SoundStation Help

Welcome to SoundStation.  To learn more about using the program, choose one of the topics below.

Introduction

What is SoundStation?

The System

The Mixer

The CD Player

The MIDI Player

The Wave Player

The Remote Controls

Other Information

Drag and Drop

Customizing SoundStation

Hardware Specific Issues

Why doesn't the program do this?


Drag and Drop

Drag and Drop is a feature of Windows that is supported by SoundStation.  This feature allows you to drag Wave and MIDI files from Windows' File Manager to SoundStation and have the files load up automatically.  You may drag both Wave and MIDI files to SoundStation at the same time.

There are options that you can set regarding dragging and dropping files on SoundStation.  For both the Wave and MIDI players, you can have dropped files either replace the current play list, or the dropped files can be added on to the current play list.  See the topics The Wave Player Setup Dialog and The MIDI Player Setup Dialog for more information on drag and drop options.

If you drop files on SoundStation and the device that uses that type of file is currently playing, the dropped files will be ignored.  For example, if the Wave component is playing or recording, then dropped Wave files will be ignored.  Also, dropped files for any particular device cannot exceed 50 files per device, including any existing files if you have the option set to have dropped files add to the current play list.


Program Explanation
What is SoundStation?

SoundStation is a one-stop solution for controlling your computer's sound card and/or CD-ROM player using Windows 3.1 and the Windows Multimedia facilities.  SoundStation allows you to play Windows wave (.WAV) files and MIDI (.MID) files through your sound card.  You can also use SoundStation to control your computer's CD-ROM player as if it were an audio CD player.

SoundStation's main screen looks very similar to a stacked stereo component system.  There are many reasons for this.  The first, and major, reason is that most people know how to operate a stereo system.  Therefore, logically arranging all of the functionality into one "system" that is tightly integrated and has a familiar face should help both the novice and the expert to quickly familiarize themselves with the program.

The second reason that SoundStation looks like a stereo system is that it seems to be a popular format for this type of program.  Also, with the Windows interface being as it is with buttons, graphical displays and so forth, it seemed like a natural arrangement.

One of the main features that we like to point out is the program's extensibility.  In other words, if you don't like the way something works, you can probably modify the functionality to suit your tastes.  Just as there are thousands of different real stereo systems with their own methods of implementing certain functions, this program can be thought of as just another one of those systems with it's own inherent behavior.  We've at least given you the choice to modify some of that behavior, which is more than most real stereos can do.

Another interesting feature of SoundStation is the liberal application of graphical elements and symbols instead of plain old text on many of the buttons and displays.  Think of it in this way: at least the little button with the right facing single arrow indicates Play, not only on the CD player, but also on the Wave player and the MIDI player.  In other words, once you've mastered one component's operation, you're most of the way towards understanding the other components.  Just like buying all of your real stereo components from the same manufacturer.

But, don't buy a real stereo.  Just browse through this Help file and find out how you can use SoundStation to entertain yourself and impress your friends enough to sway them into buying a computer to play music on.  After all, what good is a computer if it can't entertain you?


Customization
Customizing SoundStation

There a number of customizing options with the SoundStation.  These are presented when you select the Setup button on the "mixer" component.  Press the button on the Setup dialog for the desired device to customize.


Hardware Issues
Hardware Specific Issues

This topic is designed to help answer some potential questions you may have regarding SoundStation and particular hardware setups.  Since we have had more experience with hardware that is directly supported by the program, the information contained in this section will generally tend to deal more with those products.  Please refer to this section and the topic Why Doesn't the Program Do This? before calling us when experiencing problems with the program.

A good rule of thumb to remember with any program is that if a function has worked fine day after day and suddenly it doesn't work correctly or the same way anymore, then something else has changed in the system to affect the particular program.  Before calling us to report a bug with a function that has worked many times over before, make sure that you have not installed or removed software, drivers, or hardware that may affect the way that SoundStation operates.  If you buy a new sound card and install it, and SoundStation starts acting differently from that point on, then it should be obvious that some other aspect of the system is probably at fault, and not SoundStation.

Mixer Input and Master Level Controls

Different sound cards have different on-board mixing capabilities which affect the appearance and operation of the SoundStation Mixer panel.  In particular, some sound cards support on-board volume adjustments for items like the line level input and CD-ROM input, while others do not.

The Recording Input (Rec) Buttons

For the generic Windows MCI card type, current Windows API's do not define recording capabilities or switching between recording inputs.  The best bet here is to use any utilities you may have received with your sound card to switch or enable inputs for recording before starting to record with SoundStation.

Device Drivers

SoundStation is, for the most part, fully dependent on the MCI (Multimedia Control Interface) drivers that should be supplied with newer sound card and CD-ROM players.  These are Windows specific drivers.  If you have an older sound card which did not come with drivers that you had to install via the Control Panel Drivers applet in Windows, then a lack of functionality is probably due to the fact that you have no current drivers.  It is recommended in this case that you contact the manufacturer of your equipment to see if drivers are now available.  In most cases, you should be able to obtain current Windows drivers at little or no cost.

Windows 3.1 supplied CD-ROM MCI Driver

We do know for a fact that the generic CD-ROM driver supplied with Windows sometimes provides incomplete or quirky operation when used with SoundStation and certain older CD-ROM devices.  This is probably due to the fact that it is a generic, catch-all driver which is not particularly targeted to a specific hardware standard.  We recommend that you contact your CD-ROM manufacturer to see if current drivers are available for your equipment if you are using the Windows supplied driver and are having problems.  More importantly, make sure that you are using a newer version of the DOS based driver - MSCDEX.EXE (preferably version 2.2).


Troubles
Why doesn't the program do this?

This section presents answers to commonly asked questions dealing with the operational capabilities of SoundStation.

Why can't I record MIDI files?

The MIDI player was designed solely to play existing MIDI song files through the built-in MIDI sythesizer present on most all sound cards.  It does not attempt to use the external MIDI input/output port when present.  There are many excellent programs available for the recording, playback, authoring and modification of MIDI song files using the computer and external MIDI compatible equipment.

I've seen standalone software packages for Windows that provides a real-time spectrum analysis of waveform files or sound card output in the form of multiple frequency signal bar graph displays and so on.  Why don't you put this feature in SoundStation?

We have considered it, and are investigating the feasability of this feature.  Be forewarned that it will be a CPU intensive task, however.  We might offer this capability in the future if we find that it can be done without severely impeding CPU performance for other Windows tasks.

I got some MIDI files from a bulletin board and attempted to play them with SoundStation but all I get is silence, or only one or two instruments play, or some of the instruments are not correct.

MIDI files contain information which indicates which instrument is to play each part of the composition, and which channel of the device is to play the particular part.  As the instrument information embedded in the file is in the form of a number, and not an actual instrument name, the actual instrument that plays is a function of what instrument is mapped on the particular playing device to the number indicated in the file.  The intended instrument may be different on another person's equipment than it is on your equipment.  In other words, your computer's MIDI setup may have Instrument #1 mapped as a piano, but the author's equipment had Instrument #1 set up as a Tuba.  Obviously, the song that the author composed with a Tuba will sound markedly different with a piano playing the same part.

Some MIDI files have no instrument information embedded, but only channel information.  In this instance, the author's equipment probably depended on the author having the proper instrument samples loaded in the proper channels of the equipment.  As long at the author performs this manual setup of his equipment, playback of the song would sound fine on his equipment.  However, once you get the song, you may have no idea what instruments the author intended to be assigned to each channel of the equipment.  Also, some MIDI drivers in Windows cannot assume that an instrument is preloaded in a particular channel and therefore will reward you with dead silence when you attempt the play such a song.

What is the solution?  First of all, most newer sound card MIDI drivers provide a General MIDI mapping.  General MIDI is more or less a standard agreement on which instruments are defined by which instrument numbers.  When you search around bulletin boards for MIDI songs to try out, look to see if the author indicates that it is General MIDI compatible.  This will hopefully be your assurance that several minutes of downloading will not go unrewarded.


SoundStation is a multimedia product which allows the user

to play Wave, MIDI and CD music files on properly equipped

Windows-based computers.