       Frequently Asked Questions for SB AWE64/AWE 64 Gold
       ===================================================

  This  is  a frequently asked question document for the Creative
  SB  AWE64/AWE64  Gold sound cards. In this document,  SB  AWE64
  and  SB  AWE64  Gold are collectively known as SB AWE64  unless
  otherwise  specify. If you have a question, please  check  this
  file  before calling Creative Technical Support as you may find
  the answer contained in this document.

  This FAQ is organized into the following sections:

       [A]  SB AWE64 in General
       [B]  SoundFont(TM) Banks
       [C]  How do I ...

  Before you continue ...

  This  document  assumes you have a basic understanding  of  how
  MIDI  works,  the different MIDI messages, and  how  your  MIDI
  sequencer  works.  If you are not familiar with  these  topics,
  please  consider  consulting a friend who has  experience  with
  MIDI, or consulting books on MIDI.

  Contents
  ========

  Section A - SB AWE64 in general
  -------------------------------
  1. How does SB AWE64 differ from the SB AWE32/SB32?
  2. What are the differences between AWE64 and AWE64 Gold?
  3. Can I upgrade the memory on my SB AWE64 card?
  4. What are the uses of the DRAM on the SB AWE64?
  5. Would adding DRAM to the SB AWE64 increase the performance
     of WAVE file editing or manipulation?
  6. What MIDI sequencers will work with SB AWE64? Are special
     drivers required?
  7. What is 'CC0' documented in Appendix of SB AWE64 manual?
     How are these variation tones accessed?
  8. What 'drum kits' are available in GS mode?
  9. Does the SB AWE64 respond to MIDI Aftertouch?
  10. My PC system does not have a working NMI. What can I do to
      use AWEUTIL?
  11. Is there a WaveBlaster upgrade option on the SB AWE64?
  12. Is it possible to load AWEUTIL into high memory?
  13. Does AWEUTIL have to stay memory resident?
  14. Will software written for the SB AWE32 work with the SB
      AWE64?
  15. What are the different reverb and chorus variations
      available on the SB AWE64?

  Section B - SoundFont Bank
  --------------------------
  1. What are SoundFont collections?
  2. How do SoundFont banks work?
  3. What can I do with SoundFont Banks?
  4. Will having more memory on the SB AWE64 improve the sound
     quality ?

  Section C - How Do I ...
  ------------------------
  1. How do I make use of RPN documented in the SB AWE64 MIDI
     Implementation chart?
  2. How do I select the SB AWE64's reverb and chorus variation
     type through MIDI?
  3. How can I maximize my system's memory so that I still have
     plenty of room to run games after installing the SB AWE64?
  4. How do I load a SoundFont bank?
  5. How do I setup my sequencer software to access the user
     bank that I have downloaded into the RAM ?
  6. How do I get the latest drivers for the SB AWE64?

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Section A - SB AWE64 in general
  ===============================
  
  1.   How does SB AWE64 differ from the SB AWE32/SB32?
  
        The  SB AWE64 has additional 32 polyphony compare  to  SB
  AWE32/SB32.  The EMU8000 synthesizer that is used on  SB  AWE64
  and  SB  AWE32  family cards provide up to  32  polyphony.  The
  additional   32   polyphony  is  implemented   using   Creative
  WaveSynth/WG.
  
  
  2.   What are the differences between AWE64 and AWE64 Gold?
  
        Below  is  a simplify comparison chart between these  two
  cards :
  
                          AWE64   AWE64 Gold
                          =====   ==========
     1)SPDIF connector    No      Yes
     2)Onboard RAM        0.5 MB  4 MB
     3)Power Amp          Yes     No
     4)Line Out           Yes     No
     5)RCA out            No      Yes
  

  3.   Can I upgrade the memory on my SB AWE64 card?
  
        The  Sound  Blaster AWE64 has memory header  socket  that
  allow  user  to upgrade special memory module by  Creative.  It
  can be upgraded up to maximum of 28MB RAM.
  
  
  4.   What are the uses of the DRAM on the SB AWE64?
  
        The  on-board DRAM is used to hold samples.  In  GS/MT-32
  synthesizer  mode,  it  is used to hold the  sound  effects  of
  GS/MT-32. In GM synthesizer mode, the DRAM is free, so  it  can
  hold  SoundFont  banks  containing samples.  Applications  that
  support  3D Positional Audio will download 3D sound sources  to
  the DRAM also.
  
  
  5.   Would adding DRAM to the SB AWE64 increase the performance
  of WAVE file editing or manipulation?
  
        Addition  of  DRAM  to the SB AWE64  will  allow  you  to
  accommodate more SoundFont bank data. This, however,  will  not
  increase  the  performance of WAVE file editing or manipulation
  as the latter does not make use of the DRAM on the SB AWE64.
  

  6.    What MIDI sequencers will work with SB AWE64? Are special
  drivers required?
  
        The  AWE  package ships with a Windows AWE  MIDI  driver.
  Therefore,  the  AWE  can be used with any Windows  based  MIDI
  sequencer  software. For DOS, the sequencer software  needs  to
  have native AWE support.
  

  7.   What is 'CC0' documented in Appendix of SB AWE64 manual? How
  are these variation tones accessed?
  
        CC0  is  short form for Continuous Controller  0  (zero),
  which is MIDI Bank Change.
  
        The SB AWE offers Sound Canvas compatibility by including
  the  user bank instruments found on the Sound Canvas. User bank
  instruments  are  simply instruments  of  a  similar  class  or
  variation.  For example, General MIDI instrument number  25  is
  the Steel Acoustic Guitar, and its variation is the Ukulele.
  
        A  user  bank  tone is just like any other  General  MIDI
  instrument. Take for example the Ukulele variation  tone.  Lets
  assume  you  are  currently doing MIDI editing  under  Cakewalk
  Apprentice, and you sequenced a track that uses Steel  Acoustic
  Guitar.  You  play  the track back, and  feel  that  the  Steel
  Acoustic  Guitar does not quite cut it, so you decide  to  give
  Ukulele  a try. What you would need to do is to insert  a  MIDI
  bank  change  of  value 8 (the user bank for Ukulele)  in  that
  track,  follow  immediately by a program change  of  25  (Steel
  Acoustic Guitar) to select the user bank tone.
  
        What  you  have  just accomplished is  to  set  the  MIDI
  channel  in  which  the  Steel Acoustic  Guitar  instrument  is
  playing to the user bank instrument 'Ukulele'.
  
          
  8.   What 'drum kits' are available in GS mode?
  
        A  drum  kit  is  a collection of percussive  instruments
  (snare  drum, bass drum, hi-hats) laid across the  entire  MIDI
  keyboard.  Under General MIDI, MIDI channel 10 is reserved  for
  percussion  instruments. General MIDI  defines  only  one  drum
  kit,  which is the Standard Kit. Under the 'GM' synth  mode  of
  the  SB AWE, channel 10 automatically uses the 'Standard  Kit'.
  MIDI  music  would be very boring if everybody  used  the  same
  drum  kit in every MIDI song. Imagine all MIDI songs using  the
  same  snare drum and the same bass drum, and you will  have  an
  idea of how similar every MIDI song will sound.
          
        Under  the  'GS' synth mode of the SB AWE  there  are  11
  (including the Standard Drum Kit) different drum kits  you  can
  use on MIDI Channel 10. These drum kits are:
  
     Name         Program   Description
                  Number
     Standard/              Standard  General  MIDI  drum   kit.
     Jazz         0/32      Jazz  is  similar  to  the  Standard
                            drum kit.
     Room         8         Similar to that of the Standard  kit
                            except   that  it  has   more   room
                            ambiance.
     Power        16        Again   similar  to  that   of   the
                            Standard  kit, but with  more  power
                            kick and snare drums.
     Electronic   24        Electronic  drum kit.  Most  of  the
                            percussion instruments in this  drum
                            kit    are   reminiscence   of   old
                            analogue    and    digital    rhythm
                            machines (such as the Roland  TR-707
                            and TR-909 rhythm machine)
     TR-808       25        Electronic  drum  kit,  reminiscence
                            of    the   Roland   TR-808   rhythm
                            machine.
     Brush        40        Similar  to the Standard kit  except
                            that  brushes have been added.  This
                            kit  is  mostly used for  Jazz  MIDI
                            pieces.
     Orchestra    48        An  immense  collection  of  concert
                            drums and timpani.
     SFX          56        A collection of Sound Effects.
     CM-64/32L    127       Same  as the Roland MT-32 drum  kit.
                            This   drum  kit  contains  standard
                            percussion  at  the lower  range  of
                            the  keyboard, and sound effects  at
                            the higher range of the keyboard.
  
     
        Drum  kits are very easy to access under MIDI. Each  drum
  kit  is essentially an instrument and you select a drum kit  by
  selecting an instrument, just as if you would select a  melodic
  instrument. For example, if you want to select the TR-808,  all
  you  have  to do is to perform a program change to 25  on  MIDI
  channel  10.  After  the program change, all percussion  sounds
  will be played back through the TR-808 drum kit.
  
  
  9.   Does the SB AWE64 respond to MIDI Aftertouch?
  
       Yes. SB AWE Windows MIDI driver support MIDI Aftertouch.
  
  10.  My PC system does not have a working NMI. What can I do to
  use AWEUTIL?
  
        One  of  the most common causes of a system not having  a
  working  NMI  is that the system’s memory parity  checking  has
  been  turned  off.  You can check your system’s  memory  parity
  checking  status  by  activating  your  system’s  BIOS   setup.
  Consult  your system’s user manual on how to activate BIOS/CMOS
  setup and memory parity checking.
  
        If your system does not have a working NMI or you have  a
  DOS protected mode game, then you can only play games using  FM
  music.
  
        Note  that this NMI problem only applies to DOS games  or
  applications,  not  to  Windows games  or  applications.  Under
  Windows, all applications play music and sound effects  through
  the standard SB AWE Windows drivers.
  

  11.  Is there a WaveBlaster upgrade option on the SB AWE64?
  
        No.  The WaveBlaster was originally created as an upgrade
  option  for non-wavetable card, such as SB16. It is also  meant
  as  an  upgrade option of wavetable card, such as SB  AWE32  to
  have additional polyphony. With SB AWE which can provide up  to
  64 polyphony, the WaveBlaster header is no longer needed.
  
  
  12.  Is it possible to load AWEUTIL into high memory?
  
        AWEUTIL  automatically searches for high memory and  will
  attempt   to  load  itself  high  if  enough  high  memory   is
  available.
  
  
  13.  Does AWEUTIL have to stay memory resident?
  
        AWEUTIL  serves two purposes; to initialize  and  control
  the  reverb and chorus effects of the FM hardware on the SB AWE
  card, and to provide NMI MIDI Feedback.
  
            AWEUTIL /S
  
        will  initialize and set the reverb and chorus effect  of
  the  FM hardware, and then terminate. It will not stay resident
  in memory.
  
       If you want to activate NMI MIDI Feedback, then run
  
            AWEUTIL /EM:XX (XX = GM, GS or MT32)
  
       before starting your game.
  
       When you finish the game, remember to run
  
            AWEUTIL /U
  
       to unload AWEUTIL from memory.
  
  
  14.   Will software written for the SB AWE32 work with  the  SB
  AWE64?
  
        Yes.  The  SB  AWE64 is fully compatible with  SB  AWE32.
  Games  or  application software that support SB AWE32  will  be
  able to work on SB AWE64.
  

  15.   What  are  the  different reverb  and  chorus  variations
  available on the SB AWE64?
  
        Reverb and chorus effects add warmth and movement to MIDI
  playback.  There are eight reverb types and eight chorus  types
  available on the SB AWE64 when using EMU8000 synthesizer.
  
       Room 1 - 3
       This  group  of  reverb  variation simulates  the  natural
       ambiance of a room. Room 1 simulates a small room, Room  2
       simulates  a slightly bigger room, and Room 3 simulates  a
       big room.

       Hall 1 - 2
       This  group  of  reverb  variation simulates  the  natural
       ambiance of a concert hall. It has greater depth than  the
       room  variations. Again, Hall 1 simulates  a  small  hall,
       and Hall 2 simulates a larger hall.

       Plate
       Back  in  the  old  days,  reverb effects  were  sometimes
       produced  using  a metal plate, and this  type  of  reverb
       produces  a  metallic echo. The SB AWE's  Plate  variation
       simulates this form of reverb.

       Delay
       This reverb produces a delay, that is, echo effect.

       Panning Delay
       This  reverb  variation produces a delay  effect  that  is
       continuously panned left and right.

       Chorus 1 - 4
       Chorus  produces  a 'beating' effect. The  chorus  effects
       are more prominent going from chorus 1 to chorus 4.

       Feedback Chorus
       This chorus variation simulates a soft 'swishing' effect.

       Flanger
       This  chorus variation produces a more prominent  feedback
       chorus effect.

       Short Delay
       This  chorus  variation simulates a delay  repeated  in  a
       short time.

       Short Delay (feed back)
       This  chorus  variation simulates a short  delay  repeated
       (feedback) many times.

        These  effect variations can be selected by the following
  sysex messages:
  
       Reverb sysex macro
  
       F0 41 10 42 12 40 01 30 XX 00 F7
  
  where  XX  denotes  the reverb variation to  be  selected.  The
  valid values for XX are
  
       00 - Room 1
       01 - Room 2
       02 - Room 3
       03 - Hall 1
       04 - Hall 2
       05 - Plate
       06 - Delay
       07 - Panning Delay
       
  Chorus sysex macro
  
       F0 41 10 42 12 40 01 38 XX 00 F7
  
  again,  XX  denotes the chorus variation to  be  selected.  The
  valid values for XX are
  
       00 - Chorus 1
       01 - Chorus 2
       02 - Chorus 3
       03 - Chorus 4
       04 - Feedback chorus
       05 - Flanger
       06 - Short Delay
       07 - Short delay (FB)
  
  
  
  Section B - SoundFont Bank
  ==========================
  
  1.   What are SoundFont collections?
  
        E-mu  SoundFont  collections  are  CD-ROMs  that  contain
  SoundFont  banks  of varying sizes (0.5 MB  to  8  MB).  E-mu's
  SoundFont  banks  include both instruments and  sound  effects.
  Many  of E-mu's traditional instrument sounds are included (for
  example Proteus 1-3) as well as some new sounds.
  
  2.   How do SoundFont banks work?
  
        SoundFont banks can be loaded into RAM on the  SB  AWE64.
  They  can then be used in conjunction with a MIDI sequencer  to
  create soundtracks or other kinds of audio creations.
  
  
  3.   What can I do with SoundFont Banks?
  
       You can:
     
     a.Load  SoundFont banks of your choice into the RAM of  your
       SB AWE64 and use this set of sounds as you compose with  a
       MIDI sequencer.
     
     b.Create  your  own  SoundFont bank with  SoundFont  objects
       from  various  SoundFont  banks  you  already  have  using
       Vienna SF Studio software.
     
     c.Edit  individual  SoundFont  parameters  with  Vienna   to
       create  your  own version of the sounds and then  assemble
       your   own  SoundFont  objects  into  a  SoundFont   bank.
       Creating  your own SoundFont objects and banks  gives  you
       the  freedom  to  create your own unique  instruments  and
       sound effects to differentiate your soundtracks.
  
  
  4.    Will having more memory on the SB AWE64 improve the sound
  quality ?
  
        The  more  RAM  memory on your SB AWE64, the  larger  and
  fuller  the  sound  samples you can include in  your  SoundFont
  Banks.
  
  
  
  Section C - How Do I ...
  ========================
  
  
  1.    How do I make use of RPN documented in the SB AWE64  MIDI
  Implementation chart?
  
        RPN  is  a short form for 'Registered Parameter  Number'.
  Registered  Parameter Numbers are used to  represent  sound  or
  performance  parameters. MIDI 1.0 specified three RPNs:  RPN  0
  for  Pitch  Bend Sensitivity, RPN 1 for Coarse Tune and  RPN  2
  for  Fine  Tune. The SB AWE implements only RPN 0,  Pitch  Bend
  Sensitivity.
  
        Before  going  into  how to set pitch  bend  sensitivity,
  let's  go into how pitch bending is used in MIDI. Pitch Bending
  is  normally  used to pitch shift (that is, make the  pitch  go
  higher  or lower) a sustained note to achieve a 'pitch gliding'
  effect. The default pitch bend sensitivity of the SB AWE is +/-
  2  semitones,  that is, you can go high or low of  the  current
  note  by  2 semitones when using the pitch bend wheel.  If  you
  desire  a  more dramatic pitch bending effect, then  you  would
  need to change the pitch bend sensitivity to a higher value.
  
        Following  are step-by-step instructions to set  a  pitch
  bend  sensitivity  value other than the  default  2  semitones.
  Cakewalk Apprentice will be used as an example.
  
      1. Bring  up the 'Event List' window for the track you want
          to set pitch bend sensitivity.
      2. Go  to the top of the event list (page up) and insert  a
          MIDI controller event, with controller number 101 and a
          controller value of 0
      3. Insert  another MIDI Controller event immediately,  with
          controller number 100 and controller value of 0.
      4. Insert  another MIDI controller event immediately,  with
          controller  number 6, and set the controller  value  to
          the desired pitch bend sensitivity.
          
  
  2.   How do I select the SB AWE64's reverb and chorus variation
  type through MIDI?
  
        You can select the reverb and chorus variation via sysex.
  The  SB AWE Windows (not DOS) driver recognizes two strings  of
  sysex;  one for selecting reverb variation, and the  other  for
  selecting chorus variation.
  
       Reverb sysex string:
       F0 41 10 42 12 40 01 30 XX 00 F7
       Where XX indicates the reverb variations (from 0  to 7).

       Chorus sysex string:
       F0 41 10 42 12 40 01 38 XX 00 F7
       Where XX indicates the chorus variation (from 0 to 7).

  
  3.   How can I maximize my system's memory so that I still have
  plenty of room to run games after installing the SB AWE64?
  
        There  are  two drivers (CTMMSYS.SYS and CTSB16.SYS)  you
  can  remove from CONFIG.SYS. These two drivers provide  digital
  playback  and recording interface under DOS. They are not  used
  by the EMU8000 subsystem.
  
        By  removing these two drivers, you will not be  able  to
  run  PLAY.EXE, RECORD.EXE under  DOS,  but  you  will gain
  approximately 30K of memory.
  
  
  4.   How do I load a SoundFont bank?
        Loading  SoundFont Banks is easy. Just  use  the  SB  AWE
  Windows Control Panel Applet, as follows:
  
          1.Use  the up or down arrow keys next to the user  bank
            number  to  select  the desired bank.  A  dialog  box
            appears.
  
          2.Select  the  directory that contains the  *.SBK/*.SF2
            files.
  
          3.Double-click  the desired file to load  it  into  the
            particular user bank.
          
          
  
  5.   How do I setup my sequencer software to access the user bank
  that I have downloaded into the RAM ?
  
        In  order  for  a sequencer software to access  the  user
  bank,  you  will  need  to issue MIDI Continuous  Controller  0
  (which  is a MIDI Bank Select) at the channel that you need  to
  access  the  instrument. After that, follow by a  MIDI  Program
  Change  to  select the patch/intrument within  the  user  bank.
  Using  the SAMPLE.SBK that is bundled with the SB AWE64  as  an
  example,  we will illustrate how this can be done. The  patches
  contains in SAMPLE.SBK are :
  
       0 - bubble
       1 - dog
       2 - door
       3 - carstop
       4 - carpass
       5 - laughing
       6 - screaming
       7 - punch
  
        Supposing that you would like to use the 'door' sound  in
  Channel  5 of a piece of music. Here is the step-by-step  guide
  that what you should do :
  
     1.   Activate the SB AWE Control Panel
     2.   Download the SAMPLE.SBK as user bank 1 ( Note : you can
          download to any user bank that is empty ranging from 1 to 127.
          Bank 0 is ALWAYS reserved for Syhthesizer Bank. )
     3.   Activate sequencer software
     4.   Insert MIDI CC0 1 at Channel 5 ( CC0 1 means do a Bank
          Select to Bank 1. We do it at Channel 5 since we wish to apply it
          to this channel. )
     5.   Insert MIDI Program Change 2. ( Since 'door' patch number is
          2. Please take note of the numbering convention used in your MIDI
          sequencer. It can be either from 0-127 OR 1-128. If you are using
          numbering convention from 1-128 , then you should do a MIDI
          Program Change 3 instead of 2 )
  
        If  you do any Note On in Channel 5 now, you will be able
  to hear the 'door' sound.
  
  
  6.   How do I get the latest drivers for the SB AWE64?
  
        The latest SB AWE drivers, utilities can be found at  the
  following sites:
  
            Inside U.S.A., Canada and South America
          Creative Labs, Inc. BBS : (405)742-6660

          Inside Europe
          CL-UK BBS           : (44)743-360287
          CL-Germany BBS      : (49)2131-919820

          Inside Asia Pacific
          Creative Technology Ltd BBS : (65)776-2423

          CompuServe
            type GO BLASTER to enter the Creative Labs Forum

          Internet
            http://www.creaf.com
