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1991-08-10
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Audio Master - Version 1.0
Copyright (C) 1991 by Valueware!
All Rights Reserved.
August 10, 1991
Table of Contents
1.0 Why Use Audio Master 1.0? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Audio Master 1.0 - Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 A Word About the Distribution Method . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 Copyright Notice, Disclaimer, Trademark
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.0 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1 System Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 Cursor Control Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.0 Using Audio Master 1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1 Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 List Titles by Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2.1 Enter a Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2.2 Enter Song Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.3 Changing a Record - Titles/Songs . . . . . 11
3.2.4 Deleting a Record - Titles/Songs . . . . . 12
3.2.5 Table Listings - "Find:" . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2.6 Table Listings - Entering a New Record . . 12
3.2.7 Data Entry - How To Get a Table Listing . . 13
3.2.8 Print Cassette Labels . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2.9 Copying An Album From One Media Type To
Another . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2.10 Other Entry Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.3 List Titles by Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.4 Find by Song Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.5 Print Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.6 System Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.6.1 Change Default Colors . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.6.2 Set Printer Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.6.3 Set Label Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.0 Other Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1 Cassette Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.2 Command Line Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.3 Memory Saving Option With Audio Master . . . . . . . 19
Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Appendix B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Appendix C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
i
1.0 Why Use Audio Master 1.0?
If you're anything like me, your music collection is probably getting
out of control with lots of CD's, LP's, tapes - even VHS Hi-Fi. My
own lack of organization has been the cause of a number problems:
1) Suppose someone asks what you'd like for Christmas or for
your birthday. You say, "Well...how about a new CD?" (or
record? or tape?) They say, "Great! What have you
already got?" You answer, "Ah, I don't know, just get me
some jazz..." Then, when the gift arrives, it turns out
to be a duplicate. The problem is that there is no easy
way to give them a list of the titles already in my
collection.
2) After I've gotten a new CD, I often tape it so I can
listen to it in the car. But about half of the time after
I tape it, it sits with all the other tapes...but
unlabelled because I never get around to doing it. Or I
do label it, but it soon becomes unreadable after being
handled for a while.
3) A friend buys a new CD which he loans to you to tape.
You'd like to keep a list of all the songs, but there's
just not enough room on the cassette case to write them
all down.
4) You'd like to create a tape of your favorite songs from a
number of different CD's. Because you can't write small
enough to get all the songs on the cassette case, you're
limited to calling it "Various..." which is not very
helpful when trying to identify what is on the tape six
months later.
5) You're looking for a specific song - maybe you're not even
sure who the artist is. But without some kind of
cataloging system, your only choice is to sift through
your entire collection one by one in order to find the
song you are looking for.
After living with this for long enough, I decided to write a
cataloging program which solves these problems. But I didn't want to
make it so that it would only work with my current music media, then
be obsolete if I added DAT or VHS Hi-Fi. I also didn't want to
require entering song titles if all I really needed was album titles.
After much experimentation to make the program powerful, practical and
flexible enough to use productively, "Audio Master" was born. I
believe it to be truly unique because it's a program which will
simplify keeping track of your music collection while being flexible
enough to be used in the way that's best for you.
1
1.1 Audio Master 1.0 - Features
Unlimited number of entries. (Actually, over 2.1 billion
titles).
Print Cassette Labels. Labels of album titles can be printed
with or without song titles. The labels are sized by default
to fit on the cassette box but they can be defined to any size
to meet your needs.
User-defined Music Categories. You can create your own music
categories to classify your music any way you need.
User-defined Media Type. You can create your own media types.
"Audio Master" won't become obsolete when a new media type is
developed.
Song Titles. "Audio Master" is designed so that not only can
album titles be entered, but also song titles. However, if you
don't need to keep track of song titles, they do not need to be
entered. The file system is designed to be flexible enough to
be able to handle any number of song titles for any specific
album (or tape, CD, etc.).
VHS Tapes. "Audio Master" is flexible enough to act as a
catalog system for your VHS tapes also.
Flexible Reports. Complete reporting system can print to a
printer, screen or file.
Windows-like Interface. Multiple windows open and overlay each
other as different functions are called - it's quick and easy
to use. You don't need to go up and down through endless menu
structures to accomplish what you want.
Color or Monochrome. This is especially useful for operation
on a laptop.
Automatic File Caching. Extra DOS memory is dynamically
utilized by caching the files and their indexes to speed
performance.
Memory Status. The amount of available memory is shown on most
screens at the bottom right corner. This is extremely useful
when setting the memory required in multitasking systems such
as Windows 3.0 or DesqView.
On-line Help. You'll always know exactly what options are
available simply by pressing "F1".
2
1.2 A Word About the Distribution Method
We at Valueware! are great believers in the shareware distribution
channel. But we are also realists. Therefore, the shareware version
of "Audio Master" will not allow adding more than 25 titles. Other
than this one limitation, the system is completely operational. This
many records should be enough for you to evaluate "Audio Master,"
determine that it's a great program to manage your music collection
and make a purchase decision.
But, instead of you sending us the license fee and then we copy and
send disks through the mail, we think we've got a better and easier
way. Since you have most likely downloaded "Audio Master" from some
type of BBS, you must have a modem and are comfortable with the
process of downloading software. So we'll take advantage of that. To
receive the fully-operational version of "Audio Master," just follow
these simple instructions:
1) Complete the Registration Form (Appendix A).
2) Send the completed registration form along with a check or
money order for $19.95 (plus $1.40 sales tax for Ohio
residents only) to:
Valueware! Inc.
651 Grayton Rd.
Berea, OH 44017
3) Allow one (1) week, then call the Valueware! BBS on:
(216) 234-9643 (300, 1200, 2400 baud)
4) Sign on to the BBS using the EXACT name and password you
used on the registration form and follow the special
instructions to download the latest, fully-operational
version of "Audio Master."
If for any reason you have not downloaded the fully-operational
version after four (4) weeks from our receiving the registration form
and license fee, the money will be returned and/or check destroyed.
By using this distribution procedure, we can minimize the
administrative process, cut down on the hazards of mailing disks and
save you the postage costs. If you do need diskettes sent, see the
registration form (Appendix A).
You are encouraged to distribute the shareware version of "Audio
Master." All we ask is that it be done by using the ORIGINAL file,
"AUDMSTR1.ZIP".
The Valueware! BBS always has the latest shareware version of "Audio
Master" available for downloading to each caller. Any special
announcements will be posted on the BBS. In addition, all other
Valueware! software products can be downloaded for evaluation. You
are welcome to call the BBS anytime.
3
1.3 Copyright Notice, Disclaimer, Trademark Acknowledgements
"Audio Master" is copyrighted by Valueware! Inc. It is distributed
exclusively by using the shareware concept. If you find "Audio
Master" of value, please register it.
Although "Audio Master" has been thoroughly tested, this software has
no warranty, either expressed or implied. The use of this software is
at the user's own risk. Valueware! Inc. shall in no way be
responsible for any special, incidental, consequential or other
damages resulting from the use and/or misuse of this software. Every
effort has been made to test this software and its documentation for
possible errors, but no guarantee to that effect is made.
DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems.
IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Quicken is a trademark of Intuit Corporation.
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
4
2.0 System Requirements
"Audio Master" is designed to run on an IBM PC or compatible computer.
It requires a floppy drive with at least 475k free to hold the program
and data files, although a hard disk is recommended. It has run
successfully with over 400 titles with as little as 400k of free
memory (determined using CHKDSK). Time-sensitive routines have been
optimized such that performance on an original 4.77 mhz PC is quite
acceptable.
Important! Because "Audio Master" opens a number of files during
operation, make sure your CONFIG.SYS file contains the following:
FILES = 25 <--- Must be at least 25. If you get a
"too many files" error when the
program first loads, make the number
of files greater than 25.
BUFFERS = 20 <--- Optional; if you don't use a disk
cache, this will speed performance
significantly (see your DOS manual).
"Audio Master" has been tested and runs successfully under DESQview
and Windows (including version 3.0).
2.1 System Organization
Because "Audio Master" was designed expressly to be practical and easy
to use, there are a minimum number of menus required to access all of
its functions. Basically, the system is set up with one main menu
from which almost everything is accomplished - in fact, there are only
two sub-menus (one for reports and one for utilities).
Generally, "Audio Master" works like this:
a) Pick an option from the main menu by highlighting it using
the arrow keys and pressing "Enter".
b) Anytime you need to choose something (such as an artist,
category, media, etc.) a table listing will be presented
from which to choose, again, by highlighting it using the
arrow keys.
c) When a table listing is shown, records can be edited by
pressing the "Enter" key, added by pressing the "Insert"
key or deleted by pressing the "Delete" key. The system
will automatically not allow some kinds of deletions to
insure data integrity.
d) Default values are used whenever possible to speed data
entry.
e) On-line help is always available just by pressing "F1".
5
2.2 Cursor Control Keys
When entering data into "Audio Master," the following control keys are
used in entry fields:
Left Arrow Moves the cursor left.
Right Arrow Moves the cursor right.
Home Moves the cursor to the first space in the
entry.
End Moves the cursor to the space after the
last character.
Ins Toggles between overwrite and insert modes.
Del Deletes the character at the cursor and
pulls left.
Ctrl-Home Erases the entire entry field.
Ctrl-End Erases from the cursor to the end of the
field.
Backspace Deletes the character to the left of the
cursor and moves the cursor left one space.
6
3.0 Using Audio Master 1.0
To begin using "Audio Master," copy all the files into one directory
(for example, \AUD) and type:
AUDMSTR <--- Press "Enter"
"Audio Master" will automatically create and/or open all necessary
files, even recreating index files if required. You will then be
presented with the main menu.
3.1 Main Menu
===============================================
| Audio Master 1.0 - (C) 1991 by Valueware! |
| 8/10/91 230.6k |
|===============================================|
| |
| |
| List Titles by Title |
| |
| List Titles by Artist |
| |
| Find by Song Title |
| |
| Print Reports |
| |
| System Utilities |
| |
| Quit |
| |
| |
| |
=================[ F1 - Help ]=================
The menu items will be explained in a moment. However, before doing
anything else, the first thing you should do is press "F1" for help.
Notice that the help screen overlays the main menu. This is the way
all the windows work throughout the system. After reading the help
screen, press "Enter" to return to the main menu. (Note: the term
"album" is used throughout this manual. It refers not only to LP's
but also tapes, CD's, and etc.)
An explanation of what each of the menu items does follows:
List Titles by Title. This is one of two options you will use
most often. From here you can:
a) View all album titles in alphabetical order by album
titles.
b) Enter/change/delete album titles.
c) Enter/change/delete song titles for that album.
d) Enter/change/delete artists.
e) Enter/change/delete categories.
f) Enter/change/delete media types.
g) Print labels without song titles.
7
h) Print labels with song titles.
i) Copy an album from one media type to another.
List Titles by Artist. This is the other option you will use
most often. It is the same as the previous one except that the
listing of album titles is in alphabetical order by artist.
From here you can:
a) View all album titles in alphabetical order by
artist.
b) Enter/change/delete album titles.
c) Enter/change/delete song titles for that album.
d) Enter/change/delete artists.
e) Enter/change/delete categories.
f) Enter/change/delete media types.
g) Print labels without song titles.
h) Print labels with song titles.
i) Copy an album from one media type to another.
Find by Song Title. This allows you to locate which album(s)
any song title is on.
Print Reports. This is where all reports are printed. Album
titles, artist, etc. are printed for each report. They are:
a) Print by Category.
b) Print by Media.
c) Print One Category.
d) Print One Media.
e) Print Cassettes Only.
System Utilities. This is where the system utilities are.
From here you can:
a) Change Default Colors: color or monochrome.
b) Set Printer Codes: set for your printer.
c) Set Label Spacing: set for any size label.
Quit. This will return you to the operating system.
3.2 List Titles by Title
The best way to learn how to use "Audio Master" is by using it. The
next sections will be explained in a tutorial format. Start by
selecting "List Titles by Title" from the main menu. You can select a
menu item either by using the arrow keys to highlight the item or by
pressing the first letter of the item you wish to select. Press
"Enter". You will be presented with a listing of album titles and
artists listed alphabetically by title. As a sample, five albums have
been entered for you. The cursor will be at a prompt which says
"Find:" - this feature will be explained in Section 3.2.5. Press "F1"
to view the various options available.
8
3.2.1 Enter a Title
As shown on the "Help" screen, to add a new title, press "Insert".
Return from "Help" and do it. The following screen is presented:
=========================================================
| Titles |
|=========================================================|
| |
| Record will be Added |
| |
| Title: |
| Artist: |
| |
| Category: Media: |
| |
| Noise Reduction: None B C Dbx HxPro |
| |
| Length: : : Source Media: |
| |
| Copyright Date: 0 Reference Number: |
| |
| Comments: |
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------|
| [ F1 - Help ] |
================================================= 217.3k |
Notice the message, "Record will be Added". On all file entry
screens, there will be a message telling you whether you are adding,
changing or deleting a record.
Enter the information for a fictitious CD as follows:
Title: <--- Album title (required field). Enter "Cuts
Both Ways."
Artist: <--- Artist name. A separate file is maintained
for the artists. Press "Enter". A table
listing of all artists in the system will
appear. Press "F1" for help to see what
the options are. There is a lot you can do
from here, but that will be explained
later. For now, select "Gloria Estefan" by
highlighting it and pressing "Enter".
Category: <--- A separate file is maintained for
categories. Press "Enter". A table
listing of all categories in the system
will appear. Highlight "Rock" and press
"Enter".
Media: <--- A separate file is maintained for media
type. Press "Enter". A table listing of
all media types in the system will appear.
Highlight "CD" and press "Enter".
9
Noise Reduction: <--- This is a menu field which identifies
what type (if any) noise reduction is
used. As this is a CD, select "None".
Length: <--- This is the total length of the album and
is formatted hh:mm:ss. Enter "49:07."
Source Media: <--- If you had been entering a tape, this field
would identify the source media. As this
is a CD, it appears here automatically.
Copyright Date: <--- Copyright date. Enter "1989".
Reference Number: <--- This field is used as a reference
number if you number your tapes. It
is also useful to use when a cassette
contains more than one album. Giving
each album title on the cassette the
same reference number will cause them
to list together in the report for
cassettes only. As this is a CD,
leave it blank.
Comments: <--- This field provides room for any other
information which you may need.
Pressing "Enter" to complete the last field will automatically save
the record, close the entry screen and the table listing will now be
active. The new title just entered will be highlighted.
That's it! That's all it takes to enter an album. It's easy because
"Audio Master" makes the best use of defaults and lookup files to help
you throughout the process. But to really see the ease, power and
flexibility of "Audio Master," let's continue.
3.2.2 Enter Song Titles
At the bottom of the screen, note that you can list/add song titles by
pressing "F2". Highlight "Cuts Both Ways" (if it is not already) and
press "F2". An empty table listing appears briefly, followed by the
following entry screen:
10
=========================================================
| Title: Cuts Both Ways |
| Artist: Gloria Estefan |
| Category: Rock |
| Media: CD |
|=========================================================|
| |
| Record will be Added |
| |
| Cut No: 1 |
| |
| Song Title: |
| Author: |
| Length: 00:00 |
| Counter: 0 |
| |
======================[ F1 - Help ]============== 214.9k |
The cursor will be highlighting the "Cut No:" field. Enter the
information as follows:
Cut No: <--- This is the cut number of the song. It is
automatically incremented, so you normally
can accept the default number.
Song Title: <--- Enter the song title, "Ay, Ay, I." (This
is a required field).
Author: <--- Optionally enter the author.
Length: <--- Optionally enter the length of the song.
This field is totalled on the table listing
of songs so that you can get the total
length of the album by entering the length
of each song cut. Enter "3:47."
Counter: <--- Optionally enter the counter. This is most
likely used for tapes (including VHS).
Upon pressing "Enter", the entry screen will close and the newly
entered song will be added to the table listing. Notice that the
"Total Length" field now is "0:03:47." Press "Insert" again to add
another cut as follows:
Cut No: <--- Accept the default "2."
Song Title: <--- Enter "Here We Are."
Author: <--- Leave blank.
Length: <--- Enter "4:50."
Counter: <--- Leave blank.
11
After pressing "Enter" on the last field, the new song will be added
to the table listing and the "Total Length" field now reads "0:08:37."
Press "ESC" to return to the listing of albums by title.
3.2.3 Changing a Record - Titles/Songs
Press "F1" for help. As you can see on the help screen, if you press
"Enter", you can edit the highlighted record. Return from help,
highlight "Cuts Both Ways" and press "Enter". Notice the message says
"Record will be Changed". Add the comment "Only 2 cuts entered." You
could press "Enter" a couple of times to save the changes or just
press "Ctrl-Enter" to save a few keystrokes. Once completed, you will
be back at the table listing of titles. While still highlighting the
same title, press "Enter" to change the record again. This time,
notice at the bottom of the screen that you can also add song titles
while changing the album information. Do it by pressing "F2". The
table listing of song titles is presented. Similarly, you can edit
the song title by highlighting the song you want to change and
pressing "Enter". Highlight the first song, press "Enter" and add
"Gloria Estefan" as the author. Once back to the table listing of
songs, press "ESC" once to return to editing the album information.
Press "ESC" again to return to the listing by title.
3.2.4 Deleting a Record - Titles/Songs
To delete a title, just highlight it and press "Delete". The entry
screen will be presented with the message "Press Enter to Delete." To
leave without deleting the record, press "ESC". When deleting album
titles, all the associated songs are also deleted automatically.
Songs can be individually deleted by pressing "F2" to get the table
listing of songs, highlighting the desired cut and pressing "Delete".
Once an entry has been deleted it cannot be recovered, so be careful.
Delete "Cuts Both Ways."
3.2.5 Table Listings - "Find:"
The highlighted bar should be on the first record of the table listing
("Fore") with the cursor flashing after "Find by Title:". Now type an
"h" at the "Find by Title:" prompt. Notice how the highlighted bar
automatically jumps to "Hot Space," the first title beginning with the
letter "h". Now type "z". The bar drops down to "Roll With It"
because there are no titles which begin with "hz". Now, backspace
(with the backspace key, not the left arrow) to erase the "z". The
bar jumps back to "Hot Space." Using this technique, you can find the
right title very quickly, even if the title file has hundreds of
entries in it. This same "Find:" technique applies to all table
listings in "Audio Master."
Press "Insert" to enter a new album title. Enter "The Best of the
Doors" as the title. The prompt should be on the Artist field. Now,
type a "g", then press "Enter". The table listing of all the artists
is presented with the highlighted bar already on "Gloria Estefan."
You can also accomplish "finding" the artist by entering a few letters
in the Artist field on the title entry screen. Note, that if you
enter an artist on the title entry screen which is not in the artist
file, the cursor will move to the artist which has "close" to the same
12
spelling. It will not automatically enter the new artist to the file.
Therefore, if you want to enter a new artist, just press "Enter" at
the Artist prompt on the title entry screen and follow the
instructions in Section 3.2.6 - otherwise, you will have to type the
name in again.
3.2.6 Table Listings - Entering a New Record
You should still be at the table listing of artists. Press "F1" for
help. Once again, the "Enter" and "Insert" keys operate as above.
Return from help and press "Insert" to enter the new artist ("Doors").
When completed, press "Enter" and the new artist will be added and
highlighted on the table listing. Press "Enter" again and it will be
automatically entered into the title entry screen.
Using the same technique used above with the artist field, enter a new
category ("Hard Rock") and input it into the title entry screen.
Complete the rest of the entry screen. Upon pressing "Enter" the new
title will be entered in the table listing in alphabetical order and
highlighted.
3.2.7 Data Entry - How To Get a Table Listing
Press "Enter" to edit the album just entered ("The Best of the
Doors"). As you begin editing the fields as required, note that when
the artist, category, media and source media fields have been entered
with values that exist in their respective files, no table listing is
presented. If you want the table listing to show, blank the field (or
delete at least enough of the entry to ensure that no match will be
found in the file) and press "Enter". The table listing will then
appear.
3.2.8 Print Cassette Labels
Press "ESC" until you return to the table listing of album titles.
Note that the bottom of the screen indicates that you can print
cassette labels by pressing "F3" for titles only or "F4" for titles
including songs. If you have a printer connected, highlight "Hot
Space" and press both "F3" and "F4". Note the formats. See Section
3.6.3 for further information regarding format and label spacing.
3.2.9 Copying An Album From One Media Type To Another
Press "F1" for help. As you can see, to copy titles/songs press "F5".
Return from "Help", highlight "Hot Space" and press "F5". You will be
prompted to press "Enter" to copy title or "ESC" to exit. Press
"Enter". A status screen will appear briefly, followed by the
familiar entry screen. Cursor down to enter the media you are copying
to - probably this will be a cassette. Edit any other field as
required (such as Noise Reduction), then press "Ctrl-Enter" when
completed. Another status screen will appear and then you will be
returned to the table listing with the new entry highlighted.
13
3.2.10 Other Entry Hints
"Audio Master" presents a table listing anytime you are being prompted
to enter a value for an artist, category, media and source media.
Pressing "Enter" will select the highlighted record and automatically
input it into the entry screen. If you want to edit the highlighted
record of a table listing, press "Ctrl-Enter". The appropriate entry
form will be presented.
To delete a record from a lookup file (artist, category, media or
source media), highlight the record and press "Delete". "Audio
Master" will search the title file to see if there are any entries
which refer to the highlighted record. If there are, the message,
"Cannot DELETE; Record In Use" will appear. "Audio Master" will not
allow such deletes in order to maintain data integrity. Press "ESC"
to continue.
Just think, you did all that from just one menu option! Let's
continue with the other options on the main menu. Return to the main
menu (if you are not already there) by pressing "ESC" one last time.
3.3 List Titles by Artist
This option behaves exactly as the previous menu item except that the
listing of titles is alphabetized by artist rather than by album
title.
3.4 Find by Song Title
From the main menu, select "Find by Song Title." You will be
presented with the following screen:
==========================================================
| Find by Song Title |
|==========================================================|
| |
| Song Title: |
| |
| Title: |
| Artist: |
| |
| Category: |
| Media: NR: |
| |
| Length: : : Copyright: 0 |
| |
|==========================================================|
| |
================================================== 227.1k |
Press "Enter". A table listing of all song titles from all albums is
presented in alphabetical order with the cursor at "Find:". Type "d".
The highlighted bar will jump to the first song title beginning with
the letter "d". Using the "Find:" technique as outlined in Section
3.2.5, any song title can be found very quickly. Press "Enter". The
screen shown above will be completed with the information about the
14
album from which the highlighted song is contained. To return to the
main menu, press "Enter". If you would like to repeat the search for
a song title, press "ESC". The cursor will jump to the "Song Title:"
prompt. The current entry can be quickly erased by pressing "Ctrl-
End". Search for another song. When completed, return to the main
menu.
3.5 Print Reports
From the main menu, select "Print Reports." A sub-menu will appear as
follows:
==========================================
| Report Menu |
|==========================================|
| |
| |
| Print By Category |
| |
| Print By Media |
| |
| Print One Category |
| |
| Print One Media |
| |
| Print Cassettes Only |
| |
| Return to Main Menu |
| |
| |
===============[ F1 - Help ]====== 227.3k |
A brief summary of each report follows:
a) All album titles printed by category, alphabetized by
title.
b) All album titles printed by media, alphabetized by title.
c) All album titles for a specific category, alphabetized by
title.
d) All album titles for a specific media, alphabetized by
title.
e) All album titles for cassettes, organized by reference
number.
For reports which require it, you will be prompted for the selection
criteria, using table listings.
After the selections are made, you are then prompted with "Printer,
Screen, File." If you select:
Printer <--- You will be prompted to press any key to begin
the report, "ESC" to abort printing. A status
15
screen will review printing progress. Press any
key (except "ESC") to pause the report; any key
to restart. Press "ESC" to abort the report
while printing. Press "Enter" when complete.
Screen <--- The screen will clear and the report will begin
listing to the screen. Upon filling each
screen, a prompt will appear: "Press any key to
continue; ESC to abort." When completed, the
prompt will change to "Press any key to
continue."
File <--- This will print your report to an ASCII file.
You will be prompted for a filename (including
optional pathname and extension). As a
precaution against overwriting any important
"Audio Master" data files, you cannot enter a
filename with the extension of ".DAT". If the
file already exists, you will be prompted
whether or not you would like to replace the
file. Once a filename is entered, you will be
prompted to press any key to begin the report,
"ESC" to abort printing. A status screen will
review progress. Press any key (except "ESC")
to pause the report; any key to restart. Press
"ESC" to abort the report while writing to the
file. Press "Enter" when complete.
3.6 System Utilities
From the main menu, select "System Utilities." You will be presented
with the following sub-menu:
====================================
| Utility Menu |
|====================================|
| |
| |
| Change Default Colors |
| |
| Set Printer Codes |
| |
| Set Label Spacing |
| |
| Return to Main Menu |
| |
| |
============[ F1 - Help ]=== 228.0k |
3.6.1 Change Default Colors
For color display, select Color. For monochrome display (especially
useful when using a laptop), select Monochrome. The new colors will
become effective immediately and will become the new default when
starting "Audio Master."
16
3.6.2 Set Printer Codes
"Audio Master" automatically sends certain codes to the printer when
printing labels to:
a) turn on/off compressed print
b) turn on/off bold print
c) print 6/8 lines per inch
Selecting this will present you with the following form:
======================================
| Set Printer Codes |
|======================================|
| |
| Record will be Changed |
| |
| Compress ON: |
| Compress OFF: |
| Bold ON: |
| Bold OFF: |
| LPI 6: |
| LPI 8: |
| |
=============[ F1 - Help ]============
The codes actually shown on the screen will be graphic representations
of the ASCII codes for each printer command.
===== NOTE ===== All codes MUST be entered by using the ASCII
equivalent - e.g. hold the Alt-key down while
entering the appropriate ASCII code on your numeric
keypad.
The following table shows the ASCII codes for Epson and HP laserjet
printers (and compatibles):
Epson HP Laserjet
===== ===========
Compress ON 15 27 40 115 48 84
Compress OFF 18 27 40 115 51 84
Bold ON 27 71 ...leave blank...
Bold OFF 27 72 ...leave blank...
LPI 6 27 50 27 38 108 56 67
LPI 8 27 48 27 38 108 56 68
The default settings are for Epson printers. If you do not wish to
use any printer codes, blank all the fields. This will make them
inactive.
3.6.3 Set Label Spacing
To change the default spacing for cassette labels, select
this option. You will be presented with the following form:
17
===========================================
| Printer Label Spacing |
|===========================================|
| |
| Record will be Changed |
| |
| Small Label for Cassettes: |
| |
| Left Margin # of Spaces: 0 |
| Number of Lines/Label: 10 |
| |
| Large Label for Cassettes: |
| |
| Left Margin # of Spaces: 0 |
| Number of Lines/Label: 20 |
| |
===============[ F1 - Help ]======= 224.0k |
The default settings are correct for:
a) compressed print
b) 8 lines/inch
c) 3 3/4" x 2 3/8" labels
"Small Labels" are those which print the album title only. Using the
default spacing and 3 3/4" x 2 3/8" labels, it will print two albums
per label. "Large Labels" are those which print both the album title
and all the songs. If the number of lines required to print all the
songs exceeds the size of the label, it will automatically print on
the next label, including the album title as a header.
You will need to experiment if you use other label sizes. See Section
4.1 for further information regarding labels.
18
4.0 Other Information
There are a few miscellaneous features to be discussed.
4.1 Cassette Labels
The best size label for cassettes is 3 3/4" x 2 3/8", although other
sizes can be cut to fit. We have found a source for these size labels
which is:
Moore Business Products Division
P.O. Box 5000
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
1-800-323-6230
Part number: 36K28787
Unfortunately, the minimum order quantity is 3,000 labels. As this is
probably far too many for the average user, we have decided to stock
this label at Valueware! It can be ordered in quantities of 200 for
$3.00 + $2.00 shipping and handling. See Appendix B for the order
form.
4.2 Command Line Switches
"Audio Master" is set up with certain defaults which can be
customized. First, the system will beep if an erroneous key is
pressed, such as typing a letter into a numeric field. Second, there
is a built-in screen saver which blanks the screen after 10 minutes of
inactivity. Pressing any key will restore the screen. Third, Num
Lock will automatically come on when entering fields requiring numeric
entry and go back to its original state for fields requiring
alphabetic entry.
These features may each be disabled using command line switches when
starting up "Audio Master." For example:
AUDMSTR /B=NO <--- Disables beep.
AUDMSTR /V=0 <--- Disables the screen saver. By
replacing the "0" with a number, say
"5", the screen will be blanked after
five minutes.
AUDMSTR /L <--- Disables keyboard locks. Important!
Some computer/keyboard combinations
may not work without this switch.
All three switches can be put on the command line to disable all three
features simultaneously.
4.3 Memory Saving Option With Audio Master
This option should only be performed by advanced users!
19
You can reduce memory requirements about another 25k if a DOS
environment variable is set before running "Audio Master." This can
be done by using the DOS "SET" command exactly (using no spaces) as
follows:
set clavm0=drive:\path,128
Assuming that "Audio Master" is running in the "c:" drive, \aud
subdirectory, the command would be:
set clavm0=c:\aud,128
When you start "Audio Master," it will open a special file (VMxxxx)
which will act as a memory cache for certain internal operations,
reducing memory requirements about 25k. However, overall performance
will be slightly slower as the number of disk accesses will increase.
Note that the file VMxxxx is automatically deleted when "Audio Master"
is exited using the "Quit" command. If "Audio Master" is not exited
in this fashion (e.g. by resetting the computer), that file (which is
128K) will remain. Because the "xxxx" is a randomly generated number,
the next time "Audio Master" is started, another file will be opened.
Therefore, it is wise to check to make sure these files are deleted as
they use up disk space unnecessarily. This can be done most
conveniently by starting "Audio Master" with a batch file as follows:
@echo off
set clavm0=c:\aud,128
cd\aud
del vm*.*
audmstr
cd\
20
Appendix A
To register for the latest, fully-operational version of "Audio
Master," just follow these simple instructions:
1) Complete the Registration Form (attached below).
2) Send the completed registration form along with a check or
money order for $19.95 (plus $1.40 sales tax for Ohio
residents only) to:
Valueware! Inc.
651 Grayton Rd.
Berea, OH 44017
3) Allow one (1) week then call the Valueware! BBS on:
(216) 234-9643 (300, 1200, 2400 baud)
4) Sign on to the BBS using the EXACT name and password you
used on the registration form and follow the special
instructions to download the latest, fully-operational
version of "Audio Master."
If for any reason you have not downloaded the fully-operational
version after four (4) weeks from our receiving the registration form
and license fee, the money will be returned and/or check destroyed.
By using this distribution procedure, we can minimize the
administrative process, cut down on the hazards of mailing disks and
save you the postage costs.
If you ABSOLUTELY MUST receive "Audio Master" on diskette, then we
need to charge an additional $5.00 for diskettes, postage and handling
expenses. If this is your requirement, please indicate on your
registration form what size (3 1/2" or 5 1/4") diskette you need. A
diskette with the file AUDMST1R.EXE, a self-extracting file which
includes all the files listed in Appendix C (except index files - they
will be created automatically), will be sent back to you as soon as
possible.
You are encouraged to distribute the shareware version of "Audio
Master." All we ask is that it be done by using the ORIGINAL file,
"AUDMSTR1.ZIP".
The Valueware! BBS always has the latest shareware version of "Audio
Master" available for downloading to each caller. Any special
announcements will be posted on the BBS. In addition, all other
Valueware! software products can be downloaded for evaluation. You
are welcome to call the BBS anytime.
21
Registration Form
First Name: ____________________________________________
Last Name: ____________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________
State: ___________________ Zip: _____________
Valueware! BBS Logon Password: ______________ (Don't forget it!)
Where did you learn of "Audio Master?" (Please be specific).
________________________________________________________
======================================================================
Order Information
Quantity Price Ea. Total
Audio Master - Version 1.0 _______ $ 19.95 _______
Handling Charge ($5.00 - diskette orders only) _______
Size (3 1/2" or 5 1/4") _______
Sales Tax - $1.40 (Ohio Residents Only) _______
Total _______
Thank you for your business!
Appendix B
Label Order Form
First Name: ____________________________________________
Last Name: ____________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________
State: ___________________ Zip: _____________
======================================================================
Order Information
Quantity Price/200 Total
Cassette Labels (200 labels) _______ $ 3.00 _______
(3 3/4" x 2 3/8")
Handling Charge ($2.00/1000 labels) _______
Sales Tax @ 7% (Ohio Residents Only) _______
Total _______
Thank you for your business!
Appendix C
Following is a list of "Audio Master" files with a brief description
of each:
AUDMSTR.EXE <--- "Audio Master" system executable file.
CMMSTR.HLP <--- Help file.
CMDEF.DAT <--- Contains system parameters.
CMTITLE.DAT <--- Contains album titles.
CMTITLE.MEM <--- Memo file for album titles.
CMTITLE.K? <--- Album title index files.
CMCUT.DAT <--- Contains song titles.
CMCUT.K? <--- Song title index files.
CMART.DAT <--- Contains artist data.
CMART.K? <--- Artist index files.
CMCAT.DAT <--- Contains category data.
CMCAT.K? <--- Category index files.
CMMEDIA.DAT <--- Contains media data.
CMMEDIA.K1 <--- Media index file.
AUDMSTR1.DOC <--- "Audio Master" system manual.
