+ Copy The DictaStrip Control Strip Module in the 'Control Strip Modules' folder in your System Folder and RESTART.
1) DictaStrip Control Strip Module
Have you ever been on the phone looking for a pen & paper on your desk for writing down an address or a phone number ? that's the solution !!
DictaStrip is a Control strip module that allows when you click it's icon:
• To record sound message really easilly.
Just click on the DictaStrip icon in the Control Strip, HOLD the mouse button down and SPEAK ! When you release the mouse button, a new file will be created in your Dictaphone ƒ folder.
DictaStrip will create a folder named 'Dictaphone ƒ' on your desktop the first time you record a message. If you don't want it to stays on your Desktop, you can move it anywhere on your startup disk. I keep an alias of that folder so the Alias Manager will find it for me the next time.
The message count will also increment to show you that there is one more message in your Dictaphone ƒ.
The messages you record will be named 'Note x' with x a number that correspond to an available filename in that folder. If you create 3 vocal notes for example, and remove the first one (Note 1), the next note you record will be named 'Note 1'.
It's a good idea to sort you Dictaphone ƒ folder by Date to keep track of the order of recording.
• To open directly the Dictaphone ƒ in the finder.
Hold down the Control Key and click on the DictaStrip Icon to open your Dictaphone ƒ window in the finder.
About the message counter:
The number you see inside the DictaStrip icon is the number of message in the Dictaphone ƒ that you did'nt listen to with NotePlayer. To see the TOTAL number of messages in that folder, hold down the control key, no need to click.
• To change the source from the input sound driver.
In short, it allows you to change between Internal CD and Microphone for example. You won't have to go to the Sound Manager control Panel to do that anymore.
Hold down the Command Key and click on the DictaStrip icon in the Control Strip to display a menu containing the different sources supported by the Macintosh sound Input devices. A Bullet char (•) show you which one is currently in use.
In addition, you can toggle the 'Playthrough' flag for that device from that menu.
If the 'Playthrough' flag is set, you will hear the sound comming from that source in your skeaker or headphones. It's useful for listening to CDs from the Internal CD drive for example.
2) NotePlayer Application
NotePlayer is a really small application that plays back the DictaStrip vocal notes files. Just open your Dictaphone ƒ folder and double click on any of the vocal notes you made.
NotePlayer is great because :
• It's really small (takes 150k of memory).
• It plays your notes asynchronously, you can continue to do whatever you were doing when listening to your vocal notes.
• You can stop the playing at any time by pressing Command-.
• It can also plays any other AIFF sound file by Drag & Dropping those file on the NotePlayer icon.
• It will change the icon of the file when you play them back the first time.
3) Technical notes
The DictaStrip/NotePlayer data files are standard Apple's AIFF files, with the standards compression/rate settings for the device you record with. You can open those files with any of the public sound utilities.
The file are created by DictaStrip with a different file type and are changed to AIFF when you play them back the first time using NotePlayer. It allow to keep track of files you did'nt play back.
That version as been tested on a 8100/av, on a Quadra 800 and on a PowerBook, but I don't have any other funky machine to test on. So if you have a problem to report, please mail me !
I'd really like to know if that code works when you have multiple sound input devices opened at the same time. It SHOULD works...
If you want to use Control Strip of the PowerBooks on your desktop Macintosh, A widely available patch allows you to modify a standard copy of it.
DictaStrip/NotePlayer are really useful on a PowerMac for switching between the input sources, CD/Microphone/Built-in AV Microphone.
And why Version 1.0d6 ??? Well, I wrote DictaStrip/NotePlayer in one afternoon, and even if I did'nt found any bug, I can really be too optimistic about it, can I ?
If I receive enough feedback from you, it will help me fix things up !
4) Shareware notes
The DictaStrip/NotePlayer are distributed as shareware. The version distributed has a little difference with the version you will receive when you pay the shareware fee.
The NotePlayer application will not display it's about box when you launch it, it's a really small thing, but it makes NotePlayer even more easy to use !
You will also be notified by email of any new releases when you registry !
Site Licence Available for $50
Source Code Available for $100
Please send you money to :
Michel Pollet
2 Allée des Tilleuls
Résidence de l'Ermitage
92330 Sceaux
France
Email: michel@mimetics.fr
AppleLink: MIMETICS
Please give me your email address if you want to receive any future releases !
5) Changes History
• DictaStrip Version 1.0d6
+ Correct fix for the Spindown problem on DART PowerBooks. Thanks to Christophe.
• DictaStrip Version 1.0d5
+ Fixed a bug on certains PowerBooks when the system spin down the hard disk when starting to record to a file (!).
• DictaStrip Version 1.0d4
+ Added a Voice Note counter !! Look at that nifty LCD like counter in the control strip. by default, it shows the number of notes you did'nt play back with NotePlayer. If you hold down the control key, it displays the total number of vocal notes in the Dictaphone ƒ folder.
+ That counter also displays an animation when recording a sound note !
+ The counter will displays correctly ONLY if you have less than 100 files.
+ Add the control-click feature to directly open the Dictaphone ƒ folder from anywhere.
• NotePlayer Version 1.0d4
+ Change the modification date of the Dictaphone ƒ folder when a file is played to signal DictaStrip that it should compute it's counter again.
• NotePlayer Version 1.0d3
+ First release, should do.
• DictaStrip Version 1.0d3
+ Added an alias in the preference for the location of the Dictaphone ƒ folder.
+ Pressing command change slightly the icon displayed to show that there a menu available.
• DictaStrip Version 1.0d2
+ Added sanity check in case an Input Driver is already grabbed by, say, QuickTime...
+ Added check for Sound Input devices from gestalt
+ Added the Device name to the 'Playthrough' menu line if there is only one source.
• DictaStrip Version 1.0d1
From the craddle
Things to look for:
+ Multiple sound input devices should works, but since I have only one (Built-in)...
+ Playtrought flag non-existence should also works.
