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1994-10-04
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263 lines
Compact Disc MASTER v3.2
(c) Copyright 1994 by Gary Maddox
Compact Disc Master was designed to be a full-featured, graphical based, CD
audio player for CDROMs. There are several good Windows 3.1 audio CD
controllers but not many for the DOS world. CDM was written to fill that
void.
OVERVIEW:
CDM supports the standard CD player controls: PLAY, PAUSE, REWIND, FAST
FORWARD, PREVIOUS TRACK, NEXT TRACK. An individual track selection can be
made by pressing the 1 thru 0 keys to select tracks 1-10 and ALT-1 thru 0
to select tracks 11-20.
CD audio will continue playing after exiting CDM until the end of the CD.
The following features are supported if you have a Soundblaster Pro,
SB16, SB AWE32, Pro Audio Spectrum or compatible soundcard:
* Playback volume can be easily adjusted by using the CD Volume slider.
* The SCOPE function graphically diplays a realtime oscilloscope
The following command line switches are also supported:
/Sxx - Where xx = the number of seconds to skip during fast forward/rewind
/Dx - Where x = the CDROM drive to select (Default = drive 1)
/Pxx - Play single Track xx and exit
/R - Start up in RANDOM Mode
/NS - No Spin, turn off spinning CD sprite for slower PCs
/? - Display a help screen for all commands and switches
REQUIREMENTS:
Compact Disc Master requires a CDROM drive, EGA/VGA graphics and a mouse
is very desirable. The audio out of the CDROM must be installed on the
soundcard, although headphones may also be used.
THE CONTROL DECK:
The Control Deck is the first screen you see when you start up CDM. The
functions are listed below:
PLAY
Pressing the PLAY button causes playback of a audio compact disc in the
drive to begin on Track 1. Playback will continue to the end of the disc
unless other options are selected.
STOP
Pressing the STOP button causes playback to stop immediately.
PAUSE
Pressing the PAUSE button causes playback to be temporarily halted. The
word "pause" will appear in the track/time display to indicate that the
CDROM drive is in PAUSE. Pressing the PAUSE button again will resume
playback. An alternate method to pause the player is to press the SPACE
BAR. SPACE BAR is very useful in the SCOPE function.
REW
Pressing the REW button "rewinds" the point of playback to a few seconds
earlier. The amount of time to "rewind" can be set using the /Sxx command
switch, where "xx" equals the number of seconds to skip. Pressing the "+"
and "-" keyboard keys will also adjust the "skip seconds".
FF
Pressing the FF button "Fast Forwards" the point of playback to a few
seconds later. The amount of time to "fast forward" can be set using the
/Sxx command switch, where "xx" equals the number of seconds to skip.
Pressing the "+" and "-" keyboard keys will also adjust the "skip
seconds".
PREV
Pressing the PREV button selects the Previous track for playback. In
other words, if the player is currently playing Track 6, pressing PREV
will immediately set playback back to the beginning of Track 5. Pressing
the PREV button while the player is playing Track 1 will set playback to
the last track on the disc. An alternate method to pause the player is to
press the DOWN ARROW key. The DOWN ARROW key is very useful in the SCOPE
function.
NEXT
Pressing the NEXT button selects the Next track for playback. In other
words, if the player is currently playing Track 6, pressing NEXT will
immediately set playback back to the beginning of Track 7. Pressing the
NEXT button while the player is playing the last track on the disc will
set playback to the First track on the disc. An alternate method to pause
the player is to press the UP ARROW key. The UP ARROW key is very useful
in the SCOPE function.
EXIT
Pressing the EXIT button exits CDM and returns you to the DOS prompt.
Playback of the compact disc will continue until the the last track of
the disc. Special functions like RANDOM, REPEAT and PLAY LIST will also
terminate.
TRACKS
Pressing the TRACKS button selects the TRACKS selector screen. This
function is described in detail below.
MODE
Pressing the MODE button toggles the player through the various modes of
playback. Pressing the MODE button selects RANDOM, REPEAT, LIST and
normal playback mode. During RANDOM mode, the tracks of the disc are
played back in a "random" order. The word "random" appears in the
"track/time" display. During REPEAT mode, the current track is played
again and again until the mode is switched off. The word "repeat" appears
in the "track/time" display. The LIST function requires that a play list
has been set up for the particular disc being played in the dBase
function. The dBase function will be described in detail below.
SCOPE
Pressing the SCOPE button selects the oscilloscope function. A realtime
oscilloscope is displayed on the screen allowing you to "see" the
waveforms being played on the CDROM drive. During the SCOPE function,
most of the standard control keys are supported, like the numeric keys
for selecting a track, space bar to pause, and the arrow keys. Pressing
ALT-T will toggle a track/time display just below the oscilloscope.
CD PLAYER VOLUME
Using the CD PLAYER VOLUME slider changes the soundcard mixer volume to
allow you to adjust the playback volume. This function may not be supported
on all soundcards.
EJECT
Pressing the EJECT button opens and closes the CD tray. Only drives with
a tray is supported by this function. Most double-spin drives use a tray
these days.
dBASE
Pressing the dBASE button selects the Database Screen function. The
Database Screen function is described in detail below.
THE TRACKS SCREEN:
The Tracks Screen allows you to easily select a CD track to play either by
track number or song title if it has been entered into the CD database. A
more expanded play MODE selection is also included through use of the
RANDOM, REPEAT and LIST buttons. A more detailed description of the
functions is listed below:
THE KEYPAD
At the left of the TRACKS SCREEN is a familiar set of numeric keys. An
individual track can be selected by using these numeric buttons and
pressing the ENTER button. This is a very convenient option for playing
tracks on CDs with a large number of titles, like sound effects
collections. A compact disc can have a maximum of 99 tracks and any one
of these can be selected using the keypad. If a track is selected greater
than the total number of tracks on the current disc, a warning tone will
sound and the highest track number of the current disc will appear in the
TRACK NO display. The numeric key buttons can be selected using the mouse
or your PC's keyboard if any dialog item but the SONG TITLE MENU is
active. Pressing the ENTER button will immediately play the track you
selected and you will be returned to the CONTROL DECK.
THE SONG TITLE MENU
At the right of the TRACKS SCREEN is a menu of the song titles entered in
the database for the current compact disc. If no song titles have been
entered, then each menu item will be listed as Track No 1, Track No 2,
etc... IF the current disc has more than 12 tracks, a scroll bar will
appear on the right side of the menu. Selecting a song from this menu
will immediately play that song and return you to the CONTROL DECK.
RANDOM
Selecting the RANDOM button puts the player in random mode. During RANDOM
mode, the tracks of the disc are played back in a "random" order. The
word "random" appears in the "track/time" display.
REPEAT
Selecting the REPEAT button puts the player in repeat mode. During REPEAT
mode, the current track is played again and again until the mode is
switched off. The word "repeat" appears in the "track/time" display.
LIST
Selecting the LIST button puts the player in playlist mode. The word
"list" appears in the "track/time" display. The LIST function requires
that a play list has been set up for the particular disc being played in
the dBase function. The dBase function will be described in detail below.
SINGLE
Selecting the SINGLE button puts the player in single track mode. The
track you choose from the TRACKS SCREEN will play once and stop. Using
the Fast Forward or Rewind functions will set the player back to continuous
playback.
THE dBASE SCREEN:
The dBASE or DATABASE SCREEN allows you to build a database of your compact
discs by entering information about the current CD such as disc title,
artist name and individual song titles. Once this information has been
entered, each time the disc is played, the database information will be
referenced and displayed. Registered users who opt for the Deluxe Package
also have access to a "browser" program that supports more advanced access
to your compact disc collection database such as printing, sorting,
importing, exporting, etc... (see below for information on the Deluxe
Package)
The supported fields of the CD database are:
DISC TITLE
The DISC TITLE field can be upto 34 characters in length. This
information will be displayed on the Control Deck each time the CD is
played.
ARTIST
The ARTIST field can be upto 34 characters in length. This information
will be displayed on the Control Deck each time the CD is played.
TYPE
Choosing this field displays a menu of music catagories or types to
assign the CD to. Only a type supported by the menu can be used. If your
CD does not fit into any of the listed catagories, then choose OTHER.
Registered users may suggest other catagories for future updates.
PLAY LIST
The PLAY LIST field can be upto 34 characters in length. This information
is used to set up a custom order and/or selection of tracks to play.
Enter the track numbers in the order you wish played seperated by a
space. A series of tracks can be specified by using a "-" between the
first and last selections. Entering "5-11" would select tracks 5 through
11. To play all track on a 12 track CD except for track 4, you could
enter "1-3 5-12" or "1 2 3 5-12".
If a PLAY LIST exists for a particular CD, the player will default to
using this list each time it is played. Pressing the MODE button will
deactivate the play list at any time.
SONG TITLES
There are 30 song title fields supported. Since very few CDs contain more
than 30 tracks, this should be an adequate number in most cases. There is
no limitation to how many of the 30 fields you may enter data into. If a
CD only has 12 tracks, for instance, the remaining fields may be used to
enter notes and other information about the CD. During playback, the song
title will be displayed on the Control Deck.
SAVE/CANCEL
The SAVE and CANCEL buttons are used to either save the current record or
to cancel any changes made. Pressing the ESC key will also exit the
DATABASE Screen without saving.
USE OF COMPACT DISC MASTER:
CDM is a copyrighted work. You are free to use and distribute CDM as is
and without modifications of any kind to the program or this
documentation. CDM IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. It may only be distributed free
of charge. If you would like to see updates and enhancements, such as CD
direct sampling, then I would appreciate a donation of at least $15. If
enough people donate to pay for my time, then I will make updates. You
may use CDM for 30 days without registering. After that period, you must
discontinue use or register.
STANDARD REGISTRATION ($15)
Users who register at the Standard registration level receive a personal
code to remove the opening and ending reminder screens and 10 record
database limitation. This code need only be entered once. An update
diskette is not sent at this level.
DELUXE REGISTRATION ($25)
Users who register at the Deluxe registration level receive a personal
code to remove the opening and ending reminder screens and 10 record
database limitation. This code need only be entered once. The Deluxe
level registration also includes a 1.4" diskette with an update of the
software newer than is available on BBSs, etc... Also included is a
database "browser" that supports advanced access to your compact disc
database collection such as printing, sorting, importing, exporting,
etc... Windows format documentation files for CDM (Write and Word) are
also included that you may print on your own printer. The remaining space
of the diskette will be filled with other interesting shareware such as
the latest edition of BLASTER Master VOC/WAV editor and the best related
shareware I have come across. Registering at the Deluxe level also helps
to further insure that future updates of CDM will be possible.
To register, send $15 (Standard) or $25 (Deluxe) to:
Gary Maddox
210 Camelot Drive
Weatherford, TX 76086
USA
Thank you for using my software.
NOTE: CDM.EXE should work with a variety of CDROM drives. I have tested it
with the various drives sold by Creative Labs, Weanes, Sony, Toshiba, NEC
and Mitsumi.