Might take a few days til I give that one a spin ... I'll already have to replace the ROM socket.

Fixed the socket ... new recording here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9WAZV_Pqo7 … Z0psanZsWTVqVjQ

great news you quickly resolved the errors found 😀 good job, head on 😀

I have tried collecting a list of instruments needed by the first few areas in Doom 2; intro, title and map 1, I think. I can't post the ROM file publicly, but the MIDI files I used for testing are attached. This way, anyone interested in comparing will be able to do so. It will also let us compare quality between IWSBOS and the MIDI files.

Because there were too many instruments to fit at 16-bit quality, the ROM contains 8-bit instruments. I guess we'll know how that went before too long.

EDIT: Also, there still seems to be a bit of noise in the most recent recording, but isolating that will prove to be a little more challenging, and I will have to delay that investigation a while.

640K!enough wrote:

It may be helpful if someone with an unmodified Gravis card could post a recording of their card playing the MIDI files using only the default ROM set, as well as the output from an older GF1-based card, so that we can compare what we are getting.

I have a Working GUS MAX in a P150 and all necessary Soldering/Desoldering equipment and skills available for any testing.
Just tell me what to do.

Synoptic wrote:

I have a Working GUS MAX in a P150 and all necessary Soldering/Desoldering equipment and skills available for any testing.
Just tell me what to do.

The GF1-based boards are not capable of testing any of the ROM images we're working on at the moment. My request was simply for someone with a GUS PnP and/or GF1-based board to post a recording of the MIDI files I posted, so that we could compare the output of the prototype and an unmodified card; no soldering required for the time being.

Ok. I will record the midi file, hopefully this weekend if it is still pertinent.

does recording from a GUS 2.4 is any help ?

Synoptic wrote:

Ok. I will record the midi file, hopefully this weekend if it is still pertinent.

I had to order a line-in to Usb adapter. I lost my previous one. Will record the midi files on friday.

Given our results with the ROMMAKER that I built, I was curious to find out if the version that shock__ (and others?) compiled many pages ago might produce better results. The answer is that it produces files that are, with a few exceptions, identical to the version that I originally built (before any modifications). That means that it will produce valid results with an officially-released file, like GSFULL4M.FFF, but will produce the same sort of problematic ROM files that we were getting before, when used on files produced with GIPC.

So, this means that there are two choices:

1. If people are getting impatient, I abandon my efforts to thoroughly test, correct and enhance the ROMMAKER, and post instructions so that you can hex-edit the GIPC-produced banks to get usable results with shock__'s ROMMAKER executable.
2. I continue the work on the ROMMAKER, and post complete instructions when the test results are satisfactory and we are satisfied with the sound.

Does anyone have any particular preferences?

Option 2, please 😀

Yes, the moast refined option the better...

640K!enough wrote:

So, this means that there are two choices: […]
Show full quote

So, this means that there are two choices:

1. If people are getting impatient, I abandon my efforts to thoroughly test, correct and enhance the ROMMAKER, and post instructions so that you can hex-edit the GIPC-produced banks to get usable results with shock__'s ROMMAKER executable.
2. I continue the work on the ROMMAKER, and post complete instructions when the test results are satisfactory and we are satisfied with the sound.

Does anyone have any particular preferences?

Option 2, it's not like the ARGUS will ship before you fix ROMMAKER ;P

Just a thought, what about make an utility file that will execute the hex changes automatically ? Would that be easier ?
Steps would be : Compile ROM with ROMMAKER, then process said ROM through ARGUSROMFIXER.EXE

Synoptic wrote:

Just a thought, what about make an utility file that will execute the hex changes automatically ? Would that be easier ?
Steps would be : Compile ROM with ROMMAKER, then process said ROM through ARGUSROMFIXER.EXE

I could create such a utility, but does anyone actually want to use it? It's not so much about being "easier", as the ROMMAKER is not exactly an extraordinarily complicated piece of software, but whether people are getting impatient. Trying to get the ROM exactly right will take time and a good deal of testing, so the question is really this: are people willing to continue waiting for quality, or do they want to get their hands on it as soon as shock__ declares the hardware ready, even if it's at the cost of sound quality.

Personaly I'm for the quality. We're collecting retro hardware... sometimes we are lookingfor a piece for our collection for years... in case of such a uniqe project like Argus waiting some extra time shouldn't change much.

I would opt for better quality too, but it's not my project. Some people really jump at the chance for instant gratification, even if they live to regret it later.

So, unless told otherwise, the work will continue, and I won't spend time that could be put to better use writing utilities to enable the use of the previous ROMMAKER builds.

I am currently working at making the ROMMAKER a little more flexible and friendly, as well as investigating some details about IWSBOS. I will need a volunteer with a working InterWave-based board to provide one recording. Please be sure to do the following:

1. Install an MPU-401-compatible MIDI file player for DOS (do not use PLAY.EXE or the previous PLAYMIDI.EXE). I like MegaMID.
2. Make sure IWSBOS is configured to use the default ROM bank.
3. Load IWSBOS, with MPU-401 emulation enabled.
4. Record output when playing STRIVING.MID.

I'm all about this being the best GUS it can be, so take more time for the development. I have plenty of patients when quality and options are on the line.

Here's my recording of the midi files posted by 640k!Enough don on my GUS MAX.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsgyspyksa7pbz8/GUS … RDINGS.mp3?dl=0

Please note that I have the ProPatches installed.

Synoptic wrote:

Here's my recording of the midi files posted by 640k!Enough don on my GUS MAX.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsgyspyksa7pbz8/GUS … RDINGS.mp3?dl=0

Thanks, that was enough to answer a few remaining questions. One thing it proves is that there is still a bit of noise that is exclusive to the recent ROMs.

Synoptic wrote:

Please note that I have the ProPatches installed.

Do you know which version you're using? The sound is a little different from what we've been getting.

640K!enough wrote:

Synoptic wrote:

Here's my recording of the midi files posted by 640k!Enough don on my GUS MAX.

Synoptic wrote:

Please note that I have the ProPatches installed.

Do you know which version you're using? The sound is a little different from what we've been getting.

3.0 I think.