~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ SONIX's Waveform Editor lets you load& create& modify& and save sound ~ waveforms& which you can then access from your Basic programs. Wave- ~ X forms can be brought into the Waveform Editor either by extracting ~ them from a sound waveform file on disk (one you've created yourself ~ --or one from an application program you own)& or by capturing a ~ sound via the analog to digital (A to D) convertor in the IIgs' built- ~ in Ensoniq synthesizer chip. There are many features of the Waveform ~ Editor& but they're all easy to use. Let's take them one by one. ~ ~ ~ THE I/O ~ ------- ~ ~ The Waveform Editor screen is dominated by the Waveform Window& in ~ which you'll see the graphic representation of a sound waveform you ~ load or capture. Five "click-able" boxes appear above the window% ~ Load& Save& Prefix& Catalog& and Exit. These five comprise the Wave- ~ form Editor's Input/Output (I/O) section. (You won't see the Save ~ box until you have a waveform that's "save-able".) ~ ~ ~ PREFIX% Click this box to set the "current" prefix. Remember to ~ specify the volume name and any pertinent subdirectories. Press ~ Return to set the new prefix--just press Return without entering a ~ new pathname to get back to the Waveform Editor screen without ~ changing anything. ~ ~ X ~ CATALOG% Clicking this box will clear the Waveform Editor screen ~ to the text screen and show the contents of the "current" directory. ~ ~ ~ LOAD% Click this box to load a waveform file from disk. You'll ~ see a catalog of the "current" directory& and the partial pathname ~ will be printed on the screen& ready for you to type in the name of ~ the file you wish to load. Type in a filename and press Return to ~ load& or just press Return (without entering a filename) to return ~ to the Waveform Editor screen. ~ ~ ~ SAVE% This box will appear when you have a waveform in the Wave- ~ form Window. Click the box to save the file; the Waveform Editor ~ screen will be replaced by the text screen& and a prompt will ask ~ if you want to save to the "current" pathname. Press "Y" if the ~ pathname is correct. If you want to use another pathname& press ~ "N"& enter the FULL pathname you wish the waveform to be saved un- ~ der& and press Return when you're ready to save. Remember to use ~ all the slashes ("/") in the pathname . (Quality Software's excel- ~ lent book "Beneath Apple ProDOS" explains pathnames and slashes ~ completely.) ~ ~ ~ EXIT% Click this box to leave the Waveform Editor and return to ~ X SONIX's Main Menu Screen. ~ ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-1 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ WINDOW CONTROLS ~ --------------- ~ X ~ The Window Controls appear below the Waveform Window. There are 6 ~ "click-able" boxes% Edit& Extract& Capture& Down& Up& and Zip. ~ There's also a window that will reveal important data about a wave- ~ form in the Waveform Window. To make the explanation of the Window ~ Controls a little easier to understand& let's talk about what you'll ~ see in the Waveform Window when you're ready to work on a waveform. ~ ~ The Waveform Window shows a selected waveform as a series of ivory- ~ colored pixels whose vertical positions in the Window reflect the ~ relative volume of the waveform at that point. (Technically& this is ~ the instantaneous "amplitude" of the waveform.) Now& sonic waveforms ~ usually are repetitive in nature; that is& as you hear a sound& the ~ volume (amplitude) varies up and down with the passage of time. (An ~ engineer or mathematician would say they're "periodic".) You see ~ this characteristic in the Waveform Window as the relative volume ~ (ie& amplitude) pixels alternate vertical position above and below ~ the horizontal centerline of the Window screen as you view the wave- ~ form from left to right. The Waveform Window can handle a maximum of ~ 320 different amplitude values at once& and it shows every other one ~ of them as a pixel (for a total of 160 pixels)& left to right. ~ ~ What SONIX does is to show the output of the Ensoniq synthesizer ~ chip's Analog to Digital (A to D) convertor referenced to 1.28 volts. ~ The horizontal centerline of the Waveform Window is the 1.28 volt ~ X value; the top of the Window is 0 volts& and the bottom of the Window ~ is 2.55 volts. SONIX uses special graphics routines to convert these ~ A to D output voltages to pixel screen positions& with the top line ~ of the Window being screen position values 0 and 1& the second line ~ down being values 2 and 3& and so on...to the bottom line of the ~ Window& which is screen position values 254 and 255. (The reason ~ for 2 values on each line is that the IIgs has only 200 horizontal ~ lines on its monitor screen. So& the best detail SONIX can show is ~ 128 lines X 2 values per line = 256 values to show a total of 2.55 ~ volts. But don't worry& SONIX handles the "2 values per line" busi- ~ ness automatically.) The only important thing for you to remember is ~ that "0" is all the way at the top of the Waveform Window. You'll ~ understand why when we get into explaining the Zip control. ~ ~ Let's get back to the Window Controls....... ~ ~ UP% When you click the Up box& the Window "moves" 80 values to the ~ right& or& as we think of it& 80 values "up" in the waveform. So& ~ if the Waveform Window is showing the 0 - 319 part of a waveform ~ (remember& computers...including your IIgs...count 0 as a value& so ~ 0 - 319 is a total of 320 values)& and you click the Up box once& ~ you'll see the 80 - 399 part of the waveform (if it's that big... ~ and waveforms usually are). The part of the waveform you're seeing ~ will be shown in the wide window to the right of the Zip box. ~ ~ DOWN% When you click the Down box& you move "down" in the wave- ~ X form& but only 75 values. We do this so that you will always be ~ able to see a single pixel for every value in a waveform. Clicking ~ Up lets you see the "even-valued" ones; clicking Down shows you the ~ "odd-valued" ones. ~ ~ So What Software B-2 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ ZIP% This is a quick way to move up and down in a waveform. Click ~ the Zip box (it will become highlighted) and then Up& and you'll go ~ X immediately to the NEXT "0" in the waveform. Click Zip and then ~ Down& and you'll go immediately to the PREVIOUS "0". The Waveform ~ Window will align the waveform so that the 0 value you Zip-ed to is ~ at the left of the Window. (Recall that a 0 value is at the top of ~ the window; when you Zip& the 0 is at the upper left of the Window.) ~ ~ SLIDER% The Slider is a very convenient way of moving to any point ~ in a waveform. The Slider box appears at the very bottom of the ~ Waveform Editor screen whenever there's a waveform in the Window& ~ and it represents a total of 32&768 waveform amplitude values. ~ When you move the arrowhead cursor into the Slider box& the cursor ~ becomes a dotted blue square with a yellow "bull's-eye" in it. The ~ Slider itself is a pink square that also appears in the Slider box& ~ and the Slider's position in the box corresponds to the part of a ~ waveform shown in the Waveform Window ~ ~ (What?!? Let's take that a little slower!) ~ ~ If you put the Slider at about the midpoint of the Slider box& the ~ Waveform Window will show the 320 values around 16&384. The range ~ of values will be shown in the window to the right of the Zip box. ~ Put the Slider near the left side at& say& the 1/8 position& and ~ you'll see the 320 values around 4096. As you can imagine& if you ~ want to home in on a specific part of a waveform& a good technique ~ is to use the Slider to get into the general area and then click ~ X the Up and Down boxes for precise movements. ~ ~ You can move the Slider in two ways% use the mouse to put the cursor ~ on the Slider and drag it to where you want it& or put the cursor at ~ the position in the Slider box that you want to Slider to move to ~ and click. ~ ~ ~ EDIT ~ ---- ~ ~ SONIX's Edit function lets you change amplitude values of a waveform ~ by simply redrawing the part of the waveform you want to change. ~ When you click the Edit box& the arrowhead cursor becomes a pencil ~ that you can move with the mouse to any location in the Waveform Win- ~ dow. When you click and hold the mouse button and then move the pen- ~ cil cursor& you'll see new waveform amplitude value pixels being drawn ~ on the screen. Release the mouse button and the waveform's new shape ~ will be shown. If you're not satisfied with what you've drawn& just ~ re-click the Edit box and draw some other waveform shape. ~ ~ To make sure that the Waveform Editor doesn't get confused by any ~ inspired waveform redrawing you do& we designed it to pay attention ~ ONLY to cursor movements going from left to right. So& don't bother ~ trying to draw a part of a waveform going the other way. ~ ~ X ~ ~ So What Software B-3 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ Also& keep in mind that any waveform reshaping you do in the Edit ~ mode is only temporary--you make it permanent by clicking the Save ~ X box and saving the new waveform. (Be careful here! If you save the ~ reshaped waveform with the same pathname as it had before& you'll ~ write over the earlier version and lose it. If that's what you want ~ to do& OK...just be SURE that's what you want to do.) You'll probab- ~ ly be using the Edit function quite a bit in the Extract and Capture ~ modes. ~ ~ ~ EXTRACT ~ ------- ~ ~ SONIX's Extract function is used to define and tailor a sonic wave- ~ form--or a part of a waveform--so that it can be called and sounded ~ from a Basic program. As you'll find out in the descriptions of the ~ Music Editor and the Note Engine& you'll be able to use various wave- ~ forms that you've extracted for "simple" things such as giving a ~ sound effect when the mouse is clicked on a certain place on the ~ screen...and for more complex tasks such as sounding as many as 30 ~ different musical "voices" in long songs that you command to play ~ from your own programs. ~ ~ The Extract function can be used readily with any waveform files that ~ have been created with SONIX's utility routines; for instance& a dig- ~ ital file of your own voice saying "Press a key"& which you'd create ~ in the "Capture" mode. (Capture will be described a little later.) ~ X Another example is 1 of the 20 waveform files that we've included in ~ Waveform Library disk that came with the SONIX disk. Because many ~ SONIX owners also own other music software that has waveform files& ~ we've designed the Extract function to be able to let you extract and ~ shape those waveforms too. For instance& you can extract sounds from ~ Electronic Arts' "Music Construction Set"& from Activision's "Music ~ Studio"& and from Broderbund's "Fantavision". ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ --------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ ********************************************************************* ~ --------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ ~ HOLD ON A MOMENT! PLEASE....ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE ~ IS COPYRIGHTED. EVEN THOUGH IT IS PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO EXTRACT ~ SOUNDS FROM OTHER SOFTWARE PROGRAMS& YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT UNLESS YOU ~ OWN THEM! WE'VE DESIGNED SONIX TO WORK AS SMOOTHLY AND EFFECTIVELY ~ AS IT DOES AS A CONVENIENCE TO YOU& THE SOFTWARE OWNER. WE URGE YOU ~ TO USE IT ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH ALL LEGAL RESTRICTIONS AND CONDI- ~ TIONS. DON'T ABUSE THE "FRIENDLINESS" OF YOUR SOFTWARE!! ~ ~ --------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ ********************************************************************* ~ --------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ X ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-4 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ SONIX lets you extract waveforms in 8 discrete sizes& from very ~ short& 256-byte files up to detailed files 32&768 bytes long. The ~ X key to the process lies in defining an Extract Region& which is a ~ continuous series of bytes (or volume values) between 2 "0" values. ~ That is& an Extract Region begins with a 0& has a series of other ~ values (none of them 0)& then ends with another 0. Defining an Ex- ~ tract Region is an easy matter& since SONIX's Edit function lets you ~ define a 0 value anywhere you want in a waveform. ~ ~ Because an Extract region must begin with a single 0& SONIX has a ~ built-in way to make sure you get off on the right foot. You begin ~ by getting a waveform into the Waveform Window& either by loading it ~ from disk (as was explained on p. B-1) or by capturing it (which will ~ be explained starting on p. B-8). Then& you use the Slider or click ~ the Up box to get past the beginning of the waveform--all you have to ~ do is see some "waveform-like" stuff on the screen. Next& you click ~ Zip& then Down--this gets you to the first 0 BEFORE the 0 at the be- ~ ginning of the Extract region. Then& you click Up& and the Waveform ~ Window is exactly aligned& with a single 0 at the upper lefthand cor- ~ ner. Last& you click the Extract box& and SONIX will Extract a wave- ~ form file from the first 0 to the next 0 in the waveform. ~ ~ The sequence& again% Get past the first 0 in the waveform => Click ~ Zip& then Down& then Up => Click Extract. (If you don't follow the ~ sequence& you'll get an error message.) ~ ~ Let's take a moment here to clarify something. SONIX works with ~ X waveform files of 8 discrete lengths% 256& 512& 1024& 2048& 4096& ~ 8192& 16384& and 32768 bytes. The reason for this is rather involved& ~ having to do with the way the IIgs' Ensoniq synthesizer chip encodes ~ data. All you need to keep in mind at this point is that the smallest ~ waveform file SONIX can extract is 256 bytes long. If you start at a ~ 0 value and the next 0 is closer than 256 bytes away& you'll get a ~ "File Too Short" message in the middle of the screen. You can fix ~ that glitch by just moving up to the "too close" 0 value (use the Sli- ~ der and/or the Up and Down boxes) and using the Edit function to ~ change the 0 (or 0s) that are too close to some other value. ~ ~ When you click Extract and the waveform is at least 256 bytes long ~ before the next 0& you'll see a blue Tuning Window& which has click- ~ able windows for One Shot& Free Run& On& Off& Resolution& Oscillator& ~ and Accept. The Window also has movable sliders for Coarse Pitch& ~ Fine Pitch& and Volume. At the top of the Waveform Window& you'll see ~ another pair of click-able boxes for Reference Oscillator On and Off. ~ Here's how you use all that stuff% ~ ~ ONE SHOT% Click this box& then On& to sound your Extracted wave- ~ form one time. (You may not hear it at first; that'll be explain- ~ ed in the Pitch and Volume sections.) ~ ~ FREE RUN% Click this box& then On& to sound your Extracted wave- ~ form continuously. Click Off to stop Free Run. ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-5 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ RESOLUTION% Click this box to select 1 of 7 levels of "detail" for ~ your extracted waveform. The higher the Resolution number& the more ~ X accurate the waveform sound will be& but the pitch will be lower. ~ There is interaction between Resolution& Oscillator& and Coarse and ~ Fine Pitch. For most applications& it's best to set Resolution to ~ as high a number as you can while still being able to get the wave- ~ form's pitch as low as you want it. ~ ~ OSCILLATOR% This number can be click-selected from 1 to 30. The ~ number shows how many of the IIgs' digital oscillators are being ~ "enabled" for the waveform you're extracting. This setting inter- ~ acts with Resolution and Coarse and Fine Pitch& and it also can have ~ an effect on the tuning of individual voices during playback of a ~ song. It's best to keep Oscillator ALWAYS set to 30; as you become ~ more experienced with SONIX& you may find a rare situation in which ~ some lesser number of Oscillators should be selected...but trust us ~ and leave it set to 30 until then. ~ ~ REF ON% Click this box to sound the "C above Middle C" (523 Hz) ~ Reference Tone. ~ ~ REF OFF% Click to silence the Reference Tone. ~ ~ ACCEPT% Click this box to accept the waveform and the current ~ settings. ~ ~ Time for a little more discussion% ~ X ~ Recall that the Waveform Editor configures sonic waveforms so they ~ can be played over a span of 8 octaves (the range of a standard piano ~ keyboard). Now& since we expect you'll be using different waveforms ~ you've defined together sometimes& SONIX gives you an easy method of ~ "tuning" everything to the same pitch. Click both the Free Run and On ~ boxes. Most of the time& you'll hear a high-pitched "chirping"-- ~ that's your extracted waveform being sounded over and over again at a ~ high rate. Use the mouse to move the Coarse Pitch Slider to the left ~ to lower the pitch--much of the time you'll want to move it all the ~ way to the extreme left--until the waveform sound becomes recogniz- ~ able. (And remember& if you change the values of Oscillator and Ref- ~ erence at this time& you'll also change the pitch...but in the proc- ~ ess& you may get yourself completely lost. It's best to leave them ~ set at the default values& 30 and 7.) ~ ~ Now& click the One Shot box (and leave the On box highlighted). Every ~ time you click the box& you'll hear your waveform sound 1 time. To ~ get it in exact tune& click the Reference On box (at the top of the ~ Waveform Window)--you'll hear the "C above Middle C" reference tone. ~ Use the mouse to move the Coarse Pitch and Fine Pitch sliders so that ~ when you click the One Shot box& your waveform seems to be at the ~ same pitch as the Reference Tone. Move the Volume slider with the ~ mouse to adjust the loudness of your waveform. This tuning process ~ takes some patience and a pretty good ear& but it CAN be done...and ~ you'll be glad you did& later on. Click Reference Off when you're ~ X finished. ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-6 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ By the way& some find it easier to click the Free Run box and let ~ their waveform sound continuously while they match its pitch to the ~ X Reference Tone. If you do it this way& you can hear the "beat" fre- ~ quency get lower and lower as the pitches get closer together. We've ~ used both methods successfully; it's really the user's choice. ~ ~ (A side note% Tuning a waveform makes most sense for "musical" ~ sounds& and& in fact& it's mandatory if you intend to use 2 or more ~ waveforms together in a song you create with SONIX's Music Editor. ~ Spoken sounds--or just sound effects--don't really need to be tuned. ~ BUT...you'll soon understand that you will want to set the pitch of ~ every waveform before you accept it.) ~ ~ Now that you've got your waveform's pitch set& it's ALMOST time to ~ Accept it. Last thing& though% you've got to decide whether to have ~ the One Shot box highlighted or the Free Run box highlighted before ~ you click Accept. If you're in One Shot mode when you click the ~ Accept box& your waveform will sound only one time when you play it ~ from a Basic program. That's what you'll probably want most of the ~ time& and it works quite well with waveforms that are at least 1024 ~ bytes long. If you Accept a "long" waveform (say& one that's 4096 ~ bytes long) with the Free Run box highlighted& you likely won't like ~ the result& because the lower pitches of the waveform will sound sev- ~ eral cycles& and the higher pitches will sound fewer...or not even ~ one whole waveform cycle. (Try it--you'll see what we mean.) ~ ~ But for really "short" waveforms& particularly the 256- and 512-byte ~ X ones& you'll probably want to Accept with the Free Run box highlighted ~ so that at higher pitches you'll get enough repetitions of the wave- ~ form so that your ears will recognize it. We can't give you any ~ Eternal Rule on this& because waveforms can vary widely in size and ~ content. You'll be the judge of what works best for YOU in your pro- ~ grams& so try it different ways and use the one you like. ~ ~ OK& click the Accept box. The Tuning Window disappears& a 1-octave ~ keyboard appears& you see the message "Creating semitone table -- ~ stand by"& and the arrowhead cursor changes to a pointing hand. ~ (What IS all this stuff?!) ~ ~ Western Hemisphere music is based on "semitones" (among other ~ things). That is& we use only 12 notes in an octave% C& C-sharp (the ~ same as D-flat)& D& E-flat (the same as D-sharp)& F& F-sharp (same as ~ G-flat)& G-sharp& (A-flat)& A& B-flat (A-sharp)& and B. Each of ~ these notes is musically (and mathematically) 1 "halftone" apart from ~ its 2 neighbors. So& a collection of them is called a "semitone ~ table"& and SONIX creates a 96-value (that is& 12 semitones x 8 oc- ~ taves = 96) one from your waveform when you click the Accept box. ~ Use the mouse to point and click the "pointing hand" cursor on the ~ keys on the screen& and you'll hear the notes you're familiar with. ~ ~ Appendix B has more detailed information on the structure of a semi- ~ tone table. ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-7 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ If you tuned your waveform accurately to the Reference Tone& each ~ X note you sound on the keyboard will be accurate. If you didn't& ~ they'll all still sound OK relative to each other.....but remember& ~ when you use different waveforms in a song& you're gonna be sorry! ~ You should pay particular attention to this if you're using waveforms ~ from other software packages; there's no way to know how they were ~ tuned by their original designers. ~ ~ You'll see 3 "click-able" boxes on the Keyboard screen% Octave and ~ Save at the top& and Backout at the bottom. ~ ~ OCTAVE% Click the Octave box to select which of the 8 octaves that ~ your waveform has been set for will sound when you hit a key with ~ the cursor. Octaves 0 and 1 are quite low& so don't be surprised ~ if all you hear is a low rumbling. Likewise& Octaves 6 and 7 are ~ high& so your waveform may sound more like a "tink" than what you ~ expect. The pitch you set in the Tuning Window is the left-hand C ~ in Octave 5. (That's why you need to think about where you set the ~ pitch when accepting voice and sound effects. Set it too low and ~ you'll get only "rumbling"--too high& and you'll drive neighborhood ~ dogs crazy!) ~ ~ BACKOUT% Click the Backout box to get back to the Waveform Window. ~ You'll be at the very front end of the waveform you just created. ~ The curved arcs you see all the way at the left of the waveform are ~ the graphic representation of the Semitone Table that SONIX created ~ for you when you Accepted the waveform. If you like the waveform& ~ X click Save& make sure you type in the pathname you want to save ~ under& and press Return. If you want to make some changes& use the ~ Edit function and the other Waveform Editor features to redraw the ~ waveform& set things up in the Tuning Window& and Accept it again. ~ ~ SAVE% Click the Save box to save your waveform to disk. Be sure ~ to use the pathname you want. ~ ~ ~ CAPTURE ~ ------- ~ ~ SONIX's Capture function lets you bring "real time" sound signals ~ into the IIgs' Ensoniq synthesizer's A to D convertor& shape and ~ calibrate them& and save them to disk as waveform files that can be ~ used in your Basic programs. Input signals can come via microphone& ~ tape deck& phonograph& CD player& electronic synthesizer...virtually ~ any "electronic" source. The only precaution that you have to ob- ~ serve in Capturing a sound is to keep the maximum voltage of the ~ input signal below 2.55 volts. That's the upper limit that the En- ~ soniq chip's A to D convertor should be expected to handle without ~ failure. (That is& try to pump a HIGHER voltage signal than 2.55 ~ volts into the A to D convertor and you'll probably get to know your ~ local Apple IIgs repair technician pretty well.) You've got to be ~ SURE that the input signal level is controlled within the A to D ~ convertor's design limits. ~ X ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-8 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ IF YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT AN INPUT SIGNAL'S CONDITION& DON'T USE IT ~ UNTIL A QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN CHECKS THINGS OUT FOR YOU. SO WHAT ~ X SOFTWARE CAN'T...AND WON'T...BE RESPONSIBLE IF YOU CONNECT YOUR IIgs ~ TO A HIGH VOLTAGE SIGNAL!! ~ ~ There are a schematic& parts list& and adjusting procedures for an ~ inexpensive& EFFECTIVE pre-amplifier included on this disk. You can ~ easily assemble one for yourself (or get an electronics-type to do it ~ for you) and use it to condition input signals. ~ ~ Sorry about all the "Doom and Gloom" warnings& but when it comes to ~ injecting "unknown" signals into your IIgs& you've got only 2 choices% ~ do it carefully--at your own risk........or don't do it at all!! ~ ~ For the following explanation of the Capture function& we're assuming ~ that you're using a microphone as the input device and that you've ~ got your pre-amp adjusted correctly. Click the INSTRUCTIONS selec- ~ tion on SONIX's Main Menu screen& then click THE PRE-AMP to get full ~ information about the pre-amp we use. ~ ~ When you click the Capture box on the Waveform Editor screen& a blue ~ Sample Parameter Window will appear& with "click-able" boxes for ~ Rate& Size& and Sample& plus a Backout box. Before we discuss how ~ they work& let's go over some of the concepts of digital sound samp- ~ ling. ~ ~ Recall that in the Window Control section (p. B-2) we observed how ~ X sonic waveforms vary with time; that is& they have a volume at any ~ instant of time& and a changing series of volumes over a span of ~ time. A digital sampler "measures and records" a waveform's volume ~ (or amplitude) at selected time intervals and collects all these ~ amplitude/time pairs (or& samples) in a digital file. Now& the ~ faster the sampling occurs--that is& the more times a waveform is ~ sampled over its span of sounding& the better the digital file of ~ amplitude/time samples will represent how the waveform really sounds. ~ BUT...the file will be longer& because it has more amplitude/time ~ samples in it. Conversely& the fewer the samples& the shorter the ~ file...but the less accurate the representation of the waveform. ~ ~ SONIX's sampling technique lets you choose any of 16 sample rates& ~ the fastest being only 32.12 microseconds per sample and the slowest ~ being 242.12 microseconds per sample. SONIX's sampler also lets you ~ choose how long a file of samples you want to create& from 256 bytes ~ long (that is& 256 samples& with 1 byte representing the amplitude ~ value of each sample) to 32768 bytes long. (Bet you know the se- ~ quence% 256& 512& 1024&....&32768.) ~ ~ So....the smaller the sample rate number& the more samples taken ~ while a waveform sounds. And....the longer the file size allowed& ~ the more samples in the file. Best fidelity comes at 32.12 micro- ~ second sampling rate and 32768 sample file size. (Appendix A has a ~ lot of detail on the relationship of sampling rate& sample size& and ~ sampling time.) ~ X ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-9 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ RATE% Click to select the sampling rate value. ~ ~ X SIZE% Click to select the sample file size. ~ ~ SAMPLE% Click to begin the sampling process. The Sample box will ~ be highlighted during the actual time a waveform is being sampled. ~ ~ BACKOUT% Click to return to the Waveform Editor ~ ~ Here's a step-by-step procedure that will get you going in the right ~ direction. We'll try not to over-samplify it too much. (GROAN!) ~ ~ With Rate and Size at their default values (32.12 and 32768)& click ~ the Sample box& but DON'T speak into your microphone. Note that Sam- ~ ple is highlighted for about 1 second& and then the Sample Parameter ~ Window is replaced by the familiar Tuning Window. Click Backout and ~ you'll see the result of a "no signal" input. What you SHOULD see is ~ a straight& horizontal line at or very near the center of the Wave- ~ form Window. If the horizontal line is more than about 5 percent ~ away from the Waveform Window's centerline& the pre-amp is too far out ~ of adjustment. (Click the PRE-AMP selection of the Instructions ~ option in SONIX's Main Menu screen for a refresher on this subject.) ~ Don't be concerned if the horizontal line is at the center but has a ~ few little "bumps" on it. Those are small noise spikes that are ~ pretty much unavoidable. Click Backout when you're finished. ~ ~ Now that your pre-amp is all set up& it's time for some serious sam- ~ X pling. Click Capture& click the Rate and Size boxes to choose the ~ sampling parameters you want& click Sample& and speak into your micro- ~ phone as soon as you see the Sample box become highlighted. (It's ~ quite likely that you'll be in the Sample mode for a longer or short- ~ er time than you want. No problem; just click Backout& reset Rate ~ higher if you ran out of time or lower if you had time to spare& and ~ sample again.) ~ ~ Set all the sampled waveform's parameters with the Tuning Window's ~ controls the way we discussed in the section on the Extract function ~ (beginning on page B-4)& Accept the waveform& and hear yourself speak ~ via your IIgs! Note that you can "play" your voice at different ~ pitches; click the keys on the 1-octave keyboard and you'll hear ~ yourself over an 8-octave span. ~ ~ Now& click Backout--you'll be returned to the Waveform Editor--and ~ look at how your waveform is distributed over the Waveform Window. ~ What you want is for the extremes of the waveform to come NEAR (but ~ not all the way up to) the top and bottom of the Waveform Window. If ~ they're clustered around the centerline& you'll have problems of vol- ~ ume too low and too much audible "hash" (technically& the signal to ~ noise ratio will be too low). Try sampling again& but speak a little ~ louder and/or hold the microphone a little closer. ~ ~ If you see a lot of horizontal blue lines at the top and bottom of ~ the Waveform Window& your input was too loud. This usually makes the ~ X resulting waveform "muddy" and distorted& and the cure is to "back ~ off" a little in voice volume and/or hold the microphone a little ~ further away. ~ ~ So What Software B-10 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ This is a good time to talk about "trimming" a waveform. Let's say ~ you sample a waveform of yourself saying& "So What Software"& and ~ X after Extracting and Tuning& you notice a pause preceding the actual ~ words. You would probably want the words to begin right away& so ~ you'd click Backout and use the Edit function to trim off the "dead ~ space" at the beginning. (Recall that since an extracted waveform ~ begins with a 0 value& you'd use the Edit function to draw in 1 or ~ more 0s just BEFORE the word part of the waveform begins.) Then& ~ proud of your prowess as a waveform technician& you'd re-Extract the ~ edited waveform& re-Tune it& and check it out. ~ ~ WHAT?! The *@!! thing says&"So What Sof"!! What's going on here?!? ~ You trimmed off "dead space" at the beginning& and now you're missing ~ a piece of the waveform at the END!! ~ ~ The key to understanding what's happened is in how the Extract func- ~ tion works. Recall that on page B-4 we pointed out that SONIX works ~ with files that are 256& 512& 1024& 2048& 4096& 8192& 16384& and ~ 32768 bytes long.....and ONLY those lengths. If you extract a wave- ~ form that is any length between 1024 and 2047 bytes long& say& it will ~ be defined as a 1024-byte waveform file. If you were to subtract only ~ a single byte from a 1024-byte long waveform (making it 1023 bytes ~ long)& it would have to jump down to the next smaller size category& ~ 512 bytes. So& in our hypothetical example& when you whacked off the ~ "dead space" at the beginning of the waveform and then re-Extracted ~ it& you actually shortened it enough that SONIX had to define it in ~ the next smaller size category. The "So What Sof" part fit into the ~ X shorter file size& but the tail end of the waveform (the "tware" part) ~ had to be ignored. ~ ~ Despair not. The solution is simple& now that you have insight into ~ the workings of SONIX's Extract function. ~ ~ All you've got to do is make sure that the waveform file you're defin- ~ ing contains all the bytes you want (that is& everything you want to ~ hear) in a file length big enough to hold it all. The way to make ~ this happen is to use the Edit function to draw some "dummy" values ~ at the end of the waveform--about the same amount as you trimmed off ~ at the beginning. It's best to draw the "dummy" values as a horizon- ~ tal line near the center of the Waveform Window& but actually& you ~ can draw them almost anywhere EXCEPT at the top of the Window (values ~ all the way at the top of the Window are 0s). Remember& you define ~ the END of a waveform with a 0& so you don't want a 0 in the waveform ~ until you've just crossed the "size boundary" into the next bigger ~ file size. Just draw in enough "dummy" values to make your waveform& ~ say& 1030 bytes long& THEN draw in a few 0s. ~ ~ It's a good idea at this point to look at your entire waveform to ~ make sure that no unwanted 0s are "lurking" in the interior. The ~ easiest way is to use the Slider to get somewhere in the middle of ~ the waveform. Then& click Zip and Down& followed by Up& to go to the ~ first 0. (That's the same procedure you use at the beginning of the ~ Extract function& remember?) The beginning of your waveform should ~ X be aligned exactly at the left of the Waveform Window& and the first ~ number appearing in the window at the right of the screen should show ~ the beginning byte of the waveform you want. ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-11 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ~ ====================================================================== ~ WAVEFORM EDITOR INSTRUCTIONS SONIX for the Apple IIgs ~ ====================================================================== ~ ~ If NOT...there's a stray 0 somewhere between the place you started ~ (in the waveform) and the place you want to be the waveform's begin- ~ X ning. You can find it...or them...by clicking the Up box (turn off ~ Zip) until the culprit appears on the screen and using the Edit func- ~ tion to draw in some other value(s). Zip to the beginning of the ~ waveform& as before& and then Zip Up one more time. If all the un- ~ wanted 0s are gone& you'll go right to the place that you drew in the ~ string of 0s to complete the waveform file length. If Zip-ing Up ~ doesn't get you to that part of the waveform& then you'll need to ~ track down the offending 0s and use the Edit function to get rid of ~ THEM& too. ~ ~ It may take a few moments to make sure there aren't any unwanted 0s ~ in your waveform& but it's not hard to do& really. The best part is ~ that you'll know you've got 'em all when you can Zip Down immediately ~ to the beginning and Zip Up immediately to the place where you drew ~ in the string of 0s& from anywhere in the "interior" of your waveform. ~ ~ Now& when you extract the waveform& tune it& and check it by clicking ~ the keyboard& you'll see that you've actually moved the "dead space" ~ to the END of the waveform& where it's usually not objectionable at ~ all. The full "So What Software" will be at the beginning of the ~ waveform file& and you'll hear it every time. ~ ~ This technique is also the way to go when you're extracting just a ~ part of a waveform that is on a commercial disk& such as getting just ~ the snare drum from a waveform file that contains cymbal& snare drum& ~ X bass drum& and high hat all together. A bit of practice will make ~ the technique second nature to you. ~ ~ ~ That's about it for waveform editing. Try your hand at using all the ~ Waveform Editor's features and you'll quickly become used to how they ~ work. We do suggest that you format a separate disk to hold waveform ~ files; you'll probably wind up creating quite a few& and your SONIX ~ and Waveform Library disks have only a limited amount of room left on ~ them. ~ ~ The Waveform Library disk that came with your copy of SONIX has a col- ~ lection of waveforms that we've developed with the Waveform Editor& ~ using a variety of input sources. If we can do it& so can you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ So What Software B-12 1-JUN-88 ~ ~ ~ ENDFILE