═══ 1. Introduction ═══ PMsndX 2.22 by William S. Hiles copyright WiSHware Inc. Please see Known Problems with this release for important information before using this version of PMsndX. Firstly, thank you for using the new 2.XX version of PMsndX. If you are a user of the 1.XX program called PMsndX, you have probably been surprised that you have not found the program called PMsndX.EXE any longer. There is a good reason for that. PMsndX has been broken into more than one program. For clarity, the term EdSndX is the name of the sound editor, the term PlSndX is the name of the sound player, and the term PMsndX is the term used to describe a feature that is common to both EdSndX and PlSndX. This is the second generation of PMsndX. In versions prior to 2.0, PMsndX was comprised of a single program which performed the same functions of both EdSndX and PlSndX but operated on a single sample at a time. With the introduction of version 2.0, PMsndX has been divided into a family of programs which are more specialized and intended to meet the needs of a broader audience. The general idea of the new organization is to provide a more focused goal for the individual programs along the same theme. The general purpose of this family of programs is to perform various functions for virtually any sound format. In version 1.xx, the program started out to simply convert formats, then grew into an editor, then a playback tool, and so forth. The result was a program that was somewhat unfocused and did not provide a consolidated user interface. Version 2.0 is a complete rewrite of the previous user interface which takes advantage of lessons learned during the development of 1.xx. All of the PMsndX family of software utilize common resources such as the initialization file and registration information. The Properties boxes for all of the programs are consistent and will affect one another except where noted as a specific feature of one program. As a result, the Properties box may contain items that are not necessarily related to the particular program being used but can be changed from any program in the family. This approach provides a common and consistent approach to controlling the options for the programs. The programs in the PMsndX family also were written specifically for OS/2 and you will not find another program with the same look and feel under any other operating system. The user interface was designed from scratch under OS/2 and is not a port from any other system. As a result, it takes full advantage of the capabilities of OS/2 and has been written to conform to IBM's goals with the Common User Access specifications. EdSndX: provides most of the functionality that was in PMsndX prior to 2.0. Notably missing from EdSndX is the ability to play from the command line. This rewrite took about 6 months to complete and provides a complete Multiple Document Interface (MDI) capability. Hence, the name change as a result of the change from a do-all program to a more capable sound editor. PlSndX: provides the ability to play any of the sound samples which can be loaded by EdSndX from the command line or through Drag/Drop. PlSndX does not provide any editing features but does provide the capability to save a sample in any of the supported formats. Further, it has some enhancements to reduce the memory requirements of the program during playback. ═══ 2. EdSndX ═══ PMsndX 2.22 by William S. Hiles copyright WiSHware Inc. EdSndX is one part of the family of programs grouped under the name PMsndX. EdSndX goes beyond just a cut and paste tool for sound by providing a rich set of tools for manipulating samples in memory. EdSndX utilizes multiple threads, the clipboard, Drag/Drop, and the MMPM/2 services present in the Workplace Shell to provide a robust editor for everyone from the beginner to the more advanced users. Like all of the tools in the PMsndX family, EdSndX can be run on any system regardless of whether MMPM/2 is installed because all of the routines were written from hand including the animated buttons and routines for reading and writing the various sound formats. Additional advantages to this approach include a greater degree of control and some customized features like the volume control that you will not find anywhere else. The obvious disadvantage is that the routines that IBM provides in the MMPM/2 DLLs have been thoroughly tested and may be more robust that the ones that I have provided. ═══ 2.1. Control Panel ═══ The control panel is the central point of control for EdSndX. From the control panel, the EDITOR, PROPERTIES, TOOLS, and HELP can be launched. The control panel has a system menu which provides access to the standard OS/2 menu controls. Additionally, the system menu for the control panel provides access to the ABOUT, WELCOME, HELP, RESET SIZE, PROPERTIES, and FILE LIST. The control panel is a window under the OS/2 Workplace Shell and as such can be resized using the border of the window. See reset size for instructions on restoring the default size. The control panel is also the place to receive drag/drop operations. Such operations are accomplished by dragging a sound file to the control panel and dropping it anywhere within the border of the panel and below the titlebar. EdSndX will automatically open an editor for the sample. See drag/drop for more information on performing drag/drop operations. ═══ 2.1.1. System Menu ═══ As with any OS/2 program written for the Presentation Manager, EdSndX has an icon in the top left corner of the control panel for accessing a system menu. The menu items provided in the system menu are: Restore Restore the windows after being minimized Move Move the control window Size Resize the main control panel Minimize Minimize all of the windows of EdSndX to an icon Close Close the all windows and exit About Display information about the author and version and registration Welcome Display information about what is new to this version Help Bring up the help system Reset Size Reset the size of the main control panel to the default Properties Change program operational parameters File List List open files and switch focus ═══ 2.1.1.1. Restore ═══ During the use of EdSndX, the user may select to Minimize the windows to an icon on the desktop. To restore the window from the icon the user may either double click on the icon or may press a mouse button while the pointer is over the icon to bring up the system menu and select the restore item. ═══ 2.1.1.2. Move ═══ EdSndX provides the standard controls for moving the windows around on the desktop. It is generally easiest to use the mouse to select the titlebar of the window and drag the window to the new location. If the user uses the system menu to move the window, the mouse will be centered in the control window and any movement of the mouse will move the window until a mouse button is pressed. ═══ 2.1.1.3. Size ═══ EdSndX provides the standard control for resizing the main control panel. When resizing, the main control panel will automatically adjust the vertical size of the window to maintain the aspect of the buttons. ═══ 2.1.1.4. Minimize ═══ All of the windows of EdSndX can be minimized quickly by either selecting the minimize button on the upper right corner of the control panel or by using the Minimize menu item of the system menu. Either action performs the same function. ═══ 2.1.1.5. Close ═══ To exit EdSndX the user can select the Close menu item from the system menu. This is the default selection of the menu which enables the user to double click on the EdSndX icon in the top left corner of the control panel to exit the program. When the any of the PMsndX programs are terminated, if changes have been made to the Properties box, the data will be saved to the initialization file before the program exits. Before exiting, EdSndX requests verification that the user wants to exit to prevent accidentally exiting. All windows of EdSndX, including any dialog boxes, are removed from the screen when the program terminates. If the data in the memory buffers has been modified, EdSndX will warn the user that there are modified buffers and ask for verification that the user really wants to exit. ═══ 2.1.1.6. About ═══ To find the version and other information about EdSndX the About menu item can be selected from the system menu. The registration can be updated by pressing the REGISTER button. PMsndX is just one of the programs written by the Author for Intel based machines. All programs developed under the WiSHware Inc. name have been developed solely by the author (duhh, the Author is the sole member of the company) and are copyrighted by US Copyright laws. ═══ 2.1.1.7. Welcome ═══ The HISTORY.TXT file contains a very complete list of all the changes between each of the versions. When viewed as a whole, it also summarizes the total functionality of PMsndX. Each version has specific changes which are highlighted in the Welcome display. This display also shows the current registration status of the program and the registration can be updated by pressing the REGISTER button. ═══ 2.1.1.8. Help ═══ PMsndX is equipped with extensive on line help that can be accessed by selecting HELP from the system menu or from the main control panel. When this item is selected a window will appear which will display the start of the help information. Help can also be accessed by pressing Alt-H or the F1 key. Links to other text is displayed in a blue-green color and can be selected to jump to that description in the text. When the control panel buttons appear in a tabular form, the buttons are active links in the help like the blue-green colored text. Pressing these buttons will jump to the respective text. ═══ 2.1.1.9. Reset Size ═══ The default button size for the display is 64x64. At any time, the user may select to reset the size of the main control panel so that it returns to the defaults. The main control panel may be resized, using the border of the window. ═══ 2.1.1.10. Program Properties ═══ The Properties menu item will bring up the same dialog that is accessed from the PROPS button on the control panel. ═══ 2.1.1.11. File List ═══ Each window of the editor is part of the same thread as the control panel. Although these are part of the same thread, they have been set up to also appear in the task list. This has the advantage that each edit window can be brought to the focus simply by bringing up the task list. But, this has some disadvantages too. Firstly, EdSndX allows the operator to open more than one copy of the same file at a time and multiple new files are simply named Untitled. As a result, it is difficult to tell which file is which in the task list. Secondly, the task list provides the ability to close a particular window by killing its thread. Since all edit windows are a member of the same common thread, killing any one of them kills the thread and all windows associated with it. By creating a File List, unique numbers are assigned to each file that allow the operator to identify the file that is being used. These numbers are also by the REXX processor as handles to identify the samples. To give a particular window a focus select the name of the file to receive the focus and either select the APPLY button or double click on the entry. If the selected window has been minimized, it will be restored upon receiving the focus. ═══ 2.1.2. Resizing the main panel ═══ In accordance with the recommended Common User Access (CUA) guidelines, the main control panel may be resized using the border of the window. The horizontal and vertical proportions of the buttons are always fixed such that the overall window proportions will display the buttons properly. When the width of the main panel is changed, the height is automatically adjusted to maintain the proper shape of the buttons. Note: Note. To resize the window, either the corners or the vertical sides of the window must be used. The horizontal sides of the window have no effect when used alone. ═══ 2.1.3. Buttons ═══ The main control panel provides the user with access to all tools and functions through a set of buttons. Each button contains an icon and a single word which describes the function of the button. The buttons have been designed as toggle type push buttons. To select a particular button, click over the desired area with the first mouse button. This will depress the button and activate a dialog for the desired function. The dialogs present information to the user about the desired operation and request input from the user to complete the operation. The exception to this operation is the Help, and New buttons because they can be used even when an instance of their respective function has been created. The control panel is the main point of control for both activating and deactivating a particular function. The dialog boxes can be removed from the screen by positioning the mouse over a depressed button and pressing the first mouse button. The dialog box will be removed and the button will return to the non-depressed position. It is important to note that when a dialog box is removed through this means, any information in the dialog is ignored and the function is canceled. For each dialog box, the user must enter all of the information required and then select the appropriate action on the push buttons at the bottom of the dialog box. Now for the buttons. There are five buttons on the main control panel. These are listed below with a brief explanation of their function. Opens and reads a new sample file Opens an empty window for editing Opens up properties display Opens the toolbox for performing DSP operations Starts the help window ═══ 2.1.3.1. Open ═══ The dialog box for opening a file and reading the sample into memory is accessed from the OPEN button on the main control panel. When reading in a file, PMsndX will attempt to open the file as the type indicated by the extension on the filename. However, in the event that the file cannot be loaded by the extension, PMsndX will automatically try to determine the type of the file as it reads it based on any header that may be present. If the sample header does not match any of the known header types, PMsndX will refuse to load the file unless the format of the file is specified in the OPEN dialog box. Note: The formats that are supported by the family of PMsndX programs are listed in the OPEN dialog box. If PMsndX has not been registered, only the WAV and AU formats will be available. The file box allows for multiple selections by using either the CTRL or SHIFT keys in combination with the mouse pointer. When multiple selections are used, the Full Filename field is updated with the last item selected or deselected. When the LOAD button is pressed, the selections are all fully qualified and each file starts loading sequentially as if they had been entered on the command line. When loading a file, the user may select to force PMsndX to load a file in a specific format. This is required to load headerless formats (i.e. the formats marked as RAW). To override the file format, select one of the formats in the Format pulldown list. Note: If a Format override is specified, the file must still match the given format if it contains a header. EdSndX will automatically recognize the header format and load it using the correct format. The default filename to open is the last file that was successfully opened. The name of the file to be opened may be selected in a number of ways. The filename may be entered in the Full Filename entry field. The name may be fully qualified with a drive and directory, or may be any valid filename. The name will be resolved when passed to the OS/2 IO procedures. The filename may also be selected by choosing the drive, directory, and name using the corresponding list boxes. The files to be displayed in the File display are controlled by the File Mask selected. Finally, whenever a file is successfully loaded, it is added to the Full Filename list box. The previously loaded file names can be displayed by pulling down the list box. Note: The cache of successfully opened files can be saved between sessions by selecting Save file Open paths in the Properties box. Once a file has been selected, either double click on the file name or press the Load button. During the time that the file is being loaded, the user may press the Abort button to stop the loading process. The process for opening a file initiates a new thread for each file name loaded. As a result, if more than one is being loaded, there is no way to abort the loading of a file once the next file has started loading. Additionally, if the OPEN dialog is dismissed while the loading thread has started, there is no way to abort the load. The File Mask list box contains the common filters for extensions that PMsndX recognizes. This list box can be edited for any mask that the user needs. The Format list box contains the common file FORMATS that PMsndX recognizes. Each format identifies the type as well as the extension that PMsndX recognizes. This list is not editable and is loaded with only those formats that are currently supported. If PMsndX has not been registered, the listed formats may be considerably less than the total of fully supported formats. By default, the OPEN dialog box is automatically dismissed when the file has been loaded. When multiple files are selected to be loaded, the dialog is dismissed if any one of the selected files is successfully loaded. If an error occurs during the loading process, the dialog will not automatically dismiss itself. To disable this feature (i.e. force the dialog box to remain visible even after a file has been loaded) deselect the AUTO Dismiss checkbox on the STARTUP properties page. ═══ 2.1.3.2. New ═══ To facilitate creating new sound files (through any input means such as the microphone, line input, or the clipboard), an empty edit window can be opened by selecting NEW from the control panel. The initial file name will be undefined and the SAVE AS dialog box will automatically be required to save the file with a user defined file name. See Record setup for instructions on recording a sample. ═══ 2.1.3.3. Properties ═══ The properties button on the control panel provides access to the settings for options that are stored in the initialization file between sessions. The properties dialog can be accessed from this button or through the system menu. ═══ 2.1.3.4. Tools ═══ The toolbox is a means to access special digital processing routines. The toolbox is displayed as a notebook in which each page represents a different tool with specific settings that are related to that tool. See Tools for a full description of the toolbox and its controls. The toolbox represents a common resource for any edit window that is open. As such, the toolbox must be associated with a particular edit window before it can be used. When the toolbox is associated with a window, it will display the name of the file for the association in the titlebar. See Editor Switch to for associating the toolbox with a particular edit window. ═══ 2.1.3.5. Help ═══ To start the help viewer for EdSndX, the HELP button may be pressed. Additionally, the help may be accessed through the system menu help item. Further, help may be accessed from any window by pressing the F1 key. ═══ 2.1.3.6. Footnote ═══ The main control panel may optionally display a footnote which provides a short description of the current item under the mouse pointer. This footnote display can be turned on or off through the properties dialog box. Note that when the footnote display is turned on or off, the change does not take effect till the next time in which EdSndX is executed. ═══ 2.2. Editor ═══ The editor is the main point of control for manipulating samples in memory. Whenever a sample is loaded into memory, it is displayed in an edit window. There can be multiple samples open simultaneously and each has an associated window. Additionally, when a new sample is to be created, an edit window is opened for the creation of the data. The following figure shows all of the fields of an edit window for a sample containing two channels. ═══ 2.2.1. Resizing the editor ═══ EdSndX has the ability to store the size of the edit window between sessions. This feature can be disabled through the properties dialog by checking the Save Window positions checkbox. If this box is cleared, the editor will not save its size and will automatically open with a default window size that is reasonably sized to display all information. When resizing the editor, all of the windows of the editor automatically resize too. It is possible to size the editor such that the text of some windows will not be adequately sized to hold all information. ═══ 2.2.2. Mouse Buttons ═══ IBM has not defined the usage of the mouse buttons in the CUA guidelines. EdSndX uses the mouse for selection of fields within the graphical displays and for pulling up menus for special operations within the control windows. Button 1 (Left Mouse Button) is used to edit data in control windows or modify the position of the highlighted area in the graphical windows. When working in the graphical displays, the mouse has different effects depending on the selected display mode (see Fast Full display or Fast Channel display) Button 2 (Right mouse Button) is used to access popup menus for a control window or the graphical windows by a single click of the mouse. When in Fast Channel display or Fast Full display mode, BUTTON 1 is used to drag the highlighted area. Otherwise a popup menu is accessed by double clicking BUTTON 1. Regardless of the display mode, the popup menus are accessed using BUTTON 2. These same markers can be set through the menu bar. The control windows also provide special popup menus for setting their values and are identical to those found in the menu bar. ═══ 2.2.3. Titlebar ═══ The titlebar of the edit window displays the file name of the current sample for the window. This is the same name that appears in the File list on the main control panel. If a file has no filename, the titlebar shows (not named). Since multiple copies of the same file can be opened simultaneously, each file is displayed with a unique number in all references to the file names. This additional information can be used by the operator to determine which edit window is associated with the name in the file list. ═══ 2.2.4. Regions ═══ The editor is divided into regions which display information about a particular sample. These regions are menu, info*, full graph, display position, channel data, controls, and audio. Each region serves a common function for the editing of data as explained below. Note: * The info region is optional and may be removed or added using the Display Info. menu Select options and perform operations using the pulldown menu info* Display and change information in the header of a sample full graph Displays the first channel of a sample and provides visual clues for the selected range within the sample display position Indicates the viewable regions of the sample and scrolls within the full graph channel data Displays one or all channels of a sample controls Provides display controls and feedback on operations audio Provides access to MMPM/2 if present ═══ 2.2.4.1. Menu ═══ The menu bar is used to access all of the features of the editor. See Menu Bar for a complete description of the menu structure. ═══ 2.2.4.2. Info ═══ The information display of the editor is optional. The menu item Display Info can be used to change the status of the display of the information area. The information display contains all of the data needed to save a file in any format. The information region does more than simply display the header information for a sample. It also allows the operator to edit the various attributes about a sample. Many sample formats can save the data in a number of different styles but some are limited in their representation. Changes made to the information area may be overridden when a sample is saved to ensure that the sample conforms to the particular sample format. The data displayed in the editor information region is identical to that of the toolbox Info page with the exception that the toolbox information display does not allow the operator to edit the information. The following information is displayed in this region: Format the machine or operating system that the particular format is native to Type the format specification for a file Style the data style of each sample Size the size of each sample Channels the number of channels contained in the file Rate the sampling rate used to record and play the samples Samples the number of samples in the file Order the ordering of the bytes within each sample Comment the comment associated with the samples ═══ 2.2.4.2.1. Format ═══ For every operating system, the manufacturer seems to choose to create a new audio format which is native to the hardware of the machine. As a side note, PMsndX was created because there are so many sample formats in use that there was a need to convert samples from one format to another so that they could be shared between machines. The pulldown list for the Format of a file allows the operator to select a particular format and automatically change the other fields in the information display to reflect any requirements of the selected format. This is an important feature because some sample formats do not support all styles and sizes of data. As an example, if a sample is currently a sun .AU format, when it is changed to a OS/2 .WAV file, the style will automatically change to Signed. This is because the .WAV format does not support u-law styles. Also, the Sun .AU format is a big-endian format whereas the .WAV format is a little-endian format. The selections in this list are identical to the selections provided by the Format toolbox page. See FORMATS for a description of the formats supported by the PMsndX programs. The significant difference in this field is that it does not automatically change the extension of the file to be saved. The format RAW is a special format which is a file containing raw data without a header. Since a RAW file does not contain the necessary information to load it, PMsndX will request that the user provide the necessary information to identify the file including the style, size, and order of the samples. Additionally, the number of channels may be required for a file. When the RAW format is used, the Type information field will indicate the actual RAW type. ═══ 2.2.4.2.2. Type ═══ Every machine and operating system type listed in the Format list box correspond to a defined standard format. Every standard format defines the style, size, and order of the data that can be stored in the file. Some formats support multiple styles and sizes and some even support different orders. Changes to this field are automatically reflected in the filename by changing the extension of the file to that of the selected type. The type of file is identified by both a standard name and a file type. The standard name is used to indicate some document or name that a manufacturer has chosen for the format. The file type is listed in parenthesis and identifies the extension that the file is normally saved with. When a file is saved, the file extension is used to determine the way that the file is saved or loaded unless an override is used in the file dialog box. This field indicates the anticipated data format for each of the file types supported by PMsndX. The selections in this list are identical to the selections provided by the Format toolbox page. See FORMATS for a description of the formats supported by the PMsndX programs. ═══ 2.2.4.2.3. Style ═══ The style of a sample indicates the interpretation of the bits in the file which is stored on disk. PMsndX programs support three basic styles including Signed, Unsigned, and U-Law Signed data indicates that the sequence of bits for each sample contains a bit in the highest position to indicate that the sample is either positive or negative. As an example, for an eight bit sample format which is signed (in which the bits are numbered from left to right from 7 to 0) the bit numbered 7 is reserved to indicate the sign. All data is converted to signed data when it is stored in memory. Unsigned data indicates that there is no sign bit in the data. Consequently, the data may only take on positive values. PMsndX automatically converts all unsigned data to signed data as it stores it in memory. U-Law data indicates that 16 bits of data has been compressed into 8 bits of storage space when saved to disk. This format uses a compression technique which is lossy because it does not store the exact samples and the sample cannot be exactly recreated from the file once it has been saved. U-Law is one of the most popular formats on the Internet because the storage space is small and the loss in quality is tolerable to the human ear. U-Law capitalizes on the fact that the human ear cannot distinguish frequencies outside of a particular range and also cannot easily distinguish between very similar frequencies. Not all sample formats support all styles. If a sound format is selected which does not support a particular style, EdSndX will automatically use the correct style required by that format. To determine if a format supports a particular style, change the style first, and then select the particular format. If the format does not support the selected style, the style field will change to the supported style. When a RAW format is loaded into memory, the operator inadvertently specifies the style of the data when the format is specified. For example, RAW (.sb) indicates signed data from the first letter in the extension. ═══ 2.2.4.2.4. Size ═══ All data is represented by a series of bits. A bit is the smallest piece of information that the computer can manipulate. 16 bit samples are called WORDS and 8 bit samples are called BYTES. The groupings of bits indicate the quality of the sample that is stored in memory or in a file. A larger number of bits represents higher quality sound; however, a larger number of bits represents more storage space too. PMsndX can deal with samples which are stored in any size of up to 16 bits. The size of a sample is an important factor when playing audio. Some sound adapters do not support 16 bit samples and cannot play such samples. PMsndX can still play these samples in the lower quality 8 bit sample format. This feature can be defeated using the Play 16 bits on 8 bit audio property. Some sizes are not supported by all formats and in some cases, the style of the data is dependent on the size. As an example, .WAV files which are 16 bits must be signed whereas 8 bit samples must be stored as unsigned. The .hcm format only supports 8 bit data. PMsndX considers the size of a sample to be the most important factor when converting data between formats in order to maintain the same quality of data once saved to disk. However, if a format does not support 16 bit data, PMsndX will automatically change the size to 8 bits when it saves the file or when the format is changed. When a RAW format is loaded into memory, the operator inadvertently specifies the size of the data by the format selected. As an example, RAW (.sb) indicates that the format is 8 bits because the second letter is b for byte. ═══ 2.2.4.2.5. Channels ═══ Many audio formats support more than one channel. The channels in a sample affect the memory requirements of the sample and the display of the data. For this reason, changing the number of channels requires that the data for the file be manipulated. To change the number of channels for a sample, use the Avg or Dupe tools. When a RAW format is loaded into memory, the operator will be required to specify the number of channels of the data because RAW formats do not contain headers to allow PMsndX to determine the number of channels in the file. Additionally, when a raw format is loaded, it is assumed that the channels are interleaved in the sample. There are formats which do not interleave the channels and these cannot be loaded without headers. ═══ 2.2.4.2.6. Rate ═══ The rate field indicates that rate in samples per second that a sample was recorded and stored. The rate determines how quickly the samples are played back also. When the rate of playback is changed, the number of samples stored in memory changes and so this field is not editable through the information display. See Rate, Speed, or Playback speed, for tools to change the rate of a sample. When a RAW format is loaded into memory, the operator will be required to specify the rate of the data that is stored in the file. This is because there is no header in the file to indicate the rate of the data. ═══ 2.2.4.2.7. Samples ═══ The number of samples in the file is indicated by both the total number of samples and the samples per channel. When a file is made of a single channel, both numbers will be identical. The length of the file determines the memory requirements of the sample. The length is affected by almost all operations in the toolbox. ═══ 2.2.4.2.8. Order ═══ Every machine conforms to either BIT ENDIAN or LITTLE ENDIAN. The order of the bits in the sample are important because they determine the sequence of the bits in the bytes. Intel based machines are LITTLE ENDIAN because they reverse the order of bytes that make up a sample. Motorola based processors use BIG ENDIAN. The trade-offs for using BIG and LITTLE endian are minor but are significant when reading data from different machines. When a RAW 16 bit format is loaded into memory, the operator must specify that the data is either BIG or LITTLE endian to ensure that the byte order is correct. If a RAW format is loaded and it appears to be randomly garbled, try loading it with a different order. ═══ 2.2.4.2.9. Comment ═══ Almost all sound formats support the inclusion of a string of text embedded in the header of the file. The comment field of the information display can be used to change the comment when it is saved back to disk. If a file is loaded which does not contain a comment or a file is created with PMsndX, the default comment of Edited by PMsndX is automatically created. ═══ 2.2.4.3. Full Graph ═══ One of the biggest problems with editing audio samples is the quantity of data that even the smallest audio sample contains. As an example, one second of audio for a single channel at 11025 Hz contains over 10,000 samples of data. When editing a sample, the actual position of the operations that are being performed need a reference display to indicate a relative position within the total sample. EdSndX provides this in the form of the Full Graph region. This graph displays the first channel of the sample along with the current audio playback position, start of a range, and end of a range. This display in combination with the Horizontal Position bar below it provides enough information to determine where the channel displays are within the scope of the entire sample. The full display is the primary point of reference for all editing operations. The current playback position, the range, and even the level of zoom can be affected by the full display. The full display can be used to set the range of operation for the tools and for the audio playback using the second mouse button to select either Start or End in the popup menu of the full display. Additionally, if Fast Full display is set, BUTTON 1 of the mouse can be used to drag the Start or End of the selected area. By default, when a sample is loaded, the entire sample is selected as indicated by the entire sample being displayed in the light yellow color. The full display can be used to set the PLAY position within the sample by moving the mouse to the desired position and pressing the second mouse button. This brings up a popup menu in which the operator may select Play Position. The PLAY control window will be updated with the new play back position and a vertical bar will be displayed. During audio playback, this bar will move across the display to provide a rough indicator of the current position of playback within the sample. ═══ 2.2.4.4. Horizontal Position ═══ The Horizontal Position bar is directly below the full display graph and is used to indicate the portion of the display which is viewable in the lower channel displays. This bar operates much like a conventional scroll bar with the exception that the range of the display is indicated by a simple line with markers on the ends. As indicated in the following figure, the width of the line for the horizontal position changes depending on the level of Zoom that has been selected. When a zoom level other than MIN has been set, the horizontal position can be moved by either dragging the display to the position that is desired or by clicking on either the buttons at the end of the display or by clicking on the region to the left and right of the bar. When the buttons are clicked, the display moves 1/20 the width of the channel graph in the direction of the button. When the area to the left or right of the bar is selected, the display moves 1/2 the width of the channel graph in the direction of the side selected. ═══ 2.2.4.5. Channel Graph ═══ EdSndX has the capability to display and edit either a single channel at a time or all channels at once. The following diagram shows the channel display when a single channel is displayed. When displaying a single channel of a sample, a vertical scroll bar appears to the right of the display if the sample has more than one channel. This scroll bar is used to move between the individual channels. When using the tools and the checkbox for the selected channel is checked, the displayed channel in the editor is the one that will be affected. The following diagram shows the channel display when all channels are displayed. Notice that when this mode is set, all the channels of the sample are displayed in the same space that a single channel was displayed an the vertical scroll bar is removed. When in this mode, all tool operations will occur on all channels of the sample. The mode of operation to be used is stored in the .ini between each session. Changes in mode are seen immediately. The channel display can be used in the same way that the full display is used for selecting the play position and range. The area of the data displayed is indicated by the horizontal position indicator below the full display. The viewing region is indicated by the width and position of the bar. The channel display can be used to set the range of operation for the tools and for the audio playback using the second mouse button to select either Start or End in the popup menu of the channel display. Additionally, if Fast Channel display is set, BUTTON 1 of the mouse can be used to drag the Start or End of the selected area. ═══ 2.2.4.6. Controls ═══ EdSndX provides a control area where the status of the various regions are displayed. This area also provides a means to edit the information by either double clicking on the entry with the first mouse button or by bringing up a menu with the second mouse button. The following fields are used to manipulate the display. Start Indicates/sets the start of the selected range End Indicates/sets the end of the selected range Play Indicates/sets the position to start playback and the mode of playback operations Zoom Indicates/sets the current zoom level and mode of operation Cursor Indicates the current cursor position over the window and sets starting point for the channel display Footnote Displays a short string of text for the window under the cursor Percent Displays the progress of the current operation and the status of the data ═══ 2.2.4.6.1. Start ═══ The start window is used to display and set the start of the selected range. When in the display mode, the start window displays the current start of the selected range in either index or time format. Double clicking the mouse on the window changes it to edit mode in which the operator may enter the exact starting position. Note that the information entered must be in the same format as it was displayed. If the value is outside the range of the samples, the value will automatically be changed to the nearest valid value. Clicking on the window with the second mouse button pulls up a popup menu that allows the user to select either Set..., Start, or Playpos. Selecting Set... is the same as double clicking on the window which allows the field to be edited. Selecting Start sets the start of the range to the beginning of the sample (i.e. index 0 or time 0:0.0000). Selecting Playpos sets the start of the range to the current play position (indicated by the PLAY window). ═══ 2.2.4.6.2. End ═══ The end window is used to display and set the end of the selected range. When in the display mode, the end window displays the current end of the selected range in either index or time format. Double clicking the mouse on the window changes it to edit mode in which the operator may enter the exact ending position. Note that the information entered must be in the same format as it was displayed. If the value is outside the range of the samples, the value will automatically be changed to the nearest valid value. Clicking on the window with the second mouse button pulls up a popup menu that allows the user to select either Set..., End, or Playpos Selecting Set... is the same as double clicking on the window which allows the field to be edited. Selecting End sets the end of the range to the end of the sample. Selecting Playpos sets the end of the range to the current play position (indicated by the PLAY window). ═══ 2.2.4.6.3. Play ═══ The PLAY window is used to display and set the current play position or the mode of operation. When in the display mode, the current audio playback position is displayed in either index or time format. During playback through the audio device, the PLAY window is updated to reflect the current position of the playback. Updates from the audio device occur about once every quarter of a second to limit the overhead in displaying the position indicator in the graphical windows. During playback, the graphical indicator for the play position is only updated in the full display to limit system CPU requirements as a result of updating the displays. Double clicking the mouse on the window changes it to edit mode in which the operator may enter the exact position for audio playback to start. Note that the information entered must be in the same format as it is displayed. If the value is outside the range of the samples, the value will automatically be changed to the nearest valid value. Clicking on the window with the second mouse button pulls up a popup menu that allows the user to select either Set..., Start, End, or Mode. Selecting Set... is the same as double clicking on the window which allows the field to be edited. Selecting Start sets the current playback position to the start of the range. Selecting End sets the current playback position to the end of the range. The mode item is used to select the mode of playback. ═══ 2.2.4.6.3.1. Play mode ═══ Selecting Mode allows the playback mode to be set to either Range or Playpos. Setting the Play mode to Range causes playback to start at the beginning of the selected range and automatically rewinds to that position whenever playback stops. Setting the Play mode to Play pos causes playback to start wherever the current playpos marker is set and does not automatically rewind when playback stops. ═══ 2.2.4.6.4. Zoom ═══ The zoom window is used to display and set the current zoom level. When in the display mode, the zoom window displays the current zoom level in the form of 1/zoom. By default the zoom level is initially set to be the minimum zoom such that the entire sample can be displayed in the channel display. The zoom is unique to the other controls in that it operates in modes which affect the way the zoom is handled when the edit window is resized. Double clicking the mouse on the window changes it to the edit mode in which the operator may enter the exact zoom. Note that the information must be entered in the same format as it is displayed. If the value is outside the range of valid values, the value will automatically be changed to the nearest valid value. Clicking on the window with the second mouse button pulls up a popup menu that allows the user to select either Set..., Range, Min, or Max. Selecting Set... is the same as double clicking on the window which allows the field to be edited. When the zoom level is set by editing the zoom value directly, the set level remains fixed when the edit window is resized unless the set zoom will result in a value which is outside the range of zoom values for the sample. Selecting Range sets the zoom level to the nearest integer which will display the entire selected range in the channel display. When the zoom level is set to range mode, the current zoom changes whenever the window is resized or when a new range is selected. The object of this mode is to maintain the current zoom value such that the range can fit within the channel display. Note that even though the window will maintain the correct zoom for the entire selected range to fit within the window, the starting position of the left side of the channel display will not be adjusted to keep the range actually displayed in the channel display. This allows the current viewing area to remain unchanged after resizing. Selecting Min sets the zoom level to the nearest integer which will display all samples in the channel display. When the zoom level is set to the min mode, the zoom level is adjusted to ensure that all samples are displayed in the channel display after the window is resized. Selecting Max sets the zoom level to 1/1 which displays each sample exactly one screen unit wide. This zoom level is not affected by resize operations. ═══ 2.2.4.6.5. Cursor ═══ The cursor window is used to display the current position of the mouse cursor as it moves across the data windows. The cursor window is also used to set the beginning of the channel display. When in the display mode, the cursor displays the current mouse position in either index or time format. Double clicking the mouse on the window changes it to edit mode in which the operator may enter the exact starting position of the channel display. Note that the information entered must be in the same format as it is displayed. If the value entered is not valid for the display zoom level, it is automatically adjusted to the nearest valid value. Clicking on the window with the second mouse button pulls up a popup menu that allows the user to select either Set..., Start, End, or Play. Selecting Set... is the same as double clicking on the window which allows the field to be edited. Selecting start sets the left edge of the channel display to the current start of the selected range. Selecting end sets the right edge of the channel display to the current end of the selected range. Selecting play sets the left edge of the channel display to the current play position. ═══ 2.2.4.6.6. Footnote ═══ The edit window has a small window which displays a short message indicating something about the window directly under the cursor. One of the particular uses of this window is to monitor which channel is currently displayed when the editor is set to display a single channel at a time. The footnote window is a permanent part of the edit window and is not affected by the footnote properties settings for the main control panel. ═══ 2.2.4.6.7. Progress ═══ Any operation which launches a thread to perform the operation will provide feedback to the operator to indicate the percentage of work that has been completed through the progress window. This window is composed of a colored bar that moves to the right as the percentage increases. The window also displays the numeric percentage in the middle of the windows. Every edit window has a percentage indicator which allows each editor to provide indicators for operations which are associated with a single sample. This inherently implies that the toolbox can launch threads for each editor independently and simultaneously. Note: Some operations (e.g. the echo effect) launch multiple threads in series which cause the percentage indicator to seem to cycle. This window also serves a dual purpose of providing a status indicator for the data in memory. If the data has been changed and needs to be saved, this window will be filled with blue. If the data has been saved or has not been changed, it will be empty. If an editor window is closed when the display is filled, the user will be warned that the data has been changed and request that the user either cancel the close or lose the changes. ═══ 2.2.4.7. Audio ═══ The audio region of the edit window is used to control access to the AUDIO device. Only one edit window can play or record audio and so all edit windows are linked together such that when one is active, the others are disabled. The volume is the exception in that it is accessible at all times regardless of whether the edit window is editing or not. The following buttons are used: Record Starts audio recording Stop Stops audio operations Play Starts audio playback Rewind Rewinds audio position indicator Volume Sets the volume for playback ═══ 2.2.4.7.1. Record ═══ The record button is used to start recording a sample. The record button is disabled until the settings for the recording have been established using the Record Setup menu item. After setting up the parameters, recording can start immediately after the record button is pressed. During the process of recording, the operator may press the stop button at which point the recording will stop and the new data will be displayed. If the operator does not press stop, the recording will continue until the set limit is reached. Since the audio device is shared between all edit windows, when one is recording, all buttons on the other windows are disabled. ═══ 2.2.4.7.2. Stop ═══ When audio playback or recording is active, the stop button for the edit window which currently has access to the audio device is enabled. This button allows the operator to terminate the current audio operation. If the editor is playing the current sample, the play position indicator will remain at the last sample played. If the play mode is currently set for playpos playback will continue where it left off if the play button is pressed. ═══ 2.2.4.7.3. Play ═══ The play button is used to start playback of the current sample from memory. when this button is pressed, the start of the playback depends on the current mode for playback. When in the range mode, playback will automatically start at the beginning of the current selected range regardless of the Play indicator. When in playpos mode, playback will automatically start at the current position indicated by the PLAY window. There is no pause button because the playback can be set to start where it left off by setting the mode to playpos. The range mode is designed for use when a particular area is being edited and the operator wants to play a particular range over a number of times without having to stop the playback with the stop button. Additionally, either mode can be useful when the playback is set to automatically repeat repeat. The play button also serves to provide an indication as to the status of the audio buffers. Whenever a sample is changed, the editor may start loading the audio buffers immediately depending on the setting of the Delay AUDIO Loading. When the task for loading the buffers is operating, the word Loading will be displayed at the bottom of the button and the button will be disabled. Once the buffers have been loaded, the button will be enabled if the audio device is not in use by another edit window. ═══ 2.2.4.7.4. Rewind ═══ When the rewind button is pressed, the PLAY window is reset to the either the beginning of the selected range or to the beginning of the sample depending on the current mode of playback. If the current PLAY position is already at the beginning of the range or sample, the rewind button is disabled. ═══ 2.2.4.7.5. Volume ═══ Of the audio controls on the edit window, the volume display is the only one that is active at all times. The audio display is shared across all edit windows simultaneously such that changes in one window are reflected in all open windows. The volume control is a sliding bar which sets the volume to a percentage of the maximum volume for the audio card. This volume is different from the volume effect in the toolbox in that it does not affect the actual samples; rather, it affects the audio device. The volume control is similar to a standard slider except that it does not have an associated button. Rather, it is like an analog volume control such that the slider moves to the right and left using the mouse and the width of the slider indicates the volume. Additionally, the actual percentage of the volume is indicated in the display for convenience. The slider may be moved using the mouse button or the normal keys associated with scroll bars. By selecting the area near the edge of the sliding portion of the control, the slider can be captured and the mouse can be used to drag the volume to the desired position. If playback is occurring, the effect is immediately heard. The area to the left or right of the slider edge may also be selected with the first mouse button to move the slider one percent up or down depending on the position that is selected. Holding the mouse down causes the slider to increase at a rate of about 1 percent per tenth of a second. Finally, the second mouse button may be used to move the slider to a specific position quickly. ═══ 2.2.5. Menu Bar ═══ All of the functions of the editor are accessible through the menu bar. Popup menus for various windows are duplicates of entries from the main menu bar. As a result, menus which are checked in the popup menus are reflected in the main menu bar. ═══ 2.2.5.1. File ═══ The File menu is used to access functions which will result in IO operations such as disk access, printing, or recording. The following items are accessible from this menu: New Displays a list of open files and switches focus New Creates a new (empty) edit window Open Opens a file for editing in another edit window Save Saves the current data to disk using the current filename Save As Saves the current data to disk using a different filename Print Prints information about the sample to a printer Print Setup Sets up the format of the data to be printed Record setup Sets up parameters required to record data from the audio device ═══ 2.2.5.1.1. File List ═══ From every edit window, a list open files can be found under the File List menu item. Selecting any of the files in the list switches the focus to that editor window. This list of files performs the same functions as the list from the main control panel's system menu. ═══ 2.2.5.1.2. New ═══ The New menu item can be used to create a new sample editing window. This has the same effect as pressing the New button on the control panel. ═══ 2.2.5.1.3. Open ═══ The Open menu item can be used to open an existing file for editing. This has the same effect as pressing the Open button on the control panel. ═══ 2.2.5.1.4. Save ═══ Once a file has been edited, it can be saved to disk for permanent storage. If the file has already been named, its name will appear in the titlebar of the editor and will automatically be saved as that name. If the file has not been named yet, the Save As... dialog box will automatically be used to save the file to force the operator to name the file. ═══ 2.2.5.1.5. Save As.. ═══ The following diagram illustrates the Save As... dialog. The Save As... menu item is used to save a file to a different file name than is displayed in the titlebar of the edit window. The Save As... menu item can also be used to change the type of the file to be saved using the FORMAT field of the dialog. The Save As... dialog is identical to the Open dialog with the exception that it is associated with a particular edit window and multiple copies of the Save As... dialog can be displayed at the same time. ═══ 2.2.5.1.6. Print ═══ Not implemented in this revision. ═══ 2.2.5.1.7. Print Setup ═══ Not implemented in this revision. ═══ 2.2.5.1.8. Record Setup ═══ In order to record a sample from the audio device, the parameters for the recording must be set up. The following illustration shows the dialog that is used to set up a recording. This dialog box is used to set the recording parameters for the AUDIO group of EdSndX. Changes made to this dialog are saved between sessions but it is necessary to open this dialog to set up the parameters for the recording for each individual edit window. When the Record Options dialog is opened, EdSndX tests the audio adapter and only enables the features which are supported by the adapter. EdSndX records all audio directly to memory; consequently, the most important control for recording is the limit to the amount of memory in which the data is stored. The limit on the memory requirements for recording audio is displayed and changed in three different ways. The first is to specify the amount of time for recording, the second is to specify the number of samples, and the third is to specify the amount of memory. Changes to each of the entry fields automatically updates the other fields when the focus is changed. The limit is stored internally as the number of samples to be recorded. For this reason, changes to the rate, quality, and channels affects the time and memory requirements to record the sample. These options should be set before establishing the limits. Note: The memory limit field specifies the amount of raw memory required to hold the recorded data and is synonymous with the amount of data that would be stored in a .WAV file. This limit should not be confused with the internal memory requirements of PMsndX. After the recording has been made, the data will be converted to the internal format. The selections made in the Record Options dialog must be applied before the dialog is dismissed. Otherwise, the recording options automatically revert to whatever was last applied. When the Record Options dialog is dismissed the necessary memory is allocated and the editor is set up to prepare for recording. If the Undo property box has been enabled the previous sample may be restored using the Undo menu item. Note: The CD selection is disabled in this version. Reading an AUDIO CD is more complicated than the normal input ports. I have not figured out how to make the MCI_AMP_SET_MONITOR work on my SB16. Setting or clearing Monitor Input has no effect on my system. If it does something for you, then let me know. I know what it is suppose to do. ═══ 2.2.5.2. Edit ═══ The items under the Edit menu are used to cut and paste samples using the clipboard and for performing functions normally necessary to prepare a sample for editing. The following items are available through the Edit menu: Undo Undo the last operation Cut Cut the current selection to the clipboard Copy Copy the current selection to the clipboard Merge Merge data from the clipboard into the current sample Merge from Merge data from another edit window into the current sample Paste Paste data from the clipboard into the current sample Paste from Paste data from another edit window into the current sample Clear clipboard Clear the clipboard Select all Select all data in the current sample Zero region Set all data in the selected range to zero Remove region Deletes the data in the current range from the sample ═══ 2.2.5.2.1. Undo ═══ If the Undo property is checked, any changes to a sample are buffered such that any single change can be undone. This feature is only available when the program has been registered. The Undo feature maintains a buffer for exactly one change such that if the Undo menu is selected twice in a row, the net effect is to leave the editor unchanged because the second use of the Undo is essentially the same as the redo. In actuality, all the Undo does is to swap the previous buffer with the present buffer. ═══ 2.2.5.2.2. Cut ═══ Rules for cut: The CUT feature is used to cut data out of the current sample and place it on the clipboard. When this operation is performed, the new data replaces any data that already exists on the clipboard. The CUT operation adheres to two rules. 1. If all channels are displayed, then copy all of the data over the specified interval and shift all data over to the left. 2. If a single channel is displayed, then copy the data over the specified interval for that single channel to the clipboard, and shift the data after the interval over to the left while clearing the end of the data for the specified channel. ═══ 2.2.5.2.3. Copy ═══ The Copy operation copies all of the data selected in a range to the clipboard in a format which is compatible with the Digital Audio Tool distributed with the OS/2 operating system. The copy operation copies the currently displayed range and channels to the clipboard so the operator must be careful to display either the correct channel or all channels before selecting the copy operation. Note: When PMsndX is not registered, ranges cannot be used for the copy operation. ═══ 2.2.5.2.4. Merge ═══ When the MERGE button is pushed, the editor will merge the data from the clipboard with the data in memory. The merge operation varies depending on the number of channels in the current sample and the number of samples in the data on the clipboard. After the merge operation, the start marker will remain unchanged. 1. If there is no current data, then just copy the clipboard directly to memory. 2. If the number of merged channels is the same as the current data, then merge the data in based on the selected channel for manipulation. Note: When merging, the data is averaged based on the selected channel for manipulation. Any excess difference between the length of the two will be left unafffected. 3. If the number of merged channels is 1, then average the data from the clipboard to the channel(s) selected for manipulation. If the length of the samples does not match the data will be averaged for the common length of the two and excess will not be modified. 4. If the number of merged channels is less than the current number of channels (but greater than 1), then a) average the data from the clipboard directly into the current sample and leave the non-existent channels unaffected. b) average the first channel from the clipboard with the selected channel for manipulation. 5. If the merged sample has more channels than the current sample, then a) average the existing channels and copy the clipboard data directly to the channels that did not exist in memory. b) the first channel is merged into the selected channel for manipulation. 6. If all of this fails, then just warn the user and give up. ═══ 2.2.5.2.5. Merge From ═══ When more than one edit window is open, EdSndX provides the capability to merge data from one editor to another without going through the clipboard. The Merge From menu item is only activated when more than one edit window is open and the submenu is filled with the filenames of the other edit windows in the same format as that used in the File List accessed from the main menu. When merging from another edit window, the same rules apply as do for the clipboard merge operations as if the range selected were copied to the clipboard. The advantage of merging between edit windows without using the clipboard is that it is faster and does not require the creation of temporary buffers. Note: If PMsndX is not registered, the merge from function does not recognize the range selected and will always copy all samples and channels as if the enter sample were copied to the clipboard. ═══ 2.2.5.2.6. Paste ═══ Rules for paste: The PASTE button is used the paste the contents of the clipboard into memory. The paste operation varies depending on the number of channels in the current sample and the number of samples in the data on the clipboard. After the paste operation, the start marker will be set at the beginning of the sample pasted from the clipboard and the end marker will be set to the end of the new data. 1. If there is no current data, then just copy the clipboard directly to memory. 2. If the number of pasted channels is the same as the current data, then past the data in based on the selected channel for manipulation. 3. If the number of pasted channels is 1, then just copy the data to the channel(s) selected for manipulation and insert blank space for the corresponding channels which are not being manipulated. If the number of channels for manipulation is "ALL" then duplicate the data for the single channel across all channels of the current data. 4. If the number of pasted channels is less than the current number of channels (but greater than 1), then a) if the channels selected for manipulation is set to "ALL" then copy the channels from the clipboard directly into the current sample and zero out the non-existent channels. b) copy the first channel from the pasted sample into the selected channel for manipulation. 5. If the pasted sample has more channels than the current sample, then a) if the channels selected for manipulation is set to "ALL" then create the new channels in the existing data and set all non-existent channels in the existing data to zero. b) copy the first channel from the pasted sample into the selected channel for manipulation. 6. If all of this fails, then just warn the user and give up. ═══ 2.2.5.2.7. Paste From ═══ When more than one edit window is open, EdSndX provides the capability to paste data from one editor to another without going through the clipboard. The Paste From menu item is only activated when more than one edit window is open and the submenu is filled with the filenames of the other edit windows in the same format as that used in the File List accessed from the main menu. When pasting from another edit window, the same rules apply as do for the clipboard paste operations as if the range that is currently selected were copied to the clipboard. The advantage of pasting between edit windows without using the clipboard is that it is faster and does not require the creation of temporary buffers. Note: If PMsndX is not registered, the paste from function does not recognize the range selected and will always copy all samples and channels as if the enter sample were copied to the clipboard. ═══ 2.2.5.2.8. Clear Clipboard ═══ The Clear Clipboard function is provided to reduce the memory requirements during the process of editing. When data is copied to the clipboard, it is allocated by an application and then passed to the clipboard system of OS/2. As long as the data remains on the clipboard, the memory is reserved and unusable to other applications. Freeing this memory reduces the impact on the overall memory resources for the system. Rules for Clear operation: This operation clears all data from the clipboard. It has no effect on data currently in memory. ═══ 2.2.5.2.9. Select All ═══ Use this menu item to select the entire sample such that the start of the range of selection is set to 0 and the end of the range is set to the end of the sample. ═══ 2.2.5.2.10. Zero Region ═══ Rules for Zero operation: Set the data over the specified interval to 0 for the channels specified. ═══ 2.2.5.2.11. Remove Region ═══ Rules for Remove operation: 1. If all channels are displayed, then remove the data over the specified range for all channels and shift all data to the left. 2. If a single channel is displayed, then remove the data for that channel over the specified range and shift the end of that channel to the left while zeroing out the end of the channel. ═══ 2.2.5.3. Options ═══ The editor window utilizes a set of options that are specific to the window and which are stored between sessions. These settings are shared between editor windows such that changes in one window affect all other windows. These options are also accessible through the editor properties page of the properties box. The following menu items are available under this menu. Display Info Toggles the information display in the edit window All channels Toggles the display of one or all channels Delay AUDIO loading Toggles the automatic loading of the audio buffers Load AUDIO at playback Toggles the automatic loading of the audio buffers when the play button is pressed Load AUDIO Data Now Forces audio data to be loaded immediately Auto repeat Toggles audio playback repeat Format Toggles the method for displaying sample indexes Fast Full display Toggles the use of the fast routines for the full display Fast Channel display Toggles the use of the fast routines for the channel display ═══ 2.2.5.3.1. Display Info ═══ The information display at the top of the edit window is optional. By default, the information display is present on all edit windows but may be toggled by selecting this menu item. When this display is not present, the graphical displays are automatically expanded to fill the space. ═══ 2.2.5.3.2. All Channels ═══ The individual channel display can be set to either display all channels at once or a single channel at a time. When all channels are displayed, all channels of a sample share the same space that would normally be used to display a single channel. By default, all channels are displayed for a sample unless the check is cleared by toggling this menu item. ═══ 2.2.5.3.3. Delay Audio Loading ═══ One of the problems with sound samples is that they take up a large amount of memory. This is compounded by the way that EdSndX maintains a sample as 16 bit data regardless of the type of data required to store the samples. In order to play samples through the audio, the edit window can automatically load the necessary buffers for audio playback. By default, each editor reloads the buffers whenever the sample is changed. This not only takes up extra CPU resources, but it can add to the memory requirements of the program. If memory is tight and the swap file is being used, toggle this menu item to prevent taking up the memory to buffer for the audio device. When this is selected, the Load Audio at Playback item is enabled. Use the Load Audio Data Now menu item to load the audio buffers when ready to play data. This option has been provided to allow the operator to weigh the effects of maintaining audio buffers. If the buffers are not automatically loaded, then there will be a delay whenever audio playback is requested as the buffers are loaded. If the buffers are automatically loaded, then the extra memory requirements must be tolerated. ═══ 2.2.5.3.4. Load Audio At Playback ═══ This menu item is only enabled when Delay Audio Loading has been selected. When this feature is enabled, the play button is enabled but the buffers are not loaded when samples are changed; however, the audio buffers are automatically loaded when the playback button is pressed. When this feature is disabled, the playback button will not be enabled until the Load Audio Data Now has been selected to force the buffers to be loaded. ═══ 2.2.5.3.5. Load Audio Data Now ═══ This menu item is always enabled to allow the operator to force EdSndX to reload the audio buffers at any time. Normally, EdSndX will reload the buffers whenever the sample is changed; however, when Delay Audio Loading has been enabled, the operator will need to select this menu item to load the buffers for playback unless Load Audio at Playback has been enabled. ═══ 2.2.5.3.6. Auto Repeat ═══ This menu item is used to toggle the ability of the editor to automatically rewind the playback and restart whenever the audio playback reaches the end of the sample. By default, this feature is disabled. ═══ 2.2.5.3.7. Format ═══ EdSndX has the capability to display index references in the form of either a sample index or as a time index. This menu item has two submenu items for each display method. When the time format is used, all index references are displayed in the form of MM:SS.HHHH and all data entered by the user when editing index fields is expected to be entered in this format. When in sample index mode, the index is displayed as an integer which represents the physical sample offset within a channel. The default for this feature is to display all indexes in the time format. ═══ 2.2.5.3.8. Fast Full display ═══ This menu item is used to toggle the use of the fast routines for displaying the graphical data in the full display area of the editor. By default, this feature is enabled. When in this mode, the mouse can be used to drag either the start or end of the marked area using BUTTON 1. ═══ 2.2.5.3.9. Fast Channel display ═══ This menu item is used to toggle the use of the fast routines for displaying the graphical data in the channel display area of the editor. By default, this feature is enabled. When in this mode, the mouse can be used to drag either the start or end of the marked area using BUTTON 1. ═══ 2.2.5.4. Display ═══ This menu provides access to management of the display to let the operator move the displays using different references and to control the zoom level of the display. The following menu items are available for the display. Goto Sets the start/end of the displays Zoom Sets the method for zooming in on data Redraw Forces the entire edit window and all fields to be redrawn ═══ 2.2.5.4.1. Goto ═══ The Goto submenu allows the operator to select the starting point of the individual channel display. This has the same effect as moving the display position slider bar with the mouse and is subject to the same limitations as the display position bar however, this submenu provides quick access to frequently used positions. See cursor region for a description of the popup menu which is identical in function to this submenu. ═══ 2.2.5.4.2. Zoom ═══ The Zoom menu is used to manipulate the method for zooming in on the data. The method for zooming in on a sample affects the way the edit window reacts to resizing. See zoom region for a description of the popup menu which is identical in function to this submenu. ═══ 2.2.5.4.3. Redraw ═══ In the event that the operator feels that the edit display is out of sync, the Redraw menu item can be used to force the editor to update all displays. ═══ 2.2.5.5. Markers ═══ Markers are used as indicators of important positions in a sample. These markers can be simply used for information to the operator or to allow the operator to provide key positions which are used to manipulate the sample. The following marker menu items are provided in this menu. Start Sets the starting point for range selection End Sets the ending point for range selection Play Sets the current playback position ═══ 2.2.5.5.1. Start ═══ The Start submenu is used to select the start of the selection range. See start region for a description of the popup menu which is identical in function to this submenu. ═══ 2.2.5.5.2. End ═══ The End submenu is used to select the end of the selection range. See end region for a description of the popup menu which is identical in function to this submenu. ═══ 2.2.5.5.3. Play ═══ The Play submenu is used to select the current position of audio playback. See play mode for a description of the popup menu which is identical in function to this submenu. ═══ 2.2.5.6. Tools ═══ The DSP tools have been disassociated from individual samples and edit windows by providing the DSP tools in the form of a toolbox. In order to utilize the DSP tools, the edit window provides a menu which allows the user to temporarily associate the toolbox with an edit window. The tools menu provides the following special items. Abort Aborts the current DSP tool Switch to Opens the toolbox and associates the current edit window with the toolbox Other items are available which correspond to the pages of the toolbox and can be used to automatically switch to a page and associate the toolbox with the edit window in one step. ═══ 2.2.5.6.1. Abort ═══ The operation of the toolbox is to become temporarily associated with the editor window such that a tool can be setup and then launched. Upon starting the task to perform a DSP tool, the toolbox automatically disassociates itself from the edit window. As a result, the edit window maintains ownership of the task which is performing the DSP function and has to have a means to abort the operation. At any time before the progress indicator on the edit window reaches 99%, the Abort button is enabled and will allow the operator to terminate the current DSP thread for that editor. When a DSP thread is not running, the Abort menu item is disabled. ═══ 2.2.5.6.2. Switch To ═══ As indicated, the toolbox is disassociated from the edit samples and edit windows. In order to use the toolbox, it must be temporarily associated with a editor. This is done by either using the switch to menu item or by selecting the specific DSP tool to be used. Regardless of the method, the toolbox displays the name of the sample that it is currently associated with in the titlebar of the toolbox. When the switch to menu item is selected, the toolbox is then changed over to the editor from which the command came from. In this manner, the toolbox can float between each of the samples or be dismissed while the DSP operations are occurring. If the toolbox is not displayed at the time that the association is requested, EdSndX will automatically display the toolbox. ═══ 2.3. Tools ═══ Using a notebook to display the TOOLS has some unique presentation advantages. Primarily the notebook allows the effects to be displayed in a single dialog window. Since each effect is mutually exclusive of any other tool this approach displays the maximum information that the user can utilize at any time. Another approach would have been to develop a dialog box for each tool. This approach has the disadvantage that it would require a second control panel to select the specific tools. This would violate the approach of providing a single control panel for the user and would necessitate managing a number of different windows which could potentially clutter the screen. The notebook is a clean and aesthetically pleasing means for managing the tools. The heart of manipulating the samples is accessed from the TOOLS notebook. Some of the pages of the notebook provide information while others let the user apply a particular effect on the current sound sample. The TOOLS notebook can be dismissed by pressing the TOOLS button on the main control panel or by pulling down the system menu for the toolbox and selecting CLOSE. The notebook is divided into sections such that functions with similar operations are grouped together. The tabs on the right of the notebook access the section and the tabs at the bottom of the page are used to access the individual functions of the grouping. The tabs on the notebook provide access to the Info, Type, Average, Duplicate, Band Pass, Low Pass, Rate, Speed, Playback speed, Echo, Invert, Reverse, Vibro, Limit, Fade, and Balance functions for manipulating the samples. The notebook may be navigated by either selecting the tab on the right of the book for the desired function or by using the small Plus and Minus buttons at the bottom of the notebook. Using the Plus and Minus buttons will move through the notebook a single page at a time. To select the tabs using the keyboard, the focus for the notebook must be set for the notebook container (by clicking the mouse outside of one of the tools or by pressing the ALT key and the UP arrow). Selecting any character that is underlined will bring that page to the top of the display. The notebook can be displayed regardless of the presence of sample data in memory. When no sample is present, the pages of the notebook will be invalidated but can still be viewed. ═══ 2.3.1. Info ═══ The Info page displays all of the relevant information about the samples currently in memory. This includes the following categories: Load Format One of the formats which the program can save or open Data Type The default extension for this file format. Data Style SIGNED, UNSIGNED, ULAW, or ALAW Channels Number of channels in the sample Sampling Rate The number of samples taken each second Data Size BYTE (8 bits), WORD (16 bits), LONG (32 bits) Samples The number of samples that make up each channel Comments Some sample files may contain comments. Any comments found are displayed in this window Byte Order The natural order of the bytes in each sample. This field can display either Big Endian or Little Endian ═══ 2.3.2. Type ═══ The type of the file is determined by the header written to the beginning of the file. See Save for information how the file type is determined when a file is saved to disk. Additionally, the user may use the this tool to change the Load Format (displayed in the Info page of the tools notebook). When the file is saved, the default file format will automatically be set to whatever has been chosen on this page of the notebook. Changing the file name extension or selecting a file format in the SAVE dialog will override this setting. Each file format utilizes different headers for the actual data. By selecting one of the standard formats on this page the Info page will show the user how the samples will be saved. The fields that are most likely to change are the Load Format, Data Type, Data Style, and Data Size. ═══ 2.3.3. Average ═══ This tool is useful for reducing the number of channels in a sample by either eliminating channels or by averaging the sounds together. A sample with an even number of channels may be averaged to produce a sample with half the initial number of channels. For example, a sample with four channels can be averaged to produce a sample with two channels and a sample with two samples can be averaged to produce a sample with one channel. Channels may be averaged in three ways. The simplest is to take the left or right channel data as the final data. A more complex method is to average the samples of the left and right to produce a center sample. The results of these operations are significantly different and can result in very different output samples. When a sample contains four channels, it is composed of four sound sources at 45 degrees in each quadrant. This corresponds to the Front Left, Front Right, Rear Left, or Rear Right. To average these into two channels the user can select to use any of the four channels or to average based on the left or right. To select or average any combination of the channels into either of the output channels, check the box for the channels from the source sample. To aid in this, two radio buttons have been provided which enable or disable the selection of check boxes in the second channel depending on the number of output channels selected. ═══ 2.3.4. Dupe ═══ This tool is useful to add channels to a sample through simple duplication. When this tool is used, the new channels created are exact duplicates of the original samples. Channels can be duplicated such that a single channel sample can be made to have two channels which are identical or two channels can be duplicated to form four channels. When copying two channels to 4, PMsndX allows the user to specify which of the input channels will be placed on the output channels. In this way, a single channel of a dual channel sample can be copied to any of the four output channels. ═══ 2.3.5. Low Pass ═══ A Low Pass filter can be applied to a sample to eliminate high frequencies. With a bandpass filter, it is not possible to eliminate any effect on lower frequencies; however, a lowpass is designed specifically to eliminate changes on frequencies below the right dropoff. A lowpass filter is normally used to eliminate high frequency hiss. Frequencies near the edge of the filter will be attenuated by the natural change in the frequency response of the filter and the ringing that occurs at the edge of the drop. The lowpass filter also increases the volume of the sample and a attenuation (gain) factor is provided to allow the user to limit the effect. Depending on the volume of the initial sample, the attenuation may be less important but should be experimented with to find a good compromise. Filtering is accomplished in the digital domain through the use of a very simple second order digital Fourier transform. Future implementation may have a more complex Fourier transform; however, the chosen function is desirable because it provides a smooth dropoff without significant ringing. The performance of the filter is determined by the cutoff frequency and the rate of drop. If the dropoff is made too quickly, the filter will exhibit a ringing effect at the begin and end of the dropoff. If the dropoff is performed too slowly, the filter will suppress more frequencies toward the end of the desired range. The more orders of the filter (more stages), the better the frequency response; however, more orders increase the time for filtering significantly. A two order filter works adequately. When performing the digital convolution of the sample with the step function a Gain factor is used to normalize the output data. This acts as a Volume control for the sample to prevent losses due to numerical overflow. Values for the gain range from 0 to 1 in increments of 0.01. A slider bar is used to set the gain of the low pass filter. When the low pass filter is first brought up, the Gain will default to a value of 0.8. If this is changed, it will remain at the new setting until the session is terminated. The Frequency response of the low pass filter is determined by a the centerpoint of the dropoff at the end of the step function. When performing a digital filter, it is not possible to prevent the gradual drop at the end of the step function due to the convolution of the samples used in the transformation. This is true for analog components also. The centerpoint of the dropoff can be set in three ways. The user may enter the specific frequency in the text entry box in the lower right corner or may use the filter display like a sliding bar. As is typical of a sliding bar, the mouse may be used to capture the cutoff frequency by pressing the mouse button while the mouse is near the cutoff frequency. By holding the button down, the user may drag the frequency to the desired range. Additionally, the user may click to the right or the left of the frequency cutoff to increase or decrease the frequency by 1000 Hz. The right and left arrows in the corners of the display may be used to increase or decrease the frequency by 1 Hz. The plus and minus buttons in the corners of the display may be used to increase or decrease the frequency by 10 Hz. The frequency response curve illustrates the dropoff that occurs at the end of the step function. ═══ 2.3.6. High Pass ═══ A High Pass filter can be applied to a sample to eliminate low frequencies. With a bandpass filter, it is not possible to eliminate any effect on higher frequencies; however, a highpass is designed specifically to eliminate changes on frequencies above the right dropoff. A highpass filter is normally used to eliminate low frequency hum. Frequencies near the edge of the filter will be attenuated by the natural change in the frequency response of the filter and the ringing that occurs at the edge of the drop. The highpass filter also increases the volume of the sample and a attenuation (gain) factor is provided to allow the user to limit the effect. Depending on the volume of the initial sample, the attenuation may be less important but should be experimented with to find a good compromise. Filtering is accomplished in the digital domain through the use of a very simple second order digital Fourier transform. Future implementation may have a more complex Fourier transform; however, the chosen function is desirable because it provides a smooth dropoff without significant ringing. The performance of the filter is determined by the cutoff frequency and the rate of drop. If the dropoff is made too quickly, the filter will exhibit a ringing effect at the begin and end of the dropoff. If the dropoff is performed too slowly, the filter will suppress more frequencies toward the end of the desired range. The more orders of the filter (more stages), the better the frequency response; however, more orders increase the time for filtering significantly. A two order filter works adequately. When performing the digital convolution of the sample with the step function a Gain factor is used to normalize the output data. This acts as a Volume control for the sample to prevent losses due to numerical overflow. Values for the gain range from 0 to 1 in increments of 0.01. A slider bar is used to set the gain of the low pass filter. When the high pass filter is first brought up, the Gain will default to a value of 0.8. If this is changed, it will remain at the new setting until the session is terminated. The Frequency response of the high pass filter is determined by a the centerpoint of the dropoff at the end of the step function. When performing a digital filter, it is not possible to prevent the gradual drop at the end of the step function due to the convolution of the samples used in the transformation. This is true for analog components also. The centerpoint of the dropoff can be set in three ways. The user may enter the specific frequency in the text entry box in the lower right corner or may use the filter display like a sliding bar. As is typical of a sliding bar, the mouse may be used to capture the cutoff frequency by pressing the mouse button while the mouse is near the cutoff frequency. By holding the button down, the user may drag the frequency to the desired range. Additionally, the user may click to the right or the left of the frequency cutoff to increase or decrease the frequency by 1000 Hz. The right and left arrows in the corners of the display may be used to increase or decrease the frequency by 1 Hz. The plus and minus buttons in the corners of the display may be used to increase or decrease the frequency by 10 Hz. The frequency response curve illustrates the dropoff that occurs at the end of the step function. ═══ 2.3.7. Band Pass ═══ This tool provides the ability to apply a band-pass filter to a sample. A band-pass filter is used to eliminate unwanted frequencies from a sample. This is often to eliminate high frequency hiss and low frequency hum from a sample. The typical range of frequencies that affect the human ear are from about 100 Hz through about 16 kHz. Like the equalizer on a stereo, the bandpass filter can be used to reduce the effect of unwanted frequencies. Although we generally think of a bandpass filter as operating like a perfect step function, it has ringing at the edges of the transitions and will affect the frequencies near the edges of the filter. The frequency response for the filter is designed to drop logarithmically around a center frequency. The slope of the drop at the desired start (Wp) and end (Ws) of the filter varies with the distance between the Wp and Ws. This width is used to determine the slope of the dropoff at the edges of the filter. The frequencies at Wp and Ws will be approximately half of their original amplitudes and all frequencies outside of the Center - Wp and the Center + Ws will be eliminated. The bandpass filter can be mode oriented to pitched signals (i.e. voice, singing, or instrumental music) or can be modified by adding noise to the filter so that un-pitched signals can be effectively processed. Note: To aid the user in locating the maximum effective center frequency, a light blue vertical bar is placed at half the sampling rate for the data. The transformation for the Bandpass filter was derived from a a program called MUSIC56K (as documented in the MUSIC56K source code) and implemented in C++ for this program. Operation of the bandpass filter tool is probably one of the most complex interfaces in the toolbox. It is based on a simple principle. The entire display of the filter represents the frequency response of the filter and is operated like a slider. However, since the Start frequency and the Stop frequency are independent, the sliding bar is divided into identical controls for each filter edge. Before getting into the operation of the controls the display needs to be explained to establish the terms that will be used. As mentioned, the display is designed to illustrate the frequency response of the bandpass filter (independent of any added noise). The center of the Start (Wp) and End (Ws) of the filter are marked by vertical BLUE bars. The Center (Wc) of the filter is marked by a vertical RED bar. These three markers provide the means for the user to modify the filter. The region to the left of the RED center frequency is always the start of the filter. The user may click the mouse to the left of Wp to decrease Wp by 1000 Hz. Clicking between Wp and Wc increases Wp by 1000 Hz. Likewise, clicking between Wc and Ws decreases Ws by 1000 Hz and clicking to the right of Ws increases Ws by 1000 Hz. The user may also click the mouse near Ws or Wp to drag the respective ends of the filter quickly. To provide fine control of the filter, Right and Left arrows are provided for both Wp and Ws. Clicking on either the right or left arrow will increase the indicated filter edge by 1 Hz. To increase or decrease the filter edges by 10 Hz, the user may select the plus or minus corresponding to the filter edges. The left set of controls affects Wp and the right set of controls affects Ws. As the mouse is used to adjust Wp and Ws, the exact frequencies for Wp, Ws, Wc, and the filter Width are updated in the text input fields. The user can use the mouse to select one of the input fields and modify it directly. To accept a value in the entry field and recalculated the dependent frequencies select another window or click on another item which moves the focus from the notebook. The rules for the fields are as follows: 1. If the Center frequency is modified, new values for Wp and Ws are immediately calculated using the current Width. If Wp or Ws are outside of the possible ranges, then Wp or Ws are set to the limit of the acceptable range and the Width and Center are recalculated. 2. If the Width of the filter is modified, new values for Wp and Ws are immediately calculated using the current Center frequency. If Wp or Ws are then outside of the acceptable ranges, Wp or Ws is then set to its limit and the Center and Width are recalculated. 3. If Wp is changed, the Width and Center are automatically recalculated to reflect the new start of the filter. 4. If Ws is changed, the Width and Center are automatically recalculated to reflect the new end of the filter. The bandpass filter has been selected because of the desirable effect on typical sounds that will be processed by PMsndX such as voice or music. However, if other types of noise are to be filtered, noise can be added to the filter which results in a sharper peak of the filter. To add this noise, select the checkbox for "Add filter noise". Selecting the checkbox again will disable the filter noise. Note: The display of the frequency response for the filter does not reflect added noise. ═══ 2.3.8. Rate ═══ This function resamples a file so that the final sampling rate is changed. As a result of this function, the number of samples will be changed to reflect the new sampling rate, but the effective playback speed will not be changed. The controls for this effect simply specify the new sampling rate. Once a new rate is selected, the sample is resampled to interpolate the new playback points. Doubling the sampling rate doubles the number of samples. Every sound file is produced by sampling an analog wave at a specific frequency. As a result, the sound must be played back at the same frequency in order for it to be reproduced clearly. Higher sampling frequencies result in better quality sound but increases the size of the file. Most PC based sound cards are designed to operate most effectively at multiples of 11025 Hz; unfortunately, many sound files are sampled at rates which are not multiples of 11025 Hz and they can be resampled to be playable by applications which cannot play these rates. A drawback of sampling is that it may degrade the actual samples because it must interpolate (predict) the original analog waveform which introduces slight errors. In most cases, this will not be distinguishable by the human ear. Once a sample has been loaded into memory, the current rate information is displayed on the RATE page of the notebook. The user may select from a set of standard sampling rates for common computer formats or may specify a specific rate. OS/2 and Windows use standard rates which are multiples of 11025 Hz. Sun, DEC, and NeXT computers commonly use a sampling rate of 8000 Hz. Standard rates of 8000, 11025, 22050, and 44100 Hz have been provided for the user to select. If the user wishes to use a sampling rate which is not one of these, the button for Non-Standard should be pressed. This will activate the slider bar and user input windows to allow the user to specify the rate. The slider bar can be used to quickly change the rate in the input window or the user may select the input window and type in the desired rate. ═══ 2.3.9. Speed ═══ This function will change the effective playback speed of a sample by resampling at the desired rate; however, the final result is still played at the current speed. The controls for this effect simply specify the new playback speed. Once a new speed is selected, the sample is resampled to interpolate the new playback points. As a result, a sample is still played at the same rate, but the data is modified to play at the new rate. This allows the sample to be stored in a file which is of a standard rate. The result of doubling the effective playback speed is half the number of samples. As an example, if the starting sampling rate is 11025 Hz an this function is used to set the speed for 22050 Hz, the file will be resampled for 22050 Hz and then the header will be set for 11025 Hz. The end result is a file which is sampled at 11025 Hz but played at 22050 Hz. This is the same thing as setting a phonograph to a different speed such that the sound is played too fast or too slow. This function is similar to the RATE function except that the target playback rate is changed as the sample is interpolated. This function does use interpolation to predict the original analog waveform; therefore, the resulting sample will contain slight errors just like the RATE function. The user may select any of the standard rates including 8000 Hz, 11025 Hz, 22050 Hz, and 44100 Hz. Additionally, the user may specify the playback speed to be either double (x2) or half (x1/2) or may specify a specify playback speed by selecting the User button. If a speed other than the current speed is specified, the DOIT button will be activated which will allow the user to perform the change. ═══ 2.3.10. Playback speed ═══ This function will change the real playback speed of a sample by changing the header information; however, the file is not resampled. As an example, if the starting sampling rate is 11025 Hz an this function is used to set the speed for 22050 Hz, the file header will be changed so that the playback speed is 22050 Hz. The result of doubling the real playback speed has no effect on the number of samples. The controls for this effect simply specify the new playback speed. Once a new speed is selected, the header is modified. As a result of this function, samples may not be playable all computers. A computer must be capable of playing samples at the new rate if they are to play the file at all. The user may select any of the standard rates including 8000 Hz, 11025 Hz, 22050 Hz, and 44100 Hz. Additionally, the user may specify the playback speed to be either double (x2) or half (x1/2) or may specify a specify playback speed by selecting the User button. If a speed other than the current speed is specified, the DOIT button will be activated which will allow the user to perform the change. ═══ 2.3.11. Echo ═══ An echo is created when sound reflects off an object (or multiple objects) and returns to the originator at slight time offsets. Each bounce reduces the intensity of the sound such that the volume diminishes with each bounce. The ECHO tool is created by simulating a set of walls forward and aft of the source such that the sound would bounce off of each wall and be reflected back to the other wall. In order for the ECHO effect to be strongly heard, at least two echo points should be set up with total attenuation of less than 1.0. The echo effect will modify a sample to provide attenuation at specific points in a sample. The operator must specify the points where the echo effects are to start and an attenuation or Volume for the echo. The attenuation determines the length of time that it takes for the echo to die away. If the Attenuation specified for all of the echo points is greater than 1, then the echo will "melt" rather than fading away and consequently may take a long time to complete. If an attenuation is set to 0 or less, the Echo point is ignored. The echo effect presents an interesting challenge to the user interface. How do you provide the user with an intuitive method to set the echo locations and the strength of the echo from a dialog box? Well, look at the ECHO notebook page and follow along in the explanation of the operation. This notebook page includes a graphical display of the current sample, a text entry field for editing (e.g. adding or deleting) time marks, and a volume control for setting the strength of the echo. The ECHO notebook is centered around the graph at the top of the page. This display is the primary point of control. However, to allow for a bit more direct control, the user may use the entry fields to add and delete echo points too. To explain it all, I will start with the graphical display first and then lead to the secondary controls. Once a sample has been loaded into memory, the graphical display will become active. The display is controlled through two slider bars for the position in the sample and for the magnification. The sample is normalized so that the largest sample value will hit the limit of the display. This makes the display volume independent but gives maximum clarity of the actual waveform in memory. Markers may be added or moved to set the echo points in the waveform. To aid the operator in locating the desired echo point, the display contains a status bar for the starting timemark for the sample in the window, the current timemark under the mouse, and the magnification factor. To move to the right or left in the display, the horizontal slider bar may be used. Pressing the end arrows moves the display one displayed sample to the left or right. When the slider bar is pressed, the display will move one half screen to the right or left. The user may move the display to a region quickly by selecting the slider button and dragging it to the appropriate position. The display is immediately updated to display the current position. The display area at the bottom of the graph provides a timemark indicator for the first sample appearing at the left of the graph. This provides a reference for moving through the data. The time marker is displayed in the form of m:ss.ssss where m is the number of minutes into the sample and ss.ssss is the number of seconds into the sample. Even the smallest sample contains more data than can fit on the graphical display. For this reason the vertical slider to the right of the graphical display is used to adjust the viewing magnification of the samples. The maximum magnification of the samples is determined by the length of the sample and is calculated by dividing the total sample length by the largest number of data points which may be scrolled through on the display. The display is limited to the maximum size of an signed 16 bit value due to the limitations of the signals for the horizontal slider bar. This results in a maximum of 32767 data points which can be displayed and scrolled through. Initially, the magnification is set for the maximum displayable. To decrease the magnification (i.e. zoom out) on the sample, move the slider down the bar. The arrows on the ends of the bar can be used to increase or decrease the magnification in increments of 1. Selecting between the button and the arrows doubles or halves the magnification. If the button is selected, the magnification can be set immediately to a value. Markers are displayed for the nearest point in the zoom. However, markers can only be set on exact multiples of the zoom. Therefore, when trying to move a marker, if it is set at a different magnification, it may not be possible to move the marker without returning to that zoom. Essentially, the marker is displayed but cannot be selected because that exact sample point is not visible. I considered making the mouse select the nearest marker, but this is a point of confusion if many markers are displayed at the same location for a specific magnification. The current magnification is displayed in the status area of the display in the form of "x1/nnnnn" where "nnnnn" is replaced by the current magnification number (i.e. number of points represented by a single point on the display). If the display says that the zoom is x1/2, then the magnification of the display is halved. If this sounds confusing, then just play with the notebook page for a bit to get a feel for the operation of the zoom. Before going on, another area of the display needs to be described. The center number on the status area of the display indicates the timemark for the current (or last) mouse position. Whenever the mouse is moved into the display area, this number will be updated to indicate the time offset for that particular point. This takes into account the magnification. Now for the fun part. To add an echo point to the sample, move the mouse to the place where you desire the echo. The status display will provide a reference for the timemark. When the proper position has been selected, click the mouse and a blue marker will be placed. If the mouse is released, the marker will be set at that location in the sample. If the mouse is not released, the marker may be dragged across the display. This marker may be moved later if necessary by other means too. Note: If at any time the mouse pointer is moved outside of the display before the mouse button is released, the marker will not be set and the blue mark will be erased from the display. A echo marker may be moved by positioning the mouse pointer over the marker and pressing the mouse button. If the marker is on a multiple of the zoom level, it will be selected and will follow the mouse as long as the button is pressed. When the button is released, the marker will be placed at that position. A marker may be moved to another time delay by entering the desired delay directly through the Time Mark entry field. Note: If the mouse is moved off the display area, the marker will be restored to its original position. For each marker displayed, the timemark is stored in a Combo Box. This box is like an entry field in that the user can edit the time directly ; however, it also has a drop down box that can scroll vertically through all of the different markers. This type of box provides a great deal of flexibility for the user. To add a marker at a specific time, position the cursor in the Timemark box and edit the time index. The format is the same as that used to display the time marks in the main display. Enter the number of minutes followed by the seconds. The granularity of the seconds is on the order of 1/10000 of a second. For example, entering 6:54.4253 would accept a time mark at 6 minutes, 54.4253 seconds. If a value is entered with is beyond the maximum sample of the file or less than 0, then the data is ignored. Once the desired time mark has been entered, the user may press the Add button to place the marker in the current database. All timemarks added to the display use the volume specified for the last timemark, or 0 if no volume has been set yet. When the listbox is pulled down for the timemarks, each of the timemarks that have been entered are displayed in a vertically and horizontally scrollable window. Up to 32 markers may be placed in the file and any markers which are unused are displayed with the word "EMPTY". The markers are placed in the database in the order that they are entered unless a free slot is open (from being deleted). The user may select any of the time marks using the combo box. If the selected timemark is not empty, the display will be updated to display the selected timemark in the center of the graph. In the event that the timemark is too close to the end or beginning of the sample to display in the center of the graph, the timemark will be displayed without being centered. Once a timemark has been selected, the Del button may be pressed to delete the marker from the database. The entry field is not cleared in order to allow the user to directly edit the timemark which was deleted and add it later. The volume for each timemark may be set by specifying a value in the volume entry field. This is a simple entry field in which the user can type or delete numbers. Since the volume (attenuation) for each timemark may range from 0 to infinity, the only method for entering the volume is through the keyboard. Sorry, no sliders here. As each character is typed, it is stored. The user does not have to press enter or any key to accept the value. Note: The most common mistake for the echo effect is in forgetting to enter a value in the Volume field. Remember that you must provide an attenuation for the echo in the Volume entry field to make the echo point valid. ═══ 2.3.12. Invert ═══ Any series of samples may be inverted such that all positive values become negative and all negative values become positive. A sample is composed of numbers which are digital snapshots of an analog wave at regular intervals. These numbers can take on positive and negative values which push or release the cone of a speaker to produce sound. To the human ear, there is no difference in the sound produced; however, mathematically, the new wave is very different. An inverted wave may be added to a normal wave to mathematically subtract one from another. When this function is combined with the MERGE function of the editor, samples can be added together to eliminate common frequencies. The range and channels for this function are selected through the editor. ═══ 2.3.13. Reverse ═══ When the digital data of a sample is reversed, the effect is that of playing a record backwards. This effect allows the user to reverse a section (or all) of a sample. The range and channels for this function are selected through the editor. ═══ 2.3.14. Vibro ═══ This tool simulates the effect of driving a sound through a rotating fan such that the intensity of the sample is modified at a regular interval. This function performs the "world-famous" Fender Vibro-Champ sound effect to a sound sample by using a sine wave as the amplitude of the volume at each sample. This tool requires that the user set the Speed and the Depth of the sine wave. The speed setting gives the frequency of the sine wave in Hertz. The range of values for the slider are from 1 to 30 in increments of 1 Hertz. A value of 0 would be useless for a frequency and is not allowed. The depth setting gives the amount by which the volume will be cut into by the sine wave. The range of values for the slider are from 0.0 to 1.0 in increments of 0.01. The initial value of the slider is 0.5. ═══ 2.3.15. Fade ═══ This effect allows the user to either fade in or fade out the volume of a sample. Fading the data in a sample is produced by increasing or decreasing the volume of the sample over a period. To fade a sample in is to slowly increase the volume of the sample from 0 to the normal volume of the sample over a block of time. To fade the sound out is just the opposite in which the volume of the sample is slowly reduced over a period. The FADE tool provides three methods for fading which provide a robust means for controlling the volume of the data over the specified range of operation. These are Linear, Slow Geometric, and Fast Geometric. ═══ 2.3.16. Limit ═══ Most anyone who has received a sound sample from different sources has had the problem that the recorded volume is inconsistent between different samples. After all, there is no standard recording level for the different machines or different software. To allow the user to adjust the volume of a sample, PMsndX provides a tool which can either adjust the volume by multiplying every sample by a fixed amount or by multiplying the samples by a value based on the limit of the data that can held in memory. By specifying a maximum value for the sound sample, all sound samples can be set to have a similar maximum. The obvious use for this function is to allow a library of sounds to be set at the same volume. The value used for the maximum volume is based on a percentage of the maximum data that can be held in a single sample. As an example, a value of 100% for the volume represents a value of 127 for a signed byte sample. When the button for the Maximum is selected, the slider bar directly beneath the button is activated. Initially, this will be set to the current volume in terms of the percentage of the maximum value for the sample. The volume may be adjusted by setting the slider to a value between 0 and 100 percent of the maximum. Since the value is based on a percentage of the maximum value of the data that can be stored in a sample, clipping is not possible. When the button for the Fixed value is selected, the slider bar directly beneath the button is activated as well as the checkbox for clipping. The fixed bar provides the means to multiply all sound samples by a fixed value between 0 and 2 in increments of 0.1. A value of 1 makes no change. Any value greater than 1 increases the volume and any value less than 1 decreases the volume. A value of 2 doubles the volume of the sample. When using fixed sampling it is possible to exceed the maximum data that may be stored for a sample. The Allow Clipping checkbox may be selected to allow the data to be clipped. If the checkbox is not set and if the fixed multiple will result in clipping, then the multiple will be set to the maximum value that will not result in clipping. If the clipping box is set, data may exceed the maximum that may be stored for the sample which will result in noise. ═══ 2.3.17. Balance ═══ When a sample has more than one channel, the volume of the individual channels can be varied. The balance of the channels can be achieved either instantaneously or over a period of time. These are the same basic functions as used in the FADE and SWAP effects and are Linear, Slow Geometric, and Fast Geometric, and Step. The volume of a sample may vary by either starting at the specified percentage of the current volume for each channel and progressively approaching full volume. This is similar to fading in a sample and is achieved by selecting the "IN" button. The opposite effect is achieved when the volume starts at the current volume and progressively decreases to a percentage of the current volume. When balancing a sample, the user must specify a percentage for each channel. When fading in, this is the percentage that the volume will start at for each respective channel. When fading out, this is the final percentage of the original volume. The display at the top of this dialog varies depending on the number of channels in the current sample. ═══ 2.4. Rexx ═══ EdSndX integrates the features of REXX to provide a powerful command scripting capability. EdSndX provides the necessary extensions to REXX to provide full access to all of the features normally provided through the dialogs of the user interface. Unlike sound samples, only one REXX script can be open at a time. The REXX script runs as a subfunction of the control panel and provides a syntax which can manipulate each sample that is open through a handle which is returned to the REXX script with the sample is opened or created. Any REXX command script can be run through any of the means for opening a file such as using the OPEN dialog box or through a DRAG/DROP operation. As with all REXX command scripts, the first line of the file must be a comment of the form /* ... */. PMsndX will automatically recognize a command script using the extension of .CMD or the OPEN dialog allows any file to be recognized as a command script by providing an override in the Format group of the OPEN dialog. As with any REXX script, the SAY command may be used to write to standard output (stdout); and, the PULL command may be used to retrieve information from standard input (stdin). When input is requested from the REXX window, the desktop focus will automatically be directed to the REXX window and it will be brought to the foreground. Note: Do not use CHARIN to retrieve input from the keyboard. The syntax of the language is divided up into groups associated with the buttons on the main control panel. Additionally, a few other controls are provided to enhance a script capability for enhancing the user interface. When a REXX command script is run, a REXX OUTPUT window (see illustration below) is opened to display any outputs from the script. By default, all standard outputs (e.g. output from SAY commands or commands echoed) are displayed in black. Outputs from PMsndX commands is written in blue, and any errors are written in red. A REXX script can be stopped at any time by closing the REXX OUTPUT window. If no errors occur while executing the REXX command script, the REXX OUTPUT window will automatically be dismissed. If errors occur, the window will remain open until the user closes it. Only one REXX OUTPUT window can be open at any one time so the window must be closed before another REXX script can be run. The colors used to display the REXX output may be modified through the properties dialog. Note: As with REXX scripts, all commands can be entered in any combination of lower and upper case. For example, the following commands are equivalent: "file open tmp.au", "FILE open TMP.AU", "FiLe OpEn TmP.Au". ═══ 2.4.1. Syntax Conventions ═══ The extensions provided by EdSndX have been designed to utilize a consistent format. The extensions are divided into three groups: commands, functions, and arguments. REXX functions are those extensions provided by PMsndX which require that PMsndX return some value to the calling REXX script. The function extensions use the arguments to specify the information that is to be returned. REXX arguments are the keywords and parameters which are added to commands and functions to provide information about the specific task to be performed. All arguments follow a repetitive format which utilizes keywords which usually have associated parameters. ═══ 2.4.1.1. Function Syntax ═══ REXX functions are composed of a name followed by keyword and parameter combinations separated by commas and enclosed in parenthesis. Functions are used to return data to the calling REXX script and so always appear on the right side of an = character. The general syntax of a function is: X=FUNCTION(keyword, Parameter, [,keyword, Parameter,...]) ═══ 2.4.1.2. Argument Syntax ═══ The Arguments used in EdSndX should be in order of a keyword followed immediately by a parameter (if one is necessary). All required keyword/parameter combinations must appear first, followed by any optional keyword/parameter combinations. To convey the syntax of the REXX extensions, the individual components are color keyed to indicate their use. The following legend should be referred to when reading the actual command and function syntax: FUNCTION: The name of the function is always first and is required. keyword: Special keywords are used to indicate that a parameter is being specified for a command. The keywords of a command may be entered in any order but must be followed by their corresponding parameter. Parameters: Portions of a command which are used as variable parameters can take on different formats and must be entered after the corresponding keyword. [...]: Parameters which are optional will appear between brackets ([]). Anything between the brackets is not required for the command but may be added to modify the operation. When numeric values are required, the format will be indicated as follows: 'mm:ss.hhhh' indicates that a time is to be entered. The format indicates that the time is to be given in minutes followed by a colon (:), the number of seconds followed by a period (.) and the fractions of seconds. For example, '10:58.0001' indicates 10 minutes, 58 seconds, and 1 ten-thousandth of a second. Note that the time must be enclosed between single quotes. #.# indicates that a decimal number is to be entered. The range for the number is provided in braces immediately following. For example, #.#{0.0-1.0} indicates that a number between 0.0 and 1.0 inclusive is required. #{range} indicates that a numeric value is required and the range is specified in the braces. For example, #{1-8192} indicates that a numeric value between 1 and 8192 inclusive is required. 'text' indicates that a text string is required. The text must be enclosed in single quotes and must appear as the last parameter in the line. All data after the keyword TEXT will be treated as the text for the operation. {item1,item2,...} is used to indicate that a finite set of values are required. Note: The parameter YES is equivalent to setting a checkbox. The parameter NO is equivalent to clearing a checkbox. Descriptions: With each command group is a short description of the operation of the commands in that group. Additionally, every command may also have special information which is unique to the command or pertinent to the usage of the command. ═══ 2.4.2. File Operations ═══ All of the features of the OPEN and SAVE dialog boxes are available through the FILE operations. In addition to the standard items in the dialog box, the capability to set the default OPEN and SAVE paths is provided to simplify batch operations. The FILE operations are provided through functions and return a handle which is used to reference the file. There are two reasons that the FILE commands are implemented as functions instead of subcommands. The parameters of a subcommand are separated by spaces or other special parameters which EdSndX does not receive even if the parameters are in quotations. By using the function interface to REXX, PMsndX receives the necessary delimiters to allow filenames to contain special characters and spaces. x=FILE(OPENPATH, PATH) Filenames can be specified in any form (i.e. they may contain a drive letter, a file path, and the actual filename). However, to make batch operations simpler, the path and drive may be specified using this command and any filenames without paths or drives will use the OPENPATH to locate the file. By default, the current working directory will be used as the OPENPATH. x=FILE(SAVEPATH, PATH) When saving a file, a default path can be saved similar to the OPENPATH command. All save operations in which the drive and path are not specified will use the specified path. By default, the current working directory will be used as the SAVEPATH. handle=FILE(OPEN, filename, [FORMAT, {AU, AIF, AVI, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF}]) handle=FILE(OPEN, filename, [FORMAT, {UB, SB, UL}, RATE, #{1-65535}, CHANNELS, {1,2,4}]) handle=FILE(OPEN, filename, [FORMAT, {UW, SW}, RATE, #{1-65535}, CHANNELS, {1,2,4}, ENDIAN, {BIG, LITTLE}]) Filenames must contain the name of a valid file and may optionally include a drive letter and a specific path. If the path and drive letter are not specified, PMsndX will use the current working directory or the path specified in the OPENPATH command. x=FILE(HANDLE, handle SAVE, [FORMAT, {AU, AIF, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF, UB, SB, UL}]) x=FILE(HANDLE, handle, SAVEAS, filename, [FORMAT, {AU, AIF, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF, UB, SB, UL}]) x=FILE(HANDLE, handle, SAVE, [FORMAT, {UW, SW}, ENDIAN, {BIG, LITTLE}]) x=FILE(HANDLE, handle, SAVEAS, filename, [FORMAT, {UW, SW}, ENDIAN, {BIG, LITTLE}]) When the SAVE form is used, the current filename for the sample is used. When the SAVEAS form is used, a valid filename must be provided. Filenames must contain the name of a valid file and may optionally include a drive letter and a specific path. If the path and drive letter are not specified, PMsndX will use the current working directory or the path specified in the SAVEPATH command. x=FILE(HANDLE, handle, CLOSE) This closes the editor display for the file handle specified without saving. ═══ 2.4.3. Audio Operations ═══ All operations available through the AUDIO section of the editor are accessible through the AUDIO Operations group. The value returned for all AUDIO operations indicates the success of the operation. x=AUDIO(VOLUME, #{0-100}) The volume control is global across all editors and so there is no association of the VOLUME in the REXX script with a particular editor window. x=AUDIO(HANDLE, handle, PLAY, {ASYNC, SYNC}) The ASYNC option causes the sound to start playing and lets the REXX script continue. The SYNC option causes the REXX script to pause while waiting for the playback to complete. x=AUDIO(HANDLE, handle, REWIND) handle=AUDIO(RECORD, {ASYNC, SYNC}, TIME, 'mm:ss.hhhh', INPUT, {MIC, LINE}, QUALITY, {8, 16}, CHANNELS, {1, 2}, RATE, #{1-65535}, [OVERWRITE, {YES, NO}], [MONITOR, {YES, NO}]) handle=AUDIO(RECORD, {ASYNC, SYNC}, COUNT, #{1-}, INPUT, {MIC, LINE}, QUALITY, {8, 16}, CHANNELS, {1, 2}, RATE, #{1-65535}, [OVERWRITE, {YES, NO}], [MONITOR, {YES, NO}]) handle=AUDIO(RECORD, {ASYNC, SYNC}, MEMORY, #{1-}, INPUT, {MIC, LINE}, QUALITY, {8, 16}, CHANNELS, {1, 2}, RATE, #{1-65535}, [OVERWRITE, {YES, NO}], [MONITOR, {YES, NO}]) When the AUDIO RECORD function is used, a new editor window is automatically created without a filename. The return value for the record functions is the handle for the window which is of the same form as the handle returned from a FILE OPEN operation. The SAVEAS form of the FILE function must be used when saving the new samples. ═══ 2.4.4. Properties Operations ═══ All PROPERTIES functions return the current value of the property prior to changing it. x=PROPERTIES(ENABLE_MMPM, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(SHARE_AUDIO, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(PLAY_16ON8, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(DEVICE, devicename) x=PROPERTIES(MEMORY, AUTO) x=PROPERTIES(MEMORY, #{1-8192}) x=PROPERTIES(IGNORE_HEADER_STYLE, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(REQUIRE_AU_HEADER, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(FORCE_ULAW, {YES, NO, MAYBE}) x=PROPERTIES(INI_PATH, path) x=PROPERTIES(REXX_STDIN_COLOR, {BLACK, BLUE, RED, PINK, GREEN, CYAN, YELLOW, GREY, DGREY, DBLUE, DRED, DPINK, DGREEN, DCYAN, DYELLOW, LGREY}) x=PROPERTIES(REXX_STDOUT_COLOR, {BLACK, BLUE, RED, PINK, GREEN, CYAN, YELLOW, GREY, DGREY, DBLUE, DRED, DPINK, DGREEN, DCYAN, DYELLOW, LGREY}) x=PROPERTIES(REXX_STDERR_COLOR, {BLACK, BLUE, RED, PINK, GREEN, CYAN, YELLOW, GREY, DGREY, DBLUE, DRED, DPINK, DGREEN, DCYAN, DYELLOW, LGREY}) x=PROPERTIES(REXX_COMMAND_COLOR, {BLACK, BLUE, RED, PINK, GREEN, CYAN, YELLOW, GREY, DGREY, DBLUE, DRED, DPINK, DGREEN, DCYAN, DYELLOW, LGREY}) x=PROPERTIES(REXX_DISPLAY_HISTORY, #{64-32767}) x=PROPERTIES(FOOTNOTES, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(SAVE_POSITIONS, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(SAVE_OPENPATH, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(SAVE_SAVEPATH, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(PLAY_ON_COMMANDLINE_LOAD, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(EXIT_AFTER_COMMANDLINE_PLAY, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(FREE_MEMORY_AFTER_LOADING, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(ENABLE_QUICK_QUEUEING, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(AUTO_RATE_ADJUST, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(UNDO, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(USE_DISPLAYED_CHANNEL, {YES, NO}) x=PROPERTIES(USE_DISPLAYED_RANGE, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_INFO, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_ALL_CHANNELS, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_DELAY_AUDIO_LOADING, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_SETUP_AUDIO_AT_PLAY, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_AUTO_REPEAT, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_FORMAT_TIME, {YES, NO}) X=PROPERTIES(EDITOR_PLAY_MODE_RANGE, {YES, NO}) ═══ 2.4.5. Edit Operations ═══ The value returned for all EDIT operations indicate the success of the operation. X=EDIT(HANDLE, handle, MANIPULATE, {ALL, 1, 2, 3, 4}) x=EDIT(HANDLE, handle, AREA, ENTIRE_SAMPLE) x=EDIT(HANDLE, handle, AREA, PART, START, 'mm:ss.hhhh', END, 'mm:ss.hhhh') x=EDIT(HANDLE, handle, {COPY, CUT, PASTE, ZERO, REMOVE, CLEAR, MERGE, UNDO}) x=EDIT(HANDLE, handle, {PASTEFROM, MERGEFROM}, handle) ═══ 2.4.6. Effects Operations ═══ The value returned for all EDIT operations indicate the success of the operation. x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, FORMAT, {AU, AIF, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF, UB, SB, UL, UW, SW}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, AVERAGE, 2_TO_1, FROM, {LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, AVERAGE, 4_TO_1, FROM, {FL, FR, RL, RR}, [FROM, {FL, FR, RL, RR}...]) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, AVERAGE, 4_TO_2, FROM, {FL, FR, RL, RR}, TO, {L, R}, [FROM, {FL, FR, RL, RR}, TO, {L, R}...]) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, DUPE, {1_TO_2, 1_TO_4}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, DUPE, 2_TO_4, FROM, {L, R}, TO, {FL, FR, RL, RR}, [FROM, {L, R}, TO, {FL, FR, RL, RR}...]) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, RATE, #{1-65535}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, SPEED, #{1-65535}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, SPEED, {X2, X1/2}) ═══ 2.4.6.1. Filter Effects Operations ═══ x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, FILTER, BANDPASS, START, #{1-65535}, CUTOFF, #{1-65535}, [ADD_NOISE, {YES, NO}]) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, FILTER, BANDPASS, CENTER, #{1-65535}, WIDTH, #{1-65535}, [ADD_NOISE, {YES, NO}]) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, FILTER, LOWPASS, CENTER, #{1-65535}, GAIN, #.#{0.0-1.0}) ═══ 2.4.6.2. Special Effects Operations ═══ x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, ECHO, MARK, 'mm:ss.hhhh', VOLUME, #.#{0.0-1.0}, [MARK, 'mm:ss.hhhh', VOLUME, #.#{0.0-1.0}, ...]) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, INVERT) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, REVERSE) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, VIBRO, SPEED, #{0-30}, DEPTH, #.#{0.0-1.0}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, FADE, DIRECTION, {IN, OUT}, METHOD, {LINEAR, SLOW, FAST}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, LIMIT, MAX, #{0-100}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, LIMIT, MULTIPLE, #.#{0.0-2.0}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, BALANCE2, L, #{0-100}, R, #{0-100}, DIRECTION, {IN, OUT}, METHOD, {LINEAR, SLOW, FAST, STEP}) x=TOOLS(HANDLE, handle, EFFECT, BALANCE4, FL, #{0-100}, FR, #{0-100}, RL, #{0-100}, RR, #{0-100}, DIRECTION, {IN, OUT}, METHOD, {LINEAR, SLOW, FAST, STEP}) ═══ 2.4.7. User Operations ═══ EdSndX also provides a dialog method of user input through standard OS/2 MESSAGE dialog boxes. A message dialog provides the user with a means to present text with a dialog containing a icon and standard buttons along with standard OS/2 system sounds to catch the attention of the user. Since a value is returned from the MESSAGE, it must be formatted as a function. x=MESSAGE(HANDLE, handle, ASK, {OK, OKCANCEL, CANCEL, ENTER, ENTERCANCEL, RETRYCANCEL, ABORTRETRYIGNORE, YESNO, YESNOCANCEL}, ICON, {NOICON, ICONHAND, QUESTION, EXCLAMATION, ASTERISK, INFORMATION, QUERY, WARNING, ERROR}, [MODE, {APPLICATION, SYSTEM},] [MOVEABLE, {YES, NO},] TEXT, 'text', TITLE, 'text') The ASK parameter determines the possible return values. The data returned is a string representing the button pressed by the user. The possible return values are: ┌────────────────┬────────┐ │Type │Return │ │ │ │ │OK │OK │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │OKCANCEL │OK │ │ │ │ │ │CANCEL │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │CANCEL │CANCEL │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │ENTER │ENTER │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │ENTERCANCEL │ENTER │ │ │ │ │ │CANCEL │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │RETRYCANCEL │RETRY │ │ │ │ │ │CANCEL │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │ABORTRETRYIGNORE│ABORT │ │ │ │ │ │RETRY │ │ │ │ │ │IGNORE │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │YESNO │YES │ │ │ │ │ │NO │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │YESNOCANCEL │YES │ │ │ │ │ │NO │ │ │ │ │ │CANCEL │ │ │ │ │ │ERROR │ └────────────────┴────────┘ The following ICONs and the associated sounds for the dialog (from the System Events in the MMPM Sound setup): NOICON - () - NONE ICONHAND - () - Error sound QUESTION - () - Information sound EXCLAMATION - () - Warning sound ASTERISK - () - NONE INFORMATION - () - NONE QUERY - () - Information sound WARNING - () - Warning sound ERROR - () - Error sound The MODE specifies how the window is displayed with relation to other windows on the system. If no MODE keyword is specified or APPLICATION is specified, then the dialog window will can be covered by other windows from the desktop. If SYSTEM is specified, then the dialog box will prevent other windows on the desktop from covering it. The MOVEABLE keyword is used to determine if a titlebar is provided on the message dialog box. If the MOVEABLE keyword is not specified or if it is specified as NO, then there will be no titlebar on the message dialog and it cannot be moved around the screen. Specifying YES allows the user to move the message dialog box around the screen. ═══ 2.4.8. Miscellaneous Operations ═══ The value returned for all EDIT operations indicate the success of the operation. x=PMSNDX(EXIT) The EXIT keyword sends a message to PMsndX to exit. This is the same as clicking CLOSE on the system menu of the control panel. x=PMSNDX(UPDATEWINDOWS) The UPDATEWINDOWS keyword forces PMsndX to update all windows that are currently displayed. During the processing of a REXX script, most windows are not updated when they are open. Of course there are exceptions to this such as the EDITOR and the AUDIO dialogs in which updates are required to allow the user to maintain control over the current operation. x=PMSNDX(CLOSE, {YES,NO}) If no errors occur during the execution of a REXX script, the REXX output window will automatically close itself. However, by specifying the CLOSE keyword and the parameter YES, the window can be forced to remain open. In the event that an error occurs in the REXX script, this command has no effect. x=PMSNDX(IGNORE_SYNTAX_ERRORS, {YES,NO}) When writing REXX scripts for PMsndX, it may be desirable to pass the REXX through the interpreter to check the syntax of the commands without having PMsndX stop at each error. When this option is turned on, PMsndX will still display the errors in RED, but will not stop after the error. x=PMSNDX(OUTPUT, {YES,NO}) By default, PMsndX displays each PMsndX command or function as it is executed. This output can be turned off with this command by specifying NO x=PMSNDX(TEST_MODE, {YES,NO}) By setting PMsndX into REXX TEST_MODE, REXX scripts will be processed as usual except that the commands will not actually be executed. This option is primarily used during the testing of the REXX syntax parser during the development of PMsndX, and has been provided to allow scripts to be tested syntactically before using them. return 'text' ═══ 2.4.9. Query/Test Operations ═══ The functions which make up the QUERY group return values which are identical to the parameters expected by the indicated command. To determine the range of values that may be returned, see the corresponding command and keyword combinations. X=QUERY(FILE, OPENPATH) X=QUERY(FILE, SAVEPATH) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, FILE, FILENAME) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, FORMAT) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, DATASTYLE) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, CHANNELS) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, RATE) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, DATASIZE) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, SAMPLES) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, TIME) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, MEMORY) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, COMMENT) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, INFO, BYTEORDER) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, VOLUME) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, TIME) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, COUNT) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, MEMORY) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, INPUT) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, QUALITY) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, CHANNELS) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, RATE) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, OVERWRITE) X=QUERY(HANDLE, handle, AUDIO, MONITOR) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, ENABLE_MMPM) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SHARE_AUDIO) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, PLAY_16ON8) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, DEVICE) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, MEMORY) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, IGNORE_HEADER_STYLE) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REQUIRE_AU_HEADER) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, FORCE_ULAW) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, INI_PATH) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REXX_STDIN_COLOR) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REXX_STDOUT_COLOR) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REXX_STDERR_COLOR) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REXX_COMMAND_COLOR) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REXX_DISPLAY_HISTORY) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, FOOTNOTES) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SAVE_POSITIONS) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SAVE_OPENPATH) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SAVE_SAVEPATH) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, PLAY_ON_COMMANDLINE_LOAD) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EXIT_AFTER_COMMANDLINE_PLAY) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, FREE_MEMORY_AFTER_LOADING) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, ENABLE_QUICK_QUEUEING) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, AUTO_RATE_ADJUST) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, UNDO) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, USE_DISPLAYED_CHANNEL) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, USE_DISPLAYED_RANGE) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_INFO) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_ALL_CHANNELS) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_DELAY_AUDIO_LOADING) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_SETUP_AUDIO_AT_PLAY) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_AUTO_REPEAT) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_FORMAT_TIME) X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EDITOR_PLAY_MODE_RANGE) x=QUERY(PMSNDX, VERSION) Returns the current version number. x=QUERY(PMSNDX, REGISTERED) Returns {YES,NO} to indicate whether PMsndX has been registered. x=QUERY(PMSNDX, ERROR_OCCURRED) Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether an error has occurred. If this is set to YES then the REXX output window will not close when the REXX script has completed execution. x=QUERY(PMSNDX, CLOSE) Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether the REXX script has told PMsndX not to close the REXX output window when the script completes. x=QUERY(PMSNDX, IGNORE_SYNTAX_ERRORS) Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether the PMsndX has been told to ignore errors. x=QUERY(PMSNDX, OUTPUT) Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether the PMsndX commands are echoed in the REXX output window. x=QUERY(PMSNDX, TEST_MODE) Returns {YES,NO} indicating that the PMsndX is in TEST_MODE. ═══ 2.4.10. Animation Operations ═══ The value returned for all EDIT operations indicate the success of the operation. During the processing of a REXX script, the various dialogs may be automatically opened and the user may wish to "clean up" the screen before completing the rexx script. A set of controls is provided to allow for user controlled animation of the desktop. x=DISPLAY(ABOUT, {YES, NO}) x=DISPLAY(WELCOME, {YES, NO}) x=DISPLAY(TOOLS, {YES, NO}) x=DISPLAY(TOOLPAGE, {INFO, FORMAT, CHANNELS, AVERAGE, DUPE, FILTER, BANDPASS, LOWPASS, SAMPLE, RATE, SPEED, EFFECT, ECHO, INVERT, REVERSE, VIBRO, VOLUME, FADE, LIMIT, BALANCE}) x=DISPLAY(OPEN, {YES, NO}) x=DISPLAY(PROPERTIES, {YES, NO}) x=DISPLAY(PROPPAGE, {AUDIO, MEMORY, MISC, REXX, STARTUP, PLSNDX, EDSNDX, EDITOR}) ═══ 2.4.11. REXX return values ═══ Both FUNCTIONS and COMMANDS return error codes in the event that an error occurs when processing the commands. The error codes are composed of two 8 bit numbers logically ORed together. The upper 8 bits of the return code indicates the command command group which caused the error. The following table lists the possible values. ┌────────────────────┬────────────┐ │Group │Value │ │ │ │ │No Error │0 │ │ │ │ │Unknown │0x00000100 │ │ │ │ │FILE │0x00000200 │ │ │ │ │AUDIO │0x00000300 │ │ │ │ │PROPERTIES │0x00000400 │ │ │ │ │EDIT │0x00000500 │ │ │ │ │TOOLS │0x00000600 │ │ │ │ │MESSAGE │0x00000700 │ │ │ │ │PMSNDX │0x00000800 │ │ │ │ │QUERY │0x00000900 │ │ │ │ │DISPLAY │0x00000a00 │ └────────────────────┴────────────┘ The lower 8 bits of the result indicate the reason for the error. The possible values are listed in the following table. ┌────────────────────┬────────────┐ │Error │Value │ │ │ │ │No Error │0 │ │ │ │ │NOT IMPLEMENTED │0x00000001 │ │ │ │ │BAD VALUE │0x00000002 │ │ │ │ │UNKNOWN PARAMETER │0x00000003 │ │ │ │ │UNKNOWN KEYWORD │0x00000004 │ │ │ │ │UNKNOWN COMMAND │0x00000005 │ │ │ │ │UNKNOWN FUNCTION │0x00000006 │ │ │ │ │MISSING HANDLE │0x0000000e │ │ │ │ │INVALID HANDLE │0x0000000f │ │ │ │ │MISSING PARAMETER │0x00000007 │ │ │ │ │MISSING KEYWORD │0x00000008 │ │ │ │ │MISSING COMMAND │0X00000009 │ │ │ │ │MISSING FUNCTION │0X0000000a │ │ │ │ │UNBALANCED KEYWORD │0x0000000b │ │ │ │ │EXTRA DATA │0x0000000c │ │ │ │ │DUPLICATE KEYWORD │0x0000000d │ │ │ │ │INVALID PATH │0x00000010 │ │ │ │ │BAD FILE NAME │0x00000011 │ │ │ │ │CANNOT CREATE NEW │0x00000015 │ │FILE │ │ │ │ │ │NO SAMPLES │0x00000012 │ │ │ │ │CANNOT PLAYBACK │0x00000013 │ │ │ │ │CANNOT RECORD │0x00000014 │ │ │ │ │NO MMPM INSTALLED │0x00000020 │ │ │ │ │MMPM NOT ENABLED │0x00000021 │ │ │ │ │FREE MEMORY NOT │0x00000022 │ │ENABLED │ │ │ │ │ │GENERAL FUNCTION │0x00000030 │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │ │GENERAL COMMAND │0x00000031 │ │ERROR │ │ │ │ │ │PROGRAM NOT │0x000000ff │ │REGISTERED │ │ └────────────────────┴────────────┘ ═══ 3. PlSndX ═══ PMsndX 2.22 by William S. Hiles copyright WiSHware Inc. PlSndX is part of the family of programs grouped under the name PMsndX Plsndx has been designed to utilize the capability developed in EdSndX for loading and saving many formats. This tool has been optimized to provide options which let the program minimize memory requirements for playback and has the same drag/drop features of the EdSndX program. Many of the features of PlSndX will seem familiar to anyone using EdSndX because they share the same libraries for most of the code. The advantage to this is that any fixes made to either program are automatically reflected in the other program. PlSndX is not intended to provide any editing capabilities but does have the capability to save a file once loaded. This feature has been retained to allow a file to be saved in any of the supported formats after the file has been loaded from another application. Such an example is the IBM WebExplorer where a sound file may be brought down over the net and played with PlSndX. If the Free memory after loading feature has not been enabled, PlSndX can be used to save the sample to disk in any format that the operator chooses. A number of features of PlSndX sets it apart from other sound players. These include the ability to automatically detects if another copy of the player is running and saves resources by communicating with the running copy of PlSndX to load the files, double buffering for quick playback, and automatic rate adjustment to ensure proper playback. ═══ 3.1. Control Panel ═══ PlSndX utilizes the same concept as EdSndX in that it has a control panel that serves as the point of control for the program. From this control panel, the operator may control playback of a sample, volume for the audio system, or launch windows to utilize features of the program. The control panel for PlSndX is shown below. The controls of interest for PlsndX are: System Menu The system menu for the control panel Stop button Stop audio playback Play button Start audio playback Rewind button Rewind the current play position Volume control Adjust the playback volume ═══ 3.2. System Menu ═══ Like any other OS/2 program, PlSndX provides a system menu which is used to access the standard controls for manipulating the application on the desktop. The following figure illustrates the system menu for PlSndX. Notice that the Open... and Save as... items are placed in the system menu because PlSndX does not have a menu bar for these items. The menu items provided in the system menu are: Restore Restore the windows after being minimized Move Move the control window Size Resize the main control panel Minimize Minimize all of the windows of EdSndX to an icon Close Close the all windows and exit Help Bring up the help system Properties Change program operational parameters Open... Read a file from disk Save as... Save a file to disk* Note: * The Save as... menu item is disabled whenever a sample has not been loaded or when it has been discarded because the Free memory after loading option has been selected ═══ 3.2.1. Resizing the control panel ═══ PlSndX provides a border for resizing the control panel. However, unlike EdSndX, the buttons for the control panel will not resize to fit the window. The buttons are bitmaps which are animated during playback. As a result, large bitmaps would take more time and processor resources to animate so the size of the buttons has been fixed to be mathematically proportional to the default font size for the window. The buttons are twice the maximum height of the font. The volume button is set to be the maximum height of the font plus about 5 pixels in either direction. ═══ 3.2.2. Drag and Drop ═══ The control panel is also the place to receive drag/drop operations. Such operations are accomplished by dragging a sound file to the control panel and dropping it on anywhere within the border of the panel and below the titlebar. PlSndX will automatically load the sample into memory and load the MMPM buffers in preparation for playback. See drag/drop for more information on performing drag/drop operations. ═══ 3.2.3. Buttons ═══ PlSndX provides the minimum size application to provide the controls necessary to provide playback of a sample. It does not provide a record button. The buttons are generally animated such that during playback, the face of the buttons moves to indicate the action being performed. ═══ 3.2.3.1. Stop ═══ The Stop button is the one to the farthest left on the control panel and is used to stop playback. If playback has already been stopped, this button is disabled as indicated by a grayed out look to the button. PlSndx does not automatically rewind a sample when the stop button is pressed. ═══ 3.2.3.2. Play ═══ The play button is the primary point of action for PlSndX. The play button is an animated button which displays a moving arrow during playback. It also overlays the current time index on the playback button to provide a reference for how much time has elapsed in the sample. A sample can be played in a number of different ways. A sample may be played by loading it into memory through either the open dialog from the system menu or through drag/drop operations and then pressing the play button after the buffers have been loaded. If the Play on command line load property has been selected, the sample can be played immediately after the buffers have been set up when the sample is loaded from the command line. This is one of the primary uses of PlSndX in that it can load a sample from the command line and play it immediately. This can also be combined with the Exit after command line play property to automatically terminate PlSndX after it has played all samples on the command line. This is particularly useful when the program is used to play samples that are downloaded through an internet connection through a WEB explorer. When multiple file selections are made or when multiple files are queued up for playback through either the command line or pipes, the file must play in its entirety before the next file is loaded. If playback is stopped, playback will continue from the point where it left off and the sample will be played in its entirety before moving on to the next file. When the repeat option is enabled, PlSndX will not move on to the next sample until the repeat feature is disabled. ═══ 3.2.3.3. Rewind ═══ PlSndX does not automatically rewind a sample after playback has been stopped. When playback is stopped, the rewind button will be enabled so that the position of playback may be started at the beginning. ═══ 3.2.3.4. Volume ═══ The volume control for PlSndX is identical to that of EdSndX. The volume control is a sliding bar which sets the volume to a percentage of the maximum volume for the audio device. The operation of the volume control is similar to a standard slider except that it does not have an associated button. Rather, it is like an analog volume control such that the slider moves to the right and left using the mouse and the width of the slider indicates the volume. Additionally, the actual percentage of the volume is indicated in the display for convenience. The slider may be moved using the mouse button or the normal keys associated with scroll bars. By selecting the area near the edge of the sliding portion of the control, the slider can be captured and the mouse can be used to drag the volume to the desired position. If playback is occurring, the effect is immediately heard. The area to the left or right of the slider edge may also be selected with the first mouse button to move the slider one percent up or down depending on the position that is selected. Holding the mouse down causes the slider to increase at a rate of about 1 percent per tenth of a second. Finally, the second mouse button may be used to move the slider to a specific position quickly. ═══ 4. Drag and Drop ═══ All PMsndX programs supports Drag and Drop of all sound files other than the RAW formats and performs a COPY operation when a file is dropped onto any of the PMsndX programs. To use this capability, the sound samples must be stored in a file. If an application attempts to transfer data without specifying a filename, PMsndX will request that the application RENDER the file before transferring it to PMsndX. The request for rendering the file before transfer is transparent to the user, but not all applications are capable of rendering and may not be able to transfer the file to EdSndX. To drag a sample to PMsndX, use the second mouse button (usually the right mouse button) to select the file. While holding the second mouse button down, move the mouse pointer over the PMsndX control panel and lift the mouse button. PMsndX will then attempt to load the file using the same rules as the Open dialog function uses. ═══ 5. Properties ═══ PMsndX can store a number of properties (user options) that users commonly set in a file called pmsndx.ini. The location of this file may be specified only if PMsndX is registered; otherwise, the file will be located wherever the executable program is started. From the PROPERTIES dialog box the user may select to save the current window positions, open and save file path, maximum memory, MMPM/2 options, and REXX options. After the user has set all of the information in the PROPERTIES dialog box, the ACCEPT button must be used to save the changes. When this button is pressed, the changes are applied. Note: Changes to the maximum memory will be checked when a new sample is loaded or when an operation that requires memory is attempted. To restore the PROPERTIES box to the settings the last time the APPLY button was pressed, the CANCEL button can be used. All information entered by the user is cleared and the PROPERTIES remain unchanged. The window positions and file paths are maintained as long as PMsndX is running. When PMsndX is terminated, it will not save the current positions and paths for file operations unless the boxes are checked in the PROPERTIES dialog box. Selecting these buttons has no effect on remembering the current window positions during a single session; rather, they only affect saving the information between sessions. Note: The information in the PROPERTIES dialog box is only saved when the program is terminated. Finally, to remove the Properties dialog box from the screen, select close from the system menu of the properties dialog or double click on the system menu icon for the properties dialog. If the APPLY button has not been pressed, any changes made to the display will be lost. ═══ 5.1. Registration Properties ═══ Everyone has their own opinion as to how shareware should work. The initial releases of PMsndX utilized a method which was considered "crippleware" because some of the features were disabled if the program was not registered. As a result I received a lot of comments about how shareware should be and I patiently listened till I figured out a way to make most of the people happy. Of course, none of this matters at all if you have registered the program and all of the buttons will be greyed out. My solution is not to force anything on you so you get to choose what form of limitation is provided by the program. By default it is the same as all previous releases. Of course, there is one camp of users that will not be happy with any of the options; namely, the ones that feel that there should be no limitations because people will pay if they really like the program. Sorry folks, but out of the hundreds of people who have contacted me for registrations, only about 4 have offered to pay so I don't think that theory works. Your first option is the standard "crippleware" in which features of the program are disabled. When this option is selected, a number of features are disabled. Namely, you cannot apply tools to ranges on the editor, you cannot apply tools to selected channels, you cannot run REXX scripts, you can only load and save AU and WAV formatted files, and the UNDO feature is disabled. This is no different than early (prior to 2.16) versions of the program. This option applies to all of the programs in the PMsndX family. Your second option is called "NAGware" in which all of the features of the program are enabled but the program constantly NAGGs you about registering it. My incarnation of this approach displays a NAG box about ever 2.5 minutes and it is system modal. This means that you cannot do anything with your windows until you press the OK button. It also displays the ABOUT box to let you access the registration also. Since plsndx.exe does not have an ABOUT dialog to display, it reverts to "crippleware" when NAG has been chosen. And finally, your third option is called "NOSAVEware" in which all of the features of the program are enabled, but you just cannot save anything you do. This should be fine for anyone who just wants to play audio sounds in any format. Now, you might be thinking, "Hey, what if I set it for NAG when it starts, and then change it to CRIPPLE during a session?". Well, the result is that it will continue to NAG until you exit the session. This is because the selection does not take effect until the program has been exited and restarted. Oh, but wait, what if you figure out the bits that are set in the .INI file and modify them with an INI editor? Well, that is an easy one. When the program starts up, it checks to see if the registration information is to be found and then if the data for either CRIPPLE, NAG, or SAVE has not been set, it reverts back to CRIPPLE. Well, anyhow, you get the picture. You can choose the method that suits you best, but I urge you to just go ahead and register the darn thing and be done with it. ═══ 5.2. Audio Properties ═══ Enable MMPM/2 Support PMsndX supports playing samples from memory directly to the MMPM/2 digital audio device of OS/2. This allows samples to be played without having to save the sample to disk in the native .WAV format. The PROPERTIES dialog box provides controls for disabling or enabling MMPM/2 support and for controlling the actions taken when a file is loaded Additionally, the digital audio device may be specified. If the MMPM/2 capabilities of the program are not needed or if MMPM/2 support is not installed on a particular system, the MMPM/2 may be disabled from the PROPERTIES dialog box. By disabling the MMPM/2 support, the button on the main control panel for AUDIO is disabled. By default the program will enable MMPM/2 support. If MMPM/2 is available but disabled and the AUDIO button is selected, a message is displayed to the user to indicate that the setting should be turned on from the PROPERTIES dialog box. The controls for MMPM/2 and the ability to play the "playlist" using MMPM/2 utilize the files SW.DLL and MDM.DLL. These are part of the standard MMPM/2 distribution and must be present in the DLL path for the MMPM/2 portion of this program to operate. The MMPM/2 support is not linked into the executable of this program. Rather, it is only loaded when the user enables it. This allows the program to run on machines which do not have MMPM/2 installed. The MMPM/2 functionality of PMsndX has been implemented to share the audio device with other programs on the system. However, by disabling the MMPM/2 support, the audio device is freed up completely. Share audio device The audio device can be shared with the system such that while a sound is playing, it may be interrupted by system sounds. Sharing the audio device allows sounds to interrupt playback but may be desirable at all times. When the audio sharing is disabled, system sounds will come out of the standard speaker in the form of a beep. Play 16 bits on 8 bit audio The Play 16 bits on 8 bit audio option allows 16 bit samples to be played on 8 bit audio adaptor. By default, whenever any PMsndX program is started, it will interrogate the audio device to determine the capabilities and automatically play 16 bit samples on 8 bit adapters if the adapter does not support 16 bit playback. This feature can be overridden by setting or clearing the checkbox; however, the changes made to this box are not saved between sessions and will automatically be set whenever the program is started. This box can be set and cleared to allow the user to determine the overall effect of the setting on audio playback. Although most samples will produce square waves (resulting in noisy results), some will play (most notably .au files). Although the data is sent to the audio device in 8 bit format, it is still maintained in its original format and all manipulations including saving the file are performed in the original size of the file. Note: When this option is selected, all files are played as 8 bit samples regardless of what is supported by the audio adapter. Use this option only if you have an 8 bit card! EOF detection zone When playing a file, PMsndX must detect when the cuepoint reported by MMPM/2 is near the end of the file so that it can rewind it. Unfortunately, the cuepoint must be converted to an index value and then compared to the length of a sample and the roundoff of that conversion creates a window or zone which the cuepoint cannot exist. To compensate for this, an End Of File detection zone is provided which is used to determine if the playback needs to be rewound. This zone must be set sufficiently small so that playback is not rewound whenever playback is stopped. A default value of 300 has proven to be a good zone but the value can be adjusted by the user if necessary. The range of values for this settings is between 0 and 32767. Note: Playback does not stop till either the stop button or the MMPM/2 system reports an end of file condition regardless of this setting. This setting only affects the behavior of playback when playback is restarted once the end of file has been reached. Device Obviously not every machine has the same digital audio device. PMsndX provides a means to use a different audio device than the default digital audio interface. By default the device name is Waveaudio01. Any Waveaudio device may be selected by entering the device name in the Device entry field. Note: Setting the audio device to an invalid string will cause random errors. The worst case is the PMsndX will crash whenever the AUDIO dialog is opened. To reset the audio device back to Waveaudio01, clear this field and then exit PMsndX. When PMsndX is reloaded, it will reset the device to Waveaudio01. ═══ 5.3. Memory Properties ═══ Auto PMsndX takes advantage of OS/2's advanced memory management facilities. When the program is started, it only takes up the memory required for the executable to load. PMsndX then only requests memory from OS/2 when an operation requires storage space for a sample. The maximum memory limitation is provided to avoid overcommitting the memory in the system and creating a large swap file. Memory is primarily used to hold samples for operations; however, whenever the sound is manipulated in such a way that either the output has a different number of samples or the operation requires the samples to remain in tact during the entire operation, additional memory is used to hold the new data. Once the operation has been completed, the memory is freed unless the UNDO feature is enabled. When setting the maximum memory, the user must take into account the size of the data in memory as well as the size of the results of any operations. With the exception of Sampling Rate changes, the maximum memory requirements will not exceed twice the size of a sample. When changing rate, the size is dependent on the new sampling rate. If the new rate is higher than the current rate, the memory requirements will increase. If the new rate is lower than the original rate, the memory requirements will shrink. If the user selects the AUTO mode for memory (the default), PMsndX will request as much memory as OS/2 will give it. If the user chooses to limit the memory to a specific value, the AUTO checkbox can be turned off and a value may be entered. Since the minimum OS/2 memory block size is 4096 (4k) bytes, the user may specify the number of 4k pages for the limit. The user may either use the up and down arrows to increment or decrement the amount of memory or may place the cursor in the window and type the specific value. ═══ 5.4. Misc Properties ═══ Ignore unknown header blocks Many sound formats contain optional header blocks and user defined header blocks which PMsndX may not support. By default, PMsndX will warn the user when it encounters an unsupported header block. By selecting this option, PMsndX will not display the warning. Note: When the unsupported header block warning is displayed, PMsndX provides the option of disabling the warning by selecting YES. This is not the same as the Ignore unknown header blocks option and only disables the warning for the current session of PMsndX. Require header in .au files Samples taken from a Sun usually contain a header but there are files which do not. Typically a Sun file will not contain a header if the sample is recorded from the audio device as if it were a file (e.g. "cat < /dev/audio > sample.au"). By default, PMsndX will recognize the extension of .au and force a headerless file to be loaded as a sun file with a sampling rate of 8012 Hz. When this option is selected, headerless Sun files must be loaded using the format RAW .ul format. This method for loading headerless Sun files allows the user to specify the sampling rate for the file. Force all .AU to ULaw PMsndX is capable of loading and saving .AU files formatted with ULAW, LINEAR 8 (signed 8 bit), and LINEAR 16 (signed 16 bit) samples. Since the ULAW format is a lossy compression technique, it is best to save data in its native 8 or 16 bit format. Some machines cannot play .AU files unless they are stored in ULaw format and PMsndX has settings which allow the user to control the action taken when a file is saved which is not ULaw. The Force all .AU to ULaw setting is a tri-state checkbox. When the box is cleared, PMsndX will save the data in the best format to match the current format. When the button is in the checked state (indicated by a checkmark in the box), PMsndX will always save the data in ULaw format regardless of the current format. When the box is set in the intermediate state (a grayed out box), PMsndX will present the user with the following message: The current data format is not ULAW. The .AU file format supports this data type; however, some systems only support the ULAW format. At that time, the user may select to either force the file to become ULaw or to allow PMsndX to save in the most accurate format for that data. If you find that a .AU sample cannot be played on another platform and results in noise or an error, try saving the data in the ULaw format to correct the problem. Location of .INI By default, the file pmsndx.ini is stored at the location of the executable program. However, this location may be changed by modifying this field. The path is tested for validity when the parameters are applied; and, if the path is found to be invalid, and error is displayed and the current path is left unchanged. If the path is blank, the default path will be restored. Note: This option is only valid when the program is registered. The data for the path to the pmsndx.ini file is stored in the os2.ini file which is only modified if the program is registered to prevent storing data in the os2.ini when a user is just testing out the program. ═══ 5.5. REXX Properties ═══ STDIN color This defines the color of text read from STDIN in the REXX output window. By default, this is set to BLACK. STDOUT color This defines the color of text written to STDOUT in the REXX output window. By default, this is set to BLACK. STDERR color This defines the color of text written to STDERR in the REXX output window. By default, this is set to RED. COMMAND color This defines the color of the PMsndX commands written in the REXX output window. By default, this is set to GREEN. REXX display history Setting the number in the entry field for this item modifies the number of lines maintained by the REXX output window and may take on values between 64 and 0x7fff. The default is 64 Changes made to this value will be used on successive REXX command scripts. Each line of REXX output reserves 256 characters of data and as a result, the number of rexx lines maintained for history impacts the memory requirements of the program while REXX is running. Note: Changes to the REXX display history parameter does not take effect till the next command script. (i.e. If a REXX output window is open when this parameter is changed, the number of lines currently held is not changed.) ═══ 5.6. Mapping Properties ═══ The PMsndX family of programs supports a fairly large number of formats and the world is full of audio files with different extensions and names. The problem is that not all formats have self identifying headers and as a result, you may be constantly having to tell the program what the format is for the file. Well, starting with version 2.16, you can add your own file extensions to the program and map them to any of the supported formats. You cannot remap the extensions that are already built into the program, but you can add your own. To add an extension, just type the new extension in the Extension box in the format of a period (.) followed by whatever extension you use. It is not limited to 3 characters but it must start with a period and have no other periods in it. Now that you have typed a new extension the ADD button will be enabled (after you type at least two characters) and you need to select a known format from the Format list. Finally, you just need to press ADD to add it to the list. This information will be saved between sessions so the next time you start the program, it will remember your new extensions. The data is stored in your .INI file so if you delete the .INI file, you will lose this information. But there is more. You can also change any of the user extension and type pairs by pulling down the list and selecting a user extension, selecting a different format, and pressing the CHANGE button. And finally, if you just want to delete a user defined extension, select it from the pulldown list and press the DELETE button. There is not much more to it. Just remember that you cannot delete, add, or change any of the built in extensions that come with the program. I purposefully coded this limitation into the program so that there would be some consistency in the names that it supports. These are common names that have been supported by SOX and other programs and have become fairly standard extensions. Also remember that even if you load a file with a user defined extension, if it has a header, the program will try to figure out its type before loading it. The only exception to this is the case in which the user defined extension is associated with a RAW file type in which case the data (including the header) is interpreted as you have specified. ═══ 5.7. External File Filter Properties ═══ After receiving numerous requests to add various formats, I have decided to add an user definable filter mechanism. Rather than try to implement every file format that people can come up with, I have just defined the method for a program to send data to and receive data from PMsndX. One ofthe significant reasons for this change in direction is due to the overwhelming number of sound formats that are cropping for special applications like speech compression or compression based on a specific data type. It would be difficult for me to implement all of them and do it well without using example code. This would introduce copyright problems with the use of someone elses code. User provided file filters essentially allows the user to utilize the editing features of the program with any format they can define. The external file filters are essentially executable programs which are capable of converting data from one format to RIFF format and vice versa. The filters must be written to accept data process the data through STDIN/STDOUT. Since the process for conversion to and from RIFF format may not be handled by a single program, different programs can be provided for input and output. These are associated with a specific file extension so that when a user specifies a file with the extension the appropriate filter is executed. One last note. Why did I choose the RIFF format for the filters? The WAVE format is a subset of the RIFF format and is also the native format for most PC operating systems including OS/2. This increases the liklihood that the filters can be used for more than just this program. It also increases the liklihood that a program has already been written and modifications to make it work as a filter may be minimal. Now that you know the reason, you need to know how to enter the data and how to write the filter. I will start with the input fields first. Extension Like mapping, the external file filters depend on a filename extension to determine which filter to use to load a particular file. The filter can be of any length, and should begin with a period. If the extension entered is unique (i.e. not in the currently recognized extension list), the ADD button will be enabled. If it is identical to an existing filter, then the DELETE and CHANGE buttons will be enabled. Existing file extensions can be selected by using the pulldown list. Protocol There are three methods for exchanging data with the external file filters for either input or output. The filter methods are selected by using the pulldown list and selecting the desired format. For input (i.e. reading data from a file), the following protocols apply. PIPE: Formatted data The specified file is opened and copied to a PIPE which is provided to the filter as STDIN. The filter is exptected to write the data to STDOUT in RIFF format. PIPE: RAW 8 bit data The specified file is opened and copiedto a PIPE which is provided to the filter as STDIN. The filter is expected to write the data to STDOUT as RAW 8 bit PCM data. When this method is selected, a popup window will be displayed to request the necessary parameters for interpreting the data. PIPE: RAW 16 bit data The specified file is opened and copiedto a PIPE which is provided to the filter as STDIN. The filter is expected to write the data to STDOUT as RAW 16 bit PCM data. When this method is selected, a popup window will be displayed to request the necessary parameters for interpreting the data. For output (i.e. writing data to a file), the following protocols apply. PIPE: Formatted data The data is written to the filter through STDIN in RIFF format and the filter is expected to send the output to STDOUT. The data will be written byte-by-byte to the user specified filename. PIPE: RAW 8 bit data The data is written to the filter through STDIN in RAW 8 bit PCM format and the filter is expected to send the output to the file specified as an argument to the filter. PIPE: RAW 16 bit data The data is written to the filter through STDIN in RAW 16 bit PCM format and the filter is expected to send the output to the file specified as an argument to the filter. Input filter This entry field is used to specify the name and path to the external file filter used for reading a file. This should be a fully qualified file path to an executable program or executable script. The filter path may be typed directly or a standard file dialog box may be used to locate the program through the BROWSE button. The filter must be an OS/2 executable program that can be run from the commandline without starting a new session. Output filter This entry field is used to specify the name and path to the external file filter used for writing a file. This should be a fully qualified file path to an executable program or executable script. The filter path may be typed directly or a standard file dialog box may be used to locate the program through the BROWSE button. The filter must be an OS/2 executable program that can be run from the commandline without starting a new session. Add This button is only available when the extension specified does not exist in the extension list. When this button is pressed, the data in the fields is updated in the program settings. If the extension is already in use by the mapping page, an error warning will be sounded. Extensions in the mapping page are mutually exclusive to the external file filter list. Delete This button is only available when the extension specified already exists in the extension list for external filters. When this button is pressed, the data associated with this extension is deleted from the program settings. Change This button is only available when the extension specified already exists in the extension list for external filters. When this button is pressed, the data associated with the extension is changed to the data in the entry fields. ═══ 5.8. Startup Properties ═══ Show Footnote window PMsndX can display a window at the bottom of the main control panel with text indicating the action of each of the items under the mouse pointer. When this box is set, the window is displayed. Note: The effect of setting this item will not be seen until EdSndX is restarted. Save Window positions During a session, the user can move any of the dialog boxes around on the screen. If the WINDOW POSITIONS box is checked, these window positions will be saved when the program is terminated. If this button is deselected before the program is terminated, the next session will revert to the previous window positions saved by the program. By default, if no window position has been saved for a particular window, the window will be opened in the lower left corner of the desktop. Save file Open paths The cache of files that have been successfully opened may be saved between sessions by selecting the Save file Open path checkbox. If this button is deselected before the program is terminated, the next session will revert to the paths from the previous session. If no information is saved for the program at any time, the current path will become the default path for open operations. Save file Save paths The cache of files that have been successfully saved may be saved between sessions by selecting the Save file Save path checkbox. If this button is deselected before the program is terminated, the next session will revert to the path from the previous session. If no information has not been saved between sessions, the current path will become the default path for save operations. Auto dismiss OPEN dialog By default, whenever a file is successfully loaded, the OPEN dialog box is removed from the desktop. The OPEN dialog box can be set to remain on the desktop even after a file has been successfully opened by deselecting this checkbox. Note: Prior to version 2.16, this control was on the OPEN dialog itself. Auto dismiss SAVE dialog By default, whenever a file is successfully saved, the SAVE dialog box is removed from the desktop. The SAVE dialog box can be set to remain on the desktop even after a file has been successfully saved by deselecting this checkbox. Note: Prior to version 2.16, this control was on the SAVE dialog itself. ═══ 5.9. PlSndX Specific Properties ═══ The information for this page applies only to PlSndX but can be set from any PMsndX application. Automatic rate adjust When this feature is enabled, PlSndX will automatically adjust the rate of the sample to the nearest multiple of 11025 Hz. This feature is provided so that samples which have odd rates can still be played. Note: Rate adjustment is only necessary when the sampling rate of the loaded sample is not a multiple of 11025 Hz. When rate adjustment is necessary and this feature is enabled, the play button will display "Adj Rate" while the rate effect is being applied. Play on command line load When the Play on command line load box is selected, a sample will be played when specified on the command line. The AUDIO dialog is opened after the file has been loaded to allow for user control. This feature can be used in conjunction with the Exit after commandline play to allow a sample to be played from the command line such that control is returned to the calling program after playback has completed. If this parameter is not specified, the sample will still be loaded from the command line; however, it will not be played until the play button is pressed. Exit after command line play The Exit after command line play option provides the ability for PlSndX to exit after playing the sample when the file is loaded from the command line. This is primarily intended to provide a means to play any of the supported formats from the command line. Free memory after loading When this feature is enabled, the original generic format sample data is automatically deleted after the sample has been converted to the proper buffers for the MMPM/2 audio system. This has the advantage that the overall memory requirements for a particular sample to play is reduced; however, it has the negative effect that the sample cannot be saved after the playback is completed. This option has been provided for the case where the operator has no intention of saving the file when it has been loaded from the command line. Enable Quick queueing PlSndX has the ability to double buffer sound samples so that they can be played back in quick succession. This feature is only enabled when the Free memory after loading is checked. This form of operation is disabled by default because it defeats the advantage of the Free memory after loading when it creates the file buffer. The operation is very simple. Since the main buffer is freed after the MMPM/2 buffers are filled, it is available to load the next sample. When this feature is enabled, the buffer is automatically loaded while the playback of the current file continues. As soon as the current file completes, the new buffer is passed to MMPM/2 and the cycle repeats till there are no more files in the queue. The files may be queued in any of the methods for loading a file such as selecting multiple files from the OPEN dialog, selecting a file in the OPEN dialog while playback is ongoing, or by utilizing the piping feature of the command line playback. ═══ 5.10. EdSndX Specific Properties ═══ Enable UNDO When a sample file is changed through the editor, a tools or a new file is loaded, the sample is buffered so that the operation can be undone. To access the UNDO feature, selecting the UNDO button on the Edit dialog. The UNDO feature is only available when PMsndX is registered. Note: By default the UNDO feature is not enabled to conserve memory. Use Displayed Channel Some of the tools of the toolbox can operate on a selected channel or all channels of a sample. These tools provide a checkbox within the tool dialog to select the mode of operation and the default mode can be set through this property. Use Selected Range Some of the tools of the toolbox can operate on a selected range or on the entire sample. These tools provide a checkbox within the tool dialog to select the mode of operation and the default mode can be set through this property. Fast Full display This option selects the type of routine used to display the data in the full display window. When this box is selected, faster routines are used at the expense of more memory resources. Clearing this box reverts to the older routines which display the data much slower. This control is independent of Fast Channel display in order to allow flexibility in the choice of performance over memory resources. This option can also be selected from the editor option menu item Fast Full display Since the full display is used to display the status of the MMPM play position, it is frequently redrawn as audio playback proceeds. As a result, the full display benefits most from the faster routines. A reasonable compromise between resources and speed is to set the full display in the faster mode and the channel displays in the slower mode. Fast Channel display This option selects the type of routine used to display the data in the channel display windows. When this box is selected, faster routines are used at the expense of memory resources. Clearing this box reverts to the older routines which display the data much slower. The channel displays are only redrawn when the data is changed, the data is scrolled, or a different channel is displayed. As a result, since the display is changed less frequently, it benefits less from the faster routines. This option can also be selected from the editor option menu item Fast Channel display ═══ 5.11. EdSndX Editor Specific Properties ═══ The settings on this page are identical to those found in the menus of the editor and are provided here to maintain a consistent place for controlling all settings. Info This setting is used to control the display of the information section of the editor window. This setting is the same as the Display Info in the editor menu. All Channels This property is used to control the display of the channels in the editor window. This setting is the same as the All Channels in the editor menu. Delay AUDIO Loading This property is used to control the loading of the audio buffers within the editor. This setting is the same as the Delay AUDIO Loading in the editor menu. Setup AUDIO at Play This setting is used to control the loading of the audio buffers when the play button is pressed in the editor window. This setting is the same as the Load AUDIO at playback in the editor menu. Auto Repeat This property allows the user to control the repeat feature of the audio portion of the editor window. This setting is the same as the Auto repeat in the editor menu. Format MM:SS.hhhh This property is used to control the display of the index for sample positioning in the editor. This setting is the same as the Format in the editor menu. Play mode Range This property is used to select the method for playback. This setting is the same as the Play mode in the editor menu. ═══ 6. Technical Issues ═══ Memory Usage: I have worked with means for storing and converting from one format to another efficiently. Initially I tried to store things in a data structure which was a union of all of the types of data that are used by the computers. However, converting from one format to another was difficult and each effect had to be able to understand the initial and final format. This became a headache considering that there can be either signed or unsigned samples of sizes byte or word. As new effects were added, it became unmanageable. At a sacrifice to memory efficiency, I have changed it to store all data as a signed SHORT (2 byte) sample. The effects then operate generically on the samples and the only time that the type of data is important is when reading or writing the samples. The savings in complexity justified the memory requirements. As a result, if a sample is 1k of bytes (.wav format), then in memory it will take up 2k. Currently the program will only read and write 8 and 16 bit samples. Since I don't know of any sound cards that can sample at greater bit sizes, this is the limit. In the future, this approach to memory usage can be easily extended to 32 bits without rewriting every part of the program. In fact, to change the storage sizes, two definitions have to be changed and then the proper input/output routines written. Simple? I think so. Significant Changes in version 2.00: Version 2.0 of PMsndX represents a significant change in the form and function of the program. All of the changes have been incorporated into the REXX processing and in some cases, the results of the REXX operations may have changed such that previously correct REXX scripts no longer work. This section identifies the changes that are significantly different in the REXX scripts. COMMANDS and FUNCTIONS: All portions of the rexx scripts have been converted to functions. This eliminates a lot of confusion that was created in the previous version. FILE: The FILE function has been changed to facilitate the multiple document interface. As a result, the FILE function no longer returns the full path; rather, it returns a handle that is used to reference the file. All functions have been changed to expect and require the handle. ═══ 6.1. Additional known faults ═══ There is a known problem with PMsndX and version 3.0 of MMPM/2 which affects the performance of the Audio playback. When running PMsndX under Warp, anything which interrupts the playback of a sample (such as a system sound) will cause PMsndX to hang the next time playback is requested. I have tried to correct this but have found no solution at this time. For this reason, I have provided the option to have PMsndX open the Audio device without sharing it (the default). This problem does not appear to affect PMsndX on previous versions of OS/2 (i.e. 2.0, 2.1 and 2.11). From an OS/2 window run the command SYSLEVEL. If you receive the following output, then your system will probably exhibit the problem. E:\MMOS2\INSTALL\SYSLEVEL.MPM IBM Multimedia Presentation Manager/2 Version 3.00 Component ID 562137400 Type W Current CSD level: XR03000 Prior CSD level: XR03000 To test to see if your system will encounter this problem, open a sample file and select the AUDIO button on the main control panel. Start playback by pressing the PLAY button and then pressing the PAUSE button. Press the PAUSE button again to resume playback. If the PLAY button stops moving after the sample has finished playing, PMsndX will not lock up on your system. You should set PMsndX to share the audio device by going to the startup properties page (from the main control panel system menu). If the playback button does not stop moving after the sample has finished, then you should avoid using the PAUSE button and leave PMsndX set so that it does not share the AUDIO device. I apologize for this problem, and a new revision of MMPM/2 will correct this in the future. Minor limitations: 1. When recording a sample, the CD input cannot be used at this time. 2. There is no way to edit multiple sounds at the same time. ═══ 7. Registration ═══ Registrations are available by contacting the Author. Paid registrations do not expire. The expiration feature is provided to allow trial periods for businesses and packages which intend to distribute PMsndX at a cost to the user. Licensing and registration fees apply to the user interface and style of the program but do not apply to the algorithms used to create the effects. These algorithms are public domain and may be copied and distributed freely. I have put a lot of effort into making this program robust and very pleasing. It has taken me more than a year and a half and 46,000 lines of code to get this program to where it is now, and I would hope that if you like the program and use it, you will appreciate it enough to send me a little cash to help fund future work. I don't expect much. Asking for money is a sticky thing. The big problem is to give people a program so that they can play with it to see what it can do and yet hold back enough to get people to want to register the program. I put a lot of thought into this and have considered the many ways that authors achieve their goals. My solution was to disable the ability to read or write any formats other than the PC (.WAV) and Sun (.AU) types, disable the UNDO capability, and limit the editing capability. ═══ 8. Shareware ═══ I have three options which I can offer which seem to follow with common SHAREWARE practice. A registration form is provided in the file ORDER.TXT and the following are the options for registration. 1. $10.00 will get you a password that will enable all of the functions of the current version. 2. $20.00 will get you a password that will enable all of the functions for all versions up to the next major release. If you chose to register using option 2 first and then want to upgrade, I will give you a $5 credit and you can get option 2 for $15.00. 3. $40.00 will get you a password that will enable all of the functions for all future versions. If you have chosen to register using option 2 first, I will give you a $10 credit and you can get the lifetime registration for $30.00. If you have registered with option 1 first, then I will give you $5 credit and you can get the lifetime registration for $35.00. Note: Please note. These prices cover just the registration. Shipping charges for the disks through the Postal service are extra. If you order the program through the mail, add $5.00 to cover the media and shipping costs. If you are an individual and do not have access to the internet, I can send you a disk and registration for the fee of $5.00 to cover the media and shipping costs. Also, I also retain the right to deny registrations at any time. I will typically deny registration to anyone who has an address that implies that it will be used in a corporate or government environment. Now, what do you get when you register. Well, you obviously get a password that will enable all functions of the program. The functions that are disabled when the CRIPPLEWARE option is selected for unregistered users are: Formats Only .WAV and .AU (U-Law) formats can be loaded and saved External Filters External file filters cannot be used Editor The Cut and Paste operations of the editor only work for the full sample (i.e. will not work for ranges) Undo The UNDO function is disabled REXX The REXX functionality is disabled In addition to that, I can provide limited technical support for paying users through regular phone service, email, or the US Postal service. A number of people have contacted me to ask for special programs (e.g. programs that will just play any format without the overhead of the editor or a program that will just convert between formats). These will be fairly easy to create using the existing objects of PMsndX. If you are registered for PMsndX, these programs will automatically recognize the registration and work on your system. If and when you register, you will receive a password through whatever means that you prefer. If you choose the postal service, you will receive it via disk along with the latest copy of the program (remember to include an additional $5.00 to cover the shipping and media). If you choose to receive your registration through email, you will receive an email message that can be imported using the FILE button of the registration dialog. Registrations will be sent after your form of payment has cleared. Since PMsndX is provided as SHAREWARE, there is no provision for refunds. In the event that you are dissatisfied with the operation of PMsndX due to an error in loading or saving a format, contact me and I will fix the program if you can provide me with a copy of the file that is causing the problem or enough detail that I can recreate the problem. Send registrations to: Scott Hiles P.O. Box 5272 Herndon, VA 22070 WiSHware is a sole Proprietorship and can be reached through the phone at (540) 663-0815. This is the author's home phone and should not be called unless the author cannot be contacted through any other means. PMsndX is a form of SHAREWARE and as such requires a registration for all of the functions of the program to be used. What makes PMsndX different from other shareware programs? Well, simply put, any individual who contacts the author and sends a completed ORDER.TXT file will receive a free registration. You can email the completed ORDER.TXT file (after all, you don't need to send it through US Mail if it is free and you are not sending a check) to me at wishware@cais.com. The only time that a registration must be paid for is when it is used for business purposes in which an individual, company, or government agency uses PMsndX in the office environment or makes a profit from the use of PMsndX. If you make a profit, then I want to make a profit. This is not to say that I will not accept donations for my efforts; rather, they are not required for individuals. This is the reason that the program still requires a password and is also the reason that the user must contact the author to get a registration. It lets me keep track of who is using it, how popular it is, and how far the distribution has gotten. Now, why is this tidbit hidden in the help file and not in plain sight? It is the reward that you get for reading the help file. ═══ 9. Entering Registration Info ═══ Once you receive your registration you have a couple of options for entering it into the program. First, pull up either the Welcome or About dialog box from the system menu of PMsndX. Press the REGISTER button to bring up the registration dialog box. You may enter the data directly into the entry fields or you may have the program scan a data file for your registration information. When entering data, enter it exactly as it is shown in the file or text for your registration. The Name field must not have any additional spaces and it must be entered in exact case. The password is 16 characters long and will never contain any space characters. It is case sensitive so be careful to get the case right. Passwords never contain the upper case letter O or the upper case letter I to avoid confusion with similar looking numbers. When PMsndX scans a file for the password information, it looks for the following keys: PMsndX Name: Through version: Expiration date: PMsndX Password: These lines can be anywhere in a file so there is no need to remove a mail header or extra information. PMsndX will search the file for the specific text that it is looking for and extract it. The registration information is stored in the file called os2.ini. This allows a copy of PMsndX to be run from a network and each machine can have it's own registration. This also allows the pmsndx.ini file to be copied form one machine to another without violating the licensing agreement. Five items are stored in the os2.ini and total about 100 bytes. Any .ini editor can be used to remove this information if the user wishes to delete PMsndX from the system. Note: The information in the os2.ini file is only written when the program is registered. This avoids adding stuff to the os2.ini file unless the user has chosen that the program is worth keeping. ═══ 10. Tradeoffs ═══ When PMsndX is operating on a sample for the clipboard, AUDIO, or the tools, it stores the entire sample in memory. This has the advantage that the program can double buffer the sample for faster operation; but, it has the disadvantage that it can take up a tremendous amount of memory to hold large samples. PMsndX provides the user with a simple interface at the expense of resources on the host computer. ═══ 11. Copyright ═══ The author makes NO WARRANTY or representation, either expressed or implied, with respect to PMsndX, its quality, accuracy, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. This software is provided "AS IS" and you, its user, assume the entire risk as to its quality and accuracy. This software is copyright (C) 1994, William S. Hiles. All rights Reserved except as specified below. Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, and distribute this software (or portions thereof) for any purpose, without fee, subject to these conditions: (1) The eight files, edsndx.exe, plsndx.exe, pmsndx.hlp, readme.txt, history.txt, license.txt, order.txt and file_id.diz must always be included during distribution. Any alterations to the files must be clearly documented. No changes may be made to the About screen or any of the copyright information. (2) Permission for use of this software is granted only if the user accepts full responsibility for any undesirable consequences. The author accepts NO LIABILITY for damages of any kind. (3) Permission is not granted for the use of the author's name or company name in advertising or publicity relating to this software or products derived from it. (4) Users are granted permission to collect fees for the distribution of PMsndX, (such as BBS's that have a membership fee or a downloading charge, or FTP sites that sell CDROM versions of their archives) but users are specifically prohibited from selling PMsndX as a product or bundling PMsndX with other products that are then sold. (5) Unless otherwise negotiated in writing with the Author, registration passwords for PMsndX may not be distributed in part or in whole. Registrations are provided to individuals (or for site licensing as negotiated at time of registration) and may not be distributed or transferred. ═══ 12. Installation ═══ The PMsndX family of programs are installed using a convenient tool which not only copies the necessary programs to your system, but also registers the new programs on the WPS and modifies your CONFIG.SYS. This tool can be found in the PMsndX distribution and is named INSTALL.EXE. The following steps are performed by the installation tool but can be performed manually. 1. Install the help file a. Copy the file PMSNDX.HLP to your system b. Add the destination directory to your HELP environment variable in the CONFIG.SYS file 2. Install the sound player a. Copy the file PLSNDX.EXE to your system b. Add the destination directory to your PATH environment variable in the CONFIG.SYS file c. Create a program object on the WPS desktop 1. Set the executable "Path and file name:" to the directory which PLSNDX.EXE was copied to 2. Add *.WAV, *.AU, *.AIF, *.HCM, *.UB, *.SB, *.UW, *.SW, *.UL, *.SF, *.VOC, *.SMP, and *.IFF to the "Association:" list 3. Set the "Title:" to EdSndX 3. Install the sound editor a. Copy the file EDSNDX.EXE to your system b. Add the destination directory to your PATH environment variable in the CONFIG.SYS file c. Create a program object on the WPS desktop 1. Set the executable "Path and file name:" to the directory which EDSNDX.EXE was copied to 2. Add *.WAV, *.AU, *.AIF, *.HCM, *.UB, *.SB, *.UW, *.SW, *.UL, *.SF, *.VOC, *.SMP, and *.IFF to the "Association:" list 3. Set the "Title:" to EdSndX 4. Make a backup copy of the CONFIG.SYS before editing The installation tool provides complete control over the actions that it performs. The defaults are as follows: 1. Install PlSndX in \os2\apps 2. Install EdSndX in \os2\apps 3. Install the HELP in \os2\help 4. Edit the config.sys if necessary 5. Create WPS objects for both PlSndX and EdSndX The default for the destination of the EXECUTABLES is \os2\apps on the boot drive. When the checkboxes for either PlSndX.EXE or EdSndX.EXE are selected, the destination directory for the binaries will be enabled. Deselecting both of these checkboxes disables the destination directory list box. When the destination directory list box is enabled, it provides a pulldown list containing the directories listed in the current PATH environment variable. The list is displayed by selecting the icon on the right side of the entry field. The following figure illustrates the installation tool when the EXE list is open. The destination directory may also be edited directly by positioning the cursor over the entry field and replacing the contents. If the destination directory is not currently in the PATH environment and the checkbox for "Edit CONFIG.SYS" is checked, the location of the CONFIG.SYS file will be enabled. The destination directory will be created if it doesn't exist when installation starts. Note: The installation tool searches your CONFIG.SYS file for a line which starts with "SET PATH=". If you have edited this line such that the PATH is either broken across multiple PATH statements, or the first 9 characters are not exactly "SET PATH=", do not let the installation tool edit your CONFIG.SYS. Case doesn't matter as "SET PATH=" is equivalent to "set path=". The default destination directory for the HELP files is \os2\help on the boot drive. When the checkbox for Help is selected, the destination directory for the help will be enabled. Deselecting this checkbox disables the destination directory for the Help file. When the destination directory list box is enabled, it provides a pulldown list containing the directories listed in the current HELP environment variable. The list is displayed by selecting the icon on the right side of the entry field. The following figure illustrates the installation tool when the HELP list is open. The destination directory may also be edited directly by positioning the cursor over the entry field and replacing the contents. If the destination directory is not currently in the PATH environment and the checkbox for "Edit CONFIG.SYS" is checked, the location of the CONFIG.SYS file will be enabled. The destination directory will be created if it doesn't exist when installation starts. Note: The installation tool searches your CONFIG.SYS file for a line which starts with "SET HELP=". If you have edited this line such that the PATH is either broken across multiple PATH statements, or the first 9 characters are not exactly "SET HELP=", do not let the installation tool edit your CONFIG.SYS. Case doesn't matter as "SET HELP=" is equivalent to "set help=". By default the installation tool expects to find all of the files in the directory where the installation tool was started. If that is not the case, the source of the files can be modified using the "From:" field. This is a simple entry field. If a directory is selected which does not contain the proper files, the installation will fail. If the destination directory for either the executables or the help files are not found in the PATH or HELP environment variables respectively, and the checkbox for "Edit CONFIG.SYS" is set, the CONFIG.SYS entry field will be enabled. This allows you to specify a file which is different from the default CONFIG.SYS which the system booted from. This is provides so that you may edit a backup copy of the CONFIG.SYS file to verify that the program will operate correctly. Finally, the WPS objects are created automatically when the "Create WPS Objects" checkbox is set. This creates program icons on the desktop for both EDSNDX.EXE and PLSNDX.EXE and sets the object properties properly. To start the installation, press the INSTALL button. The installation tool will: 1. Create the HELP destination directory if the HELP checkbox is selected 2. Copy the HELP file to the specified destination directory 3. Create the EXECUTABLE destination directory if either PLSNDX.EXE or EDSNDX.EXE are selected 4. Copy the selected EXECUTABLE files to the destination directory 5. Create WPS objects for each of the executables and set the association properties if the "Create WPS Objects" checkbox is set 6. If the destination directory for the HELP or EXECUTABLES are not in the current HELP and PATH environment, the CONFIG.SYS will be edited if "Edit CONFIG.SYS" is selected Note: Whenever the CONFIG.SYS file is edited, the original is always renamed to CONFIG.### (where ### is a three digit number) before editing is started. In the event of failure of the program to edit the CONFIG.SYS properly, the backup file can be used to recover the original CONFIG.SYS. If the installation is successful, the installation tool will exit after all of the tasks are complete. ═══ 13. Installation Editor ═══ When the CONFIG.SYS file is to be modified by the installation program, the lines to be modified are presented to the user for manual review. The original information is displayed along with the suggested modified information. The user may edit the new information by placing the cursor at the appropriate position and modifying the text. If the new line is acceptable, press OK and the file will be edited. If the new line is not acceptable, press CANCEL and the file will not be changed. ═══ ═══ The following formats are supported by PMsndX. APPLE (.aif)* Apple 8/16 bit unsigned multi-channel samples SUN (.au) Sun/DEC/NeXT 8 or 16 bit single channel signed data samples or 8 bit ULaw samples. RIFF (.avi)* OS/2 movie format (PMsndX extracts the Audio and discards the video information) MAC (.hcm)* Apple Macintosh 8 bit single channel samples RAW (.ub)* Raw 8 bit single channel unsigned samples without header information RAW (.sb)* Raw 8 bit single channel signed samples without header information RAW (.uw)* Raw 16 bit single channel unsigned samples without header information RAW (.sw)* Raw 16 bit single channel signed samples without header information RAW (.ul) Raw 16 bit U-Law single channel samples IRACAM (.sf)* Software produced 16 bit signed samples PC (.voc)* Creative Voice file format, 8 bit single channel unsigned samples SAMP (.smp)* Turtle beach samplevision files PC (.wav) Windows or OS/2 8 bit unsigned/16 bit signed multi-channel data samples REXX (.cmd)* REXX command script * Types identified by * are supported only when PMsndX is registered. The .WAV format is actually defined as a RIFF file. The header and data are very robust and there are extensions for proprietary keywords and formats. PMsndX only supports the standard PCM format and will not load proprietary formats. You will receive a STYLE error if it contains an unsupported format. ═══ ═══ The bits in a word are stored such that the leftmost bit is stored first in the first byte and the rightmost bit is stored last in the last byte. If a word is composed of 16 bits, the word would be written to a file starting with bit 16 and ending in bit 0. The number 0x1234 (0001 0010 0011 0100) is actually stored as 0001 0010 0011 0100. ═══ ═══ The bits in a word are stored such that the leftmost bit is stored first in the last byte and the rightmost bit is stored last in the first byte. If a word is composed of 16 bits, the word would be written to a file starting with bit 7 and ending in bit 8. The number 0x1234 (0001 0010 0011 0100) is actually stored as 0011 0100 0001 0010. ═══ ═══ There are four methods of transitioning channels in a sample. These methods are used in various tools to provide a smooth transition from one end of a range to another. The four types of transitions are listed in the following text. The first method is linear. In this case, the increase or decrease in the volume is constant over time. This can be defined by the mathematical equation: volume(t) = volume(t) * t/interval A second method for adjusting the volume is to use a geometric expression so that the sample transitions slowly in the beginning of the range and then changes quickly toward the end of the range. To transition a sample out slowly over time a form of the function: volume(t) = volume(t) * (1 - (t/interval))¤ The third method is exactly the reverse of the slow transition in which the transition moves very quickly in the beginning of the range and then slowly reaches the end of the range. The equation for this is as follows: volume(t) = volume(t) * (t/interval)¤ Finally a fourth method is to have the samples make an immediate transition or a step. In this case, the transition is made immediately at the beginning of the range. ═══ ═══ The RIFF format can be a complex format; however, the following simplified description is provided for anyone wanting to write an external filter to communicate with PMsndX. The Format The RIFF format is composed of recursive blocks. Each block is identified by a string of 4 characters which creates a MARK, followed a SIZE field which is a 4 byte integer which specifies the length of the block (not including the MARK and SIZE fields), followed by the actual data. Blocks can be nested in the RIFF format. Any block which is not recognized or supported can be ignored and skipped ┌───────┬────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │MARK │SIZE │Description │ │ │ │ │ │"RIFF" │f len │This must be the first block in the file and │ │ │ │identifies the total length of the file. │ │ │ │ │ │"WAVE" │None │This block identifies that the data in the file is│ │ │ │in WAVE format. │ │ │ │ │ │"LIST" │b len │This marker identifies a block of ASCII │ │ │ │information. Typically this is used to store a │ │ │ │string of data with the file. │ │ │ │ │ │"fmt " │ │This marker identifies a block of data used to │ │ │ │identify the format of the data. This is one of │ │ │ │the most important blocks because it identifies │ │ │ │the size of the data, the order of the bytes, and │ │ │ │other information necessary to interpret the data │ │ │ │correctly. All integers are written to the file │ │ │ │in Intel Little Endian order. │ │ │ │ │ │ │16 bits │Style of the data. The only style of data │ │ │ │supported by PMsndX is PCM_FORMAT or 0x01. Other │ │ │ │styles are defined by the RIFF format. │ │ │ │ │ │ │16 bits │Number of channels. Up to 4 channels are │ │ │ │supported by PMsndX. │ │ │ │ │ │ │32 bits │Sampling RATE. │ │ │ │ │ │ │32 bits │Average Bits Per Second for playback. PMsndX │ │ │ │ignores this information. │ │ │ │ │ │ │16 bits │Padding/Reserved │ │ │ │ │ │ │16 bits │Size of each sample (8 bits or 16 bits). 8 bit │ │ │ │data is stored as UNSIGNED data. 16 bit data is │ │ │ │stored as SIGNED data. This is very important and│ │ │ │was the source of one of my bugs in version 1.X. │ │ │ │ │ │ │X bytes │Padding/Reserved. This field is used to pad the │ │ │ │data to a particular byte boundary. To determine │ │ │ │the length of this area subtract the 16 from the │ │ │ │size of this block. │ │ │ │ │ │"data" │b len │The actual data is stored in this block in the │ │ │ │format identified by the "fmt " marker. This │ │ │ │specifies the number of bytes in the file not the │ │ │ │number of samples. │ └───────┴────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Limitations 1. The data must appear in a single block. Multiple blocks of data are not supported in the external file filter interface. (multiple data blocks are supported in the normal .WAV reader 2. Only the BLOCK MARKers listed in the previous table are supported. All other blocks will be ignored without warnings. 3. Only FORMAT_PCM data is allowed with a style of 0x01. 4. If the data is 8 bits, it will be formatted as UNSIGNED. If the data is 16 bits, it will be formatted as SIGNED. 5. Data is expected to be in Little Endian format. An Example The following is a dump of a simple RIFF header in the sample file brettapp.wav: ┌───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────┐ │Address│Hex Dump │ASCII Dump │ │ │ │ │ │000000 │52 49 46 46 62 16 01 00 57 41 56 45 66 6D 74 20 │RIFF....WAVEfmt │ │ │ │ │ │000010 │10 00 00 00 01 00 01 00 11 2B 00 00 11 2B 00 00 │................ │ │ │ │ │ │000020 │04 00 08 00 64 61 74 61 3E 16 01 00 7F 7F 80 7F │....data........ │ └───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────┘ ┌──────────┬────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │RAW data │ASCII │Description │ │ │ │ │ │52494646 │RIFF....│This is the first block and specifies that the │ │62160100 │ │file is 0x00011662 bytes long. │ │ │ │ │ │57415645 │WAVE │This is the very next field which specifies that │ │ │ │this is the file is a WAVE file (as opposed to an │ │ │ │AVI file). │ │ │ │ │ │666d7420 │fmt ....│This format block is 0x00000010 bytes long. The │ │10000000 │ │following 16 (0x10) bits define the format. │ │ │ │ │ │0100 │.. │Style of the data (0x0001 = PCM_FORMAT). │ │ │ │ │ │0100 │.. │Channels in the data (0x0001 = 1 channel). │ │ │ │ │ │112b0000 │.... │Sampling RATE (0x00002b11 = 11025 Hz). │ │ │ │ │ │112b0000 │.... │Average Bits per Second (0x00002b11 = 11025). │ │ │ │ │ │0400 │.. │Padding/Reserved │ │ │ │ │ │0800 │.. │Size of each sample (0x0008 = UNSIGNED 8 bit data)│ │ │ │ │ │64617461 │data....│The data block is 0x0001163e (71230) bytes long. │ │3e160100 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │XXXXXX... │ │The actual data. │ │...XXXXXX │ │ │ └──────────┴────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ═══ ═══ EdSndX has two sets of routines for displaying the graphical representation of sound samples. This option has been provided to meet the needs of users who desire a faster display at the expense of larger memory requirements. Changes to this setting only take effect the next time an edit window is created. Windows that are already opened will not be changed when this property is modified. When this checkbox is not selected, the slower routines are used. These routines display the data by clearing the display, drawing the highlighted area, drawing each point to be displayed, and finally drawing the MMPM position. Obviously this method is slow but it consumes no additional memory as the data is drawn directly to the screen. When the faster routines are used, the data is predrawn into a bitmap in memory and DMA routines are used to place the image on the display. The data is stored as a monochrome bitmap using huffman compression to minimize memory. Displaying the data is simply a matter of displaying the bitmap, drawing the selection box, and then drawing the line for the MMPM position. The stored bitmaps are sized based on the size of the display window. Changes to the data, changes to the display size, and changes in the Zoom cause the data to be deleted and recreated so that it only takes up the minimum required resources.