#MM Extensions
4 messages in this thread
Bernie, I'm pretty sure that the MM Extensions will work without the
SoundBlaster but of course most of the extensions advantages is in the
audio area. There are some pretty stiff standards that the sound card has
to meet such as digital audio input/output etc, but other cards such as the
upcoming ADLIB Gold and a host of others will be able to use the
extensions. The difference between the Pro and SB is that the Pro has dual
DAC's for input/output and stereo and is 16 bit vice 8 bit. It also
samples at 44.1 kHz. The MM extensions allow multiple input sources, LINE,
MICROPHONE, CDROM and such. I didn't want to get CMS's proprietary
Panasonic drive as I had a drive already. It is an external unit and I
just plug the audio output from the drive into the LINE-IN inputs on the SB
PRO. The SB unfortunately only has a microphone input and so is not able
to input other audio sources. There are some other sound boards on the
market now besides the SB, SB Pro and ADLIB boards but I don't know their
capabilities regarding external input sources. Basically, what I'm saying
is that each vendor of MultiMedia hardware has the opportunity to write
drivers for their hardware and bundle it in with the core of MicroSoft MM
extensions. I think only because CMS has been involved from the beginning
with the development of the MM standard have they been able to be the first
hardware company to ship the extensions. I think they have a good product
at reasonable cost. The SB Pro is well thought out and has excellent MM
capabilities.
There is 1 Reply.
Actually, I think Mediavision (Pro Audio Spectrum-PAS) was the first to
ship the extensions.
I am curious, why do you need to put the audio out jacks from the CD to the
PRO? Just to play red book audio or to use it as an input source?
Do you have an opinion comparing this board to the PAS?
Did you have to purchase the extensions separately from the board purchase,
or are they now bundling them?
Thanks.
There is 1 Reply.
Neil, I use the audio ouputs from the CD player as an input to the Pro.
That's the fun thing to do with the sampling capabilities of the MM
extensions, the Pro, and Voyetra Jr. the MIDI S/W program that comes
bundled with th Pro. I use the onboard amplifier of the Pro do drive
speakers so I can listen to audio CD's while I compute. No, you can buy
just the extensions for $50 if you don't want the Pro or the CDROM drive.
I can't really comment on the PAS. I've never used one, though they seem to
work quite well in demos at computer stores. If you don't want the MIDI
capability I think the PAS is the better deal. All the current contenders
may have to take a back seat when the ADLIB Gold comes out. And then of
course, there's Turtle Beach, who really does multimedia justice because
they use real intrument sampling and not FM synthesis like all the other PC
sound boards. That is some serious hardware for the devout electronic
musician or professional audio engineer. Cheers, Keith ;-).
Neil,
Sorry to butt in but I've just finished installing a PAS card in my system.
While I'm sure other cards offer some (all?) of the PAS features, I have to
confess I'm very impressed with the card's capabilities. As I type this,
my Sony CD player is driving the "External In" jack, the classic PC error
"beeps" are seamlessly mixed into the audio out and, if I really wanted to
go crazy, I could start Mixed Up Mother Goose and mix the game audio with
everything else. I've also installed the SCSI CD-ROM driver extensions
(and associated I/O interface backplane connectors) and I am able to access
the CD-ROM through the MSCDEX extensions. The mixing capabilities of the
card are VERY good and the output to my Sony powered speakers rival a very
good-excellent audio system (i.e. minimal hiss, no audible distortion, etc.
which, considering all the other electronic "junk" undoubtedly lurking
inside my PC box, is no small accomplishment). In other words, the card
works as advertised and makes my old Soundblaster sound like a "Model T"!
–Dennis-