F. A. Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Please ensure that you are using the latest driver versions. You can obtain these from our web page or from the TerraTec FTP-Server.

An Overview of the Questions

Question 1:
I cannot hear the audio CDs I am playing, even though the audio cable is connected to the sound card. What can I do about it?

Question 2:
Why are the MIDI files I play using the AudioSystem Gold 16/96 distorted?

Question 3:
Even though a game is set up for 'General MIDI' the wavetable sound does not get played back. What can I do about it?

Question 4:
Why can't I get sound output when playing MIDI files under Windows 3.x or Windows 95/98?

Question 5:
Why doesn't Windows 95/98 recognize my AudioSystem?

Question 6:
When Windows or Windows 95/98 starts, the loudspeakers produce a recurring sound pattern and the system then becomes unstable. What's going on?

Question 7:
My system freezes after playing or recording wave files, or the audio section of my card is marked with a yellow exclamation mark under Windows 95/98. An incorrectly installed driver is supposed to be the fault. Under Windows 3.x the card worked correctly. What can I do about it?

Question 8:
A CD-ROM drive connected to the IDE interface cannot be accessed and is not recognized by the driver. What can I do about it?

Question 9: 
Are DOS drivers available for the GOLD 16/96? Which sound card standards is the GOLD 16/96 compatible with under DOS?

Question 10:
Why doesn't the keyboard that I have connected to the sound card respond when I hit a key?

Question 1:
I cannot hear the audio CDs I am playing, even though the audio cable is connected to the sound card. What can I do about it?

Answer 1:
The cause of this problem can really only be an audio cable that is connected incorrectly. When looking for the correct audio interface on the sound card it is important to note that current IDE CD-ROM drives are usually connected to the Panasonic interface (e.g. Mitsumi FX 400,TEAC CD56EK, Sony CDU55E ...). You can try the three different audio interfaces, however (please switch the PC off beforehand). Then reboot the computer and start playing the CD. If you hear the sound of the CD you have found the correct interface.

Here is an overview of the interfaces used for CD-ROM audio connections:

If you are running Windows 3.x please ensure that a driver called 'MCI-CD AUDIO' is installed in the driver section of the Control Panel group. If necessary, add it to the list.

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Question 2:
Why are the MIDI files I play using the AudioSystem Gold 16/96 distorted?

Answer 2:
In this case you must notify the MIDI Mapper of Windows 95/98 that there is a wavetable synthesizer in the PC.  Here is how to do it:

1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Multimedia.
2. Now click on the MIDI tab. Select 'External MIDI (Wavetable)' as your driver.
3. As soon as you close the MIDI window, MIDI output to the wavetable synthesizer is enabled.

Under Windows 3.x proceed as follows:

1. Open up the MIDI Mapper on the Control Panel.
2. Select the 'Wavetable Module' setup so that the wavetable synthesizer can be addressed.

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Question 3:
Even though a game is set up for 'General MIDI' the wavetable sound does not get played back. What can I do about it?

Answer 3:
In this instance you should check if a joystick is connected to the sound card's game port. If this is the case, please remove it and then restart the game. If General MIDI sound is now available, the joystick in question is a version which grounds the MIDI lines (which are also carried via the gameport), thus suppressing the sound.

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Question 4:
Why can't I get sound output when playing MIDI files under Windows 3.x or Windows 95/98?

Answer 4:
If you own a SoundSystem Gold 16/96 without a wavetable, select 'Gold FM Synthesis' in the Control Panel under Multimedia. For Windows 3.x, select 'Gold 16/96 FM' in the Midi Mapper.

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Question 5:
Why doesn't Windows 95/98 recognize my AudioSystem?

Answer 5:
Copy the file ESSCFG.EXE to your hard drive from the DOS directory of your driver CD/disk. Start the program. The resources of the AudioSystem will now be displayed. The card's interrupt is important. If, for example, it is IRQ 1, Windows will not be able to recognize the card. Change the IRQ to 5. The values will be entered in the initialization files when exiting the program. Windows will use these settings when restarting.

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Question 6:
When Windows or Windows 95/98 starts, the loudspeakers produce a recurring sound pattern and the system then becomes unstable. What's going on?

Answer 6:
This definitely indicates an interrupt conflict. Two devices are accessing the same interrupt request line and are thus preventing the system from working properly. To solve this problem you should first make a list of the cards in your system and the interrupts they are assigned to. It may also be useful to use a diagnostics program to detect such conflicts.

When you have discovered the source of the conflict, you should reconfigure the cards affected. You can do this by changing the corresponding jumper of the affected respective component or by changing the values in the driver of that device. The Windows 95/98 Device Manager is also very helpful. You can access it via under the System icon in the Control Panel. Double-click on the Computer entry to display all resources.

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Question 7:
My system freezes after playing or recording wave files, or the audio section of my card is marked with a yellow exclamation mark under Windows 95/98. An incorrectly installed driver is supposed to be the fault. Under Windows 3.x the card worked correctly. What can I do about it?

Answer 7:
In this case it will be necessary to open the computer and have a look at the mainboard to see which chipset it uses. Look for large chips with designations on them. Make a note of the designations that you can find and call our hotline for a solution.

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Question 8:
A CD-ROM drive connected to the IDE interface cannot be accessed and is not recognized by the driver. What can I do about it?

Answer 8:
In this case, you should definitely make sure that you don't already have two active IDE interfaces on your system. If you have a Pentium system you certainly have two IDE interfaces on your motherboard and therefore you cannot use the interface on the sound card unless you switch off the second interface on the motherboard in the BIOS (or perhaps even by setting jumpers on the motherboard). The reason for this is that Enhanced IDE can only support two active IDE interfaces. We would definitely recommend that you use the second IDE interface on the motherboard because this makes the installation easier. Then all you have to do is to connect the CD-ROM audio cable to the sound card.

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Question 9:
Are DOS drivers available for the GOLD 16/96? Which sound card standards is the GOLD 16/96 compatible with under DOS?

Answer 9:
The GOLD 16/96 has very good Soundblaster compatibility thanks to the fact that it does not need DOS drivers.
Under DOS, the GOLD 16/96 is

·         Adlib-

·         MPU-401-

·         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. Add the following line, for example, to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

SET BLASTER = A220 I7 D1 T4

A = I/O address of the sound card

I = Interrupt number

D = DMA channel number

T = ID for SoundBlaster Pro

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Question 10:
Why doesn't the keyboard that I have connected to the sound card respond when I hit a key?

Answer 10:

1.      First, make sure that the driver for communication with the keyboard has been installed. The relevant driver for this card is called 'GOLD 16/96 AUDIO', you should be able to find it in the Device Manager in the Control Panel. If this is not the case, please reinstall the Windows 95/98 drivers again.

2.      If the driver is installed, it must be selected as the MIDI input device in the sequencer software. Please see your sequencer manual for details on this. Most sequencer programs have a menu item labeled "Setup/MIDI Devices", where you can select MIDI input and MIDI output devices.

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. 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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