PC Format Collection 27/PC FORMAT.iso/drivers/ensoniq/readme.txt

Text File | 1996-02-09 | 15.6 KB | 348 lines

                              Using Soundscape

                             Under Windows '95

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This document contains important information regarding the installation and
use of the Soundscape driver under the Windows 95 operating system. We
recommend that you print this document and keep it for later reference.

What this document contains

We have included information on the following topics:

   * Properly installing the drivers.
   * Updating the drivers.
   * Accessing the driver configuration.
   * Changing hardware settings.
   * Changing volume and balance levels.
   * MIDI distortion problems.
   * DMA Channel information.
   * Win95 autodetection.
   * Missing multimedia services.
   * TV and Modem sliders.
   * Microphone problems.
   * Full Duplex sound.
   * CD Audio problems.
   * Games in DOS Mode.

If you have a previous version of the Soundscape Win95 driver currently
running on your Win95 system, skip to the section titled Updating your
Win95 Soundscape Drivers. If you have a non-Win95 driver currently
installed under Win95, continue.
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Uninstall Windows 3.xx versions of Soundscape software before installing
Win95 drivers

Here's why: when Windows 95 boots up, it keeps a log of all the different
Base Ports (base I/O addresses), IRQs, and DMA Channels that each device is
using. With Soundscape installed, the system allocates these values as in
use. When you install the updated drivers, Windows 95 sees that these
values are in use, and installs the new drivers with other values. These
new values will not work, especially the new Base Port value. Base Port
changes require a jumper change. So, the rule of thumb is to always
uninstall the Soundscape drivers before updating. Here is how:

Please Note: If a Joystick driver is installed, it does not need to be
removed.

  1. Insert Disk #1 from the older Windows 3.xx software
  2. Run UNINST.EXE from the A: drive
  3. Follow the instructions on the screen

Soundscape is now totally removed from your system, so you can start from
scratch.

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Installing the Windows 95 Soundscape Software for the first time

If you already have a Win95 Soundscape driver installed, please skip to the
section titled Updating your Win95 Soundscape Drivers

  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Open the Add New Hardware applet.
  3. On the first page of the Add New Hardware Wizard select Next.
  4. When prompted to auto detect hardware, select No.
  5. When asked the type of hardware you want to install, select Sound,
     video and game controllers. Then, select Next.
  6. When asked for the Manufacturer and Model of your hardware, click on
     Have Disk. Do not select ENSONIQ. (If you choose ENSONIQ from the list
     of manufacturers, you may be installing an older version of the
     driver).
  7. When prompted for the installation disk, enter the full path name of
     the driver diskette (e.g.,C:\SSCAPE95\ or A:\).
  8. When asked to select the installed device, select ENSONIQ Soundscape.
  9. You will then be presented with the hardware settings that Windows
     would like to configure the driver. These settings are based on the
     hardware settings that the board is capable of along with the ones
     that are free in your system. Write these values down and make sure
     they match the jumpers on your Soundscape card. For more information
     refer to pages 15 and 16 of your Soundscape hardware manual.

If you have not already done so, you should install the Win95 multimedia
applications. These include: a mixer, Media Player, Sound Recorder, and a
CD Player. Consult your Windows 95 manual for installation instructions.

At this point, you can test your card simply by playing a WAV file and a
MIDI file using the Media Player program included with Windows 95. If these
files are unable to play, please refer to the section titled Driver
Configuration.

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Updating your Win95 Soundscape Drivers

If you already have a version of the Native Win95 Soundscape drivers
installed, the procedure to update the drivers is very simple. Access the
driver configuration page as follows:

  1. Right click on My Computer and select Properties.
  2. Select the Device Manager tab.
  3. Double-click on Sound, Video, and Game Controller. This will expand
     that tree branch, allowing you to see the ENSONIQ Soundscape driver.
  4. Select the ENSONIQ Soundscape branch and click Drivers.
  5. Click on Change Driver and the Have Disk.
  6. Point the path for the drive to where you have placed the updated
     driver and click on OK
  7. Choose ENSONIQ Soundscape and click on OK.
     It will then copy the needed files to your hard drive and update your
     system

That's all that there is to it.

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Driver Configuration

To access the driver configuration page:

  1. Right click on My Computer and select Properties.
  2. Select the Device Manager tab.
  3. Double-click on Sound, Video, and Game Controller. This will expand
     that tree branch, allowing you to see the ENSONIQ Soundscape driver.
  4. Select the ENSONIQ Soundscape branch and click Properties.
  5. You can obtain help on the various Property Page options. Click on the
     (?) in the title bar and then select the option for which you wish
     help.

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Common Questions

The following questions and answers can serve as a guide when using your
Soundscape card in the Windows 95 operating environment. Read through all
of them, even if you don't have the same question or situation.

Please note: If your soundcard came pre-installed in your PC, you should
contact with your manufacturer to make sure that you have the correct
drivers for you soundcard. Using drivers distributed by ENSONIQ may be
different from OEM (original equipment manufacturer) drivers and might void
your warranty or forfeit your technical support through your computer's
manufacturer. Some of the configurations below may not pertain to your
system.

How do I change the Soundscape hardware settings in Windows 95?

With Windows 95, there is no longer any need to use SSINIT. You can make
all hardware configuration changes using the Soundscape driver. The
Soundscape driver is located in the control panel.

To change IRQ and DMA Values

  1. Go into System Properties, and select the Device Manager.
  2. Scroll down to the Sound, Video, and Game Controller selection and
     double click it. It will expand into more subsets, one of which says
     ENSONIQ Soundscape.
  3. Click on ENSONIQ Soundscape, then click the Properties button at the
     bottom of the window.
  4. At the top of the properties menu, select the page titled Resources.
  5. About halfway down on the page, there is a selection for use automatic
     settings. Remove the check mark from the box.
  6. Scroll up and down in the resource setting window to select an IRQ or
     DMA to change.
  7. When the desired setting is highlighted, click on the Change Setting
     box just below the resource setting window. You can now choose a new
     setting for this parameter.

How do I change volume and balance levels in Windows 95?

To make adjustments to Soundscape's volume settings and balance levels, use
the Windows 95 mixer. To view the mixer, click through the hierarchy of
pop-up menus, beginning with the Start button of the task bar. From there,
click on Programs, Accessories, Multimedia, and Volume control (the mixer).
Since you will probably change these settings often, it is a good idea to
place the mixer in the taskbar. Here's how:

  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Double click on the Multimedia icon. The Multimedia Properties page
     appears.
  3. In the playback section, check the box marked Show volume control in
     task bar. The mixer can now be invoked by double-clicking on the
     speaker icon located on the right side of the taskbar.

MIDI doesn't sound right on my ELITE card. Why?

When installing our Win95 drivers in conjunction with our Soundscape ELITE
the version of the drivers must be at least version 4.00.30 or newer.
Here's how to check your driver version:

  1. Open the Device Manager, located in the System icon in the Control
     Panel.
  2. Once in the Device Manager, find the Sound, Video, and Game Controller
     selection and double-click it. It will expand into more subsets, one
     of which says ENSONIQ Soundscape.
  3. Click on ENSONIQ Soundscape, then click the Properties button at the
     bottom of the window.
  4. At the top of the Properties menu, select the page titled Drivers.
     This list presents you with a list of installed drivers.
  5. Scroll down the list to find the driver titled SNDSCP95.DRV and click
     on it. The bottom of the windows contains a box revealing the version
     number of this driver. It should read 4.00.30 or newer. The last 2
     digits (i.e. 30) indicate that this is build 30. Build 26 (4.00.26)
     will not work correctly with the Soundscape ELITE card. Symptoms would
     be either no MIDI output during Win95 sessions or while playing games
     running from within Win95, or a very distorted and out-of-tune MIDI
     playback.

Why are there now two DMA Channels?

Under Windows 95, the Soundscape card is capable of full duplex. This means
that the card can play back 2 simultaneous WAV files, or can playback one
while recording another. In order for this to happen, the sound card must
dedicate 2 DMA channels.

How does the Autodetect feature of Windows 95 affect my card?

When installing our Win95 drivers onto the system, the Hardware Wizard will
ask you if you would like Windows to search for your new hardware. The
answer is NO. Windows will not be capable of detecting our cards since they
are not plug-and-play. Answering YES to this question will result in
windows detecting an unknown device, and thus the drivers will not be
installed correctly.

Why are some of the Multimedia Services missing?

At the time Win95 is installed, it is possible that Windows will not
install the sound utilities that you would expect to find. Features such as
the Audio CODEC, the Media Player, and the Microsoft Mixer may not be
present. This may cause your sound card to not respond properly, or not
respond at all, when our drivers are installed. If this is the case, these
applications must be installed onto the system from the Windows 95 CD-ROM.
Here's how:

  1. Go to the Control Panel and select Add/Remove new programs.
  2. Go to the Windows Setup menu.
  3. Scroll down to Multimedia and highlight it.
  4. Click on Details, and choose the components that you would like to
     install.

The TV and Modem sections of Audiostation aren't working right. Why?

The mixer utility in the Audiostation provided with the Win95 Software Apps
can be used under Windows 95. However, there are selections (TV and Modem)
that will not function properly unless used with a plug-and-play card. The
mixer provided with Win95 should also work well. This is located in the
task bar next to the current time. It is represented by a small speaker
icon. If this is not present, first make sure it is installed. See the
preceding section for instructions on how to install the Microsoft mixer
volume control.

Why does my Microphone record at very low levels or not at all?

For ease of installation, we recommend that you use a dynamic microphone.
These require the least amount of setup. Do the following steps to be sure
that your software is set up correctly for mic input:

  1. In your toolbar, next to the clock, double click on the speaker icon.
  2. Go to the Options menu, and select Advanced Controls.
  3. Go to the Options menu, and select Properties.
  4. Under adjust volume for playback, make sure the Mic/Line box is
     checked.
  5. Hit the OK button.
  6. Make sure the Mic/Line slider is all the way up, and that the mute
     button is not checked.
  7. Click on the Advanced button located beneath the Mic/Line slider.
  8. In Other Controls, make sure the 1 Mic/Line Switch has a check mark
     next to it.
  9. Close down the volume control and test the microphone.

Why isn't my sound card working in Full Duplex?

The Soundscape card is capable of full duplex operation. To check and make
sure that the software settings are correct:

  1. Go to the Control Panel and select the Multimedia icon.
  2. You should be on the Multimedia Properties audio page.
  3. If the Playback Device and the Record Device are set to the same
     address, this is only Half Duplex.
  4. Change the Playback Device so it is different from the Record Device.
  5. Hit the Apply button, then hit the OK button.
  6. You should now be in Full Duplex mode.

Why doesn't my CD audio work?

First, check to make sure that you are using the newest versions of the
Applications designed for Win95. The old Audiostation for Win 3.1 will not
work correctly. Next, be sure that your CD volume is turned up to maximum
in the Audiostation mixer. On the back of your sound card, be sure that
there are NO connectors plugged into the CD/AUX input as this will override
your internal connection.

If you still aren't getting music, you will need to verify that the
internal patch cable is connected between your CD ROM drive and the
Soundscape card. This is typically a small connector with four wires coming
out of it. If it is connected but not working, try unplugging it and
re-connecting it to another connector (there are three to choose from). If
this does not work, there is a chance that the patch cable is broken or
defective.

Another tip is to obtain a 1/8" stereo patch cord and connect one end to
the headphone out on the front of the CD-ROM drive, and the other end to
the CD/AUX input on the back of the Soundscape card. Make sure the
headphone volume dial on the CD-ROM drive is at maximum, and try playing a
CD. You should hear the music playing. If your internal patch cable is
missing or defective, contact your CD-ROM manufacturer for information on
how to obtain another cable.

Can I still play my DOS games?

Some games may require that Win95 reboot into DOS Mode in order to play
properly. If this is the case, the Win95 Software Apps must be installed on
the system to obtain sound support for the game. After the Apps are
installed, the following modifications must be made to your system:

  1. Load an editor and edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file that Windows 95 uses to
     boot up.
  2. Enter the following 3 lines at the top of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

               SET BLASTER=A220 Ixx Dx T1

               SET SNDSCAPE=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM

  3. Save this file.
  4. Edit the DOSSTART.BAT file located in the WINDOWS directory.
  5. Enter the following line at the top of the DOSSTART.BAT file:

               C:\SNDSCAPE\SSINIT /I

  6. Save this file and reboot the system.
  7. Once Windows 95 is restarted, go to the START menu button in the
     toolbar.
  8. Choose Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode.
  9. You should now be able to play your games in this DOS session with
     sound support.


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Copyright ⌐ 1995 ENSONIQ Corp
155 Great Valley Parkway, PO BOX 3035
Malvern, PA 19355-0735
Voice [phone]
FAX [phone]

Last updated 01/26/96 by BLH/SBC