README Total Recorder Standard Edition Version 4.1 Copyright (C) 1998-2002 High Criteria, Inc. All Rights Reserved CONTENTS Overview - Standard Edition Introduction - What's New with Version 4.1? - System Requirements - Program Restrictions Installing and Configuring - Package Content - Specific Information for Windows NT - Specific Information for Windows 2000 and Windows XP - Installation Steps - Adding Support for Ogg Vorbis Format to Total Recorder - Configuring Total Recorder Registering Total Recorder Uninstalling Total Recorder Technical Support ======================================================================= OVERVIEW ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- STANDARD EDITION INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Recorder is a sound recording and playing program. It records analog sound digitized by a sound card, as well as sound generated, or requested, by other computer programs, such as RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, Quick Time, WinAmp, and many others. Recorded sound is saved in wave-file format or you can use external programs to save recorded sound in MP3 or Ogg Vorbis format. For example, you can use Total Recorder to record: - audio from the Internet, either audio files or live streams - music from a game program - a conversation, if you use an Internet telephony program. Total Recorder uses a virtual sound driver to capture the sound output from another program. By installing this driver, and setting this device as the default, different sound reproducing programs send their output stream to Total Recorder's driver and not to the driver of a real device. Total Recorder then passes the information to the sound card driver. Total Recorder has a built-in scheduler. This allows you to automatically record a show at a given time for later playback or you can use the scheduler as an alarm. Note that this latter function does not require registration. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW WITH VERSION 4.1? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to maintenance, Version 4.1 includes the following changes: - Full support for the Ogg Vorbis format. - "Jump to time" feature lets you easily navigate to a particular point in a sound file. - Improved displays of the properties of files and recordings. - Improved user interface and other minor enhancements. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To use Total Recorder, you need the following: - an IBM compatible computer - a sound card - Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME (Millennium Edition), or 2000, or Windows NT 4.0 or Windows XP. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PROGRAM RESTRICTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Recorder cannot record sound reproduced by DOS programs executing in DOS sessions. Total Recorder can record only one output and one input sound stream at a time. If a sound card allows simultaneous output of several wave-streams and can mix these streams itself, then Total Recorder can only record one of these streams. ======================================================================= INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PACKAGE CONTENT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Recorder is shipped via the Internet, as a self-extracting (tr41se.exe) or regular (tr41se.zip) archive, and consists of the files listed below. The following table indicates each file name, a description, and the environments in which each file is required. File Description Required on Required on ---- ----------- Windows 95/98/Me Windows 2000/NT 4/XP TotalRecorder.exe - Total Recorder program Yes Yes TotRecSched.exe - scheduler program No Yes DrvTR95M.drv - device driver Yes No DrvTRNTM.dll - device driver No Yes DrvTR95L.dll - device driver library Yes No DrvTRNTL.dll - device driver library No Yes DrvTR95.vxd - virtual device driver Yes No DrvTR95.inf - driver installation file Yes No OEMSETUP.inf - driver installation file No Yes TotalRecorder.hlp - help file Yes Yes TotalRecorder.cnt - help content file Yes Yes Setup.exe - Install/uninstall program Yes Yes DrInst.exe - driver install/uninstall Yes No program License.txt - License agreement file Yes Yes Readme.txt - Read-me first file Yes Yes Registration.txt - Registration form Yes Yes ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR WINDOWS NT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To install Total Recorder on Windows NT, you need the "Load and Unload Device Drivers" user right. Normally, only administrative users have this right. To use the Total Recorder program, you do not need any special rights. However, the Total Recorder setup program changes settings only for the user who installed the program. Any other user must manual set the Total Recorder driver as a preferred device (see "Installing/Uninstalling the Total Recorder Driver Manually"). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR WINDOWS 2000 and WINDOWS XP ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 2000 and Windows XP are members of the Windows NT product family. All of the information in the previous section ("Installing Total Recorder in a Windows NT Environment") applies to Windows 2000 and to Windows XP. If you are planning to upgrade your Windows 95/98/ME system to Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you must take the following steps: 1. Before upgrading your Windows environment, uninstall Total Recorder. 2. After the upgrade is complete, reinstall Total Recorder. 3. Re-register Total Recorder. You should have your registration information available. Note: Total Recorder will not work if you simply upgrade your Windows environment to Windows 2000 or XP without taking the steps described above. If you are moving from NT to either Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you do not have to remove and re-install Total Recorder. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- INSTALLATION NOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Note that Version 4.1 cannot coexist on the same machine with any previous version (1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 or 4.0). Also, the different editions (Standard, Professional and Developer) of Total Recorder cannot be installed on the same computer. Take the following steps to install Total Recorder on your PC: 1. Download the self-extracting archive tr41se.exe (http://www.highcriteria.com/download/tr41se.exe) and run it. or Download the regular ZIP archive tr41se.zip (http://www.highcriteria.com/download/tr41se.zip). Unzip it and run Setup.exe. Note that you must unzip the entire archive not just the Setup.exe file. If you have a previous version installed, you are prompted to uninstall it. Press "OK" to continue with the installation. Press "Cancel" if you want to exit the installation program without installing the software. The installation program creates a directory for Total Recorder, copies all of the files to that directory, creates a Program Group called Total Recorder, installs a driver, and sets it as the default device for both playback and recording. 2. After installing Total Recorder, you must restart Windows. Tip: Create a shortcut to Total Recorder and place it on your desktop. This gives you single-click access to Total Recorder. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDING SUPPORT FOR OGG VORBIS FORMAT TO TOTAL RECORDER ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Recorder supports the Ogg Vorbis format by using an external dynamic link library named vorbishc.dll. You can obtain this library, free of charge, through High Criteria's web site. To add support for Ogg Vorbis to Total Recorder, or to review new versions of vorbishc.dll, go to http://www.highcriteria.com/tr_ext_res.htm and follow the instructions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFIGURING TOTAL RECORDER ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The configuration program allows you to set the following: - suppression of system sounds - preferred playback and recording devices - priority of Total Recorder program - directory for temporary files - default directory - action for making a new recording over a previous one - resampling algorithm - external programs for MP3 encoding - default format (RIFF-WAVE or MP3) and ID3 tag for MP3 files - default tags for Ogg Vorbis files - pre-recording parameters - debug mode parameters. To configure Total Recorder 1. Start the Total Recorder program. 2. Either select "Options"- "Settings" or click the appropriate button on the Main toolbar. You are presented with a dialog box with the following tabs: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tab Use this tab to set options for... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- System System sounds, audio playback and recording devices, preferred audio devices when Total Recorder isn't active, priority of Total Recorder program Open/save Folder for temporary files, default Open/SaveAs folder, action for making new recording over previous one Algorithm Frequency conversion algorithm MP3 Program for encoding to MP3, header format, ID3 tags Ogg Vorbis Default tag for Ogg Vorbis files Pre-recording Number of seconds to pre-record, activate pre-recording mode Debug Trace file, internal debug information ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================= REGISTERING TOTAL RECORDER ======================================================================= After installing and verifying the program works properly, you should obtain a registration key from High Criteria. If the program is unregistered then your recordings are limited to 40 seconds each and you can use the scheduler only as an alarm. Notes: 1. Different editions of Total Recorder have different registration keys. For example, you cannot use the registration key for Total Recorder Standard Edition in either Total Recorder Professional Edition or in Total Recorder Developer Edition. 2.You cannot use your Version 1.x or 2.x registration key with Version 4.1. The registration key for version 3.0, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 or 4.0 is valid for version 4.1 Standard Edition. To register Total Recorder: 1. Receive the registration key. For registered users of versions 1.0 or 2.x. All registered users are entitled to a free registration key. It is sent automatically by E-mail unless you specified that you do not want to receive E-mails from High Criteria or you have not provided your E-mail address. If you are a registered user wishing to upgrade, and you did not get your registration key, link to http://hcserv1.highcriteria.com/scripts/getkey/getkey.asp to use the High Criteria self service registration key system. OR For new users. Follow the instructions given on High Criteria Inc.'s web site at the following address: http://www.highcriteria.com/products.htm. To order by check, refer to the Registration.txt file in the installation folder of Total Recorder. 2. Select "Help" - "Registration". Type in the same name you used to obtain the registration key and type your registration key. Note that after registration this menu item is not accessible. ======================================================================= UNINSTALLING TOTAL RECORDER ======================================================================= To uninstall Total Recorder, use "Start", "Settings", "Control Panel", "Add/Remove Programs". The program remains in memory until you reboot. ======================================================================= TECHNICAL SUPPORT ======================================================================= If you experience problems with Total Recorder that you cannot resolve yourself, visit support area on our Web site: - http://www.highcriteria.com/faq_tr.htm - Frequently Asked Questions - http://www.highcriteria.com/support.htm - Support Area