Tactical Operations 2/TACTICAL2.bin/SOUNDS/bmaster/BMASTER.DOC

Text File | 1991-09-13 | 18.6 KB | 340 lines

==============================
     Blaster Master V.4.2
  for the CMS Sound Blaster
 (C) by Gary Maddox 09/15/91
==============================

The CMS Sound Blaster is the best IBM sound card available today. One of
the outstanding features of the Sound Blaster is the ability to sample
sound and play it back. BLASTER Master is a tool kit for working with
RAW, UNCOMPRESSED Sound Blaster VOC files. BLASTER Master includes many
features available on Digital Audio Workstations costing many thousands
of dollars.

OVERVIEW:
This program is a very fast graphic editor to help you tailor your sound
files. Useless and noisy sample data at the beginning and endings of VOC
files can be quickly removed. Sections from within the sample can be saved
as a new sample file. The entire sample is displayed and a grid is drawn
that divides the sample into seconds to aid in selecting the "cut points".
A zero-crossing/phase approximation method is used to select the bytes that
are displayed to help in choosing the "cleanest" points for processing.
Where needed, cross-fading is applyed to splice points. Function keys
F1 - F5 changes the pallettes used to control the colors used to display
the screen. During playback, a pulsing index line displays the position
of the file being played. The various digital processes can be selected
using the mouse or in most cases, ALT+the first letter of the option can
be used. Example: ALT-P will select to "PLAY" the currently selected sound
file. (ALT-P means hold down the ALT key and press the "P" key simultaneously)

SELECTING A SOUND FILE:
If a sound file is not specified when starting the editor, a file selection
dialog box will appear. The current path can be changed by selecting the top
input box and entering a new path, such as:  C:\SB\VOC\*.VOC. Specifying
the "*.VOC" will select all files with an extension of VOC in the chosen path.
From this dialog box, you can PLAY the sound file, RECORD a new sound file,
DELETE an unwanted sound file, ACCEPT the file to process or CANCEL the
program and return to DOS. Choosing the PLAY option to Audition a file will
also display useful information about the file. The various options can be
selected using the mouse or in most cases, ALT+the first letter of the option
can be used. Example: ALT-P will select to "PLAY" the currently selected sound
file. (ALT-P means hold down the ALT key and press the "P" key simultaneously)

RECORDING A SOUND FILE:
Selecting RECORD from the File Selection Dialog Box displays the Record
Dialog Box. Enter the name of the VOC file you wish to record. NOTE: If you
specify a VOC file that already exists, it will be OVER WRITTEN. Using a
mouse, select the sample rate to use when recording (13,000-4000 if using
a Sound Blaster, 22,000-4000 if you are using a Sound Blaster Pro). The
higher the sample rate, the better the file will sound. When using the
various digital processes, a higher sample rate will also produce a much
better sounding file. The LEVEL selection button will display a graphic
level graph that is very useful for setting the volume of the device you are
recording directly from. Select the RECORD button to begin recording. Press
the ESC key to stop recording. Your file will be displayed on the Editor
screen for modifying.

EDITING A SOUND FILE:
To select a section of the sound file to be removed, saved, heard or
zoomed, position the mouse cursor over the graph at the first desired cut
point and press the LEFT mouse button. Position the mouse cursor again
over the second cut point and press the LEFT button. Once a section has
been marked with the blue box, you can HEAR that section, CUT it from the
sample or SAVE it as a new file. The MUTE button will cause the selected
block to be replaced with silence bytes. The ZOOM option will display the
marked section across the screen and allow you to select a new block from the
zoomed area. You can zoom the file until the resolution reaches 1:1. The
current resolution is displayed just above the options selection box. By
using the ZOOM feature, you should be able to edit sound files with
surgical precision.
* NOTE: The editor program should work on all single block compressed data.
This does not include silence encoding. The graphic representation of the
sound data will not be accurate. The time display should be very close.

SPECIAL PROCESSES:
BLASTER Master includes several special digital processes to modify your
sound files. The special processes supported are: SCOPE, ECHO, REVERSE,
INSERT, FAST, SLOW, RATE, VOLUME, PITCH, PACK, FADE and MIXER. All of the
processes are not displayed at the same time on the Wave Edit screen. Sel-
ecting the MORE button will display the next set of options. The various
options can be selected using the mouse or in most cases, ALT+the first
letter of the option can be used. EXAMPLE: ALT-E will select to "ECHO" the
currently selected sound file. (ALT-E means hold down the ALT key and press
the "E" key simultaneously) The NEW button can be used to select a new file
when in the Editor screen or to un-mark a block when in the Cut/Save/Zoom
screen. The EXIT button will return to DOS immediately.
A list of the special processes are described in detail below:

SCOPE:
This process graphically displays sample input real-time.Speak into a
microphone and see what your voice looks like or play music directly into
the Sound Blaster. This program works particularly well on faster machines.
Any key will cancel the scope and return you back to the editor.

ECHO:
This process adds echo or delay to a VOC file to give it a richer,
fuller sound. It is also great for adding special effects. Two para-
meters are used to determine the type of echo desired. The number of
milliseconds before the echo starts sets the "size" of the effect.
Delays of 60-100 sound like a large room. Larger delays, upto 200
milliseconds, will sound like a cavern or canyon. The second parameter
is the mixture, i.e., how loud should the echo be mixed in. This also
has an effect on the type of echo desired. A 30-60% mixture will sound
more realistic than using a higher volume for the delayed sounds.

REVERSE:
This process reverses the playback of a VOC file. It is effectively
the same as playing a tape backwards. See for yourself if "number 9"
says "turn me on, dead man" backwards. (for older Beatles fans) This
is a great tool for televangelists to search for those pesky satanic
references in rock & roll songs! Did you know that the famous Tarzan
yell sounds the same backwards as forwards? Try it.

INSERT:
This process will allow a another sound file to be inserted into the
sound file being edited. Selecting INSERT will once again bring up the
File Select Dialog Box. From here, you can select a VOC file, RECORD a
new sound file or CANCEL the INSERT process and return to the Edit screen.
Once a VOC file for insertion is selected, use the mouse to select the
point in the original sound file to INSERT the new sound file. If the
sample rate of the new sound file does not match the original file, the
sample rate will be adjusted to blend in correctly. Care should be used to
select a new sound file that is not packed, contains silence compression
or is a multi-block file. The resulting sound file will not be usable.

SLOW:
This process extends the time domain without effecting the frequency
domain... in plain english, you can re-sample a VOC file that will
play back at approximately 1/2 speed without effecting the pitch.
This function will double the size of the original sound file.
Imagine you are a guitar player and want to learn the latest white
hot guitar licks from Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson... SLOW makes listening
and learning MUCH easier! It is also very useful for muti-media
presentations.

FAST:
I couldn't have a "slow down" process without a "speed up" one too.
Unlike SLOW, FAST includes a "slider" for selecting how much of a speed
increase is desired. This function will decrease the size of the original
sound file accordingly.

RATE:
This process allows a VOC file created with a high sample rate to be
"down" sampled to a lower sample rate. Some PC's have problems playing
VOC files with the higher sample rates, this is a way to change the
sample rate to something more compatible with your PC. It is also a
good way to make files smaller without the degradation associated with
compression. A VOC file recorded at 12,000Hz+ down-sampled to 8000Hz
will probably sound better than if it had been originally recorded at
the slower rate. Sound files originally sampled on the MAC at 22,000Hz
can be down-sampled to 12,000Hz  or less with almost no loss in clarity.
This process is also capable of "up" sampling, although you WILL NOT
gain any noticable resolution. Approximating the "missing" byte is just
not the same as having the original bytes in all cases.

VOLUME:
This process can either increase or decrease the amplitude of VOC files.
One way to get a very clean sample is to make your sample at a fairly low
volume and then re-sample up to a higher volume. The Sound Blaster has a
tendency to introduce distortion as you increase the volume used for sampling.
This works very well for sampling directly from a CD or tape deck. Enter
either "I" to Increase the volume or "D" to Decrease the volume. The numeric
value entered next will determine the amount of change in the resulting file.
When increasing the volume, values of 10-50 will have a subtle effect on the
resulting sound file. Values of 50-200+ will have a more dramatic effect.
When decreasing the volume, values of 1-99 will cause the resulting file
to have volume of approximately the percent of the number entered. Entering
"50" will produce a sound file that is only 50% as loud as the original.
If a value greater than 100 is entered, the effect will be to INCREASE the
volume, even though DECREASE was selected.

MIXER:
This process blends two VOC files into a single sample. There is also a
volume mix parameter that controls how loud the mixed in sample will be. The
volume mix can be a number between 1 and 100. 50 to 60 is often a very good
mixing level. The Mixer is a great way to add special effects to your sound
files. This process does not try to adjust the sample rates if the two files
are different.

PACK/UNPACK:
These processes will either pack or unpack a sound file, depending on its
current state. The previous functions only work on unpacked files and a
great many of the available file come packed. Once unpacked, all of the
special BLASTER Master features can be applied.

PITCH:
This process alters the sample rate value contained within the VOC file.
Raising or lower the pitch can be accomplished by selecting the slider.
Altering the pitch will also effect the playback time, but not the size
of the file.

FADE:
This process allows the begining and ending of a sound file to fade in or
fade out in volume. When choosing this function, you can choose the amount
of time to fade in and fade out. Either times can not exceed 1/2 of the
total time of the sound file. If for instance, you wish to only fade out a
sound file, use zero as the fade in time. When combining multiple files, a
little fading can make the switch between sounds less abrupt. This can be
especially effective when one sound file has alot of background noise and
the joing sound file does not.

EXTERNAL FUNCTIONS:
The following programs must be ran externally to BLASTER Master. In a future
version of BLASTER Master, the EQ function will probably be added to the
BLASTER Master editor.

HI-RES SAMPLER (an 80386 is strongly recommended)
The Sound Blaster can be "pushed" to actually sample at a higher rate
than 13khz. The main limitation is the speed of the machine running
this program. I have optimized this program to push the Sound Blaster
and your PC to the absolute maximum of their capabilities! To do this,
I had to cut some corners. Unless otherwise specified, all of available
memory will be used for sampling. A smaller amount of memory can be
selected by using the "/Sn" command line switch. Enter "SAMPLE ?" at the
DOS prompt to see all available commands. THIS PROGRAM CAN ONLY BE RUN
FROM THE DOS PROMPT.

VOC FILE COMPILER
This program will "compile" a standard .VOC or .WAV file into a stand alone
executable file. In other words, typing VCOMP YODEL.VOC at the DOS prompt
will process the soundfile YODEL.VOC into YODEL.EXE. YODEL.EXE can now be
played by running it from the DOS prompt. VCOMP should work with any .VOC
format except stereo. If there seems to be enough interest in this program,
(i.e. registrations), I will write versions in the future that will also
detect the type of hardware present and run on the PC speaker, Sound Master,
etc...
---
REPORTING TROUBLE
Most of the episodes of users having problems with BLASTER Master has been the
result of trying to re-process COMPRESSED or LOOPED files. This also includes
silence compression files. BLASTER Master can only process RAW 8 bit sample
files. The example file FROGS.VOC is a looped file and will not work with any
of these utilities. If the VOC file you are trying to re-sample sounds bad or
locks up your computer after playing it, then it is probably NOT a raw file.
MOST of the VOC files that are floating around BBS's have been compressed.
I have tried to display information about the sound files and to limit the
processing of packed files. Version 4.1 has under gone a very good examination
for bugs and inconsistancies. Some of the problems with smaller files should
no longer be a problem.
If you do find a bug, please report it in as much detail as possible so that
I can fix it in the next version. I need to know which specific function you
were using, where the VOC file originated from and the sample rate. If the
problem is hardware related, such as the video display or mouse functions,
please include information about the system you are using. Support beyond
that will only be given to registered users.
---
SUGGESTED READING:
If you are interested in learning more about how BLASTER Master works, you
should read the following books:
  "Principles of Digital Audio" by Ken C. Pohlmann
     Howard W. Sams & Co., 1985, 1989 second edition
       This is an excellent introduction to everything from fundamental
       accoustic theory to the way compact disks work. Some chapters are
       relatively easy to understand and others are definitely NOT for
       the faint of heart.
  "Musical Applications of Microprocessors" by Hal Chamberlin
     Hayden Books, 1985, 1987 second edition
       This is absolutely the best edition ever published in the field
       of digital sound production and is universally considered a
       classic. This book is 800 pages long and an understanding of
       advanced mathmatics is required.
   "Elements of Computer Music" by F. Richard Moore
      Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1990
        This is also an excellent source of information about digital
        sound re-production. It is especially good for C programmers as
        all of the examples are working C routines.
   "An Introduction to Digital Signal Processing" by John H. Karl
      Academic Press, Inc. 1989
        This is a very good crash study course in DSP and assumes the
        reader is familiar with higher mathmatics.
---
Distribution BBS Numbers
  These BBS's should always have the latest release. BLASTER Master is also
  available on hundreds of other BBS's around the world.

   CompuServe      GO MIDI             Channel One     617 354-3137
   Data Dimension  404 921-1186        Musical Chairs  416 438-1688
   New Dimension   408 274-5550        Rusty & Eddy's  216 726-3589
   User-to-User    214 492-6565        GEnie           IBMPC

---
BLASTER Master is the result of many, many hours of programming, study and
experimentation (not to mention 6 years of college). If you find this program
to be interesting and of use to you, then please register BLASTER Master and
help support future development towards more applications of sound files. I
would like to take this opportunity to thank the individuals and institutions
that have already registered. Your support has made this version possible. As
long as you continue to support BLASTER Master, I will continue to release new
versions. All future updates are free. One registration will automatically
register future versions. Please mention the version number in your letter.
I would also like your telephone number and your computer system hardware.
I would also be interested in knowing which BBS you downloaded it from and
hearing any suggestions for future enhancements. Think of it this way, when
you register BLASTER Master, you aren't paying for the version you are cur-
rently using, you are helping to finance the next release. When I receive
your payment, I will send you your registration number and instructions on
installing it.

To Register, send $29.95 in US dollars to:
                            Gary Maddox
                            1901 Spring Creek #315
                            Plano, TX 75023
                            USA

Foreign orders mailed directly to me should include $5.00 for the extra
postage and PLEASE, send payment in US dollars only.

To Register in Germany, send 59 Deutche Marks plus handling fee to:
                            CDV
                            Ettlingerstr. 5
                            D-7500 Karlsruhe 1
                            Germany

I suggest you contact CDV to find out the current handling charges and to
obtain a catalog of their other excellent shareware offerings.

To Register in the U.K., send 16 pounds Sterling to:
                            Carl Ricketts
                            54 St. Anne's Road
                            Tankerton
                            Whitstable
                            Kent
                            CT5 2DR
                            England

SPECIAL OFFER!!!
Alot of people that register complain that they originally paid $79 for the
Creative Labs Editor, VEDIT and were disapointed. If you send along an orig-
inal copy of VEDIT with your registration, you can register for $25. This
does not include VEDIT2 that comes with the Sound Blaster Pro.

If you need to call me my number is [phone]. Please call at a
reasonable hour, I work for a living.

Thank you for using my Sound Blaster software.
* Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Labs, Inc
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     BLASTER Master (C) 1990, 1991 by Gary Maddox, all rights reserved.
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