Total Chaos Nukem 3D Pack/TotalChaosNukem3dPack.iso/duke/sounds/vocs/bmaster.doc

Text File | 1996-08-15 | 37KB | 658 lines

========================================================================
                     <<   BLASTER Master v5.8   >>
                 for the Sound Blaster and compatibles
                   Copyright (C) 1993 by Gary Maddox
========================================================================

BLASTER Master is a program designed for serious PC soundcard enthusiasts
who are interested in getting the most from their PC audio cards
when sampling sounds and then playing them back.  A tool kit for working
with Sound Blaster type VOC, .WAV and .SND files, BLASTER Master
offers many features that are available on Digital Audio Workstations
which normally cost many thousands of dollars.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ---------------
  Before running BLASTER Master on your PC, please check the system
  requirements and user information listed below:

  > This program requires EGA/VGA graphics, a mouse, a hard disk and
    at least a 286 PC.
  > NOTE: BLASTER Master will function without a soundcard being
    present, but the PLAY, RECORD and SCOPE functions will be disabled.
  > Unregistered versions will only process a 25 second sound file while
    the registered version will process any size sound file.

  More requirements and performance tips for using BLASTER Master can be
  found in the section entitled "Performance Tips" (near the end of the
  documentation).

OVERVIEW ---------------
  One of the great features of the Sound Blaster and other PC audio cards
  is the ability to sample sound and play it back.  Now you can tailor your
  own sound files using the BLASTER Master program, a very fast EGA/VGA
  graphic editor. Useless and noisy sample data (at the beginning and
  endings of VOC files) can be quickly removed and sections from within the
  sample can be saved as a new sample file.  A graphic of the entire sample
  appears on your monitor along with a grid that divides the sample into
  seconds to aid in selecting the "cut points". A zero-crossing/phase
  approximation method allows you to select the displayed bytes, helping
  you choose the "cleanest" points for processing. Cross-fading is applied
  to splice points when needed.

  During playback, a pulsing index line displays the position of the file
  being played. The various digital processes can be selected using the
  mouse, or in most cases, you can use ALT plus the first letter of the option.
  > Example: ALT-P (holding down the ALT key while pressing the "P" at
    the same time) will "PLAY" the currently selected sound file.

  A color palette is also included in BLASTER Master's graphic capabilities.
  Using your keyboard's function keys F1-F10, you can control the colors
  displayed on the screen. Play around with the available color combinations to
  find the one that best suits you! For a listing of the function key color
  settings, refer to the section entitled "Changing Screen Colors" on page 7.

  Functions of a sound file -- SELECTing, IMPORTing, RECORDing and
  EDITing -- are covered in the following four sections.

                                                                   page 2

SELECTING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  If you don't specify a sound file when starting the editor, a file selection
  dialog box will appear. The current path can be changed by selecting the
  right selection box and selecting a new path. From this dialog box, you can
  PLAY the sound file, RECORD a new sound file, DELETE an unwanted sound file,
  ACCEPT the file to process or QUIT the program, returning to DOS. You can
  also display useful file information to audition a file by choosing the PLAY
  option. The various options can be selected using the mouse or, in most cases,
  pressing <ALT> plus the first letter of the option as explained earlier. You
  can also select files with your mouse by double-clicking on the file you want
  to access. If you accept a sound file that is multi-blocked, BLASTER Master
  will allow you to remove the blocks and convert to a RAW VOC file.

IMPORTING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  Choosing the IMPORT option from the File Selection Dialog Box will allow you
  to import WAV, NTI, 8SV, MOD, SAM and SND format files into BLASTER Master.
  > WAV files are the Microsoft Multi-Media format and are supported by the
    Pro Audio Spectrum and the ATI Stereo F/X sound cards and others.
  > SND files: completely raw wave data files not including header information.
  > NTI & SAM files are Amiga sample files as used by MOD file editors.
  > VOC type files can also be saved in these three formats.
  > 8SV: the extension normally used for Amiga IFF sound files. You can import
    Amiga IFF sound files, but cannot currently save files in Amiga IFF format.
  > MOD: only the samples from a MOD file can be extracted for editing.

RECORDING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  When you select RECORD from the File Selection Dialog Box, the Record Dialog
  Box appears. Here, enter the name of the VOC file you wish to record.
  > NOTE: If specifying a VOC file that already exists, it will be overwritten!
  Using a mouse, select the sample rate to use when recording-- 13,000-4000 if
  using Sound Blaster or 44,000-4000 if using Sound Blaster Pro. (The higher
  the sample rate, the better the file will sound.) When using the various
  digital processes, a higher rate will produce much better sounding file.
  Choose SCOPE to display a graphic scope, which is very useful for setting the
  volume on a device from which you are recording. Select RECORD when ready to
  begin recording and <ESC> when ready to stop. Your file is then displayed on
  the Editor screen so you can modify it.
  > NOTE: Sound Blaster Pro users will also select the recording input source,
          input filter, and MONO or STEREO recording. Users of Creative Lab's
          MultiMedia CDROM need to read about Syncro CD sampling on page 3.

EDITING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  The EDIT option enables you to edit selected sections of a sound file. When
  selecting a sound file section to edit (remove, save, hear or zoom), position
  the cursor over the graph at the first desired cut point and press the LEFT
  mouse button. Now, position the cursor over the second cut point and press
  the LEFT button again. This marks a section with a blue box, signifying that
  you can HEAR that section, CUT it from the sample or SAVE it as a new file.
  The ZOOM option displays the marked section so you can choose a new block
  from the zoomed area, editing the sound file with surgical precision. (You
  can zoom the file until the resolution reaches 1:1. The current resolution
  is shown just above the options selection box.)
  > MOVE: allows a selected block to be moved to a new section in the same file.
  > COPY: (Vanishing Menu only) moves a copy of the selected block to a new
          section of the same file.

                                                                      page 3
USING SYNCRO CD ---------------
  Anyone using a CDROM from Creative Labs MultiMedia can use BLASTER Master to
  sample recordings directly from your favorite CDs! I have gotten excellent
  (if not the BEST) recordings with the Sound Blaster Pro using the CDROM.
  If you are equipped with a CDROM, a standard CD player control bar will appear
  on the RECORD dialog box you see on your monitor. BLASTER Master currently
  supports the following CD player controls -- PLAY, PAUSE, STOP, REWIND, FAST
  FORWARD, PREVIOUS TRACK and NEXT TRACK. To sample from your favorite CDs,
  make sure you have selected "CD" as your input source. You can either start
  the CD and then pick RECORD, or what I have found works better is to use
  SYNCRO CD, as explained below.

  If BLASTER Master detects that your CDROM is in PAUSE mode, you can select
  RECORD to automatically synchronize the sampling and the CD audio playback.
  When you press <ESC> to stop recording, the CD playback will shut off
  automatically. Using this SYNCRO CD feature, your results are a very precise,
  high quality sample that should require very little editing.

SETTING A MARKER ---------------
  BLASTER Master features a marker function which allows you to pre-select
  a point in a sound ile. This function is especially useful for mixing and
  inserting sounds in sound files. To set a marker, position the mouse cursor
  at the appropriate spot on the blue bar just below the sound file grid. Then,
  using the right mouse button, click on this position to place a white arrow
  on this blue bar.

TOOLS ---------------
  This program includes special processes, called tools, that operate on a block
  of data. When you select the TOOLS button, a selection menu containing special
  block functions pops up on your screen. These tool functions are listed below:

  LOOP:
  Repeats block up to 10 times, adding a Max Headroom-type stutter to the file.

  MUTE:
  Replaces the block with silence bytes, which is very useful for removing
  glitches and other undesirable noises without effecting the playback time.

  REVERSE:
  Reverses the block to playback backwards.

  PITCH:
  Changes the pitch of the block (lowering/raising it); effects playback time.

  ECHO:
  Adds echo to the block. Same parameters as in Echo function for whole files.

  VOLUME:
  Adjusts the block's playback volume. Same parameters as in Volume function
  for whole files.

  ACCELERATE:
  Increases the playback speed of the block for a speeded up effect.

  DECELERATE:
  Decreases the playback speed of the block for a slowed down effect.

                                                                      page 4



SPECIAL PROCESSES ---------------
  BLASTER Master supports several special digital processes for modifying your
  sound files: SCOPE, ECHO, REVERSE, INSERT, FAST, SLOW,  RATE, VOLUME, PITCH,
  PACK, FADE, VOCALS, PANNING and MIXER. The processes are not all displayed at
  the same time on the Wave Edit screen, so to display the next set of options,
  press the MORE button. Once again, options here are selected using the mouse
  or, in most cases, pressing <ALT> plus the first letter of the option you want.
  > EXAMPLE: ALT-E (holding down the ALT and "E" keys simultaneously) allows
             you to "ECHO" the currently selected sound file.
  You can use the NEW button to select a new file when in the Editor screen
  or to unmark a block when in the Cut/Save/Zoom screen. The special processes
  listed above are described in detail as follows:

    SCOPE:
    Graphically displays sample input real-time. To see this first-hand, speak
    into a microphone and see what your voice looks like or play music directly
    into the Sound Blaster. (This works particularly well on faster machines
    and is an excellent way to check your system's quality.) When there is no
    sound input, you should see a straight, flat line that is exactly even with
    the white line on the sound file grid. Any spikes you see above or below
    this white line indicate that your system is registering noise of some kind.
    Pressing any key or either of the mouse buttons will cancel the scope and
    return you to the editor.

    ECHO:
    Adds echo or delay to a VOC file to give it a richer, fuller sound.
    This feature is also great for adding special effects. Two parameters
    are used to determine the type of echo desired:
      1) SIZE -- The "size" of the effect is determined by the number of
         milliseconds before the echo starts. Delays of 60-100 simulate a
         large room, while larger delays (up to 200 milliseconds) will sound
         like a cavern or canyon.
      2) MIXTURE -- The mixture (how loud the echo should be mixed in) has an
         effect on the type of echo desired. A 30-60% mixture will sound more
         realistic than using a higher volume for the delayed sounds. To
         determine how the echo will repeat, select either INFINITE or FINITE.

    REVERSE:
    Reverses the playback of a VOC file, which is effectively the same as
    playing a tape backwards. You older Beatles fans can see for yourself
    if the song "Number 9" really says "turn me on, dead man" backwards.
    This is also a great tool for televangelists to use in searching for
    those pesky satanic references in rock & roll songs! Did you know that
    the famous Tarzan yell sounds the same backwards as forwards? Try it!

                                                                    page 5



    INSERT:
    Allows another sound file to be inserted into the sound file you are
    currently editing. When you select INSERT, the File Select Dialog Box will
    appear. From here, you can SELECT a VOC file, RECORD a new sound file
    or CANCEL the INSERT process and return to the Edit screen. Once you have
    selected a VOC file for insertion, the system will give you the option of
    selecting the point in the original file for insertion by using either the
    mouse pointer, the marker, a sample point in the file or a point in time.
    If the sample rate of the new sound file does not match the original file,
    the sample rate will be adjusted to blend in correctly.
    > NOTE: Use care when selecting a new sound file that is not packed,
            contains silence compression or is a multi-block file.
            The resulting sound file will not be usable!

    SLOW:
    Extends the time domain without effecting the frequency domain... or in
    plain English, the SLOW process allows you to re-sample a VOC file that
    will play back at the selected speed without effecting the pitch.
    This function will double the size of the original sound file. Imagine
    you are a guitar player and want to learn the latest white hot guitar
    licks from Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson... SLOW makes listening and
    learning MUCH easier! It is also very useful for preparing multi-media
    presentations.
    > HINT: Sound files with sample rates above 12khz produce a more
            natural sound.

    FAST:
    I couldn't have a "slow down" process without a "speed up" one, too,
    could I? Unlike SLOW, the FAST process includes a "slider" for selecting
    how much of a speed increase you desire. This function will decrease the
    size of the original sound file accordingly.
    > HINT: Like SLOW, sound files with higher sample rates produce
            better results.

    RATE:
    Allows a VOC file created with a high sample rate to be "down" sampled to
    a lower sample rate. Some PCs have problems playing VOC files with the
    higher sample rates, so this RATE process provides you with a way to
    change the sample rate to something more compatible with your PC. It is
    also a good way to make files smaller without the degradation associated
    with compression.
    > A VOC file recorded at 12,000Hz+ down-sampled to 8000Hz will probably
      sound better than if it had been originally recorded at the slower rate.
    > Sound files originally sampled on the MAC at 22,000Hz can be
      down-sampled to 12,000Hz or less with almost no loss in clarity.
    The RATE process is also capable of "up" sampling, although you WILL NOT
    gain any noticable resolution. Approximating the "missing" byte is just
    not the same as having the original bytes in all cases.

                                                                    page 6

    VOLUME:
    Either increases or decreases the amplitude of VOC files. One way to get
    a very clean sample is to make your sample at a fairly low volume and
    then re-sample up to a higher volume. (The Sound Blaster has a tendency
    to introduce distortion as you increase the volume used for sampling.)

    The VOLUME process works very well for sampling directly from a CD or
    tape deck. Enter either "I" to increase the volume or "D" to decrease the
    volume. The numeric value you enter after either "I" or "D" will determine
    the amount of change in the resulting file.
    > Increasing the volume: values of 10-50 have a subtle effect on the
      resulting sound file. Values of 50-200+ will have an even more
      dramatic effect.
    > Decreasing the volume: values of 1-99 will cause the resulting file to
      have approximately the same volume as the percent of the number entered.
      Entering "50" will produce a sound file that is only 50% as loud as
      the original. If a value greater than 100 is entered, the effect will
      be to INCREASE the volume, even though you selected to DECREASE.

    MIXER:
    Blends two VOC files into a single sample. There is also a volume mix
    parameter that controls how loud the mixed-in sample will be. The volume
    mix can be a number between 1 and 100; 50 to 60 is often a very good
    mixing level. Before beginning the MIXing process, you can select the
    point within your original file where you want to begin mixing.
    If you want to start at the beginning of your file, choose the farthest
    point to your left.

    The Mixer is a great way to add special effects to your sound files. This
    process does not try to adjust the sample rates if the files are different.

    PACK/UNPACK:
    These processes will either pack or unpack a sound file, depending on its
    current state. The previously-discussed functions only work on unpacked
    files. Many of the available files come packed; once unpacked, all of the
    special BLASTER Master features can be applied to the files.

    PITCH:
    Alters the sample rate value contained within the VOC file. If you want to
    raise or lower the pitch, you can select the slider. Altering the pitch
    will also effect the playback time, but not the size of the file.

    FADE:
    Allows you to fade in or out on the volume of a sound file at the file's
    beginning and ending points. When choosing this function, you can specify
    the amount of time you want for the fade in and fade out. Neither of these
    times can exceed 1/2 of the total time of the sound file. If for instance,
    you wish to only fade out a sound file, use zero as the fade in time. When
    combining multiple files, a little fading can result in a smoother
    transition in the sound, making the switch between sounds less abrupt.
    This can be especially effective when a sound file has lots of background
    noise and the joining sound file does not.

                                                                      page 7
   SILENCE:
    Inserts a period of silence into the sound file. This is very handy
    for padding out multimedia sounds.

   HISS:
    Mutes background noise based on the Threshold value. This function is
    very effective with speech only sound files, others may sound choppy.

   VOCALS: (Stereo files only)
    "Removes" vocals from a stereo sound file. This process actually inverts
    the left channel 180 degrees and mixes it back into the right channel.
    This has a tendency to cancel out all the center waves where vocals are
    often mixed in. The effect varies significantly from song to song depending
    on how it was originally mixed. For example, "I Feel Fine" by The Beatles
    will process out 99% of the vocal, whereas "Eleanor Rigby" has the effect
    of enhancing the vocals and reducing the cellos. You can also tweak the
    results by modifying the sampling SOURCE -- that is, play around with
    the channel balance and use some EQ or even stereo synthesis. In any case,
    VOCALS is lots of fun and works as well as the $350 unit you see advertised.

   RYTHMN: (Stereo files only)
    Attempts to cancel out the rythmn tracks from a stereo sound file. This
    is effectively the inverse of the VOCALS function. It will also vary alot
    from file to file in how effectively it will enhance the lead tracks.

   PANNING: (Stereo files only)
    Adds left channel to right channel stereo panning or right channel to left
    channel stereo panning. In other words, it allows a sound file to sweep
    from one speaker to the next.

   MAKEMONO: (Stereo files only)
    This process converts a stereo file to monophonic. The two channels are
    mixed together to form a single channel. This is very useful for people
    with soundcards that are MONO only or to reduce the size of large stereo
    files.

USING THE VANISHING MENU ---------------
The system reveals a drop-down bar menu when, during file editing, you move
the mouse cursor to the top of the screen or hold down the <SHIFT> key. All
of the button functions are available from the Vanishing Menu. Many other
useful functions are also available, as explained below.

FILE MENU:
   > SAVE -- Save the current sound file. If the current sound file is UNTITLED,
     you will be prompted for a file name.
   > SAVE AS -- Save the current sound file by a new name or file format.
   > QUIT -- Quit to DOS immediately. If the current sound file is UNTITLED,
     you will be prompted for a file name.
OPTIONS MENU:
   > LOOP PLAY ON/OFF -- Causes playback to be single or looped.
   > SAVE SCREEN COLORS -- Saves the current screen colors. For more details,
     see the sections about Changing and Saving Default screen colors.
   > BLOCK PLAY ON/OFF (block edit only) -- Plays either the whole
     sound file or selected block. This function is not supported in ZOOM.
   > UNDO LAST EDIT/RETURN TO ORIGINAL -- This function undoes the last edit.
HELP:
   Displays a short help file that briefly details the various functions.
   You can access these menus quickly from the keyboard by using <SHIFT> and
   the first letter of each option: Shift-F for FILE, Shift-H for HELP, etc.


                                                                      page 8

CHANGING SCREEN COLORS ---------------
  BLASTER Master's graphic screen colors can be changed via these function keys:
  [Default colors are given as <color> after each function key description.]
     F1:      Background  <Cyan>
     F2:      Fileselect Playbox  <Red>
     F3:      Time Grid  <Brown>
     F4:      File Info text, Highlighted text, Vanishing Menu text <White>
     F5:      Field labels, backgrounds of Vanishing Menu & Dialog Box  <Blue>
     F6:      Vanishing Menu Bar background, Pipe shading  <Bright Blue>
     F7:      Button Highlights, Pipe shading  <Bright Cyan>
     F8:      List Box Highlight, Fileselect Playbox text <Yellow>
     F9:      Wave Tip Highlight  <Bright Red>
     F10:     Wave Background  <Cyan>
     CTRL-F2: Wave  <Red>

  If you have color VGA graphics, you can choose from 256 colors. EGA users
  can choose from 64 separate colors. Keep in mind that the way certain colors
  interact with each other should effect your color choices. A poor choice of
  screen colors (the poor interaction between F4 and F5, for example) could
  result in unreadable dialog boxes and help screens.

SAVING SCREEN COLORS ---------------
  To save your current screen colors, select the Options Menu available via
  the Vanishing Menu, which saves the colors in a file named BMASTER.CFG.
  Return to the Default screen colors by renaming or deleting this file.
  > NOTE: When renaming BMASTER.CFG, always use the file extension .PAL.
          Future versions of BLASTER Master may include support for "point
          and click" PAL file selection.

USING PAL FILES ---------------
  I have included several small saved screen colors files with the file
  extension .PAL. To use a PAL file, copy it to BMASTER.CFG.
   > Example: COPY OLDMOVIE.PAL BMASTER.CFG

  BLASTER Master can also be started up with a particular PAL file by using
  the command line switch /P.
  > Example: BMASTER /POLDMOVIE.PAL

SETTING BLASTER MASTER DEFAULTS ---------------
  SB Pro card users can set certain recording parameter defaults by using
  the SET BMDEFS environment parameter.

              Input Source  Input Mode    Filter  Rate CDROM   F/X    FUNCTIONS
  SET BMDEFS= {CD/MIC/LINE} {STEREO/MONO} {LO/HI} {NN} {ROMx:} {NOFM} {MORE}

  To set BLASTER Master's default recording parameters to stereo line input
  with lo-pass filter and a sample rate of 22khz, use settings like the one
  shown in this example: SET BMDEFS= LINE STEREO LO 22

  The order of the parameters does not matter. Use the SET command alone at
  the DOS prompt to check your environment. Users of the Multimedia upgrade
  CDROM may find a long pause on the Fileselect Dialog Box when an Audio CD
  is in the drive. Use the ROMx: parameter to skip verifying that drive.
  To skip CD ROM drive F:, use ROMF:. You may skip upto 2 CDROM drives.
  Use NOFM to turn off the sound F/X. MORE will select secondary DSP functions.

                                                                    page 9

SETTING THE BLASTER ENVIRONMENT ---------------
  Users of compatible soundcards and 1.0 Sound Blasters can skip the
  port/IRQ/DMA scanning by using the SET BLASTER environment parameters
  supported by the 2.0 and Pro versions of the Sound Blaster.
  > Example:  SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1
    (A = the port address; I = the interrupt; and D = the DMA channel.

  If you have problems with BLASTER Master executing on your machine, try using
  this setting. It will also make the program boot up quicker!

> NOTE: It is possible that BLASTER Master may not correctly identify your
        graphics interface. If BLASTER Master tells you that you don't have
        EGA/VGA graphics and you know you do, try using the command line switch
        "/G". This switch forces graphics mode and bypasses the interface check.

REPORTING TROUBLE ---------------
  If you find a bug in BLASTER Master, please report it in as much detail
  as possible so that I can fix it in the next version. I need to know which
  specific function you were using, where the VOC file originated from and the
  sample rate. If the problem is hardware-related  (i.e. video display, mouse
  functions), please include information about the system you are using.
  Support beyond that will only be provided to registered users.

COMMON PROBLEMS ---------------
  ERROR 5:
  This is a DOS error meaning Illegal Function Call, which could signify just
  about anything. The most common occurrence of this is when try to run
  BLASTER Master on a PC with a graphics card that does not properly support
  640x350x16 HI-RES EGA graphics mode. If you get this error immediately after
  typing BMASTER, then the problem is probably with your graphics card. The
  only fix in this case is to change your graphics card.

  MOUSE CURSOR ERASE SYNDROME:
  I have recently heard of three or four instances of the mouse cursor seeming
  to erase the screen when it is moved. This is a problem with your mouse
  driver. I only make calls to the Mouse API; I don't re-paint the screen.
  Switching mouse drivers has fixed this problem in every case so far.

PERFORMANCE TIPS ---------------
  BLASTER Master works best on a very fast PC -- fast processor, fast
  graphics and fast hard drive. I use mostly floating point operations for
  accuracy. A Math Co-Processor speeds up most of the functions by as much
  as 40%. For example, mixing two 50K files requires over 1,000,000
  calculations. A slow graphics card can cause wait states on your processor.
  That bargain-priced VGA system may not be such a bargain if you saved a mere
  $50 yet slowed your PC down by 40-60% in graphics mode. BLASTER Master is
  based on using "virtual memory", i.e., using your hard drive wherever
  possible. While this is slower, it is much more reliable and supports a
  wider system base. It also easily supports HUGE file sizes. If you are lucky
  enough to have several megabytes of RAM, try running from a RAM Disk or at
  least use an extended/expanded memory Disk Cache. It makes a big difference
  in performance. Disk fragmentation can also lessen performance, regardless
  of what software you are running.


                                                                      page 10

USING BLASTER MASTER WITH OS/2 ---------------
  The following settings are required to run BLASTER Master from OS/2:
      full screen
      audio_adapter_sharing ON
      hw_timer ON
      int_during_IO ON

SUGGESTED READING ---------------
  If you are interested in learning more about how BLASTER Master works,
  I suggest you read the following books:

  > "Principles of Digital Audio" by Ken C. Pohlmann
    (Howard W. Sams & Co., 1985, 1989 second edition)
        An excellent introduction to everything from fundamental acoustic
        theory to the way compact disks work. Some chapters are relatively
        easy to understand & others are definitely NOT for the faint of heart.

  > "Musical Applications of Microprocessors" by Hal Chamberlin
    (Hayden Books, 1985, 1987 second edition)
         Absolutely the best edition ever published in the field of digital
         sound production and is universally considered a classic. This book
         is 800 pages long and you really must have an understanding of
         advanced mathematics to read it.

   > "Elements of Computer Music" by F. Richard Moore
      (Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1990)
         An excellent source of information about digital sound reproduction.
         Especially good for C programmers; examples are working C routines.

   > "An Introduction to Digital Signal Processing" by John H. Karl
     (Academic Press, Inc. 1989)
         This is a very good crash study course in DSP and assumes the
         reader is familiar with higher mathmatics.

   > "Sound Blaster: The Official Book" by Rich Heimlich
     (Osborne, 1992)
         This is the best book dedicated to the Sound Blaster!
         A shareware copy of BLASTER Master is included with this book
         and a chapter is devoted to using BLASTER Master.

   > "The Sound Blaster Book" by Axel Stolz
     (Abacus, 1992)
         The first comprehensive book dedicated to the Sound Blaster.
         It covers DOS, Windows, MIDI, programming, and shareware.


                                                                    page 11

Distribution BBS Numbers ---------------
  These BBS's should always have the latest release. BLASTER Master is also
  available on SBCnet and hundreds of other BBS's around the world.

  CompuServe         GO MIDIFORUM         Channel One     [phone]
  Data Dimension     [phone]       America Online  PC MUSIC
  New Dimension      [phone]       Rusty & Eddy's  [phone]
  User-to-User       [phone]       GEnie           IBMPC
  Music Connection   [phone]       EXEC-PC         [phone]
  The Pier           [phone]       TeleGraFX Net   [phone]
  Eleutheria         [phone]       The Navigator   [phone]
  Detroit D/L Center [phone]       WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil ftp site


  BLASTER Master is the result of over two years of programming, study
  and experimentation (not to mention 6 years of college). If you find
  this program to be interesting and of use to you, please register
  BLASTER Master and help support future development towards more
  applications of sound files. I would like to take this opportunity to
  thank the individuals and institutions that have already registered.
  Your support has made this version possible. As long as you continue to
  support BLASTER Master, I will continue to release new versions. All
  future updates are free. One registration will automatically register
  future versions. Please mention the version number in your letter and
  include your telephone number and computer system hardware. I will also
  be interested to hear which BBS you downloaded it from. Please tell me
  of your suggestions for future enhancements, too! Think of it this way...
  when you register BLASTER Master, you aren't paying for the version you are
  currently using; you are helping to finance the next release! When I receive
  your payment, I will send you your registration number and instructions
  on installing it.

  Due to dozens of requests, I am now offering two registration levels:
  the regular, $29.95 registration that provides a re-usable unlock code for
  all versions of BLASTER Master, and a NEW deluxe registration for $49.95.
  With the deluxe registration, you will receive the latest version along
  with several other extras, including a 64 band graphic equalizer, VOC
  compiler, CD player, bulk MOD sample extractor, Windows Write formatted
  documentation file, tutorial and other surprises. The deluxe registration is
  only available from the author and also only available on a 1.44m 3.5" disk.

                                                                    page 12

To register, send $29.95 (Standard) or $49.95 (Deluxe) in US dollars to:
                  Gary Maddox
                  1901 Spring Creek Apt 315
                  Plano, TX 75023-4219
                  USA

Foreign orders mailed directly to me should include $5 for the extra postage.
I CAN ACCEPT PAYMENT IN US DOLLARS ONLY!

CompuServe users can register online! GO SWREG to register online and receive
your registration code within 24 hours or less! The registration cost will be
billed to your CIS account.

To register in Germany, send 59 Deutche Marks plus handling fee to:
                  CDV
                  Ettlingerstr. 5
                  D-7500 Karlsruhe 1
                  Germany

I suggest you contact CDV to find out the current handling charges and
to obtain a catalog of their other excellent shareware offerings.

To register in the U.K., send 16 pounds Sterling to:
                  Carl Ricketts
                  54 St. Anne's Road
                  Tankerton
                  Whitstable
                  Kent
                  CT5 2DR
                  England

Danske brugere kan henvende sig til:
                  Prof. Shareware          Phone [phone]
                  Benloese Skel 4 G        Fax   [phone]
                  4100 Ringsted            BBS   57 67 17 47.
Paa BBS kan den sidste nye version hentes gratis.

To register in Australia, contact:
                  BUDGETWARE               Phone [phone]
                  PO Box 496               Fax   [phone]
                  Newtown NSW 2042
                  AUSTRALIA

To register in Switzerland, contact:
                  Software News!           Phone [phone]
                  Sissacherstr. 57         Fax   [phone]
                  4052 Basel               CIS   100042,1105
                  Switzerland

>>   You can drop me a line on CompuServe at 76711,547.       <<
>>   InterNet users can email me at [e-mail]. <<

              Thank you for using my digital sound software.
   * Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Labs, Inc
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BLASTER Master Copyright (C) 1990-1993 by Gary Maddox, all rights reserved
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