Best Objectech Shareware Selections/UNTITLED.iso/boss/musi/misc/015/bmaster.doc

Text File | 1993-03-15 | 36KB | 635 lines

========================================================================
                     <<   BLASTER Master v5.6   >>
                 for the Sound Blaster and compatibles
                   Copyright (C) 1993 by Gary Maddox
========================================================================

BLASTER Master is a program designed for serious PC soundcard enthusiasts
who are interested in getting the most from their PC audio cards
when sampling sounds and then playing them back.  A tool kit for working
with Sound Blaster type VOC, .WAV and .SND files, BLASTER Master
offers many features that are available on Digital Audio Workstations
which normally cost many thousands of dollars.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ---------------
  Before running BLASTER Master on your PC, please check the system
  requirements and user information listed below:

  > This program requires EGA/VGA graphics, a mouse, a hard disk and
    at least a 286 PC.
  > NOTE: BLASTER Master will function without a soundcard being
    present, but the PLAY, RECORD and SCOPE functions will be disabled.
  > Unregistered versions will only process a 25 second sound file while
    the registered version will process any size sound file.

  More requirements and performance tips for using BLASTER Master can be
  found in the section entitled "Performance Tips" (near the end of the
  documentation).

OVERVIEW ---------------
  One of the great features of the Sound Blaster and other PC audio cards
  is the ability to sample sound and play it back.  Now you can tailor your
  own sound files using the BLASTER Master program, a very fast EGA/VGA
  graphic editor. Useless and noisy sample data (at the beginning and
  endings of VOC files) can be quickly removed and sections from within the
  sample can be saved as a new sample file.  A graphic of the entire sample
  appears on your monitor along with a grid that divides the sample into
  seconds to aid in selecting the "cut points". A zero-crossing/phase
  approximation method allows you to select the displayed bytes, helping
  you choose the "cleanest" points for processing. Cross-fading is applied
  to splice points when needed.

  During playback, a pulsing index line displays the position of the file
  being played. The various digital processes can be selected using the
  mouse, or in most cases, you can use ALT plus the first letter of the option.
  > Example: ALT-P (holding down the ALT key while pressing the "P" at
    the same time) will "PLAY" the currently selected sound file.

  A color palette is also included in BLASTER Master's graphic capabilities.
  Using your keyboard's function keys F1-F10, you can control the colors
  displayed on the screen. Play around with the available color combinations to
  find the one that best suits you! For a listing of the function key color
  settings, refer to the section entitled "Changing Screen Colors" on page 7.

  Functions of a sound file -- SELECTing, IMPORTing, RECORDing and
  EDITing -- are covered in the following four sections.

                                                                   page 2

SELECTING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  If you don't specify a sound file when starting the editor, a file selection
  dialog box will appear. The current path can be changed by selecting the
  right selection box and selecting a new path. From this dialog box, you can
  PLAY the sound file, RECORD a new sound file, DELETE an unwanted sound file,
  ACCEPT the file to process or QUIT the program, returning to DOS. You can
  also display useful file information to audition a file by choosing the PLAY
  option. The various options can be selected using the mouse or, in most cases,
  pressing <ALT> plus the first letter of the option as explained earlier. You
  can also select files with your mouse by double-clicking on the file you want
  to access. If you accept a sound file that is multi-blocked, BLASTER Master
  will allow you to remove the blocks and convert to a RAW VOC file.

IMPORTING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  Choosing the IMPORT option from the File Selection Dialog Box will allow you
  to import WAV, NTI, 8SV, MOD, SAM and SND format files into BLASTER Master.
  > WAV files are the Microsoft Multi-Media format and are supported by the
    Pro Audio Spectrum and the ATI Stereo F/X sound cards and others.
  > SND files: completely raw wave data files not including header information.
  > NTI & SAM files are Amiga sample files as used by MOD file editors.
  > VOC type files can also be saved in these three formats.
  > 8SV: the extension normally used for Amiga IFF sound files. You can import
    Amiga IFF sound files, but cannot currently save files in Amiga IFF format.
  > MOD: only the samples from a MOD file can be extracted for editing.

RECORDING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  When you select RECORD from the File Selection Dialog Box, the Record Dialog
  Box appears. Here, enter the name of the VOC file you wish to record.
  > NOTE: If specifying a VOC file that already exists, it will be overwritten!
  Using a mouse, select the sample rate to use when recording-- 13,000-4000 if
  using Sound Blaster or 44,000-4000 if using Sound Blaster Pro. (The higher
  the sample rate, the better the file will sound.) When using the various
  digital processes, a higher rate will produce much better sounding file.
  Choose SCOPE to display a graphic scope, which is very useful for setting the
  volume on a device from which you are recording. Select RECORD when ready to
  begin recording and <ESC> when ready to stop. Your file is then displayed on
  the Editor screen so you can modify it.
  > NOTE: Sound Blaster Pro users will also select the recording input source,
          input filter, and MONO or STEREO recording. Users of Creative Lab's
          MultiMedia CDROM need to read about Syncro CD sampling on page 3.

EDITING A SOUND FILE ---------------
  The EDIT option enables you to edit selected sections of a sound file. When
  selecting a sound file section to edit (remove, save, hear or zoom), position
  the cursor over the graph at the first desired cut point and press the LEFT
  mouse button. Now, position the cursor over the second cut point and press
  the LEFT button again. This marks a section with a blue box, signifying that
  you can HEAR that section, CUT it from the sample or SAVE it as a new file.
  The ZOOM option displays the marked section so you can choose a new block
  from the zoomed area, editing the sound file with surgical precision. (You
  can zoom the file until the resolution reaches 1:1. The current resolution
  is shown just above the options selection box.)
  > MOVE: allows a selected block to be moved to a new section in the same file.
  > COPY: (Vanishing Menu only) moves a copy of the selected block to a new
          section of the same file.

                                                                      page 3
USING SYNCRO CD ---------------
  Anyone using a CDROM from Creative Labs MultiMedia can use BLASTER Master to
  sample recordings directly from your favorite CDs! I have gotten excellent
  (if not the BEST) recordings with the Sound Blaster Pro using the CDROM.
  If you are equipped with a CDROM, a standard CD player control bar will appear
  on the RECORD dialog box you see on your monitor. BLASTER Master currently
  supports the following CD player controls -- PLAY, PAUSE, STOP, REWIND, FAST
  FORWARD, PREVIOUS TRACK and NEXT TRACK. To sample from your favorite CDs,
  make sure you have selected "CD" as your input source. You can either start
  the CD and then pick RECORD, or what I have found works better is to use
  SYNCRO CD, as explained below.

  If BLASTER Master detects that your CDROM is in PAUSE mode, you can select
  RECORD to automatically synchronize the sampling and the CD audio playback.
  When you press <ESC> to stop recording, the CD playback will shut off
  automatically