Roland SCD-15 HINTS & KINKS
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Roland SCD-15 HINTS & KINKS
===========================
by Aloke Prasad, VRTC
This is a set of hints on installing the Roland SCD-15 daughterboard on
the Sb16/awe32 with a Waveblaster connector.
First step is to get the Sb16/awe32 working properly with the FM MIDI
synthesis. You should be having a statement like the following in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6
This indicates that the MPU-401 port on the Sb16/awe32 is at the address
330H. Midi files, like CANYON.MID in the Windows directory should play
using the FM synthesis, and "Sb16/awe32 All FM" setting in the MidiMapper
applet in the Control Panel. The following should also appear in the
Drivers applet in the Control Panel:
Creative Sound Blaster 16 Auxiliary Audio
Creative Sound Blaster 16 Wave and MIDI
Voyetra / Sound Blaster SuperSAPI FM Driver
If you use the DOS program PLAY.EXE from Creative Labs, the following
should be in your AUTOEXEC.BAT:
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E
indicating that the program should use the FM synth, and Extended midi
map. Other DOS games, say DOOM, should also play FM midi synth by
choosing "SoundBlaster" or "Soundblaster 16" as the music source in its
Setup program.
If the above is not set up right, get the latest driver from BLASTER forum
on CIS, or ftp.creaf.com on Internet, and bug the sysops till the basic
Sb16/awe32 is setup OK.
Now, open up the PC and slap on the SCD-15 on the Sb16/awe32 card. The
pins holding the daughterboard on to the Sb16/awe32 are a bit tight, and
may require some force to "snap-on" into the holes in the Sb16/awe32. A
warning: attaching the daughterboard also makes it inconvenient to change
the jumpers on the Sb16/awe32. So, think ahead about making any changes
to the Sb16/awe32 (eg., en/disabling the on-board amplifier, en/disabling
the joystick, etc.). There is a special caution for people using the
MIDI/joystick port on the Sb16/awe32s at the end of this document. Please
read that before proceeding.
Everyone else..after attaching the SCD-15, plug the Sb16/awe32/SCD-15
combo back in the PC (as far away from the Video card as possible, as
there are some indications that in some installations, the Sb16/awe32 may
pick up some interference from the Video cards). The following changes
are required for Windows and DOS programs:
For Windows: Change the MidiMapper to "Sb16/awe32 All MIDI". That's it.
MediaPlayer or any program that uses the MidiMapper will now play the
glorious Roland sounds. Some programs bypass the MidiMapper (eg.
WinJammer Sequencer/Player).
In these cases, choose "Sb16/awe32 MIDI Out" (instead of "Voyetra Super
Sapi FM Driver") to access the SCD-15.
For DOS: If you use PLAY.EXE to play MIDI files, change the statement in
the AUTOEXEC.BAT to
SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:G
to use the MIDI port with General MIDI map.
For games like DOOM, run its setup program and choose "Sound Canvas" if it
is an option for the Music source. Choose 330H (or whatever is in the SET
BLASTER line) as the address of the MPU-401 port. If your game does not
offer "Sound Canvas" support, choose "General MIDI" as the music source.
That's it..For those who were mistaken by installing the Roland MPU-401
driver, as described on page 7 of the SCD-15 startup manual, remove the
driver from using the Drivers applet in the Control Panel. Set up the
Sb16/awe32 as described earlier, and just change the MidiMapper.
The SCD-15 attaches to the Sb16/awe32 and uses the MIDI driver provided by
Sb16/awe32. Why Roland even included instructions to mess around with the
Roland MPU-401 driver is beyond me!!
For joystick users: If you use the joystick port on the Sb16/awe32, you
may not hear any MIDI sounds. This is because most joysticks ground the
MIDI pins of the MIDI/joystick combo port. You have 3 choices:
1. Buy a MIDI adapter cable from Creative Labs for $25. this splits the
MIDI and the joystick parts of the port on the back of Sb16/awe32.
This is a special cable, and if you buy a MIDI adapter cable from your
local computer store, make sure that they have a return policy, as any
old splitter may not work.
2. Make a splitter cable yourself by following instructions in a file in
the BLASTER and MIDIFORUM libraries. The file in the MIDIFORUM is
called MIDIDI.ZIP in Section 15 ("Sound Card Files").
3. Buy a game card, disable the joystick port on the Sb16/awe32 (requires
changing jumpers on the Sb16/awe32). Plug your joystick into the game
card.
I hope the above has been of some help. Enjoy the wonderful sounds of the
Roland Sound Canvas and Sb16/awe32 !!!!