Frostbyte's 1980s DOS Shareware Collection/floppyshareware.zip/floppyshareware/GLEN/MUSTRANS.ZIP/HELP4.TXT

Text File | 1990-05-05 | 6KB | 98 lines

                                Setup Screens

   The SETUP function on the main menu leads to two screens, each containing
four slide controls:

  MIC LEVEL   -  Controls the microphone input level
  RANGE/CLEF  -  Controls the octave range and displayed clef
  SYNTH       -  Controls the synthesizer sound
  TUNING      -  Adjusts the synthesizer to match out-of-tune instruments

  TEMPO   -  Controls the tempo at which the program plays songs
  KEY     -  Sets the key signature in which songs are displayed
  TIME    -  Sets the time signature displayed
  VOLUME  -  Controls the synthesizer volume

   When you select SETUP, the first four controls above will be displayed.
The other four controls can be displayed by hitting the F1 or Enter keys.
To select a control, use the left and right arrow keys to move the small
triangle pointer under the control you want.  To set the control position,
use the up and down arrow keys.

   When the program is used on Tandy 1000 SL/TL compatible computers, the MIC
LEVEL control on the first screen determines how close you have to hold the
microphone to your mouth for the computer to hear the notes you sing.
Normally you should leave this control set to two positions below its
maximum setting.  Setting the control too high will cause the software to
recognize the notes it plays instead of the notes you sing.

   The RANGE/CLEF control is one of the most important controls.  This
control determines the vocal range used when the program measures your
singing pitch and the clef on which songs are displayed.  In most cases,
adult male singers should use the Treble8 setting.  This setting is selected
automatically when you start the program. It displays songs on a treble clef
that has been lowered by one octave to make it suitable for both Bass and
Tenor voices.  Children and female singers should normally use either the
Treble8 setting or the Treble setting depending on the pitch range of their
voice.  The Treble setting displays a standard treble clef and can be used by
both Alto and Soprano singers. (Please note that on Tandy 1000 computers
released prior to the SL/TL models the music will be played an octave higher
than written when the RANGE/CLEF control is set to the Bass or Treble8
positions.)

   To determine the proper setting for your voice on a Tandy 1000 SL/TL
compatible computer you should first try the Treble8 setting.  Make sure the
microphone is plugged in and the MIC LEVEL control is set to two positions
below maximum.  Hold the microphone one inch or less from your mouth and sing
several notes going from a low pitch to a high pitch.  As you sing, the names
of the notes should appear just above the corresponding notes on the piano
keyboard displayed in the bottom half of the screen.  If the lowest note you
can comfortably sing is near the center of the piano keyboard and your
highest note goes off the right of the keyboard, you have either an Alto or
Soprano voice and you should select the Treble setting. Otherwise you have a
Bass or Tenor voice and the Treble8 setting is correct.

   The SYNTH control determines what voices in a song are played by the
computer (melody or harmony) and the sound of the notes.  The Solo setting
will cause the computer to play only the melody line in songs that contain
both melody and harmony. The other two settings (Harmony and Chimes) play
both the melody and harmony voices.  The Chimes position uses more sustain
than Harmony but is available only on Tandy 1000 family computers.  (On
the IBM PC, XT, AT and compatibles other than the PC Jr. or Tandy 1000
models, the design of the computer prevents it from playing true harmony so
the program simulates the sound of harmony using a technique known as
arpeggio.)

   The TUNING control can be used to adjust the synthesizer and pitch
measurement software to match slightly out-of-tune instruments.  Normally you
should leave this control in its center position.

   The TEMPO control on the second setup screen controls how fast songs are
played.  The KEY and TIME controls determines the key signature and time
signature displayed on the left side of the musical staff.  When entering a
song from a book or piece of sheet music, be sure to set the key signature
control correctly according to the number of #'s or b's on the song you are
entering.

   On Tandy 1000 SL/TL compatible computers, the VOLUME control works together
with the volume control on your computer to determine how loud songs are
played.  The program's VOLUME control is set near the center position when
you start the Music Transcription System II to keep the volume at a moderate
level.  This is required to compensate for internal coupling between the
audio input and output circuits in Tandy 1000 SL/TL series computers.  If the
volume is set too high, this coupling can cause the computer to recognize the
note it is playing instead of the note you are singing when using the vocal
training features of the program's Sing menu.

   This problem can be corrected on Tandy 1000 SL/TL compatible computers by
using an amplified speaker set such as the Radio Shack model 40-166.  These
speakers will allow you to turn down the computer's front panel volume control
to a level that prevents the coupling problem, while still producing as much
sound level as you need.  When using these speakers, you can also turn up the
program's MIC LEVEL control to increase the microphone sensitivity.

   Please note that the newer Tandy 2500 XL does not have the coupling
problem, so you can adjust the program's VOLUME and MIC LEVEL controls to any
settings you wish.