MIDI Music Collection/MUSIC.iso/trax.30/readme.txt

Text File | 1993-09-14 | 10.0 KB | 179 lines

                        TRAX 3.0

IMPORTANT : Trax now has a Notation Window for displaying
and editing your MIDI tracks in notation format. Before the Notation window
can be used, you must first install the correct font and select a printer.

Installing the Music Notation Font
The Notation Font used in Trax is called "Anastasia". This font was copied to
your Trax directory when you installed Trax. To add the Anastasia Font to
Windows, run the Fonts applet in the Control Panel. Use the "Add" button and
select the directory where you installed Trax. The font name "Anastasia
Regular (TrueType)" should appear. You can also install the font directly
from the Trax diskette. Select the Anastasia font and OK the selection to add
the Anastasia font to your Windows fonts. For Trax to use the font, you must
also enable the use of TrueType within the same fonts dialog and select
a default Printer.

Selecting a Default Printer
You do NOT have to connect a printer to Trax to use the Notation Window.
You MUST select a printer in the Printer Applet, however,  to use the
Notation Window. Trax uses information from the printer driver selected
when displaying the notation information. Almost any printer driver can
be used. The only exceptions are GENERIC/TEXT ONLY and printers
either configured to only print text (i.e. set to "draft" quality output) or
incapable of printing graphics. The Printers dialog should display a default
printer or you should install and select a printer before running Trax.


IMPORTANT: Disk #2 - Trax Disk #2 - has a separate Setup program
for the Animation Player and the sample "QuikTunes" MIDI Files. Run the Setup
program from Disk #2 to install these files. For the most
convenient installation, select the same drive and directory as Trax. This
would be C: \TRAX unless you entered a different directory name yourself.
Disk #2 also contains several supplemental MCI drivers for use with
Trax's new MCI features. These drivers must be installed after running the Setup
program. Open the "Drivers" applet in the Windows Control Panel and use the
"add" button. Select the choice for "Unlisted or Updated Driver". When Windows
asks for the disk with the unlisted driver, insert the Trax Disk #2 and
either enter the correct disk drive letter or use the Browse button. For more
information about MCI drivers and the Software Bonus Disk, see the file README2.
TXT on the Trax Disk #2.


IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT MIDI DRIVERS -  MIDI interfaces require the special
software to communicate. This software is in the form of a "driver". Consult
the documentation that came with your MIDI interface for information about
installing a Windows 3.1 MIDI Interface driver.

     This version of Trax is designed to run with the Windows 3.1
MIDI drivers or with Multimedia Extensions to Windows 3.0. If you are running
Windows 3.0 you will need to upgrade to Windows 3.1 before running Trax.

     NOTE TO MIRACLE USERS - Trax users who own a Miracle keyboard can
communicate directly with the Miracle keyboard using a COM port. For direct
communication with the Miracle the Windows program must be run with a special
version of the MMSYSTEM.DLL. To install this software for the Miracle keyboard a
"Miracle only" installation program is included on the Trax 3.0 disk. This
installation program is called "MIRACLE.EXE" and should be run instead of the
Setup program. Miracle.exe will install the drivers needed to operate the
Miracle Keyboard through a COM port and some example files voiced for the
Miracle keyboard. See the MIRACLE.TXT for more information on using Trax
with the Miracle Keyboard.

Note: MusicQuest MQX MIDI Interfaces require special driver software for 32
channel use and SMPTE sync capabilities. Consult your MQX documentation or call
MusicQuest for more information about obtaining and installing their driver
software.

     Several sample music files are included with Trax. Some of the files are
authored and voiced according to authoring guidelines for Multimedia PCs. For
these files, channels 1 through 10 are for Hi-End General MIDI style sound
modules, while channels 13 through 16 are for base- level Adlib, SoundBlaster or
MediaVision style FM synth cards. These files will sound their best when using a
correctly configured MIDI Mapper. You can do this by selecting the MIDI Mapper
as the output port in Trax's MIDI Setup dialog. Alternatively, you
can play only the base-level channels on an Adlib style FM synth, by selecting
the corresponding output port in the MIDI Setup dialog and soloing the tracks
assigned to channels 13 through 16. MIDI Mapper support is only available when
running with the Multimedia Extensions or Windows 3.1. Of course, if you have a
General MIDI synth, such as the Roland SC-55 Sound Canvas, you could solo all
tracks that are assigned to channels 1 through 10 and play them back directly to
the General MIDI synth.

                        NEW FEATURES FOR TRAX 3.0

     Trax now has a Notation Window. This allows you to see any
track in Standard Music Notation. Notes within the Notation window can be
selected and edited with the standard Change Menu items or cut, copy and paste
commands. The Notation window also has specialized menu items for adding a Key
Signature and changing the notation displayed using Sharps, Flats, and Natural
symbols. Use the Notation Print Setup and Print Notation dialogs in the File
Menu to configure and print any tracks Notation Window display.

     Trax 3.0 has also added assignable faders to the Track Editor. Any MIDI
controller number can now be assigned to any track fader. These faders can
record controller levels in real-time by "shift-clicking" in that tracks record
enable box.

     Each track can record several different controller types at different
times. Fader movement will follow the currently selected controller and update
as new controller information is played.

     The fader defaults to MIDI controller #7 (Volume). If you "shift-click" in
a track's record enable box, a small fader icon will appear. In "fader record
mode", volume changes can be recorded by moving the fader as the track plays
without erasing notes or other controller information recorded to the track. If
previous volume changes were in the track the new volume information will
replace the previous volume information. By selecting different controller
types, you can make add multiple passes of recorded fader movements for other
controllers such as Modulation, Reverb and Pan. Check your synthesizer
documentation before recording controllers to find out what controller types
your synthesizer will respond to.

Adding Controller Information Example:

     Set the track up for fader recording (shift-select the record enable box).
Leave the controller value default at #7 (MIDI Volume). Start recording and move
the fader to add volume changes. Play the song back. The fader will move to
reflect the movements recorded. To add another controller to the same track,
change the MIDI controller value to a new controller choice such as Controller
#10 (Pan). Record again and move the fader. Trax will now record
Pan Controller information without effecting the Volume Controller information.
The fader will show Pan information when playing back. If you reselect
Controller #7 (Volume), the fader will show the volume changes previously
recorded.

     You can freely change the controller name at any time to show the fader
movements for any recorded controller data.

     If you wish to follow two different controller types used for the same
channel consider using a different track for each controller.

     When the Controller choice is set for Volume, an additional setting is
remembered for the fader level. This level is sent when the starting playback
and sets the starting volume used. When the sequence is stopped the fader will
always return to this initial level. To change this initial volume level the
fader should be moved when the sequence is NOT playing. To remove the fader's
initial setting and disable the fader from following playback, double-click on
the fader. When a fader is not being used it will appear as light gray. The
initial setting is only used for controller number 7.

Note: Faders and fader recording are only available when one of the sixteen
MIDI Channels have been selected for a track. If the MIDI Channel is set to [-],
the faders will be disabled.

Trax will also import and export *. RMI MIDI files. This is an IBM version of
the Standard MIDI File format.

                USING MCI COMMANDS AND DRIVERS:

    Trax allows you to add MCI commands in your MIDI sequence using special
markers. MCI is a special communication between either software or hardware that
allows you to send commands during the playback of your sequence. For the device
or program to respond to these commands a "driver" must be installed using the
"Drivers" applet in the Windows 3.1 control panel. A common use for MCI is to
play. WAV audio files via the MCI Wave Audio Driver (this is usually installed
automatically when installing drivers for audio cards). Included with Windows
3.1 is an MCI driver for playing CD audio disks on supported CD-ROM drives.

     On this Disk #2, we have included MCI drivers for playing Autodesk
animation files, MacroMind Director style animation files (Microsoft Multimedia
Movies) and Pioneer Videodisk players. To install these drivers choose "Add
Unlisted or Updated Driver" from the "Drivers" applet in the Windows' Control
Panel. Insert Disk #2 into the appropriate drive when prompted then click
OK.

     Using the MCI capabilities of Trax is explained in the manual.

     Passport thanks the Autodesk Corporation for allowing us to
include the Autodesk Animation Player, MCI driver, DLL and sample files on the
Software Bonus Disk.

Portions Copyright 1991, 1992 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Portions Copyright 1991, 1992 Microsoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

All other material Copyright 1993, Passport Designs, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.