Sonic Blaster™ User's Manual Æ APPLIED ENGINEERING A DIVISION OF AE RESEARCH CORPORATION v1.
Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement The equipment described in this manual generates and uses radio frequency energy. If it is not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with these instructions, it may cause interference to radio or television reception. FCC I.D.
Limited Warranty & Disclaimer Applied Engineering warrants the Sonic Blaster card against defects in material and workmanship for a period of 5 years from the date of original retail purchase. Applied Engineering also warrants that, under normal use, the magnetic media on which the included software is stored is free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 30 days from the date of original purchase.
Table Of Contents INTRODUCTION - WHAT YOU HAVE V The Board The Software The Manual v v v Part One Sonic Blaster The Hardware -- 3 CHAPTER ONE- GETTING STARTED What You Need Where It Goes RamKeeper Users 3 3 4 CHAPTER TWO - PUTTING IT IN 5 A Note about Volume Control Now What? 10 10 Part Two Sonic Blaster The Software -- INTRODUCTION - START, LOOK.
THE SCREEN The Sound Graph The Select Ear Stop, Play, Pause, and Record The Cassette Label Single Play/Continuous Play VU On/VU Off Volume Playback Sample Rate Record Sample Rate Record Level Play Time Max Block Select Region Resolution CHAPTER TWO - THE “FILE” OPTIONS New ( -N) Open ( -O) Append... Close ( -W) Save ( -S) Save As... Formats Recognized Print ( -P) Page Setup Choose Printer...
CHAPTER THREE - THE “EDIT” OPTIONS Undo ( -Z) Cut ( -X) Copy ( -C) Paste ( -V) A Note about the Clipboard Mixing Mix Settings Mix Select All ( -A) CHAPTER FOUR - THE “VIEW” OPTIONS Zooming Zoom ( -M) Zoom In ( -+[plus]) Zoom Out ( --[minus]) Full View ( -F) Oscilloscope Change Color CHAPTER FIVE - THE “EFFECTS” OPTIONS Amplify... Backwards Echo...
CHAPTER SIX - THE “SETUP" OPTIONS Playback Channel... Record Channel... Effects Channel...
INTRODUCTION What You Have The Board Welcome to the world of... SOUND! The Sonic Blaster is an audio digitizer and playback system. Once installed, your IIGS thunders into a whole new dimension. You've seen the GS incredible graphics, now hear its powerful roar. The board is easy to install. It will work in slots 1, 2, or 6. External connections are provided so you can quickly and easily connect line inputs and speaker outputs.
Note: This indicates a special note or warning. Pay close attention to these entries. Sonic Blaster is the full name of the product. In this manual, we’ll sometimes call it SB for short. Part I, Sonic Blaster--The Hardware, describes the card, tells you what you need to use it, and takes you through the installation of the Sonic Blaster. Part II, Sonic Blaster--The Software, begins by giving you a quick run through of what the Sonic Blaster software can do.
PART 1 Sonic Blaster - - The Hardware Part 1 - The Hardware 1
Sonic Blaster 2 Part 1 -The Hardware
CHAPTER ONE Getting Started What You Need To effectively use the Sonic Blaster, you need: ◊ A IIGs with at least 512K expanded memory (768K total). ◊ A pair of external speakers; amplified or non-amplified will work. The Sonic Blasters sound will actually come out the GS’ speaker but to really get the thumping stereo sound, you’ll need stereo speakers. Some external speakers are amplified. Some have volume controls.
Recording and Saving Changes To record or save changes to a file using the Sonic Blaster software, you should install the card in slot 1, 2, or 6 and set the Slot option to ‘Your Card.’ If the Slot option is not set to ‘Your Card” the software will give you the error message, “Requires AE Sonic Blaster Card” because it cannot “see” the Sonic Blaster card.
CHAPTER Two Putting It In 1.) TURN OFF THE APPLE’S POWER SWITCH. Never install or remove a card while the computer is on. However, you need to leave the computer plugged in throughout the installation to allow the power supply to discharge static electricity from your body. 2.) Remove the cover from the Apple. Press in the two latches in the rear of the case with your forefingers while using the heel of your hand to pull the lid up and towards you. (See below.) 3.
Remove the plastic plate 6 5) Remove the Sonic Blaster from its anti-static bag. Hold the card by its edges, like a photograph. 6) Plug the card into slot 2, 1 or 6 (in order from most recommended to acceptable) by inserting the fingers of the circuit board into the slot. The fingers will enter the slot with some friction, and will then seat firmly.
7) Connect the mounting plate to the opening in the back panel using the hardware provided. Partially insert one screw into the bottom hole of the connector then slide this screw over the notch at the bottom of the opening. Make sure the writing (“OUT” and “IN”) is right side up. Insert the top screw and tighten both screws. * Notes The six-pin female connector at the end of the mounting plate cable should be connected to the six-pin connector on the SB. Make sure it is still firmly connected.
Connect the E-I/O cable to the motherboard 8a) If you have a card in the Memory Expansion slot, you may need to remove it to plug in the E-I/O cable. In the case of RamKeepers, be sure to back up your ROM disk before unplugging the transformer and battery. You don’t need to unscrew the RamKeeper’s Connector plate; simply remove the RamKeeper from the Memory Expansion slot and then plug in the cable. Don’t reinstall the RamKeeper yet. 8b) If you’ve taken your RamKeeper out of the slot, reinsert it now.
There are several ways to control the Sonic Blasters output volume. The different methods are explained more in the following section, “A Note About Volume Control.’ Right now, however, you’ll need to Set the volume on the card itself: ◊ If you have an amplifier connected or if you’re using amplified speakers, turn the volume on the card up a very little bit. The arrows will be pointed almost straight left. (See illustration following.
A Note about Volume Control Rarely will you want to turn up the Sonic Blasters volume pots all the way. The settings described in step 10 should provide you with a good top-end volume. Control the volume range with the volume knob of your amplifier (if connected) or the volume knob of the speakers (if equipped). Most well-written games and sound programs will allow you to control the volume from inside the program. If not, control it using the methods above.
PART II Sonic Blaster -- The Software Part II - The Software 11
Æ Sonic Blaster 12 Sonic BIaster - The Software
INTRODUCTION Start, Look, and Listen Sonic Blaster’s software has a Mac-like interface that makes the program’s use extremely intuitive. If you’ve experienced the GS’ Finder or if you’ve ever used a Macintosh before, you’ll be familiar with many of the menu options and how to use them. You should already be comfortable with such phrases as “Click and Drag,” “Full-Down Menus,” “Select,””Eat all your vegetables,””I have to wash my hair,” and “Can you hold?’---.
Booting the Software From the Startup Disk 1) Insert the Sonic Blaster startup disk into your boot drive. 2) Turn on the computer. 3) The disk will automatically load the SB software. From the Finder I) With the computer on and the Finder loaded, insert your Sonic Blaster startup disk into a 3.5” drive. 2) Double-dick the disk icon to open its window. 3) Double-click the icon SONIC.SYS16 to run the application.
The sound graph is a visual representation of your files sound wave. The pathname of the sound file is displayed at the top of the sound graph window. 6) Click on the Play button. The sound file you have loaded will now play. Repetitive Play, Volume and Rate 1) Click the Continuous Play button then press Play again. The file will play over and over again.
What’s Next? Use the rest of the manual as reference. The next chapter gives a detailed description of the screen contents. The rest of the chapters in Part II itemize and describe each of the options offered in the menus in the order in which they appear starting with the File options and proceeding to the right. The Appendices offer everything from instruction on how to load the program to your RAM, ROM, or hard disk to some information about adapters you may need and their catalog numbers.
CHAPTER ONE The Screen File Edit View Effects Setup Sounds /AEROM/SOUNDS/SAMPLE.SESSION The Sonic Blaster Screen * Note: SAMPLE. SESSION is not an included file. The Sonic Blaster screen presents you with a super-simple interface and a wealth of information. The Sound Graph The sound graph is the window at the bottom of the screen. It contains the sound wave of the sound file currently selected.
-> Select from the pointer position to the visible end of the graph by holding down the option key while clicking the mouse -> Extend your selection to the left or right without changing your anchor point by holding down the shift key while dragging the pointer to the left or right. The Keyboard Help... option under the Apple menu presents you with a quick reminder of what the mouse/keyboard commands are. (See graphic following.
3) If you have several windows open, you may want to close them (save if desired) to compress the available memory and get a larger Max B lock onto which you can record. * Note: While recording, the GS will be completely occupied with digitizing; all other functions (VU meters, mouse, etc.) are disabled. The Cassette Label The number on the cassette label tells how many bytes the file occupies in memory.
Record Sample Rate Record Sample Rate bar allows you to set the Hz at which you record. A higher Sample Rate means a higher quality recording produced and a larger memory block used. In general, voice recordings require lower sample rates (7,000 and up) while music (especially from CD’s) require higher sample rates (we recommend the maximum, 15,184 for stereo and 30,368 for mono). Record Level Record Level adjusts the input level from your source connected to the Sonic Blasters IN connector.
Select Region Select Region tells you how many bytes you currently have selected. In the example screen, the selected area is bytes. If you’ve selected the entire window (by choosing Select All [ -A] or by dragging across the entire wave when set to Full view ), and the number on the cassette label is slightly different from the number in the Select Region , don’t worry; this is due to rounding.
Æ Sonic Blaster 22 Sonic BIaster - The Software
CHAPTER Two The “File” Options Click and hold on the File menu on the left side of the menu bar. You'll be presented with the following options: New ( -N) The New command creates a sound graph at the bottom part of the screen with the name Untitled# (where # is an appended number). New graphs are a good scratchpad on which to combine different sound files. The new sound graph will have 626 bytes of silence when in mono mode or 1252 bytes of silence in stereo mode.
For more information on ROM disks, see "RamKeeper" in the glossary. For more information on RAM disks, refer to your IIGS Owner’s Manual. Append... The Append option will open a file and stick it beginning-to-end with the currently open file automatically and seamlessly. This option gives you the ability to load a single file as large as your memory allows instead of limiting the size of the file to the size of a single floppy disk.
Save ( -S) Use this option to save changes you have made to a file, if you have just created the file, you will be presented with the Save As.. . dialog box (see Save As... below), if you made changes to a file that already has a name, the file will be saved under the same name. * Note: If you try to save changes to a locked file you’ll be told that the file is locked and asked if you want to replace it with the new information anyway.
If the disk you want to save to is not currently online, eject a disk, that is, if no other drive is available, and insert the correct disk into the drive. The disk will be found as you circulate back through the online disks. * Note: If you discover that there is not enough room on your data disk to store the file, you can save to another formatted disk or Cancel the Save and make more room on the disk by using Delete from the Edit menu to get rid of any unwanted files.
AF Format is Sonic Blasters own filetype. This is the default format for saving files. You’ll save the file you want to use as your startup sound in this format. AIFF Format is the Apple Standard format. 2 : 1 C o m p r e s s e d is a format which does some squeezing to save the same amount of information in half the space. 2 . 6 7 : 1 C o m p r e s s e d same as above but compacting even more. This difference between 2:1 and 2.67:1 will be most noticeable on very large files.
Delete... Delete is extremely useful for getting rid of files you no longer want in order to make room for new files. When you choose Delete, you’ll be presented with the open screen. However, the Open button is now the Delete button. Choose the disk that contains the file you want to delete. If the file is in a folder, double click on the folder to open it. Click on the file to delete and then click Delete. You’ll be asked if you want to delete the file you’ve selected ~a safety precaution).
Select size of paper you're using Select to print 1/2 size Select “Condensed” for sharpest printout Does not apply Prints vertically Prints horizontally Dialog box for Page Setup option Choose Printer... Lets you specify your printer arrangement. Select the printer you have online, the port to which it is connected and whether it is an AppleTalk connection or a direct connection. Click on printer you're using Click on port to which printer is connected Click on connection you're using.
Æ Sonic Blaster 30 Sonic BIaster - The Software
CHAPTER THREE The “Edit” Options Undo ( -Z) After you’ve made a change to the file, you can select Undo to cancel the most recent modification. The Undo command will be followed by the most recent option you’ve selected, for example, Undo Paste or Undo Echo . If Undo isn’t an option for the change you’ve made, the undo command will be dimmed. Cut ( -X) After you’ve selected a portion of the graph, choose Cut to remove the selection from the screen and copy it to the GS clipboard.
Mixing Mix Settings and Mix enable you to Join selected portions of files together. A sound segment copied to the clipboard can be mixed with the selected portion of an active file. Use the SB’s mixing capability to create background noises for your files. You patriotic music in the background of a presidential speech or add subliminal messages to muzac. Mix Settings The Mix Settings option lets you choose how loud you want the clipboard in relation to the currently selected sample.
Mix Select the Mix option to begin mixing the clipboard sample with the selected sample of the active window. When mixing segments, keep in mind the following rules: ◊ The mix option will be inactive until you have a segment selected in the active window. ◊ Listen to the clipboard sample before mixing using the Play Clipboard command ( -*) under the Setup menu. ◊ Samples recorded at different rates will be mixed at the different rates and may sound peculiar together.
Æ Sonic Blaster 34 Sonic BIaster - The Software
CHAPTER FOUR The ‘View” Options Zooming In the Zoom modes, described below, you can magnify portions of the sound pattern. In these enlarged views, you can select very small parts of the wave and use the edit functions to fine tune the file--cut out unwanted noise or unwanted silence, fine the exact location at which a sound begins, piece together sounds without popping, etc. As you zoom, the calculated number of samples per pixel will be displayed next to Resolution on the screen.
◊ and drag the Zero Adjust thumb to move the horizontal zero line up (right) or down (left). This setting has no affect on the recorded sound. ◊ OK when the record level is Set to your satisfaction. The Oscilloscope option Change Color Select this from the menu and you'll be presented with a color palette. Click on any of the four squares to change that color. Adjust the color using the Red Green and Blue slide bars.
CHAPTER FIVE The “Effects” Options The Effects options affect only the segment of the currently selected window that you have highlighted by clicking and dragging. * Note: When working with stereo files, you can select the channel on which you want the effects to take place with the Effects Channel option in the Setup Menu. You're given the options Display Channel, and Both Channels. You can, for example, echo Channel 1 while Channel 2 remains unaffected.
Echo dialog box ◊ Echo Amplification determines how loud the echo will be. ◊ -> 50%, the default setting, is a good setting for most echos. each echo is at half the volume of the previous. -> A Setting of 100, will echo the sound at full strength. -> Settings above 100 will make it sound like the echo is coming toward you. If echoed long or loud enough, the sound will be clipped. Echo Interval determines how much of the selected segment will actually be echoed.
Fade Down Fade Down will modify the selected segment to sound as if the volume was gradually turned down toward the end of the segment. Fade Up Fade Up will modify the beginning of the segment to make the amplitude start low and build as if the volume was gradually turned up. Phase Shift Phase Shift is for stereo waves. This effect gives you the same result as reversing the positive and negative speaker wires of one stereo speaker. Normally, stereo speaker cones move in and out similarly (in phase).
2) Select the Shift option. The Shift dialog box (below) displays the viewable portion of the screen. Shift dialog box 3) Use the up and down slide bar to raise or lower the zero line. 4) Click the Ok box to shift the selection to the chosen level or click the Cancel box to return to the active sound graph. When using the Shift option, keep the following things in mind: ◊ The Shift option will be inactive until you have a segment selected in the active window.
CHAPTER Six The “Setup” Options * Note; Channel 1 is the same as Left and Channel 2 is the same as Right on most stereo setups. Playback Channel... You can choose to playback through Channel 1 (left), Channel 2 (right), or Both Channels. Cancel leaves the settings as they were before you choose the option. Record Channel... This option lets you select which channel you want to record from. ◊ Recording on both channels (stereo) cuts the maximum Record Sample Rate down from 30,368 to 15,184.
Auto Gain You must have some form of input to use this option. Auto Gain will set the record level for you. This feature automatically adjusts the level according to the highest input to help eliminate clipping. Input the sound you’ll be recording, click Save to set the level, then proceed with your recording. Move the thumb to the right of the sound wave grid to manually set the maximum level for clipping. In general, set the level dose to the second row from the top of the grid.
CHAPTER S EVEN The Sounds” Options Display Channel 1 Shows the sound graph for Channel I of the current file. Display Channel 2 Shows the sound graph for Channel 2 of the current file. This option will be disabled for mono files. * Notes Unlike the Effects options, any Edit made to one channels graph will also be made to the other channels graph. List of Open Sound Files Pick the file you want to display from this list of currently open files.
APPENDICES The following appendices are included for further reference and reading enjoyment: A -- Copying Sonic Blaster to RAM, ROM or Hard Disk B -- Trouble Shooting C -- Adapters D -- The Introplay Program E -- Saving Large Files to Multiple Disks F 44 - - Getting Help Sonic Blaster
APPENDIX A Copying Sonic Blaster to RAM, ROM or Hard Disk The System If you want to run Sonic Blaster from your RAM, ROM or hard disk, use the latest version of GS/OS. The GS/OS version we’ve included with the Sonic Blaster was the latest at the time the card was packaged. However, the Sonic Blaster disk does not contain all of the GS/OS files, just those system files needed to run the program and access any disk drives you may have connected.
2) Select All ( -A) 3) Drag all the files to the RAM disk icon. This allows the computer to find the files it needs to boot. * Note: Because this is an auto-start program, when you boot it from the RAM disk and Quit ( -Q), you'll just be returned to the program. You'll need to eject the disk and reboot the computer to run a different program. From RAM, ROM, or Hard Disk W/ GS/OS Intact If your RAM, ROM, or hard disk is already set up with GS/OS, simply copy the SONIC.
APPENDIX B Trouble Shooting Strange Behavior in General When the Sonic Blaster doesn’t seem to be playing or recording properly, it’s probably do to a loose connection somewhere. * Important! You must connect the mounting plate to the back panel of the computer for proper grounding. If you do not, Sonic Blaster cannot function properly. Check the cables connections to the card, to the motherboard and to the back panel. Check the cards connection to the expansion slot.
Distorted Sound ◊ Once again, is the SB’s connector plate screwed onto the back panel? Is the other end securely connected to the card? If not, the Sonic Blaster is not grounding properly. ◊ Is the E-I/O cable connected to both the Sonic Blaster and the motherboard? ◊ Check your speaker wires.
Missing FORM/COMM/SSND chunk in AIFF file This is a seldom, if ever, seen, error message that appears when a sound file does not have some required information. You wont be able to open the file. Must have a 64K block to record Must have a 128K block to record If Max Block shows less than 64K, you’ll get this message when you try to record in mono. If Max Block shows less than 128K, you’ll get this message when you try to record in stereo.
APPENDIX C Adapters Speaker Connections The Sonic Blaster uses the 1/8” stereo mini jack for input and output. This is the same jack used by most portable stereos. The Bose Roommate speakers and several other brands use the 1/8” jack and will need no adapters. If your speaker wires (or wires from your amplifier) end in phono plugs (often called RCA plugs), you’ll need the Stereo Playback Y-Adapter. It adapts phono plugs to the Sonic Blaster’s 1/8” stereo mini jack. (Radio Shack Cat. No. 274-369.
CD, VCR, TV. Turntable and Amplifier Connections If your VCR or TV has phono jacks for audio input and output, you can use a “mini phone plug to phono plug cable (RS Cat. No. 42-2444) for mono recording. For Mono Record To Audio “OUT’ of VCR. CD, TV, etc. To Sonic Blaster “IN” RS Cat. No.
The microphones don’t need to be super high quality for voice recordings, but the higher the quality input, the better the recording (up to a point). Start out with a low-cost mike. (Try Radio Shack’s Windscreen Dynamic Omni--RS Cat. No. 33-2001.) For mono input, a mike with a 1/8’ mini stereo plug does not need a Y-adapter. For stereo input, either plug two mono mikes into a left and right mono adapter (two 1/8” mono plugs to 1/8” stereo jack” adapter--RS Cat. No.
APPENDIX D The Introplay Program The file Introplay, found in the System/System.Setup folder (subdirectory) of the Sonic Blaster program disk, will play the sound file Introsound as the GS/OS startup screen is displayed. We’ve included an Introsound file but you can easily create your own. To use the Introplay program when booting from RAM, ROM, hard disk, or any other boot disk, copy Introplay and Introsound from the System/System. Setup subdirectory of the Sonic Blaster program disk to the System/System.
APPENDIX E Saving Large Files to Multiple Disks If you have a file that is larger than a single floppy disk, you can break it up into two or more files and save it to separate disks. You can then load it back into the program using the Append option under the File menu. To break up a file into several files, follow these instructions: 1) Hold down the key while clicking the mouse within the sound graph of the file.
The ‘silent wave used to create the window will be replaced with the clipboard contents. 8) Save ( -S) the file to whatever disk you want. (Refer to the Save instruction in Chapter 2 if you don't know how to change volumes, etc. End the file’s name with the sequence number, for example, Laughs.I will be your first save, Laughs.2 your second, etc. This will help you keep track of the files’ order to make Appending easier. 9) Close the window you have just saved.
APPENDIX F Try This! (Tips and Hints) Record Sample Rate When deciding at what rate to record a sample, keep in mind that the higher the sampling rate, the higher the sound quality but the more memory used. We recommend that you experiment to find out how the quality differs with lower sampling rates for both voice and music recording.
Fun Stuff You’ve probably had a chance to mess around with the Sonic Blaster software by the time you read this; we have, too. Here are a few things we’ve tried at Applied... Back Talk Record a word or phrase forward, listen to it backwards, record yourself saying it backwards and then flip it. How close can you get it to sound like an intelligible word or phrase? One phrase that sounds clear when reversed is “eem pleh” (‘help me).
More Phone Fun Hey Dad—I’m in jail Imagine the surprise your parents will get when you call them from jail (any police show will give you some good background noise). Imagine the look on your child’s face when he/she gets a call from Alvin and he actually calls them by name (fast playback rate). Imagine how envious your friends will be when you call them from your new car phone (highway ambiance, honking horns, maybe even a crash).
APPENDIX G Programmers’ Reference * Note: This chapter contains technical information for programmers interested in programming the Sonic Blaster. It is not a programming tutorial, If you're not a programmer you should ignore this information. Don't look at it. Don’t even think about it. The card will run fine without knowing what’s under the hood.
Files ID Type Channel Length Freq Binary Info Notes About Example File 'AEPM' 0 0 10246 30368 AE Format Mono Recording 10,246 byte file Recorded at the Highest SB Record Rate 10,246 8-bit samples In the case of stereo files, Channel 2 sampled data immediately follows Channel 1 sampled data and does not require a separate header. Refer to the Apple Standard Sound File Format (SSND) documentation for complete AIFF format information.
APPENDIX H Getting Help If you have a technical question relating to your Sonic Blaster card or any other Applied Engineering product that is not covered in the manual please contact the dealer from whom you purchased the product. If you are experiencing difficulties with one particular program, contact the programs author or publisher. In the event that the dealer or the publishers support personnel cannot answer your question, call Applied Engineering Technical Support.
Returning a Product RMA Number , “Attention" Sheet, and Invoice If your product needs to be returned, the technical support representative will give you a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number. ◊ Record the RMA number for your own records. ◊ Write the RMA number on your package label. ◊ Fill Out the Return Form on back of the yellow sheet marked “Attention!’ A complete form will greatly reduce the time it takes to return your package. ◊ Attach a copy of your original invoice to the form.
Packing If you don’t have the original packing material, wrap the board in anti-static material (preferably the anti-static bag in which the card was originally shipped; however, aluminum foil will work fine). Pack it in a sturdy box cushioned with wadded papers (i.e. used computer paper or newspaper). * W a r n i n g : If your product is damaged due to inadequate packing, your warranty will be void. Include the return form and invoice.
Glossary AE Format - Sonic Blaster defaults to the AE format for saving files. Information about the files record rate is saved along with the binary information so that when the file is loaded back into the program, it will be set to the same speed as it was recorded. AIFF - This is Apples standard sound file format. Append - The Append option will open a file and attach it to the end of the file that is currently open.
Pathname - A pathname is a path of directories required to access a specific file on a disk device. To reference a file named MYDATA on volume /MY.DISK you would use a ‘path’ to the file /MY.DISK/MYDATA. Some files may be additional directories and those directories may contain references to more files or more directories. The main volume directory is called the ‘root directory.” Directories within the root directory are called subdirectories.
RamKeeper - RamKeeper an Applied Engineering board which allows you to set up your IIGS memory card as an electronic hard disk.” This means you can load programs and data files at a super-fast rate from RAM without having to insert and swap disks. Programs and data files can be retained in memory even after the computer is shut off for instant access next time you power up. Raw Data - This is one of Sonic Blasters Save As.. . formats. In this form the file is saved as straight binary information.
