README Total Recorder version 2.2 Copyright (C) 1998-2000 High Criteria, Inc. All Rights Reserved CONTENTS Overview - Introduction - What's new with version 2.2? - What's new with version 2.1? - What's new with version 2.0? - System Requirements - Program Restrictions Installing and Configuring - Package Content - Specific Information for Windows NT - Specific Information for Windows 2000 - Installation Steps - Configuring Total Recorder Registering Total Recorder Uninstalling Total Recorder Technical Support ======================================================================= OVERVIEW ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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 2.2? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to maintenance, Version 2.2 adds the following features: - Support for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. - The ability to resample a recording (i.e. change sound stream parameters). Resampling can be done either during the recording process or when you save a recording. - The maximum recording size is no longer limited to 2GB. It is now possible to record up to 49 continuous days. However, since an individual .wav file has a limit of 4GB, a long recording must be broken into pieces in order for it to be saved. - A save progress indicator. - The ability to increase the priority of the Total Recorder program and provide cleaner recordings. - The ability to normalize the volume of a recording. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW WITH VERSION 2.1? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to maintenance, Version 2.1 adds the following features: - Accelerated recording/converting. This allows you to convert a sound file to standard wave format without listening to it. This operation normally takes a fraction of the time it would require to play the file. - Markers. These allow you to select and save only part of a recording or part of an existing wave file. - The ability to continue recording to the same file after it was stopped. - A level indicator reflects the amplitude of a signal during recording and playback. - The ability to have more than one open copy of Total Recorder (like in version 1.0). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WHAT'S NEW WITH VERSION 2.0? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 2.0 adds many new features, including the following: - Capturing and recording of sound streams that programs request from a sound card. This allows full duplex recording of Internet phone conver- sations when using programs such as NetMeeting and VoxPhone. - Recording from CD, microphone and other input lines - Built-in scheduler that allows you to program jobs (record or playback) to start at a given time, similar to programming a VCR - Command line parameters that allow you to use an external scheduler such as Microsoft Task Scheduler to schedule a recording or playback - Automatic installation and uninstallation of the virtual device driver. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SYSTEM REQUIREMENT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To use Total Recorder, you need the following: - an IBM compatible computer - a sound card - Microsoft Windows 95, 98, or 2000, or Windows NT 4.0. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PROGRAM RESTRICTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Recorder records wave-type sound streams only. It cannot record any of the following: - Sound reproduced by means of MIDI-output, unless your sound card has a special MIDI synthesis line (most sound cards have this feature). - Sound reproduced by programs developed for systems other than Windows 95/98/2000 or NT (e.g. 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 (totrec22.exe) or regular (totrec22.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 Windows 2000/NT 4 TotalRecorder.exe - Total Recorder program Yes 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 TRInst.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 TotalRecorder.doc - documentation 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 2000 is a member 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. If you are planning to upgrade your Windows 95/98 system to Windows 2000, 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. Have you registration information available. Note: Total Recorder will not work if you simply upgrade your Windows environment to Windows 2000 without taking the steps described above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- INSTALLATION NOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow this procedure to install Total Recorder on your PC: 1. Download the self-extracting archive totrec22.exe (http://www.highcriteria.com/download/totrec22.exe) and run it. or Download the regular ZIP archive totrec22.zip (http://www.highcriteria.com/download/totrec22.zip). Unzip it and run TRInst.exe. Note that you must unzip the entire archive not just TRInst.exe. 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. Version 2.2 cannot coexist on the same machine with any previous version (1.0, 2.0, or 2.1). If you have a previous version installed, you are prompted to uninstall it. 3. After installing Version 2.2 over a previous version you must restart Windows. Under Windows NT or Windows 2000 you must reboot your PC, even after the initial installation. In all cases you will receive a prompt. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 - actions when a recording is about to be overwritten - ability to keep different sound streams as a part of one stereo wave file - debug mode for driver. To configure Total Recorder, start the program and select "Options" - "Settings". You are presented with a property sheet with the tabs: "System", "Open/save", and "Debug". ======================================================================= 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. To receive the registration key: 1. Follow the instructions given on High Criteria Inc.'s web site at the following address: http://www.highcriteria.com/products.htm. 2. Select "Help" - "Registration". Type in the same name you used to obtain the registration key and 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