

























                           THE SOUND BLASTER DIGEST

                  The Magazine for Sound Blaster Enthusiasts.

                     Published and Edited by Brad Barclay

                       Assistant Editor:  Karen O'Hearn

                         Music Director:  Kim O'Hearn

                    United States Support:  Bill Gallagher

                       September & October 1992 Edition

                                    TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                    =================
     
               Title:                                          Page:
               -----                                           ----
      
               From the Editor's Desk                            1
               The PC Sound Card Buyers Guide                    4 
               Special Preview: 
                    New Products from Creative Labs              6 
               Commercial Review: 
                    Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective        7 
               Official SBD Support BBS Registration             8 
               Planning A MultiMedia Presentation: 
                    Part I: What do you wish to accomplish, 
                    and how?                                     9 
               Subscription Info                                 11 
               The Wonderful World of MIDI                       12 
               Shareware Review:  OPL-2 Voice Editor             13 
               Contacting Us...                                  14 
               Official SBD BBS Listing                          15 
               Wrapping it Up                                    15 
      
      
         The Sound Blaster Digest (SBD) Copyright - 1992 Brad Barclay.  
                                              
        You may freely distribute this file, and all included files, to  
       whomever you wish, as long as it is not for profit, and that all  
      files are kept together.  The use of the SBD, in whole or in part,  
       for any other purpose is a criminal offence, and is punishable by  
        law.  This is not Public Domain text, nor is it Shareware.  The 
       SBD is a free publication, published six times a year.  If you have
     any questions or comments about our Copyright, or any part of the SBD, 
      please feel free to write to us at the address listed near the end  
                                 of this text. 
      
     Files included in this MultiMedia Windows edition of the Sound Blaster
     Digest:SBD20.TXT  SUBSCR.TXT  OFFBBS.TXT  REGBBS.TXT SBDBBS.TXT
THNKOFME.CMF 
                             VILLAGE.FRM VILLAGE.TXT                      Page 1
      
     From the Editor's Desk:
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
          No matter what you do with your computer, software makes the world
     go round.  It comes in many flavours and many forms, from the
     commercial software you buy off of your local store's shelf, to the
     public domain, shareware, and freeware you can find on your local BBS
     system.  No matter what you want to do, provided you have the hardware
     to match, you can almost always find the software you need quickly and
     easily, no matter where you are in the world. 
      
          The music card world is no exception to this great trove of
     software that is available at your fingertips.  Today's game is, with
     few exceptions, always Sound Blaster or at least Ad Lib compatible. 
     Utilities galore are available over various Bulletin Board Systems to
     do everything from edit and create your own instruments, to playing any
     type of music imaginable. 
      
          Music files themselves offer the greatest selection.  You can find
     just about everything from old Classical period music, right up to
     today's top 30 hits.  Thousands of files in scores of different file
     formats are available, and not very hard to find. 
      
          As to be expected, along with this great surge of music software
     that goes hand in hand with the great surge of music hardware that has
     hit the market recently, there are also various Music card magazines
     popping up around the country in just about as many different formats: 
     from standard text to publications that require Windows, to others in
     even more odd formats! 
      
          Which leads me to the main thrust of this month's Editorial. 
     Since our last issue, I have come across some new publications that
     concern themselves with various audio cards and MultiMedia itself.  As
     to be expected, some of these are very good, and some will disappear
     in a short time, while others are riding the wave that we here at the
     SOUND BLASTER DIGEST caused in the industry the past 2 years. 
      
          The first of these new magazines is called The Pro Audio Spectrum
     & MultiMedia Digest.  The author, a former SOUND BLASTER DIGEST reader
     himself, should be commended on his work.  The magazine itself seems to
     have some good direction and writing in it, and has began it's own
     small following.  I'm personally flattered that he publishes this
     digest of his own, in fact, as it would seem it was the SBD that
     started him on his way.  But I have to think about the title:  The Pro
     Audio Spectrum & MultiMedia Digest, The MultiMedia Sound Blaster
     Digest?  Sounds pretty close to me.  Plus the fact that both offer
     standard text and Windows editions, and the author even has a wife
     named Karen.  Well, I guess the latter can't really be considered
     plagiarism on his part (believe me, this comment is meant in all
     friendliness and best wishes to the author of the PAS & MM Digest, but
     if one can't make fun of his competition, then who can he make fun
     of?).                                                      Page 2
     
          As a policy, The Sound Blaster Digest welcomes new competition. 
     But just remember:  no matter how shaky our parent company WAFFER!
     MultiMedia Productions may sometimes seem, we've lasted for two years
     now, and have seen numerous of other online magazine come and go.  We
     plan on being here a very long time. 
      
          Hope you enjoy this issue of the Sound Blaster Digest!  Happy
     second birthday to us! 
      
      
                                                           Page 3
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     These prices include shipping UPS BLUE to the Continental USA 
     Sales Tax applies to CA Residents.  For more information call  The
     ToyStore BBS order line at (408) 432-6131 
                                  
     SoundBlaster Pro user finds CD-ROM Audio Cable!  $13.00 
      
     Do you have a SB-PRO and a 3rd party CD-ROM Drive? If you do, then you
     would probably want to be able to run the audio out of the CD into the
     SoundBlaster PRO internal CD audio connector so that you can Mix or
     Record the sound from it. We make cables for CHINON, NEC, SONY, and
     others. For more information CALL The ToyStore BBS at (408) 432-6131. 
     Or Send a check for $13.00 to The ToyStore BBS 52 Bonaventura Dr. San
     Jose CA. 95035 
                                                                        
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     (408) 956-1950 (510) 489-7740 
     (510) 796-6944 (408) 379-9895  
     (408) 956-19xx QuickComm 14.4k Members only line. 
                                                           Page 4
     The PC Sound Card Buyers Guide. 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
     By the America Online PC Music & Sound forum staff 
                         
          Not long ago, buying a sound card meant deciding between the
     original AdLib Music Card or Creative Labs' Sound Blaster.  The choice
     was simple: basic synthesized FM music, or FM music plus digital
     recording and playback. 
      
          But the competition is considerably stiffer these days!  And
     though there are a number of new sound cards that are compatible with
     the original mono Sound Blaster, the most interesting new products are
     stereo.  The Sound Blaster Pro (SB Pro) from Creative Labs, and
     MediaVision's Pro AudioSpectrum (PAS) have established stereo cards as
     a new minimum standard for most buyers. 
      
          Stereo FM music and stereo digital input/output are standard on
     all the new high-end cards. But extras like CD-ROM interfaces (SCSI or
     proprietary), different types of music synthesis, and software bundles
     can complicate the choice among competing products. 
      
          The sound card market has been flooded in the last several months
     with outstanding new hardware.  Among the recent introductions (just to
     name a few):  the new Gravis UltraSound;  MediaVision's Pro
     AudioSpectrum series;  Creative Labs' Sound Blaster Pro series;  ATI's
     Stereo F/X;  the on-again, off-again AdLib Gold series; and the
     high-end Turtle Beach Multisound. 
      
          So how do you decide?  With all of these choices, how do you know
     which PC audio hardware is best for you? 
      
          First, consider your goals.  For example, you wouldn't want to buy
     a VGA card that has a speed rating of "barely swifter than molasses" if
     you are a devout Windows user -- but a co-processed graphics card is a
     waste of money if you never use VGA graphics.  So, when evaluating an
     audio card, you have to consider both its capabilities and your needs. 
     Ask yourself a few questions, like: 
      
     - What do you want to use this card for? 
      
          If games are your bag, you will want to stay within the realm of
     Sound Blaster compatible music cards!  But if you are more concerned
     with multimedia or MIDI sequencing, obviously you may want to shift
     your view more to the PAS-16 or Turtle Beach Multisound end of the
     scale. 
                                                           Page 5 
     - How important is compatibility? 
      
          Again, if you are interested in sequencing MIDI songs and playing
     other peoples' MIDI music, you are definitely going to take this into
     consideration when making your purchase.  Game players may want to take
     a serious look at the SB Pro - which is currently the most widely
     supported stereo audio card. 
      
     - What about vendor support? 
      
          The Mondo AudioBuster sound card may be the hottest ticket in
     town, but if there are no companies supporting the product, you should
     cool your heels and watch the trends for a few months.  If the major
     industry software and/or hardware vendors are not supporting the
     product you have your eyes on, you will probably have a difficult time
     finding any software for your new goody. 
      
     - Is multimedia a factor? 
      
          If you plan to use a sound card for developing or presenting
     multimedia, compatibility with your presentation software is of
     paramount concern. Since most multimedia software runs under Windows,
     make sure to choose a card with Windows 3.1 compatibility. 
      
     - Is MIDI an important feature? 
      
          Although all of the sound cards mentioned  can be used to compose
     and play MIDI music, for serious MIDI sequencing you may want to
     consider the high-end Turtle Beach Multisound audio card or a dedicated
     MIDI interface/synth device like the Roland SCC-1. 
      
          When you've decided on your needs, it's time to start reading
     reviews, talking to computer hardware dealers, investigating all the
     nit-picking details, and asking LOTS of questions!  Be patient -- 
     chances are, you'll only be buying one sound card for the next two or
     three years, so you certainly aren't going to be happy if you rush out
     and buy a product that becomes obsolete before it is six months old. 
      
          Don't try to be the first person on your block to get the newest
     whiz-bang sound card or you may get stuck with hardware that garners no
     third party support.  And remember the PC Music & Sound Forum's motto: 
      
          "The best specs in the world don't mean diddly if the card won't  
           work with your software!!!" 
      
                                                                Page 6
      
     Special Preview:  New Products from Creative Labs! 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
     
     Creative Labs Unveils New Products: 
      
          Creative Labs, the maker of the world-famous Sound Blaster PC
     audio card, has just released 3 new sound peripherals.  The Port
     Blaster (priced at $199), the MIDI Blaster (priced at $499), and the
     much awaited Sound Blaster 16 (notice it's not called the Sound Blaster
     Pro 16) (priced at $349). All prices are in US Funds, of course. 
     
          The Sound Blaster 16 is fully Sound Blaster Pro compatible.  It
     features the OPL3 20-voice stereo FM chip, mixer, 4 watts per channel
     amplifier, MIDI port, microphone & stereo line-in jacks, and volume
     controls.  None of this are earth-shaking changes.  The only major
     change is that digital capabilities have been increased to full 16-bit
     44.1 Khz stereo sampling & playback for optimal CD-quality sound.  One
     mail-order store sells this card for a low $189.  So many Creative Labs
     fans will like this card. 
      
          The MIDI Blaster is something entirely new that wasn't very well
     documented It's an external device that meets general MIDI
     specifications and provides PCM (pulse-code modulation) wave-sampled
     instruments sounds with 20 instrument polyphony and presets that
     feature 128 sounds, 33 effects, and 55 drums.  Judging from the price,
     I suspect that this is module that was rumoured to have the Proteus EMU
     synthesizer. 
      
          The Port Blaster is a version of the Sound Blaster Pro that plugs
     in the parallel port.  It has practically all the features that the
     regular SB Pro has.  8-bit stereo sound, OPL3 chip, mixer, everything
     that's significant. I'm not sure, but I don't think that it has the
     SCSI port because it plugs into the parallel port but it does have a
     MIDI port.  At this price, I suspect that Creative Labs is offering a
     real deal. 
      
      
                                                            Page 7

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                              --------------------
      
     Commercial Review: 
     Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective CD-ROM 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
     Written by ICOM Simulations Inc. 
      
     Reviewed by Brad Barclay. 
      
          As the title implies, in Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective you
     play the part of the most famous fictional detective in the world.  You
     have three different mysteries to solve:  The Case of the Mummy's
     Curse, The Case of the Mystified Murderess, and The Case of the Tin
     Soldier. 
      
          This game is quite unique from all of the other MultiMedia CD-ROM
     games thus far reviewed in the Sound Blaster Digest in that it uses
     digitized audio and video as the main focus of the game itself.   
      
          Each mystery starts off with an introduction movie:  a digitized
     video of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, along with a guest or two, talking
     amongst themselves, much like watching a television show or a movie at
     your local theatre.  But the difference in this game is that you have
     full control over where Holmes and Watson go, and whom they speak with. 
     Each selecting bring up another video, along with full audio.  The
     player picks up clues as they speak with various suspects, and inspect
     various places and objects.  Once enough clues have been picked up inPage 8
     
     order to solve the mystery, the player goes to the court of London in
     order to plead their case in front of a judge.  The player is then
     asked various questions (assuming that there is enough evidence to
     warrant a trial) to show that they have interpreted the clues correctly
     in order to fully solve the case. 
      
          Each video is shown in a window in the middle of the computer
     screen.  The game itself uses a resolution of 320 x 200, with 256
     colours, and thus requires at least a standard VGA adaptor and monitor
     to display correctly.  Although this resolution may seem to be quite
     low, the quality of the digital video along with the fast screen
     updates fools the eye into thinking that there is more detail than
     there really is. 
      
      
          The user interface is quite simple indeed.  The game utilizes a
     Graphical User Interface with the minimal number of buttons or
     selections.  The game is extremely simple to navigate using the mouse
     (which is required to play Sherlock), and even a novice computer user
     can begin to enjoy this game with a minimal amount of effort. 
      
          The acting itself is quite good.  It is obvious that every effort
     was made by Icom to hire the best quality actors it could.  The
     mysteries and scenes themselves are always quite believable. 
      
          In conclusion, this game is really a must for anyone who enjoys a
     good mystery, and especially those who enjoy reading about the
     adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 
      
                              --------------------
      
      
     Official SBD Support BBS's: 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
          You may notice that later on in this issue, we have included a
     special listing of Official SBD Support BBS's.  What does this mean? 
      
          The Official SBD Distribution BBS's are a group of bulletin board
     systems around the world which receive a copy of the SBD on the day of
     it's official release, straight from SBD Head Office.  These BBS
     systems are guaranteed to have the SBD on the day it's released, and
     these files are guaranteed to be the exact official SBD distribution
     files, guaranteeing you, the reader, with fast, free* copies of the
     SBD. 
      
          If you are the sysop of a BBS system and are interested in
     becoming an Official SBD Distribution BBS, fill out the form included
     in this edition of the SBD along with a cheque or money order for $100
     CDN (Yes, we've reduced our rate from $120!), payable on a Canadian
     bank.  In order to fully qualify for Official SBD Distribution status,
     you must be able to provide the SBD for free to all users, and the SBDPage 9
     
     must be available for download on a users first call.  When you
     register your BBS system with the SBD, you'll be added to our list,
     and will receive the SBD 6 times a year, right on the official
     distribution date.  You and your users will also receive special bonus
     files, and special discounts to special offers from the SBD.  The staff
     of the SBD will also be available for your users to leave messages to
     and ask questions of.  For more details on this special service, please
     contact the SBD Head Office.  See Contacting Us... below for more
     information on how to contact our head office. 
      
     NOTE:     BBS Sysops that advertise with the SBD will receive free
               Official Distribution status for each month that they
               advertise with us. 
      
     * Calling users may have to absorb any charges incurred from
       long-distance calling.  Contact your local telephone utility for  
       information on long distance charges and calling. 
      
                              -------------------- 
      
     Planning a MultiMedia Presentation 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
     
     Part I: What do you wish to accomplish, and how? 
      
     Written by Brad Barclay. 
      
          MultiMedia has became quite the catch word these days.  Everyone
     is wanting to get in on the act, and MultiMedia presentations is
     quickly becoming the advertising medium of the 90's.  The ability for a
     company to produce full-featured presentations for training sessions,
     interactive tutorials, or self-running demonstrations for trade shows
     has became quite the interesting prospect indeed.  Displays can be
     designed in-house by existing staff, who in many cases don't even need
     to know how to program a computer to design a presentation.  All it
     takes is the right equipment, a little time, and knowledge of the
     product or service that you're trying to advertise.  This is the first
     article of a multi-part series which will deal with how to design,
     implement and finally present a MultiMedia presentation of your own. 
     0In this first part we will begin with the concepts and ideas that you
     wish to convey, and how to go about organizing them into a coherent
     concept before begin actually designing the display. 
      
          The first thing one should establish before beginning to design a
     MultiMedia presentation is what it is that they wish to accomplish by
     designing the presentation.  Do you wish to inform an audience of some
     fact or idea?  Do you wish to advertise a product or service? Are your
     intentions to educate the viewers?  
      
          The second thing to identify in the design of your MultiMedia
     presentation is your target group.   Are you targeting a small group,
     or a large group?  Are you targeting business groups, educational    Page 10
     
     groups, students, professionals, interest groups, or any other group
     of people?  Or perhaps you will be targeting a varied group of people. 
     Do you expect this group to know or understand the basics of the idea
     or concept that you wish to convey?  What level of understanding will
     your audience have?  This can be a big factor in your decisions on how
     to design your presentation.  If you expect your audience to be 
     perhaps of the professional sort that have a good understanding your
     the idea or concept that you wish to convey, you will probably wish to
     concentrate on expanding upon the basics of the concept or idea:  by
     going over the basics which the group already knows, you can make a
     presentation uninteresting.  On the other hand, if you expect your
     target group to be of a basic or unknown level of understanding on the
     concept or idea you're presenting, a preview of the basics may be a
     better idea, with a look into some of the more advanced aspects of your
     concept for those who catch on quickly.  For example, if you're trying
     to sell a new computerized stitching machine to a group of clothing
     manufacturers, it is probably best to show them many of the technical
     aspects of your equipment.  But doing a presentation of the same
     product with the same intentions (to sell your machine) to a group of
     people who enjoy sewing as a hobby, you would probably want to
     demonstrate how your product is useful, without going into the
     complexities of interfacing with a computer, or how the software was
     programmed. 
      
          Lastly, you must decide what sort of format your presentation will
     take on.  Will the presentation be a self-running demonstration, or
     will it be interactive?  Self-running displays are good when you wish
     to address a group of people at once, but an interactive display is
     better suited if you expect only one or two people to participate in
     your display at any one time. 
      
          When trying to answer these questions, always remember this one
     simple idea:  to get people interested in what you wish to convey, you
     must catch their interest, and give them some way of participating in
     what your display has to offer.  Your display should be able to answer
     many of your audiences questions, and to do this one must attempt to
     think like their audience when planning their display.   Again, an
     accurate estimation of the knowledge of your audience is the key to
     success. 
      
          Next issue we'll deal with planning the actual display itself: 
     how to segment it into scenes, how to convey your ideas within each
     scene, and how to maximize the use of audio and video to capture and
     keep your audience's attention. 
                                                           Page 11 
      
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                                            Education, Newsletters     
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                              ____________________ 
      
      
     Subscriptions to the SBD
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 
      
          The Sound Blaster Digest is available in over 15 countries around
     the world, on many of the planet's best bulletin board systems.  Sadly,
     in many areas the SBD is very difficult to find on a regular basis, if
     at all.   In addition to this, it sometimes occurs that the reader is
     just unable to find the issue or version (either Windows or Text) that
     they want. 
      
          For those readers who have problems in receiving the SBD, look no
     further.  The Sound Blaster Digest offers a new and improved
     subscription service!  Once every two months another new and wonderful
     edition of the Sound Blaster Digest is sent to your mailing address,
     including both the Text and Windows issues on a single diskette in
     either 3.5" or 5.25" diskette format.  You will receive 6 issues in
     all, and if you wish to continue to subscribe after the year is over,
     you will be able to at a reduced rate. 
                                                                Page 12
     
          Here is a listing of our Subscription rates as of September 1st,
     1992: 
      
                    Within Canada:           $30 
                    Within North America:    $35 
                    All Other Areas:         $40 
      
          All prices are listed in Canadian dollars.  Orders from outside of
     North America, please be sure to make all cheques or money orders
     payable on a Canadian or US bank.  All other cheques and money orders
     will be returned to the sender.  If you are unsure on how to send an
     international cheque or money order payable on a Canadian bank, please
     contact your local banking branch. 
      
                              ____________________ 
      
      
     The Wonderful World of MIDI
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
     Written by Cory Mistysyn. 
      
     (Editor's Note:  Valli Persad, our regular MIDI columnist will be back
     with another of his famous MIDI columns in our next issue.  Until then,
     Valli has designated Cory to take over the reins for a month.  This is
     Cory's first article with the Sound Blaster Digest). 
      
          Ever since the PC was introduced to the world, its wonderful world
     of sound has grown and is now becoming so large, both as a concept and
     a global product, that one's household will soon be incomplete without
     it. This "world" I speak of was a miracle to the human ear when it
     could listen to beeps and high-to-low tones only a few short decades
     ago. 
      
          Today, who is going to sit down at their home computer to listen
     to beeps and other computerized sounds?  There is no miracle in that
     anymore, as it has been replaced by Sound Blasters, CD-audio, MIDI
     (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), and the list of audio products
     go on and on.    In the early 1980's, the first standard MIDI product
     was introduced. Ever since, its attractive functions and capabilities
     have resulted into a growing curiosity and time-eating hobby for MIDI
     users. MIDI products have swept the music industry.   This is a
     wonderful thing to hear after realizing the IBM PC was originally
     designed to be a business machine.  
      
          Now, why add sound to your PC?  Maybe you haven't had the
     privilege to play a game or two with Sound Blaster quality music and
     sound.  Do you only have  a PC speaker?  No PC speaker's limited sound
     will ever come near to matching the Sound Blaster's sound capabilities,
     such as playing .VOC files.  You get more static and/or pauses while
     the .VOC is loaded bit by bit in the middle of the audio playback. 
     This does depend on your .VOC-playing program, but it still does not Page 13
     
     reach SB standards.   The same applies to .MOD files; and, as far as I
     know, .ROL, .CMF, and many other file types will not run through PC
     Speaker.  
      
          Well, I guess I've babbled long enough.. I hope you enjoyed this
     article, and I also hope it has aided you in any possible decision
     concerning today's PC's numerous sound capabilities. 
      
                              ____________________ 
      
      
     Shareware Review:  Opl-2 Voice Editor 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
     Software by Jesper Hanson 
      
     Reviewed by Brad Barclay 
      
          At last, a shareware program for editing and creating your own
     instruments for any Ad Lib or Sound Blaster compatible audio card! 
     This excellent piece of software allows nearly anyone to design their
     own instruments quickly and easily. 
      
          The software is really quite easy to use, even if one doesn't know
     what all the different settings are for.  Requiring at least VGA (and
     making full use of it's 640 x 480 resolution with 16 colours), an Ad
     Lib compatible audio card, and a mouse, this software is easy to use
     and quite informative too. 
      
          The screen is split into two sides:  one for editing the carrier,
     and one for editing the modulator.  Each side of the screen has a
     window showing a colourful graph of your audio information.  Everything
     is manipulated by clicking on various buttons on turn a function on or
     off, along with increasing or decreasing the value of many other
     variables. 
      
          Both drum mode and instrument modes are supported, with two
     buttons on the screen allowing the user to playback a single note of
     their newly designed instrument, or to play the whole scale using their
     instrument.  These two features help an instrument designer to
     fine-tune their creations.  Also supported is a MIDI load option for
     loading in a simple MIDI song file in .TRK format (this is a single
     track MIDI format file with an optional drum track on track 16, renamed
     with an extension of .TRK) for playing back a simple song while
     utilizing your new instrument.  This feature is extremely helpful when
     you're trying to choose just the perfect instrument for your .ROL or
     .CMF song file creation:  by listening to the song with a selected
     instrument, you can fine tune it until it fits into your song
     perfectly. 
                                                                Page 14
      
          The included documentation does very well to go into the extreme
     complexities of FM synthesis, with examples and explanations as to how
     all the information contained in the instrument file is used to
     generate the final instrument.  Also included is the actual file format
     for .INS files. 
      
          About my only complaints about this software is in it's lack of
     ability to work with Sound Blaster .SBI files, and it's lack of being
     able to read and write instruments to and from a .BNK instrument bank
     file.  These two simple features would make the software even more
     useful for creating your own instruments.  The documentation included
     with the software states that an OPL-3 version is in the works for the
     new Sound Blaster Pro series. 
      
          Overall, this is an excellent piece of software, and is a must for
     every serious music programmer.  It's ease of use and well thought out
     interface make it more than a capable instrument editor. 
      
                              ____________________ 
      
     Contacting Us... 
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
      
          We enjoy hearing from our readers, and we are always willing to
     accept submissions by readers.  If you wish to contact us at the Sound
     Blaster Digest, the following information should make it a whole lot
     easier. 
      
     By mail, print out the included envelope and attach sufficient postage. 
     Or write to us at: 
      
                            The Sound Blaster Digest 
                                36 Sutter Avenue 
                               Brampton, Ontario 
                                CANADA  L6Z 1G7 
                                                                Page 15
     By phone, call voice by calling: 
      
                                 (416) 840-0104 
      
      
     You may also E-mail the SBD at the following InterNet address: 
      
                           InterNet:  sbdbrad@aol.com 
                                         
     You may also leave E-Mail to the SBD on any of our Official Support
     BBS's.  Please address all messages to Brad Barclay.  Please see the
     next article for our listing of Official Support BBS's. 
      
                             _____________________ 
      
      
     Official Sound Blaster Digest BBS's: 
      
     Listing for November 1992 to December 1992 inclusive: 
      
     NAME:                         NUMBER:             CITY: 
      
     America OnLine                see below*          Vienna, VA 
     Pigbreath Media BBS           (416) 690-8080      Toronto, ON 
     SBD Support BBS               (416) 840-2485      Brampton, ON 
     Sight & Sound BBS             (204)-633-2364      Winnipeg, MB 
     Super SONIC BBS               (416) 225-8942      Willowdale, ON 
     The Toystore BBS              (408) 432-6061      San Jose, CA 
     The Virtual Village BBS       (416) 538-9999      Toronto, ON 
       
     * For a free America Online Starter Kit or more information, call
       (800) 827-6364 
      
                              ____________________ 
      
     Wrapping It Up:
     =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 
      
          Well, this December 1st marks the second anniversary of our first
     edition of the Sound Blaster Digest.   Many people have put in many
     hours and days of their time into producing the 20 issues we currently
     have available to the public, and I'd like it be know that without
     their efforts, we may have never made it to where we are today. 
      
          Upcoming SBD events to watch for:  Media Television, a production
     of Toronto's hottest television station, City TV has expressed an
     interest in doing a report on the SBD.  If this goes through to it's
     completion, we'll be sure to provide the time and date of the telecast
     on many BBS systems in the Toronto area.  Also, be watching next issue
     for our SBD Demo Tape, Volume II.  Yes, we know it's been promised for
     a long time, but by next issue it will be available to the general
     public. 
                                                                Page 16
     
          Also, before we sign-off for this issue of the Digest, I would
     like to welcome on a new addition to the SBD team:  Mike Stafford, who
     will be in charge of disk duplication and distribution.  Also, Karen
     O'Hearn will become a more active member of the Digest team, utilizing
     her free time to go towards Subscription distribution.  Karen has been
     with the SBD since issue #3. 
      
          Thanks again for reading the Sound Blaster Digest.  Deadline for
     submissions for issue #21 is Sunday, December 20th, 1992.  Issue #21
     will be released on Sunday, January 3rd, 1993.  Hope to see you then! 
      
                                        Brad Barclay 
                                        Publisher of the SBD 
     