SoundWAV v1.5  from  New Eden MultiMedia

SoundWAV is a program to select and randomly change Windows 3.1 System Sounds. It is fully compatible with sound cards as well as Microsoft's PC Speaker driver.  SoundWAV operates very simply - using Windows system calls, it changes the sound file names assigned in your WIN.INI file.

You have the option of  setting each of the seven System Sounds to:

None 	No sound file assigned.

Fixed	The assigned file will be used, and not changed.

Random	Swap sound files randomly each time Windows is started.

Alphabetic	Swap sound files sequentially each time Windows is started.

SoundWAV comes with 10 MB of free digitized sounds!

Everything from HAL's infamous "I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that." to Fred Flintstone's "Yabba Dabba Doo."  We've got it all.  Over 10 MB of sounds free to registered users!

Overview

Installation

Operation

Free WAV Files

Ordering Instructions


Overview

Although referred to simply as "SoundWAV," there are actually two separate programs that make up the complete SoundWAV package.  These programs are SOUNDWAV.EXE, which is the configuration program and front end to AUTOWAV.EXE, the actual "sound swapper."

soundwav.exe

autowav.exe

No Overhead!


SOUNDWAV.EXE

SOUNDWAV.EXE allows you to assign files to sounds, set the directory for WAV files, and test play the sounds, much as the Windows 3.1 Control Panel does.

Going beyond the Control Panel though, SoundWAV also lets you set a directory for each individual system sound and set whether sounds files are to be selected randomly or sequentially (in ascending alphabetic order).

You must use SOUNDWAV.EXE, before running the second module, AutoWAV, for the first time. After initially setup, you need only run SoundWAV again if you decide to change your setup, e.g., you want to specify a new directory for your WAV files.


AUTOWAV.EXE

AutoWAV simply swaps the WIN.INI System Sound file names for those sounds you have set up (with SOUNDWAV.EXE) as type Random or type Alphabetic.

AUTOWAV.EXE is the module that you will use most frequently, and once set up it will be completely transparent to you.

To change your system sounds each time you start Windows, just place AutoWAV in the Windows STARTUP program group.

If you spend considerable time in Windows without restarting and don't want to wait that long to have your sounds swapped for new ones (Chewbacca roaring at every errant keystroke can try your patience after several hours), you can launch AutoWAV at any time just by double clicking on its icon.


No Overhead

AutoWAV is not any form of "TSR," nor is it a constantly running Windows background task.  It loads, looks up information in your WIN.INI file and its own SOUNDWAV.INI file, then writes new file names for the system sounds back to WIN.INI.  Immediately after updating your WIN.INI to the new sounds it quits.

You will never see AutoWAV execute.  No time is spent on screen displays or anything else that could slow down Windows startup.  It runs, rapidly and invisibly, then terminates.


Installation

If you have purchased SoundWAV from New Eden, the SoundWAV program disk contains an INSTALL program that you should use.  Otherwise, if you have downloaded SoundWAV or received it from another source and don't have the INSTALL routine, then you will have to copy SOUNDWAV.EXE, AUTOWAV.EXE, SOUNDWAV.HLP, SOUNDWAV.TXT, and any included wav files to the directory of your choice.  Before deciding on a permanent location for SoundWAV and it's accompanying files, please read the following sections - in particular the section on Directory Structure.

Directory Structure

Automating AutoWAV

Disabling AutoWAV


Directory Structure

Default directory structure

C:\

    WINDOWS

        SOUNDWAV

           ERROR

           START

           EXIT

Ideal directory structure:

C:\

    WINDOWS

        SOUNDWAV

           ASTERISK

           STOP

           BEEP

           EXCLAIM

           QUESTION

           START

           EXIT

If you installed SoundWAV from a floppy disk using the INSTALL program, then four directories are automatically created -- the SoundWAV program directory, and three subdirectories for WAV files.  Ideally, there should be eight directories -- the SoundWAV directory, and seven subdirectories - one for each system sound.

But, some users dislike applications that require such a large or complex structure, and it makes it harder for us to classify samples.  As a compromise, we create only one directory for error messages.

User Configurable Classifications

Exactly what is the difference between "System Asterisk" error sounds and "System Exclamation" error sounds?  We're not sure, but just in case you are, we provide you with the ability to specify a separate directory for each system sound.  Simply make a directory for each system sound and fill it with the WAV files you want played for that error.

For example, some people prefer that only short sound effects, rather than a spoken message be used as their Default Beep.  To do this, you must create a new directory to hold just the short sound effects (e.g., gunshots, phaser sounds, window breaking, etc.). Then in SoundWAV select Default Beep, and choose the new directory for Default Beep WAV files.


Automating AutoWAV

In order to change your system sounds each time you start Windows, you must run AutoWAV each time you start Windows.

Fortunately, you don't have to double click on AutoWAV every morning in order to do this -- Windows 3.1 features a "Start Up" group, which is the graphical equivalent of DOS's AUTOEXEC.BAT.  Windows automatically runs all programs located in the Start Up group each time Windows is started.

Important Note!  The installation program does not place AutoWAV in the Start Up group!  If you want AutoWAV in your Start Up Group you must place it there yourself.

Why?  We think it's rude for strangers to automatically dump something into your Windows Start Up Group. (But if we get 57 calls a day from users who can't figure out how to do it, and who don't make it this deep into the help file, we just may go ahead and be rude, and automatically install AutoWAV to Start Up group)

Placing AutoWAV in the Program Manager Start Up Group

From Program Manager open the SoundWAV group, which was created during installation, and then select AutoWAV. From the Program Manager menu select File, then Copy, and copy the AutoWAV to the Start Up group (or, open both groups and hold down the Control key while dragging the AutoWAV icon from the SoundWAV group to the Start Up group).

Be sure to copy the icon and not just move it, since you may want to keep SoundWAV and AutoWAV together.  Remember, AutoWAV can also be run "manually" by double clicking on its icon, so having both icons together is more convenient than having to open the Start Up group just to use AutoWAV.


Disabling AutoWAV

There may be times that, for diagnostic or other special purposes, you might want to temporarily prevent AutoWAV from running automatically.  This is easily done by deleting the AutoWAV icon from the Start Up group.

When testing is finished and you are ready to return to normal and have AutoWAV automatically load again, you can just recopy it from the SoundWAV group.


Operation

SoundWAV does not just arbitrarily assign sounds, even in random mode. We know you want to play certain sounds for specific events, and not have Windows say "Welcome Aboard"  when you Exit!

To easily allow the categorization necessary for intelligent sound clip switching requires that you place your WAV files for the different system events in different directories.  That sounds complicated, but simply put, it means error sounds go in an error directory, start up sounds in a start up directory, etc.  For more information on this see Directory Structure.  AutoWAV, the second component of SoundWAV, then searches the specified directory for .WAV files and, based on your preferences, randomly or sequentially switches them.

In order for AutoWAV to know which system sounds to switch, and how to switch them, you must run SoundWAV first and select the WAV file directory for each of the seven system events.

You must also set the Sound Type as random or alphabetic -- AutoWAV will ignore all sounds identified as none or fixed (which includes sounds that you have not yet configured). The following sections detail how to configure SoundWAV.

Setting The WAV File Directory

Setting The Sound Type

Setting The File Name

Playing Sounds

Verifying That AutoWAV Works

Tips


Setting The WAV File Directory

Press the large directory bar that is captioned with the WAV file directory for the current sound. A dialog box will open that allows you to browse different drives and directories to easily locate any of your WAV files.  Once you have selected a directory, you will be returned to SoundWAV and the directory that you selected will now be displayed on the directory bar.

Note:  Even if you keep all of your error sounds in the same directory, you will still have to specify that directory for each individual error sound (beep, exclamation, etc.).


Setting The Sound Type

Pull down the Sound Type list and select one of the four types displayed:

None 	No sound file assigned.

Fixed	The assigned file will be used, and not changed.

Random	Swap sound files randomly each time Windows is started.

Alphabetic	Swap sound files sequentially each time Windows is started.


Setting The File Name

It is only necessary to select the sound file name if you have selected Sound Type fixed. If you have, then your selected file will be used every time -- it will not be swapped out later when AutoWAV runs.

For type random the file name does nothing.

For sound type alphabetic the file name specifies the current file assigned, and the next file selected by AutoWAV will be, alphabetically, the file after the one that is selected. If no sound file name is selected AutoWAV will start at the first (alphabetically) file in the directory.


Playing Sounds

 SoundWAV and AutoWAV work by changing your WIN.INI, which Windows searches to determine which sound to play for which system event.  Windows itself actually plays the system sounds during errors, start up, and exit.

SoundWAV and AutoWAV's only real job is to see that your WIN.INI gets new sound files written to it. Because of the very simple operation you can expect a high degree of compatibility with your system.

As a convenience, SoundWAV can test play the sounds so that you can verify you have selected the correct file.  Do this by clicking on the Play Button, or typing ALT+P, or better yet - by simply double clicking on the file name.

PC Speaker Limitations

The Microsoft PC Speaker driver can be configured to set a limit on the time, in seconds, that a sound can play.  The default setting may not be adequate for longer wav files, and can cause the sound to stop abruptly.  If this happens to you then you may want to increase the number of seconds that a sound file is allowed to play.

To do this, from the Program Manager group MAIN, open Control Panel,   then Drivers, highlight the speaker driver and press the Setup button. A dialog box will open with speaker configuration options, including length of time to play, and you may change any of the options you wish.  You are encouraged to experiment with the speaker driver settings, trying various playback speeds until you find the "correct" setting for your PC. Note that some voices sound considerably better than others on the speaker driver, so you may want to carefully select the wav files that you will use.


Verifying

Anytime you want quick proof that AutoWAV works correctly, cause an error after you run it!

From Program Manager strike an incorrect key or key sequence, like ALT+Z, which produces the Default Beep sound. Run AutoWAV, and then hit ALT+Z (or any invalid key sequence) again to beep, and you will hear that AutoWAV has changed the Default Beep to another sound.

Of course, that's providing you have already set up SoundWAV and specified Random or Alphabetic for your Default Beep sound type.


Tips

You should keep several WAV files for each sound type to increase the odds that a new sound file will be selected each time. If you have only a few files it's possible to randomly get the same file several times in a row.

Besides, the more WAV files you keep in each directory, the less likely you will be to hear the same sound so often that you get sick of it.  (Personally, we're ready to launch a photon torpedo at the next computer that says "He's dead, Jim")

If you are an avid sound collector, then you may want to consider storing your collection on floppy disks, and keeping just the "theme of the week" on your hard drive.  See  Stored Uncompressed For Easy Management  for more information.


Free WAV files

Registered owners of SoundWAV receive over 10 MB of high quality WAV files at no extra cost.  All freshly recorded sound clips!  Not a single converted file in our inventory!!!

It'd take you all day  (or longer!) to download a sound collection the size of this, even if you could find all these great ones.  With access fees and/or long distance charges you'd pay many times the cost of our program.  Plus, many digitized sounds found online are of inferior quality.  Our files are all High Quality

That's why we provide registered owners with free sound clips.  We want to ensure that all registered owners have a wide variety of quality sound files in order to better appreciate SoundWAV.

We're talking 10 high density disks here!  We're not cheapskates when it comes to disk costs - our samples are stored uncompressed in well organized libraries for easier management by you.

Examples (Quotes)

Ordering Instructions


High Quality

Most WAV files you find on a BBS are translated from older file types and often from other computer platforms. The quality is usually poor, if not totally unacceptable.  Many sound files have been sampled at very slow rates and/or were specially processed (reduced from a higher sampling rate) to save disk space  -- which drastically affects quality.

If it was originally done on a Sound Blaster it usually means it was recorded with a microphone (yuck!), because until very recently there were no "Line Input" connections on the Sound Blaster. Even if it's a recent recording, that doesn't mean that the person who recorded it knew what they were doing.

That voice of HAL you get from a BBS might have been recorded by a teenager holding a cheap mike in front of a tiny little TV speaker. Worse, he was probably munching on a bag of Doritos while he recorded -- not to mention his mom vacuuming, the dog barking, a toilet flushing upstairs, and the freeway nearby.

Our WAV files are high quality recordings.  They were all recorded in Windows 3.1 using a Sound Blaster Pro.  No microphones!!!  Only line input direct from a Mitsubishi Hi-Fi HQ VCR, Technics CD, or Technics Cassette Deck.  The only background noises you hear in our samples are sounds that existed in the original media.  And, no need to worry about compatibility problems with our WAV files, since they were all recorded directly in WAV format.


Stored Uncompressed For Easy Management.

WAV files are very compact by nature, and our tests have shown that there is little advantage to compressing these files -- we'd save one disk.

We think that any digitized sound collection eats so much disk space that it is best to store WAV files on floppy disks (or have a big hard drive).  Then, once a week (or whenever you choose) delete the WAV files from your hard drive and copy new  WAV files from your floppy disk collection.

We could have been tightwads, and compressed all the WAV files so we could save a buck on disk costs, but then you would have to unzip or expand the files. We put you first, spent the money for an extra disk, and left the files uncompressed so that you can easily manage your sound collection.


Wide Variety

Includes sound clips from the following categories:

Science Fiction

Hollywood

Sound Effects

News

Cartoons

Examples (Quotes)


Examples

Here are  just a few of the great Windows 3.1 sound clips you'll get.  Use them with SoundWAV, or with your own applications.

HAL:	I'm completely operational and all my circuits are functioning perfectly.
HAL:	I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
HAL:	Well, I don't think there can be any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error.
Darth Vader:	I've been waiting for you, Obi Wan.
C3P0:	It wasn't my fault, sir! Please don't deactivate me!
Porky Pig:	That's all, folks!
George Jetson:	This is George Jetson, signing off for the ENTIRE day.
Richard Nixon	I am not a crook.
Bill Murray:	Don't shut it off -- I'm warning ya'!!!
Dorothy:	Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
Dorothy clone:	Toto, I don't think we're in DOS anymore.
Dirty Harry:	Well, we're not just gonna let you walk otta here.
Robocop:	Your move, creep.
The Joker:	Tell me something, my friend.   (loud click of pistol cocking)   Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
Neil Armstrong	That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Number 5:	Malfunction!  Need input!!!
Sound Effects: (2 MB total!)	gunshot, ray gun, bomb, thunder, UFO, police siren, toilet flush, applause, tires screeching, train, car horn, airplane, car crash, more.


Ordering Instructions

Order now!  Only $45.  No hidden charges, no tax, no shipping and handling charges , no extra cost whatsoever.  Order SoundWAV now and we'll include your 10 MB collection of the best sound clips available at no extra cost!.

Available only on high density disks.  Please specify 5.25" or 3.5".  Call or write for more information, or send $45 check or money order (sorry, we're just a small company and we can't accept credit cards yet).  If you're in a hurry, call or write and we'll ship COD.

New Eden MultiMedia

7652 Hampshire Ave

Minneapolis, MN  55428-1457

(612)561-2557

Compuserve 71020,2230

Prodigy DJPN35A

SoundWAV and it's component files and documentation are © 1992, Edward S. Fink, New Eden MultiMedia

Sound files are included solely for demonstration purposes.
We make no claim of ownership or copyright of the sample sound files.