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2000-06-30
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8KB
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216 lines
----------------------
| ZZZZZ BBBB K K | \
| Z B B K K | |
| Z BBBB KK | | Z Blaster Kit 1.0
| Z B B K K | | (C) 1992 Steve Goldsmith
| ZZZZZ BBBB K K | | All Rights Reserved
---------------------- |
\_____________________\
Z Blaster Kit may be copied and distributed freely providing that
all files are kept intact, no fee is charged and it is not part of
a package for which a charge is made. ZBF files can be used in
your own software royalty free as long as you display a message
stating that you are using Z Blaster files.
* OVERVIEW
Z Blaster Kit allows a C128 running CP/M 3.0 to record, play and
import digitized sound files! These files are called Z Blaster
Files or ZBF files and have the .ZBF extension. Included in the
kit are two ZBF file players. Z Blaster Player is command line
driven and Z Blaster Mega Player is for 80 column VDC mode only.
If you were disappointed with the quality of the Covox Voice Master
then dust it off and check out Z Blaster Recorder. It creates
better quality sound and has greater sampling range then the
original software that came with the Voice Master! If you have an
IBM PC or other system give Z Blaster Import a try. It will let
you create ZBF files from other systems! Programmers and Hackers
should take a look at the ZBF file format. It gives information on
decoding and playing ZBF files.
* REQUIREMENTS
+ A C128 or C128D equipped with CP/M 3.0
+ At least one 1541, 1541 compatible or better disk drive
+ 40 or 80 column monitor with sound output
+ Covox Voice Master in plastic enclosure (required for recording
only)
* Z BLASTER PLAYER
Z Blaster Player ZBPLAY.COM is a command line driven ZBF file
player. To play a file:
ZBPLAY FILENAME
FILENAME = standard 1 to 8 character CP/M file name without .ZBF
extension.
ZBPLAY will load a ZBF file from the currently logged drive into
memory and allow you to play it until ESCAPE is pressed. ZBPLAY
can handle up to 32640 bytes of digitized data. ZBF files larger
than 32640 bytes will play, but only the first 32640 bytes are
used.
* Z BLASTER MEGA PLAYER
Z Blaster Mega Player ZBMEGA.COM allows you to play ZBF files from
a file name pick list until ESCAPE is pressed. ZBMEGA supports 80
column VDC mode only. To run:
ZBMEGA
You must be logged into the drive with the ZBF files you want to
play. Also, no command line parameters are required.
* Z BLASTER RECORDER
Z Blaster Recorder ZBREC.COM creates ZBF files on the currently
logged drive without leaving CP/M! To record a ZBF file:
ZBREC FILENAME SIZE HZ
FILENAME = standard 1 to 8 character CP/M file name without .ZBF
extension.
SIZE = 128 to 32640 bytes. SIZE will be rounded to the nearest
128 byte block. i.e. SIZE = (SIZE DIV 128)*128.
HZ = 4000 to 17000 Hz sample rate. HZ will be adjusted to
match the closest timer latch value.
You need to have a Covox Voice Master with a plastic enclosure.
The one in the aluminum enclosure will not work. I'm not sure
about the Jr.. If you get the Jr. to work drop me a line, so I can
support it in future documentation releases. ZBREC will not lock
up if you don't have a Voice Master. It will just create a silent
sound file.
You may notice that when you plug the Voice Master into control
port 2 that it affects the keyboard polling. This does not occur
in native 64 or 128 modes. The only way around it is to plug the
Voice Master in when ZBREC tells you to and unplug it when
finished. This can be a pain, but I was able to leave it plugged
in and just delete the extra characters that pop out. You can use
the numeric key pad and ENTER since the Voice Master has no affect
on the extended keys. This should help save some retyping!
Once ZBREC is up and running you can press SPACE to record, p to
play or y to save until ESCAPE is pressed.
* Z BLASTER IMPORT
Z Blaster Import ZBIMPORT.COM is for those of you that don't have
a Covox Voice Master or other means to create ZBF files. ZBIMPORT
allows you to import one bit uncompressed sound files from the
currently logged drive. To import a file:
ZBIMPORT SOURCE.EXT DEST HZ
SOURCE.EXT = standard 1 to 8 character CP/M file name with
extension. Source file to read.
DEST = standard 1 to 8 character CP/M file name without .ZBF
extension. ZBF file to create.
HZ = 4000 to 17000 Hz sample rate. HZ will be adjusted to
match the closest timer latch value.
You may have to import a couple of times to get the Hz right.
ZBIMPORT allows you to import ANY file, so if you import a DOC file
expect strange sounds. If you are sure it is a digitized sound
file make sure it is not compressed or higher resolution (i.e. 4 or
8 bit PCM).
* WORKING WITH Z BLASTER KIT
I have included ZBF files for you to experiment with. The ZBF
files that start with HZ show the differences in quality. I
recorded my voice from 4000 Hz to 16200 Hz while using the same
sample size. Also included are various sounds recorded with a PC
Sound Blaster card and 128 CP/M Z Blaster Recorder.
ZBF errors may pop up while using any of the command line driven
programs. If it is a positive value then it is a Turbo Pascal 3.1
I/O error. If it is a negative value then it is an internal error.
If you can't figure what's causing it then drop me a line. Most of
the time you will not get any errors.
* ZBF FILE FORMAT
The ZBF file format is straight forward and flexible. If you are
a Programmer or Hacker you might want to play ZBF files in your own
programs or on other computers. The first 128 bytes of a ZBF file
make up the header in the following format:
Field Type Description
Version word ZBF version
Compress byte Type of compression
SamBits byte Bits per sample
Delay word Hardware timer value
Size long integer Sample Size
Hz word Sample frequency
Filler array 116 byte filler
Remember that words are arranged in Intel lo/hi order. The current
ZBF version is 0100h which stands for 01.00. Compress is set to 0
which means no compression. Future releases may include silence
encoding and other encoding schemes to reduce file size. SamBits
is set to 1 for one bit sample data. Strings of 0s and 1s from
left to right make up the sound's shape. You can play each bit
through the SID's volume control to produce the sound on the 128.
Set volume to 0 for 0 bits and 1 thru 15 for 1 bits. Delay is
hardware dependent. Files created on the C128 will have CIA timer
latch values and IBM files will have 8253 timer latch values. It
is best to calculate the latch value from Hz instead of Delay.
Size is the sample size in bytes. On the IBM I use the whole 32
bit long integer. With the C128 I'm only using the low word which
gives a maximum length of 64K. I support up to 32K right now due
to the limited memory on the 128 in CP/M mode. Hz is the samples
per second frequency. Higher Hz values create better sound quality
at a cost of more memory. Filler is for future header expansion.
I set the filler bytes to 0 currently.
Immediately following the header is the digitized sound data. Your
program can figure how much to read from the lo word of the Size
field.
* SG TOOLS
If you like the look and feel of Z Blaster Mega Player (ZBMEGA.COM)
then check out SG Tools Programmer's tool box for Turbo Pascal 2.0
or higher. To get a copy contact:
Parsec, Inc.
PO Box 111
Salem, MA 01970-0111
(508) 745-9125
On-line on GEnie as C128.JBEE
* PAYMENT
I would like a payment of $10.00 US currency to the address below
if you use Z Blaster Kit or ZBF files.
* HOW TO CONTACT ME
Please report any problems, suggestions, etc. to me via GEnie as
S.GOLDSMITH2, voice phone (813) 925-1064 or mail to:
Steve Goldsmith
2805 Jamaica Street
Sarasota, FL 34231