desk of the Assistant Editor...........2 Subscriptions...................................2 Feedback from the Mailroom......................3 Commercial Review: Lemmings....................4 Commercial Review: Jones in the Fast Lane......4 Advertisements..................................5 Commercial Review: Tetra.......................6 BBS Registration................................6 Commercial Review: Spellcasting 101............7 SPECIAL REVIEW: THE SOUND BLASTER PRO..........8 Want-Ads.......................................11 Commercial Review: Sim Earth..................11 Included Files.................................12 Commercial Review: Tongue of the Fatman.......12 Hardware Review: The Thunder Board............13 Articles.......................................14 SBD Registered BBS's...........................15 Commercial Review: Wing Commander.............16 Wrapping it Up.................................17 FORMS: SBD Subscription Form..........................18 SBD Advertisement Form.........................19 SBD BBS Registration Form......................20 SBD Want-Ads Form..............................21 -------------------- THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST August 1991 edition. Please send any questions or comments to: THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST c/o Brad Barclay 36 Sutter Ave. Brampton, Ontario CANADA. L6Z 1G7 Or call anytime between 18:00 and 22:00 Eastern Time: (416)846-5599 Copyright (c) August 1991 WAFFER! Productions. Page 1 FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Welcome to SBD #9! To start off, a small apology for last month's issue: we admit that it was a little thin on Sound Blaster content, but we hope to make up for it this month! This month is going to be our biggest issue ever! And along with the size increase, there will be a few other changes around here also, namely: 1) Starting this month we now support 2 sound cards: the original SOUND BLASTER, and now the SOUND BLASTER PRO! 2) We're going to have many little format changes: for example the column FEEDBACK FROM THE MAILROOM has taken the place of the old LETTERS... column, and is now being run by our new assistant editor (see below). 3) We have yet another new Assistant Editor! The SBD would like to welcome Todd Clayton to our staff of last month's 2. Karen will remain a contributor to publishing the magazine, but on a lesser basis. Hopefully these changes will start to help make the SBD the best Freeware magazine in the entire world! So to start this month on a good foot, please help me in giving a warm welcome to Todd Clayton, and his first article as Assistant Editor! Page 2 FROM THE DESK OF THE ASSISTANT EDITOR: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Yes! The revolving door of assistant editorship has swung again! Although new to the Sound Blaster world, I've been immersed in the SBD since issue #1 (Dec 1990). Being a musician I have a unique perspective on the practical applications of the Sound Blaster in the recording industry. For instance, included in this month's issue for Subscribers (Membership does have it's privileges) is a .VOC file recording of the intro to Morbidox's song ISTH. Morbidox is a local Toronto thrash band who have just released their second demo tape. Practically, they could record a song to disk and spread it all over the world. Although not feasible as of yet, you could even use a WORM drive (Write Once, Read Many) to record your music on. Although pointless as of yet due to time required, you know what they say: progress will resolve it all. Anyways, I hope to hear from all of you in the near future, and keep those subscriptions rolling it! -------------------- ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ You Are Invited To Call: STAR-LINK NETWORK BBS - (718) 972-6099 │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Multi-Line Access (9 Access Lines - 15 Coming Soon) │ │ 3/12/24/9600/14.4K Baud Support (V32/V42/MNP5/HST/HAYES) │ │ 3.0 Gigabytes of On-line Storage (3000 Megabytes) │ │ More then 80,000 Files for Your PC, AT, PS/1 & PS/2 to Download │ │ On-Line CD-ROM w/Complete PC-SIG Program Library (1400 Disks Worth) │ │ 129 Active Conferences Areas - Member of ILink International Echo │ │ On-line Edition of USA TODAY Newspaper - CB Simulator - 24 Hour FAX │ │ 60 On-line Doors - Running On FAST LAN - PC Pursuit - Subscriptions │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ STAR-LINK NETWORK BBS has been featured in such publications as │ │ Personal Computing, Computer Shopper, PC Computing and PC Magazine. │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ████████████████████ Dial (718) 972-6099 █████████████████████ -------------------- SUBSCRIPTIONS: =-=-=-=-=-=-= Having a hard time finding the SBD on your favourite local BBS? Why not consider a subscription? It's only $25 a for a years subscription in which you get 12 great issues of the SBD, once a month, on the diskette size of your choice (Sorry, but we don't support any high-density diskette types). Simply mail in the SBD SUBSCRIPTION FORM to be found at the end of this month's SBD along with the necessary cheque or money order (see form for details), and we'll send you the SBD every month for a year, along with copies of special subscriber-only bonuses! Page 3 FEEDBACK FROM THE MAILROOM: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by: Todd Clayton, assistant editor. Once again the mailroom has been completely inundated with mail from all over the world with questions and comments on our publication. Before I address some mail and questions, I'm just going to briefly comment on a few topics that need attention. Firstly is the distribution of the SBD. Many letters requested us to upload issues to this or that board. Really, we wish we could, but we have no cash for Ma Bell as most BBS's are long distance. To correct any circulation problems, we request that you spread the SBD onto ANY IBM board you are on. It's good for download credit, and it helps us get around. Thanks in advance. Secondly, we received a few letters concerning the FM composer, and quite frankly, we're just as confused as you! Although we do have a copy, there seems to be a problem with Creative Labs. They wrote the software, yet they deny it exists?!? So if you're an employee of Creative Labs, could you please drop us a line to clear things up? Lastly, if you're going to request an advertisement or a subscription to or in this publication, PLEASE send us the cheque or money order! We have no cash, so even one subscription without cash cannot be filled! Please, for your and our convenience, bear that in mind. Many thanks to those of you out there who sent in mail this month. Due to the large amount of mail sent it, it is now impossible to continue with our LETTERS... department as it used to be. So thanks again, and if you had a question we'll try to send you a personal reply. Well, that's all for this month, but I hope that we will continue to hear from each and every one of you. Remember to keep those survey's coming in, and we'll keep you updated about a possible contest to be won in a future issue. Oh, and one last note, anyone out there who has a run of the mill clone with 640K, Monochrome, and one floppy, could you drop me a line? I need an IBM to keep up! Bear in mind my budget is low. Until next issue... -------------------- ╓─┬─╖ ╥ ╓── ╓──╖ ╓───╖ ╓─╖ ╥ ╓─── ╥ ╓──╖ ╓─── ╓─── ╥ ╥ ╥ ║ │ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╟──╨╖ ║ ║ ║ ╙╖ ║ ╟── ║ ╟──╨╖ ╟── ╟── ║ ╙─╥─╜ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╨ ╨ ╨ ╙── ╨ ╨ ╙───╜ ╨ ╙─╜ ╨ ╨ ╨ ╨ ╙─── ╨ ╙─── ╨ (816) 324-3148 USR 14.4 HST We support Sound Blaster & Adlib with VOC, MOD, ROL, and many programs. We have an extensive adult library with our own scans. We feature a Life Skills conference which focuses on cooking, beermaking, hunting, farming, weaving, you name it! This is also the home of SempriniWare, Pink Floyd Lyrics and much more! We run our own newsletter focusing on everything - so write an article and upload it to the board! Call us today: 24hrs, HST, 130MB, and no nonsense (well, actually quite a bit). Sysop: Bradford B. Taliaferro Page 4 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: LEMMINGS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Mike Fandel Lemmings is one of the best Action/Strategy games I've ever played. The Sound Blaster support is excellent, and when your getting tired just crank up the Sound Blaster to get that blood pumping. I just live to see those little Lemmings walking about, and trying to save them from sure destruction. One of the best things about this game is that it's so easy to learn. Everything is labelled in icons, and it makes it very easy to just point and shoot. I would most definitely recommend this game to anyone. RATINGS: ------- [-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-] Graphics: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Sound Blaster support: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Playability: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Enjoyment: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Originality: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Value: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Overall: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ -------------------- COMMERCIAL REVIEW: JONES IN THE FAST LANE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Mike Fandel Jones in the Fast Lane is board game style game from Sierra, and it's kind of like the board game. The graphics are good and the Sound Blaster support is average. In the game you can get and education, apartment, job, and most of all personal happiness. I would recommend this game to anybody that likes playing Monopoly or Life. I think it was a bold step for Sierra to make this kind of game instead of another adventure game. RATINGS: ------- [-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10] Graphics: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Sound Blaster Support: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Playability: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Enjoyment: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Originality: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Value: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Overall: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Page 5 ADVERTISEMENTS: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Do you run a BBS? Have you written a piece of software? Do you write custom music? If so, you may be interested in an advertisement in the SBD. Thousands of SOUND BLASTER users read the SBD every month, and many even have it delivered right to their door. So if you give some sort of special support to those people who use the SOUND BLASTER, advertising in the SBD would be the logical choice! Due to the effectiveness of our advertising for our past and present advertisers, and the volume of people who have expressed interest in doing so, starting this month it has become necessary to increase our advertising rates for certain types of advertising. The rates are now as follows: Number of lines: Cost: --------------- ---- 0 - 5 $3 / Month 6 - 10 $5 / Month 11 - 20 $7 / Month 21 - 40 $10 / Month 41 - 60 $15 / Month Lines are limited to a maximum of 80 columns. All costs are in Canadian dollars. These rate changes will not effect those advertisers who have mailed in their cheques and advertisements before August 1st 1991. -------------------- SOUND BLASTER CARD in support of ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒░│ S ·▐│▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▒░░░░░▒░░░░░▒░░░░░▒░░░░░▓▓▒▓▓▒▓▓▒▒░░▒░░■■■■▒░│ U │▒▓░▓░▓░▓░▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓░▓▓░▓▓░▓▓▒▓▓▒▓▒▓▒▒░│ P · ■▌▒▒░▒░▒░▒░▒░░░░░▒░░░░░▒░░░░░▒░░░░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░░▒░▒░▒░│ E ■▌▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▒▓▓▒▓▒▒▓▓▒▓▓▒▓▒▓▒▒░│ R · └░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░┘ ■· SONIC..··■ ▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌▌ S Sound and Optics Net for IBM Computers ······ O ···OFFICIAL S/BLASTER DISTRIBUTION······· 1-(416)-225-8942 N ■ ╔═══════════════════════════════════╗ I ··■ ·····▐ ······· ║┌───────────┐ Brian & Brent Bourne ║ C ·· ▐▌▐▐ ■·····║│▌▌▌▌▌██████│······················║ · ──────────▐───▐ ────── ║│███████████│ ▄▄▄▄▄ SUPER ▄ ║ B ───■──────▐▌─■─▐ ────── ║│█████ ▄▄▄▄▄│ █▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ║ B ··─────────▐▌───▐ ───■── ║│█████ █████│ ▄▄▄▄█ █▄█ █ █ █ █▄▄ ║ S ────────▐▌──▐▌■ ──── ║└───────────┘···········BBS········║ ·────── ▄▐▌─ ▌──────── ╚═══════════════════════════════════╝ ···· ▄████░▐▌ ▀■■■ ··· ULTRA LIST DISTRIBUTION SITE ■ ████▓░▐ ····· FIDO NET ■ ▀░░░░▀ ■ HOME OF THE SONIC NET ■ SPECIALIZING IN ADLIB/BLASTER FILES OFFICIAL SBD DISTRIBUTION SITE! Page 6 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: TETRA: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by James R. Wilkes. During the recent Atlanta Comdex, I spent alot of time at the Creative Labs booth talking with the reps and experimenting with the new hardware and software. Everything was, of course, really impressive, but the most incredible software they had was one called TETRA. The reps were using it to show off the Sound Blaster, but, to my knowledge, they are not even marketing it. TETRA is not only a MOD/NST player for the Sound Blaster, but will also allow you to create and edit them as well through a Scream Tracker style interface. Did that get your attention??? The software is full of great features. While the music is playing, you can selectively "turn off" any of the four channels by typing the number corresponding to the channel. You can also adjust the volume and speed of the music by using the cursor keys. There is even a built-in sample editor (for use with Amiga samples), so you can create/edit your own "instruments". But that's not all... How many of you Sound Blaster owners out there are still using an XT style machine? Now, from those, how many have heard those incredible MODs on someone else's system, or just keep hearing how great they are, and wish you could play them also. Well it's possible. The TETRA software also included TETRA_XT. This program will allow those with XT's to play/edit MODs also, and I was unable to detect any degradation at all in speed or versatility. I did some research and from what I've gathered, the software was developed by Bram Graveland (a member of Ultra Force Software Development - the group Josh Munnik, the developer of JMPLAY, belongs to) and sent to Creative Labs. I don't know if they are waiting on rights, or are actually working on a deal with Bram, I just hope they're doing something. I recently wrote Bram and asked him for further info on TETRA, and as soon as I hear anything further, I will let everyone know. If you would like to contact him also, you can write to him at the following address (taken from the JMPLAY documentation): Bram Graveland Ultra Force Software Development P.O. Box 63048 3002 JA Rotterdam Netherlands -------------------- BBS REGISTRATION: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Do you run a BBS with a strong Sound Blaster flavour? Then simply fill out the enclosed SBD BBS REGISTRATION form and mail it to us. It's simple, it attracts callers, and it's free! Page 7 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: SPELLCASTING 101: SORCERERS GET ALL THE GIRL =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by: Johnny Ow Steve Meretzky does it again! This veteran game writer has produced one of the most entertaining adventures of the year. S101 (Spellcasting 101) is hilarious ride across great oceans of body parts and islands of mystery. The plot is pretty straight forward. You are Ernie Eaglebeak, wanna-be sorcerer. You've run away from your abusive stepfather to the famous Sorcerers' University to learn the dark secrets of magic in order to impress and win the heart of your beloved Lily Tigerbelly. Unfortunately, just when you were getting into the magic (not to mention a few panties), the university is sacked by unknown invaders who take the infamous Sorcerer's Appliance; everyone disappears, leaving you to find the missing Appliance and solve the mystery. To accomplish this goal, you will sail the oceans, visit strange lands, learn fascinating spells (including one to increase "bust" size), and meet wild women. To make it more flexible, each part of the game is divided into a chapter; complete one chapter to and go on to the next or jump around to different chapters if you get stuck on one. The plot is accompanied by eye-catching high resolution EGA graphics sprinkled with animations. One thing every software company has sought to perfect is the user interface. Legend has come pretty close to it. S101 incorporates the traditional parser interface of the old text games with the new point-and-click convenience of today's software. In the upper left hand corner of the screen is a compass indicating directions you can go. To its left is a picture of the area. The left side of the screen holds two lists: a list of verbs that you can perform, and a list of objects that they can be performed on; all you have to do is click on a verb and click on an object. On the right side of the screen is a window providing a description of the area you are in; players can also type in commands here instead of clicking on them to the left. If you don't need the lists of verbs and objects, you can opt to expand the right window to take up the entire bottom part of the screen. Of course, the part readers of this magazine are interested in is the sound support. S101 sports FM synthesized music and uses it frequently to great effect: your conquests, for example, are preluded by encouraging, guttural tunes, and sea voyages are accompanied by a catchy sea-faring piece. Unfortunately, there is no use of the CMS chips nor the DAC capabilities of the SoundBlaster (digitized sounds are channelled through the internal speaker using RealSound, the result is O.K., but not great). WARNING: Spellcasting 101 is targeted at a male audience; it includes scenes of human interaction a lady might not like. For those feint of heart, or with taste, S101 offers a "Nice" mode as the default (the really raunchy, masculine bit kicks in with the "Naughty" mode). Page 8 SPECIAL REVIEW: THE SOUND BLASTER PRO! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Brad Barclay. A few weeks ago I was delighted to take delivery of a special pre-release copy of the new SOUND BLASTER PRO card. With great anticipation I ripped it out of the box, plugged it into my machine, and started it up. My hopes were high, and Creative Labs did not fail me. The new Sound Blaster Pro card is a real gem of a music card. The full stereo FM and digitized sounds is only one of the many things a new user first notices. The stereo audio mixer, and the TSR SOUND BLASTER PRO MIXER CONTROL immediately becomes an indispensable tool. The ability to play your old .CMF music files in stereo with no necessary modifications makes enjoyment even more full right at the beginning. An old Sound Blaster user feels right at home with the new Sound Blaster Pro card the minute he or she plugs it in. Another interesting feature the new users discovers right off is the ability for the new SOUND BLASTER PRO to use PC- Speaker input directly from the motherboard. This allows you full volume control via the volume wheel at the rear of the card, plus the ability to play the tones over your stereo speakers (although not in stereo). This becomes really handy for playing games that use digitized sound effects played over the PC- Speaker. Such sound effects sound much better, almost as if they had been digitized for the Sound Blaster's DAC. The DAC has been improved alot over the old SB card. Not only can you now digitize in mono at sampling rates of up to 44.1Khz (the same sampling rate that is used in Compact Disk technologies), but you can now also record in stereo (at qualities of up to 22.05Khz). This improved quality is furthered by the new methods of digitizing, plus the addition of digital noise filters. One can now digitize from one of 3 sources: direct LINE-IN input (for input via headphone jacks and RCA type jacks, such as the type used on most stereo and VCR systems), the Microphone, or from direct CD input from a CD-ROM drive. The user doing the digitizing has the capability to control the input volumes for all three input sources, making this even easier. The card also has the capability to filter noise on input and output of sounds to and from the ADC/DAC channels. Thus even old .VOC files digitized at bad sampling rates, with compression, or just plain bad recordings come out more clear and crisp. With the SB Pro card, one can now play those Amiga .MOD and .NST files in stereo. A piece of software, which is to be made available sometime this month called TETRA (see review above) will allow those users of the SB Pro to play these music filetypes in full stereo. And with the SB Pro hooked up into a good quality stereo system, with the digital output filter turned on, playing a .MOD or .NST file: well, as our Assistant Editor said when we put the card through the SBD's tests: "It's about as good as computer-generated music can get". Page 9 The FM channels have been muchly improved also. The SB Pro supports 22 voice stereo FM for really amazing stereo sound. And as an interesting bonus, old .CMF files, when played with PLAYCMF or SPUTCMF with the new SB Pro FM driver loaded are played in stereo with no modifications to the .CMF file ever being needed. And then that same .CMF file could be played by someone else on a regular SB card. Also now available on the SB Pro card is a built-in CD-ROM interface and software. With a SB Pro and a CD-ROM drive in your system you can do wonders. Although not fortunate enough to be one who owns a CD-ROM drive, I could easily see the benefits and advantages of having one hooked up to the SB Pro. With such a set-up, one can directly digitize off of a CD, or could play a CD from their system with the CD PLAYER software that comes with the card. The software allows for a full range of CD control features: Fast Forward, Rewind, Next Song, Previous Song, Programmable Play, and all the great features you find on today's Compact Disk players. But most of all, the greatest thing in the new SB Pro card has to be it's built-in mixer. With this you can control practicably everything. You can control the input/output volumes of each of the following aspects of the card: Master Volume (main, left and right), DAC volume (main, left and right), FM volume (main, left and right), LINE-IN volume (main, left and right), CD-IN volume (main), MIC-IN volume (main), ANFI (Input filter), DNFI (Output filter), FM Steering (none, left, right or mute), and the ADC (Input from Line, Mic or CD, with LOW or HIGH pass filter). Such features, and their easy control from the MIXER CONTROL program makes life with the SB Pro a lot easier, and more enjoyable. But with all the praise I can give for this card, I also have a few complaints. One of the biggest problems I have found on my system is that playing .CMF files using the new FM Driver causes them to play very slowly during pieces that are very instrument intensive. I still run off of a 8Mhz XT system which could have something to do with it, but if I can successfully play a file digitized at 44.1Khz, then my machine should be fast enough to play an FM file that doesn't need to be read from memory and sent to the SB card at even 10% of that rate. So a new release of the SB Pro's Stereo FM Driver should be something for Creative Labs to consider for the near future. Also, I have found when recording using the ADC at high sampling rates, or it stereo, data becomes lost in the small amounts of time that are necessary for drive writes. Now I do admit that my Hard Drive is not one of the fastest, but with my software cache turned on it can fly pretty quick. In fact, the cache does help alleviate the problem some, but missed parts do occur. This may be something that Creative Labs can do little about, as my system is fairly slow and doesn't have much free memory, but I think that there must be some way for them to at least help control the problem a bit better. Page 10 I think that my tests and evaluation of the SB Pro card are completely fair an un-biased, but there is a small down side to my review. The new SB Pro was made with MultiMedia in mind. And besides the sound support I currently have, I have no modern MultiMedia equipment to be able to use the card to it's potential. Without VGA or a 80286 or higher machine, the card is not always given the chance to live up to it's potential. But none the less, I am truly impressed with the new Sound Blaster Pro card, and would recommend it to anyone looking for more then what the Sound Blaster has to offer. Creative Labs has assured me, though, that the SB Pro is not a card to necessarily totally replace the old Sound Blaster. True, it is totally software transparent (with the notable exception that it does not support C/MS), but Creative Labs and many other companies will continue to support both the old Sound Blaster, and the new Sound Blaster Pro card for a long while to come. Many people in this past month have asked me about a possible SB to SB Pro upgrade offer. Sadly, I have not been informed by Creative Labs that such an offer will exist, and I highly doubt that it will. As I said above, the SB Pro was not intended to replace the SB card. Watch the shelves of your local computer hardware stores for the new SB Pro card starting sometime between the middle and the end of August. -------------------- For all your SOUND BLASTER needs, call the ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ ▒▒ B B S Warndon, Worcester, England. 10 Lines, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Serving the Worcester area for the past 10 years. (0905)754151 Page 11 WANT-ADS: =-=-=-=-= Starting within the next few months, we here at the SBD are going to be offering a new service. the WANT-ADS section is exactly what it says: a page or two dedicated entirely for readers to post small messages (maximum of 5 - 80 column lines) for various purposes. The following is a small list of those things that are considered valid for the WANT-ADS section: - People who wish to contact other Sound Blaster users in their area, perhaps to form a users-group. - People looking to buy or sell their Sound Blaster or Sound Blaster Pro cards, ...or just about anything to get Sound Blaster users together. The following is a list of those things *NOT* considered valid as WANT-ADS. - Advertising new software. - Advertising for users for a BBS system, ...or just about anything else that is already supported in another area of the SBD. To apply for a WANT-AD, simply fill out the WANT-AD form, and send a cheque or money order for $1 (In Canadian funds), and mail them to us at the SBD. -------------------- COMMERCIAL REVIEW: SIM EARTH =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Mike Fandel. Imagine being able to alter reality, do atomic testing, raise and lower land, Well now there is a game that makes this possible, Sim Earth. Sim Earth the semi-sequel to Sim City, but unlike Sim City, Sim Earth has Sound Blaster support. All I can say for the Sound Blaster support on this game is that it is little more than sound coming out of the external speakers through the Sound Blaster. This has to be one of the worst attempts at making a game with Sound Blaster support I've ever seen in my life. Plus, the game is hard to figure out, and has a very vague conquering point. About the only thing I can say for this game is that it is very original. If you were expecting another Sim City when Sim Earth came out, forget about it, this game in my mind will NEVER become a classic like Sim City. As you can probably see I would not recommend Sim Earth to anyone. RATINGS: ------- [-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10] Graphics: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Sound Blaster support: ▄▄▄▄▄ Playablity: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Enjoyment: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Originality: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Value: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Overall: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Page 12 INCLUDED FILES: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This month we at the SBD are including two files. One you will have seen here before: SURVEY.TXT, the SBD readers survey. Many thanks to everyone thus far who has sent them in: we need all we can get! The more readers survey's we get here at the SBD, the better reading we can give the readers of the SBD as to what you think is the best software of 1991. The second included file many of you have probably also seen before: SAMPLE.COM. This is the 80386 Hi-Res sampler by Gary Maddox that has been included in his excellent Shareware program BLASTER MASTER for a long time, but with one small exception: this copy is completely unprotected, and has no time limit. This is an excellent utility for those of you out there with really fast machines who would like better digital sampling, but are not able to or are unwilling to spend more money buying the new Sound Blaster Pro (or any other digitizing card). Enjoy the files! -------------------- COMMERCIAL REVIEW: TONGUE OF THE FATMAN =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Mike Fandel Tongue of the Fatman is a good game with a little strategy and alot of action. This game has slightly better than average Sound Blaster support, and some nice graphics. This game is a little difficult with the keyboard, but with a joystick this game is really fun. The game takes place in an arena with spectators and all, which makes it very original. The antics of the monsters you run across are very funny and gives the humorous quality to the game that I like. All and All I would recommend this to anyone who likes boxing style action games. RATINGS: ------- [-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10] Graphics: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Sound Blaster Support: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Originality: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Playability without joystick: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Playability with joystick: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Enjoyment: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Value: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Overall: ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Page 13 HARDWARE REVIEW: THE THUNDER BOARD =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Gary Maddox With the popularity of the Sound Blaster and the emerging interest in PC audio in general, it was inevitable that someone would come out with a Sound Blaster compatible sound card. With the introduction of the Thunder Board, Media Vision of Fremont, California has done just that. The Thunder Board is compatible with the Sound Blaster's FM sounds (Adlib) and digital sampling capabilities. It also includes an on-board amplifier and joystick port. Missing from the Thunder Board is the MIDI port and the ability to add the CMS chips for Game Blaster compatibility. Considering the very poor MIDI implementation of the Sound Blaster and the lack of software that still supports the Game Blaster, I would have to say that neither feature is any great loss. What you do get with the Thunder Board is superior sampling capabilities. The Thunder Board not only provides cleaner, more noise-free sampling, but also the ability to sample at rates up to 22khz. The Thunder Board only samples in MONO, unlike the next generation of sound cards. I question the usefulness of stereo sampling for the average PC user. A stereo sample at 22khz lasting 11.6 seconds is half a megabyte. You could apply a 4 bit ADPCM compression to reduce the size by 50%, but there would also be a loss in fidelity. This would seem to defeat the purpose of using a higher sample rate in the first place. The device itself is a half card size 8 bit bus card. Media Vision appears to have used the very latest in VLSI design and surface mount technology. As mentioned earlier, I do not think the absence of the CMS sound support will hurt the Thunder Board. One thing I would have liked to see is a real MPU-401 compatible MIDI implementation. None of the Adlib compatible, sampling sound cards available or soon to be available take advantage of the wealth of MIDI software currently available for the MPU-401. Including MPU-401 support would have not only put Media Vision a leg up over the Sound Blaster, it would have given them an advantage over the next generation sound cards as well. The card I tested was a rev 2 version released to developers. I found no compatibility problems with any of the software I tested. The software tested included: VoxKit, Talking Parrot, SBTalker, Sputter, BLASTER Master v4.1, Much Music, Visual Composer, Trackblaster v2.0, Scream Tracker v2.4, Heart of China, Space Quest III & IV, Prince of Persia and a variety of other games. The FM sounds were indistinguishable from the Sound Blaster or Adlib, no better and no worse. Where the Thunder Board really shines is in the digital recording and playback features. The Thunder Board not only records and plays at all of the standard rates of the Sound Blaster, but also in the 14khz-22khz range. The sampling in all rates is much cleaner and clearer than the Sound Blaster. Even a cheap microphone sounds pretty good. The card I tested was louder during initialization than the Sound Blaster and produced an audible "thud". This may be corrected in the release version. The Thunder Board will also play compressed files beyond 12khz without the pitch drop present in the Sound Blaster. Page 14 All things considered, the introduction of the Thunder Board is very positive to the world of PC audio. It is competitive, which is good for the consumers in that prices will come down and it also is helping to establish a standard for digital audio, as the Adlib has helped established a standard for FM sounds. If vendors had not cloned the Hayes command set, the world of online PC communications would be much different than it is today. The Thunder Board is priced between the original Adlib and the Sound Blaster. If properly distributed, it should have an effect on the price of both units. I would like to see a time when a PC without an audio card seems as strange as a PC without a video card. The Thunder Board retails for $149 but you can expect the "street" price to be substantially lower. The release date is August 1, 1991. It may prove hard to find at first until enough retailers begin carrying it. I understand that CompUSA will be one of the first. You can always give Media Vision a call to find out the names of local retailers that carry the Thunder Board. Media Vision 472221 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 (800) 348-7116 -------------------- ARTICLES: =-=-=-=-= Reporting new news on the Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro cards can get to be very tough work here at the SBD sometimes, but we continually strive to bring you the best articles we can. But piecing this magazine together is a lot of hard work, and sometimes there just isn't the time for us at the SBD to write as many articles as we would like. But thanks to readers like you, we can continue to bring you the SBD. How can you help you may be asking? Simple: if you buy a game with Sound Blaster support, send in a review. If you have used a new utility and like it (or don't like it), send in a review. Perhaps you have some tips or hints on how other users could better use their Sound Blaster cards. Send them in also. It's easy! And if you send your article on a diskette, we'll be sure to mail you your disk back with a free subscriber copy of the issue of the SBD in which your article appears! So if you have something to say, get writing, and send it in! Page 15 SBD REGISTERED BBS'S: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SYSTEM NAME PHONE NUMBER CITY/PROVINCE/STATE SYSOP'S NAME =========== ============ =================== ============ Acme Music BBS (519)822-0896 Guelph, Ontario Ken Green Another Paradise BBS +358-73-892790 Lehmo, FINLAND Jani Makinen Arkon BBS (416)593-7460 Toronto, Ontario. Jacky Lee Assignment: Earth (919)434-8664 Trinity, NC Alan Rothberg Beltway Bandits (703)764-9297 -- Unknown -- -- Unknown -- Comm. Potential (714)688-2658 Riverside, CA Dale Jonasson Computer Connection (08)326-2388 Christies Bch, Austr. Vicki Crawford Data Dimention (404)921-1186 Atlanta Georgia Ricky Lacy Dead End BBS (703)821-7544 McLean, VA Jeff Bisson Default Account +34-5-4644682 Sevilla, Spain Juan Acosta Electronic Age (703)620-0851 -- Unknown -- -- Unknown -- Friends & Family (214)250-7697 Dallas, Texas Jim Neargarder Gollum's Corner (404)992-1309 Marietta, GA Sean Neese House of Ichthys (305)360-2991 Deerfield Beach, FL Leonzo Miller Jim's Dream (202)581-1422 -- Unknown -- Jim Walls Lynzie's Motherboard (808)989-3875 California -- Unknown -- Max BBS (0905) 754151 Worcester, England Jon Brooks Message Center BBS (805)489-1966 Arroyo Grande, CA Jim Tinlin Micron Firefly (816)324-3148 Savannah, MO Brad Teliaferro Musical Chair (416)724-6018 Toronto, Ontario Jeff Woods MusicBox BBS +31-5490-70319 Almelo, Netherlands Edwig Knol My Apartment BBS (214)350-2139 Dallas, TX Chris Lebeck Nat. PC and MIDI... (708)593-8703 Chicago, IL Duane Antor New Frontier Info. (708)566-6183 Mundelein, IL Scott Yaskin Open Access BBS +47 61 97304 Reinsvoll, Norway Erik Leirdal Point of Know Return (602)867-0488 Phoenix Arizona Dan Sarber << Prism BBS (914)344-0350 Middletown, NY Janis Kracht Punkin Duster BBS (714)522-3980 Buena Park, CA Dave Ludwig Radio Station BBS (519)471-3245 London, Ontario Tim Ingram Runnin' with the Wind +39-363-302798 Treviglio, Italy R. Sonzogni Running Board (301)229-5342 -- Unknown -- -- Unknown -- Satellite TV BBS (713)623-4899 Bellaire, TX Jim Dolan Snarf's Music Studio (708)290-9993 Arlington Hgts., IL Colin Crisanti Stages Remote Access (416)468-2046 Niagra, Ontario Mathew Gordon Star-Link Network BBS (718)972-6099 Brooklyn, NY Michael Keylin Super SONIC BBS (416)225-8942 Willowdale, Ontario Brian Bourne Sword Quest (309)383-4048 Metamora, IL Mike Fandel The Doghouse BBS (713)422-3146 Baytown, TX Ray Cramer The Double AAce (214)606-0703 Grand Praire, Texas Mike Hutchkins The Helping Hand (606)387-4002 Albany, KY Duane Bristow The HUB (703)685-0019 -- Unknown -- -- Unknown -- The Oasis (815)498-3077 Sandwich, IL Chris Dodd The Picture Express (512)666-4842 San Antonio, TX David Steward Trolls & Tribulations (703)263-0827 Virginia Robert Derbek United States Connect (708)679-1279 Skokie, IL James Lopez VCR-BBS (513)253-0543 Dayton, OH Calvin Yu VGER Control (714)371-4789 Corona, CA Bob Altenburger Wellcomm BBS +396 3700492 Rome, Italy P. Zerbini Why Not RBBS (213)436-1311 Long Beach, CA David Scott Wolverine BBS (517)695-9952 Midland, MI Rick Rosinski Page 16 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: WING COMMANDER =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Brian Bourne Video Support: EGA/VGA/Tandy 1000 Sound Card Support: PC-Speaker/Adlib/SoundBlaster/Roland MT32/Roland LAPC-1 Controls: Joystick/Mouse/Keyboard Expanded Memory Used if Available Rating: (from 1 to 10): 9 You're flying through an asteroid belt... suddenly up on your display you see enemy ships approaching. "Prepare for Combat!" You pull back on the throttle trying to keep the enemy within your sights, waiting... waiting.. until your missile(s) lock. Laser fire streams by; some hitting your ship and bouncing you around. Your missiles are locked! Just as you launch your missile there is a mighty explosion behind you. It is your friend and flying partner, blown into space dust. (Later, you will attend your comrade's funeral where he will be hailed with a 21 gun salute as the last bugle call sends him to eternal rest.) Meanwhile, it is now up to you alone to revenge your partner's death... Wing Commander is based far in the future. In "The Vega Campaign" it is your duty to defend your mother ship (Tiger Claw) and ultimately to save the Confederation. Once you finish the Vega Campaign it is possible to purchase add-on disks containing "Secret Missions". Origin has produced yet another hi-tech, exciting game. The game play is more action than simulator, but controls are simple which makes the game a lot of fun. The game is very challenging. Your ship holds a lot fewer missiles than you may like. Surviving many attacks from all sides becomes quite a skill. It is essential that you work in co-operation with your comrade(s) to survive. There are 17 missions to fly in the Vega Campaign. Each level contains superior graphics, animation and sound. Especially in this game, having a music card is VERY beneficial. The boom of an enemy aircraft exploding, the blast of laser fire, the sound of an enemy flying behind warns you that it is time to make your move. In conclusion, I think Wing Commander is a worthwhile purchase. Once it was installed for my configuration it took up 3 Mb on my hard drive. Users should have at least a 10 Mhz machine, at least 535k of free memory is required. A sound card and a VGA monitor is highly recommended to appreciate fully the game's quality. As well, a hard disk is highly recommended. The game sells for approximately 80 dollars Canadian. Page 17 \ / ___\/___ Live and on the Now in stereo! || air from Toronto! /||\ Experience the difference of: || The Musical Chair ==== at 1000's of Adlib and SB music files ====== (416) 724-6018 50 gaming doors online ==== 7 mail networks (incl. Usenet!) || _______ 5 lines! 1 crazy and caring sysop || |.. . ..| HST & V.32bis! || |.......| _____ Megs of new files daily!!!! ______|| | ... . | |.... | ||\ |. .....|___| ....| Around the clock..... Sky || \ |... . .|.. |... .| Around the world..... Dome || \|... . .|...|.....| Around the bend..... |||| |.......| ..|.... | |||||| |... ...|. .|. ...| The M sical Chai ...724-6018 ||||||||| ..... | . |. . .| ||||||||||.... ..|...|.. ..| What's missing? U R! Now with CD Rom files! We are the music file supplier to CARRS! More files! We're the home of THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST too! -------------------- WRAPPING IT UP: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Whew! What a big issue this month! But there's been so much to say this month...and the good news is that it will only get better in the months to come! Many thanks to everyone who wrote articles this month: you are too numerous to mention! And for those of you who sent in articles and don't see them printed here: we're saving them for next month, and the months afterwards. Also, we have here one or two programs to test and review for the SBD sent in by authors: we appreciate this, and we'll have them reviewed and we'll have a write up on them in a future edition. But many thanks for your help and support also! And now, to the specific thank-you's: Thanks to: Gary Maddox for allowing us to include his Unprotected HI-RES sampler for the Sound Blaster card in this month's issue, Todd Clayton for all his help with this month's mail and the acquisition of professional stationary and subscription forms to send out to readers, and as always, to Karen O'Hearn: we've had a lot of problems and bumps this past month, but I come out of it with a feeling of love greater for you then ever. I hope that you will find in your heart that you still love me, and will take me back. I'm still the same loving person I always was, and I never meant to hurt you. And thanks to you, our readers! Without you we'd only be a file sitting on my hard disk that nobody wanted. But we're not, and from our volume of mail and popularity, and the number of countries we reach, it would seem that we may be the most popular Freeware On-Line magazine in the entire world! Hope to see you this time next month! Page 18 SOUND BLASTER DIGEST SUBSCRIPTION FORM ====================================== Please enclose a cheque or money order (sorry, I don't accept any major or minor credit cards) for $25 CDN for Canadian orders, or $25 US for American orders. Overseas enclose $30 Canadian funds, payable on a Canadian bank. Please fill out all the spaces provided (except where marked optional), and mail it to the address below. MAKE CHEQUE/MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO BRAD BARCLAY! NAME:_____________________________ MAILING ADDRESS: Street address:_____________________________ City, Province/State:_______________________ Country, Postal/ZIP Code:___________________ PHONE NUMBER (don't forget the area code!):___________________ DISKETTE TYPE: (check one): _ _ <_> 5.25" <_> 3.5" OPTIONAL: Please fill this out if possible. Age:____________ Sound Blaster version:_______________ Occupation:________________ Most frequently called BBS (name only):__________________ COMMENTS: Please fill this out also! How would you rate THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST (circle one): POOR FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Please mail this form, along with any additional comments to: SOUND BLASTER DIGEST c/o Brad Barclay 36 Sutter ave. Brampton, Ontario CANADA. L6Z 1G7 Page 19 SOUND BLASTER DIGEST ADVERTISEMENT ORDER FORM ============================================= Please fill out this form, and mail it, along with a cheque for $5 (in US funds for American orders, and in Canadian funds for Canadian orders), along with an ASCII only, typed copy of your ad, and mail it to the address below. PLEASE MAKE CHEQUE/MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO BRAD BARCLAY! NAME:_____________________________ MAILING ADDRESS: Street address:_____________________________ City, Province/State:_______________________ Country, Postal/ZIP Code:___________________ PHONE NUMBER (don't forget the area code!):___________________ BEST TIMES AVAILABLE:_________________________________________ Please mail this form, along with your cheque and a copy of the ad as described above, along with any other comments to: SOUND BLASTER DIGEST c/o Brad Barclay 36 Sutter ave. Brampton, Ontario CANADA. L6Z 1G7 Page 20 SOUND BLASTER DIGEST BBS REGISTRATION ===================================== This is a free service of THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST, intended to allow greater access to Sound Blaster files. Please fill out all blanks (except where marked optional), and send to the address below: LIST INFORMATION: Name of BBS:____________________________________________ Sysop's Name:___________________________________________ City, Province/State:___________________________________ Phone Number (remember the area code!):_________________ Min/Max Transmission speed:_____________________________ OTHER INFORMATION: Although not included in the BBS listing, this information is important for our records. How long has the BBS been running:_________________________ Do you have a Music/Sound Card conference, message area, or file area set aside?:______________________________________ Does your BBS support Sound Blaster files?:________________ Anything else you can think of to say that would show off your BBS, please write it down here: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Mail this form, along with any extra comments to: SOUND BLASTER DIGEST c/o Brad Barclay 36 Sutter Ave. Brampton, Ontario CANADA. L6Z 1G7 Page 21 SOUND BLASTER DIGEST WANT-ADS ORDER FORM ======================================== Please fill out this form and enclose a cheque or money order payable on a Canadian bank for $1 CDN per month of publication, and mail it to the address below. BE SURE TO MAKE THE CHEQUE OR MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO BRAD BARCLAY! NAME:_____________________________ MAILING ADDRESS: Street address:_____________________________ City, Province/State:_______________________ Country, Postal/ZIP Code:___________________ PHONE NUMBER (don't forget the area code!):___________________ YOUR WANT-AD: Please write what you'd like your ad to read in the lines below. No more then 80 characters (including spaces) per line, 5 lines maximum. Letter, numerical and punctuation marks only. Uppercase and lower case will be in the SBD as you write them below. English only, and please print! _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Please mail this form, along with any additional comments to: SOUND BLASTER DIGEST c/o Brad Barclay 36 Sutter Ave. Brampton, Ontario CANADA L6Z 1G7