Copyright: Alwin Hoogerdijk, New Noise 1994


NoiseMaster 2.0 Help
NoiseMaster 2.01 Help

NoiseMaster 2.01 is a shareware multi-window sample editor for Windows 3.1 from New Noise. It supports the MS-Windows Wave format (.WAV), the Creative Labs Voice format (.VOC) and raw sample files.

Commands

File Menu

Edit Menu

Effects Menu

Transform Menu

Window Menu

Toolbar Commands

Procedures

Making a selection

Modifying a selection

Zooming

Placing the Paste Marker

Editing individual channels of a stereo sample

Registering NoiseMaster 2.0

Thanks and greetings


File Menu

In the File Menu you find the commands for opening and saving samples and for quitting NoiseMaster. It also contains the Options and the Wave Device Selection items.

New

Open

ReOpen

Save

Save As

Options

Select Wave Devices

Exit

Contents


New

Opens a new, empty sample window. The title of this new window is "UNTITLED.WAV".

There are two reasons you might want to open a new sample window.

The first and probably the most important is for recording new samples. To do this select File | New and make sure the new, empty sample window is active. Then press the record button on the toolbar (this is the one with the red circle on it).

The second reason for opening an empty window is pasting part of another sample. Make a selection from one of the other open sample windows and select Cut or Copy. Then open a new

window (select File | New) and choose Paste Insert. You can also select Paste Overwrite or Paste Mix, but in this case they perform the same function as Paste Insert.

Selecting Save when a new, untitled window is active will perform a Save As, because the new sample has no filename yet.

File Menu

Contents


Open

Selecting File | Open will display the standard File Open dialog box. Select the sample you want to open and press Ok. The selected sample is then opened in a new sample window. When you have selected a Windows Wave file (.WAV) or a Creative Voice file (.VOC), NoiseMaster extracts the file type from the sample header. When opening a file with another extension, NoiseMaster assumes it is a raw sample and asks you to specify the sample type in the Raw Sample type dialog box. See Opening Raw samples for more details.

After opening a sample the status bar shows its sample type and size.

File Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Opening Raw samples

When you select a sample in the Open file box, that has an extension other than .WAV or .VOC, NoiseMaster assumes it is a raw sample and asks you about the sample type in the Raw Sample type dialog box. This dialog box is show below. Just click on the different parts of this picture to get info about that part.

Each time you open a raw sample, NoiseMaster makes the sample type you select the default raw sample type. So the next time you open a raw sample, these values are already filled in.

File Menu

Contents


Raw NrChannels
Is it mono or stereo ?


RAW_NRBITS
Is it 8 bits or 16 bits ?


RAW_SIGN
Is it signed or unsigned ?


Raw Samplerate
Select the sample rate of the raw sample here.


Ok
Ok !!


ReOpen

ReOpen serves mostly as an Undo function. If you have edited a sample and you want to undo your modifications, select ReOpen from the File menu or press the ReOpen button on the toolbar. The sample in the active sample window is then reloaded from the sample file. But first you are given a chance to save your changes. If you ReOpen a raw sample, you are again presented with the Raw Sample type dialog box to specify the sample type.

File Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Save

Selecting Save saves the sample in the active sample window using the existing filename. If you try to Save a new, untitled sample (after recording or pasting in a new, empty window), NoiseMaster automatically performs a Save As and lets you specify a filename.

File Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Save As

Save As lets you save a sample using a new filename or even in another sample format. Just specify the new filename in the standard Save File dialog box. If you specify an extension other then the original extension (e.g. .VOC while the original was .WAV) the sample is automatically converted to the new format.

File Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Options

Selecting Options will pop up the Options dialog box. In this box you can select some global settings of NoiseMaster 2.01. These settings are saved in the .INI when you exit NoiseMaster.

Click on the items in the picture of the Options Dialog below to see what they mean.

File Menu

Contents


Options Drawingstyle
This option affects the way the sample is displayed on screen :

Connected Lines 	: Sample values are connected by straight lines.

Vertical Lines	: Sample values are shown as vertical lines from the zero line.

Dots	: Sample values are shown as dots.


Options Position
This option selects the unit of measure in which the positions in the sample will be displayed (for example in the selection field on the status bar).

Seconds	: Positions are displayed in seconds, with a precision of 1/100 second.

Samples	: Positions are shown in samples. This will give you a more precise indication of the marker positions.

Bytes	: Position are shown in bytes. Use this get an indication of the size of selections.


OPTIONS_RATEBARPLAYS
If this checkbox is checked moving the samplerate scrollbar plays the sample. If this annoys you, just uncheck this option. I also recommend unchecking it if you are using the PC-speaker wave device driver.


OPTIONS_AUTOCONVERT
By convention 8 bits samples are unsigned and 16 bits samples are signed. So when converting between 8 and 16 bits formats it is useful to automatically convert between unsigned and signed. Therefore the default of this option is ON. But raw samples sometimes have other conventions (such as Amiga samples). In these cases you might uncheck this option.


Select Wave Devices

This menu item opens the Select Wave Devices dialog which is show below. If you have installed more than one wave output devices and/or more than one wave input devices, you can use this dialog to select the one you want to use with NoiseMaster.

This dialog also shows the capabilities of the currently selected wave devices. The device capabilities are shown for the four possible sample types : 8-bit mono, 8-bit stereo, 16-bit mono and 16-bit stereo. For each type the checkboxes show if the device supports that type for the three standard sample rates 11025 Hz, 22050 Hz and 44100 Hz.

Click on the items in the picture below for a short explanation of their functions.

File Menu

Contents


device out
Select the wave device you want to use for sample output (playing). The list shows all wave output devices you have installed on your system.


device in
Select the wave device you want to use for sample input (recording). The list shows all wave input devices you have installed on your system.


DEVICE_OUTCAPS
This area shows the device capabilities of the currently selected wave output device.


DEVICE_INCAPS
This area shows the device capabilities of the currently selected wave input device.


Exit

Use this menu item to exit NoiseMaster. Before exitting, NoiseMaster closes all open sample windows. For each sample that is modified and not yet saved, you are given the chance to save it first.

File Menu

Contents


Edit Menu

In the Edit menu you find commands for cutting and pasting, deleting and trimming sample selections. All commands from the Edit menu are also available as buttons on the toolbar.

Cut

Copy

Paste Insert

Paste Overwrite

Paste Mix

Delete

Trim

Edit Menu

Contents


Cut

The Cut command removes the selected block from the sample and copies it to the internal clipboard. So before using Cut you must always make a selection first.

The clipboard contents can be copied back to the same sample or even another sample with one of the paste commands : Paste Insert, Paste Overwrite and Paste Mix.

Tip : After you use the Cut command NoiseMaster automatically places the Paste Marker at the cut position. This makes it possible to quickly undo your Cut action by doing a Paste Insert.

Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Copy

The Copy command copies the selected block from the sample to the internal clipboard. So before using Copy you must always make a selection first.

The clipboard contents can be copied back to the same sample or even another sample with one of the paste commands : Paste Insert, Paste Overwrite and Paste Mix.

Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Paste Insert

The Paste Insert command inserts the clipboard contents into the currently active sample at the paste marker. So before using Paste Insert you must always first place the paste marker at the position you want the clipboard contents to be inserted.

Pasting is only possible if the sample type of the clipboard contents matches the type of the sample in the currently active sample window. So they must have the same number of channels, the same number of bits, the same sign and the same samplerate. If they don't match NoiseMaster will tell you so and abort the paste operation.

Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Paste Overwrite

The Paste Overwrite command overwrites the currently active sample with the clipboard contents, starting at the paste marker. So before using Paste Overwrite you must always first place the paste marker at the position you want the clipboard contents to be written.

Pasting is only possible if the sample type of the clipboard contents matches the type of the sample in the currently active sample window. So they must have the same number of channels, the same number of bits, the same sign and the same samplerate. If they don't match, NoiseMaster will tell you so and abort the paste operation.

Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Paste Mix

The Paste Mix command mixes the clipboard contents into the currently active sample starting at the paste marker. So before using Paste Mix you must always first place the paste marker at the position you want the clipboard contents to be mixed in.

Pasting is only possible if the sample type of the clipboard contents matches the type of the sample in the currently active sample window. So they must have the same number of channels, the same number of bits, the same sign and the same samplerate. If they don't match NoiseMaster will tell you so and abort the paste operation.

Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Delete

The result on the sample of the Delete command is exactly the same as the Cut command. The selected block is removed from the sample. But the Delete command does not copy this block to the internal clipboard. So if you want to remove a part of a sample and you do not need to paste this part later, use the Delete command instead of the Cut command. This can save you a lot of memory.

Before using Delete you must always make a selection first.

Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Trim

The Trim command does exactly the opposite of the Delete command. It removes all but the selected block of the sample, that is the part to the left of the selection and the part to the right of the selection. This results in a sample consisting only of the selected block. This can be useful, for example, for cutting silence parts from the beginning and end of voice recordings or for trimming a good loop from a music sample.

Before using Trim you must always make a selection first.

 	Edit Menu

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Effects Menu

All command in the effects menu operate on the selected block of the currently active sample. So before selecting a command from this menu, always make a selection first. If you want the command to operate on the entire sample, just double click in the sample window to select it entirely. If there is no selection, these functions will have no effect (or these effects will have no function).

Reverse

Invert

Change Offset

Repeat

Swap Channels

Mute

Change Volume

Maximize Volume

Fade In

Fade Out

Echo

Reverse Echo

Contents


Reverse

The Reverse command reverses the selected block of the sample. So that part of the sample will be played backwards.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Invert

The Invert command inverts the signal values of the selected block of the sample. On screen this results in flipping the sample vertically. To hear the effect of this, try taking a mono sample, converting it to a stereo sample and inverting one of the channels of this stereo sample.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Mono <-> Stereo

Editing individual channels of a stereo sample

Effects Menu

Contents


Change Offset

The recorded samples of some soundcards sometimes seem to float above or below the zero line, that is the sample offset is not exactly zero. If you encounter this problem you can correct the offset with the Change Offset command. This command needs one parameter, the offset increment or decrement. This parameter is set using the scrollbar in the Change Offset dialog box.

Note that the effect of the Change Offset command will not always be visible in the sample display, due to the limited vertical resolution of the sample windows, especially with 16 bits samples.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Repeat

The Repeat command repeats the selected block of the sample for a user specified number of times. It needs one parameter, the repeat count, which is selected with a scrollbar in the Repeat dialog box.

Since this command changes the length of the sample it cannot be used on a single channel of a stereo sample.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Swap Channels

The Swap Channels command exchanges the two channels in the selected block of the sample. So the left channel becomes the right channel and vice versa.

As you might have guessed, this command only works on stereo samples.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Mute

The Mute command reduces the signal in the selected block of the sample to zero. This silences that part of the sample. This command is the same as a Change Volume with a scale value of 0%.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Change Volume

The Change Volume command lets you modify the amplitude of the signal in the selected block of the sample. You can amplify a sound or make it softer. This command needs one parameter, the scale value, which is a percentage between 0% and 1000%. A scale value of 0% mutes the sample, a scale value of 1000% amplifies it 10 times. The scale value is selectable in the Change Volume dialog box. High scale values will result in clipping of the signal values.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Maximize Volume

The Maximize Volume command increases the amplitude of the selected block of the sample maximally, without being clipped. This command generally increases the sound quality of your sample, but beware that Maximize Volume also increases the amplitude of possible background noise in your sample.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Fade In

The Fade In command adds a fade in effect to the selected block of the sample. This is like Change Volume, but now the scale value increases from 0% at the start of the selection to 100% at the end of the selection.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Fade Out

The Fade Out command adds a fade out effect to the selected block of the sample. This is like Change Volume, but now the scale value decreases from 100% at the start of the selection to 0% at the end of the selection.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Echo

The Echo command adds an echo to the sample. It needs two parameters : the delay value and the gain value. The delay value specifies the delay in milliseconds between two echoes. The gain value specifies the decrease in volume of consecutive echoes. These two values can be set in the Echo dialog box.

Only the selected block of the sample produces an echo, but the echo will have its effect on the range of the sample right after the selection. If your selection is at (or near) the end of the sample, this after echoing will make the sample longer, especially when using high delay and gain values.

Since this command may change the length of the sample it cannot be used on a single channel of a stereo sample.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Reverse Echo

The Reverse Echo command adds a reverse echo to the sample. A reverse echo is like an echo, but instead of adding echoes decreasing in volume after each sound, it adds echoes increasing in volume before a sound.

It needs two parameters : the delay value and the gain value. The delay value specifies the delay in milliseconds between two echoes. The gain value specifies the decrease in volume of consecutive echoes. These two values can be set in the Echo dialog box.

Only the selected block of the sample produces an echo, but the echo will have its effect on the range of the sample right before the selection. If your selection is at (or near) the beginning of the sample, this after echoing will make the sample longer, especially when using high delay and gain values.

Since this command may change the length of the sample it cannot be used on a single channel of a stereo sample.

(This effect needs a selection to be effective !)

Effects Menu

Contents


Transform Menu

All commands in the Transform Menu change the sample type of the currently active sample. This is why these commands always operate on the entire sample. You don't have to make a selection first.

Mono <-> Stereo

8 bits <-> 16 bits

Signed <-> Unsigned

Resample

Contents


Mono <-> Stereo

The Mono <-> Stereo command converts samples from mono to stereo and vice versa. Converting from mono to stereo simply duplicates the mono signal to both the left and right channels. Converting from stereo to mono takes the average of the left and right channels as the mono signal.

Transform Menu

Contents


8 bits <-> 16 bits

The 8 bits <-> 16 bits command converts 8 bits samples to 16 bits samples and vice versa. Note that converting from 16 bits to 8 bits results in loss of resolution.

By convention 8 bits samples are unsigned and 16 bits samples are signed. So when converting between 8 and 16 bits formats it is useful to automatically convert between unsigned and signed. Normally NoiseMaster does this automatically. You can switch off this automatic sign conversion in the Options dialog.

Transform Menu

Contents


Signed <-> Unsigned

The Signed <-> Unsigned command converts signed samples to unsigned samples and vice versa.

By convention 8 bits samples are unsigned and 16 bits samples are signed. Note that if your sample doesn't follow this convention and you try to play it, the windows wave output device will only produce noise.

Transform Menu

Contents


Resample

The Resample commands changes the samplerate of the currently active sample by resampling. This is not the same as moving the samplerate scrollbar on the toolbar. Resampling changes the samplerate without changing the speed of the sample. It adds bytes to or removes bytes from the sample to do this.

Transform Menu

Contents


Window Menu

The Window Menu contains commands for managing the sample windows. It also shows the names of all open sample windows. Selecting one of them activates the specified window.

Tile

Cascade

Arrange Icons

Close All

Contents


Tile

The Tile command tiles all the sample windows within the frame of NoiseMaster 2.0.

Window Menu

Contents


Cascade

The Cascade command cascades all sample windows within the frame of NoiseMaster 2.0.

Window Menu

Contents


Arrange Icons

The Arrange Icons command arranges the icons of minimized sample windows.

Window Menu

Contents


Close All

The Close All command closes all sample windows.  For each sample that is modified and not yet saved, you are given the chance to save it first.

Window Menu

Contents


Toolbar Commands

The toolbar contains the buttons for sample playback and recording and it provides quick acces to some often used commands.

Just click on that part of the toolbar you want information about.

Contents


Play

Pressing the Play button plays the currently active sample from the beginning. If the Loop checkmark is checked it will be played in a loop. Press Stop to stop playing and Pause to temporarily pause the playback.

If you press Play to play a sample and nothing happens, make sure your wave output device is capable of playing that sample type. You can check this using the Select Wave Devices command in the File Menu.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Play Selection

Pressing the Play button plays the selected block of the currently active sample. If the Loop checkmark is checked it will be played in a loop. Press Stop to stop playing and Pause to temporarily pause the playback.

If you press Play Selection to play part of a sample and nothing happens, make sure your wave output device is capable of playing that sample type. You can check this using the Select Wave Devices command in the File Menu.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Stop

Pressing the Stop button stops the playback of a sample or stops recording.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Pause

The Pause button temporarily pauses playback of a sample. Playback can be restarted by pressing the Pause button again or by pressing the Play button.

The Pause button cannot be used to pause during recording.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Record

Using Record you record your own samples. After you press the Record button the Record dialog box will appear. In this dialog box you can specify the sample type and size of the sample you want to record. Click on the items in the picture below to see what they do.

If you specify a sample type your wave input device doesn't support or a recording length larger than the maximum length, the Ok button will be disabled. In this case, change your selections or press Cancel to stop.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


record rate
Specify the samplerate you want to use. If you specify a samplerate the currently selected wave input device doesn't support, the Ok button will be disabled.


record nrchannels
Mono or stereo ? If you specify stereo and your wave input device does not support stereo, the Ok button will be disabled.


record nrbits
8 bits or 16 bits ? If you specify 16 bits while your wave input device does not support 16 bits recordings, the Ok button will be disabled.


record length
Enter the length in seconds of the recording. Make sure you specify a length less than the Max Length show below. If you enter a length larger than the maximum length, the Ok button will be disabled.


record maxlength
This field shows the maximum recording length you can use. This values depends on the amount of physical memory you have left.


cancel
Press Cancel if you changed your mind and don't want to record after all.


Loop

If the Loop checkmark is checked playback of samples or sample parts will be looped.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Reset Samplerate

The Reset Samplerate button resets the samplerate to its original value. This is useful when you have been playing around with the samplerate scrollbar and want the original samplerate back.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Samplerate Scrollbar

The Samplerate Scrollbar lets you play your sample at different samplerates. The higher the samplerate the faster your sample will play. Normally when you move the samplerate scrollbar the sample will be played immediately. If you don't like this, you can turn this off in the Options dialog box. (Select File | Options).

If you save your sample the current samplerate will be saved in its header. If you want to save the sample with the original samplerate, press the Reset Samplerate button first.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Edit Mode

These radio buttons select if your edit actions operate on both channels of a sample, on only the left channel or only the right channel. Note that these radio buttons are disabled if the currently active sample is mono.

Editing individual channels of a stereo sample is only possible if the operation you want to perform does not modify the length of the sample.

Toolbar Commands

Contents


Making a selection

Selecting part of a sample is done in the standard Windows click and drag method. Just click on the start of the desired selection with the left mouse button and drag to the end of the desired selection with the left mouse button still pressed. Release the button and the selection is made.

The selection is show in red and has a yellow marker on each side of it. These markers are used to modify the selection. In the status bar you can see the exact positions of these markers.

Selecting the entire sample can be done by double-clicking the left mouse button in the sample window.

Contents


Modifying a selection

The current selection can be modified by moving the yellow markers on each side of the red selection. Move your mouse pointer on the marker you want to move until it changes shape. Then click and drag with the left mouse button to move the marker. Releasing the button will update the selection.

This method of modifying the selection makes it possible to make a rough selection first, then zoom in on each maker separately and modify the selection accurately.

Contents


Zooming

You can zoom in on the sample by clicking and dragging over the sample with the right mouse button. The part you drag over will be the new view.

Zooming out is done by clicking on the sample with the right mouse button.

Using the zoom feature helps you to modify the selection accurately.

Contents


Placing the Paste Marker

When you paste something from the clipboard into a sample, this pasting always occurs at the paste marker. The paste marker is a red double vertical line. It is normally at the start of the sample. You can grab it there and drag it where you want it to be. Just move your mouse pointer on it until it changes shape. Then click the left mouse button and drag the paste marker along, while holding the left mouse button pressed. When the marker is at the desired position, just release the mouse button.

Edit Menu Commands

Contents


Editing individual channels of a stereo sample

NoiseMaster 2.01 allows you to edit individual channels of a stereo sample. When the currently active sample is a stereo sample, the Edit Mode radio buttons will be enabled. With these radio buttons you can select whether your operations have effect on both channels, only the left channel or only the right channel of your sample. Note that when you edit only one channel of a stereo sample, you can only use commands that don't modify the length of the sample.

Contents


Status Bar

The NoiseMaster 2.01 status bar shows information about the currently active. Click on the field in the status bar picture below, to see what they mean.


Status type
This field shows the sample type of the currently active sample. It shows whether the sample is mono or stereo, 8 bits or 16 bits and signed or unsigned.


STATUS_SIZE
This field shows the size and length of the sample. The size is specified in bytes and the length in seconds.


STATUS SELECT
This field shows the position and size of the current selection, if there is one. The positions and sizes are shown in bytes, samples or seconds depending on what you have selected in the Options dialog.


Registering NoiseMaster 2.01

NoiseMaster 2.01 is shareware. It is NOT free. You can try it out for one month, but after this month you have to either register or destroy your copy. When you register you will get the latest version of NoiseMaster without the Registration Reminder at startup. The registered version includes high pass, low pass, band pass and band reject filters and has two different frequency power spectrum analysis functions : power spectrum and power spectrogram.

How to register ?

First fill in the registration form. Either print it from here (choose the registration form link and then select File | Print Topic) or print the file REGFORM.TXT and fill it in. You can also open the file REGFORM.TXT in you favourite text-editor and fill it in this way.

Don't hesitate to report any possible bugs you found or suggestions you have.

If you can be reached via Email, please fill in you Email address. It is possible to receive your registered version and the update by Email in uuencoded form. This saves me a lot of money and time and you will have your copy much sooner. If you want this, fill in YES after the "Receive update by Email ?" question and Email me, the author, that you registration is on the way. I will Email you the update as soon as I receive your money and registration form.

Registering NoiseMaster costs 25 US dollars or 40 dutch guilders. Send this amount in cash (no coins), together with the registration form, to the address below. I cannot accept foreign cheques (cashing them costs too much money). Dutch cheques (girobetaalkaart) and Eurocheques are ok, but be sure to fill in the amount in dutch guilders (f 40,-), not in US dollars.

The address is :

New Noise

P.O. Box 6092

2702 AB Zoetermeer

Holland

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NEW_NOISE
New Noise

P.O. Box 6092

2702 AB Zoetermeer

Holland


Thanks and greetings

I want to thank the following people for their useful suggestions and their assistance in testing beta versions of NoiseMaster 2.0 :

Max van der Ploeg

Mats Astrom

Ido Ilan Amin

Michael Neary

Anuj Dev

Greetings to :

Fran

Jeroen Koomen (SoniX)

Marcel v/d Lem (SoniX)

Eric Oostendorp (UltraForce)

Pybe Faber

Ad de Vries

Contents


Registration Form

Name	:

Address	:

City	:

Country	:

Email	:

Receive updates by Email ? :

CPU (e.g. 386DX40)	:

Soundcard	:

NoiseMaster version you have :

Bugs found	:

Suggestions	:


Author
Alwin Hoogerdijk

alwin@kgs.twi.tudelft.nl