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Sound Blaster Digest 09
SOUND BLASTER DIGEST
Number 9
August 1991 Edition.
A newsletter for Sound Blaster Enthusiasts.
Made possible by the contributions of Sound Blaster users.
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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!
--------------------
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...
--------------------
ÖÄÂÄ· Ò ÖÄÄ ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄ· ÖÄ· Ò ÖÄÄÄ Ò ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÄÄ ÖÄÄÄ Ò Ò Ò
º ³ º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º
º º º º ÇÄÄз º º º Ó· º ÇÄÄ º ÇÄÄз ÇÄÄ ÇÄÄ º ÓÄÒĽ
º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º
Ð Ð Ð ÓÄÄ Ð Ð ÓÄÄĽ Ð ÓĽ Ð Ð Ð Ð ÓÄÄÄ Ð ÓÄÄÄ Ð
(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: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Sound Blaster support: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Playability: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Enjoyment: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Originality: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Value: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Overall: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
--------------------
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: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Sound Blaster Support: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Playability: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Enjoyment: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Originality: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Value: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Overall: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
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
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
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ú À°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Ù
þú SONIC..úúþ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ S
Sound and Optics Net for IBM Computers úúúúúú O
úúúOFFICIAL S/BLASTER DISTRIBUTIONúúúúúúú 1-(416)-225-8942 N
þ ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» I
úúþ úúúúúÞ úúúúúúú ºÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Brian & Brent Bourne º C
úú ÞÝÞÞ þúúúúúº³ÝÝÝÝÝÛÛÛÛÛÛ³úúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúúº
ú ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÞÄÄÄÞ ÄÄÄÄÄÄ º³ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ³ ÜÜÜÜÜ SUPER Ü º B
ÄÄÄþÄÄÄÄÄÄÞÝÄþÄÞ ÄÄÄÄÄÄ º³ÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜÜÜܳ ÛÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ Ü ÜÜÜ º B
úúÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÞÝÄÄÄÞ ÄÄÄþÄÄ º³ÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛ³ ÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÛ Û Û Û ÛÜÜ º S
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÞÝÄÄÞÝþ ÄÄÄÄ ºÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙúúúúúúúúúúúBBSúúúúúúúúº
úÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÜÞÝÄ ÝÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
úúúú ÜÛÛÛÛ°ÞÝ ßþþþ úúú ULTRA LIST DISTRIBUTION SITE
þ ÛÛÛÛ²°Þ úúúúú FIDO NET
þ ß°°°°ß þ HOME OF THE SONIC NET
þ 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: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Sound Blaster support: ÜÜÜÜÜ
Playablity: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Enjoyment: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Originality: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Value: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Overall: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
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: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Sound Blaster Support: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Originality: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Playability without joystick: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Playability with joystick: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Enjoyment: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Value: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
Overall: ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
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 Bard's Lair (718)381-3651 Brooklyn, NY Dave Navarro
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
