Soundscape S-2000 Release Notes

Date: 05/22/95
Version: 1.30.03

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Troubleshooting Information
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For up-to-date automated troubleshooting assistance, please call Ensoniq's
Fax-on-Demand service at 1-800-257-1439 from a touch-tone telephone.  
This service requires that you have access to a FAX machine.   Please request
document #7255 (Trouble Shooting Manual).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.30.03
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**SSInit**
SSInit now correctly handles board not detected errors.  The previous version
of SSInit would write out an incorrect value to the SNDSCAPE.INI file if the
Soundscape base address was not detected. 

**Windows Driver**
This version of the driver now correctly restores the Soundscape DOS 
interrupts after a Windows session.  The previous version of the drivers left 
the Soundscape board programmed with the Windows interrupts after exiting 
Windows.  The net result was that DOS games would not run after a Windows 
session unless the Soundscape board was re-initialized.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.30.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Installation**
The installation software now installs firmware that supports the Soundscape
ELITE card.

**Firmware**
The patches have been improved to support the addition of the effects daughter
card on the Soundscape II and Soundscape ELITE boards.

**Windows Driver**
The Windows driver is now backwards compatible with early Soundscape boards
having the TDA8421 tone control chip.  This backwards compatibility is activated
by the assignment IsDvb=Yes in the [sndscape.drv] section of the SYSTEM.INI
file.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.30.01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Installation**
The installation now supports the IDE Interface present on the
Soundscape II boards.

**Firmware**
The firmware now supports the Soundscape II ESP upgrade option.

**CDInst**
CDInst now supports the IDE interface present on the Soundscape II boards.

**Audiostation**
Audiostation now includes support for multiple CD-ROM drives.  To switch
between installed CD-ROM drives, select the spin control located to the right
of the Mode button.  The disk spin control will only appear if you have more
then one CD-ROM attached to your system.

**Windows Drivers**
The Windows driver now correctly handles games which leave the programmable
interrupt controller (PIC) unmasked.  Previously, certain games would leave the 
PIC in a state which, when going into Windows, caused the system to lockup.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.30.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Installation**
The uninstall program will now check for the SNDSCAPE environment variable
before running.  If it is not present, the uninstall will not run.  This
will prevent the program inadvertently deleting files.

The installation program copies the Windows directory location to your
SNDSCAPE.INI file.

**SSInit**
SSInit now needs to know where your Windows directory is located.  If it can not
find it, SSInit will prompt you to enter your current Windows directory.

**SSCD.SYS**
The SSCD program uses new command line arguments.  The previous version uses
the Port= argument to find the Soundscape base address.  The new version uses
/B:<base address>.  This is the only argument in SSCD.

**Makeboot**
There is a generic makeboot utility that will create a boot disk to initialize
the Soundscape card.  If you need to create a boot disk it is recommended that
you use this utility.

**Windows**
There is a new Windows driver included in this release.  This driver allows
DOS games to run in a DOS Box under Windows.  It will also fix any problems
associated with applications authored with the Director.

The driver has an on-line help associated with it.  Please consult the on-line
help for questions regarding driver configuration.

To access the driver setup, open the Control Panel and double click the
Soundscape icon.

**Audiostation**
There is a new version of Audiostation (1.78) that fixes incompatibilities
with some CD-ROM brands.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.25.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**OS/2 Support**
OS/2 Support has been implemented in this release.  The OS/2 drivers as well
as a README can be found on disk 2.

**Installation**

**Firmware**
The Sound Blaster emulation is now 2.0 compatible.  This fixes games that only
support SoundBlaster 2.0 or higher (Cyberia, Creature Shock).  It also will
clean up games that try to simulate the auto-restart capabilities of a Sound
Blaster 2.0 on earlier Sound Blaster models (i.e., Rebel Assault).  In some
games, it may be necessary to select Sound Blaster Pro to take advantage of
the additional 2.0 functions.

**SSInit**
The SSInit Exit dialog is more intuitive . Now, the only choices in the Exit
dialog are Accept or Discard changes.  In previous versions, when invoked,
SSInit would read in the current settings from the card and display the
Quick Setup dialog.  Then if the user selected Advanced it would discard any
changes made on this dialog and reload all the values from the SNDSCAPE.INI
file.  This has been a source of confusion for our customers.  In this version,
all settings are obtained from the SNDSCAPE.INI file and if the user selects
"Accept", upon exit the changes are written back out to the INI file.  If the
user selects "Discard," no changes are saved and the Soundscape card will be
left in the same state as when SSInit was invoked.

Detection of the Wave Port and Base Port is now done when SSInit is invoked OR
anytime you exit the Hardware settings page.  If either port fails detection,
SSInit will put the user back into the Hardware page. The user can then change
the Port and select OK or select Cancel to abort any changes.

**MT32 Utility**
The MT32 program will now set the Soundscape card to MT32 mode when invoked
without any arguments.

Example:
	 MT32       <- Sets the Soundscape card to MT32 mode
	 MT32 ON    <- Sets the Soundscape card to MT32 mode
	 MT32 OFF   <- Sets the Soundscape card back into the default (General MIDI) mode.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.20.04
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Installation**
Added a test for the PCI bus that will detect when the installation program is
first run if a PCI bus is installed in the system.  If a PCI bus is detected,
the installation program will ask the user if they wish to reconfigure their
interrupts to facilitate the PCI bus. (See Installation Notes 1.20.03 below).

**Firmware**
The Soundscape firmware files SNDSCAPE.CO0 and SNDSCAPE.CO1 are now 
generic.  This means that they can be used with all OEM versions of Ensoniq
Soundscape.  The impact of the generic firmware on the original OEM boards is
that use of the TDA8421 tone controller chip has been disabled.  This was done
because of increased code space as well as to facilitate faster development.

**SSInit**
The SSInit interface is now the same for all Soundscape OEM boards.  This can
be seen by bringing up the mixer.

The DMA test failed on some systems in v1.20.03.  It has been fixed in this
release.


**VSB**
Because of our changes in our Sound Blaster emulation code the following
files are no longer needed:
	VSB_EMM.COM
	EMM386.EXE
	MAKEBOOT.EXE
These can be removed from your Soundscape directory.

**Windows Drivers**
The Windows Driver is now generic.  To use it with OEM boards with the TDA8421, you must insert the line IsDvb=1 in the [sndscape.drv] section of your SYSTEM.INI file.  If necessary, this is done at boot time.

The compatibility problem with programs authored with the Directory v4.x
has been fixed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v 1.20.03
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Installation**
When you first run the installation program it will display a dialog
asking you if you have a PCI BIOS.  If you have a PCI BIOS or are unsure 
then you should change your default MIDI IRQ.  In most cases IRQ 10 is a
safe choice.

**Compatibility Note** 
Some older DOS programs (usually games) do not allow you to specify an 
alternate IRQ and assume IRQ 2/9.  If you have any software that does this 
then you will need to make a change in your BIOS.  Typically, the PCI BIOS 
allows you to allocate one or more IRQs for use with either the PCI bus or 
the ISA bus.  By default, many of the BIOSs use IRQ 9 as the PCI IRQ.  To 
resolve a conflict you must tell the PCI BIOS to use a different IRQ.

This can generally be accomplished by going to the PCI settings screen of
the BIOS setup program.  Once there, most setup programs give you a set of
IRQs that can be switched between the PCI bus and the ISA bus.  The basic
idea is to set IRQ 9 to the ISA bus and while each manufacturer may 
implement this differently the common selections are:

IRQ 9           ISA/PCI
IRQ 9           Available/Used -> where Used allocates the IRQ to the ISA 
					bus.
IRQ 9           Free/Used      -> where Used allocates the IRQ to the ISA
					bus.

For additional information consult the BIOS documentation that comes with
your PC.

 The software will remove any previous reference in your AUTOEXEC.BAT of
the following:
	SSINIT
	SNDSCAPE environment variable
	BLASTER environment variable

It will then place the new Soundscape startup information at the TOP of your 
AUTOEXEC.BAT.  

**Firmware**
The software now addresses the MIDI volume problem that was present 
in v1.20.0x.
In earlier versions of 1.20.0x if the synth volume was set to 0 occasionally 
you would hear buzzing from the synthesizer.

The MIDI routing bug in 1.20.0x has been fixed.
In earlier versions of 1.20.0x the ability to use an external synthesizer from
DOS was not implemented correctly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v1.20.02
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Installation**
Installation program will now check for a previous CD-ROM install.
If it detects Soundscape CD-ROM drivers in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT 
it will not overwrite them.

**SSInit**
SSInit now downloads both the General MIDI firmware and the FM firmware.  
Previous versions of Soundscape software required the Soundscape card
to be redownloaded when switching between GM and FM mode.  This is no longer 
necessary.

The SSInit command-line interface has changed.  To initialize the Soundscape
card type SSINIT /I.  This is done at boot-up time.

The Hardware Test page has changed.  To Test your current hardware
settings select Hardware Tests, then select either IRQ or DMA Test.  These
tests will show conflicts with the current hardware settings.  If there is a
conflict, it can be resolved by making changes on the Hardware Settings page
in SSInit.

The Synth Settings screen has been removed.

A MIDI Settings screen has been added to SSInit.  Under DOS MIDI data can go 
to either the internal synth or the external MIDI port. The MIDI settings 
screen allows you to route your MIDI data to either the Internal Synth or
External MIDI port.  The default for the MIDI routing is the Internal 
Synthesizer.

**MT32**
A new utility has been added to allow switching between the General MIDI patch
set and the MT32 patch set.  To switch between the patches you need to run 
the MT32 command.  The arguments for MT32 are as follows:

MT32 [ ON | OFF ] [ /? ]
Where ON switches to the MT32 patch set, OFF switches to the General MIDI set.
MT32 without any arguments returns the current patch set.


**Firmware**
The intermittent noise that was present in the 1.20.0x Sound Blaster emulation
has been eliminated. 

**Windows**
SSINITGM.DLL has changed to handle the new firmware.

TAPIPKB3.DRV has changed to handle the new firmware.


