LGR - Gravis UltraSound: 1992 Sound Card Retrospective

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Published 2018-07-13

Taking a look at the legendary wavetable sound board from 1992! The Advanced Gravis Ultra Sound is still an awesome thing to experience with DOS PC games, assuming you can track one down.

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● Music credits go to:
www.epidemicsound.com/

All Comments (21)

@The8BitGuy 5 years ago

I bought one of these when they first came out. However, I was really disappointed with how much trouble it was getting it to work with games that didn't have native support, which was most games. I think it was a mistake to release the card without a YM3812 compatible chip on board. That's where Creative Labs made the right choice in their SoundBlaster to maintain backward compatibility.
@RealRedRabbit 5 years ago

My first Windows PC, in 1991, had an ultrasound. I didn't realize how lucky I was until I went to a friend's house and he had a sound blaster.
@sandmanxd9950 5 years ago

I think it's amazing how in the 90s if you wanted quality sound you had to dish out $200 but now they're just soldered onto the motherboard for no extra cost
@BenderTheOffender 4 years ago

Even more, the Ultrasound was THE soundboard of the PC Demoscene!
@Damien.D 5 years ago

GUS sounded like crystal, and still does. Like classic synths or musical instrument, these boards ages very well and still are an enjoyment to the ears. There are dozen of epic tunes (mostly coming from the demoscene or Amiga games ports) that were even more epic with this almighty hardware. But they were, and still are, a pain in the ass to setup.
@antdude 5 years ago

I remember listening to DOOM 1 shareware with a GUS in a college dorm room. Wow. Choirs and all that.
@randywatson8347 5 years ago

Dammit I lost my ultrasound ace card years ago while moving. Ah the first moment when you try to play canyon.mid and suddenly hear quality instruments.
@Transfixed 2 years ago

This brought back so many memories! The test sounds, listening to MOD files, buying RAM upgrade chips from London Drugs, getting upgrade disks in the mail (i live close to Burnaby BC) , the sales guy at Future Shop telling me they don't sell medical equipment when we asked for an Ultrasound, heck my friend even mentioned "32 digital sound channels" in my high school yearbook (yeah we were nerds). I still have it all.
@tombraselton2671 4 years ago

Holy hell! Other people bought that card besides me? Loved the sound but hated the compatibility problems. Epic Pinball? What a flashback! Thank you!
@SoulcatcherLucario 5 years ago

Welcome back Clint! I'm already enjoying the video before watching it :P
@Soundole 5 years ago

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into videos like this! I feel like you're doing some really important historical work!
@Sarato 5 years ago

These videos always remind me why LGR is my favourite YouTube Channel: The hardcore nerdiness and interesting trivia. I will always be watching your stuff. Thanks!
@TheGhostMall 5 years ago

This is gonna be epic, I can't get enough of your videos on classic sound cards and old-school PC audio stuff! Thanks for another deep dive into some beloved tech, Clint!
@MarkyShaw 5 years ago

Ahhh yes, another one of those magical items. During the setup of many'a'DOS games, I always sat and wondered about the Gravis UltraSound devices and what mysteries they hold. Between that and Hercules graphics cards, the world of computing always had me wondering what else was out there. Thanks to LGR, I can see firsthand what all these things were and satisfy my vintage curiosity.
@JamieMale 5 years ago

Thanks LGR being waiting for this video ever since you mentioned it in your last video about taking a break great work enjoy your time off man!
@hawks1ish 5 years ago

Basically the emulation was them saying “this is a sound blaster, it sucks don’t buy it” lol
@brycevo 5 years ago

Congratulations on getting your hands on it. These look back videos are always great
@tonyhong20 5 years ago

It's finally here! I've been waiting for this since you got that second Gravis Ultrasound in one of your mail unboxings in 2017!
@jeremiefaucher-goulet3365 5 years ago

Gotta love the big "ASSEMBLED IN CANADA" on the card :)
@valuevinyl110 5 years ago

Ahhh! The Nostalgia! This why I Subbed to you and 8-bit guy a LONG time ago! Finally we get the low-down and spotlight on this legend!