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AMIGAplus Sonderheft 25 (2000)(Falke)(DE)(Track 1 of 4)[!].iso
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AmigaAMP
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AmigaAMP.readme
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2000-05-08
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Short: MPEG audio player with GUI (68k/PPC)
Uploader: Thomas Wenzel (wenzel@unixserv.rz.fh-hannover.de)
Author: Thomas Wenzel (wenzel@unixserv.rz.fh-hannover.de)
Type: mus/play
Version: 2.2
Homepage
--------
http://amigaamp.amiga-software.com
Introduction
------------
AmigaAMP is a GUI based MPEG audio player using mpega.library on the 68k
processor or the amp decoding engine in the PPC version. Sound is played
back using the AHI audio system. AmigaAMP is NOT another frontend for the
CLI based mpega. Anyway, if you've got problems not related to the user
interface but with AHI, AsyncIO or mpega.library, PLEASE contact the
corresponding author directly. I wouldn't be able to help you in this
case.
Requirements (not included in this archive!)
--------------------------------------------
AmigaOS 3.0 or higher
68030-50MHz processor or better
mpega.library (Aminet:util/libs/mpega_library.lha)
asyncio.library (Aminet:dev/c/AsyncIO.lha)
AHI audio system (Aminet:mus/misc/ahiusr.lha)
Recommended
-----------
PowerUP and ppc.library v46
AmigaOS 3.1 (OS3.1 AND PowerUP v46 are needed for the spectrum analyzer!)
Features
--------
- FREEWARE! No beta, no nag requesters and no expiry date!
- GadTools based font sensitive user interface
- Alternatively WinAMP compatible user interface
- Fast, synchronous spectrum analyzer (almost no latency)
- Workbench application (you can drop icons on its window)
- Easily configurable
- AHI device-level access (uses default audio mode automatically)
- PPC (PowerUP) support
- ID3 tag editor (artist, title, albm, etc.)
Limitations
-----------
- The PPC version doesn't support MPEG2.5 yet, I'm working on it
- Only simple level meters in the 68k version
- No realtime spectrum when using AmigaOS 3.0 -- sorry guys!
- No realtime spectrum when playing MP2 files yet
History
-------
v2.2 - better CyberGraphX compatibility
- editable playlist including loading and saving (from the menu)
- time/remain display
- freaky animation in the bottom right corner :)
- autoscrolling song/artist text in WinAMP mode
- skin display while loading on highcolor/truecolor screens
- random play (shuffle)
- more alphabetically sorted genres
- key sensitive genre requester
- pitch shift (+ and - keys on numeric keypad, * resets speed)
- improved PUBSCREEN and SCREENMODE capabilities
- fixed internal crossfader
Start two aamps and hold shift while dragging the volume slider
- support for 'nums_ex' and 'volbar' named skin images
v2.1 - configurable playback buffer size (should cure many problems!)
- fixed a bug that caused truecolor skins to be dithered even on
truecolor screens
- Skin pictures can have any extension you like as long as the name
is correct.
- Fixed a bug in the PPC loader for 48 kHz MPEGs
- asynchronous filerequester
- Skins can be reloaded at any time.
- auto-play after opening a file if playback was active before opening
- corrected some skin positions
- visualisation for the 68k version, too (level meters)
- MaxFreq finally works
v2.0 - so many changes it was worth bumping the version number :-)
- position of genre listview gadget fixed
- fixed bugs when playing mono or 22.05 kHz files
- digital volume control
- AREXX interface (see AREXX.readme)
- automatic detection if another AmigaAMP task is already
running
- alphabetically sorted playlist (not editable yet)
- configurable buffersize
- WinAMP lookalike GUI (see below)
- Improved fontsensitivity of old GUI
- cached taginfo -- will be written when the file is closed
v1.1 - name changed to AmigaAMP
- PPC version
- ID3 tag editor
- commandline support
v1.0 - initial release called MPEGAHI
Getting started (configuration)
-------------------------------
Important! You need a properly installed and configured AHI audio system
to run AmigaAMP. Without a correct setup the sound may be very poor and
AHI will draw too much CPU power!
First of all run the AHI setup program in your Prefs drawer. Select
one of the units from 0 to 3 but not the Music unit. If you don't use
unit 0 for anything already I recommend using that one.
Select one of the "fast stereo++" audiomodes that matches your audio
hardware. For Prelude playback I recommend "Prelude:Fast 16 bit stereo++
realtime".
Now you need to know what sampling rate most of your MPEG files
have. Probably it's 44100 Hz because that's the standard CD rate. If
you have a slow processor you may want to run AmigaAMP in frequency division
mode to reduce CPU load. Have a look at the table below for the recommended
settings.
It is important to set the frequency slider to your mostly used frequency
divided by your chosen frequency divisor. For example, if you're going to
playback lots of 44100 Hz MPEGs and frequency division is 1:2, set the
Frequency slider to 22050 Hz.
If you don't plan to have several programs playing back audio at the
same time, please leave the Channels slider at position 1. The remaining
settings depend on your audio hardware.
Ok, press the "Save" button in the bottom left corner.
Now it's time to configure AmigaAMP itself. If you've chosen another
AHI device than 0, you have to change the AHIUNIT tooltype of AmigaAMP
first. If not, just start it by double clicking on its icon and pop up
the setup window by chosing Config... from the menu.
Set the sliders and checkmarks to the recommended settings, save them using
the menu and close the settings window again.
That's it! AmigaAMP is now configured. You may want to fine-tune the
settings later. The overall performance depends on the speed of mpega.library
AND the the speed of your soundcard's AHI driver.
Recommended settings (tested with Prelude:Fast 16 bit stereo++ realtime)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Layer 1/2 | Layer 3
Processor | Quality|FreqDiv|Mono | Quality|FreqDiv|Mono
----------+--------+-------+-----+--------+-------+-----
68040-40 | high | 1:2 | off | medium | 1:2 | on
68060-50 | high | 1:1 | off | high | 1:1 | off
PPC604e | high | 1:1 | off | high | 1:1 | off
Note: In fact only the 68k version is affected by these settings.
Advanced settings
-----------------
* Bufsize:
Set the size of the read ahead buffer. Try playing with it until you
get best results. (Normally 16 to 32K is best)
Setting the buffersize to FILE means that the read ahead buffer will
be as large as the current track eliminating all disk access during
play. Attention! This option isn't 100% stable yet!
* TaskPri:
Set the running task priority of AmigaAMP. The recommended value for
uninterrupted playback is 1. God knows what happens if some 3rd party
task rescheduler starts fiddling around with AmigaAMP's internal task
priorities...
* Read ID3 TagInfo
Try to read information about artist, title, etc. Because those are stored
at the end of the file it may slow down loading a bit. If this function
is switched off, TagInfo can neither be edited nor saved!
* Allow multiple instances
Normally when you click on an MPEG file project icon while AmigaAMP is
already playing another one, no second AmigaAMP task will be launched but
the already running task will start playing the new file. This behaviour
can be switched off. You have to start AmigaAMP twice manually and then
save the config with "Allow multiple instances" switched on from both
running tasks.
* Limit volume to 0dB
The volume slider ranges from silence to +6dB volume so that you can boost
more silent recordings. If you don't want to turn the volume above normal
accidentally, you can switch on this option.
* ToolType: DIRECTORY
Default directory to display in filerequester.
* ToolType/Keyword: SCREENMODE
Tell AmigaAMP to use its own screen. The mode has to be specified in
decimal or hexadecimal format. Hex values have to be preceeded by
<0x> or <$>. Example: SCREENMODE=0x50021303
* ToolType/Keyword: PUBSCREEN
Name of the public screen that Amiga