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Text File | 1992-07-17 | 11.4 KB | 218 lines

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A History of changes to EdPlayer. All previous users, PLEASE read this file to see what's new!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EdPlayer v2.0: 7/17/92 Hmm, I considered calling this EdPlayer 1.2, but then I decided to call it v2.0. Why? Well here's a few reasons: * 100% new music-playing code. NoiseTracker 1.0 Replay was replaced by Protracker 1.1b Replay. MED 3.10 Replay was replaced by MED 3.21 Replay. (ProTracker hacked a bit to support some NT commands, notably effect F00 for which EdP does a pattern-break, not a STOP). * Now compatible with ALL Amigas! (I hope!) ProTracker Replay borrows a non-cpu specific timer from MED Replay, so it should not skip notes on any speed machine. * Tested on an A3000, A2000, and A500, under both OS1.3 and OS2.0! * 34 new ARexx commands added since 1.1a! 20 of those are ARexx queries, where the ARexx script can ask EdPlayer almost anything about its current status and settings. * New version of kd_freq.library supported. WATCH OUT!! This new version requires pressing the "select" gadget in the upper-right when multi-selecting files. I don't like this much, but it's beyond my control. * Select favorite file requester (not stuck with default) (see FREQ). * PLAY command will now pull names from the program if needed. * Filter Override added, ARexx control of filter added (see FILT). * FastForward and Rewind buttons added to panel * Random programs added -- EdPlayer plays songs in an arbitrary order. * Save programs! Save in ARexx or CLI form. (see SAVA or SAVC). * Documentation split into several files for easier access to needed parts. * Fade rate control slider added to panel. * New VU-meters and a Spectrum Analyzer added to panel. * ARexx STARTUP SCRIPT "rexx:Startup.EdP" added. * ProgramJump added: jump to specific song # in program (see PJUM). * SuperJump added: jump INSTANTLY to a position in song (see SJUM, JUMP). * Most ARexx commands can optionally be longer than 4 letters. Ex: You can say 'pause 5' instead of 'PAUS 5', etc. * My email address changed to elm4@lehigh.edu. Oops, that's not a feature. * ARexx control of LED display mode added (see DISP). * Extract RGB colors from MED mods and use for panel (see MCOL). * Programs Telled and Cteled were improved, see their commented sourcecodes. * NT/PT Mod init routine now has range checking, should now warn users when trying to load defective NT/PT mods. * ARexx can display arbitrary messages in panel scroll bar (see MESG). * Optional low-priority background loading/decrunching (see LPRI). * New commands (SWAI, PWAI) that suspend a script until a song or program is finished or reach a certain point. * Text in panel scroll bar not so quick to disappear (used to disappear after any gadget or mouse click). * New display mode, named "EdSynth" by my brother who thinks everything I write should have my name on it. EdSynth displays a piano keyboard on the screen and colors notes as they are played. Fun to watch! Well, what do you think? Was it worth the number 2.0? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EdPlayer v1.1a: 11/03/91 Oops!! Version 1.1 broke EdPlayer's compatability with people using OS 1.3 with an overscanned screen. This version fixes that bug. Also this version allows the iconified window, which stretches to the left when printing long filenames in large fonts, to also stretch to the right if it can't go any further left. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EdPlayer v1.1: 10/25/91 This is just a minor update to 1.0. I kinda rushed it out, because some bugs needed fixing right away. Also some useful stuff added. * req.library added. If EdPlayer can't open kd_freq.library, it will look for req.library. I'm also thinking about the posibility of asl... * powerpacker.library added. If you were using PowerPatch for EdPlayer alone, you can remove it from your startup-sequence, as I suspect EdP will be much more effecient WITHOUT it. Also you can see neat messages like ...LOADING CRUNCHED... and ...DECRUNCHING... if you're NOT using the patch. A new AREXX command, "DCOL", allows setting of the decrunch effect. * New AREXX command "ERAS" allows erasing the program. * ARexx commands are no longer case-sensitive. I guess this is kind of a frill, but I like it better this way. NOTE: the "MIDL" command still NEEDS a case-sensitive parameter for midi_dest. * Can load PP encrypted (password protected) modules. Will bring up a password requester when needed. Also passwords can be entered via ARexx, see LOAD and JUKE in the DOCs for an explanation... * Iconified window now supports bigger fonts * Iconified window now has NAME of current song! Also scrollbar has a new trick that puts the song name there after a scroll. * PAL/Overscanned WB screens supported better. EdPlayer 1.0 used to open in the NTSC, no overscan position all the time. EdP 1.1 tries to center itself, and appear flush with the bottom. * FADE bug fixed.... NOT!!!! This is NOT a BUG! PLEASE read the DOCs in the BUTTONS section under FADE for a NEW & IMPROVED description of why EdPlayer fades the way it does!! The FADE code didn't change. * Slight bug in program mode made it impossible to enter songs with European characters in the names (like ⁿ, Σ, etc.). This is now fixed. Never do signed arithmetic on ASCII bytes... >127 looks neg :-) Hmm, now that I look at it, it doesn't seem like such a "minor" update after all... oh well... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISH LIST: Before reporting a suggestion, please make sure it's not in the wish list. If it's not, then report it! The following is a wish list of features that might or might not appear in a future version of EdPlayer: * I wish EdP supported asl.library * I wish EdP could support MED song+samples format $*#&^*!!! My, that list got a lot smaller this time!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EdPlayer 1.0: Sometime in July 1991, I think. New features in EdPlayer 1.0: * All of them. Well what did you EXPECT??? duh! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well that ends the useful part of this file. Only read on if you want to hear about... ============================================================================ THE CASE OF THE BACKWARDS AUDIO ============================================================================ It is a wonderful feeling, to open the box of a brand new A3000. Apparently, my MegaBall fans got really addicted. I'd like to thank them. Of course, now I have the chance; I can make MegaBall more compatible with the 3000. Umm, soon. Ahem *cough* *hack* Anyway, when running some final tests on EdPlayer 2.0 on my new A3000, I ran into one very mysterious problem. The new display mode, that is supposed to separate the VU-meters into left and right meters, was separating them into right and left meters. This was rather annoying, to see a drum channel beating on the left while listening to it on the right. I had previously tested EdPlayer on three A2000s and an A500, and the left/right channel separation worked just fine on all those machines. Silly me, I thought, I must have wired the plugs backwards when connecting my stereo to the 3000. I peeked around back and looked at the wiring; it looked OK. I pulled out the left plug and tapped on it. I could hear clicks on the left speaker. I tried the same with the right plug and heard clicks on the right speaker. So, there was nothing wrong with my wiring. I could only assume that some quirk in the 3000's motherboard was sending the left audio to the plug marked "right," and vice versa. This drove me nuts, because I didn't want to assume there was anything wrong with my new computer (other than some initial HD troubles which Briwall promptly fixed for me :-). After a few days of watching EdPlayer get it backwards on the 3000, get it right on the 2000 and 500, and re-checking the wiring on all the machines, I finally gave up and actually looked at the "Quick Connect" installation guide. I know it seems very odd that an experienced Amiga person like myself would go looking at the "how to hook up your computer even if you have peanuts for brains" wiring diagrams, but I thought it was needed in this case. What I found was not much use. First, I discovered that Commodore had done a MUCH better job with the 3000's install guide than they did with the old 2000's. This was just peachy, but it didn't help me. Second, I found that the install guide showed the "LEFT" and "RIGHT" labels in the same place as on my 3000 (I was secretly hoping they would be reversed). And lastly, I found that the guide showed the LEFT plug colored red, and the RIGHT plug colored white, when on my A3000, the LEFT was white and the RIGHT was red (a much nicer configuration). This just confirmed my fears that someone had done some weird switching around of the audio hardware that was probably responsible for EdPlayer's mixup of the left/right VU-meter display. But the biggest suprise was yet to come. A few days ago I got my hands on the new RKMs (programmer's manuals for Workbench 2.0). I was looking through them and I happened to see the entry for the audio.device. Its "Possible Channel Combinations" chart (DEVICES, page 23) agreed with my wacky A3000 and disagreed with both EdPlayer and all the A2000s and A500s I could find. I quickly looked up the same chart in the old Workbench 1.3 manuals (LIBRARIES & DEVICES, page 615) and this is what I found: Workbench 1.3 RKM's: Channel 3 Channel 2 Channel 1 Channel 0 left right right left Workbench 2.0 RKM's: Channel 3 Channel 2 Channel 1 Channel 0 right left left right So there it is, in back and white in the two books, staring me in the face. This is no mistake in my wiring, or in my new A3000's motherboard. This is a deliberate and malicious switcharoo on the part of Commodore, probably perpetrated by the same C= employee who decided it was a good idea to hook the audio filter to the Amiga's power LED. This has implications farther reaching than minor EdPlayer viewing annoyances. Let's suppose you're playing Dungeon Master on your new A3000 and you hear monster footsteps on the right speaker... You quickly turn to the right... and no one is there! Suddenly, you are attacked from behind! Now you're dead!! Hahahaha. All because some engineer decided to switch around the audio outputs. So, here is my recommendation to ALL Amiga 3000 owners and developers: **** SWITCH YOUR AUDIO PLUGS. **** Plug your A3000's LEFT output into your stereo's RIGHT input, and the A3000's RIGHT output into the stereo's LEFT input. Maintain compatability!! All programs developed for use under 1.3 will then work properly, and all programs developed for use under 2.0 should follow the old 1.3 style, because switching it around improves nothing! There is really no excuse for the two operating systems to be incompatible in this area. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, I hope you enjoyed EdPlayer's story this version. See ya in EdPlayer 2.1.... --Ed.