If you have any questions other than those below, feel free to contact me, and I'll be more than happy to answer them for you.
Q. Can I still use HyperCard's "play" command if I've installed MusicBox? Will my old HyperCard sound stacks still work if I've installed MusicBox?
A. Of course: MusicBox is an external command, not a replacement, and all stacks that use the "play" command will have no compatiblity problems. However, I hope you find that you'll have more control over your sounds if you use MusicBox rather than "play" in stacks that you write.
Q. I'm having lots of problems converting your stack for use in SuperCard.
A. Use the special SuperCard project version of the MusicBox stack, probably available from the same place you got the HyperCard version.
Q. Whenever I try and use MusicBox, I just hear a beep. Why?
A. MusicBox is either extremely low on memory, or is unable to find one of its needed resources, such as the error strings or the important 'MBox' resource.
Q. I type my MusicBox command into the message box. Because it doesn't work, I type "put the result", but there's no error message. Why not?
A. In order for "the result" to keep the MusicBox error message, you must use the MusicBox command in a script, such as:
on mouseUp
MusicBox "play", "one", "sample", "false"
put the result
end mouseUp
You'll then see the error message in the message box (if there's an error).
Q. When I try and load a MOD music file, it doesn't work, even though MusicBox doesn't give me the "Low on memory." warning. Why?
A. MusicBox has no way of knowing how big the MOD file is, so it just tries to load it and see what happens. As a general rule, a 150k music file (such as the example that comes with MusicBox) requires around 700k of free memory from HyperCard.
Q. I'm trying to open a stack when I've got my MOD music file playing, but the Mac crashes.
A. Read the instructions! You can't open stacks (or switch stacks) when a MOD file is playing, so you need to put some handlers into your stack script which stop the sound before you leave the stack. See the 'examples' section for the code you need.
Q. I want to use the Inflate XCMD you have, which gives balloon help support to Hypercard. Where can I get it?
A. The Inflate XCMD, as well as the latest version of MusicBox, should always be available on the Internet, by anonymous FTP from the Info-mac archives. Other than that, you can contact me about sending a copy on disk through the mail.
Q. Does MusicBox affect the sound quality of the sounds I want to play, in comparison to the "play" command?
A. The sound quality with MusicBox is the same as with the play command: MusicBox is simply an enhancement which provides more control over the sounds you play.
Q. What exactly is required if I want to use MusicBox in a commercial stack?
A. Using MusicBox in a commercial stack is a two step process. You should first contact me, and arrange the fee for using MusicBox. If you have the full version of MusicBox (which includes the music features) you will then need to contact Frank Seide, the author of the MOD music code, and arrange a license with him.
