Copyright: (c) 1997 Andrew Malek
Citation: === Pasted from Midi Machine 3.0 Help File Copyright 1997 Andrew Malek ===


Managing Albums

If you have a set of multimedia files that you would like to play again at a different time, you can save this set of files into an album of your own naming.  Then, at a later time, you can reload and play this album just like you'd play anything else in your queue.  You can have as many albums as your computer will store!

To create a new album, just add items to your multimedia queue and choose "Save Album,"  To edit and resave an existing album, choose "Load Album," edit your multimedia queue, and resave the queue as an album.  Hence, the multimedia queue is just like an album in memory.

A default album is supported (so if you set up a multimedia queue of 50 songs and only get to play 10 of them before your boss comes in and you have to exit, the other 40 will be available when you next start Midi Machine).

Click on the links below for more information on particular topics.

See "Saving Albums"

See "Loading Albums"

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Add Item(s) to Queue"

See "Default Album"

See "Default Album - Setup Options"


Loading Albums

To load an album of multimedia files, simply click on the above button if visible on the toolbar.  Or, select "F"ile and then "O"pen Album.  You will be prompted for the album name to load.  For the 16-bit version of Midi Machine, the filename will be limited to eight characters.  The 32-bit version allows longer filenames.

Loading an album into the multimedia queue removes any items currently in the queue.  If the confirmation "On Album Open when Queue is Not Empty" is set to yes, you will be reminded of this and allowed to abort the "Load Album" operation.  This will give you a chance to save the multimedia queue as an album should you choose to do so.  Click on "Confirmations - Setup Options" to see how to change that option.

See "Confirmations - Setup Options"

See "Managing Albums"

See "Saving Albums"

See "Default Album"

See "Default Album - Setup Options"


Saving Albums

To save your multimedia queue as an album which you can re-load later, simply click on the above button if visible on the toolbar.  Or, select "F"ile and then "S"ave Album.  You will be prompted for the album name.  For the 16-bit version of Midi Machine, the filename will be limited to eight characters.  The 32-bit version allows longer filenames.

See "Managing Albums"

See "Loading Albums"

See "Default Album"

See "Default Album Setup"


Default Album

Midi Machine has the ability to take care of a default album for you (if you don't know what an album is, click on "See Managing Albums" below).  A default album is an album that can:

1) Automatically be loaded at startup, or you can be prompted to do so.
2) Automatically be saved at shutdown with the contents of the current multimedia queue, or you can be prompted to do so.

By default, Midi Machine saves the multimedia queue, when exiting, to the default album.  Midi Machine, at startup, loads the default album's contents to the multimedia queue.  Click on "See Default Album - Setup Options" below for information on how to change these settings.

See "Managing Albums"

See "Saving Albums"

See "Loading Albums"

See "Default Album - Setup Options"


Default Album - Setup Options

To change the options available for default albums, select "T"ools and then "Setup."  Select the "Default Album" tab on the dialog box that follows.  The options are:

"Save Queue to Default Album when exiting?"
---
  Yes - Saves the contents of the multimedia queue to the default album every time you exit Midi Machine.
  No - Does not save the contents of the multimedia queue to the default album every time you exit Midi Machine.
  Prompt - Prompts you every time you exit Midi Machine whether or not you wish to save the contents of the multimedia queue to the default album.

"Load Default Alb. when starting Midi Machine?"
---
  Yes - Loads the contents of the default album to the multimedia queue every time you start Midi Machine.
  No - Does not loads the contents of the default album to the multimedia queue every time you start Midi Machine.
  Prompt - Prompts you every time you start Midi Machine whether or not you wish to load the contents of the default album to the multimedia queue.

See "Setup Options"

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Managing Albums"

See "Saving Albums"

See "Loading Albums"

See "Default Album"


Confirmations - Setup Options

Confirmations exist to protect you from mistaken keystrokes and mouse clicks where you could accidentally remove some of your files, clear the contents of your multimedia queue, or exit Midi Machine when you really don't want to.  It is recommended to keep these all set to "Yes," but you do have the option to turn these confirmations off.

To change the options available for confirmation, select "T"ools and then "Setup."  Select the "Confirm" tab on the dialog box that follows.  The options are:

"On Album Open when Queue is not Empty"
---
  When you load an album into the multimedia queue, the current contents of the queue have to be removed.  When this confirmation is set to "Yes," you will be asked whether or not you wish the contents of the queue removed whenever you open an album.  If this confirmation is set to "No," Midi Machine automatically clears the multimedia queue when you load an album - no second chances.

"On Removing Item(s) from Queue"
---
  When set to "Yes," every time you attempt to remove an item from the multimedia queue, Midi Machine prompts you to confirm that decision.  Setting this option to "No" removes the confirmation.

"On Permanently Deleting File(s)"
---
  When set to "Yes," every time you attempt to permanently delete a file from your computer, Midi Machine prompts you to confirm that decision.  Setting this option to "No" removes the confirmation.

"On Exiting When Multimedia is Playing"
---
  When set to "Yes," Midi Machine brings up a dialog box when you attempt to exit the program while multimedia is currently playing.  This allows you to cancel the operation, if you wish, to say, save the contents of the multimedia queue to an album file.  Setting this option to "No" removes the confirmation.

See "Setup Options"

See "Loading Albums"

See "Removing Queue Items"

See "File Delete"

See "Exit Midi Machine"


Copying File(s)

To execute this command, either click on the above toolbar button if it is available, or select the "F"ile menu, then "C"opy.

This command makes duplicates of the currently selected files in the File/CD Track Listbox, placing them in a new directory of your choosing.

After selecting the files and using the "File Copy" function, a dialog box appears allowing you to choose the drive and path where you wish to place the duplicate files.  Press the "OK" button after selecting your desired drive and directory, or press "Cancel" to cancel the operation.

See "File Copy All"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Setup Options

To select this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible or choose the "T"ools menu, selecting "Setup Options."

You can change the way Midi Machine operates.  Don't like Midi Machine loading a default album?  Want to hide the time display?  If you like to 'tinker under the hood,' be sure to check out these options.

Click on the links below for more information.

See "General Setup"

See "Display Setup"

See "Confirmations Setup"

See "CD Audio Setup"

See "Default Album Setup"


Copying All File(s)
Copying All Files

To execute this command, either click on the above toolbar button if it is available, or select the "F"ile menu, then "Copy All."

This function performs the same as the "File Copy" function, except that it copies all of the files in the File/CD Track Listbox instead of just the selected files.

See "File Copy"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Move Queue Up
Move Queue Item(s) Up

To execute this command, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "Queue Edit" menu and then "Move Item(s) Up In Queue," or select the hand button next to the queue pointing up.

The function moves selected items in the queue up one position.  Simply select the queue items you wish to move and execute this function.

Note that if the view option "View - Queue Position Moving Hands" is unchecked, you will not see the hand buttons next to the queue.

See "View - Queue Position Moving Hands"

See "Move Queue Items Down"


Move Queue Item(s) Down

To execute this command, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "Queue Edit" menu and then "Move Item(s) Down In Queue," or select the hand button next to the queue pointing up.

The function moves selected items in the queue down one position.  Simply select the queue items you wish to move and execute this function.

Note that if the view option "View - Queue Position Moving Hands" is unchecked, you will not see the hand buttons next to the queue.

See "View - Queue Position Moving Hands"

See "Move Queue Items Up"


Display Setup

To change the options available for the display, select "T"ools and then "Setup."  Select the "Display" tab on the dialog box that follows.  The options are:

"Display Toolbar always as Docked?"
---
  Yes - Forces the toolbar to remain docked.
  No - Allows you to move the toolbar off of the Midi Machine window.  It will remain floating even if you minimize Midi Machine.

"Force-Show Queue When Items Added?"
---
  Yes - Forces the multimedia queue to appear when items are added to it.  This overrides any clicking on the multimedia queue show/hide popup.
  No - If the queue is hidden and you add items to the queue, it will remain hidden.

"Use Midi Machine Colors instead of Win default?"
---
  Yes - Uses the Midi Machine colors in most areas (blue scheme) instead of forcing using the Windows default colors.
  No - Uses the Windows default colors everywhere.

See "Setup Options"

See "Toolbar Exclamation Button"

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Add Item(s) to Queue"

See "Popups"


Moving File(s)

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or choose the "F"ile menu, selecting "M"ove.

This command moves the currently selected files in the File/CD Track Listbox, placing them in a new drive/directory of your choosing.

After selecting the files and accessing the "File Move" function, a dialog box appears for you to choose the drive and path where you wish the files to be located.  Press the "OK" button after selecting where you wish your files to be moved, or press "Cancel" to cancel the operation.

Please note that if you had previously queued for playing some of the files you begin to move, Midi Machine will not alter its queue.  Therefore, when Midi Machine tries to play the files, it will come up with an error because it will not be able to find the files in the path specified in the queue.  To avoid the error, it is recommended to only move files which you know are not in the multimedia queue.

See "Moving All Files"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Moving All Files

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or choose the "F"ile menu, selecting "Move All."

This function performs the same as the "File Move" function, except that it moves all of the files shown in the File/CD Track Listbox elsewhere and not just the selected files.

See "Moving File(s)"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Deleting File(s)

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible or select the "F"ile menu, choosing "D"elete.

This command deletes the selected files in the File/CD Track Listbox from your computer.  Simply select the files to delete and execute this command.

Note that there is no "undo" function.  Once the files are removed, they ARE GONE FOREVER.  Thus, it is recommended to keep the file deleting confirmation set to "yes."  This forces you to confirm each file deletion.

See "Confirmations - Setup"

See "File Delete All"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Deleting All Files

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible or select the "F"ile menu, choosing "Delete All."

This function performs the same as the "File Delete" function except that it deletes all of the files in the File/CD Track Listbox instead of just the selected ones.

Note that there is no "undo" function.  Once the files are removed, they ARE GONE FOREVER.  Thus, it is recommended to keep the file deleting confirmation set to "yes."  This forces you to confirm each file deletion.

See "Confirmations - Setup"

See "File Delete"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Adding Item(s) to the Multimedia Queue

This command adds multimedia files and CD-Audio tracks to the multimedia queue for playing or for making an album.  There are several ways to do this:

1) Click on the above toolbar button if visible.

2) Click the Queue "E"dit menu, selecting "Add Item(s) to Queue".

3) Double-click an item in the file/CD listbox.

4) Click on the "->" button if visible.

5) Drag&Drop files from Program Manager (Win3.x) or Explorer (Win95).

Items added to the multimedia queue are placed below any items previously residing in the queue.  If the "Add to Top" checkbox is selected, new items are placed above any items currently in the multimedia queue.

See "File/CD-Track Listbox"

See "Add Queue All"

See "Managing Albums"

See "Add to Top"


Adding All Items to the Multimedia Queue

This function performs the same as the "Add Queue" function except that it adds all of the items in the File/CD-Track Listbox to the multimedia queue.  To execute this command, do one of the following:

1) Click on the above toolbar button if visible.

2) Select the Queue "E"dit menu, selecting "Add All Item(s) to Queue"

3) Click on the "All ->" button, if visible.

See "Add Queue"

See "File/CD-Track Listbox"


Remove Item(s) from Queue

To execute this command, select one or more items in the queue and do one of the following

1) Click on the above toolbar button if visible.

2) Select the Queue "E"dit menu, choosing "Remove Item(s) From Queue"

3) Click on the "Remove" button, if visible.

This command removes the selected item(s) from the multimedia queue so that they will not be played.  Simply select the items in the multimedia queue that you wish to remove and execute this function.

If you have the "On Removing Item(s) from Queue" confirmation set to "yes," you will have to confirm each multimedia queue item's removal.

Note that this function only removes multimedia queue items; it will not delete the actual files from your computer.

See "Confirmations - Setup"

See "Remove Queue All"


Remove All Items from Queue

To execute this command, do one of the following

1) Click on the above toolbar button if visible.

2) Select the Queue "E"dit menu, choosing "Remove ALL Items from Queue."

3) Click on the "Rmv All" button, if visible.

This command performs the same as the "Remove Queue" function except that it clears the entire multimedia queue instead of removing just the selected items.

See "Remove Queue"


File/CD Track Information

To execute this function, select one and only one file or CD Track and either click on the above toolbar button if it exists or select the "F"ile menu, choosing "I"nfo.

This function performs differently if the File or CD-Audio tab is selected.

File tab selected

This function shows the selected filename, its size (in bytes), its date of creation, and other information.  Simply select a file and execute this function.

This function does not work on items in the multimedia queue but only on items in the File/CD Track Listbox.

CD-Audio tab selected

This function shows the selected CD-track's name and song length.  Simply select a CD-track and execute this function.

This function does not work on items in the multimedia queue but only on items in the File/CD Track Listbox.

You can not get information on a CD track while multimedia is playing.  You need to stop the playing of multimedia files before executing this function.

See "File/CD Track Listbox"

See "File/CD Audio Tab"

See "Queue Stop"


Renaming File(s)

To execute this function, select one or more multimedia files or CD-audio tracks from the File/CD Track Listbox. Press the above button if visible or select the "F"ile menu, choosing "R"ename.

This function performs differently if the File or CD-Audio tab is selected.

File tab selected

This functions renames one or a group of files to names of your choosing, provided that your operating system accepts the names.  Normally, for Win3.x, this is a filename with a name (the part of the filename before the period) of up to eight characters.  Under Win95, the name portion can be up to 255 characters.  Under either operating system, filenames can not have any of the following characters

< > : | ? * / \ "

After selecting this function, a dialog box appears displaying the original filename and an area in which you may enter a new filename.  Press "Cancel" to abort this operation or "OK" after entering the new filenames to rename the file.

Note that Midi Machine automatically adds the extension (.mid, .wav, .avi, .jpg) for you.

CD-Audio tab selected

This function names the tracks on the current CD.  Midi Machine keeps a database of CD information that includes the track names, remembering the info when you later re-insert the CD.  Tracknames can be up to 50 characters long.

Simply select the tracks to rename and execute this function.  Afterwards, a dialog box appears displaying the original track name and an area in which you may enter a new trackname.  Press "C"ancel to abort this operation or "OK" after entering the new name to rename the track.

See "File/CD Track Listbox"

See "File/CD Audio Tab"

See "Renaming All Files"

See "Editing CD Information"


Renaming All Files

To execute this function, either press the above toolbar button if visible or select the "F"ile menu, choosing "Rename All."

This function performs the same as the "File Rename" function except that it renames all of the files or CD-tracks (depending on which is shown) instead of just the selected ones.

See "Renaming Files"

See "Editing CD Info"


Seek CD Information
Seek CD Info

To execute this function, click on the C"D" Audio menu and select "Seek CD Info."

This function lets Midi Machine recognize the insertion of a new CD.  Besides reading the number of tracks and their lengths, Midi Machine remembers and displays any information related to that CD such as its name, author, misc., and category names.  Simply insert a new CD into your CD-ROM device and select this function for Midi Machine to recognize the new CD.

If Midi Machine is configured to do so, it will auto-seek the information contained on the current CD when first run.

See "Editing CD Info."

See "Eject CD"

See "CD-Setup"


Play the Whole CD
Play All CD

To execute this function, click on the C"D" Audio menu and select "Play all CD."

This function plays the CD in your CD-ROM device using the current playmode, actually performing several functions at once.  First, it removes all of the queue items (giving you a chance to confirm the removal if this option is set - see "Confirmations - Setup.")  Then, it performs the "Seek CD Info" function.  Next, all of the CD tracks are added to the multimedia queue, and lastly the multimedia queue is played with the current playmode.

See "Playmodes"

See "Seek CD Info"

See "Remove Queue All"

See "Add Queue All"

See "Queue Play"

See "Confirmations-Setup"


Queue Stop

To execute this function, click on the Playbac"k" menu and select "Stop."

This command stops the queue playback.  Audio halst and the graphic/text window disappears.

See "Queue Play"


Queue Pause

To execute this function, click on the Playbac"k" menu, selecting "Pause."

This command pauses the multimedia queue playback.  To restart the playback, select the "Queue Play" function.  Selecting the "Queue Stop" function halts the playback.

See "Queue Play"

See "Queue Stop"


Eject CD

To select this function, click on the C"D" Audio menu, picking "E"ject CD.

This function stops the multimedia file playback and ejects the CD currently in the CD-ROM drive.  Any CD tracks currently in the queue will be removed.  Note that if you have changed any CD information such as the title, author name, misc., category, or tracknames, Midi Machine remembers this information when you next insert the CD.

See "Editing CD Info"


Editing CD Info

Midi Machines allows you to record the CD name, author, misc., category, and track names.  Midi Machine keeps a database of such information and remembers it every time you re-insert the CD.

To edit CD-related information, first make sure Midi Machine recognized the CD you inserted (you can do this by clicking the "Seek CD" button).  Then, click on the "CD Audio" tab so the CD name, author, category, misc., and CD-track listbox are displayed.  Then, click on the "name," "author," "category," or "misc." fields and type over the current information.  Or, select one or more CD tracks and execute the "Rename" function to change the track names.

When you are done editing CD information, click elsewhere on the main window (such as the multimedia queue) and Midi Machine saves this information.

See "Seek CD Info"

See "File Rename"


Playmodes

Midi Machine supports multiple playmodes (the order of multimedia queue playback.)  Normally, Midi Machine starts at the multimedia queue beginning, plays a file, removes it from the queue, and goes to the next file.  Check the appropriate boxes on the main form to change these options.

BACKWARDS - Midi Machine plays the queue items backwards.

CONTINUOUS - Midi Machine does not remove queue items after playback.

RANDOM - Midi Machine plays the queue items in a random order.

SHUFFLE - Midi Machine plays the queue items randomly, but it will not play an item twice until all other items have played.

INTRO - Midi Machine plays the queue items and stops each item after a configurable amount of seconds.  The number in the box besides the word "intro" is the delay interval (in seconds) that Midi Machine displays a file before moving to the next.  You may click on this box and type in a new number if you wish.

REPEAT CURRENT - Midi Machine repeats the current multimedia item while this checkbox is checked (think of it as CONTINUOUS mode forced on the current item only).

Note that Midi Machine does not let you check playmodes which are not "compatible" with each other.  If you check Shuffle mode, then you obviously do not need to play the songs backwards.  Shuffle mode automatically picks songs randomly and continuously, so those modes are also disabled.  Picking Continuous mode disables Shuffle mode.  Picking Random mode disabled Backwards and Shuffle mode.  Picking Backward mode disables Random and Shuffle mode.

See "Queue Play"


Queue Next

To execute this function, click on the Playbac"k" menu, selecting Ne"xt.

This command stops the currently playing multimedia queue item and causes Midi Machine to skip to the next item.

See "Queue Play"

See "Queue Stop"


Exit Midi Machine

To execute this function, click on the "F"ile menu, selecting E"x"it.

This command stops the multimedia queue playback and completely exits Midi Machine.  If you have the exit confirmation set to "Yes," Midi Machine prompts you to confirm exiting the program if multimedia is playing.

See "Confirmations-Setup"


Queue Play

To execute this function, select the Playbac"k" menu, choosing "P"lay.

This command starts the multimedia queue, playing items using the selected playback mode (playmode).

See "Playmodes"

See "Queue Stop"

See "Queue Next"

See "Queue Pause"


CD Audio Setup
CD Setup

To change the options available for CD-audio, select "T"ools and then "Setup."  Select the "CD" tab on the dialog box that follows.  The options are:

"Seek CD Information at Startup?"
---
  Yes - Automatically calls the "Seek CD Info." function when Midi Machine starts.
  No - Does not automatically call the "Seek CD Info." function when Midi Machine starts.

See "Setup Options"

See "Seek CD Info"


Contents
Midi Machine V3.1

Welcome to Midi Machine, your all-in-one solution for managing and playing CDs, graphics, movies, and sound in one simple interface.

The Midi Machine basics are simple.  Find multimedia files you want to play on your computer.  Add them to your multimedia queue.  Click "Play" and have fun!

Click on one of the below topics for help information on running Midi Machine.  Or, click on the "Search" button to search for a particular topic.

Albums

CD Audio

Default Album

Directory Listbox

Drive Selection

Exiting Midi Machine

File/CD Track Listbox

Help

Misc. Screen Elements

Multimedia Queue

Setup Options

Starting Midi Machine

View Menu Options


Help Contents
Help - Table of Contents

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "C"ontents.

This command displays the table of contents of the Midi Machine main on-line help.  If you are looking for general help on using Midi Machine this is a good place to start.

See "Help - Search"

See "Help - Technical"


Searching the help file
Help - Search

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "S"earch for Help On...

This command brings up a dialog box so you may search the Midi Machine on-line help for a specific topic.

See "Help - Table of Contents"

See "Help - Search"


Help on Help

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "H"ow to use Help.

This command gives you information on how to access the Windows Help System (WinHelp).  If you are new to Windows or want some help-navigation "tricks," select this option.


Help - About Midi Machine

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "A"bout Midi Machine.

This command shows the Midi Machine title graphic.


Help - Registering Midi Machine

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "R"egister Midi Machine.

This command shows how to register Midi Machine if you have not already done so.


Help - Intro to Midi Machine
Help - Introduction

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "I"ntroduction to Midi Machine.

This command gives a brief introduction to Midi Machine's features.


Help - Technical
Help - Technical Information

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose "T"echnical Documents.

This command brings up the technical information help file that contains much useful information about Midi Machine, above and beyond what is covered in the standard help file.  The technical information file contains revision notes, answers to common technical questions, and more.

If you need more help or just can't get Midi Machine running correctly for you, e-mail "admalek@usit.net" with your question.  Please include all relevant information, such as your computer type, your sound card, the files you are trying to play, any errors you receive, etc.

See "Help - Table of Contents"


Help - Tip of the Day

To execute this function, either click on the above toolbar button if visible, or select the "H"elp menu and choose Tip of the "D"ay.

This command brings up the "Tip of the Day," a small piece of information designed to help you get the most out of Midi Machine.  Midi Machine randomly displays a tip from a central file.  If you want to see more tips, just go forward and backward through the tip file by using the buttons shown.

You can tell Midi Machine to always display the "Tip of the Day" when you start the program by clicking on the appropriate checkbox when the "Tip of the Day" is shown.


multqueue
The Multimedia Queue

The multimedia queue, the list of items on the right-hand side of the main Midi Machine window, contains the files that Midi Machine is either ready to play or currently playing.

You can add items to the multimedia queue, remove items, move items around, or save the current contents of the multimedia queue as albums.

By highlighting item(s) and clicking on the hands next to the multimedia queue, you can move such items up and down in the queue.

When you click on the "Queue Play" button, Midi Machine normally plays the multimedia queue items in a top-down fashion, removing each item as it goes.  You can adjust this by changing the playmodes feature.

Normally, Midi Machine adds item to the multimedia queue by placing new items below the others.  You can change this by checking the "Add to Top" checkbox on the main form.

The "View/Hide Path" tabs underneath the multimedia queue let you view/hide the full paths to the multimedia files.  They do nothing for any CD tracks contained in the multimedia queue.

See "Add Queue"

See "Remove Queue"

See "Managing Albums"

See "Move Queue Item(s) Up"

See "Move Queue Item(s) Down"

See "Playing Queue Items"

See "Playmodes"

See "Add to Top"

See "View/Hide Path Tab"


CD Audio

Midi Machine supports CD-Audio.  This means that you can place an audio CD (any category - rock, classical, jazz, rap, etc.) in your CD-ROM drive and Midi Machine can play this CD for you.  Midi Machine does this by treating CD tracks and multimedia files the same.  By doing so, you can mix multimedia files and CD tracks in the multimedia queue.

Midi Machine normally plays audio CDs from first track to the last in sequential order, but it can play the tracks in a different order by adjusting the playmode.

Midi Machine lets you enter CD-relevant information, such as the title, author, category, and misc. names.  Midi Machine also lets you "rename" the tracks.  All of this information is saved and recalled the next time you re-insert the CD.

In order for Midi Machine to recall CD information, you must tell it to "Seek the Current CD Info," which is as simple as pressing a button.  Or, tell Midi Machine to automatically seek the CD information when you start the program.  Or, just click the "Play CD" button.

Just like a "regular" CD player, you can eject the CD by pressing the "Eject CD" button.

Click on the links below for more information on particular topics.

See "Play the Whole CD"

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Playmodes"

See "Editing CD Information"

See "Rename File/CD Track"

See "Seek the Current CD Info"

See "CD Audio Setup"

See "Eject CD"


File/CD Track Listbox

The File/CD Track Listbox (located at the bottom-left of the Midi Machine main window) shows either:

1) The multimedia files in the current drive/path
2) The track names on the current CD

You can toggle the display of these items by clicking on the "File/CD-Audio" tab above the File/CD Track Listbox and just under the Drive Selection area.

Files can be renamed, copied, deleted, or moved, or you can get information on a particular file.  CD tracks can be renamed or you can get information on a particular CD track.

If you do not see multimedia files in the current path and you know they exist, choose the "View - Filetypes" option to see if Midi Machine is set up to display a particular filetype.

To play multimedia files or CD-audio tracks, you need to queue them for playing by adding them from the File/CD Track Listbox to the multimedia queue.

Click on the links below for more information on particular topics.

See "Drive Selection"

See "File/CD-Audio Tab"

See "File - Rename"

See "File - Copy"

See "File - Delete"

See "File - Move"

See "File - Info"

See "CD Audio"

See "View - Filetypes"

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Add Item(s) to Queue"


Filtering FileTypes

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Filetypes"

When you display the multimedia files on your computer by choosing the "File" tab underneath the Drive Selection area, the File/CD Track Listbox displays only the files whose types match those of your choosing.  If you want to display or hide certain filetypes, select this option.  On the window that follows, check the filetypes which you would like displayed.

Certain filetypes (such as .MPG and .AU) require new downloadable drivers available from Microsoft's© web site.  If you have trouble playing certain multimedia files, download and install ActiveMovie© from http://www.microsoft.com.

See "File/CD-Audio Tab"

See "Drive Selection"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


Drive Selection

The Drive Selection area, located at the top-left of the Midi Machine main window, shows the currently selected drive.  You can tell Midi Machine to look for multimedia files on any drive on your system or on another system (if you are networked and have access privileges).

Simply click on the Drive Selection area to choose a new drive.  Note that to add CD tracks into the multimedia queue, you must click on the "CD-Audio" tab underneath the "Drive Selection" area.  Merely clicking the CD-ROM's drive letter will NOT pull up CD-Audio files in the File/CD Track Listbox.

See "CD Audio"

See "File/CD-Audio Tab"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


General Setup

To change the general options available for Midi Machine, select "T"ools and then "Setup."  Select the "General" tab on the dialog box that follows.  The options are:

"Allow Drag&Drop Items to Queue?"
---
  Yes - Allows you to drag and drop items to the multimedia queue from File Manager (Win3.1) or Explorer (Win95).
  No - Does not allow items to be dragged and dropped to the multimedia queue.

See "Setup Options"

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Add Item(s) to Queue"


Starting Midi Machine

When you start up Midi Machine, you can have the program automatically do things for you.

Midi Machine can automatically display a "Tip of the Day" every time it starts.  It can automatically seek the current CD information on startup.  Midi Machine also can load a default album when it is started each time.

See "Help - Tip of the Day"

See "Setup - CD Audio"

See "Setup - Default Album"


Directory Listbox

The directory listbox, the middle-left item on the Midi Machine main windows, shows the currently selected directory (folder)  and part of the directory tree.  The files in the current directory are shown in the File/CD Track Listbox.

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"


File/CD Audio Tab
Tab - File/CD Audio

Clicking on the File/CD Audio tab tells Midi Machine the kind of multimedia items you want to find.  The "File" tab tells Midi Machine to display multimedia files and the "CD Audio" tab tells Midi Machine to look for CD-audio tracks.

See "CD Audio"


Tab - View/Hide Path
Tab - View Path/Hide Path

Clicking on the "View Path/Hide Path" tab tells Midi Machine whether or not you wish to view the full directory paths of the multimedia files residing in the multimedia queue.  Click on "View Path" to see the full path and "Hide Path" to only show the filename and extension.

See "Multimedia Queue"


Add to Top Button
Add to Top

Normally, Midi Machine adds item to the multimedia queue by placing new items below the others.  You can change this by checking the "Add to Top" checkbox located on the lower-left of the main window.  If this item is checked, any time you add items to the multimedia queue they will be placed before currently residing items.

See "Multimedia Queue"

See "Add Item(s) to Queue"


Popups

The red arrows on the Midi Machine main form are the popups.  By clicking on these arrows you can view or hide elements on the Midi Machine main window.


Misc. Screen Elements

Here are the other Midi Machine main window screen elements:

See "File/CD Audio Tab"

See "View Path/Hide Path Tab"

See "Add to Top Button"

See "Popups"

See "Toolbar Exclamation Button"


Toolbar Exclamation Button

The exclamation point button on the toolbar toggles between viewing the toolbar buttons and viewing the currently playing song's name, position, and length on the toolbar.

TIP:  Undock the toolbar after you 'fill' your queue.  Minimize Midi Machine.  Then, you can play, pause, and stop your multimedia playback with the toolbar.  PLUS, by clicking this button, you can view the current song's information without having to restore the full Midi Machine window!


Service and Support

If you should have any problems with Midi Machine, you can contact us on-line.  Our web site also has the latest version of Midi Machine and the support technical documents.

World-Wide-Web:

http://members.aol.com/excelprogs (or)
http://idibbs.com/excel/ep.htm

E-Mail:

andrew.malek@idibbs.com (or)
admalek@usit.net

We regret that, at this time, we do not offer support via telephone.

Have fun with Midi Machine V3.1!

Andrew Malek
Excel Progs Shareware Organization


What's New

To execute this function, select the "H"elp menu and choose "W"hat's New?

This option shows the new features and bug fixes in the current release of Midi Machine.  Click here if you are upgrading from an older version and want to see the list of updates.


View Welcome Screen

To execute this function, select the "H"elp menu and choose "V"iew Welcome Screen.

This option brings up the welcome screen that you normally see when you first start Midi Machine.  By clicking on a button, you can do the following (listed from top to bottom, left to right):

"Play and Manage Your Multimedia" - exits the welcome screen and goes back to Midi Machine's main window.

"What's New?" - displays new Midi Machine features.

"Visit our cool web site!" - if you have a web browser and Internet connection, takes you straight to Midi Machine's web site.

"Introduction to Midi Machine!" - displays introductory text about what Midi Machine has to offer.

"Download Multimedia!" - if you have a web browser and Internet connection, takes you to a web site where you can download multimedia files.

"Load and Play an Album!" - load a previously made Midi Machine album and have it automatically play.

"I Need Some Help Now!" - displays this help file.

"Play Songs By Chris Humphreys" - plays a special set of songs, exclusive for Midi Machine, written by music composer Chris Humphreys.

"Technical Help" - displays technical Midi Machine help.

See "What's New?"

See "Help - Introduction"

See "Loading Albums"

See "Help - Technical Information"


View Menu

As of Midi Machine V3.1, many of the display settings are now customizable by using the "V"iew menu.  Click on one of the below topics to see more information.

See "View Animated Icon"

See "View F1 Text on Statusbar"

See "View Help Text on Statusbar"

See "View Popups Buttons"

See "View Queue Position Moving Hands"

See "View Song Length/Position"

See "View Filetypes"


View Song Length/Position
View - Song Length/Position

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Song Length/Position."

When checked, this causes Midi Machine to displays the song length and the position in the song on the main window.

(Note that by clicking the exclamation button on the toolbar you can see the song length/position information even with this option set to unchecked).

See "View Menu"


View Queue Position Moving Hands
View - Queue Position Moving Hands

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Queue Position Moving Hands."

When checked, this causes Midi Machine to display two hand buttons next to the multimedia queue.  Clicking on one of these buttons moves the selected queue items up or down.  When unchecked, besides not displaying the two hand buttons, Midi Machine increases the visible room for the queue display.  This (unchecked) mode is the default.

See "View Menu"

See "Move Queue Items Up"

See "Move Queue Items Down"


View Animated Icon

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Animated Icon."

When checked, this causes Midi Machine to show the animated icon in the middle of the Midi Machine main window.

See "View Menu"


View F1 Text on Statusbar
View  - F1 Text on Statusbar

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "F1 Text on Statusbar."

When checked, this causes Midi Machine to remind you on the statusbar that pressing F1, while the mouse is over selected items, brings up the help.

Jump To "View Menu"


View Help Text on Statusbar
View - Help Text on Statusbar

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Help Text on Statusbar."

When checked, this causes Midi Machine to shows help text on the statusbar while the mouse is over selected items.

See "View Menu"


View Popups Buttons

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Popups Buttons."

When checked, this causes Midi Machine to show the popups buttons that allow you to temporarily hide elements of the Midi Machine window.

See "View Menu"

See "Popups"


View Filetypes
View - Filetypes

To execute this function, select the "V"iew menu, then "Filetypes"

When you display the multimedia files on your computer by choosing the "File" tab underneath the Drive Selection area, the File/CD Track Listbox displays only the files whose types match those of your choosing.  If you want to display or hide certain filetypes, select this option.  On the window that follows, check the filetypes which you would like displayed.

Certain filetypes (such as .MPG and .AU) require new downloadable drivers available from Microsoft's© web site.  If you have trouble playing certain multimedia files, download and install ActiveMovie© from http://www.microsoft.com.

See "File/CD-Audio Tab"

See "Drive Selection"

See "File/CD Track Listbox"