Since so many people expressed interest in Spectra+ I am posing it's read.me file which will answer many questions and provide communication information. Newton nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu ======================================= SPECTRA PLUS - Professional Edition Version 3.0 ======================================= ========================= PROGRAM MANAGER ICONS ========================= The installation program builds a number of icons which will start Spectra Plus and automatically load a configuration file by passing the configuration filename as a command line parameter. The icons are labeled as follows: Spectra Plus Demo - runs program with current settings. Oscilloscope Setup - loads OSCOPE.CFG 1/3 Octave Setup - loads OCTAVE.CFG Spectrogram Setup - loads SPECGRAM.CFG 3-D Surface Setup - loads SURFACE.CFG Narrowband Spectrum - loads SPECTRUM.CFG Whenever the program is closed, the current settings are saved in the SPEC- TRA#.INI file in the windows directory. The current settings include the name of any currently open wave file. This file will automatically be opened when the program is restarted. To stop this from ocurring, simply close the wave file before closing the application. ========================= SAMPLE WAVE FILES ========================= The sample WAV files included with the program are found under the WAVE subdirectory. Each is briefly described below: WHALE.WAV Humpback Whale 1KHZFULL.WAV 1Khz full scale sinewave BLKBIRDS.WAV blackbird recording with corruption - filtering example PINK.WAV Pink noise WHITE.WAV White noise ========================= CORRECTING SOUND PROBLEMS ========================= Multimedia technology, with its array of new hardware and software, can present a variety of potential performance and configuration issues. If you are installing a Sound Card in your system, follow the manufacturer's installation instructions for the card. After installing the card, run the "Drivers" option under "Control Panel" and select the appropriate driver for your board (See Windows Users Manual for further details). You will be required to restart windows before the new driver is available. Verify that the Sound Board is operational by running "Sound Recorder" from the "Accessories Group". If not, then verify your hardware and driver are installed correctly. Do you have a sound source plugged into the card? Is it plugged into the correct jack (it is easy to get the wrong one). Some sound cards (e.g. Media Vision's Pro Audio Spectrum 16) come with a "mixer" utility which must be running before the sound card will function. Check your sound card documentation. You can test sounds with the Sound option in the Windows Control Panel. If you hear no sound during the tests, open the Drivers option to check the sound driver files. These drivers must be compatible with your sound board. Be sure a driver for WAVE audio appears in the Drivers dialog box. If necessary, set up your sound board again. If you still can't hear sounds, contact the sound board manufacturer to verify that you are using the correct drivers and that no hardware conflicts exist. ==================================== IMPROVING THE SPEED OF YOUR COMPUTER ==================================== If Spectra Plus seems to run slowly, try taking the following steps to improve your computer's performance: * Close all unnecessary applications. * If your computer is a 386, set up a permanent Windows swap file on your hard drive. (See your Windows User's Guide for more information.) Windows usually creates a temporary swap file, but if your hard disk is full or fragmented, this temporary file can become unavailable. Make the size of the permanent swap file at least 2048K (kilobytes). * Install a math coprocessor. Although Spectra Plus will run without one, it a coprocessor is highly recommended. * Defragment ("clean up") your hard disk by running a disk defragmentation program. * Add more extended memory to your computer. You can determine how much extended memory is available by typing MEM and pressing Enter at the MS-DOS prompt. You need a minimum of 4 MB of memory to effectively run Spectra Plus. For comprehensive documentation on improving performance, consult your Windows manual. ======================= HARDWARE-SPECIFIC NOTES ======================= The following are known hardware-specific issues that can affect Spectra Plus. Where possible, solutions or workarounds are provided. Diamond Viper video drivers ----------------------------------- * Memory leaks when Palette Intensity changed. You may need to restart windows after extensive manipulation of the Intensity setting on the spectro- gram. Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16 ----------------------------------- A small number of Media Vision sound card drivers (Pro Audio Spectrum cards) may cause problems. If you have a Media Vision card and don't hear sounds, try upgrading your driver. * Contact Media Vision. (For information on contacting Media Vision, see below.) Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum ------------------------------- Audio files may sound "scratchy" (that is, distorted) when played from the Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum. To correct this problem, change the Media Vision driver DMA setting to 7. To change the driver settings: 1. Choose the Drivers icon in the Windows Control Panel. 2. Select the Media Vision Wave/MIDI/Aux driver and choose Setup. 3. Under the DMA setting, set the selection to 7. 4. Choose OK. Choose Restart Now. Audio files should now play correctly. For more information, call Media Vision, Inc. Technical Support at 1-800-638-- 2807 or (510) 770-9905. On CompuServe, Media Vision can be reached by typing GO MEDIAVISION at any prompt. Turtle Beach Monterey and Tahiti -------------------------------- These cards are capable of simultaneous record/playback which allows you to feed the signal generator output (speaker output jack) back into the input port for analysis. Be aware that amplitude modulation can occur when the output is looped back to the input. To prevent this, make sure the IN slider on the Audio Mixer is at its minimum position. Control the signal generator output level by adjusting the WAVE slider on the mixer. To control the input sensivity, select the "Levels..." button and adjust the slider as needed. The "Record Prep" application supplied with the sound card includes a button labeled "Calibrate" which will allow you to remove any DC bias on the input channel. Refer to the user's guide supplied with the sound card for more details. It is important to remove any DC bias for accurate reverberation measurements. It should also be noted that the amplitude calibration is sensitive to the sampling rate being used. Remember to recalibrate the analyzer (using the calibration utility) when changing sampling rates. You may want to generate separate calibration files for the 11, 22 and 44 kHz sampling rates suppoprted by these cards. See the Spectra Plus users guide for more details on using the calibration utility. Turtle Beach Systems technical support can be reached at (717) 764-5265 or BBS at (717) 767-5934. New Media Wave Jammer PCMCIA card --------------------------------- This is currently the only available PCMCIA 16 bit stereo sound card on the market. Turtle Beach, Media Vision, IBM and others are developing competing products which should be released in the near future. New Media recommends using a laptop with PCMCIA controller chipsets from Intel or Cirrus. Compatiblity problems have been seen with chipset by Databook. In addition, laptops with built in sound support that cannot be disabled may cause problems. Consult New Media tech support at (714) 453-0314 for a current list of supported laptops. ================================ CONTACTING PIONEER HILL SOFTWARE ================================ Technical support: (206) 697-7733 BBS: (206) 697-7717 Fax: (206) 697-7730 Compuserve: 73042,1756 >From Internet: 73042.1756@compuserve.com Mail: 24460 Mason Rd. Poulsbo, WA 98370
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC