With more RAM you can load a bigger and better sounding soundfont to AWE wavetable synth.

Like Japael said, it's for loading optional soundfonts. The RAM must be installed in matched pairs, in 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32mb. AWE32's will not give you access to the full amount of RAM you install as the reserve a portion for their own wavetable. Example: 32mb installed is locked in at 28mb for the user to load their own samples and soundfonts. For games, all versions of the AWE have 512k minimum (some go up to 4mb) installed onboard and don't require the user to install any RAM. If you decide to add RAM, and it's being used for games, then it's only use is for third party soundfonts so you can have a different set of instruments for the game being played. This is mainly for experimental reasons or because the user just doesn't like the sound of the onboard EMU8K wavetable.

Kodai wrote:

Like Japael said, it's for loading optional soundfonts. The RAM must be installed in matched pairs, in 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32mb. AWE32's will not give you access to the full amount of RAM you install as the reserve a portion for their own wavetable. Example: 32mb installed is locked in at 28mb for the user to load their own samples and soundfonts. For games, all versions of the AWE have 512k minimum (some go up to 4mb) installed onboard and don't require the user to install any RAM. If you decide to add RAM, and it's being used for games, then it's only use is for third party soundfonts so you can have a different set of instruments for the game being played. This is mainly for experimental reasons or because the user just doesn't like the sound of the onboard EMU8K wavetable.

I think this is a limitation in the EMU8000s memory adressing capability, with 2x1MB you get the full 2MB and can load the 2121344 byte large "finegm" sbk. As 2121344 byte is slightly more than 2MB I guess there are a few lines of code in the SBK which dont get loaded but specifies what patch goes where and such.