F. A. Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Product | TerraTec XLerate PRO
Stand | 02/27/2002
Version | 1.0a
Questions and Answers | 45

Please ensure that you are using the latest driver version. You can obtain the latest drivers from our webpage.

Internet | TerraTec Electronic GmbH
http://www.terratec.com | Herrenpfad 38
ftp://ftp.terratec.de | D-41334 Nettetal

An Overview of the Questions

Question 1:
What's the difference between the XLerate PRO and the XLerate sound card?
Question 2:
What's the difference between A3D 1.0 and A3D 2.0?
Question 3:
A MIDI keyboard connected to the sound card does not react when I hit a key.
Question 4:
Even though a DOS-game in a Windows 95/98 DOS box is setup for 'General MIDI' the wavetable sound does not get played back.
Question 5:
There is no sound output in an MS-DOS game.
Question 6:
When restarting Windows 95/98 after installing the drivers, the error message 'Beim Initialisieren des Geräts IOS Windows-Schutzfehler' (Windows General Protection Fault when initializing the IOS device) is displayed.
Question 7:
In Windows I get an error message PCI Error 'XLerate PRO 0x4'.
Question 8:
Is it planned to support the AMD 3D NOW technology?
Question 9:
Which games support A3D 2.0?
Question 10:
How can I enable the A3D function in games?
Question 11:
With which sound card standards is the TerraTec XLerate PRO compatible under MS-DOS?
Question 12:
Are there drivers planned for Linux and/ or BeOS?
Question 13:
The A3D effect is not really audible over the loadspeakers.
Question 14:
How to install the XLerate PRO in real MS-DOS (DOS 6.xx)?
Question 15:
When I start the XLerate PRO Controlpanel my system crashs.
Question 16:
How does the 3D stereo enhancement option work?
Question 17:
After installing the XLerate under Windows NT 4.0 the MMSYSTEM.CPL file crashes and the buttons 'Schließen'(Close) and 'Details'(Details) are displayed.
Question 18:
Why is A3D failing to initialize on all my games?
Question 19:
Why am I not getting any sound from my wavetable daughterboard?
Question 20:
Why am I having trouble recording from my LINE IN and MIC jacks?
Question 21:
Why does audio from my wavetable daughterboard, MIC input, LINE IN input, and AUX only play out to the front two speakers when I am in quad mode?
Question 22:
What is the difference between quad mode and 2-speaker modes?
Question 23:
An audio CD is playing in the CD-ROM drive but I cannot hear anything.
Question 24:
If I attach two joysticks to the XLerate PRO using a splitter cable, one or both joysticks don't function correctly. Each joystick works fine on its own.
Question 25:
Why does my system lock when the AU30DOS.COM line executes?
Question 26:
Why does DirectX 6.1 Diagnostics say that the XLerate PRO wavetable does not support DLS?
Question 27:
After installing the drivers, Windows boots with only 16 colors and reports that the graphics card is incorrectly installed.
Question 28:
After the SoundBlaster emulation is automatically detected, a 'Fatal Exception Error 0E/0D' is displayed and the system hangs.
Question 29:
While uninstalling the Windows NT drivers the software message 'unable to install the XLerate PRO drivers' is displayed.
Question 30:
How do I connect my computer to my stereo?
Question 31:
How should I position the speakers?
Question 32:
How do I load a different sound bank at boot time?
Question 33:
How do I download a new sound bank to the XLerate PRO?
Question 34:
Is there a limit to the size of a sound bank I can download to the XLerate PRO?
Question 35:
Is there a patch (sound bank) editor available for the XLerate PRO?
Question 36:
Why does loading some DLS files cause my system to crash?
Question 37:
How do I get bass and treble controls?
Question 38:
Does the XLerate PRO support EAX?
Question 39:
I'm getting dropouts, crackling or popping in the playback or recordings.
Question 40:
Why doesn't A3D work under Windows NT 4.0?
Question 41:
How do I disable the Soundblaster emulation?
Question 42:
Why does sound go away under Windows NT 4.0 on my multi-processor machine?
Question 43:
Why does the Wave Out volume in the Volume Control keeps resetting itself to zero after restarting Windows?
Question 44:
I'm getting problems with my joystick.
Question 45:
Is it possible to place my DB50 XG wavetable daughterboard onto the XLerate PRO?

Question 1:

What's the difference between the XLerate PRO and the XLerate sound card?

Answer 1:

The following list should give you an overview about the features of both cards:

Features | XLerate | XLerate PRO
Compatibility |  |
A3D 1.0 | Yes | Yes
A3D 2.0 | software emulated | Yes, completely in hardware
DirectSound /3D | Yes | Yes
DLS 1.0 | Yes since driver version 1.16 | Yes
PC 98 | Yes | Yes
Digital Audio |  |
Optical digital out | - | Yes, 32/44.1/48kHz (S/PDIF)
Wavetable synthesizer |  |
Hardware voices | 32 | 64
Software voices | 32 | 256
Total voices | 64 | 320
Effects processor | Yes, Chorus and Reverb | Yes, 2 * 8 effects
Audio mixer |  |
10 band graphical Equalizer | - | Yes
External connections |  |
Line outputs (stereo) | 1 | 2
Line inputs (stereo) | 1 | 1
Microphone input (mono) | 1 | 1
Optical digital output | - | TOS-link
Onboard connections |  |
CD audio (MPC 3) | - | Yes
CD audio (Sony/IDE) | Yes | -
AUX input (MPC 3) | - | Yes
TAD connector (MPC 3) | - | Yes
Wavetable connector | Yes | Yes
Radio connector | Yes | -
Expansion connector | - | Yes

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Question 2:

What's the difference between A3D 1.0 and A3D 2.0?

Answer 2:

The following list shows a short overview about the difference between A3D 1.0 and A3D 2.0:

Features | A3D 1.0 | A3D 2.0
max. sources | 8 | 16
max. sampling rate | 22kHz | 48kHz
compatible to A3D 1.0 | Yes (sure!!!) | Yes
max. 3D reflections | - | 64

A3D 2.0 is an update to the A3D functionality adding the following additional features:

Occlusions: How sound is affected when it comes from behind a door or wall or other object that blocks sound form coming directly to us.

Reflections: How sound is affected when it bounces off walls, ceilings, floors

Enviroments: Dynamic control to simulate the effects of real-world surroundings, such as air, water, fog, etc..

Wavetracing: The XLerate PRO's process of using the game's graphics geometry to process audio sources and enviroments and render the sounds with proper and accurate occlusions and reflections.

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Question 3:

A MIDI keyboard connected to the sound card does not react when I hit a key.

Answer 3:

1. First you should check if there is an entry called 'TerraTec XLerate PRO MPU-401 Interface' in the Device Manager (Control Panel > System) under (Sound, video and game controllers' and that it does not have an exclamation mark '!' beside it. If the entry does not exist or has an '!' beside it, you should check the resources for possible conflicts. Otherwise, you should reinstall the Windows drivers.
2. If the driver is installed, it must be selected as the MIDI input device in the sequencer software.
   Please see your sequencer handbook for details on this. A setup routine that allows this setting to be configured is included with most sequencer programs.

If both these conditions are satisfied and the problem persists, in other words the software does not react when you hit a key or no sound is audible, the MIDI connecting cable is almost certainly the cause of the trouble.

!!!Note that you have to connect the MIDI IN of the MIDI cable with the MIDI OUT of your device and vice versa!!!

Experience has shown that there's an enormous number of different MIDI connector cables which unfortunately are all identical externally. These cables should contain a so-called optocoupler suitable for the sound card's levels. As it's not possible to check this from the outside, always use the sound card manufacturer's MIDI cable. Our product range includes such a cable which you can obtain from your equipment retailer.

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Question 4:

Even though a DOS game in a Windows 95/98 DOS box is setup for 'General MIDI' the wavetable sound does not get played back.

Answer 4:

In this case, call the XLerate PRO Control Panel from the taskbar by clicking the right mouse button and then selecting 'Audioeigenschaften einstellen' (Configure audio properties) option. Select the 'MIDI' tab. Make sure that the 'Ziel für MIDI-Ausgabe in DOS-Box' (MIDI output in DOS box) option is set to 'XLerate PRO wavetable assigned to MIDI output in DOS box'. The other choice allows you to select a wavetable module connected to the XLerate PRO card. This means that you can use this option to define whether the wavetable on the XLerate PRO card or an attached wavetable module is to be used for generating sounds for MS-DOS games run in a Windows 95/98 DOS box.

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Question 5:

There is no sound output in an MS-DOS game.

Answer 5:

Ensure that the loudspeakers are correctly connected. Run the game's setup program and select Soundblaster or Soundblaster Pro as the sound card for effects and for music playback.
NOTE:
Please note that the software wavetable on the XLerate PRO is only available in a Windows 95/98 DOS box but not under real mode DOS. There is, however, the possibility of using an optional wavetable module connected to the XLerate PRO under real DOS using the General MIDI setting.

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Question 6:

When restarting Windows 95/98 after installing the drivers, the error message 'Beim Initialisieren des Geräts IOS Windows-Schutzfehler' (Windows General Protection Fault when initializing the IOS device) is displayed.

Answer 6:

You can get rid of this error message by booting your system in safe mode and then renaming the 'rmm.pdr' file in the \Windows\System\IOsubsys directory to 'rmm.bak'. The error message should no longer be displayed when you reboot your computer.

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Question 7:

In Windows I get an error message PCI Error 'XLerate PRO 0x4'.

Answer 7:

This error is usually caused by a bad PCI connection. Here are some possible causes:

- The PCI connector is soiled. We suggest you clean the PCI connector.
- The card is misaligned in the PCI slot and is not making a good contact. We suggest reseat the card.
- The chassis and the rear breacket of the card do not align properly, preventing the full insertion of the card into the PCI slot. We suggest you remove the bracket from the card and try plugging in the card again.
- Check to see what video card is being used. The Number 9 Imagine 128 generates spurious PCI signals when it is not selected on the bus, causing other cards to generate PCI errors. If this is the card that you have , please get the latest driver from the Number 9 web site (the one that says not WHQL).
- A cold solder joint on either the Vortex part or the PCI socket (try the card in another socket to test).

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Question 8:

Is it planned to support the AMD 3D NOW technology?

Answer 8:

It is planned to support AMD 3D NOW in future driver releases. The plans are to optimize the A3D algorithms for 3D NOW, when the support for this instruction set becomes more widely supported by most game manufacturers.

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Question 9:

Which games support A3D 2.0?

Answer 9:

The number is constantly increasing. You will find a complete list of games that support A3D or A3d 2.0 at http://www.a3d.com/html/geta3d/games/. If you are not sure if the game you want to buy supports A3D or A3D 2.0, you should ask the manufacturer of the game. They will be able to provide you with this information.

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Question 10:

How can I enable the A3D function in games?

Answer 10:

In this instance, we will use the Jedi Knight game by Lucas Arts as an example. When you start this game you will find a 'Setup' menu with an option called 'Sounds'. This is where you can enable the A3D option by mouse-click. When you confirm this setting by pressing OK, the game is restarted in order to enable the A3D functions.

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Question 11:

With which sound card standards is the TerraTec XLerate PRO compatible under MS-DOS?

Answer 11:

Under MS-DOS the TerraTec XLerate PRO is

- SoundBlaster and
- SoundBlaster Pro compatible.

Just configure the corresponding settings for the memory address, IRQ and DMA channel in the setup program of each application and sound support should not be a problem. We recommend that you select SoundBlaster or SoundBlaster Pro as the sound card and the music card. Some applications require a BLASTER environment variable to be set.
For example, insert the following line into the AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

  SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4

  A220 | I/O address for the sound card | The address 220 may vary!
  I5 | Interrupt number | The interrupt number may vary!
  D1 | DMA channel number | The DMA channel number may vary!
  T4 | SoundBlaster PRO model ID | This parameter should be left unchanged.

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Question 12:

Are there drivers planned for Linux and/ or BeOS??

Answer 12:

Linux: drivers are currently developed by 4Front Technologies, Inc.

Find more information on http://www.opensound.com !

BeOS: There's is a cooperation with Be, Inc. to support the the XLerate PRO and its chipset natively under BeOS.

Find more information on http://www.be.com or http://www.beeurope.com.

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Question 13:

The A3D effect is not really audible over the loudspeakers.

Answer 13:

- In this case, open the XLerate PRO Control Panel from the taskbar by clicking the right mouse button and then selecting 'Audioeigenschaften einstellen' (Configure audio properties) option.
- Select the 'A3D settings' tab and make sure that the 'A3D-Ausgabemodus' (A3D output mode) option is set to 'Loudspeakers'.
- If you have set this option to 'Headphones' you can hardly hear the A3D effect when working with loudspeakers.

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Question 14:

How to install the XLerate PRO in real MS-DOS (DOS 6.xx)?

Answer 14:

Normally the XLerate PRO is not meant to run under DOS versions < 7.0, but the following steps might help you to get working even under an older DOS version. To do this, you have to install the XLerate PRO first under Windows 95/98. If you are operating without Windows 95/98 note the following points:

- Copy the ASPI4DOS.COM and VORTEX.INI files using Explorer from the C:\WINDOWS directory to your C:\DOS directory.

- Insert the following lines into the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the DOS partition:
  SET WINBOOTDIR=C:\DOS
  C:\DOS\ASP4DOS.COM

- The file VORTEX.INI is available on our FTP Server for Windows NT users.

Now the XLerate PRO card will initialize without an error message under DOS.

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Question 15:

When I start the XLerate PRO Controlpanel my system crashs.

Answer 15:

If an out of date version of AU30LOC.DLL is located in a directory that is earlier in the path, the control panel will crash. Once the out of date DLL is deleted, the Control Panel will work fine.

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Question 16:

I'm experiencing random system freezing or other problems while using the XLerate PRO on a super socket 7 mainboard with VIA MVP3 chipset?

Answer 16:

This problem is a result of the VIA chipset implementation on many motherboards (not all). It seems to stem from using an AGP video card and a PCI sound card (and is not limited to just those using TerraTec products). There are numerous core driver updates available on the VIA web site which should be downloaded and installed. You might also want to check with your motherboard manufacturer to see if they have released any updated drivers or BIOS for your particular motherboard that may address these issues.

The VIA web site can be found at this address:

> http://www.viatech.com/drivers/index.htm

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Question 17:

After installing the XLerate PRO under Windows NT 4.0, the MMSYSTEM.CPL file crashes and the buttons 'Close' and 'Details' are displayed.

Answer 17:

Close this window and shut down Windows NT. Restart the computer and stop the booting process by pressing the 'Pause' key when the frame with the hardware values is displayed.
Check the BIOS report called 'PCI Device Listing:'! If the card is correctly installed the following line will be visible:

Vendor ID | Device ID | Device Class | IRQ
12EB | 0001 | Multimedia Device | 11

(the IRQ may vary!)
If this line is not listed check if the card is properly seated in the PCI slot. Also try placing the card in a different PCI slot or removing all other PCI cards except the graphics card.

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Question 18:

Why is A3D failing to initialize on all my games?

Answer 18:

Most likely this is a result of a previous sound card installed on your system. Some newer sound cards provide a "fake" A3D.DLL file in order to emulate A3D. The problem is that their uninstall programs do not remove this file and leave it on your hard drive. When the XLerate PRO's installation program copies over files, it sees that there is already an A3D.DLL file on the system and if it's newer, leaves it there.

You can solve this by simply copying the A3D.DLL from your XLerate PRO CD over to your Windows System folder, overwriting the one currently there. That should solve A3D initialization problems.

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Question 19:

Why am I not getting any sound from my wavetable daughterboard?

Answer 19:

By default, the wavetable header volume is muted. We will be correcting this beginning with a next driver release. Double click on the mixer icon (yellow speaker) in the System Tray. Select Options | Properties | Playback. In the "Show the following volume controls:" box, make that sure that the wavetable header is selected - it will be the option marked ""Ext. Synthesizer" depending on the drivers you are using. Once you have checked the box, click the OK button. You will now see a new slider on the mixer for it; remove the check from the Mute checkbox on it, and adjust the slider to the desired volume.

!!!Make sure that you use the MPU MIDI-driver to access the wavetable daughterboard from your sequencer!!!

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Question 20:

Why am I having trouble recording from my LINE IN and MIC jacks?

Answer 20:

On the XLerate PRO only one input can be selected at a time. To ensure that the correct input is selected, double click on the mixer icon (yellow speaker) in the System Tray. Select Options | Properties | Recording, then click OK. This is the Recording portion of the mixer. Select the input you wish by checking its box at the bottom of the volume slider. Adjust the slider to the desired recording level.

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Question 21:

Why does audio from my wavetable daughterboard, MIC input, LINE IN input, and AUX only play out to the front two speakers when I am in quad mode?

Answer 21:

These inputs are routed directly to the codec on the XLerate PRO.. This was done to provide the best possible signal quality. A side effect of this is that the audio will only play out the front speakers. If you are in quad mode, sound from these sources will come from the front speakers. If you are in any other mode, then the sound will play from all 4 speakers since in these modes sound is just duplicated.

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Question 22:

What is the difference between quad mode and 2-speaker modes?

Answer 22:

Quad mode is used when you have 4 speakers, to address each speaker independently.

The 2 speaker modes also send output to all 4 speakers, but the sound is just duplicated; everything that plays out the front left speaker will play out the rear left speaker - everything that plays out the front right speaker will play out the rear right speaker.

2-speaker modes are useful if you want to have two people listening to headphones and hearing the same thing.

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Question 23:

An audio CD is playing in the CD-ROM drive but I cannot hear anything.

Answer 23:

Please check the connection of your CD-ROM drive to the XLerate PRO. If the audio cable is connected, please check the XLerate PRO mixer in Windows. The CD slider must not be muted and the level should not be set too low.

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Question 24:

If I attach two joysticks to the XLerate PRO using a splitter cable, one or both joysticks don't function correctly. Each joystick works fine on its own.

Answer 24:

The XLerate PRO's game port corresponds to the standard requirements of a maximum of 4 axes and 4 buttons. If you want to operate two joysticks on one port, each joystick must have only 2 axes and 2 buttons.

See the joystick's documentation for details!

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Question 25:

Why does my system lock when the AU30DOS.COM line executes?

Answer 25:

If you are using Norton Anti-Virus and its boot time program, try moving the two programs away from each other. In you AUTOEXEC.BAT file, move the Norton Anti-Virus program (usually called NAV.COM) to the very start of the file, and the AU30DOS.COM file to the end of the file. This should resolve any lock ups.

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Question 26:

Why does DirectX 6.1 Diagnostics say that the XLerate PRO wavetable does not support DLS?

Answer 26:

We are not sure why this is occurring, but it is a known issue. It does not in any way affect performance of your XLerate PRO. The XLerate PRO fully supports DLS (Level 1).

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Question 27:

After installing the drivers, Windows boots with only 16 colors and reports that the graphics card is incorrectly installed.

Answer 27:

There is probably an IRQ conflict with the graphics card. Check the IRQ assignments in the BIOS, all IRQs should be set to 'PnP/ISA' or 'NO/ICU'. The option 'PnP OS installed' must be set to 'NO'.
We also recommend that you change the order of the PCI cards. If possible, place the XLerate PRO card in a PCI slot above the graphics card.
As a rule, all PCI cards that require an IRQ should be placed into a PCI slot above the graphics card.

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Question 28:

After the SoundBlaster emulation is automatically detected, a 'Fatal Exception Error 0E/0D' is displayed and the system hangs.

Answer 28:

SoundBlaster emulation requires IRQ 5. If this interrupt is already being used by a different card this error will be displayed.
Solution:

- In the BIOS under 'PCI/PnP Configuration' set IRQ 5 to 'Legacy ISA' or 'No PnP'.

- Then reboot Windows.

We also recommend that you change the order of the PCI cards. If possible, place the XLerate PRO card in a PCI slot above the graphics card.

As a rule, all PCI cards that require an IRQ should be placed into a PCI slot above the graphics card.

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Question 29:

While uninstalling the Windows NT drivers the software message 'unable to install the XLerate PRO drivers' is displayed.

Answer 29:

Close the Windows NT control panel in the background. Now Windows NT is able to install the drivers.

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Question 30:

How do I connect my computer to my stereo?

Answer 30:

If you have a 2 channel input (L, R) on your stereo, you will connect the Line 1 Out jack from the XLerate PRO to your stereo using a cable that splits into RCA right and left for your stereo. If you have a 4 Channel input on your stereo, you will connect the Line 1 Out and Line 2 Out using 2 cables that splits into RCA right and left for your stereo. If your stereo has 6 channel inputs, connect the same as for 4 channels, leaving the Center L and R channels unused (they will be rendered through the front speakers). Connect Line 1 Out for front speakers and Line 2 Out for rear speakers.

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Question 31:

How should I position the speakers?

Answer 31:

You may have to experiment in order to achieve the best effect. As always, make certain that there is nothing blocking any speaker, as this can change the quality of the sound perceived.

- 2 speakers: The best place to position a pair of speakers is most likely on either side of your display screen. You might want to try placing the speakers at ear level, or pointing up towards your ears for best effect). Bothspeakers should be the same distance from your head, and positioned at the same level relative to each other.

- 4 speakers: This is similar to the positioning of 2 speakers, in that all 4 speakers should optimally be on the same level (preferably ear level), with the exception that there is no correct distancing for rear speakers.

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Question 32:

How do I load a different sound bank at boot time?

Answer 32:

The default sound bank (a file named AU30GM.ARL) is kept in your Windows System folder. To use a different sound bank as default, simply rename the current one to something different (such as AUREAL.ARL) and then copy the sound bank you wish to become the default in to the Windows System folder. Rename it AU30GM.ARL and when you reboot, it will now load the new one as the default.

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Question 33:

How do I download a new sound bank to the XLerate PRO?

Answer 33:

Launch the XLerate PRO Controlpanel and click on the MIDI tab. Clicking on the Download button will open a dialog box which will allow you to select the sound bank to load. The XLerate PRO currently supports DLS (Level 1) and ARL (Aureal native format) sound banks. You do not need to reboot to use the new sample bank; the change takes effect immediately.

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Question 34:

Is there a limit to the size of a sound bank I can download to the XLerate PRO?

Answer 34:

Currently, there is not. The DLS (Level 1) standard does not put a limit on the overall size of the sound bank. Since the XLerate PRO's wavetable engine uses system RAM for storing samples, you will be limited to the amount of memory you have in your system. Keep in mind that other applications will need system memory as well; it is probably a good rule of thumb to never load a sound bank that is larger than half of your total system RAM.

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Question 35:

Is there a patch (sound bank) editor available for the XLerate PRO?

Answer 35:

No, there is not. The XLerate PRO supports DLS (Level 1) sound banks, and there are bank editors and conversion programs available that will allow you to create DLS sound banks or convert other type sound banks into DLS format.

Awave is a great conversion tool that allows you the flexibility to convert almost any known sound bank format over to DLS. It also has advanced tools that rival many patch editors.

Be sure to use version 5.0 or higher.

> http://hem.passagen.se/fmj/awmain.html

Audio Compositor combines a MIDI file renderer and software wavetable synthesizer, integrated with a rich graphical environment for editing instrument samples and patches.

Be sure to use version 3.2f or higher.

> http://www.eden.com/~mitchell/

TerraTec does not support or endorse either of these programs, but they are great tools that will allow you to expand upon the functionality of your XLerate PRO.

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Question 36:

Why does loading some DLS files cause my system to crash?

Answer 36:

There are some great shareware programs available to convert sound banks from one format to another. An early version of one of these programs (Audio Compositor) wrote the DLS files incorrectly, and it was the extraneous data in the file that caused our wavetable driver to crash. That program has corrected the problem on their end. You should contact the creator of the DLS file and ask them to convert the file again with a current program that writes DLS files correctly. Also a former version of Awave wrote incorrect DLS files. Get an update to the newest version!

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Question 37:

How do I get bass and treble controls?

Answer 37:

The XLerate PRO features a 10 band graphical equalizer in place of simple bass and treble controls. The Equalizer can be found in the XLerate PRO's Controlpanel.

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Question 38:

Does the XLerate PRO support EAX?

Answer 38:

Not currently, but EAX support is planned for the third quarter of 1999.

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Question 39:

I'm getting dropouts, crackling or popping in the playback or recordings.

Answer 39:

This information has been taken and modified from the excellent document available here:

> http://www.zefiro.com/vgakills.txt

A good number of VGA card manufacturers are squeezing out a few extra points on their benchmarking scores by locking up the PCI bus. This is fine for graphics and most systems on the PC (hard disks and such) don't even notice the problem … Unfortunately this can hurt the audio system in a big way. Most audio cards use ISA/DMA to trickle samples over the bus one word at a time. Even PCI cards can be hurt by this problem because they trickle the data over the bus in tiny transfers. When another device illegally locks up the bus for more than 1/88200th of a second, there's a good chance you will lose audio samples resulting in a glitch in the recording or playback.

This glitching can appear in the form of brief, silent pauses in the sound, as well as crackling or popping sounds. It is important to note that this is NOT the fault of the sound card! This is not even the fault of the VGA card ... it is in fact the fault of the VGA driver.

For more information on this, and ways to look into fixing it, be sure to read the entire article at the link above.

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Question 40:

Why doesn't A3D work under Windows NT 4.0?

Answer 40:

Windows NT 4.0 does not provide any means to handle hardware acceleration of any DirectX components (except for a few DirectDraw calls). Because of this, there is no support for A3D. A3D will be supported in Windows 2000 (formerly Windows NT 5.0) after its final release.

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Question 41:

How do I disable the Soundblaster emulation?

Answer 41:

- Right click on My Computer and choose Properties.

- Click on the Device Manager tab.

- Double click on Sound, Video, and Game Controllers to open that section up.

- Double click on Sound Blaster Pro Emulation and check the "Disable in this hardware profile" box.

- Click OK, and reboot if prompted to.

The next time you reboot, Sound Blaster emulation will be disabled (both in Windows and in Real Mode DOS).

!!!See documentation for more details!!!

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Question 42:

Why does sound go away under Windows NT 4.0 on my multi-processor machine?

Answer 42:

This problem seems isolated to a few systems and we continue to look as to what causes this. We do not have any other update at this time. If you are experiencing this, please make sure you are using the latest drivers. Report this problem to our support - making sure to provide us with your complete and detailed system information.

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Question 43:

Why does the Wave Out volume in the Volume Control keeps resetting itself to zero after restarting Windows?

Answer 43:

Having RealPlayer Network's RealPlayer version 5.0.0.97 load on startup can cause this problem. Disable the RealPlayer's startup by choosing Start, then Settings, then Task Bar and Start Menu... Next, click on the Start Menu Programs, then choose Advanced. You'll see Windows Explorer opens to the Start Menu area of the Windows folder. Open the Programs folder, highlight the Startup folder, and remove the RealPlayer shortcut from the right hand "content" side of the window.

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Question 44:

I'm getting problems with my joystick.

Answer 44:

Since there are a lot of joysticks which can produce problems we generated a list with different joysticks, the problems and solutions:

Interact joysticks - Ultra Racer Pro - PC Power Pad Pro - V3 Wheel | Calibrating problems | This seems to be a joystick driver issue. The solution is not to use these drivers at all, and instead, use the generic list driver that best matches the product beng used (this can be done in the Game Controller icon of the Windows 98 Control Panel).
Interact MakoPad | When calibrating in 6 button mode the joystick will not move to the far right. | There is a new patch update fix provided by Interact to address this issue. Download the newest drivers under: http://iaweb.starix.net/interact/interactpc/gaming/support/index.html#drivers
Gravis Game Pad Pro | stops functioning when music becomes "intense" | The Gravis software that comes bundled with the Gravis GamePad Pro does not work correctly and needs to be updated. The software update is Xperience 2.0 and can be downloaded from the Gravis web site. The older Graivs GamePad Pro driver must be uninstalled before installing the new driver from Gravis.
Gravis Game Pad | not working correctly | Boot to safe mode. Remove your gameport driver(s) in safe mode--you may see what are called "ghost drivers", multiple "extra" drivers which only show up if you boot to safe mode. After removing the driver(s), reboot, and let Windows re-install your gameport driver (if a PnP system, if not, you'll need to add new hardware to re-install the driver). After re-installing the driver, remove the Gravis software, reboot, then re-install the Gravis software. Also re-install whatever version of Direct X you were running prior to all of this.
Microsoft Sidewinder controllers - GamePad - Freestyle Pro - Force Feedback Joystick - Force Feedback Wheel - 3D Pro - Precision Pro | Intermittent detection | The latest MS SideWinder Game Controller software must be installed. The most current version is available on: http://www.microsoft.com/sidewinder
Logitech Thunderpad | Not working correctly | This could be a problem with the joystick software being outdated or not updated. Digital joysticks work specifically with their manufacturers' software. The joystick driver allows the joystick to work in digital mode. Most of the time these drivers were tested on a limited platform of sound cards that were ISA based. There have been other joystick manufacturers that had problems with their joysticks and our sound cards as well as others but they were able to fix it and send out an update. Most of the time this is all that is required. The support from each joystick manufacturer will vary. Logitech has a new software. Here is a link to download it. http://www.logitech.com/us/support/Logitech_WingMan_Soft.html
Logitech Wingman Series - Wingman Extreme - Wing Commander IV | Unable to calibrate in real mode DOS | This occurs with other sound cards as well. Instead of using the application's Calibration Program, Center and adjust the joystick X & Y trimmmers so that it works as the pointer device in the configuration and install routines of the program. Do not use a mouse driver in real mode DOS to make this work.
QuickJoy | Intermittent detection / calibrating problems | Configure this joystick as a gamepad and it will work correctly. There are no potentiometers on this device (it is not Analog). It is digital only.

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Question 45:

Is it possible to place my DB50 XG wavetable daughterboard onto the XLerate PRO?

Answer 45:

Yes, the DB50 XG and most other big size wavetable daughterboards can be placed onto the XLerate PRO.

!!!Make sure that you use the MPU MIDI-driver to access the wavetable daughterboard from your sequencer!!!

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