Contents
Contents for [image] Pocket Mixer Help

Pocket Mixer is a simple, easy to use Windows 3.1 based application which allows you to control the volume and equalization settings of your sound card and create custom mixer files.

Using Pocket Mixer

File Menu Commands

Recording/Playback Considerations

Recording with a Microphone

To Set an Audio Source for Playing or Recording

For Help on Help, Press F1


Using Pocket Mixer

Use Pocket Mixer to control the unique stereo mixing and equalization capabilities of your sound card. Pocket Mixer creates MIX files, which are snapshots of the particular settings (volume, balance, bass, etc.) as they are currently displayed. When you are satisfied with the settings you can save the MIX file, thus allowing you to retain a particular mix and then use it later by simply opening the file.

When would you want to create a MIX file? You can use the Pocket Mixer to tailor the volume settings of all of your audio sources to perfectly customize your multimedia presentations.  Your settings are retained in .MIX files for later use. For example, you can create a MIX file called AUDIT.MIX, mixed exclusively for presentations inside of a large auditorium. In large, open environments your narration might be drowned out by the booming bass frequencies of your background music, so you can use the Pocket Mixer to reduce the bass output for just such a presentation environment and save these parameters in a MIX file.

When presenting the same demonstration in a small board room use your BOARDRM.MIX file to playback your audio mixed especially for the smaller, acoustically tighter environment.

The audio channels from left to right are described below. Note that the balance and volume for each channel can be changed by using either the sliders below each channel or by using the balance and volume controls.

  Monitor: allows you to listen to what you are recording. Raising or lowering the volume of this channel will affect only the perceived volume of the audio channels set to record mode; it will have no effect on audio channels set to playback  mode.

  FM Channel: stereo channel for the  sound card's FM synthesizer. Raises and lowers the playback/record volume of the internal FM synthesizer.

  Microphone: mono input from a microphone. Raises and lowers the playback/record volume of the microphone channel.

  Digital Audio: mono or stereo channel for playback of digital waveforms by your PC's internal speaker. Raises and lowers the playback/record volume of the waveform channel.

  CD: stereo input from internal or external CD-ROM drives connected to your sound cards internal audio connector.  Raises and lowers the playback/record volume.

  PC Speaker: mono input that duplicates any sounds generated. Raises and lowers the playback/record volume.

NOTE: Not all systems support the PC Speaker feature.

  Aux: stereo input from CD players, tape players, stereo tuners and other devices capable of line-level input to your sound card's stereo-line in.

  Balance: adjusts the output from the left and right channels. Note that balance can also be changed by using the mouse to drag up and down on the slider below each audio source.

  Volume: controls volume of the currently selected audio channel . Note that volume can also be changed by using the mouse to drag up and down on the slider below each audio source.

  Bass (BASS): the bass adjustments can be accomplished by using the bass knob or by continuously clicking on the + or - icon just below the bass knob. These icons control the volume of the lower frequencies of the combined audio sources.

  Treble (TREB): the treble adjustments can be accomplished by using the  treble knob or by continuously clicking on the + or - icon just below the treble knob.  These icons control the volume of the higher frequencies of the combined audio sources.

  Stereo Enhance: this feature of the Pocket Mixer makes sounds being played back richer and fuller. This effect is accomplished  by phase shifting the left and right channels by a small degree. This results in "Spatial Separation," which makes all sounds to be stereo, and the stereo sounds to be more dynamic.

  Loudness: this icon boosts the lower bass frequencies of the combined audio sources.

  Mute: mutes all audio output.


File Menu Commands

New

Creates a new mix file, and presents you with a dialog box for specifying mixing parameters.

Open...

Presents you with a file requester to open a MIX file.

Save

Saves the current MIX file.  If the current MIX file is untitled you will be prompted to input a standard file format.

Save As...

Lets you save your file under a different name and extension.  Save As... saves the current contents of the file being mixed to a new file, without affecting either the contents or state of the file.

Revert

This selection causes the current MIX file to revert to the last saved version.  This feature is useful if you accidentally edit a wavefile.

Exit

This selection exits the Pocket Mixer application. If there is an open MIX file currently being edited, you will be prompted to save changes.

About

Displays information on which version of Pocket Mixer you are using as well as displaying the Media Vision logo.


Creating a Mix File

In order to create a MIX file you have to have an audio file or several sources of audio to mix. In the procedures below it is assumed that the file being played is a MIDI file and the settings to be retained include the volume level of the FM synthesizer.  Lets assume that a business executive chooses a MIDI file for background music in a computer demo or that a musician has created their own MIDI file and wants to quickly tailor it for two different listening environments: an auditorium and a board room.

1.  From the Program Manager's Accessories group double click on the Media Player icon.

2.  From under the Media Player File menu select "Open...."

3. Within the "Open..." dialog box place the cursor within the File Name's text field and type *.MID.  Use the Drives selection windows to select a different directory if the MIDI file you are looking for is not in the default directory.

4. Highlight the MIDI file to play and click on the OK button. Media Player now loads your file.

5. Next, bring up Pocket Mixer.  From under Program Manager's Window menu select the Multimedia Tools group.  Double click on the Pocket Mixer icon.  Minimize Program Manager so you can place both Media Player and Pocket Mixer within view.

6.  Click on Media Player's Play button.  Once your MIDI file begins to play and you have output either from your external speakers or headphones, click on Pocket Mixer's FM icon (represented by the keyboard symbol).

7.  Use your mouse to click and drag up and down the FM channels Source Volume meter.  Notice how the volume increases as the green bars rise.  Now you can adjust the bass and treble to suit the particular environment in which the file will be played back.  Reducing the bass will reduce the amount of non-directional, lower frequencies being played.  Doing this will reduce the chance the sound appearing to "Boomy" if played back in an auditorium or large enclosure.  Raising the treble would help high frequencies reach the members of the audience who are seated on the sides of the auditorium. Or if you are mixing a musical selection you might want to adjust the bass and treble to your own personal taste.

7. When you have established your MIX file settings you can save your MIX file.  From under the File menu select "Save." Next, the Save Mixer File dialog box appears.  Type the name of your new MIX file into the File Name text field.

8. Click on the OK button. Your file name now appears on Pocket Mixer's title bar.

9. Once you have created several MIX files use the File menu's "Open" selection to open several different MIX files in quick succession.  As Pocket Mixer opens and closes the MIX files the audible difference between each file's settings become quite apparent.


Recording/Playback Considerations

When recording it is recommended that all audio sources not being used as input for recording have their volume levels reduced to zero, even though no audio may be present on a particular channel. This will help make your recording as noise-free as possible.

NOTE: To record off a particular audio channel one must toggle the button at the bottom of the slider to red (record mode). To play select green (playback mode). The passive channels (monitor and pro mixer) will always be gray.

Following are some examples:

The arrangment above will play WAV files through your card. Set your Pocket Mixer to look like this, then click on FILE, then SAVE AS... and save it as something you'll remember, for example PLAYWAV.MIX.  Thus, if you want to play only WAV files, this is the setup to use.

The above arrangment will play audio only from the internal FM synthesizer. If you want to play only FM synthesized sound, this is the setup to use.

This arrangement allows you to record from the LINE IN input on the sound card. This could be your CD player, FM/AM tuner, record player or whatever is plugged into the LINE IN jack.

To record using a microphone, plug your mic into the MICROPHONE jack and click on the small green record/playback mode button at the bottom of the column with the MIC ICON at the top (3rd from left); it will turn red (red is for RECORD MODE) - see above.

Then bring up the slider to the desired record volume (see above). Note that lowering or raising the monitor slider (gray) does not effect the recording level. It only effects the volume of the monitoring device (headphones, speakers). If, for example, you wished to record something without listening to it, you could pull the monitor slider all the way down.


Recording with a Microphone

When not recording or playing through the microphone, its volume level should be reduced to zero, especially if no microphone is connected to the microphone input jack of sound card. This is to reduce any possible noise.


To Set an Audio Source for Playing or Recording

The buttons below each of the Source Volume meters are used to toggle the audio source between playback mode (represented by green blocks) and record mode (represented by red blocks). This does not include the monitor or mixer channels, which are always gray. The Pocket Mixer can be used to mix any audio source selected for recording or playback by applications such as Media Player, Pocket Recorder, et. al..