Common Questions and Answers about the Ensoniq Soundscape Sound Card and Windows 95

This document contains common questions and answers about using the Ensoniq Soundscape sound card in the Windows 95 operating environment. Read through all of them, even if you do not have the same question or situation. Note: Using drivers distributed by Ensoniq may be different from the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) drivers and may void your warranty and forfeit your technical support through Gateway 2000.

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How to change the Ensoniq Soundscape hardware settings in Windows 95

You can make all hardware configuration changes using the Soundscape driver within Windows 95. The driver is located in the Control Panel. If an IRQ or DMA setting that another device is using is selected, a lockup of the computer may occur. If an IRQ or DMA setting is jumpered on a Legacy Ensoniq sound card, verify the jumper setting before changing any setting in the following screens.

To change IRQ and DMA values:

1. Right click the mouse on the My Computer icon in the upper left corner of the screen. Click on Properties on the menu that appears.
2. The System Properties window appears. Across the top are four tabs: General, Device Manager, Hardware Profiles, and Performance. Click on the Device Manager tab to open it. A list of the computers components appears on the left hand side of the screen.
3. Scroll down through the list of devices to locate Sound, video and game controllers. Click the + symbol beside this entry to view the subsets listed below it. Click on Ensoniq Soundscape to highlight it, then click the Properties button in the lower left hand corner of this window.
4. At the top of this window, there are three tabs: General, Drivers, and Resources. Click the Resources tab to view this screen. About halfway down the screen, there is a check mark beside Use automatic settings. Click in this box to remove the check mark.
5. Scroll up and down in the Resource settings window to select an IRQ or DMA setting you wish to change. When the desired setting is highlighted, click the Change Setting box just below the resource setting window. Now select a new setting for this parameter.
6. Once the appropriate changes are made, click the OK button at the bottom of the screen to return to the Device Manager window. Click the OK button again to return to the Windows 95 Desktop.

Changing volume and balance levels in Windows 95

To make adjustments to Ensoniq Soundscapeís volume settings and balance levels, use the Windows 95 mixer utility. To view the mixer, Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen to open the Start Menu. Click the word Programs, then Accessories, then Multimedia, and finally Volume control. Since you will probably change these settings often, it is a good idea to place the mixer in the taskbar.

To add the Mixer to the Taskbar:

1. Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Click the word Settings on the Start menu. Click the word Control Panel to open it.
2. Double click the Multimedia icon in the Control Panel window. The Multimedia Properties window appears.
3. In the Playback section at the top of the window, click the mouse in the box marked Show volume control on the taskbar. The mixer can now be invoked by double clicking the speaker icon located on the right hand side of the taskbar.

Why are there now two DMA Channels?

Under Windows 95, the Ensoniq Soundscape card id capable fo full duplex. This means that the card can play back 2 simultaneous WAV files, or can playback one while recording another. In order for this to happen, the sound card must dedicate 2 DMA channels. There is no way to disable just one DMA channel to run the sound in Half Duplex mode. Two DMA channels are required for the sound card to function properly.

How does the Autodetect feature of Windows 95 affect my card?

When installing the Windows 95 drivers onto the system, the Hardware Wizard asks you if you would like Windows to search for the new hardware. The answer is NO. Windows 95 will not be capable of detecting the Ensoniq sound cards that are not Plug & Play. Windows 95 will not be capable of loading the updated drivers for the Plug & Play which results in older drivers being loaded. Answering Yes to this question results in windows detecting an unknown device, and thus the drivers will not be installed correctly and the sound card will not function properly under Windows 95.

Why are some of the Multimedia Services missing?

At the time Windows 95 is installed, it is possible that not all the sound utilities you would expect to find are present. Features such as Audio CODEC, the Media Player, and the Microsoft Mixer may not be present. This may cause the sound card to not respond properly or not respond at all when the correct drivers are installed. These applications must be installed on the system from the Windows 95 CD or Windows 95 diskettes.

To load the Multimedia Services:

1. Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Click the word Settings on the Start menu. Click the word Control Panel to open it.
2. Double click the Add/Remove new programs icon. Across the top of this window are three tabs: Install/Uninstall, Windows Setup, and Startup Disk. Click on the Windows Setup tab to open it.
3. Scroll down through the list of components and click on Multimedia to highlight it. Click the Details button on the lower right side of the screen.
4. Choose the components you would like to install, then click the OK button to continue. If prompted a disk, insert the Windows 95 CD in the CD-ROM drive and click OK. Follow the onscreen instructions.

The TV and Modem sections of Audiostation arenít working right. Why?

The mixer utility in the Audiostation provided with the Windows 95 Software Applications can be used under Windows 95. However, there are selections (TV and Modem) that will not function properly unless used with an Ensoniq Soundscape Plug & Play sound card not available at this time through Gateway 2000. The mixer provided with Windows 95 should also work well. This is located on the taskbar next to the current time in the lower right hand corner. It is represented by a small speaker icon. If this is not present, first make sure it is installed. See the preceding section for instructions on how to install the Microsoft mixer volume control.

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