Crawly Crypt Collection 1/crawlyvol1.bin/sound/sndlb103/readthis.1st

Text File | 1992-07-02 | 12KB | 222 lines

-- What should have been in the .LZH file ------------------------------------
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    ReadThis.1st   This file.
    SoundLab.TOS   The sample editor program.
    SoundLab.COL   The color data file.
    SoundLab.MON   The monochrome data file.
    SoundLab.HLP   The help file.
    SoundLab.MAN   The instructions for Sound Lab.
    SoundLab.PRF   A preferences file.
    Example.AVR    An example sample.

The filenames are shown in upper/lower case for your convenience; they're also
stored in the .LZH this way.  All the names will become upper case when you
extract files from the archive, though.

You should print out the file SoundLab.MAN.  (It's over 40 pages.)  I'd
recommend at least skimming through it before using Sound Lab, especially if
you're new to digitized sound.  Although the program is not at all difficult to
use, you'll miss out on some of the best features if you don't read the manual.
(Isn't that always true?)

If any of the files are missing, please leave a message wherever you got this
file stating that the .LZH is incomplete.  A complete version can be obtained
from me if you send a blank disk to the address below.


-- What this is --------------------------------------------------------------
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This is Sound Lab, dmj software's new sample editor.  It has plenty of
features, and its edit functions are _very_ fast.  You can play and record
samples from 5KHz to 30KHz, load and save in .AVR, .SPL, and .SAM format, and
it's easy to use.  (Recording samples requires either the ST Replay cartridge
or Pandaal DaataSound cartridge.  The new Stereo Replay cartridge will not
work, but contact me if you want a patch program.)


-- Shareware notice ----------------------------------------------------------
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If you thought I was just giving this program away you're nuttier than a
squirrel's stash.  This program is Shareware, and can be registered by mailing
just $20(!!) and the serial number from the "Shareware" dialog to:

     (US / Canada)                              (Europe)
    Damien M. Jones                         Damien M. Jones
    PSC 8 Box 657                           Postfach 657
    APO AE 09109                            6541 Flugplatz Hahn
    U.S.A.                                  GERMANY

If you do live in Europe, please send £12 or DM30.

In return for registering, you will receive a customized, registered version of
the program, a printed manual, and free disk updates.  When such updates become
available, you will be notified by mail; you would then send back your
registered disk to have it updated.  Replacing the disks every time an update
is made would increase the cost of the program.  Major revisions will be
available for a modest fee (probably less than $5, to cover costs of the
manuals).


-- A note about this program -------------------------------------------------
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You might wonder what the ST world needs with another sample editor-type
program.  Well, I bought a sound digitizer cartridge a while back (I won't say
which one) and although the cartridge was quite good, the software impressed me
about as much as a deflated balloon.  You get what you pay for, I suppose;
perhaps if I'd paid for a really expensive cartridge I might get some decent
software.  Then I got a chance to play around with some of the "expensive"
software, and I found that I wasn't missing much.

It's about time someone wrote a good sample editor program that is both easy to
use and still very powerful.  I hope Sound Lab fits this bill.  I and my beta
testers have done their very best to make sure this is a safe, idiot-proof
program; in addition, I've tried to make it very intuitive.  You may criticize
the program for its lack of icons (certain sample editors I've seen include a
few) but there are plenty of functions that do not lend themselves easily to
icons (_especially_ small icons), and mixing icons and text can make for a
sloppy interface.  So I decided against using icons.  I also tried to group
related functions together, making them easy to find.

One of the things I _do_ like about Sound Lab is that it's [very] fast.  Now
I'll start mentioning names, as I compare some speeds from a few programs I've
played around with.  I tested Sound Lab, an ST Stereo Replay Demo, and
Pandaal's DaataSound.  All tests were performed with the same 471K sample, at
14.985KHz, on a stock 8MHz 1040ST; times are in seconds, rounded off to the
nearest second.

            Function      ST S. Replay  DaataSound  Sound Lab
            -------------------------------------------------
              Reverse             34           2          2
              Echo                90           6°        18
              Volume x3.02       126           6°         4
              Fade In            126          18          4
              Overlay∙            47    Can't do it       8
              Speed x1/2          48           4          3
              Speed x2/3          73          --         18
              Speed x3/2∙        188          --         18

°DaataSound doesn't allow you to set this option; you take it the way Daata
 Sound does it or you don't get it at all.  The volume change is about a 25%
 boost.
∙I didn't have enough memory to store two copies of the 471K sample in RAM,
 so I cut it in half, overlaid it, and doubled the time.

When you run the program, you'll notice the Shareware dialog contains a serial
number.  This tells me where you got the program.  At the moment, there are
customized versions for GEnie, UseNet, and Delphi; if you run a BBS or a users'
group, and you want your own customized version, please let me know.  (This
will not exempt you from registering, though.)


-- Thanks --------------------------------------------------------------------
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As usual, I have some people to thank for their help with this program.  First
I have to thank Marc Lombardo for his help with the MFP Timer A & B routines;
without that help Sound Lab wouldn't have even been started.  Next I should
thank Tom Hayslett, for helping me debug the monochrome and STe routines, and
also for a fantastic printed manual.  I should also thank Troy H. Cheek for
lots of good ideas.  Thanks to Rob Glover and Marc Lombardo for providing some
good samples to play with.  Thanks to Rob Glover for distributing Sound Lab
over the major networks.  And a big hand to those who beta tested Sound Lab and
found more bugs than I thought possible: Marc Lombardo, Tom Hayslett, Rob
Glover, Troy Cheek, and Michael Parrott.


-- Feedback ------------------------------------------------------------------
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If you're like most people, you can't help criticizing a program the instant it
loads.  "It takes too long."  "The colors are blech."  "The screen is
confusing."  Relax.  It's normal.  I suffer an acute case of this myself.  But
if you have something to say, _say_it_.  It costs only 29¢ and a few minutes of
your time to make your voice heard.  Please, send me your comments, questions,
suggestions, or ideas; what may seem trivial to you may actually be important.
And even if it is trivial, it'd be trivial to fix it.


-- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------
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If you're unfamiliar with "dmj software", then you've never heard of DMJ GIF.
Simply put, it's one of the best GIF converters available for the ST.  It
allows you to convert GIF pictures to Spectrum, DEGAS, or Tiny pictures, in
color, grey scale, or monochrome.  Its most important feature is its "averaged
scaling", which produces the most remarkable pictures.  It fully supports the
STe, and even allows you to view STe pictures on a regular ST (in more than 512
colors).  DMJ GIF will let you convert, if you like, just a portion of the GIF;
you can convert entire batches of GIFs with only a few (three) mouse clicks.
You can get this Shareware program from GEnie, Usenet, or your local BBS
(you're looking for DMJ_GIF3.LZH); if you can't find it there, you can
certainly get it from me for only $15 (the Shareware price of DMJ GIF).
Registration includes a printed manual and an accelerated version of the
program.


-- Other dmj software --------------------------------------------------------
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Recently there have been some Freeware offerings from dmj software.  These are
all available on GEnie, and are probably also available on Delphi, CompuServe,
and your local BBS.  These programs are:

o BoinkSave - Actually two screen savers, one a fractal faze, and the other
         a bouncing, spinning ball.  A little more exciting than generic
         black screens.
o 89a_87a - A program to convert GIF files from the 89a standard (the new
         format) to the 87a standard (the old format).  At the time I wrote
         it (February 3, 1992) it was the only program for the ST that I knew
         of that would handle the new GIF 89a files in any way.  It works
         great with DMJ GIF.  Currently in version 1.1, it now "fixes" GIF-
         LITE GIFs so DMJ GIF will use them.
o SPC-3375 - The must-have STe Spectrum Slideshower for ST users!  Better
         flickering, and now supports Spectrum Smooshed format, too.

Also be sure to check out ReNameIt!, a program to rename files, folders, and
volume labels, using upper & lower case and extended characters.


-- Revision History ----------------------------------------------------------
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- Version 1.03, June 30, 1992:

I fixed an annoying bug that only showed up if you auto-booted the program in
monochrome (the system font in the Fileselector wouldn't display).  I also
generally improved the monochrome display so the text is a bit easier to read,
and I replaced the dull title screen with a slightly more exciting one.  This
will probably be the last revision for a while.

- Version 1.02, June 25, 1992:

There was a little glitch with the Cut function--it completely, totally, and
absolutely bombed the ST whenever it was used.  Even though that sounds
drastic, it was a really minor problem.

About three weeks ago there was an accident with the Sound Lab source code--a
rather nasty accident.  I almost lost three months of work on it (silly me
procrastinated my hard drive backups, so I was just asking for trouble) but
managed to recover the source after eight hours of work.

One of the consequences of the recovery process (which was a tad complicated to
go through here) was that some lines that had been comments suddenly became
executable code, with the expected results.  Since I looked through 10,000+
lines of GFA BASIC code before releasing the program to make sure this sort of
thing didn't happen, it's not surprising that I missed one.  It's also possible
that there are more.  But these glitches are easy to fix.

- Version 1.01, June 11, 1992:

A glitch with the auto-booting that slipped past me was fixed.  Sound Lab now
will properly auto-boot.

- Version 1.0, June 7, 1992:

First release version of Sound Lab, after extensive beta testing.


-- More to come --------------------------------------------------------------
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I'm not through with Sound Lab; far from it.  When I come back to it (sometime)
I'll be adding stereo sound and more effects.  I may also do a few other
programs that work with digitized sound (two have come to mind), but I've got a
full schedule of programs already going--most important of which is DMJ GIF
4.0.

    -dmj