Re: Wow, My GS made that noise?????

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article itsme <quantum@telis.org> writes...

>I was searching around my hard drive, and came across SynthLab.
>I had never run it before, so I launched it from the Finder.
>
>My computer sounds like a real piano.

    Well, it is somewhat recognizable as an attempt at mimicking a
piano, but sounds _nothing_ at all like the real thing. You should
listen to a Roland SCC-1 or Yamaha XG synthesize a piano, that is
pretty much identical to a real piano. :)

    Still, if you'd like to hear a better sounding piano from within
synthLAB (at least better than Apple's 'piano.bnk') go over to this
URL and try some samples I just uploaded of Jazz music using my own
custom piano patch:

ftp://ground.isca.uiowa.edu/apple2/upload/Nov97/jazzbank.shk

    It still sounds pretty awful compared with any modern wavetable
cards out there, but you should find it more realistic than what
you were listening to before. :)

>I have no sound cards installed, but awesome sound comes through
>the IIgs internal speaker.

    You do not require a sound card, the Apple IIgs already has an
Ensoniq 5503 synthesizer chip built-in. It was extremely impressive
when the GS was first introduced and continued to be so for a number
of years, but is rather obsolite these days. The only "sound card"
you would add is a stereo-output board to tap the left/right stereo
signal from the chip. The headphone port in back is monaural output
only, thanks to a major oversight by Apple.

    Even if you don't have a stereo output card, I'd highly suggest
using a pair of headphones or set of speakers. The internal speaker
isn't really meant for much more than outputing a few beeps or clicks
from 8-bit Apple IIe/IIc software. It is almost impossible to hear any
kind of bass through the internal speaker. You can even connect the
stock GS to a stereo system or TV/VCR with good speakers with a stereo 
patch cable (1/8" phono on one end that splits into dual RCA plugs).

>I know what the GS is for, and now I have seen (heard) the S used in a
>very impressive demonstration.
>
>Running SynthLab (on system 6.0.1 disks) turns the IIgs into a great music
>maker.
>
>What other sound/sound effect/music programs are available for the IIgs?

    Diversi-Tune and Sounsmith would be something you might want to have
a look at. If you'd like to try listening to module music files (know as
"MOD") download ShellPlay and give that a try. There are probably tens of
thousands of generic MOD music files out there you can play. MODs were
popular on the IIgs at one time as they could load in more than 64K worth
of instrument samples by swapping in and out of DOC-RAM.

>What program should I run to check out some Good graphics??

    Download something capable of displaying 3200 color picture format
(e.g. DreamVoir, 3200.View, PicView, FinderView, SuperView, etc). Then
download pictures from Caltech and Ground in directories labeled "3200"
(i.e. /Graphics/Pictures/3200) and you'll see the GS's video pushed to
its limits more or less.

    If you want to treat yourself to both an audio/visual show, go
over to Ninjaforce's web page (http://www.igd.fhg.de/~girschik/nfc)
and download any one of their demos; Clue's "Gimme A Clue" collection
of graphic art, also there, is also worth checking out. You might also
want to look on the major FTP sites for other European demos, such as
those done by the FTA.

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca