ARGUS – A New Gravis Ultrasound Clone

[LGRBlerbs]

Fun(?) fact: I actually went back to record some more demos and tracker tunes for the end bit showing off how good the ARGUS sounds, only to be met with Content ID claims on the upload! Apparently, certain famous tracker tunes are in the copyright system now and can get videos blocked. That's news to me! So I removed them and only left in "the good, the bad & the ugly" demo by Surprise!Productions. Now I'm curious if that gets claimed too someday 🤷‍♂

[mortenhaug]

Fantastic, it even clones my struggles with the classic back in the day!

[Shockwav]

Oh ... and a proposal that would _instantly_ make me go open source ... if there's any FPGA designer who can synthesize an InterWave compatible design, I'd love to adapt the layout of the ARGUS. Since that would allow to flood the market with inexpensive clones. Not gonna happen that easily with the current status tho ... since InterWave chips have become kinda hard to obtain as well - this project uses new old stock I obtained before/while starting the project which is a limiting factor.

[GriotDNB]

Flashback of clashing irq settings... Lovely content.

[adriansdigitalbasement]

I have an Interwave card (the Compaq one I think) and it took similar extraordinary efforts to get it working, even following guides on VOGONs... I also had to use a combo of files from different versions and even had to install Windows 95 and use files that got installed with it! It was a nightmare and gave me a similar bad taste.... So I think this is just a problem specifically with these Interwave cards ...

[Not-Great-at-Gaming]

The issues in this video definitely bring back memories of the 90s. I remember troubleshooting new hardware was always part of the fun, especially with non-intel CPUs.

[estyrer]

Cool video, I'm living vicariously through LGR because I never had access to this cool stuff let alone a budget or PC to actually use!

[TheOnjLouis]

I just had to smile at 12:00 because Elysium and other such MOD files were the sound of my teenage years.
I owned an AWE32 and a DOS machine, never had the privilege of a GUS sadly, though I always wanted to try one.

[Henry_Jones]

Love that font on the back! Awesome when letters look like space ships!

[Damascus]

Knowing that all the old cards are eventually going to fail at some point, I love the fact that there are a few new options for upgrading older PC's.

[AGIMA]

Thanks for sharing this. As an Amiga fan, who was bitterly disappointed with PC sound when I eventually jumped over back in the day, I am now kicking myself that I did not know this was a thing. I mean....I of course recall seeing it as an option in game setup menus, but just dismissed it as "an alternative". OMG it really does have those Amiga tones to it. Man, the 90's would have sounded a whole lot better had I know. Great that this clone exists.

[enilenis]

So glad to see this thing. I'm still running my GUS Classic 2.1 and loving it. I'd like to have a MAX, or any version with PnP, but they are worth an absolute fortune. The fact that there is a hardware clone is good to know. GF1 chips weren't just in GUS cards. They were in Forte VFX1 helmet also, I believe. They were developed under the same project umbrella. I wouldn't be surprised, if there was a surplus inventory of those chips somewhere, just like with 3DFX. Gravis cards were so hard to sell, I remember them going for $35 at one point. If only I knew the future, I would've bought myself a hundred right there.

[E-Box]

Damn! A Gravis ultrasound clone?! That's like a dream come true.
Closed source unobtanium with weird issues? Dreams shattered.

[bryndal]

Elysium brings back memories. I haven't heard it since the 90s.

[aruansp]

Great project, it's unfortunate that it's not gonna be mass produced and even more so that it was not open-sourced. Although I imagine that, at long term, the increasing rarity of retro hardware will change this landscape and we'll see many new projects like this gaining traction and becoming more available.

[MOS]

Oh man that Screamtracker splash screen, what a time trip. So glad Clint's a trackery guy👍

[Rokios]

I used to have a GUS PnP I am glad to see that the clone is perfect. I had so many issues trying to get the original to work as it just didn't like any of the set-ups I had at the time. Although I do regret selling it. Oh well lol

[singeslayer]

that card is gorgeous, especially the logo on the back

[BuildYourOwnBass]

I've been listening to Doom for near 35 years now, and this version the notes from the guitar sweeps were very percussive, sounded very clean to this musician!

[Zerbey]

Thanks for featuring this, one of my lasting regrets is letting my Gravis UltraSound go back in the 1990s and not anticipating how rare and collectable they'd become! I'm hoping some other group are inspired to make a clone that's available to purchase.