WinMod - the first MOD-Player for the Windows NT(tm) operating system If you are expecting a great manual for this little program, I'm so sorry to disappoint you. I built the original WinMod version for Windows 3.1 when I got the specifications of the Windows Multimedia Interface into my fingers. I had just gotten my Soundblaster, and I was interested in the MOD-files. What would be more obvious than to build a small MOD-Player. I just wanted to test how the Windows sound functions work and how easy they can be used. The result is this player. It is not a styled and polished program, neither at the surface (GUI) nor in the technical aspects behind the surface. Therefor you must accept the following `features': WinMod - can eat up plenty of your memory when playing - does not support all the effects that can be used in MOD-Files - does not reach the sound quality of other (DOS based) MOD- Players, because it does not use any tricks like FFT - has problems with some MOD-Files (don't ask me why) - can only play one sound modul (its not a jukebox). But because WinMod plays most MOD-files with acceptable quality, without completely blocking the computer, and because it still seems to be the only Windows-based mod player, I made the program available for others too. Those who accept the above noted weaknesses get a small player that plays music in the background even on relatively slow machines (25 MHz 386 without cache). WinMod is Shareware ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unlike the Windows version, WinMod for the Windows NT(tm) operating system is not a public domain product. This is my first shareware product. If you want to encourage me to improve WinMod (I know there is plenty of work to do) please fill out the registration form (see REGISTER.DOC). The registration fee is US $15. The shareware version of WinMod is not crippled in any way, it is fully functional. So I admit that you don't get anything for your registration except a good conscience. Please support the idea of shareware. What you need to run WinMod ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To be able to run WinMod on your machine, you absolutely need three things: - A computer with an Intel i386 (or better). - a copy of the Windows NT(tm) operating system - a sound card which plays digital samples, and which is supported by Windows NT (currently only the Soundblaster card) Installation ~~~~~~~~~~~~ WinMod doesn't need a special installation procedure. Just copy the program to "anywhere" and start it. For maximum comfort you should associate the player with the MOD-Files: - Start the File Manager - Hilite any MOD file you want. - Select File/Associate Files with Extension: MOD (should already be there) Press the Browse button and find WINMOD.EXE Then click OK. - Finished. Playing the Music ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now the MOD-Files can be played in three different ways: 1. Start WinMod and load a piece of music in the menu File/Open WinMod will play the selected file immediately. 2. WinMod supports the Windows Drag/Drop protocol. You can drag files from the File Manager directly into the WinMod Window and drop them there. 3. When the association has been made as described above, you can start the MOD files directly, too. No matter whether WinMod is already loaded or not, in the File Manager you can play a MOD file with a double click. That's very handy, because you can listen into a list of MOD files quite easily. With the cursor keys in the File Manager select the file and play it by hitting the Return key. If you want to listen to the next file, this one is choosen in the same way. WinMod stops playing the old file and immediately starts the new one. It should be noted here that the options Resolution and Mode in the Settings dialog box are dummies, and even on sound cards with the according features they don't have any effect on the sound quality. I'll like to get constructive criticism and suggestions (perhaps the source code for an according FFT-Routine for MOD-Files). Please send insults, complaints and flames to NUL. Thanks very much to Harald Zappe, who translated this WinMOD `documentation' to English. Without his help there would not be any english docs around anyway. Norbert Unterberg Fido: 2:245/36.4 Koehlerstr. 12c Internet: Norbert_Unterberg@softstream.fido.de 5802 Wetter 2 CompuServe: 100112,2740 Germany This file translated to English by Harald Zappe zappe@mikro.tu-berlin.de Muehlenstr. 39a zappe@sony1.sietec.de D1000 Berlin 46 zappe@idefix.sietec.de Germany Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.