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SoundMachine.DOC
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1993-10-07
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#########################################################################
# #
# The Sound Machine #
# #
# Version: 1.0 #
# #
# Written by Syd L. Bolton ©1993 Legendary Design Technologies Inc. #
# 25 Frontenac Avenue, Brantford, Ontario N3R 3B7 Canada #
# (519)-753-6120 #
# #
# Freely Distributable - This Program Remains Copyrighted #
# #
#########################################################################
WHAT IS THE SOUND MACHINE?
==========================
The Sound Machine is a set of two programs for your Amiga that will
enable you to load and play sound samples that are commonly found on
IBM-type systems. It will also enable you to save files in these formats.
This makes it very useful for people who frequent computer bulletin-board
services, as it opens up an entire library of sound files.
There is a simpler version of The Sound Machine called 'SMPLAY'
that should have included in this archive. It is a CLI-only version of the
program that only plays sound files. It is useful for your C directory as
it takes up less memory and is good for those who like the keyboard more
than the mouse.
The Sound Machine presently reads and writes the following formats:
IFF - the format used on the Amiga, in 8SVX form.
RAW - RAW audio data, which most sound programs will load.
WAV - The "Wave" format, most commonly used in MicroSoft Windows.
VOC - The "Voice" format, from Creative Labs (they make the
SoundBlaster for the IBM).
WHAT ISN'T THE SOUND MACHINE?
=============================
The Sound Machine is NOT A SOUND EDITOR! Although you can change
the playback rate and "flip" signed samples, it does not actually do any
editing on the sound files.
The Sound Machine isn't the perfect sound converter, either. At
present, it does not support 16 bit samples (from any format) nor will it
save stereo WAV or VOC files.
For what most people will want, however, it does everything. If
you would like to see more sound formats supported, please write and we'll
see what we can do.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
====================
The Sound Machine will run on any Amiga with 512k and OS 1.2 or
higher. It has been tested with an Amiga 3000 running AmigaDOS 2.1, and
an Amiga 1000 running 1.3.
Under 2.x or 3.x, the program will use the ASL File Requester.
Under 1.2 or 1.3, you will need to install the "REQ.LIBRARY" (provided)
into your LIBS directory. Do this with:
copy req.library libs:
Please note that 'SMPLAY', the companion player-only program does
not require either of these libraries.
A TOUR OF THE GADGETS
=====================
When you first run the program you will see several gadgets along
the bottom of the program window (The Sound Machine opens a Window on
your Workbench Screen. If your screen is interlaced, you may move the
window around). Most of these gadgets are self-explanitory:
OPEN - Presents the file requester and lets you choose a sample. Note
that the program automagically detects the file-format type.
If it can't identify the file, it reads it as "RAW" and sets the
playback rate to 10000.
SAVE AS - This will save the current sample (if there is one) in the
format that is highlighted. When you load a sample, the screen
will change the show you the type of file that was loaded. You
are free at anytime to change the file type, and when you save
the file that is the format you will get. Note that the program
will also automagically try to use an appropriate filename (ie:
if you loaded a file called "sound.iff", and then changed the
type to "WAV", and select SAVE AS, it will change the filename
to "sound.wav", though you are always free to call the file what
you want.
RAW, IFF, WAV, VOC: These gadgets reflect the format. They will change when
a file is first loaded, and you can then change to the
format you wish to save in.
COMPRESS: This is a toggle gadget that is applicable TO THE IFF FORMAT ONLY.
Choosing compression with WAV format for example has NO EFFECT.
Choosing COMPRESSion with the IFF format is a good way to save
disk space as IFF files will be roughly 1/2 the size of an
equivalent WAV, VOC, or RAW file. Not only that, but contrary to
popular belief, using COMPRESSion will not affect the quality of
the sound sample since the file is expanded to its original form.
It is NOT THE SAME as reducing the number of bits of definition
or anything of the sort.
FLIP: You will commonly need to use this gadget if you load RAW files that
come from another computer system, such as the IBM or the MACINTOSH.
The way sound samples are stored on these systems is often inverse
to the way the Amiga does it. For example, all 8-bit sounds are
represented with a number from 0-255. On the PC, a 0 means no sound
and 255 means full sound. On the Amiga however, 128 indicates no
sound. Therefore, if you ever see a file that has an abnormal amount
of high peaks, try FLIPping it and playing it again. We have found
this to be true of many MACINTOSH samples.
RATE: The number in this string gadget represents the playback rate (samples
per second). The program will automatically put the playback rate of
the file in this gadget for you. In the case of "RAW" files, there
is no place for storing the rate, so The Sound Machine defaults to
using 10000. You are free to change this number to get different
results.
PLAY: This gadget, like its name implies, plays the current sample.
MENUS
=====
The Sound Machine also has a project menu, with similar options.
It allows you to OPEN or SAVE a file (with keyboard shortcuts). You will
also find the ABOUT requester in here, and a QUIT option.
============================================================================
The rest of the program is basically self-explanitory. You can load
samples and the program will graph them and display information about the
sample (name, size and format).
WHAT CAN BE ADDED?
==================
The following options should/could be added to the program. In
order to do this, we need to hear from people that are interested in having
these features or have suggestions of their own. Our address is listed at
the bottom of the file.
* Support for AUD and SND files. Though basically RAW files, it would be
nice to have full support for these formats for completeness.
* Support for STEREO WAV and multi-dac VOC files. It would be helpful if
we had some official documentation on WAV files (their support in this
program comes completely from file exploration)
* Support for 16-bit samples. Both loading and saving these samples in
16-bit form (including 16-bit IFF support) but also the option of
converting the samples to 8-bit for playback on standard Amiga hardware.
* Batch conversion support
* More DSP support, perhaps some special effects ... converting stereo
samples to mono, etc.
* The ability to work with files that are bigger than RAM.
============================================================================
We hope you find this product useful. As mentioned, if you would
like to see improvements made please write us a letter, send us a fax,
or give us a call. We won't make improvements without user support!
If you do find this product useful, you may find our commercial
products equally as useful. Ask your dealer for a demonstration of
ADDRESS IT! or INVOICE IT! If your dealer doesn't carry our products,
encourage him/her to call us for more information on our Amiga products.
Have a great day!
Syd Bolton, President
Legendary Design Technologies Inc.
25 Frontenac Avenue
Brantford, Ontario N3R 3B7
CANADA
(519) 753-6120 - voice
(519) 753-6120 ext 5 - fax
All trademarks mentioned in this file are recognized.
The REQ.LIBRARY was written by Bruce Dawson and Colin Fox. For space
considerations, only the main executable has been included. If you need
to use this library (1.x users) if you can't find the complete REQ.LIBRARY
archive (including documentation) please contact Legendary and we will
provide it free of charge.