
                 Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd.

     Fax (604) 431-5155                   BBS  (604) 431-5927 V32bis
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     AOL: Adv Gravis                      Genie: Page M805 Topic 6

                   MEGA-EM VERSION 3.03b (BETA) - 03/17/95
                               USERS MANUAL
     Copyright (C) 1993-1995 by Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd.
                           All Rights Reserved


                 0.0 Beta release information
                 1.0 Legal Information
                 2.0 Introduction
                 3.0 Installation
                 4.0 Setup
                 5.0 Mega-Em Usage
                 6.0 Compatibility Problems With Various Software
                 7.0 Solutions to Commonly Encountered Problems
                 8.0 Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
                 9.0 Mega-Em Revision History

0.0 BETA RELEASE INFORMATION
-----------------------------

Thank you for trying this Beta release of Mega-Em. Please report any
problems you have via email to: jayeson@gravis.com

Some features of Mega-Em are still under development and are not required
to test the more complex components of Mega-Em. The main feature missing
is the Sound Blaster FM emulation.

When reporting bugs, please include information about what kind of
UltraSound you have (such as whether it is a MAX or ACE and if possible
the board revision number), what memory manager you are using, a brief
description of you system and if possible copies of your AUTOEXEC.BAT
and CONFIG.SYS.


1.0 LEGAL INFORMATION
----------------------

This software and documentation are protected by copyright law,
with all rights reserved. Copyright is held by:

Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd.
#101, 3750 North Fraser Way
Burnaby, B.C. V5J 5E9
CANADA

This software is provided as-is. Advanced Gravis makes no warranties,
express or implied, and does not warrant that the software will be fit
for any particular purpose. Advanced Gravis will in no event be liable
for loss of profits, nor incidental or consequential damages. You use
this software at your own risk.

This software may not be modified, disassembled or reverse engineered
in any way without written authorization from Advanced Gravis.

Mega-Em may be distributed in unmodified form freely to all Gravis
UltraSound owners, provided no charge is made for it, with the exclusion
of BBS (Bulletin Board System) service charges.

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.


2.0 INTRODUCTION
-----------------

Mega-Em is a software program which allows you to use your Gravis UltraSound
to emulate the following sound devices:

* Roland MT-32
* Roland Sound Canvas/General MIDI
* Roland MPU-401 MIDI interface
* Sound Blaster (Basic version only - not Sound Blaster Pro)

In addition Mega-Em can also to replace the UltraMID TSR.

Mega-Em effectively combines all previous UltraSound TSR programs - SBOS,
UltraMID and older versions (2.xx) of Mega-Em.

Mega-Em currently requires the following to function correctly:

* A 386 or better AT class personal computer.
* A hard drive.
* A Gravis UltraSound/MAX/ACE card.
* An Expanded Memory Manager, such as EMM386, QEMM386 or 386MAX.
* Approximately 128k of free Expanded Memory (EMS).
* DOS 3.3 or later (EMM386 must be from DOS 5.0 or later).

Mega-Em will not work in an OS/2 or Windows DOS box.


3.0 INSTALLATION
-----------------

If Mega-Em was installed with the rest of your UltraSound software Mega-Em
is already installed correctly and you do not read this chapter.

If you downloaded Mega-Em from a BBS, FTP site etc., follow the following
instructions:

Step 1. Change to the directory where your UltraSound software is
        installed. For example, if your UltraSound software is installed
        in C:\ULTRASND, type the following:

        C: <ENTER>
        CD \ULTRASND <ENTER>

Step 2. Unzip the Mega-Em distribution archive into this directory. For
        example if the archive is on a floppy disk in drive A:, you would
        type:

        PKUNZIP A:\MEGEM* <ENTER>

        If you are prompted with a message asking if you want to
        overwrite an existing file, press 'y'. Note that you will most
        likely overwrite an older version of Mega-Em.

Mega-Em is now installed and ready to use.

4.0 SETUP
----------

Unlike old versions, Mega-Em now has an interactive setup program. You
MUST set up Mega-Em before you can use it. If Mega-Em has not been set
up properly and you run MEGAEM.EXE, you will be forced into the setup
program. Alternatively you can run MESETUP.EXE to enter the setup.

The setup is self explanatory and will only be dealt with lightly here:

* Instructions on what keys to press are always listed at the bottom of
  the screen.

* Entering the configuration screen from the Main Menu is not compulsory.
  If you are configuring Mega-Em for the first time and just select
  "Save and Exit" you will configured with the default options.

* The default options will work for most users so don't change them
  unless you need to and understand what they do.


5.0 MEGA-EM USAGE
------------------

5.1  Overview
5.2  Command line options
5.3  Configuring Software For Use With Mega-Em


5.1 OVERVIEW

Before you can use any Roland or Sound Blaster software you must load
Mega-Em. You can do this from the command line by typing:

  MEGAEM <ENTER>

If you like, you can edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so Mega-Em will be
automatically load whenever you boot your computer. Just add the following
line to the end of your AUTOEXEC.BAT:

  MEGAEM

If you wish to use any command line options, type them after MEGAEM:

  MEGAEM [options] <ENTER>


Normally you can leave always leave Mega-Em loaded. Occasionally it may
interfere with other UltraSound software or you may wish to use another
UltraSound TSR (e.g. SBOS or UltraMID). If this happens, unload Mega-Em by
typing:

  MEGAEM -U <ENTER>

If you need to change Mega-Em's options just to run a particular piece of
software (such as Roland MT-32 software) you can invoke the interactive
menu by typing:

  MEGAEM -I <ENTER>

Any options you change will stay in effect until you run Mega-Em again.

If you run Windows in enhanced mode (usually this is the default mode)
Mega-Em will be automatically uninstalled. When you exit Windows you must
manually load Mega-Em again. Mega-Em will not be uninstalled if you run
Windows in standard mode (type WIN /S <ENTER>) however the UltraSound
Windows drivers will not work and you can NOT emulate a Roland or Sound
Blaster under Windows.


5.2  COMMAND LINE OPTIONS

Only a few of Mega-Em's options are configurable from the command line.
The rest you must configure from the interactive menu (see the -I option).

-? or -H      Displays the Mega-Em help screen.

-U or -F      Turn off emulation and uninstall Mega-Em from memory.

-SC or -GM    Selects Sound Canvas/General MIDI emulation (as opposed to
              MT-32 emulation). This is the default mode of operation
              for Mega-Em.

-MT           Selects MT-32 emulation (as opposed to Sound Canvas/General
              MIDI emulation).

-I or -ION    Runs Mega-Em in interactive mode. This option does nothing
              if Mega-Em is configured for interactive mode.

-IOFF         Disables interactive mode so Mega-Em runs in command line
              mode. This option does nothing if Mega-Em is configured for
              command line mode.

-Mxxx         Set music volume level (relative to master volume level).
              xxx = 1-100. The default level for Mega-Em is 80.

-Vxxx         Set master volume level. xxx = 1-100. The default level for
              Mega-Em is 100.


5.3 CONFIGURING YOUR SOFTWARE FOR USE WITH MEGA-EM.

Software programs are configured for different sound devices in many
different ways. Some will attempt to auto-detect sound devices and use
the best one it finds, others will prompt you during the running of the
program. Most common is the use of a setup program, usually called SETUP,
INSTALL or CONFIG. Others require you to delete a configuration file,
after which you will be able to change the configuration. For the correct
procedure for a specific program, you should consult the program's manual.

Before configuring your software, you should make sure Mega-Em is loaded.
If the program is of the type that auto-detects, just run it and it should
detect the devices Mega-Em is emulating. If you are prompted to select
one or more sound devices you should select them in the following order:

UltraSound
Sound Blaster (for Sound) and General MIDI (for Music)
Sound Blaster (for Sound) and Roland MT-32 (for Music)
Sound Blaster
General MIDI
Roland MT-32
AdLib

NOTES: 'Roland' without any model number usually refers to the MT-32.

       'FM' refers to AdLib/Sound Blaster music.

       The above order is occasionally not the best. If your selection
       sounds bad, try selecting a different sound device.

       If you have selected 'UltraSound' for one sound device, you MUST
       select 'UltraSound' or 'None' for any other sound devices. Mega-Em
       can NOT emulate sound devices while other UltraSound software is
       running.

Sometimes you will be prompted to enter your sound card settings. For
sound devices Mega-Em is emulating the settings are as follows:

  MIDI interface:              Roland MPU-401.
  Roland base address:         330 (hex) unless you changed it to 300 (hex)
                               in the Mega-Em Setup.
  Roland IRQ:                  2/9
  Sound Blaster base address:  The same as your UltraSound Base address
                               (usually 220).
  Sound Blaster IRQ:           The same as your UltraSound SB/MIDI IRQ. 
                               If you are unsure, type SET <ENTER> at the
                               DOS prompt. The last number on the line
                               starting with "ULTRASND=" is your Sound
                               Blaster IRQ.
  Sound Blaster DMA channel:   1

Your software should now be ready to run. The next time you run the software
make sure Mega-Em is loaded since many programs crash when configured for a
sound device that does not exist (or is not being emulated).


6.0 COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS WITH VARIOUS SOFTWARE
-------------------------------------------------

6.1    Software that requires 386 protected mode and can not run under a
       memory manager.
6.2    Software which is incompatible with Mega-Em.
  6.2.1  Incompatibilities with all of Mega-Em's Emulations.
  6.2.2  Incompatibilities with Roland Emulation
  6.2.3  Incompatibilities with Sound Blaster DAC Emulation.
6.3    Specific software with known compatibility problems.
  6.3.1  Harpoon (Roland)
  6.3.2  Darkseed (Sound Blaster DAC)
  6.3.3  Kings Quest I, Firehawk, Stellar 7 (Sound Blaster DAC)
  6.3.4  Microsoft Windows in Enhanced Mode.
  6.3.5  SBOS and UltraMID.
  6.4.6  Lemmings 2 (Roland).
  6.3.7  The Incredible Machine (General MIDI).
  6.3.8  Budokan (Roland).
  6.3.9  Vectordemo (Sound Blaster DAC)
  6.3.10 Older Sierra Titles (Sound Blaster DAC)
  6.3.11 Netroom 3
  6.3.12 NHL Hockey


6.1 SOFTWARE THAT REQUIRES 386 PROTECTED MODE AND CAN NOT RUN UNDER A
    MEMORY MANAGER.

Many high-end games use the 386 protected mode to achieve superior
performance. Some of these require full control of the system and
will not operate if the system is already in protected mode, such as when
a memory manager is loaded (excluding HIMEM.SYS and several shareware
EMMs).

Mega-Em uses the power of 386 protected mode for its emulation, and hence
the aforementioned games are not compatible with Mega-Em. Examples of
known games which exhibit such problems are CYBER RACE, COMANCHE and ULTIMA 7.

The only current solution is to use SBOS to emulate a Sound Blaster.


6.2 SOFTWARE WHICH IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH MEGA-EM.

6.2.1 INCOMPATIBILITIES WITH ALL OF MEGA-EM'S EMULATIONS.

 Software Title          Reason                         Solution

 Comanche                Protected mode conflict        Use SBOS
 Cyberrace               Protected mode conflict        Use SBOS
 Ultima 7                Protected mode conflict        Use SBOS
 Windows                 Protected mode conflict        Use UltraSound
                                                        Windows drivers

6.2.2 INCOMPATIBILITIES WITH ROLAND EMULATION.

 Software Title          Reason                         Solution

 Legend Text Adventures  Needs smart mode compatibility Configure for
                                                        Sound Blaster

6.2.3 INCOMPATIBILITIES WITH SOUND BLASTER DAC EMULATION.

 Software Title          Reason                       Solution

 NONE TO DATE


6.3 SPECIFIC SOFTWARE WITH KNOWN INCOMPATIBILITIES.

6.3.1 HARPOON (Roland).

While Harpoon does appear to have an MT-32 sound option, it does not
appear to use the Roland MPU-401 MIDI interface. Almost all other
software which supports Roland sound devices uses the MPU-401 interface.
Hence this is what Mega-Em uses for its emulation, and unfortunately is
not compatible with Harpoon.

6.3.2 DARKSEED (Sound Blaster DAC)

You may find Mega-Em gives unstable performance with Darkseed. The Sound
Blaster DAC drivers appear to be buggy. There is an update patch available
for Darkseed and this should correct any problems.

6.3.3 KINGS QUEST I, FIREHAWK, STELLAR 7 (Sound Blaster DAC)

These games are hard coded to use an IRQ of 7. If your Sound Blaster/MIDI
IRQ is not 7 they will not work.

6.3.5 SBOS AND ULTRAMID.

You must not load either Mega-Em, SBOS or UltraMID into memory at the same
time. Doing so results in the programs' trying to use the UltraSound at
the same time, resulting in impaired performance, and possibly a system
crash.

This should not prove to be a problem since all three programs can be
removed from memory to allow the loading of one of the others. To remove
Mega-Em from memory type MEGAEM -f. To remove SBOS from memory, type
SBOS -f. To remove UltraMID from memory, type ULTRAMID -f.

Mega-Em is designed to automatically remove UltraMID and SBOS from memory.
UltraMID is designed to automatically remove SBOS from memory.

6.3.8 BUDOKAN (Roland).

To use Budokan successfully with Mega-Em, you should load it by typing
BUDO Mt32 <ENTER>. If you choose Roland sound from within the game, you
may get no sound output, and the system may crash.

6.3.9 VECTORDEMO (Sound Blaster DAC)

This program may not always detect the Sound Blaster IRQ correctly. To
overcome the problem, you should always run the install section of the
demo before executing the demo.

6.3.11 NETROOM 3

Mega-Em is not compatible with Netroom's cloaking features. To disable
these features run CUSTOMIZ, select CUSTOM SETUP and turn of system and
video cloaking in the custom setup menu. Note that the cloaked utilities
(DPMI server, disk cache e.t.c.) supplied with Netroom can not be used
with Mega-Em.


7.0 SOLUTIONS TO COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS
-----------------------------------------------

PROBLEM:  When using Mega-Em, the sound is choppy or there is a lot of
          static and clicks.

SOLUTION: Many systems allow the ISA bus clock speed to be increased
          beyond the standard speed of 8 MHz. The Gravis UltraSound is
          designed to conform to the standard, and will not work reliably
          on systems with high bus clock speeds. You should be able to
          reduce the bus clock speed in one of your CMOS setup menus. The
          CMOS setup is usually accessible by rebooting your computer.

          Just because your other UltraSound software seems to be working
          correctly, this does not mean your bus speed is correct. However
          if you reduce your bus speed and this does not correct any
          problems, then feel free to put it back to its original setting.


8.0 ANSWERS TO COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
----------------------------------------

QUESTION: Could Mega-Em be modified so it does not require a 386 memory
          manager, and hence work with software such as Comanche,
          Ultima 7 etc. ?

ANSWER:   No. Mega-Em requires 386 protected mode for it's emulation to
          operate. It uses the memory manager as a means of entering
          protected mode, while still remaining compatible with a wide
          variety of software. Mega-Em can not work with the above
          mentioned software because they can not coexist with other
          protected mode software.


QUESTION: Well how come SBOS works with the above mentioned games?

ANSWER:   While SBOS is indeed a software emulator, it is hardware
          assisted by specific features built into the UltraSound card and
          makes no use of any protected mode features of the processor.


QUESTION: Can I have the source code?

ANSWER:   No.


QUESTION: Why doesn't Mega-Em support OS/2?

ANSWER:   Mega-Em requires operating system privileges to function. OS/2,
          like many multitasking operating systems will not allow DOS
          programs to gain these. Most DOS memory managers will. In addition
          OS/2 does not allow the systems NMI (non maskable interrupt) to be
          used, making it impossible for any DOS based software to emulate
          sound devices.


9.0 MEGA-EM REVISION HISTORY
-----------------------------

VERSION 3.03b (Beta)

* First release of the all-new, rewritten Mega-Em. Emulates Roland
  Sound Canvas/General MIDI/MT-32, Sound Blaster and UltraMID. Improvements
  over older (2.xx) versions of Mega-Em include compatibility with most
  protected mode software, interactive setup, single executable, better
  sounding patch set, faster loading time, allows UltraSound software to
  run at the same time as Mega-Em, automatic reloading of patch set when
  necessary, automatically unloads when Windows is run and automatically
  takes advantage of extra hardware (the 16 bit record/playback CODEC) on
  the UltraSound MAX. Sound Blaster music (FM) support is not included.


                          -- END OF FILE --
