Fremont, California-based Aztech Labs has an upgrade system that transforms an ordinary desktop personal computer into a multimedia entertainment centre. Called Explorer, it features built-in wave table synthesis, a Plug & Play interface board and a CD-ROM drive. It can be used to add realistic sound to games and marketing presentations. The system is compatible with Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Microsoft Corp’s Windows Sound System and AdLib sound standards, and supports MPEG video on CD. Explorer’s wave table capabilities include MIDI compatibility with 128 instruments. The firm says the product’s advantage lies in its reproduction of exact sound from various musical instruments such as Acoustic Bass, Harp and Piano as musical notes stored in ROM to reproduce exact melodies heard during an orchestral concert. Explorer supports 16 MIDI channels, 32 voices or 32 polyphony notes and contains 2Mb compressed sound in ROM. The product’s double speed CD-ROM drive is MPCII compliant and loads from the top for ease of use. The drive supports multi-session Eastman Kodak Co Photo CD, enabling users to access multiple views of photorealistic images on screen. It can also be used as a standard CD player. Explorer ships this month at under $500.
