Gravis Ultrasound...hmm what can I say but incredible in every way. Look
at the history of this card. It was produced by a company, gravis of course,
who previously specialized in making joysticks and small peripherials. The
original GUS as it is usually refered to was way ahead of its time. It was
one of the first cards to implement wavetable and onboard ram, not to mention
dolby surround sound for truely incredible sound.
Though I own the card, I do not use it that frequently, although, not because
I dislike the card, but because it is in a computer that I do not frequent too much.
I perfer composing on my p133 much more these days than on my 486/66. From what I
have seen of it, the card is amazing for games. Top notch flawless quality. The GUS
patches that come loaded on the card are amazing. I even see people use some gus pat's
in their modules. Speaking of modules, the module playback is incredible, certainly a match
for any card. It knocks the pants off soundblaster awe32 if awe isn't using the emu chip or
on board features. The only bad area is midi playback, which is good, but not perfect.
AWE is far superior in this area.
Another great aspect of this card is its support. Many developers have taken a liking
to the card since it is easy to program for and produces great quality with little effort.
GUS support in games is basically standard. Also, GUS has the most shareware players and sound
utilities of any card on the market.
I would add more tech specs to this review :>, but I think you are better
off reading the awe tech specs and the gus tech specs elsewhere on this page for a good comparrison.
Besides, I'm writing this review while I'm downloading. Anyhow,
the only bad part of GUS is the midi, the rest of the card is flawless and so easy to use.
I recommend you buy it, but also see the AWE section before
you decide to spend your money. I recommend either card. They both have tradeoffs
and both have excellent support, companies, and software behind them.
