Chip: Special Sound & MIDI

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Chip: Special Sound & MIDI / Chip-Special_Sound-und-Midi-auf-dem-PC.bin / dostools / calliope / cmv.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1992-06-20 | 18.6 KB | 456 lines

CALLIOPE MUSIC VISION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Copyright (c) 1992 Melvin Douglas All Rights Reserved Single-Track Midi Music Player for the Sound Blaster Sound Card Version 1.4 July 1992 Shareware ----------- LEGAL STUFF: ----------- CALLIOPE MUSIC VISION software is hereafter referred to as CALLIOPE. Users of CALLIOPE must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "CALLIOPE is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of CALLIOPE." CALLIOPE is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using CALLIOPE and continue to use CALLIOPE after a 21 day trial period, you must make a registration payment of $20.00 U.S Dollars. To register this copy, print and complete the REGISTER.FRM file and send it along with the registration fee of $20 directly to: Melvin Douglas Post Office Box 141 Uniondale, New York 11553-0141 Adlib is a registered trademark of Adlib inc. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Labs Inc. QuickBasic is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. PROGRAM FILES: ------------- CMV.EXE - Calliope program CMV.DOC - Calliope documentation ROL2MIDI.EXE - Conversion utility program REGISTER.FRM - Registration form FILE_ID.DIZ - BBS file description text VENDOR.DOC - Vendor distribution agreement *.MDI - several pre-converted midi music files Note: A music file with the extension ".ROL" is an Adlib format sound file. ".ROL" files may be found on almost any Bulletin Board system or may be purchased from many of the shareware distributors. In case you don't read any further, note that you may use any key on the command line as a switch to bypass the opening screen: i.e., "CMV X". ------------------ ABOUT THIS PROGRAM: ------------------ Thank you for trying CALLIOPE MUSIC VISION (CMV). This program was created for use with a Sound Blaster sound board. It will play single track Midi compatible music files. Included with CALLIOPE is a program (ROL2MIDI.EXE) which allows you to easily convert a .ROL file into a Midi compatible (.MDI) file, which is a type 0 midi. CALLIOPE IS NOT CRIPPLED IN ANY WAY. To convert any .ROL file to MIDI format, do the following: C>ROL2MIDI filename /Bbankfile /Onewfile for example, to convert ROCKNROL.ROL to ROCKNROL.MDI using the STANDARD instrument bankfile: (.ROL files require Instrument bank files) C>ROL2MIDI rocknrol.rol /Bstandard.bnk /Orocknrol.mdi Note: Case is sensitive. The resulting file is the only format that CALLIOPE will recognize and play. MDI files do not require Bank (.BNK) or instrument files once they have been converted from their .ROL format into single track Midi's. All of the musical information is self contained in a single compact file. Several pre-converted files are included so that you may experience the "Sight and Sound" of CALLIOPE immediately. Simply copy all of the CALLIOPE files into a separate directory and type CMV (then press ENTER). --------------------- HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: --------------------- o An IBM PC/XT/AT/386/486 or true "compatible" running MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.0 or later. o 528K System Memory. o CGA/EGA/VGA Video Adaptor. Note that screen activity may be sluggish on a CGA equipped XT systems. o One floppy disk drive or hard drive. o A Sound Blaster Sound board. ---------- BACKGROUND: ---------- Like many others before me, when I first purchased my sound board, I rediscovered all of my old games which supported sound, and seemingly my PC was a whole new thing again. Then, I became interested in the board's ability to play music (or simulate playing music). Most of the available music players were good, but I found that I wanted to know more about the music that was playing...not just the filename and it's size. I also wanted a display that was dynamic rather than static, something that presented me with lots of information, and I wanted more control of the file selection process too. But there were so many music formats...rol's, mid's, mod's, cmf's and more. For some reason "Midi" music appealed to me, but programs that play Midi music were mostly for multiple track Midi's (.MID files - Type 1). Single track Midi's (.MDI - Type 0) can be created from existing .ROL files. There must be a "bizillion" rol files in the world, so this format already has a large base of available music to support it. Those are some of the reasons CALLIOPE was created. Here is a list of the features that CALLIOPE will provide. I hope you like them well enough to make CALLIOPE your favorite Music Player. -------- FEATURES: -------- File Selection Via a Popup scrolling window, plus: -------------------------------------------------- - Sort files by Name, Size or Date. - Tag or un-tag single files or ALL files. - Support for 1000 files. A Play-Mode screen which provides the following information: ----------------------------------------------------------- - Shows the amount of available conventional memory. (Refreshed after each song is completed). - The I/O port address and IRQ location of your sound board. - Name of the current directory and or sub-directory. - Name of the music currently playing displayed in a scrolling panel. - Name of the next three music files that you have selected. - The total number of selections that you have made. - The number of selections remaining to be played. - The number of the current selection. - The elapsed time for the current selection. - The ESTIMATED time for all remaining songs to be played. - The status of AutoReplay toggle. Note that the word estimated is emphasized. Time estimates are based on an average-bytes-per-minute and readjust for each new song. It may be off by plus or minus 5 minutes (or more). It's only an estimate. Also note that all number counts STOP during a REPLAY and continue when regular play is resummed. File Buffer Information: ----------------------- - The current size of the buffer. - The byte currently being processed in the buffer (ascending). - The percentage of the buffer already processed. - The mode of the current music: MELODIC or PERCUSSIVE. A Status window to advise you of any changes: -------------------------------------------- - The Status Window will keep you advised of program changes/errors. - In addtion, the lower portion of the Status Window will advise you if AutoReplay is active or not, since it is a delayed command. - Plus various symbols to provide an alternate measure of music duration. - A pointer-bar graphic across the top row for estimating the music duration from a distance. Admittedly, some of these are redundant, but,.... so what? Active Play Controls are as follows: ----------------------------------- - Pause the music. - Continue music from a paused state. - Skip the current music (immediate). - Interrupt music and Replay the CURRENT song. - Invoke a delayed interruption causing the current song to replay upon its completion. This is a TOGGLE command, and may be reversed. - Cancel music play mode and return to the Main Menu. - Cancel music play mode and return to the File Selection Window. - While in the REPLAY screen, Pause, Continue and Exit are available. ----------------- CALLIOPE COMMANDS: ----------------- I tried to make CALLIOPE as intuitive as possible so that you can use it "right out of the box". However, all software should contain at least a brief explanation of the available commands, so here it is: When CALLIOPE is first invoked, the file selection window will popup and search the current directory for all files with an extension of .MDI, and will present a list of these files within this window. If no matching files are found, CALLIOPE will notify you of this via a popup message window, allowing you to return to the DOS prompt. While the files are displayed, you may scroll the window up or down to view, select or deselect files. Selected files are marked with a Musical Note symbol for easy recog- nition. After a while you will get bored with the opening screen, so...... COMMAND LINE: You may use any key as a command line switch in order to bypass the opening screen. For instance, "CMV x", where "x" may be any letter or number. --------------------- FILE SELECTION WINDOW: --------------------- The File Selection Window will automatically pop-up upon first invocation of the program. On slower machines, this may take a second or two. Other- wise, you may activate the File Selection Window by type Alt-M. ------------------------------- FILE (MUSIC) SELECTION COMMANDS: ------------------------------- NOTE: YOU MUST "TAG" A FILE IN ORDER TO PLAY IT. Tag one file at a time by pressing the RIGHT ARROW key, or <Shift> RIGHT ARROW key. Unshifted, the highlighted bar will move down one file after each tag. Shifted, it will move up one file. Un-tag is exactly the same except using the LEFT ARROW key. <Num Lock> will produce the same effect as <Shift> Left or Right arrows. Tag all files using (Ctrl> RIGHT ARROW, and un-tag all files with <Ctrl> LEFT ARROW. Pressing RETURN after selecting files will immediately begin the Play mode and music will start. If you press Escape after making a selection(s), the selected files will be abandoned and you will be returned to the main menu. Additionally, if you press RETURN without selecting any files, you will be returned to the main menu. ---------- SORT FILES: ---------- Sorting is easy, just pick a number (as follows): 1 = Sort by filename. 2 = Sort by file size. 3 = Sort by file date. During Music Play, the following commands are available: ------------------------------------------------------- ------------- PAUSE Command: (P) ------------- Pressing "P" will temporarily PAUSE the current music. While PAUSE is active, the CONTINUE command is highlighted and other commands will be visually de-emphasized. The elapsed time display will be blocked however, the time will continue to count-down in the background. NOTE: Occasionally, when you select the PAUSE command, it may get stuck on a note that refuses to be silent. If this happens, use the "C" command to CONTINUE and then use the "P" command again until the sound fades out. ---------------- CONTINUE Command: (C) ---------------- Pressing "C" will CONTINUE music, or reverse a PAUSE command. Music will resume playing from the point that it was PAUSED. ------------ SKIP Command: (S) ------------ Pressing "S" will terminate the current music and will play the next music in the queue immediately. You may also use this command to move to the next song if the current song gets "stuck" or just stops playing (probably a cor- rupt file). Skip is not available during REPLAY. The term "skip" in this instance means that the music was aborted during play rather than actually "skipped over" before being heard. -------------- REPLAY Command: (R) -------------- Pressing "R" will instantly REPLAY the current music. The program will bring you to the INSTANT REPLAY screen, and you will have the opportunity to Pause/Continue the REPLAY as you do in regular play mode. You cannot select the REPLAY Command (R) if AutoREPLAY (A) is currently active. If you do, the word "C O N F L I C T" will quickly flash in the Status Window. This is to remind you that you have already requested a delayed REPLAY for the current selection. If you must hear the music again NOW, then just press "A" to deactivate AutoREPLAY and then press "R" for REPLAY. Watch the "Completed" status in the Buffer Window. When the three "+++" symbols are red, then you don't have much time left for a REPLAY decision. After using Calliope for a while, you will find that the pointer bar graph at the top of the screen will be your most watched reference. Note that if you decide to Exit the Replay screen, you will be returned to the Main Menu, and any unheard selections will be lost. The assumption is that you really want to hear a REPLAY and would not want to "Skip" it. Of course you still have the choce of PAUSING it in case your phone rings. ------------------ AUTOREPLAY Command: (A) ------------------ Pressing "A" will invoke the AutoREPALY Mode. In this mode, the current song is "flagged" for REPLAY upon it's completion in regular play mode. While the song is playing, you may cancel or reinvoke AutoREPLAY as often as you wish by simply press "A". Pressing "A" will toggle AutoREPLAY to an ON or OFF state. You will be advised of it's current status on the bottom line of the Status Window. All of the same conditions found in the REPLAY screen apply here as well. --------------------------- FILE WINDOW [EXIT] Command: (F) --------------------------- Pressing "F" will terminate CALLIOPE's music play mode and return you to to the FILE SELECTION WINDOW where you may select more songs to play or exit to the Main Menu. ------------ EXIT Command: (X) ------------ Pressing "X" will shut down CALLIOPE's music play mode and return you to the main menu. On the other hand, when the last song has been played, CALLIOPE will exit the Play Mode and return you to the main menu. At that point the, the File Selection Window will pop-up automatically. ------------------- ENDING THE PROGRAM: (ESC) ------------------- Pressing ESCape from the main menu will terminate CALLIOPE and return you to the DOS prompt (assuming the File Selection Window was not active). If the File Selection Window is active, pressing ESCape 3 times will terminate CALLIOPE, and return you to the DOS prompt while displaying a low key share- ware screen and session statistics. ------ ERRORS: ------ If a music file gets stuck at it's termination point and attempts to loop itself and start over, CMV will force it to terminate, and will display the message "filename was PUSHED" in the status window. "PUSHED" means it was forced off of the queue by the Calliope Police who constantly watch for this sort of behavior. Some important notes: o If the length of your path is exceedingly long, it could conceivably overwrite the elapsed time area of the screen. o All graphics are text based and therefore do not require a VGA monitor. However, the program was created on a system with a VGA monitor. o EMS is not supported in this version, but it may be introduced in a future version as the program grows larger and more memory is required. o A music file larger that 65,520K will force an error condition, in which case you will be returned to the main menu (hopefully). o CMV was created on a 386 16Mhz system, running DOS 5.0 with 640k memory. The sound card was a Sound Blaster v1.5 (original). Programming language: QuickBasic version 4.5 o Sometimes when a music file suddenly stops playing, it may be corrupt. Reconvert it from your original .ROL file and try again. Version History Version 1.0 = Initial 'closed distribution' release. (no uploads). Version 1.1 = Added bar graph/new screens. Ensure file size within limits. Version 1.2 = Bug fix and reduced memory usage. Official release. Version 1.3 = Added "F" command to access File Window from Play Mode. Version 1.4 = Music Queue now displays the next 3 songs in the Queue. Added "Estimated Time" (minutes) for all songs to play. Enhanced error checking while each song plays. Removed the limited mouse support. "Any key" will now bypass the opening screen. Added "R" for Instant Replay. Added "A" for delayed automatic Replay. Added various corrective/functional/cosmetic screen updates. Additional stats upon exit from the program. The latest version of CMV and other great files can always be found on the following outstanding U. S. A. bulletin boards: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 - The Executive Network BBS, New York 914-667-4684 all baud speeds --------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - The Invention Factory, New York 212-431-1254 3 - Digital Zero, New York 212-353-8415 4 - Computer Connection, Washington, D.C. 202-543-8088 5 - Vernon Buerg's BBS, Calif. 707-778-8944 6 - Gene Plant's BBS, Illinois 708-843-8664 7 - The SoundBlaster Digest BBS, Toronto 416-840-2485 Special Thanks to Ro and Joe Malacria. ...and Executive Network BBS, the BEST international bulletin board.