DigiPlay Plus Version 1.8 By Sean Dougherty Released: 01/31/93 **Darlah's Treat Distribution** Copyright January, 1993 Sean Dougherty Produced for and by Two Worlds Software The Boring Stuff NO PORTION OF THIS PROGRAM MAY BE MODIFIED, DISASSEMBLED, DECODED, OR REMOVED AND THEN DISTRIBUTED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. NO PORTION OF THIS TEXT MAY BE CHANGED OR TAKEN OUT OF DIGIPLAY PLUS. NO PORTION OF THIS PROGRAM MAY BE USED IN ANY OTHER PROGRAM. THE ABOVE ALSO APPLIES TO ALL COMPUTERIZED GRAPHIC IMAGES ASSOCIATED AND USED IN DIGIPLAY PLUS. COPIES OF THIS PROGRAM MAY BE MADE ONLY IF ALL PARTS OF THE PROGRAM AND DOCUMENTATION ARE INCLUDED. ALL OTHER RIGHTS RESERVED. THE USER IS AUTHORIZED TO USE THE PROGRAM DIGIPLAY PLUS AND HAS PERMISSION TO DISTRIBUTE IN THE DISTRIBUTION FORM THIS PROGRAM AT NO COST. NO PROFIT MAY BE DERIVED OUT OF THE SALE OF THIS PROGRAM WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. MAGAZINES WISHING TO PUBLISH DIGIPLAY PLUS MUST CONTACT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE CONDITIONS OF PUBLICATION, IF ANY. ******* The author may be contacted on GEnie, address S.DOUGHERTY1, *HELP!* or on the TWS official support BBS, the Excalibur ][ ******* at (813)988-2603 Files Included DIGI1_8.PRG - DigiPlay Plus Main Program DIGIPLUS.SCR - DigiPlay Plus's Working Screen DMAN1_8.TXT - Full manual for use with DigiPlay Feature List (* New or Improved, = New to 1.5, - Same in older versions) * New Custom Fileselector * 100% STe & TT compatible * Extended Playing Speeds * Can play more than seven formats * Sound Effects (Echo/Amp/Rev) = Online Key Alternative Help = Demo Mode = Selectable Color Palettes = Accurate Averaged Graphing = Block Select Playing/Editing = Special Effects Undo Button = Working speed save - Automatic default speed selector - Graphic based menus - No external sound playing code - Keyboard Alternatives - Ten Loadable Slots for Sounds! - Runs the Genesis Graphic Environment - Internal Abridged Manual Bug Fixes (since version 1.5) o The extended speed saver now works 100% of the time, instead of unpredictably, and now is combined with standard speed save. o The robotize button did not clear the old value in version 1.5, and now it does! o MegaSTe's & TT's could not run version 1.5 because it was JAMpacked, this has been fixed by not JAMpacking it. Reported by Ed Krimen. o When you save speed it checks to see if the file exists now. o Not really a bug, but the graph is redrawn if anything is done from within the special effects box. o The length indicator in the SFX box now indicates the size of the selected area, if selected, instead of the file's size. o When you exit the SFX box, the graph is now redrawn to keep it accurate. o Many other little annoying things like the mouse button sticking, and slider accuracy. Design Idea The design idea of DigiPlay Plus is to allow maximum features in a package the beginning user can understand. If you note, the main screen is not as overpowering as many sound players of similar caliber. Each of the basic functions have buttons on the main screen even though the most complex of DigiPlay Plus's features are just a mouse click away. However there are disadvantages such as many functions which are better integrated but must remain separate due to design. DigiPlay Plus is a shareware program and registration of this is necessary after 5 days of use. The registration fee is multileveled to meet differing budgets. The first level is $5 registration. Yes, for five bucks you get to use this program as much as you want to, and on top of that get the next update via mail for FREE. For $10 you get all the above and all updates of this program for FREE. For $15 you get all the above and the right to transfer your registration to another TWS product, possibly getting years of updates, for FREE. The above is in US dollars applies to users in the US, Canadian users add $3 for extra postage. If you decide not to register you must stop using this program. Why should you register? You've already got the program. Who cares if I don't write anything else...You've got this one for free. Does that make any sense? Maybe if I was asking for $50, but I am not. For $5 you get a fully featured program and an update; what more (or less) can you ask? And now for my desperate plea : Shareware is a two way street. I've spent many hours working on this program and I'm putting it into file libraries with the trust that you will keep up your side of the bargain and register. Need I say more? Register. Loading Sounds There are two ways to load sounds. The first is to simply click on the Load button, and then the file slot. While this is nice, there is a much faster way, by clicking on the right mouse button on the file slot. To abort a file load using the first method, click anywhere except the file slots. The DigiSelector The new DigiSelector is the Genesis alternative fileselector. While it may look different (and more colorful) it has all the same features and more. First, an icon description. The first icon in the upper-left corner is the "new-disk" icon. Click this when you put in a new disk, as it changes the current directory to the root (\*.*) for whatever disk drive you are using. The icon to the right of "new-disk" takes you back one directory. The bar next to these has no function, and just displays the current path. If the up and down arrows are clicked with the left mouse button, the directory moves in the corresponding direction of the arrow, and if you use the right mouse button, the list will page in the respective direction. If you click on a file with the left button, the file enters into the filename box, the right button or double clicking selects the file. The slider bar also functions the same as in GEM. The drive selector is operated by selecting the drive letter and then clicking on the center to activate your choice. There are keyboard short-cuts for some icons in the DigiSelector and they should be easy to remember. The key simulates the new-disk icon, the key simulates OKAY and the key simulates cancel. The DigiSelector can be optionally turned off if you would rather use the standard selector (or any other custom selector) from the Options menu. Playing Sounds The first step is to put the sound into the current file slot. Do this by clicking on the file with the left mouse button. Next click on the Play Button. The sound will play at the selected standard speed. This version of DigiPlay Plus can play seven types of digitized sounds. These DO NOT include compressed sound formats. When loading DigiPlay Plus will attempt to figure out which format it is, but if it cannot, then it will play the sound as Replay (ST) format. At this time, DigiPlay Plus can play SNDs, SPLs, VOCs, AMIs (see the Unsign Sample function), some SNGs, and a few others. Please note that just because a file has an extension listed above, does not mean that it is a sound file! If any companies or programmers would like to donate executable code to play a particular format of sound please contact the author. Extended Playing Speeds For the purposes of this program, the terms "speed" and "rate" mean the same thing, however technically "rate" is the preferable term. In addition to the six "standard" rates (standard as far as Michtron's Replay format) there are many other rates selectable. To access this function, click on the area which contains the current "speed" in digital numbers and the box will pop-up. At that point, type in the full sampling rate in kilohertz, accepted values range from 3.0kHz to 59.9kHz. Once the entire rate is typed in, the entry box will turn red and the rate in which the sound will be played shows up in the "actual Hz" box. The disparity between this value and the value entered (if any) is quite normal and in almost all cases the difference is unnoticeable to the human ear. Press "Play" to play the sound at the selected rate, and "Exit" to exit the dialog. If you enter this box through either the Sound Effects Dialog or the quick key "X", the rate saved into the file or the last sample rate selected will be used instead of the converted Replay ST rate. Another useful feature is the quick key "Z" which plays the sound at the rate defaulted for the file or the last speed selected in the Extended Speed dialog. This feature comes in handy with sounds that have nonstandard Replay ST sampling rates, such as VOC files. Please note that most standard STs and STe's cannot play a sample at anything above 40kHz, and trying to play faster than your computer can handle may cause the sound to play incorrectly or even cause a lockup. The gaps between sampling rates comes from the fact Timer A (a MFP interrupt) is used for timing. While the interrupt rate is programmable, it requires the use of control and divider values which limit the rates that can be used. These gaps are negligible at lower speeds but after 30kHz the gaps become quite large. Fortunately VERY few samples are made at rates higher than 40kHz where not only do the gaps become huge, but most ST cannot execute the routine fast enough. Sound Effects This little box allows the user to modify a sound in many ways: 1) The simplest and fastest of all these functions is Reverse. Reverse, as it says, reverses the sound and should be instantaneous on almost every sound. 2) The second function is Echo. To echo a sound, first enter a offset in bytes for the echo to begin at (most sounds echo well from 2000 up) Now select the amplitude of the echo by using the slider bar. To perform a single echo, press Echo, to do a "Full Echo" (which is more realistic than standard echo, but the amplitude must be set slightly lower) press F-Echo. To convert seconds to bytes, simply multiply the sound's rate in Hz (multiply the kHz rating by 1000) by the number of seconds and enter this into the offset input. 3) Amplification can be achieved through the use of the box next to echo. To make the sound louder, click on "Louden", and to soften the sound, click "Soften". Enter the percentage using the slider and then click "Amp". 4) The Undo feature can only be used if the UBuffer button is pressed. The UBuffer button allocates the necessary buffer for Undoing an operation. Once activated, it stays on even after exiting the box until either you quit DigiPlay Plus, run out of memory, or turn it off yourself. Please note you can not go back into the SFX and undo once you have left. The UNDO operation cannot be undone. 5) This last feature really is not a sound effect, but a simple conversion of "Signed" or "HiBit" sounds. The "Unsign" button unsigns signed samples (pweh!). Signed samples come in the form of Amiga samples (AMI's), MOD exports, and a few others. If when you play a sound, the sound is very scratchy, but you can make out something, try this. By clicking on the Unsign button on an unsigned sample you simply sign it, however doing this really is not terribly useful. Sound Graphing Put the sound you want to graph in the current file slot, and then click on the Draw button. Block Selection This feature allows the selection of blocks of the sound for both using sound effects or playing. To select a block just click the left mouse button on the graph where you want to start and hold the button dragging the bar until you reach the end of the desired block. To unmark the block click the right mouse button on the graph. Please note that a sound must be currently graphed to perform these functions. One the block is selected all functions such as play, reverse, or amplify operate only on the selected block. Erasing a Sound In Memory Simply press "E", then click the file you want to erase. To cancel, click anywhere except a file. This action is verified first. Save Speed Located below the speed selector, this simply saves the default regular and extended speed into the first six bytes of the file. WARNING: If you do this to a file that is not a sound file, you will end up destroying it. This will also end up destroying the header of most other sound formats. The "Options" Selection In this box there are several options for use with DigiPlay Plus. Simply select the option with a left mouse button click. The first is the quit option. This option requires you to verify at the alert box. The second is Write Quick Start. You can select "DSK", "PRT" and "Can". "DSK" writes to disk with the filename of MANUAL.DOC. "PRT" sends the manual to the printer, and "Can" exits the dialog. The next button lets you save the current color setup, path, and if you want the custom selector or the AES selector. The defaults are usefull in the event you want to put the sounds in a different directory than DigiPlay Plus, or pick a different color on loading. Color set allows you to change the color of the background. Custom selector on/off is changed by clicking on the line. Lastly, Demo Mode selects Demo Mode which turns off loading, erasing, and exiting. Its main use is at shops and shows. Demo Mode The "Demo Mode" function of DigiPlay Plus disallows the loading, erasing, and exiting functions of the program by removing buttons and key shortcuts. Once enabled, it can only be turned off by resetting the computer or turning it off. If you leave Demo Mode alone for a while, it will go into a ghost mode. DigiPlay will automatically pick a file, select a standard speed and play the sound. This can be aborted after the sequence by doing anything. This is excellent for stores or shows where the computer could sit around doing nothing. This also eliminates, to some degree, screen burn-in. It is not recommended that utilities like screen savers are used in conjunction with DigiPlay Plus's Demo Mode since they block screen writes. Quick Start Guide In former versions called the internal manual, this now functions as a "quick start guide" to show the user the basic function without a tremendous amount of detail. Quick Keys (,E = Erase Mode ),L = Load sound /,G = Graph Sound *,P = Play Sound - = Decrease Speed + = Increase Speed 0 to 9 Select sound slot, 0 being slot number 10 All others listed in either the Keypad menu or the options menu, which functions as "on-line help" for Quick Keys and how to use most of the program from the keypad alone. Please note that keys in the "Options" menu only work in that menu, and not on the main screen. Other: o On exit you will see "S#=930131xxx". If you contact me about problems with your version, please send me this number with your letter, so I can determine various bits of information. o Thanks to my many Beta testers for their contributions of both time and ideas. This includes Timothy Miller who has tested nearly every single program I've made! o Thanks to the staff of the Atari ST RoundTable on GEnie for putting this as "Darlah's Treat of the Month", and to Darlah for taking the time to Beta test this program. Send me your comments! Like any other program, DigiPlay Plus only gets better if I know what to change. Any comments are greatly appreciated, and welcome. But, I would also like to convey that I have done everything possible to remove any bugs from the program. Hey! Send in your registration today and get updates. What are you waiting for? Read the "Design Ideas" section for details. To write us regarding registration and other information: Two Worlds Software Please indicate if you would like to be c/o Sean Dougherty sent further information on other software 4722 Windflower Cir. and hardware from Two Worlds. Tampa, FL 33624 GEnie: [S.DOUGHERTY1] U.S.A. Or call the Two Worlds Support BBS: The Excalibur ][ (813)988-2603 Please make all checks payable to Sean Dougherty