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+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | (tm) | | VISUAL AUDIO | | | | Take the AUDIO listening experience to the VISUAL level. | | | | | | Version 1.0 Morton Utilities | | (C) Copyright 1994 Robert Morton 81-887 Tournament Way | | All Rights Reserved Indio, CA 92201 | | Released 03/29/94 (619) 347-7563 | | Compuserve 70132,3707 | | | | | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Visual Audio Features | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ o Sixteen band left and right channel real-time spectrum analyzer. o Left and right channel peak analyzer (oscilloscope). o Compact disc player with all the necessities including shuffle play, continuous play, and elapsed/total track displays. o Mixer with complete control over your sound card's mixing abilities including bass, treble, load, enhanced, and 100 levels of mixing for available inputs/outputs. o Save and load your favorite settings to/from one of eight presets. COPYRIGHT NOTICE This documentation and the software included with it as described in this documentation are copyrighted by Morton Utilities. Except as described in the following license agreement, this document may not, in whole or in part, be reproduced, photocopied, transmitted, transcribed, stored on a retrieval system or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Morton Utilities. Altering, modifying or adapting this software or documentation, including, but not limited to, translating, decompiling, disassembling, or creating derivative works is prohibited. DISCLAIMER Morton Utilities, makes no warranties or representation, either express or implied, with respect to this software or documentation, including their quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Morton Utilities be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use this software or documentation. LICENSE AGREEMENT You are licensed to use this software on a trial basis for a period of fourteen days. If after the trial period, you wish to continue using this program, you must purchase a permanent license from Morton Utilities. (See section entitled "Purchasing Visual Audio" for details.) You are granted a limited license to copy this program only for the trial use of others subject to the agreement described above, and also the following: o Visual Audio must be copied in unmodified form, complete with all files listed in section Introduction/Files. o No fee, charge or other compensation may be accepted or requested by anyone without express written consent from Morton Utilities. o This program may not be distributed in conjunction with any other product or service without a specific license to do so from Morton Utilities. Electronic bulletin board operators (Sysops) may post this program for downloading by their users without written consent only when the above conditions are met. A fee may be charged for access to the BBS as long as no specific fee is charged for access to the Visual Audio files. This program is distributed in a self-unarcing format. If your BBS uses a specific archive program for distributing programs, you may re-archive the VA files using it. However, ONLY the files pertaining to VA may be placed in the archive. Disk vendors and other Shareware distribution companies which market diskettes containing Shareware programs for profit MUST obtain written or oral consent from Morton Utilities. Permission is usually given; please write or call for details. You are not allowed to modify this software under any conditions. TRADEMARKS Visual Audio is a trademark of Morton Utilities. IBM PC, XT, AT, and PS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines. MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. PC-DOS is a trademark of International Business Machines. Pro Audio Spectrum is a trademark of Mediavision. Sound Blaster is a trademark of Creative Labs, Inc. +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Table of Contents | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Introduction .................................................... 1 Files ..................................................... 1 System Requirements ....................................... 1 Microsoft Windows and OS/2 Compatibility .................. 1 Purchasing Visual Audio ......................................... 2 Installation .................................................... 3 Configuration (VACONFIG) ........................................ 4 Sound Board ............................................... 4 Video Driver .............................................. 4 Wiring .................................................... 4 Mouse ..................................................... 4 CD-ROM Drive .............................................. 4 Import Mixer .............................................. 5 Export Mixer .............................................. 5 Settings Include Mixer .................................... 5 Running Visual Audio (VA) ....................................... 6 Command Line Parameters ................................... 6 Using Visual Audio .............................................. 7 Mixer ..................................................... 7 Compact Disc Player ....................................... 8 Spectrum Analyzer ......................................... 9 Peak Analyzer ............................................. 9 Visual Audio Wiring (VAWIRING) ................................. 10 Description .............................................. 10 Gutter ................................................... 10 Device #1-4 .............................................. 10 Visual Audio Devices (VADEVICE) ................................ 11 Description .............................................. 11 Type ..................................................... 11 Picture File ............................................. 11 Button On Color .......................................... 11 Button Off Color ......................................... 11 Button N/A Color ......................................... 11 Font Color ............................................... 12 Display Background Color ................................. 12 Show Color Table ......................................... 12 Appendix A: Questions & Answers ................................ 13 Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 1 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Introduction | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Visual Audio takes the audio listening experience to visual levels. Provides sixteen band left and right channel spectrum analyzer, left and right channel peak analyzer, compact disc player for selecting tracks, a mixer for mixing in external sources, plus much more. Visual Audio allows you to look at your music in different ways. Spectrum and peak analyzer displays can be colored in a variety of possibilities. Change the gravity on the spectrum analyzer or the trails on the peak analyzer for a variety of effects. Save and load your favorite settings to/from one of eight presets. Compact disc player comes standard with all the necessesities including shuffle play. Mixer allows you to change volume levels and sound characteristics such as bass, treble, etc. In the near future, we'll be offering an external laser with hookup to the printer port for extreme Visual Audio. Files ----- Visual Audio consists of the following files: MANUAL.DOC Visual Audio Manual INSTALL.BAT Installation Program VA.COM Visual Audio Program VACONFIG.COM Visual Audio Configuration Program VAWIRING.COM Visual Audio Wiring Editor VADEVICE.COM Visual Audio Device Editor VA.CFG Configuration Settings NUMFONT.PCX Numeric Font For Numeric Displays CT-VOICE.DRV Sound Blaster Driver *.HLP Program Help Files *.WIR Wiring Setups *.DEV Device Setups *.PCX Device Picture Files *.VID Video Drivers *.BNK Video Drivers' Bank Switching *.SET Device Settings Files System Requirements ------------------- * IBM AT, PS/2, or compatible computer. 80386/16 processor or better recommended. * PC-DOS or MS-DOS version 2.1 or later. * Pro Audio Spectrum, Sound Blaster or compatible sound board. Pro Audio Spectrum/Sound Blaster Pro/16 or compatible required for stereo separation. * 1 megabyte VGA board capable of displaying graphics at 1024 x 768 x 256 colors. * CD-ROM drive (optional) * Mouse (optional) Microsoft Windows and OS/2 Compatibility ---------------------------------------- To achieve real-time peak/spectrum analyzer displays, Visual Audio must be executed from a DOS environment. Executing from Windows or OS/2 will drastically inhibit refresh rates due to the multitasking functionality of these environments. If you use Windows or OS/2, we strongly recommend that you exit from Windows or OS/2 before executing Visual Audio. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 2 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Purchasing Visual Audio | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ VA is distributed under the Shareware marketing system. The Shareware concept allows you, the user, to use a program on a trial basis to determine if it meets your needs. If you find the program useful and wish to continue using it, you are required to pay a license or registration fee to the author. If you received VA through a distribution service and paid a small fee (usually $3 to $5), this does not constitute payment for VA. You have simply paid for the distribution service. The $3 or $5 or whatever pays for the diskette, duplications and handling and does NOT constitute payment for the programs contained on the diskette. VA license and registration costs $22.95. The file "INVOICE.DOC" contains an invoice which you may print and use for this purpose. With registration you'll receive: 1. The latest version of VA without the shareware notice window. 2. The latest versions of all our other GREAT shareware programs. 3. A professionally printed/bound manual. 4. One year product support. 5. Notification of program updates and new products. The Shareware system is dependent upon honest people. If you use a Shareware program and have not registered with the author after the evaluation period, you are helping to destroy the viability of the Shareware concept. If you appreciate the ability to try software, before you buy it, then we encourage you to register EVERY Shareware program you use. Registration of Shareware products ensures the existence of quality, low-cost software. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 3 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Installation | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ To install Visual Audio to your hard drive: 1. Insert Visual Audio program disk in drive A: or B:. 2. From DOS prompt, type: A: <Enter> or B: <Enter>. 3. Type: INSTALL C: <Enter> or substitute your hard disk drive's letter for C:. The Visual Audio files will be copied to a new directory on your hard drive called VA. Before running Visual Audio or any of the support programs, change the current directory to VA by typing: CD \VA <Enter>. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 4 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Configuration | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Before running Visual Audio, you must configure it to operate with your computer. To run the configuration program, type: VACONFIG <Enter>. The configuration program allows you to change the following settings: Sound Board, Video Driver, Wiring, Mouse, CD-ROM Drive, Import Mixer, Export Mixer, and Settings Include Mixer. Sound Board ----------- Select the type of sound board you have. If yours is not on the list, it may be compatible with one that is. Check your sound board owner's manual for information about compatibility. Most sound boards are compatible with the Sound Blaster. NOTE: If you have a Sound Blaster, you'll also need to specify your board's base I/O address, interrupt #, and DMA channel. The factory defaults for these are respectively: 220H, 7, 1. If you don't have a sound board, select "None". Video Driver ------------ Your computer must be equipped with a video board that is capable of displaying graphics at 1024 x 768 resolution with 256 colors. These types of SuperVGA boards are not all alike and differ in the way they must be controlled. The video drivers are listed by chip manufacturer and not by brand name. If your first selection of a video driver does not work, try another. Select <Auto-detect> to have the program attempt to identify your VGA hardware and recommend a video driver. Wiring ------ The wiring file tells the program how things are wired. among other things, it indicates which devices are being used and the order in which to display them. (You can create new wiring files and edit existing ones by using the VAWIRING program.) This option allows you to select which wiring file will be used. Mouse ----- This option allows you to select the speed in which the cursor responds to mouse movement. You may select either slow, medium, or fast. If you do not have a mouse and wish to use the keyboard for input, select "none". CD-ROM Drive ------------ This option allows you to specify whether a CD-ROM drive is installed. To use your CD-ROM drive with Visual Audio, the device driver MSCDEX.SYS must be installed. Consult your CD-ROM manual for more information. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 5 Import Mixer ------------ The mixer settings include volume/bass/treble/etc. If you would like Visual Audio to import the current level of these settings when it begins, set this option to "Yes". Export Mixer ------------ The mixer settings include volume/bass/treble/etc. If you would like Visual Audio to export the current level of these settings when it ends, set this option to "Yes". If set to "No", your mixer will be restored to the current settings before Visual Audio was executed. Settings Include Mixer ---------------------- This option refers to the "device settings" files. The mixer device allows you to Get/Save the current device settings From/To the files A.SET, B.SET, C.SET to H.SET. When getting these settings, you may or may not want the mixer settings to be included. This option allows you to specify whether the mixer settings should be loaded or not. See section "Mixer" under "Using Visual Audio" for more information about the "device settings" files. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 6 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Running Visual Audio | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ To run Visual Audio type: VA <Enter>. Command Line Parameters ----------------------- The default wiring file used is specified in the configuration by running the VACONFIG program. The default device settings file initially loaded is A.SET. Visual Audio allows you to specify an alternate wiring and/or device settings file to be loaded by specifying such on the command line. Syntax: VA [filename.WIR] [filename.SET] [filename.WIR] denotes an alternate wiring file to be used. [filename.SET] denotes an alternate device settings file to be used. Examples: VA FAVORITE.WIR VA F.SET VA FAVORITE.WIR F.SET Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 7 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Using Visual Audio | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ The program begins by displaying the devices on screen. Each device consists of displays and buttons. The buttons are used to control the different devices. To press a device's button, move the cursor to the desired button and press either the left or right mouse button. If you are using your keyboard instead of a mouse, use the arrow keys to position the cursor and the Enter key to press a button. Hold down the Alt key while using the arrow keys to position the cursor more quickly. Hold down the mouse button or Enter key to have the selected button pressed repeatedly. This is useful for changing the numeric displays such as volume. To exit the program, press Escape or one of the "EXIT" buttons on one of the devices. Mixer ----- This device allows you to control volume levels and sound characteristics such as bass, treble etc. It also allows you to get/save device settings. Device settings are those parameters which can be changed for each device such as the number of trails for the peak analyzer. Device settings also include any buttons that are "on". If you wish to get all device settings excepting the mixer, change the "Settings Include Mixer" option to "No" in the configuration. NOTE: Earlier models of the Sound Blaster do not provide the hardware necessary for mixing. The mixer will produce no effects for these earlier boards. Power Activate this button to activate mixer. Mute Activate this button to mute audio output. Loud Activate this button to turn on enhanced bass. (Activates Output Gain on Sound Blaster 16.) Enhc Activate this button to turn on enhanced treble. (Activates Input Gain on Sound Blaster 16.) Main +/- Used to select main volume output. CD +/- Used to select compact disc volume input. Ext +/- Used to select external volume input. Mic +/- Used to select microphone volume input. Bass +/- Used to select bass adjustment. (Available on Pro Audio Spectrum and Sound Blaster 16.) Treble +/- Used to select treble adjustment. (Available on Pro Audio Spectrum and Sound Blaster 16.) Balance +/- Used to select left/right channel audio output balance. CD Activate this button to activate compact disc input. Ext Activate this button to activate external input. Mic Activate this button to activate microphone input. Get Activate this button before selecting desired settings to Get. Save Activate this button before selecting desired settings to Save to. A thru H Select the desired letter you wish to Get/Save settings from/to.(You must activate either the Get or Save button prior to indicate desired operation.) Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 8 Compact Disc Player ------------------- This device allows you to control your CD-ROM drive for playing musical compact discs. To use your CD-ROM drive with Visual Audio, the device driver MSCDEX.SYS must be loaded. If you receive this error message when loading the program, consult your CD-ROM manual for information about installing this driver. Power Activate this button to activate compact disc player. Continuous Activate this button for continuous play. When continuous play is off and the last track has been played, music stops. When on, music continues onto the first track. Shuffle Activate this button for shuffle play. After each track has finished playing, the next track to be played will be selected at random. Stop Press this button to stop compact disc playing. Eject Press this button to eject compact disc or close disc tray. (Available only on certain CD-ROM drives.) Play Press this button to activate compact disc play at the selected track. To select tracks, use the number keys 1 through 20. Pause Activate this button to pause compact disc playing. To resume play, press play or pause. Track Start Press this button during play to reset playing from the start of the current track. Track End Press this button during play to reset playing from the end of the current track. Rewind Press and hold this button during play to rewind the current track to a desired location. Elapsed CD and Elapsed Track counters will reflect the current location. Forward Press and hold this button during play to forward the current track to a desired location. Elapsed CD and Elapsed Track counters will reflect the current location. 1 thru 20 Press one of these buttons to select a track to play. To select a track beyond 20 (for those CD's with more than 20 tracks), select track 20, press play, then press Track End until desired track begins playing. Total CD This display reflects the total compact disc play time in the format minutes:seconds:100ths. Total Track This display reflects the total track play time, of the selected track, in the format minutes:seconds:100ths. Elapsed CD This display reflects the total elapsed time from the start of the CD in the format minutes:seconds:100ths. Elaps Track This display reflects the total elapsed time from the start of the current track in the format minutes:seconds:100ths. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 9 Spectrum Analyzer ----------------- This device displays a spectrum of 16 bands for both left and right channels in real-time. A variety of effects are available for coloring the bands. Power Activate this button to activate spectrum analyzer. Color Peak Activate this button to have the alternate color applied to the peak line of each band. Color Split Activate this button to have the alternate color applied to the upper half of the display. Color Fade Activate this button to have all colors between the specified base and alternate color faded horizontally among the display. Color Cycle Activate this button to have each color between the specified base and alternate color cycled through the entire display. Slow Activate this button to have display updated less frequently. Pause Activate this button to pause display. Base Color Used to select base color used for spectrum display +/- and effects. Alt Color Used to select alternate color used for spectrum +/- display and effects. Gravity Used to select gravity applied to spectrum display. Increase gravity to see bands fall more quickly. Turn all effects off (color peak/split/fade/cycle) to have spectrum displayed in only one color (base color). Peak Analyzer ------------- This device displays the audio peaks for both left and right channels in real-time. A variety of effects are available for coloring the peaks. Power Activate this button to activate peak analyzer. Color Peak Activate this button to have the alternate color applied to entire display when one or more peaks reach the top of the display. Color Split Activate this button to have the alternate color applied to the upper half of the peak display. Color Fade Activate this button to have all colors between the specified base and alternate color faded horizontally among the display. Color Cycle Activate this button to have each color between the specified base and alternate color cycled through the entire display. Slow Activate this button to have display updated less frequently. Pause Activate this button to pause display. Base Color Used to select base color used for peak display and +/- effects. Alt Color Used to select alternate color used for peak display +/- and effects. Trails Used to select the number of trails permitted on the display at one time. Turn all effects off (color peak/split/fade/cycle) to have peaks displayed in only one color (base color). Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 10 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Visual Audio Wiring | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ This program allows you to add, edit, and delete wiring setups. A wiring setup tells Visual Audio which devices to load, the order to display them, and the gutter size between them. To change the wiring file used, run the configuration program (VACONFIG) or specify it as a command line parameter. (See section "Command Line Parameters" for more information.) To run the wiring program type: VAWIRING <Enter>. From the main menu you can add, edit, or delete a wiring setup. After selecting add or edit, you are presented with a menu of the following options: Description, Gutter, Device #1-4. Description ----------- This option allows you to change or give the wiring a descriptive name of up to 30 characters. This name is only used for your reference. Gutter ------ This option allows you to specify the gutter between the displayed devices. The number may range from 0 to 255 and indicates the number of blank pixel lines to be left between devices. Device #1-4 ----------- This option allows you to specify which devices you wish to use and the order in which they should be displayed. Device #1 is displayed first, device #2 is displayed second, and so on. You may select <none> for one or more devices if you wish to use less than 4 devices. However, you should at least specify one device. NOTE: Only specify one of each type of device. For example: Don't specify two Mixers or two Peak Analyzers. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 11 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Visual Audio Devices | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ This program allows you to add, edit, and delete device setups. A device setup tells Visual Audio what type of device it is, the picture file to use, and the colors to apply to the buttons and numeric displays. New device setups can be created and used with your wiring setups. To run the program type: VADEVICE <Enter>. From the main menu you can add, edit, or delete a device setup. After selecting add or edit, you are presented with a menu of the following options: Description, Type, Picture file, Button on/off/(n/a) color, Font color, and Display background color. Description ----------- This option allows you to change or give the device a descriptive name of up to 30 characters. This name is only used for your reference. Type ---- This option allows you to change the device type from Mixer, Compact Disc, Peak Analyzer, and Spectrum Analyzer. Be sure you use the correct picture file with each device type. Picture File ------------ This option allows you to select/change the device picture file. The picture file is a PCX Paintbrush image file. If you like, you can load one of the given picture files into your paint program and move the buttons/displays to more desired locations. Button On Color --------------- This option allows you to change the button on color. This is the color value used to indicate that a button is on. This value must be in the range of 0 to 255. Use the "Show Color Table" option to determine which color values yield which colors. Button Off Color ---------------- This option allows you to change the button off color. This is the color value used to indicate that a button is off. This value must be in the range of 0 to 255. Use the "Show Color Table" option to determine which color values yield which colors. Button N/A Color ---------------- This option allows you to change the button N/A color. This is the color value used to indicate that a button is N/A. This value must be in the range of 0 to 255. Use the "Show Color Table" option to determine which color values yield which colors. Note: Only applicable to the Compact Disc device. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 12 Font Color ---------- This option allows you to change the font color. This is the color value used to display the digital number displays. This value must be in the range of 0 to 255. Use the "Show Color Table" option to determine which color values yield which colors. Display Background Color ------------------------ This option allows you to change the background color. This is the color value used to display the background of either the Peak or Spectrum Analyzer real-time displays. This value must be in the range of 0 to 255. Use the "Show Color Table" option to determine which color values yield which colors. Note: Only applicable to the Peak and Spectrum Analyzer devices. Show Color Table ---------------- This option displays a color table which may be used to determine which color values yield which colors. These color values can then be used with "Button On Color", "Button Off Color", "Button N/A Color", "Font Color", and "Display Background Color" options. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 13 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Appendix A - Questions and Answers | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Q. The spectrum analyzer bands barely move and the peak analyzer display is un-responsive and sometimes erratic? A. Earlier models of the Pro Audio Spectrum board have a faulty mixer chip which causes these type problems among others. Contact Media Vision for a replacement. Q. When I run the program, nothing is displayed on my screen OR I only see part of the devices and there's garbage displayed on parts of the screen? A. Your video board must have at least 1 Megabyte of display memory and be capable of 1024 x 768 x 256 colors. Check your video board manual AND your video monitor manual to make sure this is supported. If your video card/monitor supports this and you're still having problems, you may want to try using a differect video driver. Run VACONFIG and change your video driver to VESA.VID to start with. This is an industry standard driver and will be your best bet. If this driver doesn't work, try using each of the others. Q. I'm only getting sound in one speaker OR the mixer doesn't seem to be mixing the audio correctly? A. Make sure everything is wired correctly. The OUT jack should be connected to your amplifier/speakers. The IN or EXT jack should be wired to an external audio source such as a tape player or compact disc player. The MIC jack should be wired to a microphone or a mono audio source. Your CD-ROM drive's audio should be wired to a jack on the sound card labeled CD Audio IN or something like that. All cables and jacks except for MIC must be stereo cables and have stereo plugs. The mixer channels CD, EXT, and MIC reflect the sound card jacks CD Audio IN, IN or EXT, and MIC respectively. Q. I can't seem to move the cursor over the peak analyzer's display windows? A. The cursor isn't allowed to be moved inside these areas. Q. I have a Sound Blaster 16 card and the Enhc (Enhanced) button doesn't seem to do anything? A. On the SB16 card, the Enhc button activates input gain. If you toggle this button while audio is playing and while looking at the peak analyzer display, you'll notice an increase in the wave size. This button doesn't effect sound output. Q. When I increase the trails or activate Slow on the peak analyzer, I sometimes see waveforms that aren't being cleaned-up? A. Depending apon the speed of your computer, the number of trails selected, and whether Slow is enabled, Visual Audio may or may not have enough time to clean-up old waveform trails. Press Pause on the peak analyzer twice to reset the display and then reduce the number of trails to a safe number. Copyright 1994 Robert Morton Page 14 Q. Pushing a track number doesn't start play? A. Play must be activated beforehand. Once play is activated, pushing a track number will result in that track to begin playing. Q. I don't like the way the buttons and displays are layed out on the devices. Are there any other lay-outs. A. Run VACONFIG and change your wiring to ALT.WIR. Q. I don't like the colors! A. You can change device elements such as font color, button on color etc. using the VADEVICE program. To change actual device colors, you'll need a paint program. Each device includes a Zsoft PaintBrush image file which can be edited with a paint program. All image files have the extension PCX. All elements such as buttons and displays have a special pixel in the upper left and lower right corners. These two pixels must not be changed since they define the element and mark it's location. You can, however, move elements around. Only button elements can be enlarged or shrunken.