Experimental BBS Explossion 3/Experimental BBS Explossion III.iso/gus/gumntx.zip/SNDSTAT.TXT

Text File | 1994-06-17 | 50KB | 1,236 lines

Sound Station

SoundStation is a complete sound software solution for your PC.
It functions like a home stereo system and provides all the
essentials for sound recording and playback. SoundStation is a
Windows application with individual components_CD _, MIDI
(synthesized files), Wave Digital Player/Recorder_ (digitally
recorded files)_ that can be turned on or off.

SoundStation includes the following components:

Mixing console

A mixing console provides complete control over recording
sources and playback volume levels.  Requires a sound card with
appropriate mixing capabilities to operate.

CD player_

A full featured compact disc player for compact discs. Requires
a CD-ROM_ drive with audio playback capabilities to operate.

Digital player / recorder_

SoundStation allows you to record digitally and play back WAVE_
files. Requires appropriate WAVE_ drivers and digital
recording/playback hardware to operate.

MIDI player_

Plays MIDI files on your sound card through its built-in MIDI
synthesizer.  Requires appropriate MIDI drivers and hardware.



SoundStation is a one-stop solution for controlling your
computer's sound card and/or CD-ROM player using Windows_ 3.1
and the Windows Multimedia facilities.  SoundStation allows you
to play Windows WAVE (.WAV) and MIDI (.MID) files through your
sound card.  You can also use SoundStation to control your
computer's CD-ROM player as if it were an audio CD player.

SoundStation's main screen looks similar to a stacked stereo
component system.  The logical arrangement of the functions into
one  tightly integrated  "system" with a familiar face should
help both the novice and the expert to learn the program quickly.

One of the main features that we like to point out is the
program's extensibility.  In other words, if you don't like the
way something works, you can probably modify the functionality
to suit your tastes.

Another interesting feature of SoundStation is the application
of graphical elements and symbols instead of text on many of the
buttons and displays.  The little button with the right-facing
single arrow indicates Play, not only on the CD player, but also
on the WAVE player and the MIDI player.  In other words, once
you've mastered one component's operation, you're well on your
way toward understanding the other components_just like buying
all of your real stereo components from the same manufacturer.







SoundStation is installed during the UltraSound Bonus Software
automated installation.  If you need to re-install SoundStation
for any reason, consult your UltraSound installation guide for
details on how to do a manual install.



Double-click the SoundStation icon in the Program Manager's
Gravis UltraSound group to launch SoundStation.



SoundStation features extensive on-line help_ as well as a
graphical "help" file.  If you want additional information on a
product feature, press the right mouse button while the mouse
pointer is over that feature or element. On-line help can also
be reached from the Help Button of SoundStation.



SoundStation supports Windows Drag_ and Drop_.  This feature
allows you to load files automatically by dragging WAVE and MIDI
files from Windows' File Manager to SoundStation.  You may drag
both WAVE and MIDI files to SoundStation at the same time.

For both the WAVE and MIDI players, you can set up dropped files
to replace the current play list or to be added to the current
play list.  See the sections "The WAVE Player Setup Dialog" and
"The MIDI Player Setup Dialog" for more information on drag and
drop options.

If you drop files in SoundStation while the device that uses
that type of file is playing, the dropped files will be ignored.
 For example, if the WAVE component is playing or recording,
then dropped WAVE files will be ignored.  Also, the play list
for any component is limited to 50 files. Files dropped after
the file limit is reached will be ignored.



The rack_ system is our name for the full-blown default mode of
operation for SoundStation.  It's the one that looks like a
stereo system, full of neat displays and loads of buttons (Fig.
1 - page 1).  Most functions are available from this mode.



The mixer_ lets you control your SoundStation environment.

 Packed into this component are many different controls that
allow you to adjust the sound and operation of your system.
There is also a digital clock for your convenience.



The VU_ Meter allows you to see the output from the sound card
via a pair of bar graph meters.  There are several options for
operating the VU meters, selectable by the buttons along the
right side of the meters.  The VU Meter is always turned off
when  SoundStation is started.

The VU meters operate in normal mode or peak hold mode.  Select
normal mode by clicking on either half of the VU meter's ON
button with the left mouse button.  The word "ON" will light up
in bright green.  The VU meter should be active if some input is
present on the sound card.

Press the PEAK button to switch to peak hold mode, and the meter
will hold the last highest level it recorded for approximately
one second.  The peak is indicated by a steady red bar.

By selecting the right half of either the ON button or PEAK_
button, you select single bar mode.  Instead of a "stack" of
bars indicating VU information, only a single floating bar is
visible, representing the level.  When single bar mode is active
for either the normal or peak hold modes, the word above the
button turns yellow and the right half of the corresponding
button is depressed.

For sound cards that cannot record from more than one input
source at a time, you will have to select the active source with
the appropriate Record Input (Rec) Button on the mixer panel.
This allows that input to be monitored by the VU meter.  Also
note that when the WAVE player device is playing, the VU meter
mirrors the VU meter in the WAVE component.  This means that any
other inputs to the sound card are not reflected on the VU meter
while the WAVE device is playing.

Note!    The VU meters do not work with MIDI files.



The Power_ button turns SoundStation off, exiting the program
completely.  When you are finished using SoundStation, just
press the Power button or <Alt-F4>.

Note that if you exit SoundStation while it is playing WAVE or
MIDI files, or if SoundStation was controlling your CD audio,
all playing will stop.  If you want to continue playing music
without displaying the SoundStation screen, see the sections on
"Remote Controls" or "Component Selection Buttons."

 Buttons;

The Input Level and Master Volume Controls have Mute buttons.
The mute buttons temporarily reduce input or volume levels to
minimum.  Note that the previous setting for the muted channel
is saved and is still displayed in the associated control's bar
graph display.  When the Mute is released, the previous level is
restored.

Pressing the Mute button for an Input Level Control mutes only
that particular device.  However, if you activate the Mute for
the Master Volume Control, you cause all audio output to be
muted.  Press the Master Mute again and you'll be back to the
previously selected volume and input levels.

It's easy to tell when Mute is activated for a particular input
or the Master.  Each activated Mute button has its red LED lit.
If it's off, the displayed input or output level should be set.
Each mute button is a toggle.  That is, pressing it once turns
it on and pressing it again turns it off.  Note that if the
flashing LED is annoying, it can be set to solid through the
Setup button.



The Default_ button is a quick way to return all mixer volumes,
and the Master volume, to a user-defined setting.  The states of
the mute buttons are also saved as part of the default setting.
To set the default, first set all of the mixer levels to the
desired settings, and set mutes on or off. Then, press the Setup
button on the rack system.  Press the Set button under the label
Mixer Level Defaults to save your level and mute preferences.
Note that you can have SoundStation use these default settings
on start-up, also.  To activate this feature, select Preferences
from the Setup dialog.  In the group labeled Save/Restore
Volume, turn on the checkbox labeled Use Default.  Then, click
OK.  Now, whenever you start up SoundStation, the mixer will
preset all of your levels and mutes to your default settings.



The Input Level.i.level_; controls .i.controls_;cover several
components, including the WAVE player, MIDI player, CD player,
Line input and Mic input.  For each level input control, there
is a level display and two buttons, one to increase input level
and one to decrease it.

To increase the input signal_ level for the selected component,
press the button with the up arrow.  To decrease the input
signal level, press the button with the down arrow.

For boards that allow separate left_ and right_ level
adjustments, pressing the left third of either level adjustment
button only adjusts the left channel input level. Pressing the
right third of either button adjusts only the right level, and
pressing the middle third of either button adjusts both left and
right channel input levels simultaneously.  This allows balance
control.

The input level display shows two columns of 15 horizontal bars.
 The left column indicates the relative input level of the left
channel of the selected control, while the right column
indicates the relative input level of the right channel.  When
all of the display elements are bright cyan (light blue), the
level is at the board's full setting.  If all the bars are a
darker blue color, the level is at the board's lowest setting
(usually off).  Levels in between are displayed by a number of
brightly colored (lit) bars in the display.



The Master Volume_ Control allows adjustment of the volume of
all input sources in one control.  The control has a level
display and two buttons for increasing and decreasing the output
level. The Master Volume control looks like the Input Level
control and operates the same way.

When a setup allows individual input level controls for each
component, but does not support a master output control, the
program will often simulate this feature by internally adjusting
all of the input controls proportionately.  This adjustment will
not be reflected in the individual input's display controls.



There are three component selection.i.component selection_;
buttons along the bottom row of the mixer panel of the rack
system.

When each control is activated, the corresponding component
appears below the mixer panel in the rack, stacked on the
bottom.  If one of the buttons is turned off, that component
disappears.

It is not necessary for a component to be visible in order for
it to play.  For instance, you could load a CD and start it
playing.  Then you could deactivate the CD player button to make
the CD component disappear, and the CD would continue playing.
Of course, in order to do anything with the CD player other than
work with the volume level, you would either have to re-activate
the component or switch to one of the Remote Controls.



The Setup button brings up the Setup dialog.  In the Setup
dialog, you can configure SoundStation for your hardware, or
select one of several other dialogs to configure specific parts
of the program.



To access the Preferences dialog, the Information dialog or any
of the component setup dialogs, choose the appropriate button
from the Setup dialog.

To preset the current input and volume levels and Mute button
settings as the default, press the button labeled Set Mixer
Default.  Pressing the default button on the rack system will
return these settings whenever you wish to return to them.

The program's Version number is displayed in the Setup dialog.
Please refer to this number when calling for technical support.



The Preferences.i.Preferences_; dialog allows you to set various
options which determine how SoundStation runs.

Each section in the dialog is enclosed in a Group Box with an
appropriate label.  Each of these groups is discussed below.



The Save/Restore_ Volume group has checkboxes for the input
levels on the mixer and for the Master volume control.  The
checked level is saved on exit from the program and is used to
restore the setting on the next program start-up.  If an item is
left unchecked, the current sound card setting for that
particular level is used by the program on restart.

To have the program use the defaults, check Use Defaults.  This
overrides the remaining selections in this section.



The Start-up _Mode radio buttons allow you to select the mode
that the program uses at start-up.  If you select Last Mode,_
the program will start up in the mode it was in when last
exited.  If you select Rack Mod_e, then the program will always
start with the Rack system and components initially visible.  If
you select Remote Mod_e, the program will always start with the
selected remote control type (see Remote Type section, below)
initially visible.



The Save on Exit_ group allows you to select whether the program
will save the rack and remote positions (moveable remote only)
to use on the next start-up.  If left unchecked, the appropriate
device will be placed at the Windows default position the first
time it is made visible during each run of the program.



There are several different types of remote controls_ supplied
with SoundStation so that you can select the remote control that
works best for you.  Note that if you do not want a remote
control at all, you can select the None (Iconize) option, and
the rack system will minimize to an icon at the bottom of the
screen when the Remote button is pressed.

If you want the selected remote control to always be on top of
any application windows that happen to overlay the remote, check
the Remote on Top checkbox.  This will make it impossible to
cover the remote control with other application windows.  Turn
the checkbox off to make the remote behave like most other
Windows applications and disappear behind other windows when
they overlay the remote control.

The two general types of remotes provided with SoundStation are
described below:

Moveable

The moveable remote allows you to drag the remote control around
the screen.  To restore the rack system, press the "Rack" button
on the remote.

Tool Bar

The Bar remotes are similar to other applications' toolbars.
The buttons are arranged in one horizontal row.  The Bar remotes
can be attached to either the very top or the very bottom of
your screen.  To restore the rack system, press Rack on the
remote.



Enabling the Flashing Mutes checkbox causes all mute button LEDs
to flash when the appropriate mute buttons are activated.  If
the Flashing Mutes checkbox is not checked, active mute buttons
will have a solid LED.



Like flashing mutes, above, but applies to the pause buttons on
the components and the remote controls.



If the Clock Seconds checkbox is checked, the clock on the rack
system will show seconds in addition to the hours and minutes.
If the checkbox is not checked, then the rack system clock will
show either an A for AM or a P for PM in place of the seconds.



The Wave Options dialog allows you to control how the WAVE
player runs.  Each group of options is discussed below.



Select one of the two options in the Drag and Drop group to
determine how the program will handle new .WAV files that are
dragged from File Manager to SoundStation and dropped.

Adds to Program adds the dropped .WAV files to any .WAV files
that are already selected.  Replaces Program replaces any
previously selected .WAV files with the dropped .WAV files.

;

Select one of the two options in the Recording group to
determine how WAVE files will be recorded.  The default
selection, Starts immediately, means that once you press the
Record button, all necessary setup actions are performed, then
recording starts.

To cue a recording session with more accuracy, it is better to
select the Pauses initially_ option.  When this option is
selected, and the wave Record button is pressed, the usual
housekeeping occurs, but then the Pause button comes on and the
wave player is ready to record immediately when the Pause button
is released.

The Counts Up and Counts Down option determines how the Wave
Player display will operate during both recording and playback
of Wave files.

The Coordinated CD Pause Release option allows more accurate
recording control from the CD-ROM drive.  When this option is
active, the CD's pause will be released at the same time that
you release the pause on the Wave player to start recording.

The Wave Record Path option allows you to designate the drive
and path to which you want your new Waveform recordings to go.



The Pause after playing each waveform option allows you to pause
the WAVE device at the end of each selection in a
multiple-selection playback.  Check this box to pause between
each file; uncheck it to allow normal sequential playback.

The Limit waveform recording to: option allows you to make sure
you don't inadvertently fill up your hard disk with a huge
waveform recording.  This is a safety net you can use to limit
the amount of recording you can perform at one time.  To remove
this safety net, enter a 0 for the time, and you can record
until your hard disk fills up if you wish.



The MIDI Options dialog lets you determine how the MIDI player
runs.  Each section in the dialog is discussed below.



The Time/Track Defaults section determines how the time and
track display on the MIDI player will operate when the rack
system is running and the MIDI player is active.  When a new
list of MIDI selections is generated, the program finds the
length of each song and the total length of all the songs.  The
totals are shown on the MIDI display for five seconds before it
reverts to the default time and track display mode.  If you
press the Time or Track buttons to alter the display, the
display also reverts to default mode after five seconds.

If the Default on Timeout checkbox is checked, the display
always reverts after a period of five seconds whenever the Time
or Track buttons are used to alter the display.  Turning off the
checkbox will cause the Time and Track display to show the last
setting instead of reverting to the default display.



Reverse Skip lets you customize the operation of the MIDI
player's Reverse Skip button.  By default, the Reverse Skip
button, while the player is in Play or Pause mode, returns to
the beginning of the current song if the current position in the
song is greater than 2 seconds, or skips back to the previous
song if the current position in the song is less than or equal
to 2 seconds.  If you select Previous Track, Reverse Skip will
always skip back to the previous song, no matter what the
current position in the song.



Select Adds to Program to add dropped .MID files to any MIDI
files that are already selected in the program.  Select Replaces
to replace any previously selected MIDI files.



You can decide whether the MIDI component_ displays the full
path and filename or filename only of the currently playing MIDI
song.  Select either all uppercase or all lowercase.



Pause After Playing Each Song allows you to pause the MIDI
device at the end of each selection in a multiple selection
playback.  Check this box to pause between each file; uncheck it
to allow normal sequential (or random or repeated) playback.



The CD Player Setup.i.CD Player Setup_; dialog allows you to
determine how the CD player runs.  Each section in the dialog is
discussed below.



The Time/Track Defaults section of the CD Player Setup works the
same as the MIDI Player Time/Tracks Defaults section.



The Reverse Skip option in the CD Player Setup works the same as
Reverse Skip in the MIDI Player Setup.



The About button_ brings up a dialog with information about the
program and WinSoft_.  This is known as an About Dialog Box in
common Windows terminology.  Move the mouse pointer more than
about 15 pixels, or press the left mouse button to remove the
dialog from the screen.



The Info button_ provides visual feedback regarding the status
of your sound board.  This dialog box indicates what functions
of the sound board were found on your system.  Marked items are
available.  Unmarked functions are not available on your sound
board.  The information gathered by this dialog box is the same
information used to set your SoundStation functions.

The Info dialog also lists the version number of your copy of
the program.  Whenever you need to contact us about problems
with your program, always get the version number from the Info
dialog before calling.  This will help us to determine whether
there is a newer version of the program which addresses the
problems that you are experiencing.



The Clock Display.i.Clock Display_; shows the current time with
an AM or PM indicator.  Select the Clock Seconds option from the
Preferences dialog to display seconds.



The WAVE Player.i.Wave Player_; component allows you to cue one
or more digitized waveform files for playback, or to record your
own waveform files.



The Program button_ pulls up the WAVE programming dialog.  With
this dialog, you can create a program, or play list, of waveform
files.  See the section "The WAVE Programming Dialog" for more
information on creating waveform play lists.



The Mode button_ changes the recording mode of the WAVE player
when it is not currently playing or recording waveform files.
The Mode button cycles through 8-bit mono, 8-bit stereo, and if
you have an UltraSound MAX installed, also through 16-bit mono
and 16-bit stereo modes(if available with the selected recording
rate).  The selected mode is displayed in the wave player's
display area.



The Rate button_ changes the recording speed (or sampling rate)
of the WAVE player.  The Rate button cycles through 11 kHz, 22
kHz, 44 kHz, and 48 kHz rates if you have 16-bit recording
capabilities and if the rate is available in the selected
recording mode.  The selected rate is displayed in the wave
player's display area.



To record waveform_ audio data, press the Record button on the
WAVE player.  Before pressing Record, however, you should
probably set the desired recording mode and rate, described
above.  Also, you will probably want to select the input source
from which you plan to record.  This is covered in the section
"The Record Input (Rec) Buttons."

The suggested mode for initial recording start-up is to set
Pauses Initially in the WAVE Player Setup dialog.  This way,
once the recording is set up, you can set the input mixer
level(s) for the component(s) that you are recording from.
Adjust the input so that the dual meters in the WAVE display
window rarely enter the yellow areas and  the red areas (peak)
do not light up at all, or as little as possible.  This will
help to ensure a good quality recording.

Once the levels are set and the material that you want to record
is starting, press Pause to release the pause mode and start
recording if Pauses Initially is set, or press Record if Starts
Immediatel_y is set in the Recording options in the WAVE Player
Setup dialog.



The Play Button starts waveform playback.  The waveforms can be
selected using the WAVE programming dialog or by dragging and
dropping waveform files from the File Manager.



The remaining buttons perform the functions indicated below.

Reverse Skip_    Skips backward in the play list by one file.

Forward Skip_    Skips forward in the play list by one file.

Rewind_    Skips backwards in the current file at small intervals.

Fast Forward_    Skips forward in the current file at small
intervals.

Stop_    Stops playing the play list.

Pause_    Pauses the playing of files until released.



The WAVE Programming Dialog_ allows you to select a waveform
file, or several waveform files, to play on the WAVE component.
You may select up to 50 files to play at one time.
Additionally, you may save your list of files by giving the list
a unique name.  Then, you can recall your list later by
selecting the name of the list from those that you have saved.



Bring up the WAVE Programming Dialog by pressing the Program
button on the WAVE component or the Prog button on the remote
control while the WAVE device is selected.  On the right side of
the dialog are two list boxes labeled Directories and Files.
Above both of the list boxes is the currently selected directory.

To move around your disk, choose the appropriate directory from
the list in the Directories listbox.  Select the [..] symbol to
move up a directory.  Double click the left mouse button on the
desired directory path to change to that directory.  Your choice
will appear above the list box.  Any WAVE files found in the
currently selected directory path will appear in the Files
listbox.  If you wish to change to a different disk drive,
select the desired drive by dropping down the Drives box, and
clicking once on a drive letter.

Mark files from the Files listbox by clicking on them with your
mouse.

Once all of the desired files are marked,  press the button
labeled <<Add underneath the Files listbox to add them to the
Selection List listbox in the order that they appear in the
Files listbox.

The Selection List listbox operates in a similar manner as the
Files listbox.  You can remove files from the Selection List one
at a time by double clicking on the files, or mark them and
press the Remove button.  You can clear the whole Selection List
by pressing the Clear button.  You can also select all files in
the Selection List easily by pressing the Select All button.



Once you have created a list of WAVE files to play, you can
choose to save the list by giving it a name. To do this, press
the Save List button.  An additional dialog will appear,
prompting you for a name for the list.  Type a name for the list
and click OK.  Note that the name you give your list is NOT a
filename, so you may type in a complete sentence such as Cartoon
Sound Effects, if you wish.  Your selections and the name of
your list will be added to the WAVE list database.

To recall your list later, select the dropdown box labeled
Program at the top left of the dialog box.  Scroll through the
entries until you find the one you want and single-click the
left mouse button on that entry's name.  The list of files
assigned to that name will appear in the Selection List.  If you
want to remove files from the list, use the procedure described
above for removing files from the Selection List.  If you want
to add new files to the list, select them with the procedure
described for adding files to the Selection List.  Press the
Save List button to update the database.

Create a new list by pressing the New List button.  Note that if
you select or de-select files while there is a name present in
the Program box window, you are modifying the indicated
playlist.  You will always have a chance, however, to cancel
changes to an existing playlist if you attempt to make a new
list.



To play the files selected in the Selection List,  click OK.
You will be returned to the rack (or remote).  The program will
then compile information on the files that you selected.  Once
that is complete, you are ready to play your selections. Press
Play, and playback will start.

One final note:  You do not have to name a playback Selection
List before you can play it; you can leave it unnamed if you
wish.  Note that any unsaved changes made to an existing list or
to an unnamed list will cause a "WAVE Program has Changed"
message if SoundStation is turned off.  This gives you a final
opportunity to save your changed list.  If you want to discard
any changes you made, just press the Cancel or No button when
this reminder appears.



The MIDI Player component.i.MIDI Player component_; allows you
to cue one or more MIDI song files for playback.

 To use the MIDI player, refer to the instructions in the
following sections.



The Program button pulls up the MIDI programming dialog.  With
this dialog, you can create a program, or play list, of MIDI
files.



Along the bottom of the MIDI player are control buttons for
performing functions on the MIDI player.  These buttons are:

Repeat    Repeats the current song, or the entire play list, in a
loop.

    Repeat deselects Random (see next page).

Reverse Skip    Skips backward in the play list by one song.

Rewind    Skips backward in the song in small intervals.

Pause    Pauses the playing of MIDI songs until released.

Stop    Stops playing the songs in the play list.

Play    Starts playing the songs in the play list.

Fast Forward    Skips forward in the song in small intervals.

Forward Skip    Skips forward in the play list by one song.

To the left of the MIDI display are other control buttons that
provide functions used only with the MIDI player.  These are:

Track_    Switches the display between the current song playing and
the total number of songs in the Play List.  Use the Preferences
button in the setup dialog to determine the default state of
this display option.

Time_    Switches the display between the current song time index
and the total time of the songs in     the Play List. Use the
Preferences button in the setup dialog to determine the default
state of this play option.

Random_    Setting this button ON causes the MIDI player to select
a song from the Play List randomly to follow the current track.

    Random deselects Repeat.

Program_    Refer to the section "The MIDI Program Dialog" for more
information on creating MIDI Play Lists.



The MIDI player displays user information concerning the status
of the MIDI player.  The following represent the various
indications available.

o     Total tracks and total playing time

o     Track currently playing

o     Time of currently playing selection

o     Track count down time

o     Track count up time

o     Total count down time

o     Total count up time



The MIDI Programming Dialog_ lets you select a MIDI file, or
files, to play on the MIDI component.  You may select up to 50
files to play at one time.  Additionally, you may save your list
of files by giving the list a unique name.  Then, you can recall
your list later by selecting the name of the list from those
that you have saved.



Bring up the MIDI Programming dialog by pressing the Program
button on the MIDI component of the rack system or the Prog
button on the remote control while the MIDI device is selected.
On the right side of the dialog are two list boxes labeled
Directories and Files.  Above both list boxes is the currently
selected directory in which to look for MIDI files.

To move around your disk, choose the appropriate directory from
the list in the Directories listbox.  Select the [..] symbol to
move up a directory.  Double click the left mouse button on the
desired directory path to change to that directory.  Any MIDI
files found in the currently selected directory path will appear
in the Files listbox.  To change to a different disk drive,
select the desired drive by dropping down the Drives box, and
clicking once on a drive letter.

Mark files from the Files listbox by clicking on them with your
mouse.

Once all of the desired files are marked,  press the button
labeled <<Add underneath the Files listbox to add them to the
Selection List listbox in the order that they appear in the
Files listbox.

The Selection List listbox operates in a similar manner as the
Files listbox.  You can remove files from the Selection List one
at a time by double clicking on the files, or mark them and
press the Remove button.  You can clear the whole Selection List
by pressing the Clear button.  You can also select all files in
the Selection List easily by pressing the Select All button.



Press the Save List button to save a list of files.  Type a name
for the list and press OK.  Note that the name you give your
list is NOT a filename, so you may type in a complete sentence
such as "Upbeat Jazz Tunes", if you wish.  Your selections and
the name of your list will be added to the MIDI list database.

To recall your list later, select the dropdown box labeled
Program at the top left of the dialog box.  Scroll through the
entries until you find the one you want and single-click the
left mouse button on that entry's name.  The list of files
assigned to that name will appear in the Selection List.  To
remove files from the list, use the procedure described above
for removing files from the Selection List.  If you want to add
new files to the list, select them with the procedure described
for adding files to the Selection List.  Press the Save List
button to update the database.

Create a new list by pressing the New List button.  Note that if
you select or de-select files while there is a name present in
the Program box window, you are modifying the indicated
playlist.  You will always have a chance, however, to cancel
changes to an existing playlist if you attempt to make a new
list.



To play the files in the Selection List,  click OK.  You will be
returned to the rack (or remote).  The program will then compile
information on the files that you selected.  Once that is
complete, you can play your selections. Press Play.

One final note:  You do not have to name a playback Selection
List before you can play it; you can leave it unnamed if you
wish.  Note that any unsaved changes made to an existing list or
to an unnamed list will cause a "MIDI Program has Changed"
message if SoundStation is turned off.  This gives you a final
opportunity to save your changed list.  If you want to discard
any changes you made, just press the Cancel or No button when
this reminder appears.



The CD-ROM player.i.CD-ROM player_; in your computer can also
play standard music CDs.  The CD-ROM component provides a number
of ways to control how the unit performs.

To use the CD player, refer to the instructions in the following
sections.



The Program button pulls up the CD programming dialog.  With
this dialog, you can create a program, or play list, of CD
files.



Along the bottom of the CD component are control buttons for
performing function on the CD player.  These buttons are:

Repeat    Repeats the current track, or the entire CD, in a loop.

    Repeat deselects Random (see next page).

Reverse Skip    Skips backward by one track.

Rewind     Skips backwards in the track in small intervals.

Pause    Pauses the playing of CD tracks until released.

Stop    Stops playing the CD.

Play    Starts playing the CD.

Fast Forward    Skips forward in the track in small intervals.

Forward Skip    Skips forward to the beginning of the next track.

To the left of the CD display are other control buttons that
provide functions used only with the CD player.  These are:

Track    Switches the display between the current track playing and
the total number of tracks on the CD.  Use the Preferences
button in the setup dialog to determine the default.

Time    Switches the display between the current track time index
and the total time of the entire CD.  Use the Preferences button
in the setup dialog to determine the default state of  this
display option.

Random     Setting this button ON causes the CD player to  select a
track from the CD randomly  to follow the current track.

    Random deselects Repeat.

Eject_    This button stops the CD from playing.  If your CD is
equipped with a power media drawer, the drawer  will open.  If
your CD is not equipped with a power media drawer, no further
action will occur.

Load_    This button loads the track information from the CD
player.  This includes both track times and track numbers.  Note
that after loading a new CD, you may either press this button to
obtain this information, or just press the Play button to load
and then start playing.

Program_    Refer to the topic for more information on reading CD
play lists.



The CD player displays user information concerning aspects of
the status of the CD player.  The following represent the
various indications available.

o    Total tracks and total playing time

o    Track currently playing

o    Time of currently playing selection

o    Track count down time

o    Track count up time

o    Total count down time

o    Total count up time



The CD Programming Dialog_ allows you to select a random order
of tracks to play from a currently loaded CD.  You can select
the same song more than once, and you can essentially program
the track order however you like.  You may select up to 99
tracks to play in this way.



Pull up the CD Programming dialog by pressing the Program button
on the CD component or the Prog button on the remote control
while the CD device is selected.  You must have a CD loaded in
the CD player before you can program it.

Note!    This dialog will not come up while the CD is playing or
paused.

When the programming dialog appears, you will notice a list of
the tracks on the CD in the listbox labeled "CD Tracks."  Each
track is numbered in sequential order, and the list contains the
time of each track.

To select a track to play, double click on the track in the CD
Tracks listbox, and it will be added to the Play Order listbox.
Select each track that you want to play.  Remember that you can
use a track more than once, and you do not have to use every
track.

To clear a single selection from the Play Order, double click on
that entry with the left mouse button.  To clear the entire
list, press the Clear button under the Play Order list.



Enter the CD Programming dialog, select a play order, and click
OK. The Play order becomes active.  This is indicated by the LED
on the Program button (or Prog button on the remote) remaining
lit after you exit the dialog.  You can turn off the Play order
using one of several methods: Selecting Random or Repeat mode,
ejecting or re-loading the CD, or selecting the Cancel button
from the CD Programming dialog will all turn off the Play Order.



Remote controls_ allow you easy access to SoundStation's
components while you are using other Windows applications.

There are three modes for the remote control window.  These are:

    - None (the rack will minimize when asked to do so)

    - Moveable

    - Fixed, top button bar or Fixed, bottom button bar

The remote window can be configured to stay on top of all other
windows on your screen.  This allows easy access to the controls.

To move the moveable remote, grab the remote control with your
mouse pointer anywhere except on a button.  Click and hold the
left mouse button, and a thin outline box appears on the screen.
 Drag the outline to the desired location and release the mouse
button to move the remote control.

Note that the remotes have component selection buttons (WAVE_,
CD, _and MIDI_).  Only one of the three buttons is active at a
time, indicated by the green LED on the button being lit.  When
the desired component's LED is lit, the remaining buttons on the
remote control are used to operate that particular component.

Note that the Mute button and volume buttons on the remotes
affect only the Master volume control for SoundStation.  Also,
the Rand (Random) and Rpt (Repeat) buttons are only valid for
the MIDI and CD components.  The Load and Eject buttons are only
valid for the CD component.

At the top of the moveable remote, and to the right of the bar
remote, is a small indicator window showing the currently
selected track or song for the MIDI or CD player.  This
indicator is not active for the WAVE player.  Also, a clock is
visible near the bottom of the moveable remote and is not
available on the bar remotes.  The clock shows the time, repeat
modes (when applicable) and has a moving bar indicator that is
active when any of the three main components are playing.  A
small right-hand arrow near the moving bars indicates play mode
while the double vertical bars further to the right indicate
pause mode.

These remote control panels allow less control over SoundStation
than the rack system.  Note that fewer options are available
with the fixed toolbar remotes.



There a number of custom setting options _with SoundStation.
These are presented when you select the Setup button on the
"mixer" component.  Press the button on the Setup dialog for the
device you want to customize.



Since we have had more experience with hardware that is directly
supported by the program, the information contained in this
section deals mainly with those products.  Please refer to this
section and the section "Why Doesn't the Program Do This?"
before calling us when experiencing problems with the program.

A good rule of thumb to remember with any program is that if a
function has worked fine day after day and suddenly doesn't work
correctly or the same way anymore, something else has changed in
the system to affect the particular program.  Before calling us
to report a bug with a function that has worked for you before,
make sure that you have not installed or removed software,
drivers, or hardware that may affect the way that SoundStation
operates.



Different sound cards have different onboard mixing capabilities
that affect the appearance and operation of the SoundStation
Mixer panel.  In particular, some sound cards support onboard
volume adjustments for items like the line level input and
CD-ROM input, while others do not.

The Advanced Gravis Ultrasound_ card has a full complement of
mixing capabilities; however, please note that earlier versions
of the card (board rev. 2.2, 2.4, and 3.4) required controlling
the Mic, Line, and CD levels at the source. Only WAVE and MIDI
synthesizer output levels can be controlled at the mixer with
these earlier sound cards. The onboard mixer also allows the Mic
and Line In inputs and Master output to be turned on and off.

The mixer panel on SoundStation simulates a Master output level
control by internally scaling the WAVE form and MIDI inputs as
you adjust the Master level.  Note that changing the Master
level will not adjust Line In, Microphone or CD-ROM volume
levels.  However, pressing the Mute button for Master will turn
off all output signals.  Pressing the Mute button for the Line
In or Microphone will turn off output from the respective
devices.  Pressing the Mute button on the MIDI synthesizer will
not always immediately terminate all output sounds, as any notes
that are already playing will decay in volume before the channel
is silent.  All mixing hardware control for the UltraSound is
performed through the card's Windows drivers.



The Advanced Gravis UltraSound _allows the user to record from
the MIDI synthesizer, Line In, Microphone and CD-ROM inputs,
either individually or in combination.  To prevent recording
from the Line In or Microphone inputs, you must press the Mute
button for that particular channel, or ensure that no input is
being presented to that channel.  To prevent recording from the
MIDI synthesizer, ensure that no MIDI songs are playing.  To
prevent recording from the CD-ROM player, you must stop the
CD-ROM from playing.  Due to the arrangement of the UltraSound
mixer, the Recording Input selection buttons have been
eliminated from the SoundStation mixer panel, as they would
essentially be duplicates of the Mute buttons.



SoundStation is dependent on the MCI _(Multimedia Control
Interface) drivers _that are usually supplied with newer sound
cards and CD-ROM players. These are Windows-specific drivers. If
you have an older sound card that did not come with drivers that
you had to install via the Control Panel Drivers applet in
Windows, a lack of functionality is probably due to the fact
that you have no current drivers.  We recommend that you contact
the manufacturer of your equipment to see whether drivers are
now available.  In most cases, you should be able to obtain
current Windows drivers at little or no cost.



The generic CD-ROM driver supplied with Windows provides
incomplete or quirky operation when used with SoundStation and
certain older CD-ROM devices.  This is probably due to the fact
that it is a generic, catch-all driver that is not targeted to a
specific hardware standard.  We recommend that you contact your
CD-ROM manufacturer to see whether current drivers are available
for your equipment.



There is always the possibility that something will not work as
designed.  For that reason, we have addressed here some of the
more common question concerning SoundStation.



Why can't I record MIDI files?

The MIDI player was designed solely to play existing MIDI song
files through the built-in MIDI synthesizer present on most all
sound cards.  It does not attempt to use the external MIDI
input/output port.  There are many excellent programs available
for the recording, playing, authoring and modifying MIDI song
files using the computer and external MIDI compatible equipment.

I have an Advanced Gravis UltraSound card.  When I  play MIDI
files with SoundStation, there is a slight pause before each
song starts, and disk drive activity.  What is it doing?

UltraSound uses the Windows patch caching feature, loading
instruments from its 5.6 Megabyte General MIDI set into the
onboard RAM. Loading only the instruments that the MIDI song
requires means that the highest quality instrument patches can
be made available to the song. It also allows the freedom to
expand the sounds available, and substitute patches from other
sources_like third party patch sets, additional general MIDI
instrument sets, even instruments that you make yourself with
UltraSound's patch editor.

When you press the Play button, the UltraSound driver looks at
the MIDI file, quickly determines the instruments the song will
need, and loads those patches onto the UltraSound. You can
expand the RAM on the UltraSound to load more patches for highly
orchestrated songs, or change the performance settings in the
UltraSound driver dialog to `conserve memory.' This allows twice
as many patches, but at a slight loss of fidelity, as the
normally 16-bit patches will load as 8-bit. For instant-on MIDI
play, you can also pre-load a set of patches. See the UltraSound
manual for details on how to do this.

Why don't you add more components to SoundStation to handle
other devices such as laser disc players, VCRs, onboard TV tuner
cards, etc.?

We are investigating support of other devices such as this.
Watch for developments in these areas with future releases of
SoundStation and other products from WinSoft Development.

I got some MIDI files from a bulletin board and attempted to
play them with SoundStation, but all I get is silence, or only
one or two instruments play, or some of the instruments are not
correct.

MIDI files contain information that indicates which instrument
is to play each part of the composition, and which channel of
the device is to play each part.  As the instrument information
embedded in the file is in the form of a number, and not an
actual instrument name, the actual instrument that plays is a
function of what instrument is mapped on the playing device to
the number indicated in the file.  The intended instrument may
be different on another person's equipment than it is on yours.
In other words, your computer's MIDI setup may have Instrument
#1 mapped as a piano, but the author's equipment had Instrument
#1 set up as a Tuba.  Obviously, the song that the author
composed with a Tuba will sound markedly different with a piano
playing the same part.

Some MIDI files have no instrument information embedded, but
only channel information.  In this case, the author's equipment
probably depended on the author having the proper instrument
samples loaded in the proper channels of the equipment.  As long
at the author performed this manual setup of his equipment,
playback of the song would sound fine on his equipment.
However, once you get the song, you may have no idea what
instruments the author intended to be assigned to each channel
of the equipment.  Also, some MIDI drivers in Windows cannot
assume that an instrument is preloaded in a particular channel
and therefore will reward you with dead silence when you attempt
the play such a song.

What is the solution?  First, most newer sound card MIDI drivers
provide a General MIDI mapping.  General MIDI is  a standard
agreement on which instruments are defined by which instrument
numbers.  When you search bulletin boards for MIDI songs to try,
check whether they are General MIDI compatible.  This will help
ensure that several minutes of downloading will not go
unrewarded.