The Pier Shareware 6/The_Pier_Shareware_Number_6_(The_Pier_Exchange)_(1995).iso/035/pmsnd136.zip/pmsndx.hlp

OS/2 Help File | 1994-12-06 | 350KB | 2,808 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

                                   PMsndX 1.36
                                       by
                                William S. Hiles
                             copyright WiSHware Inc.

Please see Known Problems with this release for important information before
using this version of PMsndX.

First off, what is PMsndX?  PMsndX is the acronym that I created to mean
Presentation Manager sound eXchange. PMsndX was written specifically for OS/2
to provide an editor for sound samples of many different formats.  The editor
goes beyond just a cut and paste tool like the Digital Audio applet provided
with OS/2 by providing a rich set of tools for manipulating samples in memory.
PMsndX utilizes a large set of features of OS/2 and if present, the MMPM/2
interface is used to allow playback of any of the supported formats from
memory.

Using dialog boxes, PMsndX provides an intuitive user interface for utilizing
the clipboard, MMPM/2 AUDIO, and algorithms for adding special effects to
samples.  Everything is integrated together to make it easy to manage the
process of extracting or building samples in many different formats.

Wow, you are still reading!  Well, now for some information on the user
interface.  There is nothing more frustrating than trying to use a program with
a difficult or complex user interface.  Twelve years ago I started programming
a TI99/4A in assembly language and from the start I have put more effort into a
clean user interface than anything.  It wasn't till I ran across JOEVIEW that I
realized that OS/2 had one of the most capable environments that I had seen.
Presentation Manager programming has got to be one of the easiest environments
to use and is a breeze compared to Microsoft Windows or the X environment.

In any case, I spent more time on the user interface of this program than I
ever thought possible.  It is designed around a single coordinating window
populated by bitmaps.  Each bitmap has some sort of image that changes when the
button is pushed.  To make sure that the literate people out there (or the icon
impaired) understand the buttons, I put a bit of text on them to describe the
function.

Now, I have used programs on a lot of platforms and I have my favorites along
with those that annoy me too.  My pet peeves are the applications like Procomm
for Windows which just assumes that you want the darn thing to fill up your
screen.  Or something like Microsoft Word which has so many menus and submenus
that it is hard to remember where a function is.  So, taking this into account,
I designed the interface such that the main functions of the program are
accessible from the main panel.  Pressing the button for the function will then
bring up a dialog box which asks for the necessary information.  Pushing the
button again will remove the dialog box.  I prefer this interface because it
provides a single point of control.  Well, you just need to play with it for a
bit to get an understanding of what I am talking about here.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Conventions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Throughout the documentation provided with PMsndX a number of terms are used
which may be common to Presentation Manager programs but uncommon to
conversational English.  There are also terms which are specific to PMsndX
which may be new to a user of this program.  The intent of this section is not
to recreate the OS/2 documentation; rather, it is intended to identify some
basic terms necessary to understand the language used in this documentation.

 Presentation Manager:
    The Presentation Manager is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for most
    OS/2 systems.  There are other GUIs available for OS/2 but this is the most
    common and the one that comes with OS/2 out of the box.  In general most
    people refer to the Presentation Manager by the acronym PM.

 SYSTEM MENU:
    Every PM program for OS/2 generally provides a SYSTEM MENU through an icon
    in the upper left corner of the window interface.  By default, the system
    menu will contain the basic functions necessary to control the window on
    the OS/2 PM desktop.

 TITLE BAR:
    In order for a window to be moved about the desktop with the mouse, a
    window must have a titlebar.  This is the thick bar at the top of the
    window.  The titlebar provides another function in that it allows the
    program to display relevant messages to the user.

 MINIMIZE BUTTON:
    A PM program may provide various control buttons for a window in the top
    right corner of a window.  One of these buttons is the MINIMIZE button.
    When the user selects this button, the window will be removed from the
    desktop and replaced by a small icon somewhere on the screen.  In most
    cases, the icon is placed at the bottom of the screen.  To restore the
    window the user can double click on the icon or can use a mouse button to
    bring up a menu and select Restore.

 MAIN CONTROL PANEL:
    The main control panel for PMsndX is the window that is initially displayed
    when the program is executed.  This window is the main point of control for
    the program and provides access to all of the above mentioned controls as
    well as access to all of the functions of the program.

 ACCELERATOR KEYS:
    The buttons on the main control panel and many of the controls in the
    associated tools provide accelerator keys.  These are marked on the
    displays by an underline.  To access the particular item without using the
    mouse, hold down the ALT key and press the underlined key.  As an example,
    to activate the OPEN button on the main control panel, hold down the ALT
    key and press the letter o.

 Dialog Pushbuttons:
    PMsndX uses a number of buttons to convey an action that can be selected to
    perform a process.  In most cases, a common set of buttons are used;
    however, under special circumstances, a unique name may be used to convey
    the appropriate meaning.  The following are buttons that are commonly used.

                        Stop an active thread
                        Reset the controls of the dialog box back to the way
                        they were the last time the APPLY button was pressed
                        Open the help window for the specific dialog that is
                        currently active
                        Display special information about the current dialog
                        box.
                        Start loading a file into memory
                        Open up the registration dialog box to enter a password
                        Redraw the display
                        Undo the last operation or effect
                        Save the current memory to a file


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Mouse Pointer ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The mouse pointer is used as an indication of the state of the program.  When
the program is processing, the mouse pointer will be changed to a small dial
with 10 markers on the dial.  The percentage of work completed is then
indicated by the hand of the dial.  When the dial reaches the vertical
position, the work has been completed.

There is one exception to this operation.  When the echo effect is used, the
dial for the pointer will rotate more than once. This is because the results of
the echo effect change the length of the data depending on the markers and
volumes such that the resulting length is unpredictable.

PMsndX uses multiple threads to accomplish many of its tasks.  As a result,
when a file is loaded the clock may turn more than once because each thread
will run as the resources that it is waiting on complete.  An example of this
is opening a file when the AUDIO box is open.  In this case, as soon as the
file is completely loaded, the AUDIO task will immediately start copying it to
the buffer for the playlist and the clock will turn around a second time.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Command Line Parameters ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Although PMsndX is primarily designed around a point and click user interface,
it does accept parameters on the command line.  The effect of command line
parameters is dependent on the startup values set in the Properties dialog box.
When Play on Load or Play on commandline load is selected, all command line
parameters are treated as filenames and are automatically played through the
audio device or run as a REXX script.

The extension of the file to be loaded is use to determine the type of sample;
therefore, samples loaded from the command line must contain a valid header.
Only one REXX script may be run from the command line.  All command line
processing ends after the first rexx script encountered.

PMsndX may be used to simply play samples from the command line by setting Exit
after Play.  When this option is set, if any samples are provided on the
command line, PMsndX will exit after it completes playing each of the files.
If no parameters are specified, the normal user interface is started regardless
of the status of Exit after Play.

After playing a rexx script, PMsndX will not exit regardless of the status of
Exit after Play.  To exit PMsndX after a rexx script, add the command PMSNDX
EXIT to the end of the REXX script.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. System Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

As with any OS/2 program written for the Presentation Manager, PMsndX has an
icon in the top left corner of the control window.  Pressing this icon will
bring up a menu of system operations.

The menu items provided in the system menu are:

 Restore        Restore the windows after being minimized
 Move           Move the control window
 Size           Resize the main control panel
 Minimize       Minimize all of the windows of PMsndX to an icon
 Close          Close the all windows and exit
 About          Display information about the author and version and
                registration
 Welcome        Display information about what is new to this version
 Help           Bring up the help system
 Reset Size     Reset the size of the main control panel to the default
 Properties     Change program operational parameters


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Restore ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

During the use of PMsndX, the user may select to Minimize the windows to an
icon on the desktop.  To restore the window from the icon the user may either
double click on the icon or may press a mouse button while the pointer is over
the icon to bring up the system menu and select the restore item.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Move ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX provides the standard controls for moving the windows around on the
desktop.  It is generally easiest to use the mouse to select the titlebar of
the window and drag the window to the new location.  If the user uses the
system menu to move the window, the mouse will be centered in the control
window and any movement of the mouse will move the window until a mouse button
is pressed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Size ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX provides the standard control for resizing the main control panel.  When
resizing, the main control panel will automatically adjust the vertical size of
the window to maintain the aspect of the buttons.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.4. Minimize ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

All of the windows of PMsndX can be minimized quickly by either selecting the
minimize button on the upper right corner of the control panel or by using the
Minimize menu item of the system menu.  Either action performs the same
function.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.5. Close ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To exit PMsndX the user can select the Close menu item from the system menu.
This is the default selection of the menu which enables the user to double
click on the PMsndX icon in the top left corner of the control panel to exit
the program.

When the EXIT button is pressed, the program terminates.  If changes have been
made to the Properties box, the data will be saved to the initialization file
before the program exits.  Before exiting, PMsndX requests verification that
the user wants to exit to prevent accidentally exiting. All windows of PMsndX,
including any dialog boxes, are removed from the screen when the program
terminates.

If the data in the memory buffers has been modified, PMsndX will warn the user
that there are modified buffers and ask for verification that the user really
wants to exit.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.6. About ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To find out the current version and other information about PMsndX the About
menu item can be selected from the system menu.  This display also shows the
current registration status of the program and the registration can be updated
by pressing the REGISTER button.

PMsndX is just one of the programs written by the Author for Intel based
machines.  All programs developed under the WiSHware Inc. name have been
developed solely by the author (duhh, the Author is the sole member of the
company) and are copyrighted by US Copyright laws.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.7. Welcome ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The HISTORY.TXT file contains a very complete list of all the changes between
each of the versions.  When viewed as a whole, it also summarizes the total
functionality of PMsndX.  Each version has specific changes which are
highlighted in the Welcome display. This display also shows the current
registration status of the program and the registration can be updated by
pressing the REGISTER button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.8. Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX is equipped with extensive on line help that can be accessed by
selecting HELP from the system menu from the main control panel.  When this
item is selected a window will appear which will display the start of the help
information. Help can also be accessed by pressing Alt-H or the F1 key.

Links to other text is displayed in a blue-green color and can be selected to
jump to that description in the text. When the control panel buttons appear in
a tabular form, the buttons are active links in the help like the blue-green
colored text.  Pressing these buttons will jump to the respective text.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.9. Reset Size ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The default button size for the display is 64x64. At any time, the user may
select to reset the size of the main control panel so that it returns to the
defaults.  The main control panel may be resized, using the border of the
window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10. Program Properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX can store a number of properties (user options) that users commonly set
in a file called pmsndx.ini.  The location of this file may be specified only
if PMsndX is registered; otherwise, the file will be located wherever the
executable program is started. From the PROPERTIES dialog box the user may
select to save the current window positions, open and save file path, maximum
memory, MMPM/2 options, and REXX options.

After the user has set all of the information in the PROPERTIES dialog box, the
ACCEPT button must be used to save the changes. When this button is pressed,
the changes are applied.

Note:  Changes to the maximum memory will be checked when a new sample is
       loaded or when an opertion that requires memory is attempted.

 To restore the PROPERTIES box to the settings the last time the APPLY button
 was pressed, the CANCEL button can be used.  All information entered by the
 user is cleared and the PROPERTIES remain unchanged.

 The window positions and file paths are maintained as long as PMsndX is
 running.  When PMsndX is terminated, it will not save the current positions
 and paths for file operations unless the boxes are checked in the PROPERTIES
 dialog box.  Selecting these buttons has no effect on remembering the current
 window positions during a single session; rather, they only affect saving the
 information between sessions.

 Note:  The information in the PROPERTIES dialog box is only saved when the
        program is terminated.  If the SAVE CURRENT items are deselected, then
        the information will not be saved between sessions.

 Finally, to remove the Properties dialog box from the screen, select close
 from the system menu or double click on the system menu icon for the
 properties dialog.  If the APPLY button has not been pressed, any changes made
 to the display will be lost.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10.1. Audio Properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enable MMPM/2 Support

PMsndX supports playing samples from memory directly to the MMPM/2 digital
audio device of OS/2.  This allows samples to be played without having to save
the sample to disk in the native .WAV format.  The PROPERTIES dialog box
provides controls for disabling or enabling MMPM/2 support and for controlling
the actions taken when a file is loaded (e.g. Play sample on load, convert to a
standard rate when loaded, and exit after play from the command line).
Additionally, the digital audio device may be specified.

If the MMPM/2 capabilities of the program are not needed or if MMPM/2 support
is not installed on a particular system, the MMPM/2 may be disabled from the
PROPERTIES dialog box.  By disabling the MMPM/2 support, the button on the main
control panel for AUDIO is disabled.  By default the program will enable MMPM/2
support.  If MMPM/2 is available but disabled and the AUDIO button is selected,
a message is displayed to the user to indicate that the setting should be
turned on from the PROPERTIES dialog box.

The controls for MMPM/2 and the ability to play the "playlist" using MMPM/2
utilize the files SW.DLL and MDM.DLL.  These are part of the standard MMPM/2
distribution and must be present in the DLL path for the MMPM/2 portion of this
program to operate.  The MMPM/2 support is not linked into the executable of
this program.  Rather, it is only loaded when the user enables it.  This allows
the program to run on machines which do not have MMPM/2 installed.

The MMPM/2 functionality of PMsndX has been implemented to share the audio
device with other programs on the system. However, by disabling the MMPM/2
support, the audio device is freed up completely.

Share audio device

The audio device can be shared with the system such that while a sound is
playing, it may be interrupted by system sounds.

Play on commandline load

When the Play on commandline load box is selected, a sample will be played when
specified on the command line.  The AUDIO dialog is opened after the file has
been loaded to allow for user control.  This feature can be used in conjunction
with the Exit after commandline play to allow a sample to be played from the
command line without bringing up the full user interface.

Play sample on Load

If the Play sample on load box is selected, a sample is immediately played when
it is loaded into memory.  To provide control during playback, the AUDIO dialog
box is opened after the file has been loaded.  When this feature is used in
conjunction with the Exit after commandline play feature, PMsndX provides the
ability to play any supported sample file format from the command line and have
the program exit when it is finished.

Note:  This setting does not affect playback of REXX scripts.  If a REXX script
       is specified on the command line, it will automatically start running.
       When a REXX script is run which contains the command AUDIO PLAY SYNC or
       AUDIO PLAY ASYNC the samples may start playing, and then restart.  This
       is because the file starts playing as soon as it is loaded and then the
       AUDIO command starts it over.  To avoid this, deselect the Play sample
       on load from the script prior to loading the file.

 If this parameter is not specified, the sample will still be loaded from the
 command line; however, it will not be played until the presses the play button
 on the AUDIO dialog.

 Exit after Play

 The Exit after Play option provides the ability for PMsndX to exit after
 playing the sample when the file is loaded from the command line.  This is
 primarily intended to provide a means to play any of the supported formats
 from the command line.

 Play 16 bits on 8 bit audio

 The Play 16 bits on 8 bit audio option allows 16 bit samples to be played on 8
 bit audio adaptor.  Although most samples will produce square waves (resulting
 in noisy results), some will play (most notably .au files).  Although the data
 is sent to the audio device in 8 bit format, it is still maintained in its
 original format and all manipulations including saving the file are performed
 in the original size of the file.

 Note:  When this option is selected, all files are played as 8 bit samples
        regardless of what is supported by the audio adapter.  Use this option
        only if you have an 8 bit card!

 Device

 Obviously not every machine has the same digital audio device.  PMsndX
 provides a means to use a different audio device than the default digital
 audio interface.  By default the device name is Waveaudio01.  Any Waveaudio
 device may be selected by entering the device name in the Device entry field.

 Note:  Setting the audio device to an invalid string will cause random errors.
        The worst case is the PMsndX will crash whenever the AUDIO dialog is
        opened.  To reset the audio device back to Waveaudio01, clear this
        field and then exit PMsndX.  When PMsndX is reloaded, it will reset the
        device to Waveaudio01.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10.2. Memory Properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Maximum Sample Memory

PMsndX takes advantage of OS/2's advanced memory management facilities.  When
the program is started, it only takes up the memory required for the executable
to load.  PMsndX then only requests memory from OS/2 when an operation requires
storage space for a sample.  The maximum memory limitation is provided to avoid
overcommitting the memory in the system and creating a large swap file.

Memory is primarily used to hold samples for operations; however, whenever the
sound is manipulated in such a way that either the output has a different
number of samples or the operation requires the samples to remain in tact
during the entire operation, additional memory is used to hold the new data.
Once the operation has been completed, the memory is freed unless the UNDO
feature is enabled. When setting the maximum memory, the user must take into
account the size of the data in memory as well as the size of the results of
any operations. With the exception of Sampling Rate changes, the maximum memory
requirements will not exceed twice the size of a sample.  When changing rate,
the size is dependent on the new sampling rate.  If the new rate is higher than
the current rate, the memory requirements will increase.  If the new rate is
lower than the original rate, the memory requirements will shrink.

If the user selects the AUTO mode for memory (the default), PMsndX will request
as much memory as OS/2 will give it.

If the user chooses to limit the memory to a specific value, the AUTO checkbox
can be turned off and a value may be entered.  Since the minimum OS/2 memory
block size is 4096 (4k) bytes, the user may specify the number of 4k pages for
the limit.  The user may either use the up and down arrows to increment or
decrement the amount of memory or may place the cursor in the window and type
the specific value.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10.3. Misc Properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Enable UNDO

When a sample file is changed through the editor or the tools or a new file is
loaded, the sample before the change is maintained so that it can be retrieved
by the user.  To access the UNDO feature, selecting the UNDO button on the Edit
dialog.  The UNDO feature is only available when PMsndX is registered.

Note:  By default the UNDO feature is not enabled to conserve memory.

 Ignore unknown header blocks

 Many sound formats contain optional header blocks and user defined header
 blocks which PMsndX may not support.  By default, PMsndX will warn the user
 when it encounters an unsupported header block.  By selecting this option,
 PMsndX will not display the warning.

 Note:  When the unsupported header block warning is displayed, PMsndX provides
        the option of disabling the warning by selecting YES.  This is not the
        same as the Ignore unknown header blocks option and only disables the
        warning for the current session of PMsndX.

 Require header in .au files

 Samples taken from a Sun usually contain a header but there are files which do
 not.  Typically a Sun file will not contain a header if the sample is recorded
 from the audio device as if it were a file (e.g. "cat < /dev/audio >
 sample.au").  By default, PMsndX will recognize the extension of .au and force
 a headerless file to be loaded as a sun file with a sampling rate of 8012 Hz.
 When this option is selected, headerless Sun files must be loaded using the
 format RAW .ul format.  This method for loading headerless Sun files allows
 the user to specify the sampling rate for the file.

 Location of .INI

 By default, the file pmsndx.ini is stored at the location of the executable
 program.  However, this location may be changed by modifying this field.  The
 path is tested for validity when the parameters are applied; and, if the path
 is found to be invalid, and error is displayed and the current path is left
 unchanged. If the path is blank, the default path will be restored.

 Note:  This option is only valid when the program is registered.  The data for
        the path to the pmsndx.ini file is stored in the os2.ini file which is
        only modified if the program is registered to prevent storing data in
        the os2.ini when a user is just testing out the program.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10.4. REXX Properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

STDIN color

This defines the color of text read from STDIN in the REXX output window.  By
default, this is set to BLACK.

STDOUT color

This defines the color of text written to STDOUT in the REXX output window.  By
default, this is set to BLACK.

STDERR color

This defines the color of text written to STDERR in the REXX output window.  By
default, this is set to RED.

COMMAND color

This defines the color of the PMsndX commands written in the REXX output
window.  By default, this is set to GREEN.

REXX display history

Setting the number in the entry field for this item modifies the number of
lines maintained by the REXX output window and may take on values between 64
and 0x7fff.  The default is 64 Changes made to this value will be used on
successive REXX command scripts.  Each line of REXX output reserves 256
characters of data and as a result, the number of rexx lines maintained for
history impacts the memory requirements of the program while REXX is running.

Note:  Changes to the REXX display history parameter does not take effect till
       the next command script.  (i.e. If a REXX output window is open when
       this parameter is changed, the number of lines currently held is not
       changed.)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10.5. Startup Properties ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Show Footnote window

PMsndX can display a window at the bottom of the main control panel with text
indicating the action of each of the items under the mouse pointer.  When this
box is set, the window is displayed.

Note:  The effect of setting this item will not be seen until PMsndX is
       restarted.

 Save Window positions

 During a session, the user can move any of the dialog boxes around on the
 screen.  If the WINDOW POSITIONS box is checked, these window positions will
 be saved when the program is terminated.  If this button is deselected before
 the program is terminated, the next session will revert to the previous window
 positions saved by the program.  By default, if no window position has been
 saved for a particular window, the window will be opened in the lower left
 corner of the desktop.

 Save file Open Path

 The file path for loading samples into memory may be saved between sessions by
 selecting the FILE OPEN PATH button.  If this button is selected, the last
 file open path will be saved when PMsndX is terminated.  If this button is
 deselected before the program is terminated, the next session will revert to
 the path from the previous session. If no information is saved for the program
 at any time, the current path will become the default path for open
 operations.

 Note:  This box may be selected from either the PROPERTIES dialog box or from
        the OPEN DIRECTORY button on the OPEN dialog box.

 Save file Save Path

 The file path for saving samples to a file may be saved between sessions by
 selecting the FILE SAVE PATH button.  If this button is selected, the last
 file save path will be saved when PMsndX is terminated.  If this button is
 deselected before the program is terminated, the next session will revert to
 the path from the previous session. If no information has not been saved
 between sessions, the current path will become the default path for save
 operations.

 Note:  This box may be selected from either the PROPERTIES dialog box or from
        the SAVE DIRECTORY button on the SAVE dialog box.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Resizing the main panel ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In accordance with the recommended Common User Access (CUA) guidelines, the
main control panel may be resized using the border of the window.  The
horizontal and vertical proportions of the buttons is always fixed such that
the overall window proportions will display the buttons properly. When the
width of the main panel is changed, the height is automatically adjusted to
maintain the proper shape of the buttons.

Note:  Note.  To resize the window, either the corners or the vertical sides of
       the window must be used.  The horizontal sides of the window have no
       effect when used alone.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Drag and Drop ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX supports Drag and Drop of all sound files other than the RAW formats and
performs a COPY operation when a file is dropped ont PMsndX. To use this
capability the sound samples must be stored in a file.  If an application
attempts to transfer data without specifying a filename, PMsndX will request
that the application RENDER the file before transferring it to PMsndX.

To drag a sample to PMsndX, use the second mouse button (usually the right
mouse button) to select the file.  While holding the second mouse button down,
move the mouse pointer over the PMsndX control panel and lift the mouse button.
PMsndX will then attempt to load the file using the same rules as the Open
dialog function uses.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The main control panel provides the user with access to all tools and functions
through a set of buttons.  Each button contains an icon and a single word which
describes the function of the button. The buttons have been designed as toggle
type push buttons.  To select a particular button, the mouse must be positioned
over the button and the first mouse button pressed.  This will depress the
button and activate a dialog for the desired function.  The dialogs present
information to the user about the desired operation and request input from the
user to complete the operation.

The control panel is the main point of control for both activating and
deactivating a particular function.  The dialog boxes can be removed from the
screen by positioning the mouse over a depressed button and pressing the first
mouse button.  The dialog box will be removed and the button will return to the
non-depressed position. It is important to note that when a dialog box is
removed through this means, any information in the dialog is ignored and the
function is canceled.  For each dialog box, the user must enter all of the
information required and then select the appropriate action on the push buttons
at the bottom of the dialog box. The Open and Save Dialog boxes may also be
removed once the file operation has been completed.  This is the default
operation but may be changed so that the dialogs are not automatically
dismissed by deselecting the "AUTO Dismiss" box in the lower right corner of
the dialog window.

Now for the buttons.  There are five buttons on the main control panel.  These
are listed below with a brief explanation of their function.

                Opens and reads a new sample file
                Saves the current sample to a file
                Plays the current sample to an audio device
                Edit using the Clipboard
                Displays a notebook of tools


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Open ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The dialog box for opening a file and reading the sample into memory is
accessed from the OPEN button on the main control panel.  When reading in a
file, PMsndX will attempt to open the file as the type indicated by the
extension on the filename.  However, in the event that the file cannot be
loaded by the extension, PMsndX will automatically try to determine the type of
the file as it reads it based on any header that may be present.  If the sample
header does not match any of the known header types, PMsndX will refuse to load
the file.

When loading a file, the user may select to force PMsndX to load a file in a
specific format.  This is required to load headerless formats (i.e. the formats
marked as RAW).  To override the file format, select one of the buttons in the
Format box.

Note:  If a Format override is specified, the file must still match the given
       format if it contains a header.  PMsndX will automatically recognize the
       header format and load it using the correct format.

 Once a file has been selected, either double click on the file name or press
 the Load button.  During the time that the file is being loaded, the user may
 press the Abort button to stop the loading process.  All data which may have
 previously been loaded will be discarded.

 The File Type pulldown box works in combination with the File EA pulldown box.
 To select all files of a particular type based on the name of the file (e.g.
 *.wav, *.au, *.iff, etc.) first select the name extension from the File Type
 pulldown list, and then select <All Files> from the File EA pulldown list.

 By default, the OPEN dialog box is automatically dismissed when the file has
 been loaded.  If an error occurs during the loading process, the dialog will
 not automatically dismiss itself.  To disable this feature (i.e. force the
 dialog box to remain visible even after a file has been loaded) deselect the
 AUTO Dismiss checkbox in the lower right corner of the window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Save ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The dialog box for saving a file to disk is accessed from the SAVE button on
the main control panel.  When saving a file, the extension of the file will
automatically determine the type of output to write for the file (e.g. if the
extension entered by the user is .wav, then the file will be saved in WAVE
format.) or the user may override the file type by selecting one of the buttons
for the type of file.

When saving a file, the extension of the file normally determines the format to
save the file in.  The primary use of this feature will be to promote the use
of standard file name extensions for the various sample types. However, the
user may specify that the information is stored in a particular format
regardless of the file extension.  In the event that no extension is specified
for the file, the PMsndX will automatically save the file under the specified
name under the format currently selected in the FORMAT field.  The available
formats for file operations are listed below. If the file type of Undefined is
selected, then the extension of the file will be used to determine the file
type.

 APPLE (.aif)   Apple 8/16 bit unsigned multi-channel samples
 SUN (.au)      Sun/DEC/NeXT 8 or 16 bit single channel signed data samples or
                8 bit ULaw samples.
 MAC (.hcm)     Apple Macintosh 8 bit single channel samples
 RAW (.ub)      Raw 8 bit single channel unsigned samples without header
                information.
 RAW (.sb)      Raw 8 bit single channel signed samples without header
                information.
 RAW (.uw)      Raw 16 bit single channel unsigned samples without header
                information.
 RAW (.sw)      Raw 16 bit single channel signed samples without header
                information.
 RAW (.ul)      Raw 16 bit U-Law single channel samples
 IRACAM (.sf)   Software produced 16 bit signed samples.
 PC (.voc)      Creative Voice file format, 8 bit single channel unsigned
                samples
 SAMP (.smp)    Turtle beach samplevision files.
 PC (.wav)      Windows or OS/2 8 bit unsigned/16 bit signed multi-channel data
                samples

 The Save Directory checkbox allows the user to save the current save path
 between sessions without having to open the Properties dialog box.  when this
 box is selected, if the OK button is selected, the specified directory path
 will be saved when the program has is terminated. If the SAVE DIRECTORY is
 deselected before the program is terminated, the path will not be saved.  All
 file paths are remembered during each session and the SAVE DIRECTORY box
 allows the user to store this path between sessions.

 Note:  The file path is not saved until the program has been terminated.

 By default, the SAVE dialog box is automatically dismissed when the file has
 been loaded.  If an error occurs during the saving process, the dialog will
 not automatically dismiss itself.  To disable this feature (i.e. force the
 dialog box to remain visible even after a file has been loaded) deselect the
 AUTO Dismiss checkbox in the lower right corner of the window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. AUDIO ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

So, you are interested in playing or recording some samples using my little
program?  Good.

The ability to play and record a sample is not intended to provide the full
capabilities of the digital audio player.  It is intended to allow samples to
be played or recorded without having to save to disk.  Additionally, this
feature allows the user to play a file of any format currently supported by
PMsndX.  The sample rates are limited to those supported by the audio device
and if a sample is loaded with an unsupported sample rate, sample size (bits
per sample), or channels, a warning will be displayed and the sample cannot be
played. To play such a sample, the sample must be converted to a supported
size, rate, or channls before it can be played.

Note:  Whenever a sample is loaded and the AUDIO dialog is open, PMsndX will
       attempt to load the audio buffers with the sound data.  If the sample
       cannot be played (the number of channels or the sampling rate is not
       supported by the audio adapter) a warning is displayed.  PMsndX will not
       attempt to play a file that the audio adapter does not support.

 PMsndX records all data directly to memory rather than to disk. If recording
 at high data rates for significant periods, this may require a great deal of
 memory.  As a result, when a new recording is started, the swap file may grow
 significantly to hold the memory allocated by PMsndX.

 If you don't have MMPM/2 installed with your OS/2, don't worry.  PMsndX has
 been written to provide as much of its capabilities as it can with or without
 MMPM/2 installed. None of the tools, nor the editor require MMPM/2 to perform.
 However, the AUDIO button will be marked out if MMPM/2 is not installed
 because there will be no means to play the sounds.

 When the AUDIO button is pressed, a dialog box is opened which contains a set
 of standard controls for playing and recording sounds.

 The controls for the AUDIO player are basically the same as those used on the
 digital audio player provided with the MMPM/2 package for OS/2.

           Starts recording.
           Stops playback or recording.
           Pauses playback or recording.
           Starts or continues playback.

 Samples can be recorded from either the LINE or the Microphone input of an
 audio adapter supported by MMPM/2 (CD support may be added at a later date).
 Before data can be recorded, information must be entered to control the
 recording operation.  The controls for the recording are input through the
 Record Options item on the system menu of the MMPM Audio dialog.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.1. Playback Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The system menu for the AUDIO dialog contains a menu item for playback options.
From this menu a dialog box can be brought to select options that control the
playback of samples.  This dialog is not application modal and can remain open
as long as the AUDIO dialog is open.  When the AUDIO dialog is closed, the
PLAYBACK OPTIONS will be closed too.

The PLAYBACK OPTIONS dialog provides a checkbox to allow a sample to be looped
such that it will continuously repeat.  When this checkbox is selected, the
repeat function is enabled. Playback can be stopped by deselecting the repeat
checkbox (in which case, the sample will complete playback before stopping) or
by pressing the button.

The PLAYBACK OPTIONS dialog also has the capability of playing a selected range
and/or a selected channel.  If the edit dialog is active, the range and
channels for manipulation may be used to select the part of a sample to be
played. When the Use Channel Selection box is selected, the channels selected
in the editor will be played.  This allows the user to extract and play
individual channels.  Similarly, when the Use Range Selection box is selected,
the range specified in the editor will be played.

Note:  If the edit dialog window is not open, the full sample (including all
       channels) is automatically used.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3.2. Record Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog box is used to set the recording parameters for the AUDIO tool of
PMsndX.  Changes made to this dialog are saved between sessions and it is not
necessary to open this dialog except to modify the recording options.  When the
Record Options dialog is opened, PMsndX tests the audio adapter and only
enables the features which are supported by the adapter.

PMsndX records all audio directly to memory; consequently, the most important
control for recording is the limit to the amount of memory in which the data is
stored.  The limit on the memory requirements for recording audio is displayed
and changed in three different ways.  The first is to specify the amount of
time for recording, the second is to specify the number of samples, and the
third is to specify the amount of memory.  Changes to each of the entry fields
automatically updates the other fields when the focus is changed.  The limit is
stored internally as the number of samples to be recorded.  For this reason,
changes to the rate, quality, and channels affects the time and memory
requirements to record the sample.  These options should be set before
establishing the limits.

Note:  The memory limit field specifies the amount of raw memory required to
       hold the recorded data and is synonymous with the amount of data that
       would be stored in a .WAV file. This limit should not be confused with
       the internal memory requirements of PMsndX. After the recording has been
       made, the data will be converted to the internal format.

 By default, PMsndX will warn the user when the recorder is started while a
 sample is in memory.  This safeguard can be disabled by selecting the
 Overwrite checkbox on the Record Options dialog.

 Note:  The CD selection is disabled in this version.  Reading an AUDIO CD is
        more complicated than the normal input ports. I have not figured out
        how to make the MCI_AMP_SET_MONITOR work on my SB16.  Setting or
        clearing Monitor Input has no effect on my system.  If it does
        something for you, then let me know.  I know what it is suppose to do.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Edit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The editor is designed to be compatible with the format of data pasted to the
clipboard using the OS/2 Digital Audio Application to allow bi-directional use
of the clipboard between the two applications.  To describe the use of the
editor each of the categories of controls will be described.  Most are very
obvious, but some (particularly the operation buttons) have rules of
operation).

The editor is the central point of control for selecting the range and channels
for all operations.  As a result, when an operation is being performed (as
indicated by the mouse pointer displayed as a clock face) if the range is
changed or the channel to manipulate is changed, a warning beep will be
produced; however, the display will indicate that the selection has been made.
For the editor, the change will be made, but the rest of the tools and AUDIO
will not be updated until another selection is made causing changes to the
channels or range.  Additionally, attempts to perform operations (i.e. Cut,
Paste, Copy, Remove, and Zero) will result in a audible warning and the
function will not be performed.

As with other tools, operations which take a significant amount of time to
accomplish will provide an indicator for the percentage of the task completed.
Operations which copy data to the clipboard or delete data from memory utilize
the DMA memory transfers and are fast enough that the indicator is not used.
Operations which copy data from the clipboard use the indicator because the
operation is much more complicated. Please be aware that all clipboard
operations are accessed from the main execution thread.  This is required
because the thread accessing the clipboard must have a message queue;
consequently, during long editing processes such as pasting or merging with
large samples, the message queue will stop receiving input and the desktop may
appear to freeze.  Once the process has been completed, normal message
processing will continue.

Note:  The editor has been written without the use of the MMPM/2 libraries.
       Although MMPM/2 has all the functions necessary to perform the clipboard
       operations, they can only be used if MMPM/2 is installed.  Since this
       program has been written to do its core work on any OS/2 system (with or
       without MMPM/2), everything is done manually.  This provided a bit more
       control over the PASTE operation and it is still very quick.

 The editor has been written to provide a robust method of manipulating parts
 (or all) of a sample.  The functions are broken down into groups (marked by a
 box around the group).

 Channel Displayed:

 The edit dialog box allows the user to view a single channel at a time through
 the graphical display.  The channel to be displayed is selected using radio
 buttons which are enabled based on the number of channels in the current
 sample in memory.

 Area:

 When using the Copy, Cut, Zero, and Remove operations, the user selects the
 area of the sample to be affected by either selecting the entire sample or
 selecting a part of the sample.  When the radio button for the "Entire Sample"
 is selected, the start and end will be set to the beginning and end of the
 sample respectively.  To select a part, the user may either select the Select
 Part radio button or use the left or right buttons to select the start and end
 respectively for the interval of the operation.

 Selection:

 The user may specify a specific time for the begin or end of the interval for
 the desired operation by typing the time directly.  The editor will
 automatically adjust the time down to the nearest actual sample.  To activate
 the Selection entry fields, select the Select Part radio button in the Area
 field.

 Manipulate:

 This is probably the one field to draw the most confusion.  This group of
 buttons allows the user to specify which channel to operate on.  By default
 the editor will operate on all channels of a sample.  However, the user may
 select a specific channel for the operation by pressing the "Selected Chan"
 radio button and then selecting the channel for the operation.  Once the
 operation is performed, the Manipulate group will default back to All
 Channels.

  The editor is integrated into the PMsndX such that the Tools and the AUDIO
 dialogs utilize the information from the editor.  Each tool indicates that it
 uses the range or channels selected in the editor through a checkbox in the
 lower left corner of the tool.  The AUDIO dialog provides checkboxes to enable
 or disable the usage of the channel and range selection.

 Each of the groups provides the user with a means to select the parameters of
 the various operations.  Each operation has a set of rules defining how they
 behave under the various conditions.  These are defined in the following text.

 Rules for cut:

 1.  If the channel to operate on is "ALL", the copy all of the data over the
 specified interval and shift all data over to the left.

 2.  If the channel to operate on is specified, then copy the data over the
 specified interval for that single channel to the clipboard, and shift the
 data after the interval over to the left while clearing the end of the data
 for the specified channel.

 Rules for paste:

 The PASTE button is used the paste the contents of the clipboard into memory.
 If the SHIFT key is pressed while the Editor has the window focus, the text on
 the PASTE button will change to MERGE.  When the MERGE button is pushed, the
 editor will merge the data from the clipboard with the data in memory.  When
 the merge function is used the rules for PASTE apply except that the data is
 averaged equally instead of being inserted.

 The paste operation varies depending on the number of channels in the current
 sample and the number of samples in the data on the clipboard. After the paste
 operation, the start marker will be set at the beginning of the sample pasted
 from the clipboard and the end marker will be set to the end of the new data.

 1.  If there is no current data, then just copy the clipboard directly to
 memory.

 2.  If the number of pasted channels is the same as the current data, then
 past the data in based on the selected channel for manipulation.

 Note:  When merging, the data is averaged based on the selected channel for
        manipulation.  Any excess difference between the length of the two will
        be left unafffected.

 3.  If the number of pasted channels is 1, then just copy the data to the
 channel(s) selected for manipulation and insert blank space for the
 corresponding channels which are not being manipulated.  If the number of
 channels for manipulation is "ALL" then duplicate the data for the single
 channel across all channels of the current data.

 Note:  If the number of merged channels is 1, then average the data from the
        clipboard to the channel(s) selected for manipulation.  If the length
        of the samples does not match the data will be averaged for the common
        length of the two and excess will not be modified.

 4.  If the number of pasted/merged channels is less than the current number of
 channels (but greater than 1), then

 a) if the channels selected for manipulation is set to "ALL" then copy the
 channels from the clipboard directly into the current sample and zero out the
 non-existent channels.

 Note:  When merging, average the data from the clipboard directly into the
        current sample and leave the non-existent channels unaffected.

 b) copy the first channel from the pasted sample into the selected channel for
 manipulation.

 Note:  When merging, average the first channel from the clipboard with the
        selected channel for manipulation.

 5.  If the pasted/merged sample has more channels than the current sample,
 then

 a) if the channels selected for manipulation is set to "ALL" then create the
 new channels in the existing data and set all non-existent channels in the
 existing data to zero.

 Note:  When merging, average the existing channels and copy the clipboard data
        directly to the channels that did not exist in memory.

 b) copy the first channel from the pasted sample into the selected channel for
 manipulation.

 Note:  When merging, the first channel is merged into the selected channel for manipulation.

 6.  If all of this fails, then just warn the user and give up.

 Rules for Copy Operation:

 1.  If the channel to operate on is ALL, copy all of the data over the
 specified interval to the to the clipboard.

 2.  If the channel to operate on is specified, then copy that single channel
 to the clipboard.

 Rules for Zero operation:

 Set the data over the specified interval to 0 for the channels specified.

 Rules for Remove operation:

 1.  If the channel to operate on is "ALL", then remove the data over the
 interval specified and shift all data to the left.

 2.  if the channel to operate on is specified, then remove the data for that
 channel over the interval and shift the end of that channel to the left while
 zeroing out the end of the channel.

 Rules for Clear operation:

 This operation clears all data from the clipboard.  It has no effect on data
 currently in memory.

 UNDO:

 PMsndX utilizes a lot of memory to ensure that the current data in memory is
 not lost if an operation fails.  Normally the original data is deleted from
 memory once an operation is completed to reduce the long term memory
 requirements of the program.  However, If the Enable UNDO checkbox is selected
 from the properties display, PMsndX will store a single buffer for performing
 one level of UNDO.

 After any operation from the toolbox, any of the manipulations from the
 editor, or after loading a new file, if the UNDO option is enabled, the
 current data will be stored in a buffer.  Pressing the UNDO button from the
 editor will swap the current memory with the buffer.  Pressing UNDO again will
 swap them back.  With this setup, the UNDO functions as a redo button.

 Note:  The UNDO capability is only available in the registered version of
        PMsndX.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. Tools ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Using a notebook to display the TOOLS has some unique presentation advantages.
Primarily the notebook allows the effects to be displayed in a single dialog
window.  Since each effect is mutually exclusive of any other tool this
approach displays the maximum information that the user can utilize at any
time.  Another approach would have been to develop a dialog box for each tool.
This approach has the disadvantage that it would require a second control panel
to select the specific tools.  This would violate the approach of providing a
single control panel for the user and would necessitate managing a number of
different windows which could potentially clutter the screen.  The notebook is
a clean and aesthetically pleasing means for managing the tools.

The heart of manipulating the samples is accessed from the TOOLS notebook.
Some of the pages of the notebook provide information while others let the user
apply a particular effect on the current sound sample.  The TOOLS notebook can
be dismissed by pressing the TOOLS button on the main control panel or by
pulling down the system menu for the toolbox and selecting CLOSE.

The notebook is divided into sections such that functions with similar
operations are grouped together.  The tabs on the right of the notebook access
the section and the tabs at the bottom of the page are used to access the
individual functions of the grouping. The tabs on the notebook provide access
to the Info, Type, Average, Duplicate, Band Pass, Low Pass, Rate, Speed, Echo,
Invert, Reverse, Vibro, Limit, Fade, and Balance functions for manipulating the
samples.

The notebook may be navigated by either selecting the tab on the right of the
book for the desired function or by using the small Plus and Minus buttons at
the bottom of the notebook.  Using the Plus and Minus buttons will move through
the notebook a single page at a time.

To select the tabs using the keyboard, the focus for the notebook must be set
for the notebook container (by clicking the mouse outside of one of the tools
or by pressing the ALT key and the UP arrow). Selecting any character that is
underlined will bring that page to the top of the display.

The notebook can be displayed regardless of the presence of sample data in
memory.  When no sample is present, the pages of the notebook will be
invalidated but can still be viewed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.1. Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Info page displays all of the relevant information about the samples
currently in memory.  This includes the following categories:

 Load Format     One of the formats which the program can save or open
 Data Type       The default extension for this file format.
 Data Style      SIGNED, UNSIGNED, ULAW, or ALAW
 Channels        Number of channels in the sample
 Sampling Rate   The number of samples taken each second
 Data Size       BYTE (8 bits), WORD (16 bits), LONG (32 bits)
 Samples         The number of samples that make up each channel
 Comments        Some sample files may contain comments.  Any comments found
                 are displayed in this window
 Byte Order      The natural order of the bytes in each sample.  This field can
                 display either Big Endian or Little Endian


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.2. Type ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The type of the file is determined by the header written to the beginning of
the file.  See Save for information how the file type is determined when a file
is saved to disk.  Additionally, the user may use the this tool to change the
Load Format (displayed in the Info page of the tools notebook).  When the file
is saved, the default file format will automatically be set to whatever has
been chosen on this page of the notebook.  Changing the file name extension or
selecting a file format in the SAVE dialog will override this setting.

Each file format utilizes different headers for the actual data.  By selecting
one of the standard formats on this page the Info page will show the user how
the samples will be saved.  The fields that are most likely to change are the
Load Format, Data Type, Data Style, and Data Size.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.3. Average ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A sample with an even number of channels may be averaged to produce a sample
with half the initial number of channels. For example, a sample with four
channels can be averaged to produce a sample with two channels and a sample
with two samples can be averaged to produce a sample with one channel.

Channels may be averaged in three ways.  The simplest is to take the left or
right channel data as the final data.  A more complex method is to average the
samples of the left and right to produce a center sample. The results of these
operations are significantly different and can result in very different output
samples.

When a sample contains four channels, it is composed of four sound sources at
45 degrees in each quadrant.  This corresponds to the Front Left, Front Right,
Rear Left, or Rear Right.  To average these into two channels the user can
select to use any of the four channels or to average based on the left or
right. To select or average any combination of the channels into either of the
output channels, check the box for the channels from the source sample.  To aid
in this, two radio buttons have been provided which enable or disable the
selection of check boxes in the second channel depending on the number of
output channels selected.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.4. Dupe ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Channels can be duplicated such that a single channel sample can be made to
have two channels which are identical or two channels can be duplicated to form
four channels.

When copying two channels to 4, PMsndX allows the user to specify which of the
input channels will be placed on the output channels.  In this way, a single
channel of a dual channel sample can be copied to any of the four output
channels.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.5. Band Pass ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This tool provides the ability to apply a band-pass filter to a sample. The
frequency response for the filter is designed to drop logarithmically around a
center frequency.  The slope of the drop at the desired start (Wp) and end (Ws)
of the filter varies with the distance between the Wp and Ws.  This width is
used to determine the slope of the dropoff at the edges of the filter.  The
frequencies at Wp and Ws will be approximately half of their original
amplitudes and all frequencies outside of the Center - Wp and the Center + Ws
will be eliminated.  The bandpass filter can be mode oriented to pitched
signals (i.e. voice, singing, or instrumental music) or can be modified by
adding noise to the filter so that un-pitched signals can be effectively
processed.

Note:  To aid the user in locating the maximum effective center frequency, a
       light blue vertical bar is placed at half the sampling rate for the
       data.

  The transformation for the Bandpass filter was derived from a a program
 called MUSIC56K (as documented in the MUSIC56K source code) and implemented in
 C++ for this program.

 Operation of the bandpass filter tool is probably one of the most complex
 interfaces in the toolbox.  It is based on a simple principle.  The entire
 display of the filter represents the frequency response of the filter and is
 operated like a slider.  However, since the Start frequency and the Stop
 frequency are independent, the sliding bar is divided into identical controls
 for each filter edge. Before getting into the operation of the controls the
 display needs to be explained to establish the terms that will be used.

 As mentioned, the display is designed to illustrate the frequency response of
 the bandpass filter (independent of any added noise).  The center of the Start
 (Wp) and End (Ws) of the filter are marked by vertical BLUE bars.  The Center
 (Wc) of the filter is marked by a vertical RED bar.  These three markers
 provide the means for the user to modify the filter.  The region to the left
 of the RED center frequency is always the start of the filter.  The user may
 click the mouse to the left of Wp to decrease Wp by 1000 Hz.  Clicking between
 Wp and Wc increases Wp by 1000 Hz.  Likewise, clicking between Wc and Ws
 decreases Ws by 1000 Hz and clicking to the right of Ws increases Ws by 1000
 Hz.  The user may also click the mouse near Ws or Wp to drag the respective
 ends of the filter quickly.

 To provide fine control of the filter, Right and Left arrows are provided for
 both Wp and Ws.  Clicking on either the right or left arrow will increase the
 indicated filter edge by 1 Hz.  To increase or decrease the filter edges by 10
 Hz, the user may select the plus or minus corresponding to the filter edges.
 The left set of controls affects Wp and the right set of controls affects Ws.

 As the mouse is used to adjust Wp and Ws, the exact frequencies for Wp, Ws,
 Wc, and the filter Width are updated in the text input fields.  The user can
 use the mouse to select one of the input fields and modify it directly.  To
 accept a value in the entry field and recalculated the dependent frequencies
 select another window or click on another item which moves the focus from the
 notebook.  The rules for the fields are as follows:

   1. If the Center frequency is modified, new values for Wp and Ws are
      immediately calculated using the current Width. If Wp or Ws are outside
      of the possible ranges, then Wp or Ws are set to the limit of the
      acceptable range and the Width and Center are recalculated.
   2. If the Width of the filter is modified, new values for Wp and Ws are
      immediately calculated using the current Center frequency.  If Wp or Ws
      are then outside of the acceptable ranges, Wp or Ws is then set to its
      limit and the Center and Width are recalculated.
   3. If Wp is changed, the Width and Center are automatically recalculated to
      reflect the new start of the filter.
   4. If Ws is changed, the Width and Center are automatically recalculated to
      reflect the new end of the filter.

 The bandpass filter has been selected because of the desirable effect on
 typical sounds that will be processed by PMsndX such as voice or music.
 However, if other types of noise are to be filtered, noise can be added to the
 filter which results in a sharper peak of the filter.  To add this noise,
 select the checkbox for "Add filter noise". Selecting the checkbox again will
 disable the filter noise.

 Note:  The display of the frequency response for the filter does not reflect
        added noise.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.6. Low Pass ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A Low Pass filter can be applied to a sample to eliminate high frequencies.
Filtering is accomplished in the digital domain through the use of a very
simple second order digital Fourier transform.  Future implementation may have
a more complex Fourier transform; however, the chosen function is desirable
because it provides a smooth dropoff without significant ringing. The
performance of the filter is determined by the cutoff frequency and the rate of
drop.  If the dropoff is made too quickly, the filter will exhibit a ringing
effect at the begin and end of the dropoff.  If the dropoff is performed too
slowly, the filter will suppress more frequencies toward the end of the desired
range.  The more orders of the filter (more stages), the better the frequency
response; however, more orders increase the time for filtering significantly. A
two order filter works adequately.

When performing the digital convolution of the sample with the step function a
Gain factor is used to normalize the output data.  This acts as a Volume
control for the sample to prevent losses due to numerical overflow.  Values for
the gain range from 0 to 1 in increments of 0.01.  A slider bar is used to set
the gain of the low pass filter.  When the low pass filter is first brought up,
the Gain will default to a value of 0.8.  If this is changed, it will remain at
the new setting until the session is terminated.

The Frequency response of the low pass filter is determined by a the
centerpoint of the dropoff at the end of the step function.  When performing a
digital filter, it is not possible to prevent the gradual drop at the end of
the step function due to the convolution of the samples used in the
transformation.  This is true for analog components also. The centerpoint of
the dropoff can be set in three ways. The user may enter the specific frequency
in the text entry box in the lower right corner or may use the filter display
like a sliding bar.  As is typical of a sliding bar, the mouse may be used to
capture the cutoff frequency by pressing the mouse button while the mouse is
near the cutoff frequency.  By holding the button down, the user may drag the
frequency to the desired range.  Additionally, the user may click to the right
or the left of the frequency cutoff to increase or decrease the frequency by
1000 Hz. The right and left arrows in the corners of the display may be used to
increase or decrease the frequency by 1 Hz. The plus and minus buttons in the
corners of the display may be used to increase or decrease the frequency by 10
Hz. The frequency response curve illustrates the dropoff that occurs at the end
of the step function.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.7. Rate ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Once a sample has been loaded into memory, the current rate information is
displayed on the RATE page of the notebook. The user can change the rate of the
sample using this page of the tools notebook.

Note:  Changing the sampling rate may degrade the quality of the sound.

  The user may select from a set of standard sampling rates for common computer
 formats or may specify a specific rate. OS/2 and Windows use standard rates
 which are multiples of 11025 Hz.  Sun, DEC, and NeXT computers commonly use a
 sampling rate of 8000 Hz.  Standard rates of 8000, 11025, 22050, and 44100 Hz
 have been provided for the user to select.

 If the user wishes to use a sampling rate which is not one of these, the
 button for Non-Standard should be pressed.  This will activate the slider bar
 and user input windows to allow the user to specify the rate.  The slider bar
 can be used to quickly change the rate in the input window or the user may
 select the input window and type in the desired rate.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.8. Speed ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This function will change the playback speed of a sample. This is the same
thing as setting a phonograph to a different speed such that the sound is
played too fast or too slow.  The controls for this effect simply specify the
new playback speed.  Once a new speed is selected, the sample is resampled to
interpolate the new playback points. As a result, a sample is still played at
the same rate, but the data is modified to play at the new rate.  This allows
the sample to be stored in a file which is of a standard rate.

The user may select any of the standard rates including 8000 Hz, 11025 Hz,
22050 Hz, and 44100 Hz.  Additionally, the user may specify the playback speed
to be either double (x2) or half (x1/2) or may specify a specify playback speed
by selecting the User button.  If a speed other than the current speed is
specified, the DOIT button will be activated which will allow the user to
perform the change.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.9. Echo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The echo effect will modify a sample to provide attenuation at specific points
in a sample.  The operator must specify the points where the echo effects are
to start and an attenuation or Volume for the echo.  The attenuation determines
the length of time that it takes for the echo to die away.  If the Attenuation
specified for all of the echo points is greater than 1, then the echo will
"melt" rather than fading away and consequently may take a long time to
complete.  If an attenuation is set to 0 or less, the Echo point is ignored.

The echo effect presents an interesting challenge to the user interface.  How
do you provide the user with an intuitive method to set the echo locations and
the strength of the echo from a dialog box?  Well, look at the ECHO notebook
page and follow along in the explanation of the operation.  This notebook page
includes a graphical display of the current sample, a text entry field for
editing (e.g. adding or deleting) time marks, and a volume control for setting
the strength of the echo.

The ECHO notebook is centered around the graph at the top of the page.  This
display is the primary point of control. However, to allow for a bit more
direct control, the user may use the entry fields to add and delete echo points
too. To explain it all, I will start with the graphical display first and then
lead to the secondary controls.

Once a sample has been loaded into memory, the graphical display will become
active.  The display is controlled through two slider bars for the position in
the sample and for the magnification. The sample is normalized so that the
largest sample value will hit the limit of the display.  This makes the display
volume independent but gives maximum clarity of the actual waveform in memory.
Markers may be added or moved to set the echo points in the waveform.  To aid
the operator in locating the desired echo point, the display contains a status
bar for the starting timemark for the sample in the window, the current
timemark under the mouse, and the magnification factor.

To move to the right or left in the display, the horizontal slider bar may be
used.  Pressing the end arrows moves the display one displayed sample to the
left or right.  When the slider bar is pressed, the display will move one half
screen to the right or left.  The user may move the display to a region quickly
by selecting the slider button and dragging it to the appropriate position.
The display is immediately updated to display the current position.

The display area at the bottom of the graph provides a timemark indicator for
the first sample appearing at the left of the graph.  This provides a reference
for moving through the data.  The time marker is displayed in the form of
m:ss.ssss where m is the number of minutes into the sample and ss.ssss is the
number of seconds into the sample.

Even the smallest sample contains more data than can fit on the graphical
display.  For this reason the vertical slider to the right of the graphical
display is used to adjust the viewing magnification of the samples.  The
maximum magnification of the samples is determined by the length of the sample
and is calculated by dividing the total sample length by the largest number of
data points which may be scrolled through on the display.  The display is
limited to the maximum size of an signed 16 bit value due to the limitations of
the signals for the horizontal slider bar. This results in a maximum of 32767
data points which can be displayed and scrolled through.

Initially, the magnification is set for the maximum displayable.  To decrease
the magnification ( i.e. zoom out) on the sample, move the slider down the bar.
The arrows on the ends of the bar can be used to increase or decrease the
magnification in increments of 1.  Selecting between the button and the arrows
doubles or halves the magnification. If the button is selected, the
magnification can be set immediately to a value.  Markers are displayed for the
nearest point in the zoom.  However, markers can only be set on exact multiples
of the zoom.  Therefore, when trying to move a marker, if it is set at a
different magnification, it may not be possible to move the marker without
returning to that zoom.  Essentially, the marker is displayed but cannot be
selected because that exact sample point is not visible. I considered making
the mouse select the nearest marker, but this is a point of confusion if many
markers are displayed at the same location for a specific magnification.

The current magnification is displayed in the status area of the display in the
form of "x1/nnnnn" where "nnnnn" is replaced by the current magnification
number (i.e. number of points represented by a single point on the display).
If the display says that the zoom is x1/2, then the magnification of the
display is halved.  If this sounds confusing, then just play with the notebook
page for a bit to get a feel for the operation of the zoom.

Before going on, another area of the display needs to be described.  The center
number on the status area of the display indicates the timemark for the current
(or last) mouse position. Whenever the mouse is moved into the display area,
this number will be updated to indicate the time offset for that particular
point.  This takes into account the magnification.

Now for the fun part.  To add an echo point to the sample, move the mouse to
the place where you desire the echo.  The status display will provide a
reference for the timemark. When the proper position has been selected, click
the mouse and a blue marker will be placed.  If the mouse is released, the
marker will be set at that location in the sample.  If the mouse is not
released, the marker may be dragged across the display. This marker may be
moved later if necessary by other means too.

Note:  If at any time the mouse pointer is moved outside of the display before
       the mouse button is released, the marker will not be set and the blue
       mark will be erased from the display.

  A echo marker may be moved by positioning the mouse pointer over the marker
 and pressing the mouse button.  If the marker is on a multiple of the zoom
 level, it will be selected and will follow the mouse as long as the button is
 pressed.  When the button is released, the marker will be placed at that
 position.

 A marker may be moved to another time delay by entering the desired delay
 directly through the Time Mark entry field.

 Note:  If the mouse is moved off the display area, the marker will be restored
        to its original position.

  For each marker displayed, the timemark is stored in a Combo Box.  This box
 is like an entry field in that the user can edit the time directly; however,
 it also has a drop down box that can scroll vertically through all of the
 different markers.  This type of box provides a great deal of flexibility for
 the user.

 To add a marker at a specific time, position the cursor in the Timemark box
 and edit the time index.  The format is the same as that used to display the
 time marks in the main display.  Enter the number of minutes followed by the
 seconds.  The granularity of the seconds is on the order of 1/10000 of a
 second.  For example, entering 6:54.4253 would accept a time mark at 6
 minutes, 54.4253 seconds.  If a value is entered with is beyond the maximum
 sample of the file or less than 0, then the data is ignored.

 Once the desired time mark has been entered, the user may press the Add button
 to place the marker in the current database.  All timemarks added to the
 display use the volume specified for the last timemark, or 0 if no volume has
 been set yet.

 When the listbox is pulled down for the timemarks, each of the timemarks that
 have been entered are displayed in a vertically and horizontally scrollable
 window.  Up to 32 markers may be placed in the file and any markers which are
 unused are displayed with the word "EMPTY".  The markers are placed in the
 database in the order that they are entered unless a free slot is open (from
 being deleted).  The user may select any of the time marks using the combo
 box. If the selected timemark is not empty, the display will be updated to
 display the selected timemark in the center of the graph.  In the event that
 the timemark is too close to the end or beginning of the sample to display in
 the center of the graph, the timemark will be displayed without being
 centered.  Once a timemark has been selected, the Del button may be pressed to
 delete the marker from the database.  The entry field is not cleared in order
 to allow the user to directly edit the timemark which was deleted and add it
 later.

 The volume for each timemark may be set by specifying a value in the volume
 entry field.  This is a simple entry field in which the user can type or
 delete numbers.  Since the volume (attenuation) for each timemark may range
 from 0 to infinity, the only method for entering the volume is through the
 keyboard.  Sorry, no sliders here.  As each character is typed, it is stored.
 The user does not have to press enter or any key to accept the value.

 I have not found a big use for numbers greater than 1, but I could not find
 any reason to limit the user to a specific range of numbers.  Anyone who has
 experience with this effect and knows of a reason for a limitation should
 contact the author and I will be happy to set up something to make entry of
 the Volume easier.

 Note:  The most common mistake for the echo effect is in forgetting to enter a
        value in the Volume field.  Remember that you must provide an
        attenuation for the echo in the Volume entry field to make the echo
        point valid.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.10. Invert ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A sample is composed of numbers which are digital snapshots of an analog wave
at regular intervals.  These numbers can take on positive and negative values
which push or release the cone of a speaker to produce sound. The range and
channels for this function are selected through the editor.

Any series of samples may be inverted such that all positive values become
negative and all negative values become positive.  To the human ear, there is
no difference in the sound produced; however, mathematically, the new wave is
very different.  An inverted wave may be added to a normal wave to
mathematically subtract one from another. When this function is combined with
the MERGE function of the editor, samples can be added together to eliminate
common frequencies.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.11. Reverse ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This effect allows the user to reverse a section (or all) of a sample.  The
range and channels for this function are selected through the editor.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.12. Vibro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This function performs the "world-famous" Fender Vibro-Champ sound effect to a
sound sample by using a sine wave as the amplitude of the volume at each
sample.  This tool requires that the user set the Speed and the Depth of the
sine wave.

The speed setting gives the frequency of the sine wave in Hertz.  The range of
values for the slider are from 1 to 30 in increments of 1 Hertz.  A value of 0
would be useless for a frequency and is not allowed.

The depth setting gives the amount by which the volume will be cut into by the
sine wave.  The range of values for the slider are from 0.0 to 1.0 in
increments of 0.01.  The initial value of the slider is 0.5.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.13. Fade ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This effect allows the user to either fade in or fade out the volume of a
sample.  Fading the data in a sample is produced by increasing or decreasing
the volume of the sample over a period.  To fade a sample in is to slowly
increase the volume of the sample from 0 to the normal volume of the sample
over a block of time.  To fade the sound out is just the opposite in which the
volume of the sample is slowly reduced over a period.

The FADE tool provides three methods for fading which provide a robust means
for controlling the volume of the data over the specified range of operation.
These are Linear, Slow Geometric, and Fast Geometric.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.14. Limit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Most anyone who has received a sound sample from different sources has had the
problem that the recorded volume is inconsistent between different samples.
After all, there is no standard recording level for the different machines or
different software.

To allow the user to adjust the volume of a sample, PMsndX provides a tool
which can either adjust the volume by multiplying every sample by a fixed
amount or by multiplying the samples by a value based on the limit of the data
that can held in memory.

By specifying a maximum value for the sound sample, all sound samples can be
set to have a similar maximum.  The obvious use for this function is to allow a
library of sounds to be set at the same volume.  The value used for the maximum
volume is based on a percentage of the maximum data that can be held in a
single sample.  As an example, a value of 100% for the volume represents a
value of 127 for a signed byte sample.

When the button for the Maximum is selected, the slider bar directly beneath
the button is activated.  Initially, this will be set to the current volume in
terms of the percentage of the maximum value for the sample.  The volume may be
adjusted by setting the slider to a value between 0 and 100 percent of the
maximum.

Since the value is based on a percentage of the maximum value of the data that
can be stored in a sample, clipping is not possible.

When the button for the Fixed value is selected, the slider bar directly
beneath the button is activated as well as the checkbox for clipping.  The
fixed bar provides the means to multiply all sound samples by a fixed value
between 0 and 2 in increments of 0.1. A value of 1 makes no change.  Any value
greater than 1 increases the volume and any value less than 1 decreases the
volume.  A value of 2 doubles the volume of the sample.

When using fixed sampling it is possible to exceed the maximum data that may be
stored for a sample.  The Allow Clipping checkbox may be selected to allow the
data to be clipped.  If the checkbox is not set and if the fixed multiple will
result in clipping, then the multiple will be set to the maximum value that
will not result in clipping.  If the clipping box is set, data may exceed the
maximum that may be stored for the sample which will result in noise.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.15. Balance ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When a sample has more than one channel, the volume of the individual channels
can be varied.  The balance of the channels can be achieved either
instantaneously or over a period of time.  These are the same basic functions
as used in the FADE and SWAP effects and are Linear, Slow Geometric, and Fast
Geometric, and Step.

The volume of a sample may vary by either starting at the specified percentage
of the current volume for each channel and progressively approaching full
volume.  This is similar to fading in a sample and is achieved by selecting the
"IN" button.  The opposite effect is achieved when the volume starts at the
current volume and progressively decreases to a percentage of the current
volume.

When balancing a sample, the user must specify a percentage for each channel.
When fading in, this is the percentage that the volume will start at for each
respective channel. When fading out, this is the final percentage of the
original volume.  The display at the top of this dialog varies depending on the
number of channels in the current sample.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Command Scripts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX integrates the features of REXX to provide a powerful command scripting
capability.  PMsndX provides the necessary extensions to REXX to provide full
access to all of the features normally provided through the dialogs of the user
interface.

Any REXX command script can be run through any of the means for opening a file
such as using the OPEN dialog box or through a DRAG/DROP operation.  As with
all REXX command scripts, the first line of the file must be a comment of the
form /* ... */. PMsndX will automatically recognize a command script using the
extension of .CMD or the OPEN dialog allows any file to be recognized as a
command script by providing an override in the Format group of the OPEN dialog.

As with any REXX script, the SAY command may be used to write to standard
output (stdout); and, the PULL command may be used to retrieve information from
standard input (stdin). When input is requested from the REXX window, the
desktop focus will automatically be directed to the REXX window and it will be
brought to the foreground.

Note:  Do not use CHARIN to retrieve input from the keyboard.

 The syntax of the language is divided up into groups associated with the
 buttons on the main control panel. Additionally, a few other controls are
 provided to enhance a script capability for enhancing the user interface.

 When a REXX command script is run, a REXX OUTPUT window (see illustration
 below)  is opened to display any outputs from the script.  All standard
 outputs (e.g. output from SAY commands or commands echoed) are displayed in
 black.  Outputs from PMsndX commands is written in blue, and any errors are
 written in red.  A REXX script can be stopped at any time by closing the REXX
 OUTPUT window.  If no errors occur while executing the REXX command script,
 the REXX OUTPUT window will automatically be dismissed.  If errors occur, the
 window will remain open until the user closes it.  Only one REXX OUTPUT window
 can be open at any one time so the window must be closed before another REXX
 script can be run.

 Note:  As with REXX scripts, all commands can be entered in any combination of
        lower and upper case.  For example, the following commands are
        equivalent: "file open tmp.au", "FILE open TMP.AU", "FiLe OpEn TmP.Au".


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. Syntax Conventions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The extensions provided by PMsndX have been designed to utilize a consistent
format.  The extensions are divided into three groups:  commands, functions,
and arguments.

REXX commands are those extensions provided by PMsndX which allow the REXX
script to control execution of PMsndX.  The command extensions use the
arguments to modify the actions.

REXX functions are those extensions provided by PMsndX which require that
PMsndX return some value to the calling REXX script.  The function extensions
use the arguments to specify the information that is to be returned.

REXX arguments are the keywords and parameters which are added to commands and
functions to provide information about the specific task to be performed.  All
arguments follow a repetitive format which utilizes keywords and associated
parameters.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.1. Command Syntax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

REXX commands are indicated by a name, followed by keyword and parameter
combinations separtated by spaces. Commands do not return data to the calling
REXX scrip.

Following is the general syntax of a command:

COMMAND keyword Parameter ... [keyword Parameter ...]


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.2. Function Syntax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

REXX functions are composed of a name followed by keyword and parameter
combinations separated by commas and enclosed in parenthesis.  Functions are
used to return data to the calling REXX script and so always appear on the
right side of an = character.

The general syntax of a function is:

X=FUNCTION(keyword, Parameter, [,keyword, Parameter,...])


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.3. Argument Syntax ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Arguments used in PMsndX should be in order of a keyword followed
immediately by a parameter (if one is necessary). All required
keyword/parameter combinations must appear first, followed by any optional
keyword/parameter combinations.

To convey the syntax of the REXX extensions, the individual components are
color keyed to indicate their use. The following legend should be referred to
when reading the actual command and function syntax:

COMMAND or FUNCTION: The name of the command or function is always first and is
required.

keyword:  Special keywords are used to indicate that a parameter is being
specified for a command. The keywords of a command may be entered in any order
but must be followed by their corresponding parameter.

Parameters:  Portions of a command which are used as variable parameters can
take on different formats and must be entered after the corresponding keyword.

[...]:  Parameters which are optional will appear between brackets ([]).
Anything between the brackets is not required for the command but may be added
to modify the operation.

When numeric values are required, the format will be indicated as follows:

'mm:ss.hhhh' indicates that a time is to be entered. The format indicates that
the time is to be given in minutes followed by a colon (:), the number of
seconds followed by a period (.) and the fractions of seconds.  For example,
'10:58.0001' indicates 10 minutes, 58 seconds, and 1 ten-thousandth of a
second.  Note that the time must be enclosed between single quotes.

#.# indicates that a decimal number is to be entered.  The range for the number
is provided in braces immediately following.  For example, #.#{0.0-1.0}
indicates that a number between 0.0 and 1.0 inclusive is requred.

#{range} indicates that a numeric value is required and the range is specified
in the braces.  For example, #{1-8192} indicates that a numeric value between 1
and 8192 inclusive is required.

'text' indicates that a text string is required.  The text must be enclosed in
single quotes and must appear as the last parameter in the line.  All data
after the keyword TEXT will be treated as the text for the operation.

{item1,item2,...} is used to indicate that a finite set of values are required.

Note:  The parameter YES is equivalent to setting a checkbox.  The parameter NO
       is equivalent to clearing a checkbox.

 Descriptions:  With each command group is a short description of the operation
 of the commands in that group. Additionally, every command may also have
 special information which is unique to the command or pertinent to the usage
 of the command.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. File Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

All of the features of the OPEN and SAVE dialog boxes are available through the
FILE operations.  In addition to the standard items in the dialog box, the
capability to set the default OPEN and SAVE paths is provided to simplify batch
operations.

The FILE operations are provided through functions and return the fully
qualified path to the file or path provided to the command.  There are two
reasons that the FILE commands are implemented as functions instead of
subcommands.  The first is that the REXX script may provide a partially
qualified filename and PMsndX will return a fully qualified name if it is
valid.  Additionally, the parameters of a subcommand are separated by spaces or
other special parameters which PMsndX does not receive even if the parameters
are in quotations.  By using the function interface to REXX, PMsndX receives
the necessary delimiters to allow filenames to contain special characters and
spaces.

x=FILE(OPENPATH, PATH)

Filenames can be specified in any form (i.e. they may contain a drive letter, a
file path, and the actual filename).  However, to make batch operations
simpler, the path and drive may be specified using this command and any
filenames without paths or drives will use the OPENPATH to locate the file.  By
default, the current working directory will be used as the OPENPATH.

x=FILE(SAVEPATH, PATH)

When saving a file, a default path can be saved similar to the OPENPATH
command.  All save operations in which the drive and path are not specified
will use the specified path.  By default, the current working directory will be
used as the SAVEPATH.

x=FILE(OPEN, filename, [FORMAT, {AU, AIF, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF}])

x=FILE(OPEN, filename, [FORMAT, {UB, SB, UL}, RATE, #{1-65535}, CHANNELS,
{1,2,4}])

x=FILE(OPEN, filename, [FORMAT, {UW, SW}, RATE, #{1-65535}, CHANNELS, {1,2,4},
ENDIAN, {BIG, LITTLE}])

Filenames must contain the name of a valid file and may optionally include a
drive letter and a specific path. If the path and drive letter are not
specified, PMsndX will use the current working directory or the path specified
in the OPENPATH command.

x=FILE(SAVE, filename, [FORMAT, {AU, AIF, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF, UB, SB,
UL}])

x=FILE(SAVE, filename, [FORMAT, {UW, SW}, ENDIAN, {BIG, LITTLE}])

Filenames must contain the name of a valid file and may optionally include a
drive letter and a specific path. If the path and drive letter are not
specified, PMsndX will use the current working directory or the path specified
in the SAVEPATH command.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Audio Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

All operations available through the AUDIO dialog are accessible through the
AUDIO Operations group.  When ever an AUDIO command is encountered, the AUDIO
dialog is opened if it is not already open.  In the event that the AUDIO file
cannot be played, the REXX will hang.  To continue the REXX script without
playing the file, close the audio box.

AUDIO VOLUME #{0-100}

AUDIO PLAY {ASYNC, SYNC}

The ASYNC option causes the sound to start playing and lets the REXX script
continue.  The SYNC option causes the REXX script to pause while waiting for
the playback to complete.

AUDIO RECORD {ASYNC, SYNC} TIME 'mm:ss.hhhh' INPUT {MIC, LINE} QUALITY {8, 16}
CHANNELS {1, 2} RATE #{1-65535} [OVERWRITE {YES, NO}] [MONITOR {YES, NO}]

AUDIO RECORD {ASYNC, SYNC} COUNT #{1-} INPUT {MIC, LINE} QUALITY {8, 16}
CHANNELS {1, 2} RATE #{1-65535} [OVERWRITE {YES, NO}] [MONITOR {YES, NO}]

AUDIO RECORD {ASYNC, SYNC} MEMORY #{1-} INPUT {MIC, LINE} QUALITY {8, 16}
CHANNELS {1, 2} RATE #{1-65535} [OVERWRITE {YES, NO}] [MONITOR {YES, NO}]


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3.1. Audio Playback Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

AUDIO REPEAT {YES, NO}

AUDIO CHANNEL_SELECTION {YES, NO}

AUDIO RANGE_SELECTION {YES, NO}


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Properties Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PROPERTIES FOOTNOTES {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES SAVE_POSITIONS {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES SAVE_OPENPATH {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES SAVE_SAVEPATH {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES MEMORY AUTO

PROPERTIES MEMORY #{1-8192}

PROPERTIES ENABLE_MMPM {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES SHARE_AUDIO {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES PLAY_FROM_COMMANDLINE {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES PLAY_ON_LOAD {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES EXIT_AFTER_COMMANDLINE_PLAY {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES PLAY_16ON8 {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES DEVICE devicename

PROPERTIES UNDO {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES IGNORE_HEADER_STYLE {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES REQUIRE_AU_HEADER {YES, NO}

PROPERTIES REXX_DISPLAY_HISTORY #{64-32767}

PROPERTIES INI_PATH path


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.5. Edit Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

EDIT MANIPULATE {ALL, 1, 2, 3, 4}

EDIT AREA ENTIRE_SAMPLE

EDIT AREA PART START 'mm:ss.hhhh' END 'mm:ss.hhhh'

EDIT OPERATION {COPY, CUT, PASTE, ZERO, REMOVE, CLEAR, MERGE}

EDIT UNDO


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6. Effects Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

TOOLS FORMAT {AU, AIF, HCM, SF, VOC, SMP, WAV, IFF, UB, SB, UL, UW, SW}

TOOLS AVERAGE 2_TO_1 FROM {LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT}

TOOLS AVERAGE 4_TO_1 FROM {FL, FR, RL, RR} [FROM {FL, FR, RL, RR}...]

TOOLS AVERAGE 4_TO_2 FROM {FL, FR, RL, RR} TO {L, R} [FROM {FL, FR, RL, RR} TO
{L, R}...]

TOOLS DUPE {1_TO_2, 1_TO_4}

TOOLS DUPE 2_TO_4 FROM {L, R} TO {FL, FR, RL, RR} [FROM {L, R} TO {FL, FR, RL,
RR}...]

TOOLS RATE #{1-65535}

TOOLS SPEED #{1-65535}

TOOLS SPEED {X2, X1/2}


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6.1. Filter Effects Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

TOOLS FILTER BANDPASS START #{1-65535} CUTOFF #{1-65535} [ADD_NOISE {YES, NO}]

TOOLS FILTER BANDPASS CENTER #{1-65535} WIDTH #{1-65535} [ADD_NOISE {YES, NO}]

TOOLS FILTER LOWPASS CENTER #{1-65535} GAIN #.#{0.0-1.0}


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.6.2. Special Effects Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

TOOLS EFFECT ECHO MARK 'mm:ss.hhhh' VOLUME #.#{0.0-1.0} [MARK 'mm:ss.hhhh'
VOLUME #.#{0.0-1.0} ...]

TOOLS EFFECT INVERT

TOOLS EFFECT REVERSE

TOOLS EFFECT VIBRO SPEED #{0-30} DEPTH #.#{0.0-1.0}

TOOLS EFFECT FADE DIRECTION {IN, OUT} METHOD {LINEAR, SLOW, FAST}

TOOLS EFFECT LIMIT MAX #{0-100}

TOOLS EFFECT LIMIT MULTIPLE #.#{0.0-2.0}

TOOLS EFFECT BALANCE2 L #{0-100} R #{0-100} DIRECTION {IN, OUT} METHOD {LINEAR,
SLOW, FAST, STEP}

TOOLS EFFECT BALANCE4 FL #{0-100} FR #{0-100} RL #{0-100} RR #{0-100} DIRECTION
{IN, OUT} METHOD {LINEAR, SLOW, FAST, STEP}


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.7. User Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX also provides a dialog method of user input through standard OS/2
MESSAGE dialog boxes.  A message dialog provides the user with a means to
present text with a dialog containing a icon and standard buttons along with
standard OS/2 system sounds to catch the attention of the user.  Since a value
is returned from the MESSAGE, it must be formatted as a function.

x=MESSAGE(ASK, {OK, OKCANCEL, CANCEL, ENTER, ENTERCANCEL, RETRYCANCEL,
ABORTRETRYIGNORE, YESNO, YESNOCANCEL}, ICON, {NOICON, ICONHAND, QUESTION,
EXCLAMATION, ASTERISK, INFORMATION, QUERY, WARNING, ERROR}, [MODE,
{APPLICATION, SYSTEM},] [MOVEABLE, {YES, NO},] TEXT, 'text', TITLE, 'text')

The ASK parameter determines the possible return values. The data returned is a
string representing the button pressed by the user.  The possible return values
are:

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
ΓöéType            ΓöéReturn  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéOK              ΓöéOK      Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéOKCANCEL        ΓöéOK      Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéCANCEL  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéCANCEL          ΓöéCANCEL  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéENTER           ΓöéENTER   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéENTERCANCEL     ΓöéENTER   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéCANCEL  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéRETRYCANCEL     ΓöéRETRY   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéCANCEL  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéABORTRETRYIGNOREΓöéABORT   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéRETRY   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéIGNORE  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéYESNO           ΓöéYES     Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéNO      Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
ΓöéYESNOCANCEL     ΓöéYES     Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéNO      Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéCANCEL  Γöé
Γöé                Γöé        Γöé
Γöé                ΓöéERROR   Γöé
ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ

The following ICONs and the associated sounds for the dialog (from the System
Events in the MMPM Sound setup):

      NOICON - () - NONE
      ICONHAND - () - Error sound
      QUESTION - () - Information sound
      EXCLAMATION - () - Warning sound
      ASTERISK - () - NONE
      INFORMATION - () - NONE
      QUERY - () - Information sound
      WARNING - () - Warning sound
      ERROR - () - Error sound

 The MODE specifies how the window is displayed with relation to other windows
 on the system.  If no MODE keyword is specified or APPLICATION is specified,
 then the dialog window will can be covered by other windows from the desktop.
 If SYSTEM is specified, then the dialog box will prevent other windows on the
 desktop from covering it.

 The MOVEABLE keyword is used to determine if a titlebar is provided on the
 message dialog box.  If the MOVEABLE keyword is not specified or if it is
 specified as NO, then there will be no titlebar on the message dialog and it
 cannot be moved around the screen.  Specifying YES allows the user to move the
 message dialog box around the screen.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.8. Miscellaneous Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMSNDX EXIT

The EXIT keyword sends a message to PMsndX to exit.  This is the same as
clicking CLOSE on the system menu of the control panel.

PMSNDX UPDATEWINDOWS

The UPDATEWINDOWS keyword forces PMsndX to update all windows that are
currently displayed.  During the processing of a REXX script, most windows are
not updated when they are open.  Of course there are exceptions to this such as
the EDITOR and the AUDIO dialogs in which updates are required to allow the
user to maintain control over the current operation.

PMSNDX CLOSE {YES,NO}

If no errors occur during the execution of a REXX script, the REXX output
window will automatically close itself.  However, by specifying the CLOSE
keyword and the parameter YES, the window can be forced to remain open.  In the
event that an error occurs in the REXX script, this command has no effect.

PMSNDX IGNORE_SYNTAX_ERRORS {YES,NO}

When writing REXX scripts for PMsndX, it may be desirable to pass the REXX
through the interpreter to check the syntax of the commands without having
PMsndX stop at each error.  When this option is turned on, PMsndX will still
display the errors in RED, but will not stop after the error.

PMSNDX OUTPUT {YES,NO}

By default, PMsndX displays each PMsndX command or function as it is executed.
This output can be turned off with this command by specifying NO

PMSNDX TEST_MODE {YES,NO}

By setting PMsndX into REXX TEST_MODE, REXX scripts will be processed as usual
except that the commands will not actually be executed.  This option is
primarily used during the testing of the REXX syntax parser during the
development of PMsndX, and has been provided to allow scripts to be tested
syntatically before using them.

return 'text'


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.9. Query/Test Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The functions which make up the QUERY group return values which are identical
to the parameters expected by the indicated command.  To determine the range of
values that may be returned, see the corresponding command and keyword
combinations.

X=QUERY(FILE, OPENPATH)

X=QUERY(FILE, SAVEPATH)

X=QUERY(FILE, FILENAME)

X=QUERY(INFO, FORMAT)

X=QUERY(INFO, DATASTYLE)

X=QUERY(INFO, CHANNELS)

X=QUERY(INFO, RATE)

X=QUERY(INFO, DATASIZE)

X=QUERY(INFO, SAMPLES)

X=QUERY(INFO, TIME)

X=QUERY(INFO, MEMORY)

X=QUERY(INFO, COMMENT)

X=QUERY(INFO, BYTEORDER)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, VOLUME)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, REPEAT)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, CHANNEL_SELECTION)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, RANGE_SELECTION)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, TIME)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, COUNT)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, MEMORY)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, INPUT)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, QUALITY)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, CHANNELS)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, RATE)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, OVERWRITE)

X=QUERY(AUDIO, MONITOR)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, FOOTNOTES)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SAVE_POSITIONS)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SAVE_OPENPATH)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SAVE_SAVEPATH)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, MEMORY)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, ENABLE_MMPM)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, SHARE_AUDIO)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, PLAY_ON_LOAD)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, EXIT_AFTER_COMMANDLINE_PLAY)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, PLAY_16ON8)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, DEVICE)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, UNDO)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, IGNORE_HEADER_STYLE)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REQUIRE_AU_HEADER)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, REXX_DISPLAY_HISTORY)

X=QUERY(PROPERTIES, INI_PATH)

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, VERSION)

Returns the current version number.

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, REGISTERED)

Returns {YES,NO} to indicate whether PMsndX has been registered.

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, ERROR_OCCURRED)

Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether an error has occurred.  If this is set to
YES then the REXX output window will not close when the REXX script has
completed execution.

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, CLOSE)

Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether the REXX script has told PMsndX not to
close the REXX output window when the script completes.

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, IGNORE_SYNTAX_ERRORS)

Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether the PMsndX has been told to ignore errors.

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, OUTPUT)

Returns {YES,NO} indicating whether the PMsndX commands are echoed in the REXX
output window.

x=QUERY(PMSNDX, TEST_MODE)

Returns {YES,NO} indicating that the PMsndX is in TEST_MODE.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.10. Animation Operations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

During the processing of a REXX script, the various dialogs may be
automatically opened and the user may wish to "clean up" the screen before
completing the rexx script.  A set of controls is provided to allow for user
controlled animation of the desktop.

DISPLAY EDITOR {YES, NO} [CHANNEL {1, 2, 3, 4}]

If the optional CHANNEL keyword is specified, the editor will display the
selected channel when it is opened.  If the editor is already displayed, the
channel displayed will change to that specified.  If the new channel to display
is larger than the number of channels in the sample, the displayed channel will
remain unchanged.

DISPLAY TOOLS {YES, NO}

DISPLAY TOOLPAGE {INFO, FORMAT, CHANNELS, AVERAGE, DUPE, FILTER, BANDPASS,
LOWPASS, SAMPLE, RATE, SPEED, EFFECT, ECHO, INVERT, REVERSE, VIBRO, VOLUME,
FADE, LIMIT, BALANCE}

DISPLAY OPEN {YES, NO}

DISPLAY SAVE {YES, NO}

DISPLAY PROPERTIES {YES, NO}

DISPLAY PROPPAGE {AUDIO, MEMORY, MISC, REXX, STARTUP}

DISPLAY AUDIO {YES, NO}


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.11. REXX return values ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Both FUNCTIONS and COMMANDS return error codes in the event that an error
occurs when processing the commands.  The error codes are composed of two 8 bit
numbers logically ORed together.

The upper 8 bits of the return code indicates the command command group which
caused the error.  The following table lists the possible values.

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
ΓöéGroup               ΓöéValue       Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéUnknown             Γöé0x00000100  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéFILE                Γöé0x00000200  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéAUDIO               Γöé0x00000300  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéPROPERTIES          Γöé0x00000400  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéEDIT                Γöé0x00000500  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéTOOLS               Γöé0x00000600  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéMESSAGE             Γöé0x00000700  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéPMSNDX              Γöé0x00000800  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéQUERY               Γöé0x00000900  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéDISPLAY             Γöé0x00000a00  Γöé
ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ

The lower 8 bits of the result indicate the reason for the error. The possible
values are listed in the following table.

ΓöîΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö¼ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÉ
ΓöéError               ΓöéValue       Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéNOT IMPLEMENTED     Γöé0x00000001  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéBAD VALUE           Γöé0x00000002  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéUNKNOWN PARAMETER   Γöé0x00000003  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéUNKNOWN KEYWORD     Γöé0x00000004  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéUNKNOWN COMMAND     Γöé0x00000005  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéUNKNOWN FUNCTION    Γöé0x00000006  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéMISSING PARAMETER   Γöé0x00000007  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéMISSING KEYWORD     Γöé0x00000008  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéMISSING COMMAND     Γöé0X00000009  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéMISSING FUNCTION    Γöé0X0000000a  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéUNBALANCED KEYWORD  Γöé0x0000000b  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéEXTRA DATA          Γöé0x0000000c  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéDUPLICATE KEYWORD   Γöé0x0000000d  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéINVALID PATH        Γöé0x00000010  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéBAD FILE NAME       Γöé0x00000011  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéNO SAMPLES          Γöé0x00000012  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéCANNOT PLAYBACK     Γöé0x00000013  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéCANNOT RECORD       Γöé0x00000014  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéNO MMPM INSTALLED   Γöé0x00000020  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéMMPM NOT ENABLED    Γöé0x00000021  Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéGENERAL FUNCTION    Γöé0x00000030  Γöé
ΓöéERROR               Γöé            Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéGENERAL COMMAND     Γöé0x00000031  Γöé
ΓöéERROR               Γöé            Γöé
Γöé                    Γöé            Γöé
ΓöéPROGRAM NOT         Γöé0x000000ff  Γöé
ΓöéREGISTERED          Γöé            Γöé
ΓööΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓö┤ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÿ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Technical Issues ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Memory Usage: I have worked with means for storing and converting from one
format to another efficiently.  Initially I tried to store things in a data
structure which was a union of all of the types of data that are used by the
computers.  However, converting from one format to another was difficult and
each effect had to be able to understand the initial and final format.  This
became unwieldy considering that there can be either signed or unsigned samples
of sizes byte or word.  As new effects were added, it became unmanageable.  At
a sacrifice to memory efficiency, I have changed it to store all data as a
signed SHORT (2 byte) sample.  The effects then operate generically on the
samples and the only time that the type of data is important is when reading or
writing the samples.  The savings in complexity justified the memory
requirements.  As a result, if a sample is 1k of bytes (.wav format), then in
memory it will take up 2k.  Currently the program will only read and write 8
and 16 bit samples. Since I don't know of any sound cards that can sample at
greater bit sizes, this is the limit.  In the future, this approach to memory
usage can be easily extended to 32 bits without rewriting every part of the
program.  In fact, to change the storage sizes, two definitions have to be
changed and then the proper input/output routines written.  Simple? I think so.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10.1. Additional known faults ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There is a known problem with PMsndX and version 3.0 of MMPM/2 which affects
the performance of the Audio playback. When running PMsndX under Warp, anything
which interrupts the playback of a sample (such as a system sound or pressing
Pause) will cause PMsndX to hang the next time playback is requested. I have
tried to correct this but have found no solution at this time.  For this
reason, I have provided the option to have PMsndX open the Audio device without
sharing it (the default). This problem does not appear to affect PMsndX on
previous versions of OS/2 (i.e. 2.0, 2.1 and 2.11).

From an OS/2 window run the command SYSLEVEL.  If you receive the following
output, then your system will probably exhibit the problem.

      E:\MMOS2\INSTALL\SYSLEVEL.MPM
                   IBM Multimedia Presentation Manager/2
      Version 3.00   Component ID 562137400
      Type W
      Current CSD level: XR03000
      Prior  CSD level: XR03000

 To test to see if your system will encounter this problem, open a sample file
 and select the AUDIO button on the main control panel. Start playback by
 pressing the PLAY button and then pressing the PAUSE button.  Press the PAUSE
 button again to resume playback. If the PLAY button stops moving after the
 sample has finished playing, PMsndX will not lock up on your system.  You
 should set PMsndX to share the audio device by going to the startup properties
 page (from the main control panel system menu). If the playback button does
 not stop moving after the sample has finished, then you should avoid using the
 PAUSE button and leave PMsndX set so that it does not share the AUDIO device.

 I apologize for this problem, and a new revision of MMPM/2 will correct this
 in the future.

 Minor limitations:

   1. When recording a sample, the CD input cannot be used at this time.
   2. There is no way to edit multiple sounds at the same time.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. About the Author ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

My name is William Scott Hiles but I usually go by the name Scott.  I have a
masters degree in signal processing and satellite communications.
Unfortunately, my occupation utilizes very little of my formal education and
takes more advantage of my less formally learned talents.  I work as an
electrical engineer for the Navy in the area of LAN and WAN research. My job is
centered around promoting open systems in networking within the Navy and I am a
Navy expert on fiber optic networking.  I have worked with the ANSI X3
committees for the past 5 years and currently (1993-1994) am the chairman of
the FDDI Repeater specification.  Enough of that dribble...the point is that I
don't use my education in my job.

Which leads me into the purpose of this program.  I am an electrical engineer,
and my heart lies in hardware design and programming.  Well, with this program
I can at least satisfy my need to create software.  So, this program came about
because I was playing with sampling and recreating sound with my Sound Blaster
16 when I had the need to convert from the .wav format to the Sun .au format.
After finding a little program that would convert Sun audio files to the PC
format I found that it had problems with the new version of .WAV files.  So, I
set out to write something that worked with the latest versions.  Well, from
there it was not difficult to add other formats, and then I started playing
with manipulations and so forth.  Over about 11 months of very time consuming
work, I came up with the present program called PMsndX.

My resources are modest.  I am 29 (1993) and have programmed everything from a
PC to a 486 for the past 10 years.  I dumped my 286 in February of 1993 and got
me a nice 486.  I decked the thing out and got OS/2.  I had been playing with
OS/2 since 1.3 on machines that I did not own, but this was the first time I
had it at home to play with as I pleased. Programming under OS/2 provided a
unique challenge with unlimited creative abilities.  The company called
WiSHware which is listed in the About box was formed as a shareware/freeware
incorporated name for anything I write.  I have a significant library of
programs for DOS and even a couple for Windows.  PMsndX is the second program
for OS/2 that I have written.  The first one was not well received as it did
not provide a significant function to the community.  Big deal.  I use it at
home and I don't care.

So that is my history and my qualification.  I am a bit surprised that you read
this far.  Congratulations. By the way, did you wonder why I chose a little
blue motorcycle for the icon? Very simply put, the modern day sportsbike
represents the art of functional integration while still maintaining the
quality and sound of much more expensive motorcycles.

I can easily be reached by my current email address
([e-mail]) or through US mail at:

      Scott Hiles
      4421 Savannah St.
      King George, VA 22485


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. Shareware ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

During the development stages of PMsndX (i.e. until version 1.0 is available)
PMsndX is free to all for distribution. After version 1.0 is finished, the
program will then be distributed as shareware.  Anyone who does not want to
register later versions will still be able to use all of the releases before
1.0.

Licensing and registration fees apply to the user interface and style of the
program but do not apply to the algorithms used to create the effects.  These
algorithms are public domain and may be copied and distributed freely.

I have put a lot of effort into making this program robust and very pleasing.
It has taken me more than nine months and 35,000 lines of code to get this
program to where it is now, and I would hope that if you like the program and
use it, you will appreciate it enough to send me a little cash to help fund
future work.  I don't expect much.

Asking for money is a sticky thing.  The big problem is to give people a
program so that they can play with to see what it can do and yet hold back
enough to get people to want to register the program.  I put a lot of thought
into this and have considered the many ways that authors achieve their goals.
My solution was to disable the ability to read or write any formats other than
the PC .WAV and the Sun .AU types, and disable the UNDO capibility.
Additionally, the multi-channel capability of the program is disabled and the
clipboard will not copy or cut anything less than the entire sample in memory.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

I have three options which I can offer which seem to follow with common
SHAREWARE practice.  I have looked in stores for something that provides
anything similar and found that a commercial product for Windows with half the
functions cost considerably more.  A registration form is provided and the
following are the options for registration.

1.  $15.00 will get you a password that will enable all of the functions of the
current version.

2.  $30.00 will get you a password that will enable all of the functions for
all versions up to the next major release.  If you chose to register using
option 1 first and then want to upgrade, I will give you a $10 credit and you
can get option 2 for $20.00.

3.  $50.00 will get you a password that will enable all of the functions for
all future versions.  If you have chosen to register using option 2 first, I
will give you a $20 credit and you can get the lifetime registration for
$30.00.  If you have registered with option 1 first, then I will give you $10
credit and you can get the lifetime registration for $40.00.

Note:  Please note.  These prices cover just the registration.  Shipping
       charges for the disks through the Postal service are extra.  If you
       order the program through the mail, add $3.00 to cover the media and
       shipping costs.

  The section describing the Author provides my email and US postal mail
 addresses.

 Now, what do you get when you register.  Well, you obviously get a password
 that will enable all functions of the program.  The functions that are
 disabled for unregistered users are:

 Formats   Only .AU and .WAV formats can be loaded and saved
 Editor    The Cut and Paste operations of the editor only work for the full
           sample (i.e. will not work for ranges)
 Undo      The UNDO function is disabled
 REXX      The REXX functionality will allow the program to run a REXX script
           to automate repetitive tasks

 In addition to that, I can provide limited technical support through regular
 phone service, email, or the US Postal service.  A number of people have
 contacted me to ask for special programs (e.g. programs that will just play
 any format without the overhead of the editor or a program that will just
 convert between formats).  These will be fairly easy to create using the
 existing objects of PMsndX.  If you are registered for PMsndX, these programs
 will automatically recognize the registration and work on your system.

 If and when you register, you will receive a password through whatever means
 that you prefer.  If you choose the postal service, you will receive it via
 disk along with the latest copy of the program (remember to include an
 additional $3.00 to cover the shipping and media).  If you choose to receive
 your registration through email, you will receive an email message that can be
 imported using the FILE button of the registration dialog.  Registrations will
 be sent after your form of payment has cleared.

 Although not currently provided, credit cards will eventually be accepted if
 the program makes enough profit to afford the service.  Please allow at least
 two weeks to receive your registration.

 Since PMsndX is provided as ShareWare, there is no provision for refunds.  In
 the event that you are dissatisified with the operation of PMsndX due to an
 error in loading or saving a format, contact me and I will fix the program if
 you can provide me with a copy of the file that is causing the problem or
 enough detail that I can recreate the problem.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Entering Registration Info ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Once you receive your registration you have a couple of options for entering it
into the program.  First, pull up either the Welcome or About dialog box from
the system menu of PMsndX.  Press the REGISTER button to bring up the
registration dialog box.

You may enter the data directly into the entry fields or you may have the
program scan a data file for your registration information. When entering data,
enter it exactly as it is shown in the file or text for your registration.  The
Name field must not have any additional spaces and it must be entered in exact
case. The password is 16 characters long and will never contain any space
characters.  It is case sensitive so be careful to get the case right.
Passwords never contain the upper case letter O or the upper case letter I to
avoid confusion with similar looking numbers.

When PMsndX scans a file for the password information, it looks for the
following keys:

      PMsndX Name:
      Through version:
      PMsndX Password:

 These lines can be anywhere in a file so there is no need to remove a mail
 header or extra information.  PMsndX will search the file for the specific
 text that it is looking for and extract it.

 The registration information is stored in the file called os2.ini.  This
 allows a copy of PMsndX to be run from a network and each machine can have
 it's own registration. This also allows the pmsndx.ini file to be copied form
 one machine to another without violating the licensing agreement.  Five items
 are stored in the os2.ini and total about 100 bytes.  Any .ini editor can be
 used to remove this information if the user wishes to delete PMsndX from the
 system.

 Note:  The information in the os2.ini file is only written when the program is
        registered.  This avoids adding stuff to the os2.ini file unless the
        user has chosen that the program is worth keeping.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Tradeoffs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When PMsndX is operating on a sample for the clipboard, AUDIO, or the tools, it
stores the entire sample in memory.  This has the advantage that the program
can double buffer the sample for faster operation; but, it has the disadvantage
that it can take up a tremendous amount of memory to hold large samples.
PMsndX provides the user with a simple interface at the expense of resources on
the host computer.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 16. Copyright ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The author makes NO WARRANTY or representation, either expressed or implied,
with respect to PMsndX, its quality, accuracy, merchantability, or fitness for
a particular purpose.  This software is provided "AS IS" and you, its user,
assume the entire risk as to its quality and accuracy.

This software is copyright (C) 1994, William S. Hiles.  All rights Reserved
except as specified below.

Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, and distribute this software (or
portions thereof) for any purpose, without fee, subject to these conditions:

(1) The seven files, pmsndx.exe, pmsndx.hlp, readme.txt, history.txt,
license.txt, order.txt and file_id.diz must always be included during
distribution. Any alterations to the files must be clearly documented.  No
changes may be made to the About screen or any of the copyright information.

(2) Permission for use of this software is granted only if the user accepts
full responsibility for any undesirable consequences.  The author accepts NO
LIABILITY for damages of any kind.

(3) Permission is not granted for the use of the author's name or company name
in advertising or publicity relating to this software or products derived from
it.

(4) Users are granted permission to collect fees for the distribution of
PMsndX, (such as BBS's that have a membership fee or a downloading charge, or
FTP sites that sell cdrom versions of their archives) but users are
specifically prohibited from selling PMsndX as a product or bundling PMsndX
with other products that are then sold.

(5) Unless otherwise negotiated in writing with the Author, registration
passwords for PMsndX may not be distributed in part or in whole.  Registrations
are provided to individuals (or for site licensing as negotiated at time of
registration) and may not be distributed or transferred.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 17. Acknowledgements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Of course, IBM deserves a great deal of recognition for providing an operating
system that is robust and stable and affordable enough for the general user.
Many thanks to IBM for a fine job on creating OS/2.

A special thanks is required for Linden deCarmo for his help in understanding
the MMPM/2 portion of OS/2.

Many thanks to the fine group of people who made suggestions for corrections
and improvements in this program.  This team of very patient individuals from
around the world comprised the Beta Test team.  Each and every one of them
contributed in some way to the development of PMsndX.  Their names are listed
below (in alphabetical order).

      David Charlap
      Christopher W. Curtis
      Linden deCarmo
      Terrance L. Eck
      Scott E. Garfinkle
      Jesse Gearhart
      Nicole Greiber
      Christopher Hemmer
      Rick Huebner
      Mark R. Johnson
      Dov Nelkin
      Lara Olofsson
      Steve Patrick
      Rupa Schomaker
      Kamal Shakker
      Brett Sherron-Ferrell
      Jimmy Shaw
      Kent Williams

 And of course, that special person and the kids who took the many hours of
 clicking away at the keyboard in stride.  They stuck by me throughout this
 entire thing, read all the documentation, tested the user interface, and
 actually began to understand how sound really works.

 Sounds like a Grammy award, huh.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 18. Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PMsndX includes a rudimentary installation program which copies the necessary
files to the user specified destination directories. This program relies on the
PATH and HELP variable to select the paths to copy the executable and help
files to.

From

When the installation program is run, a window is displayed with a field which
indicates where the source files are located.  By default, this is filled in
with the location of the installation program.  If the installation program has
been moved from a directory other than where it was originally unzipped to,
specify the directory where the files pmsndx.exe, pmsndx.hlp, and smallhlp.hlp
are located.

Location of executable

The paths specified in the system PATH variable are displayed in this window.
In order for PMsndX to be run from the command line or used by other programs
for playback, PMsndX must be in a directory specified in the PATH variable.
The user may enter a different path in the editable window; however, PMsndX may
not be able to be run from the command line without specifying a complete path.
All directories must exist before running the installation program.

Location of Help file

The paths specifed in the system HELP variable are displayed in this window.
When PMsndX is run, it will look in the directory from where the executable was
started and then in the directories specified in the HELP variable.  The user
may specify a directory other than one that is listed in the window, but it
must exist for the installation program to complete.  Additionally, it is up to
the user to add the new path to the help variable of the config.sys.

Help Version

PMsndX comes with two versions of the HELP file.  The default version is called
pmsndx.hlp and includes bitmaps of the various windows and is about three times
the size of the other help file.  The condensed help file does not include the
bitmaps and is really intended for users who are tight on disk space.

Create WPS Object

The current revision of the installation program cannot create WPS objects.  To
create one by manually, open the Templates folder and drag a PROGRAM opject to
the desired location.  Open the SETUP for the object and specify the location
of the executable that was specified in the installation program.  You can then
drag sound samples to the object for playback from the desktop.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

JoeView is an excellent program written by Joe Burkley.  If you ever need to
view a graphics image of virtually any format, this is the program for you!!!


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The .WAV format is actually defined as a RIFF file.  The header and data are
very robust and there are extensions for proprietary keywords and formats.
PMsndX only supports the standard PCM format and will not load proprietary
formats.  You will receive a STYLE error if it contains an unsupported format.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The bits in a word are stored such that the leftmost bit is stored first in the
first byte and the rightmost bit is stored last in the last byte.  If a word is
composed of 16 bits, the word would be written to a file starting with bit 16
and ending in bit 0.

The number 0x1234 (0001 0010 0011 0100) is actually stored as 0001 0010 0011
0100.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The bits in a word are stored such that the leftmost bit is stored first in the
last byte and the rightmost bit is stored last in the first byte.  If a word is
composed of 16 bits, the word would be written to a file starting with bit 7
and ending in bit 8.

The number 0x1234 (0001 0010 0011 0100) is actually stored as 0011 0100 0001
0010.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are four methods of transitioning channels in a sample. These methods are
used in various tools to provide a smooth transition from one end of a range to
another.  The four types of transitions are listed in the following text.

The first method is linear.  In this case, the increase or decrease in the
volume is constant over time.  This can be defined by the mathematical
equation:

volume(t) = volume(t) * t/interval

A second method for adjusting the volume is to use a geometric expression so
that the sample transitions slowly in the beginning of the range and then
changes quickly toward the end of the range. To transition a sample out slowly
over time a form of the function:

volume(t) = volume(t) * (1 - (t/interval))¤

The third method is exactly the reverse of the slow transition in which the
transition moves very quickly in the beginning of the range and then slowly
reaches the end of the range. The equation for this is as follows:

volume(t) = volume(t) * (t/interval)¤

Finally a fourth method is to have the samples make an immediate transition or
a step.  In this case, the transition is made immediately at the beginning of
the range.