---- G E N E R A T O R ---- -- D E M O -- *********************************************************************** * * * System requirements: * * - Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0. * * - Windows Multimedia soundcard or Emagic Audiowerk8 * * - Minimum processor: Pentium 100. * * - MIDI-Interface and MIDI-Keyboard recommended. * * * * The demo examples have been tested on a Pentium 166. If with one * * of the examples an CPU overload occurs on your system, please * * reduce the number of voices or the samplerate or mute those parts * * of the structure, which are not used at the moment. * * * * We will update the demo version and expand the * * library of demo examples. Therefor please check out our website * * for new demo material. * * * *********************************************************************** This demo version provides audio output on Windows multimedia soundcards and - with the adapted driver provided by us - on a Emagic Audiowerk8. +++++++ Installation +++++++ Please open the floppy drive in the Windows Explorer and doubleclick the file "GenDemo_1_2_Setup.exe". You can also use the entry "Run" in the Start menu and enter the command line "A:\GenDemo_1_2_Setup.exe". (If you have downloaded the setup file, choose the download folder instead of the floppy.) The self-extractor program unpacks the setup program and starts it. The setup program creates the necessary folders and decompresses and copies the file of the installation. If you do not choose another folder the setup program creates the folder C:\Programme\Native Instruments\Generator Demo\ . The following subfolders are created: \Bin\ - contains the files necessary for the execution of the program. \Examples\ - contains the demo examples . In the Start menue at Programs\Native Instruments\ you find the entry "Generator Demo" for the start of the demo and shortcuts to a Help file, a description of the examples and this ReadMe file. +++++++ Installation of the Audiowerk8 driver +++++++ An extended version of the hardware driver (Vaw8D.vxd) has to be installed to run GENERATOR on a Audiowerk8. This driver also supports other applications like LOGIC AUDIO, LOGIC AUDIO Discovery and VMR. This driver can only be installed on Windows 95. The Native Instruments driver files can be found on the floppy disk or can be downloaded from the download page of our website. ------ If an Audiowerk8 driver is already installed: ------ In order to replace the original driver by the NI driver please open the Device Manager (Start->Settings->Control Panel->System->Device Manager) and open the section "sound, video and game controllers". - Doubleclick on the "Audiowerk 8" entry to get its Properties sheet. - Open the "Driver" page and click on "Change driver...". - Click on "Have disk..." - Click on "Browse..." to select the disk drive with the demo installation disk. - If you have downloaded the driver, please open the folder with the downloaded files instead of the disk drive. - Select the configuration file "aw8.inf". - The entry "Audiowerk 8" is shown. Click "OK". - Restart the computer to load the new driver. -------- If no Audiowerk8 driver has been installed before: -------- When you start the computer, Plug and Play will display the message, that a new hardware has been found. Please insert the GENERATOR demo disk instead of the original Audiowerk8 CD ROM. (If you have downloaded the driver, please select the folder with the downloaded files.) An alternate way to install the driver is the use of the "Add New Hardware" wizard in the Control Panel. +++++++++ Using the Audiowerk8 +++++++++ GENERATOR supports the two inputs and eight outputs of the Audiowerk8 and its digital I/Os. The MIDI-to-Audio delay is much shorter than with standard sound cards. If an Audiowerk8 and the extended driver is installed, you can select the card in by the entry Audio-Port in the Options menu. The momentary software version does not allow the concurrent use of the same Audiowerk8 card by GENERATOR and a harddisk recording. If you want use Logic Audio as MIDI-sequencer controlling GENERATOR, you have to discard the sequencer´s support for the Audiowerk8. (Options->Preferences->Audio Extensions->Audiowerk8) ------- Settings of the Audiowerk8 ------- If you have selected "Audiowerk 8" in the Options/Audio-Port menu, you can use Options/Audio... to open the dialogue for the setting of the Audiowerk8. Here you can switch between the analogue and digital inputs of the card. If the digital input is selected, the sample clock has to be provided by the source connected to the input. With this input active, GENERATOR cannot be run without a digital audio source . Similar to the multimedia soundcards, the size of the audio buffer of the Aduiowerk8 can be varied. The smaller this buffer is chosen, the shorter is the output delay for audio signals. However, with a smaller buffer the audio output is more sensitive to disturbances by other activities of the computer. To avoid problems with the use of interrupts on the PCI bus, two different driver modes are supported: "Fast" and "Save". The "Fast" mode makes use of the hardware interrupt of the Audiowerk8. This mode allows the undisturbed use of much shorter buffers than the "Save" mode. Some PCI graphic adapters, which use a hardware interrupt, can cause a system fault, when the Audiowerk8 has been assigned to the same (shared) interrupt by Plug and Play and when this interrupt is activated. In such a case the Audiowerk8 can only be driven in the "Save" mode. Caution! If you try to switch to the "Fast" mode, this can lead to the system hangup descipted above. Please save all open files before! You can possibly avoid shared interrupts by changing the order of cards in the mainboard slots and by uninstalling other components. ++++++++ Using multimedia soundcards ++++++++ To run a multimedia soundcard as audio interface for GENERATOR no extra drivers are needed. GENERATOR makes use of the standard WaveAudio drivers installed with the cards. (DirectX is not supported in this version.) The settings of GENERATOR can be adapted to the card. For this purpose please choose "MME soundcard" in the Options/Audio port menu and open the appropiate setting dialog by Options/Audio... If more than one soundcard (or driver port) is installed, the select boxes "In Port" and "Out Port" allow the choice of the soundcards (or the driver ports) to be used by GENERATOR. An In Port can only be run without problems, when the chosen Out Port is on the same card. ------- Minimizing the delay ------- You can minimize the delay of the audio output on your computer system by adjusting the minimum buffer size needed by your soundcard. With the sliders "Record ahead" of the In Port section and "Play ahaed" of the Out Port section you can adjust the size of the audio buffers. The smaller the buffers are, the faster is the response of GENERATOR. However, if the buffer is set too small, clicks will become hearable in the audio output. To find the minimum applicable buffer size, please load an ensemble and play it. Move the "Play ahead" slider to the left until audio clicks become hearable. Then move it back to find the point where the clicks disappear. Now you have found the minimum output buffer size for your card. You can find the optimum position for the "Record ahead" slider in a similar way, when you wire the ADC with the DAC in the ensemble structure window, connect an audio source with the card input and monitor the card output. The Timing Resolution can be switched between 5 ms, 10 ms and 20 ms. The selection of 5 ms delivers the most precise relative timing. The minimum output delay can depend on the resolution. Therefor 10 ms and 20 ms are available. If the soundcard is well configurated, the In and the Out lamp of the Contol Box are lit green. Please note, that the input and output levels of a soundcard depend on the settings of the mixer on the card. You can control this device by the Volume Control, a Windows accessory, the Multimedia Properties of the Control Panel or a mixer program, delivered with the soundcard. ++++++ GENERATOR MIDI Driver ++++++ The "genmidi.dll" driver can be used to couple GENERATOR to other MIDI applications like sequencers. It provides an MIDI outport named "Generator Synthesizer", from where MIDI events are internally routed to the GENERATOR MIDI inport "Generator internal Midiport". ++++++ Installation of the MIDI-Driver ++++++ With the installation of the GENERATOR software the file "genmidi.dll" is automatically copied into the folder \Windows\System\ . The driver can be activated by an entry in the "System.ini". Please open an editor for "System.ini" and insert in the section "[drivers]" the line midiX=genmidi.dll where "X" in "midiX" stands for the smallest number, that is not used by a MIDI driver. Example given: midi=mmsystem.dll midi1=tpc.drv midi2=genmidi.dll Windows has to be restartet to activate the driver. +++++++ Help +++++++ In the start menu beside the entry for the start of "Generator Demo" you find the Help file, this "ReadMe" text and the text "Examples" We recommend to read the section "First steps" in the Help before you start to use GENERATOR. "First steps" provides all necessary informations to configurate GENERATOR successfully. The "Examples" text contains information about the examples installed with the demo. A full version of the user´s manual can be dowloaded from our website. ++++++ Uninstalling ++++++ You can remove the demo installition by the following procedure: 1) Open Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs. 2) On the page "Install/Uninstall" you find a list of installed applications. Select "Generator Demo". 3) Click on "Add/Remove" and confirm with "Yes". ++++++ Restrictions of the demo version ++++++ The demo is identical to the full version except the following restrictions: - 30 minutes testing period. - No saving of modules, instruments and ensembles. - Cut, Copy and Paste functions are disabled. - The WAV-export of the Tapedeck modules is disabled. - Only files prepared for the demo version can be opened. ********* For ordering or further information ********** * * * E-Mail: info@native-instruments.de * * * * NATIVE INSTRUMENTS * * Willibald-Alexis-Str. 5 * * D-10965 Berlin * * Germany * * Tel/Fax: +49 - 30 - 691 49 66 * * * ********************************************************