I am proud to announce that - although first released four years ago, in October 1987 - Sound Mover is compatible as is with System 7.0. (It's actually Apple who should be congratulated to have managed to cause so few applications to "break" under the new system, but hey, allow me some pride, too.)
NONETHELESS, I am currently very busy rewriting it from scratch!
The new version will be non-modal (i.e. it will let you open desk accessories and switch to other applications without quitting it) and will take advantage of the improved sound features of both System 6.0.7 and 7.0, including support for the microphone on the IIsi and LC models. It will also let you open as many waveform editing windows simultaneously as your memory will allow and support full copy/paste between them (as well as with the Scrapbook under 7.0).
I cannot say yet when I'll be ready to release this new version, but I'll be sure to let Registered Users know when I do…
ALTHOUGH it will be a completely new program, with a heavier slant on the recording/editing rather than the converting/moving of sounds (which it will naturally still do), I intend it to be a FREE* upgrade to the many people who are sending in their registration fee for the Sound Manager Package (SMP). They have proven - at least to yours truly - that distributing shareware can be a very rewarding intellectual exercise.
HOWEVER, it will NO LONGER be bundled with SndControl and will probably carry a higher registration fee.
MEANWHILE... registering for SMP now (subtle hint<grin>) is quite simple: just fill in the form at the end of this document and include either a personal check in US$, a Eurocheque in BELGIAN Francs (your newspaper will give you the current rate), an International Money Order, an American Express Money Order or your VISA/MC/Eurocard/American Express number and expiration date.
Oh and yes, I'm also willing to take cash in any currency, if you prefer, but why run the risk of losing it in the mail?
[Can't be bothered filling out a form (I hate them, too!)? Just slip a check in an envelope and put a 50c stamp on it. (Don't forget to write AIR MAIL on it and include your return address (if different from the one on the check), so I can send you the disks and printed manual).]
__________
*Except for a nominal charge to cover materials and handling, if they order it directly from me (as opposed to downloading it or receiving it from a User Group or friend).
***************************************
* E N D O F A N N O U N C E M E N T *
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A year later, Sound Mover Plus is still missing some basic features and is thus not ready for general distribution. It is still my intention to finish it and release it as soon as possible, but given the way in which time seems to fly faster than ever these days, I'm certainly not able to set a release date.
In the meantime, I have found the time at least to continue maintenace on the "old" Sound Mover (now 1.76) and have considerably improved SndControl (2.1.1) with a host of new features.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding and thank you for supporting the shareware method of distribution.
Riccardo Ettore
Friday, July 17, 1992
Sound Manager Package User Guide
July 1992
The Sound Manager Package (SMP) is priced at $25US (inclusive of disk(s) (two DDs or one HD if your Mac can read them), printed manual, packing, handling and air mail postage to any part of the world).
It comprises the following programs:
• Sound Mover (which includes the functions of the previously separate Sound->snd)
• SndControl - a Control Panel that allows you to associate sounds to over 30 different actions, such as startup, restart, shutdown, disk eject, emptying the trash can and so on (it requires System 6.0.4 or higher and is fully compatible with System 7.0.x)
• StartupSndInit - to play at startup time any number of sounds you copy into it (using Sound Mover)
• IBeep2 - a very primitive version of SndControl to be used under older System versions (4.1 to 6.0.3)
Commercial PD/shareware clearing houses (such as, but not limited to, Educorp, BudgetBytes and MacClub Benelux), MUST obtain my written permission prior to including any of these programs on any of their disks.
The same naturally applies to any other form of commercial distribution.
As a private individual, you may, however, give out copies of these programs to any and all your friends and to members of your Macintosh User Group, provided you include all disk-based documentation (but no photocopies of the printed manual, please) and don't charge them anything. You may also upload them to any BBS that does not charge a special fee for downloading.
Over the years, several companies have applied for - and obtained - my written permission to distribute SMP on a non-profit basis. They are:
•Fifth Generation, who distribute the Package on their Suitcase II disk.
•California Freeware.
•MacUser UK.
•The Macintosh Bible Software Disks.
•Educorp.
•MacWarehouse, for the Power User's Toolkit series.
•Team Bulding Technologies, for inclusion on their AgentDA™ reminders package.
•Tactic Software, for inclusion on their Sound Clips CD.
•NAUTILUS, for inclusion on its CD-ROM based multimedia magazine.
•TAB Books, for inclusion on a disk to accompany a book on System 7.0 by Gordon M. Campbell, to be published November 1991.
•HAYDEN, for inclusion on a disk to accompany a book called "Cool Mac Sounds" by Craig O'Donnell.
•MacClubBenelux.
And I personally provided the Boston Computer Society and BMUG with the then current version of the Package at MacWorld Boston '89 & '91.
•••Please bear in mind••• that all of the above distributors received my permission for free and that none is actually charging you extra for SMP.
So, unless you send the registration fee directly to me, I will not earn a single penny, no matter how much it cost you to come into possession of my software.
If you keep and/or use any of the programs that comprise the SMP for longer than a fair trial period of a couple of weeks, I expect you to pay for the entire Package.
If, on the other hand, you decide you don't like or need these programs, then simply trash them and you'll owe me nothing.
Paying for the SMP is very simple: print out the registration form that follows the Help screens in Sound Mover (or the last page of this document), slip it in an envelope with your payment and send it AIR MAIL to:
Riccardo Ettore
67 rue de la limite
1970 W-Oppem, BELGIUM
If you do not have access to a printer, just jot down your name and mailing address on a piece of paper and send it along with your cheque, VISA/MC/AE number and exp. date or cash. Personal cheques in US$ are no problem for me to cash. Please do not send US or Canadian Postal Money Orders: they can ONLY be cashed in the US or Canada! I have had no problems with International Postal Money Orders. Also good are American Express Money Orders.
If you pay by Eurocheque, please convert the dollar amount to Belgian Francs (e.g. $25 = 760 BF at current exchange rates).
Why should you send in the registration fee?
Legally and morally speaking, of course, you have no choice: the programs constituting the SMP are my intellectual property and you are not at liberty to use them after the trial period unless you pay me.
***Paying for shareware is not an act of charity : it's a business transaction.***
Pragmatically speaking, I'll acknowledge your payment by sending you a printed, more detailed, illustrated manual (including a short C source code example for playing 'snd ' resources from your own programs) and TWO 800K disks (or one HD if your Mac can take it). The disks always carry the very latest revision of the programs (i.e. fewer bugs/more features) and tons of my favourite digitized sounds (ranging from light-hearted insults to various kinds of laughter to animal sounds and more). They also include copies of other shareware/freeware programs written by me and/or other authors (by permission).
Naturally, registering for one version of the Package entitles you to use and keep all subsequent upgrades that come your way (via any of the distribution channels that brought this version to you).
Also, you'll be notified by postcard whenever I release a major upgrade, in case you wish to order it directly from me (for a nominal handling charge) rather than wait for it to make its way to you in the same way this version did.
But most important of all, I'll consider your payment as the most sincere form of flattery and I will be encouraged to improve this Package (as I have indeed done since its first release back in 1987) and write more programs for you to try before you buy.
So, if you think my programs are useful or entertaining, you owe it to yourself to pay for them.
How do you use the programs in the package?
Although you should find them fairly simple to use if you're familiar with the Mac, here is a short description of each of the programs. Please note that the printed manual I'll send you on receiving your registration fee is much more detailed than these few lines.
The SndControl cdev is described in its own separate document.
Sound Mover
Introduction
As a Macintosh user, you are very likely to be familiar with the concept of moving Fonts and Desk Accessories into and out of the System file or indeed any other document or program file, to make them available as required by your application(s).
Sound Mover lets you do exactly the same to sounds and what's more, it will automatically perform certain conversions between several different (and incompatible) formats.
Initially, Sound Mover was designed to deal exclusively with the resources of type 'snd ' that appeared with the introduction of the Mac II and System 4.1.
These sound resources come in two flavours: format 1 and (how did you guess?!) format 2.
Originally, only format 1 snd's could be used as a replacement for the beep sound, while format 2 snd's were only playable in HyperCard.
Nowadays, the Control Panel Sound cdev that comes with System 6.0 (or 7.0) will accept to play either type, but HyperCard still insists on being given format 2 snd's to play.
Sound Mover will automatically convert an 'snd ' to format 2 when you copy it to a HyperCard stack and viceversa.
Prior to Apple's introduction of the 'snd ' resource, sounds were usually distributed in what was known as the SoundCap or MacNifty format (in reference to the first software and hardware combo that allowed Mac users to digitize sounds way back in '86).
In this format, the bytes of data that make up the sound are stored in the data rather than the resource fork of a file (of type FSSD). This is now more often referred to as the SoundMaster format, because of the "other" popular control panel for assigning sounds to actions (don't forget to pay a separate shareware fee to Bruce Tomlin, if you prefer to use his cdev instead of my own SndControl).
Earlier versions of the Sound Manager Package contained a separate program (Sound->snd) to convert a sound from data to resource format.
From version 1.40 (released Nov '88), Sound Mover includes this feature and even adds a conversion in the opposite direction, that is, from 'snd ' to SoundMaster format. (See printed manual for details on creating data files that will launch SoundCap, SoundWave or SoundEdit when double clicked.)
Also prior to the birth of 'snd ', programmers wishing to include digitized sounds as resources in their applications, created a large number of different and incompatible resource types to contain the sound samples.
SoundMover knows about a number of these fileType/resourceType combinations and will let you open them and extract the sounds they contain.
- Jam Session/Studio Session instrument files (DEWF fdType, sound in data fork)
- SoundCap/SoundWave/SoundEdit files (FSSD fdType, sound in data fork)
- MacKeyboard files (WAVE fdType, sound in data fork)
- America Online database files (AOdb fdType, 'snd ' resourceType).
From version 1.61 (released April 2, 1990), Sound Mover will also let you open any file at all and work with any resource type you think may contain sound samples. This very powerful feature is discussed and illustrated in detail in the printed manual, but you should be able to make use of it with a little experimentation. To invoke it, press the option key as you click on one of the Open… buttons in Sound Mover: instead of seeing a list of just those files that are known to contain sounds, you see all the files on your disk. It will then be up to you to explore the ones you suspect to contain sound waves.
How do you use Sound Mover?
Almost exactly as you would use F/DA Mover from Apple. The major difference is that you must hold down the shift key when you want to select a group of sounds and press the command key to make multiple but disjointed selections.
Of course, just as F/DA Mover gives you a sample of the font at the bottom of the screen, so Sound Mover shows you the waveform of the sound and (provided your volume is not set to zero) plays it for you.
Unlike F/DA Mover, Sound Mover will also let you edit the sound waveform, though admittedly not with all the sophistication of a dedicated editor such as Farallon's excellent (but a lot dearer) SoundEdit.
Here are a few functions that are specific to Sound Mover :
• Changing the volume is a simple matter of using the tiny scroll bar under the loudspeaker icon, which corresponds initially to whatever volume was set with the Control Panel. On leaving Sound Mover, you'll find that the sound level was restored to its previous setting.
Clicking on the icon will cause the sound in memory to be played, unless the volume is set to Silent.
When transferring a lot of sounds, you may want to set the volume to Silent to avoid having to listen to each sound you select (and to wait for the time each takes to complete).
****New since version 1.70:
If multiple sounds are selected in a list, clicking on the loudspeaker icon will play each one in turn. To stop playing, press and hold the mouse button down until the currently playing sound is over.
• Clicking and dragging on the waveform will highlight a section of the sound which you can then play by pressing any key (or clicking on the loudspeaker icon).
• To copy only the highlighted portion of the sound to another file, simply hold down the option key as you click the Copy button. A dialog will appear to allow you to change the name of the sound (if you wish) and to show you the length of the new sound.
• If you keep the option key pressed as you click Open, you'll be able to copy sounds into or out of any document or application. If you don't press option, you'll only be able to open those files that are recognized by Sound Mover (see printed manual for more details).
• Just above the information on the size of the sound in the middle of the screen, you'll see an indication of the type of sound you have selected. Format 1 snd's can be used as beeps but cannot be played by HyperCard. However, when copying sounds from one side to the other, Sound Mover is smart enough to detect if the destination file is a stack or HyperCard itself and if so, it will automatically convert format 1 snd's to format 2. Viceversa, when copying sounds out of a stack and into a file created with Sound Mover (or indeed into any other file that is not a stack) they will be converted back to format 1.
• Just under the volume control icon you'll see an indication of the original sampling rate: 22K effectively means that the sound takes up 22Kbytes of memory per second, 5K sounds are of lower quality, but will save you a lot of disk space!
11K appears to be the best compromise between quality and size.
• If you hold down the Command and Option keys as you click Copy, the sound will be cut in half as it gets copied to the other side (by removing every other byte). This is extremely useful to save disk space and very often I cannot hear any difference between a sound taking say 60,000 bytes at 22K and the same sound after chopping it down to 30,000 bytes and playing it at 11K.
I found a lot of HyperCard stacks where sounds are needlessly sampled at 22K. After downsampling with Sound Mover, the stack can sometimes be cut by as much as 50% with no audible loss of sound quality, a considerable saving of disk space and quicker loading of the sound(s) into memory at playback time.
NB This feature only works when copying one sound at a time. Clicking Copy when pressing Option and Command will only result in a beep and no copying will occur. (This fixes a bug reported by M.Hercus and is the only difference in 1.71 vs 1.70.)
• If you hold down the Option key as you click Close, a standard Save dialog will come up allowing you to create a text file containing a sorted list of all the sounds contained in the file you are closing. The creator of this file will default to 'ttxt', thus allowing you to launch TeachText by double clicking it. If you know how to use ResEdit, you can modify Sound Mover's resource FTYP, ID 1 to create a file that will launch your favourite word processor (e.g. MSWD for Microsoft Word). The printed manual illustrates how to do this with FTYP, ID 0 to change the default creator of sound data files (FSSD file type).
The list also includes the size in bytes of each sound, separated by a TAB.
• A detailed description of the editing functions is beyond the scope of this document, but you should be able to use them if you're familiar with the standard way cut and paste works on the Mac.
IBeep2 (use it only if you are running a system older than 6.0.4, otherwise use SndControl)
Introduction
IBeep2 (pronounced I beep too) is a small program (technically called a CDEV) that performs a function similar to that of the Sound file found on System 4.1 and later, i.e. it lets you pick an alternative to the standard sound of the Macintosh beep. The difference is that while Sound originally only worked on a Mac II, IBeep2 was designed to work for 'the rest of us' Plus and SE users even when running under System 4.1.
Also, from version 2.3, IBeep2 is compatible with System 6.0 and will let you pick a sound to be played when a disk is ejected, another one to be uttered at shutdown time and yet a different one for restart.
How do you use it?
In order to use IBeep2, you must place it in the System Folder of your startup disk and restart the Mac. The next time you open the Control Panel you'll find its icon along with those of any other installed CDEVs.
Clicking on this new icon will display a list of any resources of type 'snd ' in your system file (such as Monkey or Boing). The list will also include any sounds you add to a file called "snd" (i.e. the three lower case letters s,n and d) which must be in the system folder. Use Sound Mover to create this file and fill it with the desired sound(s). This feature means you can keep your system file lean and mean, yet still have access to a large number of beep sounds, even if you don't use a program like Suitcase™, Font/DA Juggler™ or equivalent. (In fact, for IBeep2 to function properly, the "snd" suitcase file must NOT be opened with Suitcase™ or Font/DA Juggler™.)
To attach a sound to one of the actions supported, you first click on the radio button corresponding to the action (say, Disk Eject), then choose a sound from the list and finally set the volume to the desired level. This allows you to have a sound played very loud when a disk is ejected, yet have a very soft sound when the Mac beeps or is restarted.
Notice, though, that whenever you set the beep sound to zero, then no action will produce a sound. Think of it as a master switch to silence your Mac completely.
If at any time you don't wish to hear the sound associated with an action, press the option key and it won't play, even if its volume is set louder than zero.
StartupSndInit
Introduction
This little critter is a file of type INIT which will automatically be executed at startup if you place it in your System Folder.
What it does is first of all look at the volume setting: if it's zero, it does nothing at all. Otherwise, it looks inside itself for resources of type 'snd ' and plays them.
How do you use it?
Fill it with the sound(s) you want played at startup using Sound Mover.
Place it in your System Folder, make sure the sound level is at least 1 and reboot.
NOTE: If you ever have to restart the Macintosh in front of your boss, or in the middle of the night while your children are asleep, and don't want the startup sound(s) to be played, make sure the caps-lock key is down while restarting.
StartupSndInit's function is also incorporated in the SndControl CDEV.
• Where can you get more sounds?
If you are interested in copies of the sounds in my own ever growing collection, I've calculated an amount that is designed to cover the cost of disk(s), padded envelope, air mail postage, the wear and tear on my Mac and its disk drives and the pocket money my children demand for helping me out (ah, these greedy teen-agers!).
It's US$8 (hoping the dollar doesn't lose any more ground to the BF) for the first two disks (minimum), plus $3 per extra disk stuffed in the same envelope.
A "twelve-pack" will set you back US$36 (AIR MAIL included).
If, and only if, you agree with my judgement that my charging this amount does not constitute a for-profit deal and does not rob the utterers of the sounds of a potential source of income, then do tell me which titles you are interested in and I'll make copies for you. Lack of time prevents me from making partial copies and mixing the contents of the disks, so I'm afraid you're stuck with the way I've decided to organize them.
I currently have 26 full or nearly full 800K disks. The sounds are almost always sampled at 11K, which is the rate I consider to offer the best value/kilobyte of disk space. Admittedly, they would sound much nicer and crisper at 22K, but I'd personally rather have a greater variety (for random play with SndControl) than I could afford if they were taking up twice the disk space.
I haven't had time to draw up a detailed list of individual sounds, but here's an idea of what's available:
1-DarthVader Phrases
2-Monty Python 1
3-FawltyTowers Part 1
4-FawltyTowers Part 2
5-FawltyTowers Part 3
6-FawltyTowers Part 4
7-FawltyTowers Part 5
8-HolyGrail Part 1
9-HolyGrail Part 2
10-Beverly Hills Cop
11-Animal sounds/Stakeout (Phrases from the film. No connection between the two files.)
12-Screams/Beatles (no, there is no connection either)
13-Misc Phrases/Star Trek Phrases
14-HAL & SAL (from 2001 and 2010)
15-Life of Brian/Marylin Monroe
16-IdleTalk Sounds ("don't pick your nose", yawn, snore, "type something,will you, we're paying for this", etc.)
17-Clockwise (phrases from the film)
18-Back to the Future
19-A Fish Called Wanda-1
20-A Fish Called Wanda-2
21-A Fish Called Wanda-3
22-Monty Python 2
23-Assorted Laughter
24-Indiana Jones/DarthVader II
25-FawltyTowers Part 6/Manuel(from FT)/Robin Williams/Hitchhiker's Guide...
26-Goodbyes/Back to the future II/Car Crash
Be advised that not all the sounds necessarily make sense as beeps or to accompany specific events with SndControl. Some are simply fun to listen to but would make no sense in association with a Mac action. Most though are quite funny and to the point and some verge on the delirious, like the mad doctor from Back to the future saying "Erased from existence" when you empty the trash can or Basil Fawlty inviting you to "go off and enjoy yourself, don't you worry about me, you go and have a good time, I'll be alright" when you shutdown your Mac.
I suppose you also know by now that unless you have a hard disk with plenty of room to spare you're better off not collecting too many long sounds.
Anyway, if you want copies of any of the above disks, you now know what to do.
As a final note, I'd like to make it absolutely clear that I do not claim any copyright on these sounds and that you are free to give them away, upload them entirely or partially to BBS's and information services, feed them to your pets for lunch or whatever else you can think of. And if you happen to be or to represent the copyright owner of any of them and object to my offering to share your sounds in this fashion, please let me know and I'll immediately remove the offending items from the list.
When you first register, I can send you IdleTalk for an extra $3 and one more disk of your choice (please specify what number) for a further $2 (the lower prices are justified by my having to handle your envelope and put a minimum amount of stamps on it anyway).
Also read the attached text file for the addresses of several other sources of PD/Commercial sounds.
Conclusion
This concludes the description of the SMP. I hope you enjoy using any or all of the programs in the package as much as I enjoyed creating them. If you do, please take the time to send your registration fee, preferably using the form that prints out when you select Register Now from the third help screen in Sound Mover or the one at the end of this document.
Naturally, if you prefer simply jotting down your address on a scrap of paper attached to your payment that's also fine by me.
Remember: paying is your way of telling me to keep writing software for the Mac and make it available for you to try before you buy.
These programs have been tested by members of the European Communities Computer Club in Brussels and hundreds of users around the world have reported satisfaction with them.
However, one can never be sure that all bugs have been ironed out so the usual CAUTION is recommended when you use any of the programs in the Sound Manager Package in your own environment.
I ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY for any loss of data or for any aggravation due to the use of the SMP.
I am however always interested in receiving well documented bug reports that may allow me to improve the quality of my programs.
PS Feel free to write to me in any of the following languages:
Air Mail this form to: Riccardo Ettore, 67 rue de la limite, 1970 W-Oppem, Belgium
(make cheques and Money Orders payable to Riccardo Ettore)
Sound Manager Package Registration Form
_ I wish to keep your sound programs and become a licensed user, so here's US$20
_ I also wish to receive the printed manual and latest version of the Package on two 800K disks filled with lots of sounds and other shareware/freeware programs, so here's an extra $5 (= $25 in total)
_ While you're at it, please send me the "IdleTalk" collection of sounds for an extra $3, so here's $28
_ I also wish to receive disk number __ from your collection of sounds, so here's a grand total of $30
_ I'm enclosing a cheque/Amexco Money Order/InternationalPostalOrder/cash
(European users, please convert the amount to Belgian Francs when paying by Eurocheque)
_ Charge the amount to my VISA/MasterCard/AmericanExpress
