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SOUND BLASTER DIGEST Number 12 November 1991 Edition. A newsletter for Sound Blaster Enthusiasts. Edited and Published by Brad Barclay. Assistant Editors: Todd Clayton and Karen O'Hearn. Made possible by the contributions of Sound Blaster users. /\ ____________________________ / \/\ \ / \ ________________________________ \ / \ / \/ \ / \/ TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= Name: Page: ---- ---- From the Editor's Desk.........................1 From the Assistant Editor's Desk...............2 SBD's First Contest!...........................4 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: RSP........................5 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: WING COMMANDER II..........9 Special Offers................................11 Better Recordings on the SB #2................13 Subscriptions.................................15 Want-Ads......................................15 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: PUZZNIC...................16 SHAREWARE REVIEW: VOC_SHOW...................18 Want Ads......................................19 Included Files................................20 Contacting Us.................................21 Advertisements................................22 Wrapping it Up................................22 FORMS: Subscription Form.............................24 Advertisment Order Form.......................25 BBS Registration Form.........................26 SBD Demo Tape Order Form......................27 Best of the SBD Order Form....................28 Want-Ads......................................29 The SOUND BLASTER DIGEST (SBD) Is Copyright (c) 1991 Brad Barclay. For Copyright information please contact Brad Barclay (see below). You may copy this file IN IT'S ENTIRETY to whomever you wish, as long as it is not for profit, and nothing in the SBD is changed or modified. This copyright notice must not be modified or excluded. Page 1 FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Well, some have doubted the possibility (including myself at one time or another!), but the SOUND BLASTER DIGEST has made it to its first year issue! I could sit here and talk about it nearly all day, but I'll leave the honour to our Assistant Editor Todd Clayton in the next article. What I'd like to talk about here this month is about a certain problem we've had this month here at SBD HQ. A BBS user out of Chicago, Illinois USA has started TAENL: "The Anti-Everything Newsletter". It doesn't have any real worth to anything in the universe (then again, neither do C/MS chips anymore), and I would have probably overlooked it and would have not given it as much credit as to mention it here, except that it has been damaging to the SBD. In the newsletter, the author of one of the columns left our phone number and requested everyone reading the magazine to crank call us. Well, nobody has, and the way I see it, nobody should. If someone is going to be as nasty as to ask people to do such a thing, then they themselves should at least have the guts to do so. We have received not one crank phone call in our year of existance, and we're all glad for it. Many thanks to those who have had better judgement than to follow the requests of a complainer. Some good news from this month: Roy Smith, President of Turtle Beach systems was good enough to send us a free copy of RECORDING STUDIO PROFFESIONAL, which I will personally review this month. Also, this month we'd like to annouce that we are taking orders for THE BEST OF THE SBD: YEAR 1 diskette with many of our best articles, reprints of some of our best letters, the newest update of our ever popular World-Wide BBS list, all of our songs to date in .CMF format, and much, much more! See the article below for more information on this special offer. And now for the best news of all: our first Readers Survey has less than 2 months left, and we wish to thank everyone who has replied and sent in their filled surveys. But we don't exactly have enough room to list them all! So here's the scoop: we're going to put everyone who has sent in an SBD Readers Survey into a draw for fabulous SBD prizes as our way of saying thanks to those who have taken the time to send them in! Your survey must be postmarked BEFORE January 1st 1992 to be elegible for the draw, so if you haven't sent yours in yet, do so now! Only one Survey per person please! Anyways, that's all I have to say for this month. Keep On Blasting! Page 2 FROM THE ASSISTANT EDITOR'S DESK. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= By Todd Clayton. Well, it seems that not only have we hit that time of the month for me to babble at you again, but we've also hit that time of the year! Yes! It's our first issue anniversary! One year ago this month, Brad Barclay set out on a tremendous undertaking. He started the world's first and only monthly disk-periodical for the Sound Blaster sound card. It all started one rainy day, well over a year ago, when Brad went out to buy some computer equipment. He came back with a new and innovative device. The Sound Blaster. A few weeks later, he called me over to his house and showed me all of the neat-o little tricks it could do. I fell in love with it, and the Voxkit especailly. Over a year later than that, Brad came across a one issue publication, designed to inform the general computer user about the existance of the Sound Blaster. He liked it so much he bought the company! Ok, maybe not that, but it gave him an idea. With most things to do with computers, Brad wasn't satisfied to know simply what it did, he wanted to know how it did it and why. So, he delved into manuals and other reference material, and became quite an authority on the sound card. So, with word processor in hand and an idea in mind, he created the SOUND BLASTER DIGEST. Simply meant to be another single issue paper, it contained a lot of technical information, and a good jargon glossary for us laymen. But of course, since the first issue was written so well, a lot of people decided that he wouldn't get off the hook so easily, and get away with writing just ONE issue. So, SINGLE HANDEDLY he went on to the second issue, then the third, then the fourth, an so on. Many assistant editors came and went, Adam Thompson being the one that sticks out in my mind the most. Of course, Karen O'Hearn (Who HASN'T heard of Karen?) took over for a while, and then began the most important job of all. Correcting grammatical and spelling mistakes that the spell checker couldn't catch. Karen, I do not envy you there. Then just before the ninth issue, I finally got REALLY involved in the Digest. I took over as Assistant Editor, started writing this column and answering a bit of mail. As you know, the rest is history. Page 3 Now, to my knowlege, there are a few people out there who have helped us along immensely, and without their help, we would not have succeeded. A warm thank-you to Gary Maddox, who uploads our publication to CompuServe every month. To Jeff Woods who is just too cool for words to describe. He set up our first SBD Conference, and has helped us with distribution. But, most of all, we'd like to thank YOU for picking us up, reading us, and subscribing to our little magazine. Without you none of this would be possible. With one final parting note, I must mention that if you haven't picked up a copy of the Sound Blaster Demo Tape yet, you should! A lot of time and effort on both mine and Brad's part went into making a 90 minute tape chock full of digitized and synthesized music made by the Sound Blaster. I might add, if you have and .ROL or .CMF music that you have transcribed over, please send us it, we'd love to review it and include it in our publication. If you do send us .MOD or .NST's that you have done, it might be reviewed, but only subscribers will get a chance to listen to it due to space limitations. Anyways, at $7.50 Canadian, the SBD Demo Tape is a steal, and a GREAT stocking stuffer for that computer fanatic! I might also mention that a subscription to the SBD also makes a great Christmas gift. So until next month... A warm thank-you. Todd. -------------------- ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 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 █████████████████████ Page 4 SBD'S FIRST EVER CONTEST! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Yes, you heard us correctly, a contest! We are going to be awarding 10 major SBD prizes to some lucky people starting January 1st. Everyone who has sent in one of our Readers Surveys by then will be entered into a draw for these fabulous prizes! And what are they you might ask? Well, you could possibly win: Grand Prize: 1 Free Year's Subscription! 1st Place: 1 of 4 free copies of "The Best of the SBD: Year 1" 2nd Place: 1 of 5 free copies of THE SBD DEMO TAPE. So, if you haven't sent in your survey by yet, please do so and we'll enter you in the draw! You only have until January 1st 1992 to enter, so send in your survey form today! Due to Ontario law, prize winners will be required to answer a mathematical skill-testing question before they can receive their prize. But I've never met anyone yet who hasn't won something because they couldn't answer the question: it isn't tricky (hey, we want to give these to you!), it'll be really easy, and your great aunt could probably answer it with one brain tied behind her back, but it's something we have to do. Prize winners will be notified of their winning in advance, and will be required to sign a slight disclaimer allowing us to publish their names (but nothing else!) in a future edition of the SBD. The Grand Prize and 1st place winners will also be required to tell us what diskette format they prefer for awarding their prize. So send in those surveys today! Only one survey per address, please! (Yes, we will be checking!). --------------------- ░░░▒▒▒▓▓▓ COMPUTER CONNECTION BBS ▓▓▓▒▒▒░░░ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Please feel free to call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ║ ║ for one of the largest ranges of Sound Blaster files ║ ║ in Australia ║ ║ Call Australia 08 326 2388 ║ ║ 9600 V32/2400/1200/300 baud ║ ║ GIVE VICKI CRAWFORD A CALL NOW ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Page 5 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: RECORDING STUDIO PROFESSIONAL =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Designed by: Turtle Beach Systems P.O. Box 5074 York, PA USA 17405 Distributed by: Brown/Wagh Publishing List Price: $199.95 US. Reviewed by Brad Barclay. One of the greatest joys in having this job here is being able to experience first hand some of the new software available for the Sound Blaster cards. And Recording Studio Professional was definitely a joy to use. Recording Studio Professional is a program designed for Sound Blaster users (and non-Sound Blaster users) to edit and manipulate .VOC files. Everything that would be available in a professional recording studio is available here, and then some. Not only does it have the utilities that nearly every other .VOC file editor has: Play, Record, Cut and Paste, but it has many others, which can't be found elsewhere. Don't like the sound of something you've recorded? There are numerous tools for improving and enhancing what you've recorded, such as the Graphic Equalizer Functions, Interpolating (which can improve the sound of really low sampled files), volume control (including a Normalizer to put the sample at maximum volume) or you can even slow down (or speed up) the sample without changing the pitch of the sample! You can even distort your sounds, just like from a guitar amp if you want. Need to change your samples? You can cut, trim (which deletes the opposite of Cut: it deletes everything that you haven't marked), paste, zoom in and out to an incredible scale, and even draw in your own waveform patterns (to easily remove clicks, such as those from digitizing off of a scratched record). The last function is particularity interesting: if you're drawing is fairly choppy, and has a few skips or anything in it, RSP automatically smoothes them out for you! Page 6 The loop editor built into RSP is excellent, and contains many useful features that take full advantage of the SB's capabilities in looping. You can mark up to 8 loops in your sample and manipulate them in many ways. This feature can be very complicated, and it took me a few hours to figure some of the features of this out. A few times I even broke down and got out the Voice Editor for the SB Pro (from Creative Labs) to mark some loops. The loop editor in RSP is very powerful (much more than the one in the Voice Editor), and probably much more than many people out there will ever need. But for professional uses, it's surely a must. If you want to make loops with RSP but you can't handle the Loop Editor included, never fear: it also has a function called FORCE LOOP TO SELECTED, which will loop the section of the sample that is currently selected in the window. Other interesting features and their uses include Pitch Shifting for changing the pitch of a sample, Mix to mix two sound samples, Merge to slowly fade out of one sample while fading into another, Fade/Scale for adjusting volume and fading samples, Mute to totally quiet a sample, Reverse to allow you to play a sample backwards, Crossfade Looping for improving loops that may click slightly, Animate to view how the sample would appear in real time in an oscilloscope, and Frequency Analysis which allows you to view a 3-D graph of frequency, time and amplitude (volume). Many other more exotic features such as Invert are also available. All of the functions available in RSP can be performed on the entire sample, certain marked sections, or for some functions, certain marked loop areas. RSP also does all of its calculations with true to life 16 bits, even though the SB's samples are only 8 bits. This not only helps increase speed some, but also improves the functions you run on your samples too. Most of the functions in RSP are heavily math intensive, having to run through complex equations to get the proper results. Due to this fact, RSP does support math co-processors, if available. Also, a high speed machine running at more than 20 Mhz would be necessary to run some of the more complex routines on larger sound files. We ran our tests off of 2 8Mhz XT class systems with no math co-processor. One test we ran involved downsampling a 2 second sample recorded at 22.05Khz down to 12Khz. This process took about half an hour. So depending on what you want to do with this software, you may have a long wait. Page 7 One of the greatest parts about this software is its ability to work with sound samples greater than the maximum free memory. One of the samples we played with was nearly 1 Mb long, and RSP had no difficulty in handling it. RSP even goes one step further and allows you to load two different samples! This is perfect for clipping a part out of one sample and placing it into another. These functions have their downside, though. To make them possible, RSP uses intensive memory-swapping to and from your hard- disk. Thus, if you wish to load a sample into memory, be sure that you have as much space free on your hard disk as you have space in the digitized file. RSP won't run off of diskette for this reason. RSP supports all graphics standards from CGA to VGA. I personally do not recommend using it on a CGA: it only uses black and white high resolution mode. Much is lost without colour. But on an EGA or greater, RSP is beautiful to the eye. RSP is a GEM Desktop program that runs much as windows does, with a windowed display, pull down menus, click and drag boxes: the works. But due to this it is very hard to use without a mouse. In our tests we tried using it without a mouse, and it seemed that it took just as long to select a function as it did to run it! So if you don't have a mouse, be prepared to spend a lot of time trying to execute functions, and a lot more time trying to remember what keys to press while pointing at what to get them running! But you don't need GEM to use RSP: it comes with enough of the GEM software to get it running from DOS (and no more). RSP isn't all perfect. As you don't actually need an SB card to make use of it (with the exception of Sampling), RSP uses the CPU to output voice data. On the 8Mhz systems we tested on, this meant really bad playback while in RSP. I preferred to save the sample, quit to DOS, and then listen to it for a true representation. But the audition feature is good to make sure that you've selected the correct area when marking samples. Recording with RSP was also a problem. No matter what we did, when we selected the Record icon, RSP would report a disk error and jam the entire system up. Hopefully this will be corrected in a future version. RSP can only handle samples digitized at up to 23 Khz in mono, and is thus incapable of handling the higher sampling rates and stereo samples of the SB Pro card. Also, it can only record at up to 12Khz (assuming you can get it to record), which is also limiting, and only accepts input from the microphone jack. But for those SB Pro users out there: don't worry. I use Creative Lab's Voice Editor to record my samples, and then load them with RSP. This way I can play with files sampled at up to 23Khz (in mono only still), as recorded from the Line In jack. Page 8 There is also an undocumented feature of RSP that we found. When you load the program and it shows its title screen, it gives you a CONTINUE box to select to begin using the program. It also shows some text boxes, and a little "swaying palm" symbol which is their trademark. If you click on this symbol, you will be put into a sort of RSP technical mode, which will report on your computer's register status and other important factors while running the program. We found this useful in viewing some of the problems in RSP, such as in making Recordings, and we presume that the authors left this debugging facility in the software to allow people reporting bugs to give them some important information for them to diagnose the problem. On the whole RSP is an excellent program for any SB user. About its only limiting factor, besides needing a hard disk drive and a mouse, is its cost: $200. It's well worth the money without a doubt, but it is also well outside the range of the average user's software budget. But if you can afford it, RSP is definately an addition for any serious SB user to consider. -------------------- ╔╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦═╦═╦═════╦╦╦╦══╦╦╦╦╦════╦═╦═════╦╦╦╦╦╦═╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╦╗ ╠╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬═╬─╬───═── ─ ─ ╪╪╪╬╬╬╬╪╪ ───═───╤═─═─═╬╬──══╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╣▒▒ ╠╬╬╬╬╬╬╬═─╨═╨─ ─── ─ ─ ─────═══════─╨══╬╬╬╬╬╣▒▒ ╠╬╬╬ FOR ALL YOU SOUNDBLASTER FILES..... ╬╬╬╣▒▒ ╠╬│ ░░░░░ │ . ┌ ╡╡╣▒▒ ╠│║ ░ ░ ░ │││├│ _││└┐├ ┌─ ### M. A. X. ######## ║│╣▒▒ ╠║│ ░ ░ ░ └┴└┴┴ └┴─┘└─┘ ### WORCESTER ####### 0905-754151 │╬╣▒▒ ╠│ Fax 0905 755017 0905-754127 ╬╣▒▒ ╠│ ░░░ ┌ Voice 0860 891 893 0905-52536 │╣▒▒ ║ │ ░░ ░░ ┌ ┌ ├ └┐└┐ Gig's of goodies ! 0905-57822 ║▒▒ ║ │ ░ ░ └─┴─└──┘─┘ Tons of THROBNET ! 0905-58030 ╣▒▒ ╠ Loads of Live Doors ! 0905-56610 │║▒▒ ║│ ░░ ░░ │ ┌ Gallons of GIFs ! 0905-57112 │ ╣▒▒ ╠││ ░░░ -┌ ├┐┌┐┌┐┌┐├ Crowds of CHATS ! 0905-58042 ││╣▒▒ ╠╬│ ░░ ░░ └─││└┤││└┤└─ 0905-56335 ╬╬╣▒▒ ╠╬╬╦ ──────────┘ ( and Adult CHATS too !) ╬│╣▒▒ ╠╬╦╬╦╠╦╠╤╪─ ╬╬╬╣▒▒ ╠╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╦──╬╬─╬╬╦╬──── ── ─ ── ─── ──────╬──═╬╬╬╬╬╬╣▒▒ ╠╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬═╬╬╬═╬═╬═╬═╬════─── ── ─────═─══╬═╬╬╬═╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╣▒▒ ╚╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩═╩╩═╩═══════════╩═╩╩══╩╩╩═╩═╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╩╝▒▒ ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ Page 9 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: WING COMMANDER II =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Written by Dan Surratt PC Supported: 286/386/486 Required: 640K/Hard Drive/12+ Mhz Video Support: 256-colour VGA/MCGA; EGA Sound Card Support: PC-Speaker/Roland/Ad Lib/Sound Blaster Digitized Speech Support: Sound Blaster Controls: Joystick/Mouse/Keyboard Recommended: Expanded Memory/386-16 Origins has done it again by making the sequel to Wing Commander twice as good as the original. Once again you are behind the stick of a star fighter, but in very poor favour. While on a mission to destroy a Kilrathi Base you notice several enemy fighters that appear to vanish from your radar. Not wanting to cause a commotion with your radar glitch, you move off to investigate. Before you can return, the fighters reappear and destroy your mother ship, the Tiger's Claw. Upon landing on the TCS Austin, you find your claim of stealth fighters dismissed and receive full blame for leaving your patrol route. Due to lack of evidence during your court-martial, you are only demoted in rank and sent to patrol some back water base where you remain for 10 years. Here is where the story begins. You must prove your worth and clear your name. I use the word story because this game is very well constructed. There is a definite plot throughout the game, complete with animated clips. The game starts off with an animated 'Mini-Movie' with digitized speech. Currently only the Sound Blaster has the option of digitized speech. The digitized voices of the basic Wing Commander II game stop about half way through the opening animation. With the purchase of the optional speech accessory kit, the voices are completed for the entire animation clip as well as a few select scenes that are presented during the game. The accessory kit also brings your wingman's voice to life. Your wingman now talks to you during combat and the enemy scream in agony as you blow them to bits. While flying your lightning quick fighter or heavily armoured bomber you will be urged on by the fiery beat of the music. This game features Origin's FX music system and features several original scores. Page 10 Veteran players will be glad to here about the many improvements over the first version. The best of these may be the shortcut keys. These keys allow you to send a message to your wingman instantly at the touch of a key. No more navigating through the communication screens. The graphics are improved giving explosions a realistic look and pilots more detailed. An interesting feature of the install program is the ability to configure the game to maximize game speed or minimize the space required on the hard drive. On the down side, this game is a real memory hog. The game as installed on my system takes just over 20 MB on the hard drive (VGA with speech accessory pack and installed for speed). Minimizing for space still requires 12 MB in the simplest configuration. You must also have 583K base memory free to even run the game. If you use EGA, you will need 618K free to use the game with speech. Since the game will only use expanded memory (not extended) to speed up the game, it is almost mandatory to install a high memory driver such as HIMEM.SYS with EMM86 or QEMM. Want a game that's full of action? A game that has spectacular graphics and superb Sound Blaster support? Then Wing Commander II is for you. The intricate story and fabulous music transform this game into an adventure you will play again and again. RATINGS: ------- [-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10] Graphics: ****************** Sound Blaster Support: ********************* Playability: **************** Enjoyment: ****************** Originality: **************** Value: ****************** Overall: ****************** Page 11 SPECIAL SBD OFFERS! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The SBD Demo Tape: Interested in computer music? Want to know ----------------- what the SB Pro card can do? This tape is packed with 90 minutes of some of the best .NST and .CMF files in the world, as played in SB Pro stereo. This high quality recording is great for that computer fanatic who has everything. It makes the perfect gift anytime! And if you order now, you'll get it just in time for Christmas. It's the perfect stocking-stuffer! See the attached order form for more details. The Best of the SBD: Year 1: Whether you're been reading the SBD -------------------- since issue 1, or you're new to our magazine, the Best of the SBD: Year 1 is for you. It contains our best articles, editorials, letters from readers, our most recent BBS list, and our best included files. It's the best of everything. Plus it will include the best of some of the things we haven't yet published! It also makes the perfect gift, for Christmas, or any season! Reserve your order now, as quantities are limited. The SBD only turns 1 year old once, and you can join in on our celebrations for only $7.50 per copy. Please see the attached order form for more details. Page 12 \ / ___\/___ Live and on the Experience the difference of: || air from Toronto! /||\ 3,500 megs (yes, three thousand || The Musical Chair megs) of files, including a large ==== 6 lines at (416) (1300 meg) adult .GIF collection. ====== 724-6014 & 724-6018 ==== 1000's of Adlib/SB music files || _______ 50 gaming doors online || | | 6 HST Duals! 7 mail nets, 1200 conferences || | | _____ 1 crazy and caring sysop ______|| | | | | ||\ | |___| | Around the clock..... Sky || \ | | | | Around the world..... Dome || \| | | | Around the bend..... |||| | | | | |||||| | | | | The M sical Chai ...724-6018 ||||||||| | | | |||||||||| | | | What's missing? U R! ANNOUNCING the COMPLEAT Musical Chair discography on CD-ROM! Through special arrangement, a limited pressing of 75 discs is being made of EVERY file in our world-reknowned SOUND BLASTER collection! For a mere $99, you can have EVERY SB, Adlib, Midi, .MOD, .STM and music utility file you will find on The Musical Chair, on permanent CD-ROM! Also included are 350 megs of the absolute latest and greatest in shareware! Windows apps, games, utils, and much much more! Totals for the Musical Chair CD-ROM 10,056 656,245,748 The Musical Chair also sells CD-ROM players at very competitive rates! Contact The Musical Chair's DJ, Jeff Woods, at: 416-724-6014 via modem, 416-284-4614 evenings, or 416-289-4645 fax for more details! This disc is now shipping, and about 1/3 sold out already! This is a limited run of 75 discs to be stocked! Reserve yours TODAY! The file ADLIB-CD on TMC has the complete listing of all files, as well as an order form and address, which is: Jeff Woods, PO Box 130, West Hill, Ont, Canada M1E 4R4 Thanks for your support of The Musical Chair! Page 13 BETTER RECORDINGS ON THE SB, PART 2 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Brad Barclay Over the past year the SBD has published a few articles on improving your digitizing with special software and techniques. This one is going to deal on some easy techniques that any SB user can use. For a few of them, you will require some special software, such as Blaster Master by Gary Maddox, or Recording Studio Professional (see the review on RSP in this issue for more details). First off, an important idea in sampling: The Nyquist Theorem. Simply put, this mathematically proven idea states that you can't sample any frequency higher then half of your sampling rate. Doing so usually causes major noise problems. Luckily, the SB and SB Pro cards contain some chips for the purpose of "Anti- Aliasing", which strips all frequencies higher then the Nyquist rate. This is important to remember when recording anything: if it contains any high pitched sounds, sample at a higher rate. As a guide, human hearing is generally between about 30 and 15000 Hz. The recording process is probably simple for most of our readers by now, but in case you need to know some of the specifics on how to physically make a sample, refer to your SB manual, the software manual for whatever software you're using to record with, and back issues of the SBD, some of which contain information on hooking up other audio equipment to a regular SB, and other recording information. Here is about the best procedure that I know for making great samples. Sadly, most of our readers will not be able to use such functions due to hardware and software limitations. But it is provided here as a reference on how it is possible to improve samples. For our samples, we Use a Sound Blaster Pro with a Record player, CD Player, or Tape player hooked up for making the sample through the LINE IN input. We record using Creative Lab's Voice Editor for the SB Pro at a rate of 22.05Khz, with a high pass filter turned on, in mono. We manipulate the sample with Turtle Beach Systems RECORDING STUDIO PROFESSIONAL. First off, we chose what we want to sample. Many times it is good to check how long your intended sample will be before you actually sample. Next, we record the sample at 22.05Khz with about 2 seconds of extra lead at both the beginning and the end. We edit this out in the Voice Editor, so we only have the sample we want. Saving this, we go into RSP where the fun (and longest parts) begin. Page 14 When we have the sample loaded in RSP, the first thing we do is to put it through the Bandpass Equalizer, with a midrange of 5 Khz, a bandwidth of 3000Hz, and a Gain of 10 db (Decibels). This function increases the volume of all frequencies between 3500Hz and 6500 Hz by 10 db, and drops out all other frequencies. While this is happening, we have a chance to get a glass of milk and turn on our favourite CD while we wait. Once finished, we then continue on to downsample our new recording down to 12000Hz, thus saving us a lot of space (nearly 50%) without any noticeable sound quality change (note: according to the Nyquist Theorem, we really should be downsampling to 13Khz instead of 12Khz, as after the Bandpass we have frequencies of up to 6500Hz, and at 12Khz the maximum is only 6000Hz, but RSP takes care of this small detail for us). This function takes a really long time, even on a very very small sound file. So we usually go and have a meal, watch some TV, play chess or discuss the meaning of life while it's working. Lastly, through these functions our sample volume has overall decreased. Thus, we Normalize the sample. Normalizing will put the sample up to its maximum volume before any distortion occurs. We then save this finished sample. Next, it's on back to the Voice Editor, where, if we so wish, we compress the sample, and then audition it.Saving this, we have our finished product. I have personally tested this myself, and it works great. I have taken some samples off of a record, put it through this process (with one extra step near the beginning, where I edit out any pops due to small scratches in the record), and it comes out sounding like it was straight off of a CD. I realize that many people out there don't have the facilities to use such a process as I do, so here's some suggestions. If you don't have RSP or the Voice Editor, try using the Shareware utility Blaster Master for many of the functions described. If you don't have an SB Pro, but you have a fast 386 or better, try using Blaster Master's High Sample feature for sampling at up to 23Khz. If you don't have a fast enough system, then make your original recording at 12Khz and skip the downsampling process. If you wish to normalize and you don't have RSP, use any volume increaser and estimate how much of an increase you need, or try recording at a louder volume. Page 15 I have included a sample digitized off of a record in this month's SBD for you to listen to and play with.The song's title is "Diamonds and Rust (Extended Version)", by The Stormtroopers of Death, and has to be one of the shortest songs I've ever encountered, at a measly 2 seconds. So play around with it to see what sort of sound you can get. And even though it was recorded on a Pro card, it is playable on the original SB also. Happy Digitizing! -------------------- SUBSCRIPTIONS: =-=-=-=-=-=-= Having a hard time finding the newest copy of the SBD on your favorite local BBS? Why not consider a SBD subscription? A subscription entitles you to 12 great issues, one a month, packed full of SB and SB Pro news and reviews. Subscribers also get special bonus files not available anywhere else, plus special offers on software and support! Nowhere else can you find this sort of deal for your Sound Blaster needs. Subscriptions make great gifts also! If you'd like to send a gift subscription with a special 'First Issue' message, just send that message along with your subscription form filled out to the reciever of the subscription, and it will be sent along with their first disk! Simply fill out the attached form, and enclose the required ammount...it's that easy! -------------------- WANT-ADS: =-=-=-=-= Interested in meeting or getting to know other Sound Blaster users in your area? Wanting to trade Shareware and PD software abroad? Then why not try a WANT-AD in the SBD? It's only $1 CDN per month, and at that sort of price everyone can afford to buy one! Just fill out the included WANT-ADS form, and include a cheque or money order for the correct number of months you wish to have your want-ad published, and mail it to us! Advertisements for new software, hardware, or BBS's are exempt from using the WANT-ADS: please use one of our other services for these. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse any want- ad. Page 16 COMMERCIAL REVIEW: PUZZNIC =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= RATINGS: ------- [-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10] Graphics: *************** Sound Blaster Support: ******************* Playability: ****************** Enjoyment: *************** Originality: ********************** Value: ***************** Overall: ****************** Puzznic supports all graphics modes up to EGA (320x200 resolution). The Sound Blaster support is very good. The game utilizes the Sound Blaster for good background music, as well as sound effects. Made by Taito, the sounds are typically the kind you find in an Arcade Game. Puzznic supports the keyboard as its input device. Mouse and Joystick are not supported, although the use of either as a better input device is a debatable topic. Puzznic is a very original game that combines difficult puzzles with a touch of reflexes and skill. You are faced with a myriad of puzzles, each more difficult than the one before it. In each puzzle, you are given a set of blocks in a closed area. The game works in three dimensions: height, width and time. To clear the puzzle, you must eliminate each and every block on the screen. This is no simple task. There are eight different block types, and each block may only be eliminated by touching it to another block of similar type. The simple, low level puzzles have blocks set up in pairs on the screen, so it's an elementary matter of pulling and pushing the blocks until they touch and presto, the level is cleared. There is a time limit to clear the puzzle, so you can't sit and think forever: you receive 1 minute at level one, a minute and thirty seconds at level two, and progressively more time as the puzzles get harder and harder. An element of gravity is added, so you can't pull blocks "upward" if you make the mistake of letting it drop into an place where it's inaccessible by another block of the same type (a deadly predicament, since you can't solve the puzzle without eliminating the block in question). At later levels, elevator blocks and conveyor blocks are introduced: these move up/down and side to side respectively. By cleverly moving the blocks onto these, you can get them from one side of the screen to the next (which is almost always required to solve the puzzle if a conveyor block is used), or from the bottom of the screen to the top. Bonus points are scored if you eliminate multiple blocks Page 17 (more than two) at the same time. Although eliminating blocks is easy if given blocks in multiples of two (all you need to do is pair them together, and the puzzle is solved), difficulties arise as you are given an odd number of blocks, as you will have to (at least once) eliminate a three-some of blocks, which is a skill that needs to be developed to pass the final stages of the game. At harder levels, quarters get cramped, so one wrong move and you're forced to retry the puzzle from the start. With mediocre graphics and good sounds, Puzznic is a challenging, puzzle-type game that will amuse you for hours on end if you enjoy a good brain-twister now and then. -------------------- 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 18 SHAREWARE REVIEW: VOC_SHOW by Tom Moran =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Written by Robert Simpson I recently downloaded a number of Sound Blaster-related files from CompuServe. I was looking for a program or sample C/C++ code which I could use to add voice to a program I am currently working on. Instead I found VOC_SHOW, which impressed me enough that I wanted to spread the word with my first attempt at a publicly distributed review. VOC_SHOW by Tom Moran allows you to play .VOC files through the PC speaker. Okay, Okay, I hear your objections, but please read on. First, although it does not use the Sound Blaster card itself, it can be very useful to Sound Blaster owners. Second, you're right, it doesn't sound as good as voice played through the Sound Blaster, but it is the best I've heard from the speaker yet. VOC_SHOW can be used to play .VOC from the DOS command line, from batch files, or from a call to DOS (system("voc_show ...") in C) within a program. Software authors can record voice files using their Sound Blaster and include them in programs which can be run on systems which have only the PC speaker. Better still, you can test for the presence of a Sound Blaster resulting in programs which take advantage of the enhanced sound capability when available but will run on any system. Source code is included in the .ZIP file which is distributed. However, since it is written in ADA and JASM86, it will probably require some time to convert the source code for use in your own programs, unless you have access to the ADA compiler and assembler. The documentation which is included is a poorly formatted single screen listing of the files which are included in the .ZIP file. It indicates that this is an "early" version of the program. The author's address is also included. With a little encouragement from some positive feedback, I'm sure this will turn into a high quality and well documented shareware product. Page 19 The quality of sound from the PC speaker is limited by the hardware. Also, the program loads the .VOC files 20K at a time resulting in noticeable pauses every two to four seconds. As a result, VOC_SHOW will not be acceptable for applications which require high quality voice output. The program I am currently working on will produce personalized "MY VISIT WITH SANTA" books in under 5 minutes for children visiting Santa in the local malls. When the book's author, my friend/client, heard the Sound Blaster, he wanted voice output from the program to help attract attention. (Eventually, there may be a graphic of Santa talking!) We wanted a higher quality output than VOC_SHOW provides, so we will probably be buying a Sound Blaster for each system installed in the malls. In this case, since there is a limited number of systems and we have control of their configuration, the Sound Blaster is the appropriate choice. But if you are producing a program for widespread and/or general distribution, VOC_SHOW is highly recommended. -------------------- WANT-ADS: =-=-=-=-= ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sound Blaster contacts to swap/create files Call 0905 754151 BBS, 0860 891893 Voice, 0905 755017 (Fax) or write/mail disk to Jon Brooks 39 Tetbury Drive, Warndon, Worcester, WR4 9LG England ------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 20 INCLUDED FILES: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This month we have included a few different files for your enjoyment: D&REV.VOC: "Diamonds and Rust (Extended Version)". Originally recorded by The Stormtroopers of Death. This is an 8 bit uncompressed file, with a sampling rate of about 12000 Hz. This was recorded using the method explained in our above article on better recording. SURVEY.FRM: Our Readers Survey Form and Envelope! Fill this out today to be eligible for our contest! SHEBOP.CMF SHADOWS.CMF WHITEWED.CMF: Three songs as transcribed by Dan Surratt. Many thanks for the songs, Dan! SBDBBS.TXT: The SBD's Official BBS list! SUBSCR.TXT: Volume 2 of our Subscribers Newsletter! This only includes special subscriber- only offers! No reviews or other Sound Blaster related material included! (subscribers only). APS.VOC HENDRIX.VOC HEYGORDY.VOC: More incredibly short digitized songs by The Stormtroopers of Death. (subscribers only). Page 21 HOW TO CONTACT THE SBD: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Now there's more ways then ever to get in contact with the SBD! If you wish to write to us by mail, please address you're package/envelope to: THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST c/o Brad Barclay 36 Sutter Ave. Brampton, Ontario CANADA L6Z 1G7. Or you can phone between 17:30 and 22:00 any day of the week by dialing: Phone: (416)846-5599. If you're calling long-distance, from Canada and the US simply dial 1 and then the above number. From all other areas, please consult your local telephone directory, or contact your local telephone operator. If you'd like to leave us E-Mail, you can contact us through the following conferences: RelayNet's Sound Cards Conference. SONIC Net's Sound Blaster Conference. The Musical Chair's SBD (23) Conference. If you wish to quickly download the newest issue of the SBD quickly, call THE MUSICAL CHAIR BBS at (416)724-6018 and log-on using the name SB DIGEST and the password MUSICAL. TMC supports up to 38400bps. If you wish to quickly download ANY issue of the SBD and/or leave us a quick note, call SUPER SONIC BBS at (416)225-8942 and log-on using the name SB DIGEST and the password SONIC. SUPER SONIC supports up to 2400bps. We hope to hear from you soon! Page 22 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! 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. -------------------- WRAPPING IT UP... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Well, it's been a very interesting year for us here at the SBD. We hope you have enjoyed our publication, and have found it useful to you in using your SB or SB Pro card. There are many people I would like to thank for their help in the past year: but there are too many names to list (much less remember!). So thanks to all our subscribers, to those who have sent in articles, for those who have sent us hardware and other donations, to those who have sent in their SB software for review, and for those who have been faithfully reading us every month since we started. But we wish to especially thank those of you who are passing the SBD around to every BBS you can! Some specific thanks...many thanks to Todd Clayton and Karen O'Hearn, without whom I would not be able to continue the SBD at such a size! Also thanks to Jeff Woods and Brian Bourne, two great Sysops whose help is appreciated. Also thanks to Gary Maddox who is full of ideas and helps send our publication to CompuServe (at least until we can afford to do so ourselves!). All of you have been here for me this past year helping the SBD to improve. Without you the SBD would not have lasted this long! Page 23 And finally, many thanks to Karen O'Hearn, the great woman behind the man who publishes this publication each and every month: it's a full time job, and without you I would have quit out of frustration numerous times. but you've always been there behind me, and I thank you for it. I love you Karen, no doubt about that. Thanks for reading! Page 24 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 25 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 26 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 and 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 27 ORDER FORM: THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST DEMO TAPE =============================================== Please enclose a cheque or money order (sorry, I don't accept any major or minor credit cards) for $7.50 CDN for Canadian orders, or $7.50 US for American orders. Overseas enclose $10 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" MUSIC FORMAT: In which Sound Blaster music file format are you the most interested? (Circle all of interest). .CMF .JMP .MID .MOD .NST .ORG .ROL .VOC 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 28 ORDER FORM: THE BEST OF THE SBD: YEAR 1 ========================================= Please enclose a cheque or money order (sorry, I don't accept any major or minor credit cards) for $7.50 CDN for Canadian orders, or $7.50 US for American orders. Overseas enclose $10 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" PAST ISSUES: Which issues of the SBD have you read? (Circle one): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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 29 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