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BMASTER.DOC
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1994-04-25
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BLASTER Master v6.0
for the Sound Blaster and compatibles
Copyright (C) 1993 by Gary Maddox
BLASTER Master is a program designed for serious PC
soundcard enthusiasts who are interested in getting the most
from their PC audio cards when sampling sounds and then
playing them back. A tool kit for working with Sound
Blaster type VOC, .WAV and .SND files, BLASTER Master offers
many features that are available on Digital Audio
Workstations which normally cost many thousands of dollars.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ---------------
Before running BLASTER Master on your PC, please check the system
requirements and user information listed below:
> This program requires EGA/VGA graphics, a mouse, a hard
disk and at least a 286 PC.
> NOTE: BLASTER Master will function without a soundcard
being present, but the PLAY, RECORD and SCOPE functions will
be disabled.
> BLASTER Master includes internal driver support for Sound
Blaster compatibles but most other sound cards can be used
by installing your cards DOS based player/recorder
utilities. See the section on Configuring External Players
for detailed information on this.
> Unregistered versions will only process a 25 second sound
file while the registered version will process any size
sound file.
More requirements and performance tips for using BLASTER Master can be
found in the section entitled "Performance Tips" (near the end of the
documentation).
OVERVIEW ---------------
One of the great features of the Sound Blaster and other PC audio cards
is the ability to sample sound and play it back. Now you can tailor
your own sound files using the BLASTER Master program, a very fast
EGA/VGA graphic editor. Useless and noisy sample data (at the beginning
and endings of VOC files) can be quickly removed and sections from
within the sample can be saved as a new sample file. A graphic of the
entire sample appears on your monitor along with a grid that divides
the sample into seconds to aid in selecting the "cut points". A zero-
crossing/phase approximation method allows you to select the displayed
bytes, helping you choose the "cleanest" points for processing. Cross-
fading is applied to splice points when needed.
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, you can use ALT plus the first letter of the
option.
> Example: ALT-P (holding down the ALT key while pressing the
"P" at the same time) will "PLAY" the currently selected
sound file.
A color palette is also included in BLASTER Master's graphic
capabilities. Using your keyboard's function keys F1-F10, you can
control the colors displayed on the screen. Play around with the
available color combinations to find the one that best suits you! For a
listing of the function key color settings, refer to the section
entitled "Changing Screen Colors" .
Functions of a sound file -- SELECTing, RECORDing and EDITing -- are
covered in the following four sections.
SELECTING A SOUND FILE ---------------
If you don't specify a sound file when starting the editor, a file
selection dialog box will appear. The current path can be changed by
selecting the right selection box and selecting a new path. From this
dialog box, you can PLAY the sound file, RECORD a new sound file,
ACCEPT the file to process or QUIT the program, returning to DOS. You
can also display useful file information to audition a file by choosing
the PLAY option. The various options can be selected using the mouse
or, in most cases, pressing <ALT> plus the first letter of the option
as explained earlier. You can also select files with your mouse by
double-clicking on the file you want to access. If you accept a sound
file that is multi-blocked, BLASTER Master will allow you to remove the
blocks and convert to a RAW VOC file.
IMPORTING A SOUND FILE ---------------
Choosing certain sound files other than VOC files from the File
Selection Dialog Box will allow you to import WAV, NTI, 8SV, MOD, SAM,
VOX and SND format files into BLASTER Master.
> WAV files are the Microsoft Multi-Media format and are
supported by the Pro Audio Spectrum and the ATI Stereo F/X
sound cards and others.
> SND files: completely raw wave data files not including
header information.
> NTI & SAM files are Amiga sample files as used by MOD file
editors.
> VOC type files can also be saved in these three formats.
> 8SV: the extension normally used for Amiga IFF sound files.
You can import Amiga IFF sound files, but cannot currently
save files in Amiga IFF format.
> MOD: only the samples from a MOD file can be extracted for
editing.
> VOX files are sample files made by voice mail type cards. A
sample rate of 6750 is assumed. You can use the PITCH
function to quickly adjust this.
SOUND FILE UTILITIES ---------------
When you select UTILITY from the File Selection Dialog Box, the File
Utility Dialog Box appears. This useful option will allow you to
DELETE, RENAME, COPY or MOVE the selected sound file. You can not
choose this option unless you have selected a file. When using the
RENAME, COPY or MOVE functions, you will need to supply a DOS path in
the TO: input box. You can not RENAME a sound file unless the new name
does not exist in the current path. COPY will warn you if you attempt
to over-write an existing file. The MOVE function is very handy in that
it will move the sound file from one path to another. The MOVE function
is particularly fast when the new path exists on the same disk drive.
RECORDING A SOUND FILE ---------------
When you select RECORD from the File Selection Dialog Box, the Record
Dialog Box appears. Here, enter the name of the VOC file you wish to
record.
> NOTE: If specifying a VOC file that already exists, it will
be overwritten!
Using a mouse, select the sample rate to use when recording-- 13,000-
4000 if using Sound Blaster or 44,000-4000 if using Sound Blaster Pro.
(The higher the sample rate, the better the file will sound.) When
using the various digital processes, a higher rate will produce much
better sounding file. Choose SCOPE to display a graphic scope, which is
very useful for setting the volume on a device from which you are
recording. Select RECORD when ready to begin recording and <ESC> when
ready to stop. Your file is then displayed on the Editor screen so you
can modify it.
> NOTE: Sound Blaster Pro and SB16 users will also select
the recording input source, input filter, and MONO or STEREO
recording. Users of CDROM drives need to read about Syncro
CD sampling.
USING SYNCRO CD ---------------
Anyone using a CDROM from Creative Labs MultiMedia can use BLASTER
Master to sample recordings directly from your favorite CDs! I have
gotten excellent (if not the BEST) recordings with the Sound Blaster
Pro using the CDROM.
If you are equipped with a CDROM, a standard CD player control bar will
appear on the RECORD dialog box you see on your monitor. BLASTER Master
currently supports the following CD player controls -- PLAY, PAUSE,
STOP, REWIND, FAST FORWARD, PREVIOUS TRACK and NEXT TRACK. To sample
from your favorite CDs, make sure you have selected "CD" as your input
source. You can either start the CD and then pick RECORD, or what I
have found works better is to use SYNCRO