home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Monster Media 1993 #2
/
Image.iso
/
magazine
/
aum005.zip
/
FILE3.005
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-07-06
|
3KB
|
65 lines
Review Of The Windows Sound System
The Windows Sound System (WSS) is one of the latest sound cards
to hit the market. The WSS is made by Microsoft Corp. and is fully Adlib
compatible, and while under windows it is Sound Blaster Compatible.
With a special TSR driver avaiable from MS it is also SB compatible under
DOS.
The WSS is capable of 16-bit sampling at 22Khz in Stereo, or
44.1Khz in mono.
Inputs:
* Microphone
* Line in
Outputs:
* Stereo output
* RCA output
Included:
* Earphones
* Microphone
The WSS is not meant for games, but is more directed towards
business applications. The WSS is meant to run under win31, but works
under dos as well. While under windows, the FM synthesys is re-mapped to
a different location in memory making it SB compatible, which means that
you can play .MOD files etc.. through it, but while under DOS you cannot
unless you have the TSR loaded. At this time, the only game that I know of
that supports the WSS is Space Quest 5. But, if you chose SB in many other
games, it will also work.
The WSS and the software that comes with it operate mainly on the
MS .WAV format. It can record 16 bit stereo, and sounds just like a CD. To
give you an idea though, a friend and myself recorded the theme to Aladdin
off of his Aladdin CD in 16 bit stereo, and the file ended up being 41
Megabytes large.
The software that comes with the WSS includes the program "voice
control" which is a program that will let you "talk" to your computer and
control it. Sounds pretty neat? It is. While in windows, you can say
aloud "switch" and it will bring up the same thing as if you hit CTRL-ESC.
Then you can say "down" or "up" to the program that you want to switch to
and then say "ok" and you have just switched from one task to another
without touching your keyboard.
There is a learning period in which you must "teach" your computer
your voice, where you open a configuration box, and to set up the word "ok"
you would give it a title: "ok" and then the key to use - Enter, and then
it will have you say the word "ok" three times, and it will analize it and
remember it for the future. You can make more than one dictionary, so that
2 or more people can use the same voice control, but you can also make a
seperat dictionary where all the words are literal, where instead of the
program hitting enter when you say "ok" have it actually type the letters
'o' and 'k' on the screen, followed by a ' ' to seperate words, and then you
can sit there in MS Word for Windows and actually "dictate" your memo or
homework to your computer, and it will do all the typing for you.
The voice control program is of course a windows application, so
you can't do this same thing in DOS.
Personally I find the windows sound system to be an extremly good
sound card. Simply because of it's ease of use and excellent compatability.