| | | | || | | | || | | | | | | ///#|| | | | || //# //# | |//# | | | | //#//#| | | || | || || //# | //# || ||//# || | | ||| | || //####|///#|//#//#////# |////# | //# | ////#////#| || | || __|||__|__||_#///#|//#//#//#//#//#//#//#//#_|_//#_|_//#//#//#//#__||__|_||____ || | ||##//#//#//#//#//#//#//#//#//#| |//#| |//#//#//#//#| || | | || | //#//#//#//#//#//#//#//#//#//#| |//#| |//#//#//#//# || | #///###///###///##//#//##////#| |/////##////#////## | |#### #### |#### ###### #####| ######|########## | | | ||| | ||| | | | | | | | | Version 1.1 Manual Update February 1, 1993 by Damien M. Jones dmj software PSC 8 Box 657 APO AE 09109 Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 2 --- Introduction This update only covers the features that were added with Sound Lab 1.1. You should have read the complete manual before reading this. Sound Lab 1.1 is here because there were several features that were requested by a number of registered users. Since I will not be able to do Sound Lab 2 until the spring or summer of 1993, I thought a small upgrade would be appropriate to provide the seemingly most urgent additions that were required. The version you now have is an unregistered version. Since this takes some effort to do on my part, do your part and show support for Shareware. --- If You've Been Using the Old Version If you have previously used Sound Lab 1.0x, then you will need to be sure to use the correct files. Replace the old SOUNDLAB.TOS, SOUNDLAB.COL, SOUNDLAB.MON, and SOUNDLAB.HLP with the new files. Your old .PRF is still good, but you will probably want to set the new options and re-save your preferences. --- Sound Lab as an Installed Application You can now install Sound Lab as an application from the Desktop, sort of. What this does is tell TOS that whenever you click on an .AVR file (if that's the extension you installed it with), Sound Lab will load, and then Sound Lab will load the sample. The problem is, with early versions of TOS (1.62 or before), TOS doesn't set the path for the program. This means Sound Lab won't be able to find its data files (.PRF, .COL, .MON) unless your .AVR files are all in the same folder as SOUNDLAB.TOS. This seriously limits the usefulness of this feature. If you have TOS 2.06, though, things get better. You can install SOUNDLAB.TOS as an application; I'd suggest using .AVR and .WAV as your extensions, if you don't have those installed on another program. Make sure you set the option for the path to "Application", not to "Top Window", so Sound Lab can find its data files. Then set the "Parameters" option to "Full Path", so Sound Lab can find the sample file. And remember to save your Desktop. (You don't know how many times I've forgotten to do that!) Once installed, not only can you just double-click on an .AVR or .WAV file and have Sound Lab load and then load the file, but you can also drag Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 3 any sample file icon onto the icon for SOUNDLAB.TOS (even if it the file isn't an .AVR or .WAV file) and Sound Lab will still load it. This same feature is available in NeoDesk--install the application the same way as for TOS 2.06. While you're at it, if you only have a meg you'll most likely want to set NeoDesk to unload for the execute. If you leave a SOUNDLAB.TOS icon on the desktop you'll probably find the drag-and-drop method very handy. Although I don't have the new TOS, I do have NeoDesk, and I can tell you it makes a big difference. If, for some bizarre reason, you run Sound Lab from a CLI, this also means you can pass a sample file to it as a parameter. Amazing how many things one little change can cover, huh? When you auto-load a sample in this way, Sound Lab's title screen will only appear for two seconds. You can still bypass it completely (and thus free up 20K of sample RAM) by holding down the ALT key. --- New Interface Features It has been pointed out that finding the start or end of the block can be a slightly annoying task at higher magnifications. To help with this, if you click the right mouse button on the left slider arrow at the bottom of the sample window, Sound Lab will find the start of your block for you. Similarly, if you right-click on the right slider arrow, Sound Lab will display the end of the block. You can also right click anywhere in the slider, and it will "snap" instantly to that location. It's a lot faster than dragging the slider to the same place with the left mouse button. Although I added this feature earlier (I think in v1.03), I apparently didn't document it. This will work with ANY slider in the program, not just the one on the sample window. Two more features were also undocumented. Clicking on the zoom indicator at the top of the sample window will switch between Max zoom and 1x zoom. And clicking on the speed indicator will bring up the "Speed" dialog. As with the slider right-click, these were added earlier but not documented. --- MIDI Current versions of Sound Lab do not have any MIDI capability. If the program detects any MIDI activity, it will ask you to shut off or disconnect it shortly after the Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 4 title screen disappears. This is the ONLY time it will check the MIDI; should you later turn the equipment back on or reconnect it, you will find that any MIDI input from the equipment (i.e. note events or MIDI clock) will stop the playback of sound, just as a keypress would. This is because of how the MIDI and keyboard interrupts are set up on the ST. Later versions of Sound Lab will have some MIDI capability. I mention this because, even though I had programmed this in, I'd forgotten about it. I loaded Sound Lab and then switched on my keyboard, getting ready to see if I could sample some sounds. Naturally it was also connected via MIDI cables, and my keyboard pumps out a rapid MIDI clock signal; it took me several minutes to figure out why Sound Lab wasn't able to play or record anything! --- New Sample Formats When you load a file, Sound Lab will check to see if it's an .AVR, .WAV, .SMP, or .SND file, regardless of its extension. If it is one of these files, the speed (and various other items) will be set for you. If the file isn't recognized as being in one of these formats, Sound Lab will check the extension, to see if it's .SPL or .SAM, and act accordingly. Extensions with numbers (such as .080 or .8K) are interpreted to mean the speed of the sample (.080 would mean 8KHz, as would .8K). It *IS* remotely possible that an .SPL or .SAM file will be mistaken for one of these formats (usually an .SND file) but this is rare; the worst that will happen is that the speed will be wrong. Also note that due to DigiSound's method of playing samples, the speeds may not be absolutely perfect when imported into Sound Lab. .WAV files are from PC's. These were added at the request of Greg Kopchak, who very thoughtfully provided the file format specifications along with his request. You can save in this format, as well as load. .SMP files are "Sound Wizard" samples; Sound Lab will load this format for use with GEM Sound. You can also save in this format, but you must use the .SMP extension. Also, since I do not have complete information for this format (maybe someone can help with that?), Sound Lab saves all samples with the speed listed as 12.5KHz (no problem for GEM Sound). If your sample isn't at 12.5KHz and you try to save in Sound Wizard format, Sound Lab will warn you the speed will be incorrect (but will still let you proceed, if you insist). .SND files are DigiSound or SoundOff! files. Sound Lab will load these files, but not save them. .### and .#K (numbered extensions) can be loaded as well as Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 5 saved; I've seen them used in several places. You may need to use the "High Bit" button on some of these samples. You can save in this format, but only if your preferences are set that way (see below). If you attempt to load samples recorded at speeds above 30KHz, Sound Lab will give you the option of converting to 30KHz, converting to half the speed, doing nothing. The 30KHz limit is actually due to the ST hardware; STe and cartridge output is perfectly capable of speeds up to 50KHz. This limitation will be fixed in the next major upgrade for Sound Lab. Sound Lab 1.1 will not take too kindly to 16-bit samples. They will probably sound utterly useless. This will also be fixed in the next major version. --- File formats, STe playback, and High Bit There seems to be some confusion as to which sample format should be used for what, so I'll try to make things a little more lucid. .AVR files contain all the information any program needs to correctly use the sample. This includes how fast the sample should be played, whether or not it's in stereo, if it's signed or not, if it's an 8-bit or 16-bit file, and which portion of the sample (if any) should be looped. You should always save in .AVR format unless you have a specific reason not to. (.WAV or .SMP files fall in this category, too.) .SPL files are called "raw data", because that's what they are. There is absolutely NO INFORMATION(*) in the file other than the raw sound itself. Because of this, any program using an .SPL file has to make assumptions about the speed, and should assume it's a mono, 8-bit, unlooped, unsigned sample. The only reason you should use this format is if you plan to import a digitized sound into a program that only supports unsigned raw files. .SAM files are just like .SPL files, except it is _signed_ raw data, rather than unsigned. Sound Lab plays out through the STe DMA without requiring you to make any alterations to the sample. Just select "STe DMA" as the "Output" option from the "Prefs" dialog. Apparently I confused some people when I mentioned the STe hardware requires signed samples, so I'd better un-confuse people. When Sound Lab loads any file, .AVR, .SPL, or .SAM, it stores it in memory as unsigned because of how I wrote all the fast editing routines. Played through the ST hardware, the sound is converted to the warped form needed by the YM2149 sound chip. Played through the STe hardware, the sound is Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 6 converted to a signed sample. Both of these conversions are done on the fly, and do not require you to change ANYTHING. Sound Lab assumes, if you load a file that doesn't end in .AVR, .SPL, or .SAM, that the file is an .SPL file. Since .SPL is an unsigned file, if the data was in fact signed, it's obviously not going to sound right. That's what the "High Bit" button is for. All it does is change the DATA between signed and unsigned. It doesn't change how Sound Lab handles the sample--it just changes each byte from signed to unsigned, or vice versa. It has absolutely no knowledge of whether the sample is signed or unsigned, and it doesn't care. Whenever you save in a signed format (.SAM), Sound Lab converts the entire sample to signed form (so it will save properly), saves the data, and the converts the entire sample back to unsigned format so it can properly use the sample in memory. You do NOT have to hit the "High Bit" button when saving in a signed format--Sound Lab effectively does (and then undoes) this for you. If you simply mess with sound for the fun of it, I'd recommend saving in .AVR or .WAV format. I'd personally recommend .AVR format, since it contains more information that .WAV, and it's an ST format, not a PC format. (grin) If your intent is to use digitized samples in your own programs (registering Sound Lab will provide you with GFA BASIC, C, and assembly code for doing so), you can use any format you like. However, you should be aware that many routines to play through the ST hardware (including mine) expect unsigned samples, but the STe hardware expects signed samples. If you plan to support both options--which is highly recommended--I suggest using signed samples, and adjusting the ST player routine to use signed samples as well. This will save you having your program convert the samples as needed. As a final note regarding file formats, most tracker programs (like NoiseTracker) expect signed samples, and don't accept .AVR samples. If it is your intention to use Sound Lab to edit samples for this sort of application, use .SAM format to save files. The notable exception to this is TCB Tracker, which expects unsigned samples; use .SPL format for TCB Tracker. (*) Actually, some .SPL files do contain a one-byte code indicating which of the 8 ST-Replay speeds the file is at. However, there is no other identifying code in the file, and this code can't handle the wide range of speeds Sound Lab is capable of. For this reason, Sound Lab does NOT use this code when it saves an .SPL file; it does a RAW DATA save. Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 7 But if Sound Lab encounters the one-byte code in an .SPL file, it WILL use it. --- Accessories In the "Desk" menu there is now an "Accessories" item. Click this, and a GEM menu bar will replace the custom one used in Sound Lab. From here you can select and use accessories. The first item in the "Desk" menu will change to "Done with ACCs"; select this when you're finished using accessories. This is not as convenient as selecting the accessory directly, but since I'm not using a GEM menu system for Sound Lab, it was the best I could do. Proper accessory support will hopefully appear in later versions. In order to use this feature, Sound Lab must be renamed to SOUNDLAB.PRG and run from the Desktop in ST medium or ST high resolution. If Sound Lab has to switch the resolution, if it was run from the AUTO folder, or if it was run as a .TOS program, the "Accessories" item will be greyed out. (If you run Sound Lab from inside an alternate desktop, like NeoDesk, it doesn't matter if it has a .TOS extension or not--you'll always be able to get to the accessories.) --- New Preferences In the Prefs dialog is a new button in the bottom left corner labeled "More Prefs". This will bring up a second Prefs dialog containing the five new options for Sound Lab 1.1. This was the simplest way to add new options; with Sound Lab 2 I will consolidate all the Prefs into one place. The new preferences for version 1.1 are "Input", "Fileselector", "Load format", "Save format", and "Save .AVR". "Input" indicates which digitizing hardware Sound Lab should use; choose either "ST Replay" or "DigiSound". "ST Replay" will use an ST Replay mono 8-bit cartridge or a Stereo Master cartridge (but only in mono). "DigiSound" will use Alpha Systems' DigiSound cartridge. If you have a sampling cartridge that won't work with either setting, see if the manual for it has any info on programming it; if it does, send the info to me and I'll see what I can do. "Fileselector" has two options, "Custom" and "GEM". Selecting "Custom" will use Sound Lab's custom fileselector. Selecting "GEM" will use the standard GEM fileselector, or a replacement if you have one loaded. This option is only valid under the same conditions that "Accessories" as available; if the accessories aren't available, you will have to use the custom fileselector. Also note that after using the fileselector, the entire screen will be redrawn; this is because at its heart Sound Lab is NOT a GEM program, and it Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 8 doesn't take kindly to working with GEM dialogs like the fileselector. For this reason, you'll also notice the screen redraw after you use accessories. This will be fixed in later versions of Sound Lab, which will be more cooperative with GEM. "Load format" refers to what Sound Lab will assume if you load a sample that isn't .AVR or .WAV. If you click ".SPL", Sound Lab will assume it's an unsigned sample; clicking ".SAM" will force Sound Lab to assume it's a signed sample. Select whichever suits your needs--if you use a sample tracker program other than TCB Tracker, you'll probably want .SAM, otherwise use .SPL. "Save format" refers to what format Sound Lab should save in if you don't explicitly state through the extension. Select ".AVR", ".WAV", ".SPL", ".SAM", ".###", or ".#K". You can override the default setting by using an extension of .AVR, .WAV, .SPL, or .SAM. When using the ".###" or ".#K" options, you will not need to provide an extension; Sound Lab will determine the proper numbered extension for you. "Save .AVR" has two settings, "Signed" and "Unsigned". Since .AVR files contain information on whether the sample data is signed or unsigned, any program that claims to support .AVR samples should interpret the data correctly. However, for your convenience, you can select the format here. This affects ONLY .AVR files. These new preferences, along with the position of the "More Prefs" dialog, will be saved when you click "Save" from the main "Prefs" dialog; they wouldn't be much use otherwise. Although Sound Lab 1.1 will read 1.0 .PRF files (so it's easy to move to the new version), you obviously can't read a 1.1 .PRF file with Sound Lab 1.0x. Makes sense, right? --- Finishing Up This revision is an example of how user input makes a difference. Although I use almost every program I write on a daily basis, I'm a programmer; by definition, that makes me a warped person with truly bizarre needs. So I need you, who use the programs, to let me know when I haven't covered something that normal people need. Accessory and GEM fileselector support were added because users wanted to be able to get to disk utilities and UIS III. File-type checking (ignoring the extension) was added because people didn't always use the proper extensions (particularly with the .BAK files created by Sound Lab itself, which I never use). DigiSound recording was added because not everybody uses an ST Replay cartridge. And more sample formats were added because they were ASKED FOR. Sound Lab 1.1 Update Page 9 Although I'm not actually programming Sound Lab 2 yet, it IS in the design stage. That means I'm trying to figure out what options and capabilities need to go into the program so that I can design an intelligent, regular, simple interface without getting too far from the original Sound Lab layout. This isn't easy, and can take quite a bit of time and ingenuity. If you think it's too late to let me know what you want, think again. If you don't think your idea is worth anything, think again. If you think I'm not going to listen to your idea because my opinions are carved in stone, think again. YOUR INPUT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Don't waste an opportunity to make yourself heard.