sbpro(7D)							      Devices								 sbpro(7D)

NAME

       sbpro - Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, and Sound Blaster AWE32 audio device driver

SYNOPSIS

       sbpro:sound,sbpro
       sbpro:sound,sbproctl

DESCRIPTION

       The Creative Labs Sound Blaster family of audio cards comprises DMA-capable ISA bus plug-in cards that provide 8 and 16 bit mono and stereo
       digitized sound recording and playback over a wide range of sampling rates. Each card includes a digital sound processor and  mixing  capa-
       bility.	Some  of  the  cards  also  support  more advanced audio features such as  FM synthesis, advanced signal processing, advanced wave
       effects, and  MIDI capability; however, the sbpro driver does not currently support those advanced features. The  features  and	interfaces
       supported by the Solaris sbpro driver are described here and in audio(7I).

       Some  Sound Blaster cards support optional non-audio capabilities such as  SCSI interfaces and  CD-ROM interfaces. These interfaces are not
       supported by the sbpro driver.

       The sbpro driver also supports certain Sound Blaster-compatible audio devices, including some based on the ESS688 audio chip.

       In addition, the driver supports some devices based on the Analog Devices AD1847 and AD1848, and Crystal Semiconductor  CS4231  chips.  Any
       CS4231-based  devices  supported by this driver are programmed in AD1848 compatibility mode. There is no special support in this driver for
       the more advanced CS4231 features. This family of devices will be referred to as the "AD184x family."

APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE

       The Sound Blaster device is treated as an exclusive  resource, meaning that only one process may open the device at a time. Since the Sound
       Blaster	hardware  does	not  support  simultaneous sound input and output, the	sbpro driver does not allow the simultaneous access of the
       device by two processes, even if one tries to open it read-only and the other write-only.

       The sbpro driver will return "SUNW,sbpro" or "SUNW,sb16" in the name field of the audio_device structure. The version  field  will  contain
       the version number of the card's
	DSP  chip,  and the config field will be set to "SBPRO" or "SB16". The	AWE32 is currently identified as an SB16.  In all subjects covered
       in this man page, the Sound Blaster
	AWE32 behaves the same as the Sound Blaster 16.

   Audio Data Formats
       The Sound Blaster Pro handles 8-bit samples. In mono mode, audio data may be sampled at rates from 4,000 to 44,100 samples per second.	In
       stereo  mode,  samples  may  be	handled at the rates of 11,025 and 22,050 samples per second. The SB-16 can sample 8-bit or 16-bit mono or
       stereo data in the range of 5,000 to 44,100 Hz. Devices in the  AD184x family can handle sample rates up to 48,000 Hz.

       The Sound Blaster Pro hardware handles 8-bit linear samples in excess-128 format. The Sound Blaster 16  handles	that  format  as  well	as
       16-bit  linear samples in two's complement format. The sbpro driver will generate and accept data in these formats if AUDIO_ENCODING_LINEAR
       is selected in the encoding field of the audio information structure.  16 bit precision is not available on  the  Sound	Blaster  Pro.  The
       sbpro  driver  will  also  accept  and generate mu-law format data (as in the Greek letter mu) if the encoding field is set to AUDIO_ENCOD-
       ING_ULAW. In this case, driver software performs the translation between linear and mu-law formats.  mu-law encoding is designed to provide
       an  improved  signal-to-noise  ratio  at  low amplitude levels. To achieve best results when using mu-law encoding, the audio record volume
       should be set so that typical amplitude levels lie within approximately three-fourths of the full dynamic range.  Devices  in  the   AD184x
       family support both mu-law and A-law in hardware, and the driver allows either of those encodings to be selected.

   Audio Ports
       The  Sound  Blaster  hardware does not support multiple output devices, so the play.port field of the audio information structure only sup-
       ports AUDIO_HEADPHONE. Output volume is controlled by software.	The volume control thumbwheel on the back of the card should be turned all
       the way up to maximum; otherwise no sound may be audible.

       The  record.port  field	of the audio information structure allows selection of which audio source is used for recording, and may be set to
       one of AUDIO_MICROPHONE, AUDIO_LINE_IN, or AUDIO_CD. These select input from the microphone jack, line-level input jack,  or  internal	CD
       input,  respectively.  The microphone input is treated as a mono source by the hardware, although the microphone jack is a stereo jack.	If
       your microphone has a mono plug, you should convert it to a stereo plug using an appropriate adapter.  Line and	 CD  are  stereo  sources.
       When recording in mono mode, both stereo channels are mixed before recording.

PRECONFIGURATION

       Note -  Many  audio  devices  come with a software utility that allows you to select the IRQ and DMA settings. Often, this utility does not
	       record parameters in nonvolatile memory but in a configuration file used by DOS to set the card's  configuration  at  each  reboot.
	       This  type of configuration file is not used by the Solaris software and does not affect the operation of the card with the Solaris
	       operating environment.

	 o  Output volume is controlled by software. If you do not hear sound, turn the volume thumbwheel on the back of the card to  the  maximum
	    volume setting.

	 o  Line-in  and  aux jacks typically require line level voltages, such as output from a tape or CD player line-out jack or from a powered
	    (battery-operated) microphone. Mic jacks typically require lower voltages. Consult the manufacturer's documentation  for  your  device
	    requirements.

	 o  The  Sound	Blaster Pro card cannot share IRQ settings with any other card installed in your system. If the hardware-jumpered IRQ set-
	    ting conflicts with any other device, change the IRQ on the Sound Blaster card to one listed under Supported Settings. The most common
	    conflicts occur with the LPT1 parallel port or a network card.

	 o  For Sound Blaster 16 cards that have an on-board SCSI subsystem, the audio subsystem needs its own I/O (port) address and an IRQ, dis-
	    tinct from those of the SCSI subsystem.

   Supported Settings
       Note -  Default settings differ slightly between the SB Pro, SB Pro-2 and SB 16, SB AWE32, SB Vibra 16 cards. Only the 0x220 and 0x240 set-
	       tings  are  supported  for  SB  Pro  and SB Pro-2 while additional addresses are supported for the SB 16, SB AWE32, and SB Vibra 16
	       cards.

       If your card supports Plug and Play, your device resources are configured automatically. Use the following settings for devices that  don't
       support Plug and Play. Defaults settings are shown in italics.

	 o  IRQ Level: 2, 5, 7, 10

	 o  I/O Address: 0x220, 0x240, 0x260, 0x280

	 o  8-bit DMA Channel: 0, 1, 3

	 o  16-bit DMA Channel: 5, 6, 7

       Settings for the Compaq Deskpro XL and Turtle Beach Tropez Card are provided below. For each device, the sbpro driver automatically chooses
       an unused DMA channel and IRQ line.

	 o  Compaq Deskpro XL Business Audio With Built-in AD1847 Chip -- I/O Address: 0x530, 0x604, 0xE80, 0xF40

	    Note -  The  sbpro support for the AD1848 and compatibles uses one DMA channel for both play and record; simultaneous  play/record	is
		    not supported.

	 o  Turtle  Beach  Tropez  Card  With  CS4231 Chip -- I/O Address: 0x530 (The MWSS I/O address on the Turtle Beach Tropez card is 0x530 at
	    power-up. It can only be changed by software after the system is booted, a function that the Solaris operating  environment  does  not
	    perform. Therefore, the Tropez card is only supported at I/O address 0x530.)

	    Note -  The  Tropez card comes with a software utility for selecting the IRQ, DMA, and MWSS compatibility I/O address settings used by
		    the card. However, that utility does not record those parameters in nonvolatile memory, but in a configuration  file  used	by
		    DOS  to  set  the card's configuration at each reboot. This type of configuration file is not used by the Solaris software and
		    does not affect the operation of the card with the Solaris operating environment.

   Known Problems and Limitations
	 o  Any Crystal Semiconductor CS4231-based devices supported by this driver are programmed in AD1848-compatibility mode. This driver  does
	    not include support for advanced CS4231 features; in particular, simultaneous play/record.

	 o  The  Sound	Blaster  card cannot share IRQ settings with any other card installed in your system. The most common conflicts occur with
	    the LPT1 parallel port or a network card.

	 o  Some devices can detect that the IRQ is in use by another device in the system. If this occurs, the driver prints an error message:

	    sbpro: MWSS_AD184x IRQ 7 is 'in use.'

	    To correct this, change the IRQ setting of either the audio device or the conflicting device. (Some devices are  not  able	to  detect
	    such  a  conflict. The driver will try to use the card, but that will likely result in the system hanging when the card is first used.
	    Thus, it is important to check that the IRQ that does not conflict with another device.)

	 o  Although the sbpro driver supports A-law encoding on AD1848 and compatible devices, audiotool does not and produces an  error  message
	    if	you  select A-law encoding. Use audioplay(1) to play A-law encoded audio files, or use audioconvert(1) to convert the A-law sample
	    into a format that audiotool will accept, such as 16-bit linear. User-written applications can select A-law format	using  the   sbpro
	    driver on AD1848 and compatible devices.

       Note -  Some  Compaq Deskpro XL Business Audio system units with built-in AD184x chip have the headphone jack wired with its left and right
	       channels reversed. As a result,	left and right output is reversed. The line-out jack at the back of the unit  works  as  expected.
	       For optimum sound quality, use external microphone and speakers and not the ones built into the keyboard.

	 o  Non-Plug and Play Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster Vibra 16, and Sound Blaster AWE32 cards are recognized as Sound Blaster 16 cards.

	 o  The ISA version IBM Token Ring and compatible adapters will not work in a system that contains a Sound Blaster card that is configured
	    at the default I/O port address(0x220). If possible, move the Sound Blaster card to port address 0x240; otherwise, remove	the  Sound
	    Blaster device from the system.

FILES

       /dev/audio	       Linked to s/dev/sound/0

       /dev/audioctl	       Linked to  /dev/sound/0ctl

       /dev/sound/0	       First audio device in the system

       /dev/sound/0ctl	       Audio control for first audio device

       /usr/share/audio        Audio files

ATTRIBUTES

       See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |      ATTRIBUTE TYPE	     |	    ATTRIBUTE VALUE	   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+
       |Architecture		     |x86			   |
       +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+

SEE ALSO

       audioconvert(1), ioctl(2), attributes(5), audio(7I), streamio(7I)

       Creative Labs, Inc.  Sound Blaster Pro User Reference Manual

BUGS

       The current driver implementation does not support the A-law encoding mode for Sound Blaster and compatible devices.

       The  conversion	of mu-law to 8-bit linear format for Sound Blaster and compatible devices can cause a loss of precision, resulting in poor
       sound quality in cases where the original recording level was well below normal.  If this occurs while using the  Sound	Blaster  16  card,
       audioconvert(1)	can be used to convert the original mu-law data to 16-bit linear format before play.  This will preserve all the precision
       from the original mu-law sample.

SunOS 5.10							  16 January 2001							 sbpro(7D)