Re: Mockingboard emulator (was: Late night musings...)

[geoff@seeker.the-hermes.net (Geoff Weiss)]

Mitchell Spector <spec@vax2.concordia.ca> wrote:
>> I previously wrote:
>>Mockingboard-compatible software communicates to a Mockingboard by
>>accessing the slot-based hardware directly.  The ensoniq use very
>>different technology and different memory locations.  Apple II
>>Mockingboard software would have to be completely rewritten to support
>>an ensoniq--even an ensoniq emulating a Mockingboard.
>
>    I've mentioned this little known fact many times before, but 
>the MDIdeas Christmas Jubebox player demo (circa 1986) allows the
>Ensoniq 5503 to emulate a Mockingboard through software. If you

I know that the forementioned software is available (more available 
with the 1WSW garbage added than in original form).  Yes, someone
hack the software to get the Mockingboard emulation routines out.
But, any Mockingboard-compatible programs would have to be rewritten
to use such a driver and not access the Mockingboard hardware
directly.

Am I not making any sense?  Apple II Mockingboard software was written
to access a slot-based Mockingboard.  Any Mockingboard software
would have to be rewritten to use the Ensoniq chip.  Hacking the
MDIdeas Christmas Demo will result in the drivers to make the
GS Ensoniq communicate like a Mockingboard.  There still needs to be
a way for the Mockingboard software to see the drivers.  Mockingboard
software was not written to see software sound drivers.  Hence, to use
the Mockingboard->Ensoniq driver, you will need to rewrite any 
Mockingboard-compatible software to use a sofware sound driver.

Geoff
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