 presents

Virtuosa

Virtual Hi-Fi System

 version 3.0

Virtuosa, from AudioSoft, is a an original free software that converts your PC into a Virtual stereo system and jukebox. Virtuosa is a user-friendly tool to organize all your sound files and to create customized music compilations by artist, by theme, by atmosphere, etc…as well as burning them onto CDs.

Virtuosa  is a technological wonder that plays all standard sound files which have either been downloaded from the Internet or that are stored into your PC. Virtuosa  also has the capability to play audio tracks from your CD-Rom player, identify and retrieve audio CD information off the Internet (CDDB query) and even to have your favorite tracks transferred from your CD collection to your hard drive !

Through a simple click within Virtuosa, the user directly enters into AudioSofts City Music shops,

the worlds first music stores with on-line delivery, to purchase more tracks. With Virtuosa, the user can create an unlimited number of music compilations on his/her PC, storing up more than 15 hours of music on a 1 gigabyte hard drive !

With AudioSofts Virtuosa Gold you are now able to perform high-speed digital transfers of tracks from your audio CDs, and then to include them into compilations lists and burn your own CD after arranging the tracks in your preferred order.

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How To install ...

To launch Virtuosa™, just click on the Virtuosa™ icon "Virtuosa.exe" in the directory it has been installed or access it directly from the start/programs/audiosoft menu. Virtuosa™ looks for all the music files available on your hard disk and loads the updated music database. This step also reloads the Virtuosa™ configuration you had when you last used it.

Virtuosa™ integrates dedicated drivers to use your PCs sound devices so as to use your Audio CD-Player and your multimedia sound files.

General

List of features

AudioSoft Player

Configuration requirement

Remarks


Dowload FREE tracks at http://www.citymusic.com


Features descriptions
List of features

Audio Player

-Local play with fast forward and rewind functions , just click on the track into the windows

-Compatible sound file formats : ASFS, WAV, MP3, MIDI, MOD etc...

-Control of volume and balance

Playlists Maker

-Music programming of sound files in drag & drop mode

-Local database  for customized compilations

-Creation of an unlimited number of compilations

-Listen to compilations in loop mode, or introduction mode

-User-friendly sorting of tracks (album, title)

CD Player

-Fully integrated audio CD player list mode

-1X analogic copy from the Audio CD to the hard disk in .WAV format whether by drag & drop mode with integrated VU meter or through the Record icon in the CD-Player menu for freeware version.

-High speed numerical copy from Audio CD to the hard disk in .WAV and ASFS (high quality compressed) whether by drag & drop for Gold version only

-On line retrieving of AUDIO CD information with CDDB query

Basic Environment

-Direct link from Virtuosa to City Music shops to purchase related tracks

-Full customization of the screen and of the covers

CD-Burning

-Audio CD burning, from Playlists (Red Book compliant) : to make your

customized compilation CD


Player descriptions
AudioSoft Player

The AudioSoft Player 3.00 enables you to pre-listen and to purchase music tracks on line on either the City Music shop or the Internet Music Commerce web sites. The AudioSoft technology guarantees the protection of the copyrights on the digital networks.


configuration descriptions
Configuration

All sound devices are managed from Virtuosa™ without any additional configuration.

•	Hardware:

-	Multimedia PC with Pentium processor.

-	10 Mb disk space necessary to the installation, 17 Mb for the complete version with songs tracks.

-	16 Mb Ram minimum

-	Screen with 256 colors, optimization for 65000 colors.

-	Soundblaster® sound card or Windows® compatible sound card.

-	CD-ROM drive , CD-R for CD burning : list published on

 http://www.audiosoft.virtuosa.com web site( Gold version )

•	Software:

-	Internet access and HTML browser recommended,

-	Windows 95®,

-	DAO 3.5  installed by the setup only if it is not already installed on the PC


remarks descriptions
Remarks

•	A white music note icon in the menu bars allows you to move the menu windows and place them as you wish.

•	If you click on a sound file with the right button of your mouse, you can access the pop-up menu to change its information: titles, artists, cover etc…

•	You can make an analog or digital copy (1X) from your CD to your hard drive with a simple drag & drop from the AUDIO-CD window to the Music Database window. You can include additional information (title, artist etc.) in the dialog window during the copy. It is best to first identify the CD with the CDDB query and then to transfer it onto the hard drive, so that all of the information is already filled in.

•	The recording level taken in account in analog mode is the one in Windows (the usual application is called: Volume Control / Properties / Volume Control).

•	The right mouse click can be accessed to retrieve the main menus.

•	To change the letter drive for CD-Player, go into : Settings/Control Panel/ Multimedia/CD Music/ CD Rom Drive

If you have any comments , suggestions or problems please feel free to contact us :

support@audiosoft.com


main menu toolbars
Main menu toolbars commands

The Two main menus toolbars offers the following commands:

Add new tracks	To load new tracks in the music library.
Music Database	Music library window.
Compilation	Compilation list window.
CD-Player	Virtuosa CD-Player function
CD-Recordable	CD Burning function ( non available)
Connect to City Music	Access to the City Music store
Now	Cover window.
Volume	Volume and balance control.
Options	To customize your Virtuosa
About	Information about Virtuosa
Bin	To delete sound files
Help	To consult the context help


compilation window menu toolbars
Compilation window menu commands

The compilation window menu offers the following commands:

Sort	To sort music tracks.
Clone list	To duplicate a list of tracks.
Information	To access more information.
Zoom	To enlarge the Window..
Close	To close the music library window.
Maximize	To enlarge the window.
Minimize	To reduce the window.
Continous PLay	To play the playlist in loop mode
Intro PLay	To play the introduction


List of compilation window menu commands

The list of compilation window menu offers the following commands:

Sort	To sort the compilations.
New	To create a new compilation.
Information	To access more information
Close	To close the compilation window


CD-Player menu commands

The CD-Player menu offers the following commands.

Record	To copy sound tracks from Audio CD.
Close/Eject	To eject the CD.
Information	To access more information about the track of the Audio CD
Zoom	To enlarge the Window..
Query CDDB	To retrieve on line the information of your Audio CD
Initialize CD	To reset your CD playlist according to the original CD.


Main toolbar menu
Add new tracks command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to load new titles in the music library from a Windows dialog box.

You can also drag & drop music files from the Windows file manager or the Microsoft Windows Explorer.

Icon of the main menu bar

Toolbar one :


Base
Open Database : Music Database command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to list all the tracks available in your music library. You can make an analogic copy (1X) from your CD to your hard drive with a simple drag & drop from the AUDIO-CD window to the Music Database window. You can include additional information (title, artist etc.) in the dialog window during the copy.

Icon of the main menu bar

Toolbar one :


Compilation
Compilation  list window access (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to create customised compilations.

Icon of the main menu bar

Toolbar one :


CD-Player
CD-Player access command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to control your Audio CD  Player from Virtuosa.

Icon of the main menu bar

Toolbar one :


CD-Recordable
CD-Recordable access command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to burn music tracks onto a CD recordable (non available on freeware version).

Icon of the main menu bar

Toolbar one :


connect to City Music
Connect to City Music access command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to create a direct link to the City Music shop to download new tracks on-line.

Icon of the main menu bar

Toolbar one :


Now windows access
Now  window access command (Main toolbar menu)

Access to the track currently played with Virtuosa with additional informations  (cover, title, artist etc.) and backwards and forwards skip function.

Icon of the main menu bar

Second Toolbar  :


Volume Window
Volume  window access command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to access the control of volume and balance for sound files played from Virtuosa and from the audio CD-player.

Icon of the main menu bar

Second Toolbar  :


Options Window
Options  configuration access command (Main toolbar menu)

Icon of the main menu bar

Second Toolbar  :

Use this command to customize your Virtuosa :

- General/tools : to hide the menu bars ( to unhide them , click on  options  in the pop-up menu with the right button of your mouse)

- Appearance : to change and customize the background with your wallpapers.

- Audio : With the “advanced” button, you can select or modify the recording parameters. The new options are automatically saved for later recordings.

- General/tools : to hide the menu bars (to unhide them, click on  options  in the pop-up menu from the right button of the mouse).

- General/Windows : toggle mode of the windows closing : the first mouse click opens the window and the second click closes it

- General/Misc : duration of the played introduction time, you can choose from 1 to 100 seconds to be played for each track, in sequence.

- General/CD Player

•	Autoinsert notification :  launches Virtuosa on the Audio-CD insertion (by default)

•	Auto Play : if the Autoinsert notification is selected , Virtuosa plays automatically the Audio-CD at the insertion of it.

•	Display the CD Content in phonogramme list mode (by default).

•	Show track number : displays the number of the track , just near the phonogramme.

-Appearance : to change and personalize the background

-Audio/Recording : 2 modes are available : analog or digital

•	The Analog Recording mode will play the track from the audio CD and then record it on the hard drive. There are two conversions, implying a loss in quality: first, digital to analog, and second, analog to digital. The analog mode is performed at 1X speed, but needs only one pass. This is the default mode. If you have selected a non-real-time compression algorithm (as MPEG L3), you must switch the “conversion after recording” option on, so that the audio data will be compressed after it has been recorded.

•	The Digital Recording mode will directly transfer the digital data from the CD to the hard drive, without any digital to analog or analog to digital conversions. Hence, the quality is much better and the volume optimization is preserved. The Digital Recording mode is performed at the CD-Rom speed (up to 15X , it depends on the CD-Rom manufacture), but needs two passes : one for copying and one for compressing if desired.

With the “advanced” button, you can select or modify the recording parameters, for both modes. The new options will be automatically saved for later recordings.

The digital mode is only available in the Virtuosa Gold Version.

Remark : if your CD-R does not support digital recording, change to the analog mode.

-Audio/Output: choose low quality for 486 PC or less CPUs. The decompression algorithm used in the ASFS files will be less CPU intensive.

-Audio/Online: on line identification and retrieving of your audio CD information. These references will automatically be saved into your music database. You can use it if you have an Internet access. 2 protocols are available: CDDB (by default) or http. Also, you can choose the server nearest to your machine in the proposed list.


About  command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to access to the company and software information.

Icon of the main menu bar

Second Toolbar  :


Bin Window
Bin  access command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to delete sound files by drag & drop in the background or into the bin icon.

Icon of the main menu bar

Second Toolbar  :

To delete definitely the sound track from the database, remove the file from the hard disk.


Sort  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to sort the tracks by alphabetic order (by title, artist, album) with successive clicks.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Main Menu Window
Help  access command (Main toolbar menu)

Use this command to consult the context help.

Icon of the main menu bar

Second Toolbar  :


Clone list  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to duplicate the music library for temporary changes purposes.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Zoom  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to enlarge the music database window, or the compilation window.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Maximize  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to enlarge the window and to access additional track information (album, duration etc.).

Icon of the menu bar    :


Minimize  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to reduce the window size and to come back to the basic track information  (title, artist etc.).

Icon of the menu bar    :


Continuous play  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command  to play the playlist in loop mode

Icon of the menu bar    :


Intro play  access command (Compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command   to play the introduction of each phonogram. The duration can be choosen in the options

Icon of the menu bar    :


Close  access command (Compilation  and list toolbar menu)

Use this command to close the music database window.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Sort  access command (List of compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to sort compilations (non available in this version).

Icon of the menu bar    :


New access command (List of compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to create a new compilation with customized information.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Information access command (List of compilation  toolbar menu)

Use this command to visualize and change the properties of the compilation (name etc.).

Icon of the menu bar    :


Pause access command (Player toolbar menu)

Use this command to stop the playing.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Record access command (Player toolbar menu)

Use this command to copy a CD track to the hard disk.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Close/Eject access command (Player toolbar menu)

Use this command to eject the CD.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Information access command (Player toolbar menu)

Use this command to visualize and change the properties of the selected  track (name , title, filename etc.).

.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Query CDDB access command (Player toolbar menu)

Use this command to retrieve the information of your Audio CD, the online access is performed when you connect through the network. These information are saved into the database and are retrieved each time you listen to your Audio CD again.

Icon of the menu bar    :


Initialize CD access command (Player toolbar menu)

Use this command to  reset your CD playlist according to the original CD

Icon of the menu bar    :


File Print command
Print command (File menu)

Use this command to print a document.   This command presents a Print dialog box, where you may specify the range of pages to be printed, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other printer setup options.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+P


Print dialog box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This is the active printer and printer connection.  Choose the Setup option to change the printer and printer connection.

Setup

Displays a Print Setup dialog box, so  you can select a printer and printer connection.

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

All	Prints the entire document.
Selection	Prints the currently selected text.
Pages	Prints the range of pages you specify in the From and To boxes.
Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print for the above page range.

Collate Copies

Prints copies in page number order, instead of separated multiple copies of each page.

Print Quality

Select the quality of the printing.  Generally, lower quality printing takes less time to produce.


Print Progress Dialog

The Printing dialog box is shown during the time that <<YourApp>> is sending output to the printer.  The page number indicates the progress of the printing.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


File Print Preview command
Print Preview command (File menu)

Use this command to display the active document as it would appear when printed.  When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which one or two pages will be displayed in their printed format.  The print preview toolbar offers you options to view either one or two pages at a time; move back and forth through the document; zoom in and out of pages; and initiate a print job.


Print Preview toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the print dialog box, to start a print job.

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


File Print Setup command
Print Setup command (File menu)

Use this command to select a printer and a printer connection.  This command presents a Print Setup dialog box, where you specify the printer and its connection.


Print Setup dialog box

The following options allow you to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.  Choose the Default Printer; or choose the Specific Printer option and select one of the current installed printers shown in the box.  You install printers and configure ports using the Windows Control Panel.

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

Select the size of paper that the document is to be printed on.

Paper Source

Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources.  Specify the tray here.

Options

Displays a dialog box where you can make additional choices about printing, specific to the type of printer you have selected.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Page Setup Command
Page Setup command (File menu)

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Record menu commands

 The Record menu offers the following commands:

First Record	Shows the first record in the current selection
Previous Record	Shows the previous record in the current selection
Next Record	Shows the next record in the current selection
Last Record	Shows the last record in the current selection


First Record command
First Record command (Record menu)

Use this command to go to the first record in the current selection.

Shortcut

Toolbar:


Previous Record command
Previous Record command (Record menu)

Use this command to go to the previous record in the current selection.

Shortcut

Toolbar:


Next Record  command
Next Record command (Record menu)

Use this command to go to the next record in the current selection.  This command will be disabled if you are currently viewing the last record and have arrived at this record by a series of Next Record commands instead of the Last Record Command.

Shortcut

Toolbar:


Last Record command
Last Record command (Record menu)

Use this command to go to the last record in the current selection.

Shortcut

Toolbar: