======================================================================== Monster Sound, Windows 95/98 Upgrade Readme File (c) 1998, Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved ======================================================================== Upgrade Version 1.07 Upgrade Tips ------------ The included program f3Update.exe will upgrade the Monster Sound software on your system. To run f3Update, click on the Start task bar then select Run. Enter the full pathname to f3Update.exe, for example: "C:\Temp\f3Update". Click on OK then follow the on-screen instructions. Important - This is an upgrade utility only. You must have a working Monster Sound installation in order to upgrade to the latest software. Features -------- This release includes support for following functions and features: DirectSound DirectSound3D accelerated & enhanced via A3D Windows Multi-Waveout full duplex audio Windows MIDI (with wavetable daughter card) Windows Mixer Sound Blaster Emulation for DOS based games (in Windows DOS box) Accelerated Windows Gameport DX5 support, including hardware accelerated DS3D Support for multi-card installations Improved support for digital input devices Support for Windows 98 Digital Input Devices --------------------- This release provides improved support for digital input devices (joysticks, gamepads, etc.). Devices supported in this release include: * Microsoft SideWinder Digital devices * Logitech Wingman Extreme Digital * Gravis GRiP * Thrustmaster Digital devices Please refer to the file JoyStick.txt for important information regarding the installation and configuration of these digital devices when using the Monster Sound accelerated gameport. Tips and Hints -------------- 1) Battlezone: If you are using the game Battlezone from Activision, it is recommended that you leave the number of Sound Channels set to the game default value of 5. If you experience any slight distortion while playing the game, try decreasing the Monster Sound Acceleration Level by one or two notches. The Acceleration Level control is located on the Preferences page of the Monster Sound taskbar utility. 2) Incoming: If you are using the game Incoming from Rage, and you have the Midisoft Internet Sound Bar application running on the desk top, you may experience the error "CD Not Present". Try closing the Internet Sound Bar application prior to launching Incoming. 3) Unreal: If you are using Unreal from GT Interactive, you should disable the A3D Splash option located on the 3D Audio page of the Monster Sound taskbar applet. The A3D Splash can interfere with the full screen operation of the game. 4) Quake II from Id Software (and other applications which call certain sequences of DirectSound buffer intialization and subsequent format changes): Minor popping will be exhibited during application startup on Windows 98 systems, which is not heard under Windows 95. This is due to changes in Win98's DirectSound implementation. It is not related to the Monster Sound's hardware /software and will not affect actual gameplay. This problem will be addressed in a future release of Windows 98 and/or DirectX. Limitations ----------- 1) The Sound Blaster Emulation feature does not support FM or Gameport emulation. It is recommended that you keep your existing legacy audio card installed in your system for the best DOS application support. Revision History ---------------- v1.00 - Initial Monster Sound release v1.01 - Fixed intermittent audio startup problem - Fixed problem with "Myst" title - Fixed noise and looping sound problems exhibited by some DOS games (Duke3D, NHL97, Need for Speed, Doom2) - Corrected set position bug in DirectSound interface - Improved A3D splash operation v1.05 - Support for Monster Sound M80 product - Optimized DSP code (mixer, message port, stereo summer) - Migrated from A3D v1.0 to v1.1 - Fixed A3D attenuation bug in DSP code - Optimizations for A3D resource manager - Added multi-card support - Improved DOS virtualization - Fixed Misc. DOS game problems (Broderbund's Treehouse, Absolute Zero, Jane's LongBow) - Fixed Misc. Windows/DirectX game problems (MS Pinball, Jedi Knight) - Fixed numerous distortion problems caused by some games (Age of Empires) - Fixed DirectSound set output configuration bug - Fix for hang problems when sharing IRQ, especially with 100MBit ethernet cards - Fixed other misc. intermittent GPFs and system hangs - Improved DSP resource management - Numerous driver performance enhancements - Migrated from DX3.0 to DX5.0 - Added Support for true DS3D hardware acceleration (via DX5.0) - Fixed doppler and quad output problem in DS3D interface - Fixed another stereo phasing problem on audio startup - Fixed external MIDI loopback operation - Added digital joystick support (SideWinder, Gravis and Logitech devices) - Support recording at any rate (previously only supported 8K, 11K, 22K, and 44K) - Fixed analog mixer muting problem - Fixed Quad mode resource problem - Switched to Midisoft audio utilities v1.06 - Support for MX200, including 64 voice Dream Wavetable and effects - Support for optional 1819 CODEC - Fixed MIDI close problem - Supports multiple MIDI-out instances - Fixed problem supporting arbitrary sample rates - Fixed incorrect volume setting on first selection of Quad mode - Fixed DSP timeout problem - Fixed IRQ sharing problem in f3Init which would cause trace messages or hangs on system boot - Optimized DSP data transfer code - Added audio acceleration level slider - Fixed mixer volume related bug - Fixed GPF and distortion problems exhibited by some games (Battlezone) - Further improved DSP synchronization and resource management - Fixed system low power mode bug - Fixed DirectSound get and set output mode functions - Better error handling and reporting - Added Thrustmaster support - Migrated from A3D v1.1 to v1.2 - Improve looping buffer management in A3D resource manager - Improved A3D splash with output mode depiction - Fixed "Create Failed" bug in Midisoft utilities - Migrated from DX5.0 to DX5.2 v1.07 - Fix to allow speaker config from Win98 multimedia control panel - Optimized DSP CODEC routine - Migrated from A3D v1.2.9 to v1.2.12 - Fixed Win98 upgrade/install issues - Recovered some stream capacities lost in version 1.06 - Fixed problem introduced in Win98 that can cause popping in an uninitialized Direct Sound buffer For more information please refer to the Monster Sound on-line documentation. ======================================================================== All product names listed herein are trademarks or copyrights of their respective owners. ========================================================================