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- Trouble Shooting
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- Question 1. Right channel doesn't work in mono mode.
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- When sampling sound in mono mode, only the left channel of the sampler
- is utilised. This is a normal function of the sampling software.
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- If a channel does not work properly when sampling in stereo, it is
- suggested that, following careful examination of all leads connected
- to the sampler etc, attention should be directed to the Amiga's 8520
- chips. It happens quite often that you may have a faulty 8520 but
- have been unaware because all normal operations seem to work fine.
- The function of sound sampling can show up a faulty 8520.
-
- Note: replacement of this chip should be carried out by a suitably
- authorised serviceman.
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-
- Question 2 Unwanted noise.
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- a) Check that the sound source is earthed.
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- Some audio equipment, CD players etc have a "floating earth" which can
- sometimes create circumstances of undue noise or hum when connected to
- a computing device. Users in the past who experienced similar problems
- found that once they adequately earthed their equipment, the interference
- ceased.
-
-
- b) Re-position the sampler.
-
- A monitor or other computing equipment such as the power supply etc can
- emit considerable amounts of RF interference. Positioning the sampler
- too close to the monitor etc, or directly on top of a disk drive for
- example, can sometimes induce unwanted interference.
-
-
- c) If your sampler has "Printer pass through" try disconnecting the
- printer.
-
- Some printers when connected to the pass-through port on the sampler can
- induce noise. If this is experienced, disconnect this printer when using
- the sampler.
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- d) Check the Bias adjustment. (If available)
-
- Noise can sometimes be experienced if the bias of your sampler is slightly
- out of adjustment. Please read the instructions on the hardware manual
- which may explain how to adjust the bias of the sampler. Sometimes it
- helps to "fine tune" the adjustment whilst the software is actually
- recording or sampling.
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- Question 3 Sound recorded at 27,000 sps sounds better than at 29,000sps
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- As strange as this sounds, this can sometimes be true, but should not
- occur when playing sound using "Play HiFi" in the HiFi menu of
- Audio Engineer.
-
- The Amiga's normal sound system is limited to around 28,000 samples per
- second. In order to provide multitasking ability during playback,
- Audio Engineer, the CD Player, and Playsound use the normal sound
- system which has this 28k limit. When playing sounds which were recorded
- at greater than 27,965sps, a special technique is employed to have
- the high speed sample play at the correct pitch through the normal
- sound system, whilst still allowing multitasking to take place. There
- is a penalty with this technique however. Playback speeds just
- over the threshold of 27,965, eg 30k, can sometimes exhibit a slight
- distortion (unless played using "Play HiFi"of Audio Engineer). This
- effect lessens as playback speeds increase away from this threshold up
- to the 56k maximum.
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- Remember, the highest fidelity is achieved by using "Play Hifi"
- (when the screen blanks and no multitasking takes place). This bypasses
- the normal sound system and is not limited to the 28k maximum.
-
- It is a good suggestion when working with high speed samples, to do all
- of your editing using the normal system, then select "Play HiFi" to
- hear your recording in the highest fidelity. If you wish to play your high
- speed samples with utilities such as the CD Player, choose a rate
- well above the threshold of 27,965 when you first record these samples.
- eg. Choose 44k rather than 30k (Sampler hardware permitting of course.)
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- Note: at this point in time, "Play HiFi" does not support the "Fade"
- function of Sequences.
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-
- Question 4 I hear a whistle when sampling from a tape recorder.
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- You can sometimes experience "carrier" tone interference. This can
- sometimes happen when recording from devices such as cassette recorders
- and video cassettes. At certain sample rates, the actual function of
- taking sound samples at regular intervals can "divide" down the
- frequency of the normally inaudible carrier tone present in all
- tape recordings. The side effect of this division is that this tone
- then becomes audible to the human ear.
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- Try sampling at a different, preferably higher sample rate. If the
- tone is only audible during "Play Waveform" mode of Audio Engineer, try
- using "Play HiFi".
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- Question 5. The sound seems distorted when monitoring.
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- Monitor mode is provided to assist the adjustment of the input signal
- prior to recording.
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- Consider the amount of work the Amiga is required to do when in
- this mode. It has to read the sampler, output the sound, plot
- the waveform on the screen, check your mouse buttons etc etc.
-
- In performing all of these functions, the Amiga can only sustain
- a fairly modest sample rate. You may therefore experience some distortion
- of the sound when this mode is active.
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- It is worth noting that the speed of the Monitor function is totally
- independent of the chosen sample rate. Therefore, if a reasonable
- sample rate is chosen for recording, the distortion will disappear
- when the screen blanks and recording begins.
-