Current Shareware 1994 January/SHAR194.ISO/sounds/bmstr59.zip/BMASTER.DOC

Text File | 1993-11-04 | 35KB | 711 lines

                     BLASTER Master v5.9
            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" .

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

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.
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.

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.


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, OCTAVIA  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!

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.

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.

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

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

OCTAVIA:
  Mixes  in  a  second  waveform one octave above  or  below  the  current
  waveform.

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.

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.
     >VOLUME  MIXER  -- Sound Blaster Pro and SB16 users  will  be
      able to set their mixer controls using this option.

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.

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


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.

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.

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.

> "The Ultimate Sound Blaster Book" by Martin L. Moore
  (Que, 1993)
  A  shareware copy of BLASTER Master is included with this book along with
  other   interesting  programs.  The  information  about   FM   music   is
  particularly good.

> "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.

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]      Hacker Box      (49) 2153-800252
  Blue Flame        [phone]      Rusty & Eddy's  [phone]
  User-to-User      [phone]      GEnie           MIDI
  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 three 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.
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:
     Pro Soft            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
BLASTER Master Copyright (C) 1990-1993 by Gary Maddox, all rights reserved