Sound Sensations!

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COMPOZ Ver. 1.0 A Music Utility John M. Coon 11 Meadow Wood Dr. Fairport, N. Y. 14450 Compuserve I.D.# 73067,1666 INTRODUCTION COMPOZ is a program which takes advantage of the excellent music reproduction capabilities of CREATIVE MUSIC's SOUND BLASTER Card for IBM and IBM Compatibles. It represents the culmination of a six month effort to produce a simple but efficient and easy to use software product for generating CREATIVE MUSIC ".CMF" Files. PURPOSE Created for the IBM PC and Compatibles, COMPOZ offers musicians and non-musicians alike the ability to compose multi voice scores or input their favorite sheet music. The resulting ".CMF" File can then be played back within COMPOZ or with one of the many player programs now available. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS IBM PC or Compatible (286 or better recommended) 640 K CGA or better required SOUND BLASTER CARD Mouse (optional - recommended) Hard Drive or Floppies BRIEF DESCRIPTION Up to nine voices are programable with any of sixteen instruments from the built in instrument cache or imported from your directory of ".SBI" instrument files. Notes can be input either by mouse or keyboard over a seven octave range. Sharps, flats and natural's are supported, as are dotted and tied notes. The screen displays three measures of treble and G cleff staffs, up to a total of 60 measures or twenty pages. Menu options are at the top of the screen and editing tools are at the bottom, all of which respond to mouse or keyboard activation. Notes become part of an alpha-numeric coded file which when saved will have the file extension: ".CPZ". This ".CPZ" File may then be edited or re-edited, instrument assignments changed, tempo altered, etc. COMPOZ can convert these files to a ".CMF" file for playback via the play menu or saved via the file menu. Instruments for the voices may be selected from the instrument cache and assigned to individual voices. Each instrument's velocity or volume setting may also be assigned. Page 2 The default instrument "Pianoj" is assigned to all voices at start up. Instrument and velocity selections for the voices are saved with the ".CPZ" File. Instruments in the instrument cache may be replaced with any ".SBI" instrument files available to the user. These imported instruments will be valid until they are changed or the current session ends. The instrument cache contains sixteen different instruments, each of which may be assigned to all or different voices. LOADING COMPOZ.EXE----------------------------------------- To load COMPOZ you should either load your mouse driver (optional) and SBFMDRV.COM, the FM Music Driver which comes with your SOUND BLASTER Card, first and then COMPOZ.EXE. Or create a batch file similar to the following: @ECHO OFF CD MOUSE MOUSEDRIVER CD C:\SB SBFMDRV.COM CD COMPOZ COMPOZ.EXE CLS CD C:\ The program expects to find the SOUND BLASTER Card at address 220H. If it does not it will flag you that the card cannot be found. It will also flag you If you fail to load the FM driver. THE MENUS-------------------------------------------------- File Menu: 1 - Load a music text file (.CPZ) for conversion to a (.CMF) file or for editing. 2 - Save a music text file (.CPZ) to disk. 3 - Create a new music text file (.CPZ). 4 - Load a .CMF File for playing. 5 - Save a .CMF File - (Converted (.CPZ) File.) 6 - Set Directory Paths for (.CPZ), (.CMF) and (.SBI) Files 7 - Convert (.CPZ) File to a (.CMF) File 8 - Shell to DOS 9 - Clear the (.CPZ) and (.CMF) working buffers 10 - Exit COMPOZ Options Menu: 1 - Assign instruments to the voices 2 - Restore default instrument 3 - Set the tempo for a working (.CPZ) File. Page 3 4 - Clear the highest voice in a working (.CPZ) File. 5 - Sound On/Off - enable instrument sound for voice being entered into a working (.CPZ) file. 6 - Sequence - set the sequence of measures for repeats and CODAs of a finished working (.CPZ) file. 7 - Instrument Cache - contains the sixteen built in instruments and provision for importing external instrument files. 8 - Active File Info displays instrument and velocity assignments, tempo, number of measures and number of voices of a (.CPZ) file. Play Menu: 1 - Play - Plays a converted (.CPZ) file or any imported (.CMF) file. 2 - Play Voice - Converts and plays the active voice of the current working (.CPZ) file. 3 - Pause - Pause music output. 4 - Resume - Resume music output. 5 - Quit - Stops the current play function. Help Menu: 1 - File Help 2 - Option Help 3 - Play Help THE EDITING TOOLS ----------------------------------------- NOTELENGTH - Selects 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 or whole notes as next note to be input. Up - Increase notelength Dwn - Decrease notelength "." - Changes 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 notes to dotted notes. TIE On Off - Causes next note to be input to be tied to the following note input within or across measures. Will NOT tie notes of different pitch. Resets to Off after note input. REST On Off - On causes next note to be input to be a rest. Resets to Off after note input. VOICE NUMBER Up Dwn - Changes current active voice, 1 thru 9. SIG Up Dwn - Set the music Signature i.e. 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8 Beats per measure. # % b - Sets next note to be input either sharp, flat or natural. Resets after note input. Also sets music key. Set key on Treble Staff to right of signature. Page 4 OCTAVE Up Dwn - Sets the octave for music input and viewing. USING COMPOZ------------------------------------------------ KEYBOARD HELP KEY FUNCTION ____________________________________________________________ HOME Moves cursor to left edge of screen END Moves cursor to right edge of screen LEFT ARROW Moves cursor one column to the left RIGHT ARROW Moves cursor one column to the right UP ARROW Moves cursor one row up DOWN ARROW Moves cursor one row down PAGE UP Moves cursor to top of screen PAGE DWN Moves cursor to bottom of screen ENTER Selects function under cursor or inputs Note If cursor is at extreme left or right edge of screen and on a staff, ENTER will cause a page change down or up. If cursor is at extreme left or right edge of screen and positioned between the staffs then ENTER will cause a move to page one or the last page respectively. TAB Moves cursor 10 columns right SHIFT TAB Moves cursor 10 columns left BACKSPACE Erases note under cursor (active voice) CTRL BACKSPACE Erases measure under cursor (active voice) MOUSE HELP Move mouse cursor over function and press left Mouse button. Move mouse cursor to selected spot on music staff and press left Mouse button to input a note, press right Mouse button to erase the note for the active voice. To erase the measure for the active voice, press both Mouse buttons simultaneously. The mouse cursor may be moved all the way to the right side of the screen on the note staffs and the left Mouse button pressed to pagechange up to the next page. Conversely the mouse cursor may be moved all the way to the left on the staffs and the left Mouse button pressed to change pages down. If the Mouse cursor is kept between the staffs and moved to the extreme left or right side of the screen, then when the left Mouse button is pressed the pagechange will take you to page one or the last page and last measure respectively. ENTERING AND EDITING NOTES Position the cursor where the note should be placed on the staff and press ENTER (Mouse left button). The editor will Page 5 not allow a note to be entered over another note, it's flag or over a measure separator. Erase a note by positioning the cursor over the note and pressing BACKSPACE (Mouse right button). Erase a measure by positioning the cursor within the measure to be erased (for the active voice only) and press CTRL BACKSPACE (Both Mouse buttons). Voices are assigned colors for identification while editing. Example: Voice 1 notes will be black on the white background edit screen. You cannot erase or edit notes of a voice (color) that is not the current active voice. Voices are selected with the edit tool VOIVE NUMBER Up/Dwn. If you select SOUND ON from the options menu the active voice's assigned instrument will be heard as notes are entered. The default signature is 4/4 time. In this sig you are allowed to enter any combination of notes that add up to 4 beats. Whole note = 4 beats (1 per measure) 1/2 note = 2 beats (2 per measure) 1/4 note = 1 beat (4 per measure) 1/8 note = .5 beat (8 per measure) 1/16 note = .25 beat (16 per measure) Dotted 1/2 note = 3 beats Dotted 1/4 note = 1.5 beats Dotted 1/8 note = .75 beat The program will not let you exceed the beats per measure as set by the signature. To set the key of the music (sharps or flats) you will need to select from the edit tools line either the sharp or flat character and move the cursor two columns to the right of the signature on the Treble cleff staff and press the left mouse button or ENTER to write the flat or sharp key identifier. If the flat character is selected and the music is in B flat then position the cursor over the third line down and two columns right of the signature within the Treble Cleff and enter the flat. The flat will be printed at the appropriate place on the G Cleff staff as well. All B notes entered will now be flat. To enter a natural B the natural character must be selected before entering the natural B. The natural sign % will be added to the note when printed on the screen. The natural character will need to be selected before entering each natural B, even within the same measure as it will default back to the B flat key. If a note that would be normally natural by key assignment such as a C in the key of C (no flats or sharps) is needed to be made sharp or flat then select the sharp or flat character from the edit tools row and then enter the note. A # or b will be added to the note on the screen indicating the choice. This will have to be done each time a note is to be made sharp or flat, even within the same measure as it will default back to the C key (no sharps or flats). Page 6 If a note is tied to a note of the same pitch be sure to select the tie function in the edit tools row before entering the note. If REST On is selected a rest character will be printed to the screen at the notelength selected. In the 4/4 signature (4 beats per measure) to rest for the whole measure select 1 for the notelength (whole note) and REST On then enter. When inputing music, select voices in ascending order. Input all or several pages of voice 1 then change the voice number assignment to voice 2 etc. and input voice 2 to match the measure count for voice 1. You may then convert the ".CPZ" file to ".CMF" and play it to check your progress. Once a voice has been selected and notes input that voice must either have notes or rests assigned to the active measures already written in previous voices. In other words if the music you are inputing has 6 voices but the sixth voice is only used occasionally, then you must fill the measures where voice 6 is not used with rests. If you increment to a voice and input notes by mistake or just want to eliminate that voice, then go to the options menu and select Clear Voice to clear it. Convert file may be selected at anytime from the File menu to listen to the music up to the last entry point, however all active voices must be complete to the last measure with notes or rests. If a voice is not complete or there has been an input error (not enough notes entered in a measure etc.) an error window will appear displaying the voice and measure number where the error was detected. A voice may be assigned one instrument only. This instrument may be changed at any time in an active ".CPZ" File but it will be the only instrument for that particular voice. If you assign a voice an instrument that was imported into the instrument cache it will be good for that session only. If the ".CPZ" file is brought in at a later time the instrument assignment shown in the options menu selection <CPZ File Info> will be incorrect and if the file were to be converted the imported instrument slot would default back to the built in instrument cache instrument. COMPOZ will not handle triplets or 1/32 notes. Page 7 TYPICAL PROGRAM EXAMPLES You load an existing ".CPZ" file and want to change the instruments for voice 1 and 2. First load the file by selecting <Load .CPZ File> from the File menu. You will be presented with all of the ".CPZ" files in the directory which was set with the <Setpaths> option of the File menu. Select the file. After the file is resident and notes are displayed, select <Assign Instruments> from the Options menu. Enter the voice number to change at the prompt. Enter the number of the instrument to assign from the instrument cache listing on the left of the window. Enter the velocity level of the new instrument. Do this for both voice 1 and 2. Press the escape key and convert the file by selecting <Convert File> from the File menu. You may now play the music with the new instruments by selecting <Play> from the Play menu. If you want to save the music as a ".CMF" File then select <Save .CMF> from the File menu, give it a name and save it to the directory you selected for ".CMF" Files with the <Setpath> option of the File menu. Remember that ".CPZ" Files must be converted to be saved as ".CMF" Files. You would like to replace one of the built in instruments in the instrument cache with one of your favorite ".SBI" instrument files. Select <Instrument Cache> from the options menu and enter the number of the instrument to replace. You will see all of the ".SBI" files in the directory that was set by <Setpaths> in the File menu. Select the instrument file to import and press enter. Press escape to exit the instrument cache option. Next select <Assign Instruments> to assign your imported instrument to a voice. Load the example .CPZ files included in this package to see the note and rest representations on the screen and how the <Sequence> option of the Options menu works. Modify the files by changing instruments, velocity or tempo, convert and play them to hear the changes. COMPILER COMPOZ was written and compiled in Microsoft Basic Professional Development System ver. 7.1. Some of the routines in COMPOZ are from Crescent Software's Quickpak PRO-7 Library. Other Library routines in support of the Sound Blaster card are from Creative Labs SB Developer Kit Quickpak, PRO-7 - Copyright Crescent Software Microsoft Basic PDS 7.1 Copyright Microsoft Corp. Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Developer Kit, CMF, SBI Copyright Creative Labs Page 8 IMPORTANT COMPOZ is distributed as a fully working program. There are no disabled file functions or delay screens and it is not a "Demo". This program may be distributed and copied freely as long as this documentation file is included. COMPOZ is a Shareware product and is intended to be used by individuals to enhance their enjoyment of composing or playing music through the Sound Blaster Card. COMPOZ is a copyrighted program and may not be sold individually, included as part of prepackaged software or for any commercial purpose. Disk distributors of Shareware or user supported software may distribute COMPOZ for a reasonable fee to cover costs of duplicating and handling. REGISTRATION COMPOZ is Shareware and you are asked to evaluate the software for a reasonable amount of time. If after this time you find yourself continuing to use the program you must register it. The Registration fee is $20. Send registration fee of $20.00 To: John M. Coon 11 Meadow Wood Dr. Fairport, N.Y. 14450 N.Y.S residents add 7% sales tax. ($21.40) DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY This program, its use, and operation are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of this software is with the user. In no event shall I, John M. Coon, be liable for damages arising from the use or inability to use this program.