First of all, thank you very much to all users who have payed for this program! Very often too many people ignore how important it is for the author to receive this very small amount of money. It allows him to estimate the product succes in the public and moreover encourages him to go on improving his product.
PlayerPRO has been distributed as a shareware for 1 year already and already many users have bought it. PlayerPRO is very popular in many countries: Japan, USA, Europa, Australia, Canada, etc...
The current version of PlayerPRO is 4.2 with MusicLibrary 2.5
Antoine ROSSET
16 BD Tranchées
1206 Geneva
SWITZERLAND
Tel: (41 22) 347 28 16
Fax: (41 22) 346 11 97
BBS: (41 22) 738 26 26
Compuserve: 100277,164
Internet: rosset@dial.eunet.ch
PlayerPRO
PlayerPRO is a music program. It belongs to soundtrackers category. Still uncommon on Macintosh, these music utilities come from Amiga OS, a game computer, and have then been developped on Atari ST, PC IBM, etc. and finally on Macintosh.
These soundtrackers are based on a single file system: MOD format and derivaties. This kind of file describes a music partition, followed by the instruments used. The partition consists of several sound tracks. (The number of tracks simulates the number of players a conductor would have in his orchestra: in the case of a 4 tracks file, the conductor has only the possibility of having 4 instruments playing simutaneously, even when the players can change their instruments.) These files are commonly used and belong most of the time to public domain. There are thousand of them. If you have the possibility to be connected to networks: BBS, America On Line, Compuserve, Internet, etc, you will find an infinite source of such files.
PlayerPRO offers you a whole range of functions to exploit these music files:
• Sound reading: several qualities of reading are offered (see "Drivers" section for more details).
• Display of analyses tools: Fourier's analysis, oscilloscope, tubes, piano, digital partition, classical partition, simplified partition, animations, etc.
• Music edition: by writing at the level of classical partition, digital partition, or simply by piano recording, by Midi instruments or else by Midi files.
Technical Details
System: At least system 7.0 (sytem 7.5 recommended)
Memory: Approximately 2500 Kb for the program itself, hence a total memory of 4096 Kb will allow to run this program without any problem. Please note that in case you want to digitalise sounds of long duration, you will have to increase the memory.
Screen: All screens BW or color. Any size.
Audio Output: First it is highly recommended to connect loud speakers to your computer to receive a stereo sound and a better quality. Some Macintosh are limited in the driver choice, but they can all be used without any exception. The quality ranges from 22 Khz Mono 8 bits to 44 Khz Stereo 16 bits.
Basic functions
The following sections are separated according to the way you use PlayerPRO. First the basic functions that any user must know to use this program: sound opening, sound reading and the different windows. Many times, windows and buttons will be mentionned, please refer to the corresponding sections.
Opening and reading of a music file
You have several possibilities to open a music file:
Once PlayerPRO loaded, choose in the "Files" menu the "Open" sub-menu. A classical opening file dialog is displayed. You just need to select a music file and click the open button. At that time the music is loaded in memory. The music title appears then at the bottom of the "Tools" window. To listen the music, press on the "Play" button.
An other possibility is to drop a music file icon on PlayerPRO icon at Finder level.
A third possibility is to drop a folder icon or a disk icon on PlayerPRO icon. PlayerPRO will search in this folder all the music files and load them.
PlayerPRO keeps trace of each music loaded, in order to reload them easly later. To have access to the music list, select the "Music List" sub-menu from the "Views" menu. The "Music List" window will appear then. To reload a music in the memory, double-click on its name.
Music Edition
Music edition is mainly made with the help of 4 windows: "Classical Editor", "Digital Editor", "Command Editor" and "Piano" windows.
For those familar users (Amiga-ST) of soundtrackers: the "Digital Editor" window is based on digital representation of soundtrack files. Commands are represented by all their values (see struct Command in the "MAD File" section). This window has an internal recording mode always active: if this window is frontmost and if you press a keyboard key, the corresponding note will be displayed in the selected cell. The next cell will be automatically selected. The "Command Editor" window allows at any moment a precise description of a command: double-click on the cell to open this window.
For soundtrackers beginners: the "Classical Editor" window offers a classical partition in which the notes can be easly written. This mode is easy to use and allows a fast listening of the composed piece, (click on the reduce view on the top right or click on the partition by pressing 'Apple' key). The "Command Editor" window allows at any moment a precise description of a note: double-click on the note to open this window.
The "Piano" window offers a direct mode of edition: either by your keyboard/mouse, or by a Midi instrument connected to your Macintosh. In both cases, you can record either "Note after Note" or in real time.
Note after Note
Open the "Piano" window, click on record button and adjust the setting. After clicking the "Record" button, PlayerPRO is in recording mode : each played note, with the mouse in the "Piano" window, with a keyboard key or with a Midi instrument, will be recorded in the current position of reading head (see "Pattern View"). When a note has been recorded, PlayerPRO will automatically advance reading head to the next position. In the "Preferences" window, you have the possibility to configurate a special key ('000') to indicate the lack of note, so you can advance to the next position without recording a note.
Realtime
Act in the same manner as "Note after Note" edition, but after this, start the reading of the partition by pressing on "Play" button of the "Tools" window. It is strongly advise to prepare new patterns before starting your recording (see "Patterns List") and class them one after the other in the "Partition" window (see "Partition"). You have the possibility to set the speed reading by setting the F effect on the first note (basic speed for a new music is 6, (effect F, argument 06) with a finespeed of 7D (125)) (see "MAD File").
Midi hardware connection
To connect Midi hardware to your Macintosh, you will need a Midi connection kit, avalaible at your nearest Apple dealer. You need the following files (distributed by Apple): PatchBay, Apple MIDI Driver and MIDI Manager. Proceed as following:
1. Plug your MIDI instrument in the modem or printer port.
2. Run PlayerPRO
3. Go in "Record" button of "Piano" window and turn on MIDI Hardware input.
4. Run PatchBay and make your connection between your instrument and PlayerPRO icon.
5. Try to press on your MIDI Instrument to see if keys are displayed into "Piano" window.
Midi functions of PlayerPRO are now limited to the reception of notes. You have the option to activate or desactivate the conversion of key velocity into C effect (see "Piano").
Menus & Windows
The following sections describe in detail the different menus, functions and windows of PlayerPRO. To each menu/window the following identifications will be associated, according to their utilisation:
• EDITION: usefull to compose and edit musics.
• FILE: usefull to write and manipulate music files.
• VIEW: usefull to hear and analyse the sound output.
• DRAG: supports the Drag Manager (only if you have system 7.5 or system 7 PRO).
View Menu
• Pattern view (VIEW)
This window shows the current pattern: each color square corresponds to a note. The higher the square in the window, the higher the note, and reverse. Colors are related to tracks on which the note is played. The white bar corresponds to the reading head : the squares (the notes) located in this bar are now playing. You can change the position of the reading head by clicking in the window. You can also set up tracks and instruments now showing with the menus at the top of the window. You may also zoom on one part of the pattern by pressing simultaneously on Apple key and by clicking in the window.
• Digital View (VIEW)
This window displays a whole range of informations about the driver state and the music.
• Track View (VIEW)
This window displays the activity of each track.
• Instrument View (VIEW)
This window displays the activity of each instrument. The color shows on which track the instrument is used.
• Oscillo View (VIEW)
This window displays the oscilloscope of the sound output. In the case you use a stereo driver, two waves are displayed: one for the left loud speaker, the other for the right.
• Spectrum View (VIEW)
This window displays a Fourier's analysis calculated on the oscilloscope.
• Memory View (VIEW)
This window displays the actual state of memory allocated to PlayerPRO. Is is advised to keep at least 30% of free memory.
• Tools (VIEW, DRAG, FILE)
This window displays the basic tools. If you have the Drag Manager installed, it is possible to do a drag&drop on this window in the same way as in the "Music List". The music is loaded, added to the "Music List" and played.
• Music List (FILE, DRAG)
This window displays the complete list of musics which have been opened during the use of PlayerPRO. It allows to load more rapidely a music, by double-clicking on it, without using "Files" menu. If the window is displayed in the large format, you will be able to look at the informations regarding to the selected music: name, size, instrument number, etc. You can even save this list for using it again anytime. (see "Files" menu, "Save Music List"). A series of buttons allow you to do the basic functions related to this window: opening, loading, informations, etc. If you have the Drag Manager installed, this window is used like a folder window of the Finder: you can take files from this window and also drop files coming from the Finder.
• Adaptators (VIEW)
This window displays a serie of tools to set up the sound output: volume, pitch, speed. The volume is divided in 33 parts: 32 of these control the individual volume of each track (identified by their color) and one controls the Macintosh speaker volume.
• Piano (VIEW, EDITION)
This window displays a piano picture and shows the notes being used: the color shows the track on which the instrument is being played and the number relates to the instrument being played (see "Instruments List" window). The letter on each piano key indicate the corresponding key on your Mac keyboard. To set up these keys, set up the "Preferences" window ("File" menu). You can also use this window to test instruments: choose an instrument in the "Instrument List" window and press on piano keys. A recording icon allows to record notes in your partition. For more information about this recording option, see section "Music edition" and "Midi hardware connection". You can temporarely activate the record by pressing continuously on shift key.
• Full View (VIEW)
This window displays each track oscilloscope and each instrument utilisation. This option is only available to users with a 256 colors monitor.
• Screen-Saver (VIEW)
This option allows you to play musics with a screen-saver. This option is only available to users with a 256 colors monitor.
File Menu
• New (FILE)
Creates a new empty music file ('MAD' format) and opens it, ready for writing a new music.
• Open (FILE)
Opens a standard open dialog. PlayerPRO loads the file in memory and displays it in the "Music List". You can open all file types (even those included in "Import" menu).
• Save (FILE)
Saves the current music by deleting the old one and by writing the new one. The music is saved in the 'MAD' format, even if it was in another format at the time of opening. To save the music in another format, use the "Export" function.
• Save as (FILE)
Identical to the previous function, except for the possibility to rename the music.
• Close
Close the frontmost window.
• Save Music List (FILE)
This option allows you to save the "Music List" in a file. Then you can reload this "Music List" with the "Open" menu.
• Page Setup
This options allows you to prepare the page printing.
• Print
Sends to the printer the informations of the frontmost window.
• Import (FILE)
This option allows you to load a music written in a foreign format, PlayerPRO converts it magically in the 'MAD' format. The conversion will be of better or worse quality depending on the resemblance with the 'MAD' format. The 'Midi' Import option has been cancelled in the last version of PlayerPRO, it has been remplaced by a complete program "PtMid", a freeware available everywhere.
• Export (FILE)
This option allows you to save a MAD music in a different format. These different formats are supported by other programs (SoundEdit, ProTracker, EkkTracker, etc.). This option is only usefull if you have one of these programs.
• Preferences
This option displays the different internal set up of PlayerPRO: drivers, piano, music list, color and compression.
Drivers: The drivers are the "motors" responsible for reading your partition and for sending it to the Mac speaker. Now adays, there are three different kinds of sound processor in the Macintosh range: the Apple Sound chip (ASC), the DSP of 840AV and 610AV and the AWAC of PowerMacs. It is strongly recommended to use the special ASC drivers for more speed and power, if you don't have a PowerMac or an AV Mac. The sound manager 3.0 can be used: these drivers use the Operating System, hence there are compatible with any type of Macintosh.
If you have the oportunity: use external loud speakers! This will give you a much better sound quality. Do choose the most powerful drivers possible for your Mac: 16 bits, 44 Khz, stereo in the best event, and 8 bits, 22 Khz, mono, for the weaker Macintosh (LC, Mac plus, etc.).
Piano: Allows the setup of the corresponding keys between your Mac keyboard and the piano (see "Piano" window). The first line contains a special value: '000', this line represents a key to indicate the lack of a note. This key can be useful for editing ("Note after Note", see "Music Edition") or in the "Digital Editor" window.
Music List: You can choose between 3 options for the setup of music repetition.
Color: Allows the setup of the colors attributed to each track, in the PlayerPRO windows.
Compression: Allows to automatically activate the 'MAD1' compression for the patterns during the file saving. It is a very simple structure compression, hence very fast. It is advised to leave it always activated, to save space on your hard disk.
• Quit
Choose it to quit PlayerPRO.
Apple Menu
• About
Displays the startup screen.
• Help
Displays this text...
• Info
Displays some informations about authors and their addresses.
• Registration
As soon as you have paid the shareware fee, you will receive a personnal access code to use all functions of PlayerPRO and you will became a registered user.
After receving the code, enter it in the "CODE" box and enter your name in the "NAME" box. All functions will then be at your disposal.
WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - WARNING
• Always keep the code, you will need it if you have to reinstall PlayerPRO again.
• Do not give your code to other users. In case your code number or a PlayerPRO software opened with this code number is found on networks, BBS, etc., you will be held responsible and the author of PlayerPRO will be liable for financial fine. (The author has the address of each user corresponding to each code...).
Editor Menu
• Digital Editor (EDITION)
This window displays the current music partition. The partition is in its digital form: for example, for a music with 4 tracks and with a partition length of 64, the window will have 64 cells in height and 4 in width. The pattern number is displayed in the window title. To edit partition notes, you have several ways:
- Choose an instrument in the"Instruments List" window, choose a cell in the "Digital Editor" window and press a key of your Mac keyboard. The cell will contain the choosen instrument number, the note corresponding to the pressed key and the commands Effects & Arguments with zero value.
- Double-click on a cell, the "Command" window opens then. See "Command" window for more informations.
- With the recording function of the "Piano" window. See "Piano" window and "Music Edition".
Each cell contains the 4 standard commands of a music soundtrack: instrument number (see "Instrument List") - note - effect (no effect = 0) - effect argument. For informations concerning the file structure ( pattern, etc), effect types, etc., see "MAD file".
• Classical Editor (EDITION)
This window allows a precise edition of the partition, tracks by tracks. Notes are represented according to the same way as in the "Pattern View" window, but are also moveable and editable. A reduce view of the current pattern is displayed up right. Two modes are at disposal: "Note" mode, for Note by Note edition and "Selection" mode to displace, copy, delete a notes selection. The "Note" mode is represented by a button displaying a note, the "Selection" mode is represented by a button displaying a cross cursor. To go from one mode to another, press one of the two buttons.
Note Mode
To create a new note, choose a track, an instrument, an effect and its argument. The note icon is displayed on the right side of the menus. This icon contains all the informations previously choosen. You only need to drag it and drop it on your partition where you want. You can also click directly on the partition (your cursor is displayed as a small note).
Pattern notes can be displaced in the same way. To delete them, drop them in the trash (or click on the shift key and click on the note (your cursor is displayed as a small trash.)).
To play notes, press on the Apple key and click on the appropriate note. You can also play part of the pattern or the entire pattern by clicking up right in the reduced view. When pressing continously on the mouse button, the pattern is played in loop.
By double-clicking on a note, you can open the "Command Editor" window for a precise setup of the note.
Selection Mode
With this mode you can select a part of the partition by clicking in a place and by moving the mouse while pressing the mouse button. You can then: copy-paste the selection by using the Edit menu, delete the selection by moving it in the trash, move the selection.
A lot of shortcuts are available for these two modes. Click on the '?' button for more informations.
• Command Editor (EDITION)
The "Command Editor" window allows you to edit a note: its instrument, its note and its effect with its argument. This window is used in correlation with the "Digital Editor" window and the "Classical Editor" window.
• Change internal name (EDITION)
To change the internal name of the current music. It is a name of 32 characters.
• Tracks (EDITION)
This option allows you to change tracks number of the current music. The usual tracks number for a soundtrack music is 4. It is not recommended to use more than 12 tracks on a slow computer.
• Turn Microphone ON/OFF (EDITION, VIEW)
This option allows you to listen and display the sound digitalised by your Macintosh audio-input (see Sound Control Panel). The sound wave is displayed in the "Oscilloscope" window, it is so possible to adjust the sound amplitude before to digitalise an instrument. The best recording will be optained when the amplitude is maximal, without being pressed on the window borders.
Patterns Menu
• Partition list (EDITION)
This window displays the partition list of the current window. The partition list is composed of 128 values (ID). An ID is related to a pattern of the music (see "Patterns List"). To change an ID, double-click on it or click on '?' button: a window is displayed. You can also change partition length with this window.
• Patterns list (EDITION)
This option displays the patterns list of the current music. The selected pattern is related to the current played pattern. If you want to listen any particular pattern, double-click on it. To edit the pattern informations (name, length, compression), click on the '?' button. To create an empty pattern, click on the 'white page' button. The buttons: save, read, open and delete are also available: they will react with the selected pattern. The buttons equivalent is in the "Patterns" menu.
Instruments Menu
• Instruments List (VIEW, EDITION, DRAG)
This window displays the instruments of the current music. This list can contain a maximal number of 64 instruments. To display the amplitude/time graphic of an instrument, double-click on it. To test an instrument, select it and open the "Piano" window. The copy/paste options work in this menu: move, duplicate, delete, export in clipboard, etc. Many buttons are available: load, save, delete, record, open. The buttons equivalent is in the "Instruments" menu. PlayerPRO opens many types of files: AIFF, snd et WAV, including MAC3 and MAC6 compressions. If you have the Drag Manager installed, you can simply do a drag&drop of a file on a cell of the list. The '?' button displays the informations related to the selected instrument. PlayerPRO can use 16 bits instruments, nevertheless do not convert 8 bits instruments in 16 bits instruments if you don't have a Macintosh with 16 bits audio-output (see "Preferences Drivers"), this would only slow the driver without any sound quality modification.
TIPS
• To load every music of a folder, drag&drop the icon on the PlayerPRO icon. If you have the Drag Manager installed, you can do the same with the "Music List" window or the "Tools" window.
• If you have speed problems, use drivers Direct Memory Accessing.
• If you have quality problems: ticks occur sometimes in your loud speakers, use Sound Manager drivers.
• Increase memory size to 2500 K or more if you want to write musics or manipulate instruments.
• To speed up the display of the "Oscilloscope" window, move this window in front position, displayed in its full size.
• Use as often as possible the 8 bits video mode (256 colors), several routines have been optimised for this mode.
• If you wish to include musics in your programs, ask for the Think & CodeWarrior C routines, it's free of charge!
• Arrange your windows (size, position) as you please! PlayerPRO will be reponsible for remembering it.
