Digital Archiving

[Cloudschatze]

I need to get a more of what I have "out there," for everyone to take advantage of, and scanning more of the hardware/software manuals into PDF seems like a worthwhile means to this end.

I'd like to know, should I be selective in scanning only those things that I feel are of importance, or go for completeness, giving that decision to another?

[Alistair]

I'd use your discretion. It's worthless to waste time scanning unimportant stuff when you're giving up your free time to do so.

Also, I've looked through my Roland manuals (for example) hardly at all- they seem to contain not much interesting or useful stuff.

<shrugs> It depends which stuff you're scanning, and who your intended beneficiaries are.

- Alistair

[Tom]

Also, I've looked through my Roland manuals (for example) hardly at all- they seem to contain not much interesting or useful stuff.

I guess that depends on your point of view.  My Roland manuals are like Bibles to me. 

I've had to hunt up manuals online for any number of sound cards over the years, having lost many of them a while back.  I still use a lot of old devices to this day, including the AWE32...which I happen to still have a manual for....but not my AWE64.

[Zemus]

Got any of the Roland service manuals? I guess those could be interesting.
I've only been able to get the CM-300/500 service manual myself and some badly scanned schematics of the MT-32.

[Cloudschatze]

I've had to hunt up manuals online for any number of sound cards over the years, having lost many of them a while back.  I still use a lot of old devices to this day, including the AWE32...which I happen to still have a manual for....but not my AWE64.

This is exactly what I'd like to help with. Some of the documentation/software that I have for certain soundcards can't be found online (AFAIK), and it would be great to make it widely available.

I've made some attempts to do this using the forum (the MPU-401, Game Blaster, and IMFC threads), but it would be great if there were an actual web "repository" for such information. Jim Leonard, the MobyGames creator, told me over a year ago that he had planned such a website, though I've not heard anything about it since.

Got any of the Roland service manuals?

Originals:
CM-300/500
D-10
D-110
E-20
JD-990
LAPC-I/MCB-1
MT-32 (Third Edition)
PMA-5
SC-55mkII

PDF Prints: (What Roland now provides, since going "digital.")
A-80
CM-64
MPU-401
MIF-IPC/APL
MT-32 (Second Edition)
XV-5080

[Trixter]

This is exactly what I'd like to help with. Some of the documentation/software that I have for certain soundcards can't be found online (AFAIK), and it would be great to make it widely available.

I've made some attempts to do this using the forum (the MPU-401, Game Blaster, and IMFC threads), but it would be great if there were an actual web "repository" for such information. Jim Leonard, the MobyGames creator, told me over a year ago that he had planned such a website, though I've not heard anything about it since.

It's on the extended to-do list.  My goal was a website -- now probably a mediawiki -- that tried to preserve the history and sound of sound cards, from the birth (Mockingboard?) up to but NOT including the software wavetable era.  Hardware wavetable, like daughterboards and the GUS family, would be the last date in the timeline I'd want to cover.

I received a large donation of GUS stuff -- some prototypes, even -- so I'm covered there.  The site/wiki/whatever is planned to be a shrine, essentially:  Pictures, manuals, audio examples, programming information, trivia, recommended programs that use it well, etc.

I should have time around June/July.