Re: CRAP Poll: My Mouse Is...

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sat, 01 Jun 2024 08:58:29 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

On Sat, 01 Jun 2024 05:48:11 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:
>

I had a SB16 ISA with Creative's WaveBlaster daughter card. Ha!

>
I remember the Waveblaster. If I didn't have the Roland card, I think
I would have had that instead.

I remember looking at the Waveblaster with some envy. Don't mistake
me, I was quite happy with my Gravis Ultrasound, but it was undeniably
falling behind the times, and compatibility issues were /always/ a
problem. While I was confident at the time that the GUS was superiour
technology -at least conceptually- it was getting harder to deny that
the Waveblaster offered better sound.

Really? I thought GUS had better audio than SB and its WB. I remember
playing classic DOOM 1 with a college guy's GUS. OMG esp. MIDI in E1M8
boss level. :O

The only reason I never purchased one was that I never actually saw it
sold in stores.

But by the time I was seriously considering switching, MIDI was
already on its way out, and MIDI 'softsynth' emulation was becoming
increasingly good, with the major downside being its uselessness
outside of the Windows environment. Over the years I purchased several
MIDI emulation packages (at least one from Yamaha, and one from Roland
that I recall), and they definitely sounded a lot better than my
Gravis.

Ultimately, even the Gravis became moot when TiMIDIty (a Gravis
Ultrasound soft-synth) was developed. It's still pretty good when
paired with 200MB patch-sets (although its limited effects mean it's
definitely inferior to 'proper' soft-synths).

Of course, these days the retro community is all about re-creating the
rough, artificially sounds of FM synthesis. Who wants music that
sounds like actual instruments when you can have something that
recreates the beeps and boops of yesteryear? ;-)

Do any of you still listen to MIDIs? I do once in a while: http://zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/files/music/music.html
That includes MOD, S3M, XM, IT, 669, FAR, etc. ;)
--
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." --Galatians 6:2. Slammy Monday?
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