Amiga ACS 1997 #2/amigaacscoverdisc/utilities/shareware/music/gfft-2.03/installation-problems

Text File | 1996-06-21 | 18KB | 433 lines

            Installation Instructions for GFFT
            ------------ ------------ --- ----

    In most cases, steps 1-4 are all that should be necessary:

    1) Get GNUPLOT and install it in C:
    2) If your GNUPLOT is from a WinGnuPlot distribution,
       rename .gfft-WinGnuPlot to .gfft
    3) If you have a hardware Floating Point Unit (68881, 68882,
       or standard 68040 with FPU) and a 68020 or better processor,
       you can delete GFFT and rename GFFT-FPU to GFFT.
    4) You're ready.  Click on the PianoLowC.iff icon, then on OK on
       the bottom right of the GFFT Dialog Window, and enjoy.

    If you have problems, check for missing C: commands and/or
    sys:utilities/more.  (Do not delete gfft.help or COPYING from the
    GFFT directory.)  Then read the rest of this document and/or the
    BUGS document.

    There is a lengthy discussion of how to get a copy of GNUPLOT
    below.


    OVERVIEW
    --------

    GFFT requires the program GNUPLOT, which is available separately
    because it is written by other authors .  Although GNUPLOT is a
    CLI-based program, you will not have to use the CLI because GFFT
    will invoke GNUPLOT for you automatically.

    If you already have installed GNUPLOT, you might already be ready
    to run GFFT from this unpacked archive.  But, reading this file
    first might help you to avoid a few problems.  If you don't have
    GNUPLOT yet, you will be still be able to examine the GFFT
    interface and options, access the built-in help documentation, and
    even analyze sample files (writing the results to named text
    files), but you will not be able to see the results plotted on your
    screen (or printer).

    In most cases, you will not actually have to do very much if
    anything to run GFFT after installing GNUPLOT, but this file is a
    little long because I have tried to deal with many possible cases.

    Once you have everything set up, you can simply click on the
    PianoLowC.iff icon, which will invoke GFFT to analyze the sample
    file.  Then, click on the OK gadget in the bottom right of the GFFT
    dialog window, and in a few seconds you will see the spectrum of a
    low C piano note.


    REQUIREMENTS
    ------------

    GFFT requires an Amiga with Workbench 1.3 (V34) or higher and 1.5
    Mb of RAM.  It can be run on some systems with as little as 1 Mb of
    RAM with reduced capabilities.  Workbench 2.0 (V37) or higher, a
    hard drive or second floppy drive, and 3 Mb or more of RAM are
    strongly recommended.

    1 Mb of memory is very tight.  Though I've actually done it (on a 1
    Mb all chip 500...it helps to have all one kind of memory if it is
    limited) note that you may have to use only 1024 bins or fewer, and
    go without any extra buffers, tasks, or commodities.  In this use,
    it is preferable to get an earlier version of GNUPLOT such as 3.2.
    The main difficulty here is not the size of GFFT but the size of
    GNUPLOT, and the fact that in normal use both have to be in memory
    at the same time.  See the section below entitled 'Low On Memory'
    for further help on how to run with minimal memory.

    Future releases of GFFT are likely to require more memory and
    Workbench 2.0 or greater.

    If you wish to make your own audio samples, you will need your own
    audio sampler hardware and software.  You can also download and/or
    buy samples or import them from other systems.  GFFT currently
    works only from stored sample files; it does not read data from an
    audio sampler.  There are many commercial and shareware programs to
    read data from an audio sampler, and most sampling hardware is
    provided with suitable sampling programs to do that as well.  Some
    of these sampling programs will even do real-time spectrum
    analysis, though with limited resolution and without many options
    available in GFFT.  The intent of GFFT is to produce the highest
    quality spectrum analysis possible using FFT from a given stored
    sample file, possibly of considerable length.


    Obtaining GNUPLOT
    --------- -------

    If you have not obtained GNUPLOT yet, please do so now.  It is a
    very powerful program which can plot multiple graphs from functions
    and/or data files on your screen or to printers or to Postscript or
    TeX files.

    Although GNUPLOT is (ordinarily) a CLI-based program, you will NOT
    need to use the CLI to use it with GFFT.  GFFT will automatically
    invoke GNUPLOT for you, so you will not necessarily ever need to
    learn GNUPLOT commands (though, it might be to your greater
    advantage to do so).

    (If you have trouble obtaining GNUPLOT from the sources below, or
    would simply like to help support the development of GFFT, you
    should know that I provide GNUPLOT and other useful software in the
    Expanded Deluxe Distribution of GFFT.  Please see the README file
    for further details.)

    There are many different versions available (on Aminet, many
    CDROM's, and other fine locations).  (Comments for each version
    follow in double-indented text blocks.)

    standard GNUPLOT:

        aminet:  util/gnu/gnuplot-3.5.lha

            (Note: recently this archive seems to have disappeared.  I
        am trying to get it restored.  By the time you read this,
        it will probably either have been restored or updated with
        gnuplot-3.6.lha.  Otherwise, see other options below.)

            fish:  Gnuplot 3.2 is on AmigaLibDisk 701
               Gnuplot 3.0 is on AmigaLibDisk 552

        GFFT has been tested with GNUPLOT versions 3.0 to 3.5, and
        should work with others as well.  Hidden3D requires GNUPLOT
        3.4 or later.  You will still be able to display 3D plots
        with version 3.0, however, just without the Hidden3D
        feature.

        The earlier versions of GNUPLOT (3.0 and 3.2) on Fish disks
        and Gold Fish and Frozen Fish CD-ROMS are particularly
        recommended for systems with limited memory, i.e. less than
        2 Mb.

        (If you are reading this version of GFFT from a Fresh Fish
        CD-ROM, there is a good chance Fred has also included an
        updated GNUPLOT on the same CD-ROM.)


    GNUPLOT w/GNUFIT

        Aminet: util/gnu/gnufit12gp35.lha

        (This is also available on the 3rd Aminet CD-ROM released
        July 1994.)

        Until gnuplot-3.5.lha is restored, this will be the best
        version of GNUPLOT for use with GFFT on Aminet, though GFFT
        does not yet use the GNUFIT features.  It is too big for
        use on an Amiga with 1 Mb of total ram, however, and
        doesn't include the GNUPLOT help file, which would be
        useful if you intended to run GNUPLOT by itself, or learn
        about the hardcopy output options.  Otherwise, it works
        fine with no restrictions.

        I am told that future versions of GNUPLOT (3.6 and above)
        will have GNUFIT included by default.


    WinGnuPlot (intended for MUI, but also usable w/o MUI*):

        aminet: util/gnu/WinGnuPlot.lha

        *Note that you may obtain GNUPLOT from this WinGnuPlot
        archive even if you do not intend to load Magic User
        Interface (MUI).  If you have obtained GNUPLOT from the
        WinGnuPlot distribution, then simply rename the file
        .gfft-WinGnuPlot to .gfft using the WORKBENCH rename
        operation or the following CLI command:

            rename .gfft-WinGnuPlot .gfft

        DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE OBTAINED GNUPLOT FROM THE
        REGULAR GNUPLOT DISTRIBUTION!

        IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS WITH GNUPLOT FROM THE WinGnuPlot
        DISTRIBUTION, YOUR SYSTEM MAY GURU WHEN RUNNING GNUPLOT!,
        because otherwise this version will look for a CompuGraphic
        font and crash if it doesn't find it.

        All the above .gfft file does is tell GFFT to tell GNUPLOT
        to use the AMIGASCREEN terminal, instead of AMIGAWINDOW
        which requires MUI and a CompuGraphic font and is the
        default for the GNUPLOT from the WinGnuPlot distribution
        only.  The default terminal for the standard GNUPLOT is
        AMIGA, which is identical to AMIGASCREEN except in name.

        It is not possible to use the MUI WinGnuPlot features from
        GFFT.  GFFT provides much more complete control over
        GNUPLOT than WinGnuPlot does at this time anyway.

        If you will start GFFT from the CLI, you might wish to move
        or copy the .gfft file to your S: directory so it will
        always be found no matter what your current directory is
        when you start GFFT.  If you will start GFFT only from the
        Workbench, this is not a problem as the "current directory"
        will always be the drawer in which GFFT is located, even if
        you leave the icon out on the Workbench.

        If you would also like the use the GNUPLOT from the
        WinGnuPlot distribution directly from the CLI, you may also
        copy the .gfft-WinGnuPlot to a file named .gnuplot so that
        it will also be used as a GNUPLOT startup file when GNUPLOT
        is started by itself.  But note that GNUPLOT will only look
        in the current directory for its startup file (unless you
        have set the environmental variable GNUPLOT).  (GFFT looks
        both in the current directory and in S: for its startup
        file.)  One way or another, be sure the 'SET TERMINAL
        AMIGASCREEN' command is given before running GNUPLOT from
        the WinGnuPlot distribution unless you have MUI and a
        CompuGraphic font installed.


    Installing GNUPLOT
    ---------- -------

    For the purposes of GFFT, all you really have to do is copy the
    program file named GNUPLOT to your C: directory (and follow the
    above instructions to create a .gfft file if you have obtained
    GNUPLOT from WinGnuPlot).

    Note: You must install GNUPLOT either to your C: directory OR to
    the same directory as GFFT.  It is not acceptable to install
    GNUPLOT to some other directory in your default path.  Installing
    GNUPLOT to your C: directory is preferable, because it works
    in all cases.  Otherwise, it may not work at all (if you have
    Workbench 1.3), or it may not work if you invoke GFFT from the
    CLI when your current directory does not contain GNUPLOT.

    If you obtained GNUPLOT from the standard distribution, you may
    also choose to set up the gnuplot.gih file in your S: directory.
    This will give you interactive help while running GNUPLOT by itself
    (if you choose to do that).  In the WinGnuPlot distribution, you
    are provided with an AmigaGuide version of the gnuplot
    documentation.


    How to install GFFT itself
    --- -- ------- ---- ------

    If you are going to run GFFT from the workbench, you can simply
    leave the GFFT files in one disk or directory.  Then, as long
    as you haven't stripped down your SYS: disk or partition,
    everything should be OK and you can begin running GFFT.

    To use the help facilities of GFFT and a few other message
    features, you should have the MORE program (supplied on
    your Amiga Workbench disk) either in the usual place
    (sys:utilities), in your C: directory, or in the same directory
    as GFFT itself.  GFFT uses MORE automatically to display long
    messages.

    If you prefer to use some text reader other than MORE, you can
    create a link named MORE in your C: directory which points to it.
    For example, if your preferred reader is MORE2, you could use the
    following command:

        makelink c:more c:more2

    Makelink is not available in AmigaDOS 1.3.  If you still have only
    that release, you might consider making a copy of your preferred
    text reader named C:MORE, or renaming it to that permanently.  It
    will then supercede the normal sys:utilities/more for most
    applications.  Alternatively, you may make a copy of your preferred
    text reader named MORE in the same directory as GFFT if you intend
    to run GFFT only from the Workbench or from that directory.

    GFFT also automatically uses a few other commands which are
    normally included in your C: directory or built-in to the CLI (see
    COMMANDS USED below).  Both GFFT and GNUPLOT use math and other
    libraries normally found in the LIBS: directory (except for
    AmigaDOS 1.2 and earlier...see below).

    If you choose to copy GFFT to your C: directory to use it
    exclusively from the CLI, you will want to copy COPYING and
    GFFT.HELP to your S: directory so that GFFT can find them no matter
    what the current directory is when GFFT is invoked.

    If you have a 68881, 68882, or 68040 with FPU and a 68020 or better
    processor, you can delete the ordinary GFFT and rename the GFFT-FPU
    to GFFT.  However, do not then try to run the GFFT-FPU version on
    an Amiga without FPU.  It may fail to run without any warning on an
    Amiga without an FPU or without a 68020 or better processor.


    LOW ON MEMORY
    --- -- ------

    First note that the memory allocated by GFFT and GNUPLOT depends
    primarily on the number of BINS specified.  By default, GFFT will
    use the maximum number of BINS possible, which may not be
    appropriate for large sample files (and could exhaust available
    memory).  Typically, spectrum analyses are done with 1024 bins
    (though I prefer to use more for even higher resolution).  You may
    wish to specify a smaller-than-maximum number of bins (using either
    the Bins gadget in the GFFT dialog window or the BINS command
    available from the CLI).  This is the first of many parameters
    available to you in GFFT, though it might be the only one you ever
    need to adjust.  If you routinely use a particular number of bins,
    you may wish to create a .gfft startup file (or edit the existing
    one created above) to add a bins command, e.g.

        bins 1024

    (The number of bins is the number of non-zero spectral frequencies
    at which a spectral amplitude or power value will be computed.)

    Note also that GFFT will use the T: directory for temporary data
    files.  The size of these temporary data files also depend on the
    number of BINS being used.  Normally these files are fairly small,
    so having T: in ram: (which is the default for AmigaDOS 1.3 and
    above) should be no problem.  However, if you are short on RAM, or
    if you analyze with a large number of bins, you may wish to
    reassign T: to a disk.  For example, the following CLI commands
    would create a t directory on sys:, and assign t: there:

        makedir sys:t
        assign t: sys:t

    GNUPLOT takes up most of the memory used while GFFT is operating.
    GNUPLOT is much larger than GFFT to begin with, and it also uses up
    dynamic memory which depends on the number of bins being used.
    Furthermore, GNUPLOT expands considerably with each release.  If
    you get GNUPLOT from one of the later WinGnuPlot distributions that
    has GNUFIT linked in and is even bigger, you can forget about
    running in 1 Mb.  If memory is a problem, see if you can get
    GNUPLOT 3.4, or an even earlier release if you are not interested
    in Time-3D analysis.

    GFFT itself does not seem to require more than 4000 bytes of stack.
    To be safe, I have set the icons to bring in 9000 bytes of stack.
    When GNUPLOT is invoked by GFFT, it is automatically provided with
    a stack of 30000.  If you get a GURU or stack overflow requester
    while running GFFT, you might try a setting a larger stack in the
    icon INFORMATION or in your Shell-Startup.  If you are short on
    memory, you might try reducing the stack specification to 4000.
    Note that AmigaDOS 2.0 or greater handles stack overflows nicely
    with a requester, while 1.3 may guru on stack overflow.

    There is also a SAVEMEMORY command available in GFFT.  This will
    save a fairly small amount of memory at the expense of a small
    increase in execution time.  If you are running from the Workbench
    you can nevertheless use the CLI button to switch into CLI mode
    to give this command, and then return to the Workbench using the
    WORKBENCH command.

    I have been able to run the provided sample (PianoLowC.iff) on a 1
    Mb (all chip) Amiga 500 running AmigaDOS 1.3 with no extra buffers
    or tasks or anything made resident and no hard drive, and with the
    number of Bins set to 1024.  With hard drive added (which uses up
    memory for its buffers), I had to cut the number of Bins back to
    256.  I did this using an early GNUPLOT 3.5 w/o GNUFIT.  (Note:
    Earlier versions of GNUPLOT are smaller, later ones are likely to
    become larger).  I don't know what would happen on an Amiga
    with 512K chip and 512K fast.

    If all else fails, you may be able to run GNUPLOT from the CLI
    separately from GFFT.  To do this, specify an explicit file for
    GFFT to write data to and cancel PLOT mode.  After GFFT has
    completed, exit from GFFT and run GNUPLOT, giving it a command
    like:

        plot 'myspectrum' with lines

    Using this technique, however, you will lose the features of
    GFFT which control GNUPLOT for you.


    Commands Used By GFFT
    -------- ---- -- ----

    Normally, you will have all the commands used by GFFT on your
    system disk or partition.  However, if you have deleted a lot of
    these commands to save room, or if you are making a custom boot
    disk for GFFT, the following information may be useful:

    Under AmigaDOS 2.0 or greater, GFFT uses the following commands
    in your C: directory:

        delete
            run
            wait
        which

    GFFT also uses some additional commands which are built-in to the
    CLI under 2.0 or greater, but were implemented in the C: directory
    for earlier releases such as 1.3:

        echo
        endcli
        endif
        failat
        if
        path
        stack

    GFFT also uses MORE, usually found in SYS:UTILITIES.  See above
    for using other text readers.


    ****

    Congratulations!  You are now ready to run and enjoy GFFT!  (The
    basic idea is to select a sample file, and then click the OK gadget
    or give the OK command.  In between, you may adjust other
    parameters if desired.)

    ****


    1.2 (sigh)
    ----------

    Special Notes For AmigaDOS 1.2

    First, in order for GFFT to invoke GNUPLOT, you will have to add
    the following lines to your startup-sequence (if you haven't done
    so already):

    makedir ram:T
    assign T: ram:T

    This should be added immediately prior to the LOADWB command.

    However, unfortunately, GNUPLOT requires mathieeedoubtrans.library,
    which is not included with AmigaDOS 1.2.  I suggest you upgrade
    your OS.

    ****

    GNUPLOT is Copyright (C) 1986 - 1993 Thomas Williams, Colin Kelley.