S O U N D C L U B F A Q (rev. 15-dec-94) ================================================ PHILOSOPHICAL ------------- Q: SC has a lot of features. however, i think it lacks the feature X. is it present in the full version? A: probably not. SC demo is based on the what-you-see-is-what- you-get ideology, so if the feature X is not mentioned in the demo, nor in the readme.txt, nor in the order form, it is unlikely to be present in the full version. Q: ...but don't you have plans to introduce this feature X in the future? A: probably we do. in fact, we are currently planning a ms windows version of SC, that, for example, would include the following features: * support for arbitrary length 16 bit samples * improved MIDI support * support for more formats, like: .ULT, .S3M, .MTM * improved support for protracker effect commands in .MOD's * support for more sound cards Q: cool! when can i get my hands on that beast? A: we can't say anything yet, because the current demo has been out there for two months only and we are pretty much monitoring the feedback right now. Q: i see. is there anything i can do in order to speed up the process? A: yes, of course, and your help would be appreciated. here's what you can do: 1.order SC this is the most convincing way to show your support for the ideology SC and its future versions carry. you will be kept posted on the latest developments of SC and you will be offered any new version that comes along. 2.send us your contact address ...in order to indicate that you are interested in being offered the future versions of SC. 3.spread the news tell your friends about SC, give them the demo, and discuss about SC with the people you know. 4.let us know what features you think should be implemented in the future. Q: how can i contact you if i had any comments? A: bluemoon software, p.o.box 3689, ee-0090 tallinn, estonia phone: +372-641-0048 bbs/fax: +372-641-0049 email: sclub@dc.goodwin.ee Q: how can i contact you guys via fidonet? A: write to Priit Kasesalu at 2:490/14. TECHNICAL --------- Q: what sound cards are the best for this program? A: SC runs best with a gravis ultrasound card, since it handles the sampling onboard, and achieves high sampling rates even on a 286. with other cards, you need a 486 to achieve high sound quality. after the ultrasound, there are other 16 bit cards, like PAS16 and SB16, which sound almost as good. then come 8 bit cards like SB, SB PRO and Covox. then comes AdLib card, and the last is, you guessed it, PC speaker. Q: does SC play MIDI files without an external MIDI synthesizer or MIDI sound card? A: SC converts MIDI files, like any other files, to its own internal format while loading them. after that, SC completely forgets what was the source format of the loaded song. since a general MIDI file does not contain samples, SC loads the instruments from its own instrument bank instead - in accordance to the patch map which is selected for MIDI file loading. Q: the maximum playback sampling rate for music modules is about 42 KHz using my PAS card. can't it go up to 44.1 KHz? A: no. like most sound cards, PAS does not not allow arbitrary sampling rate values. for example, one can program a PAS to use a sampling rate of 42614 Hz or 44192 Hz, but nothing in between. SC basically takes the highest allowed rate that will still be smaller than the specified upper limit (44100 in the case of PAS). Q: i would like to use my own samples. what kind of sample format does SC use? A: SC stores its instruments in two types of files. those with the extension .SA are compressed 8-bit samples and those with the extension .SY are just data for the internal synthesizer of SC (press VIEW/INSTRUMENTS/EDIT/SYNTH to see it). however, neither of these formats correspond to some widely known file format. so you have to store your sample as a 8-bit raw sample data file, use the import sample feature (press IMPORT in the add voice window), and then set the proper sampling rate (press VIEW/INSTRUMENTS/EDIT/SAMPLING). Q: can SC play FM/adlib and digital instruments simultaneously? A: that's correct. also please note that SC casts the FM instruments into digital form, using its built-in software synthesizer, and then plays them without resorting to the synthesizer on the sound card. that's why you can even use the plain PC speaker in order to listen to the FM music. TROUBLESHOOTING --------------- Q: i have the demo version of SC and i'm using a PAS16 but i cannot use my external MIDI synth with the program. A: the problem probably lies in the MPU emulation of PAS16. strangely enough, some users have been able to solve this problem by DISABLING the MPU emulation on the MVSOUND.SYS command line (in CONFIG.SYS), and then enabling MPU again using the PAS util PROAS.EXE (manually, or in AUTOEXEC.BAT). Q: i just got a demo of SC and i love it. however there is an annoying tapping or consistent clicking that slows but does not go away at HQ mode. A: you probably have a SB or SB PRO. the clicking is caused by the fact that these cards do not allow continuous sound output. they treat the sound as a series of short clips, and they need to be reprogrammed at the start of each clip. every reprogramming event generates a click. in HQ mode, SC just uses longer clips. usually, this problem can be reduced by ensuring that you do not have any 386 memory managers (EMM386, QEMM386) installed. these programs will slow down the reprogramming somewhat. try a clean boot, or experiment with the settings of the memory manager you are using. Q: i tried exporting a song to MOD file. the result sounded quite ok, but all instruments did not play and the song sounded somewhat different. A: this is probably due to the fact that, in some sense, MOD format is more restricted than SN format - so there is no simple way to convert SN to MOD. for example, if there are more than 4 (or 8 in the case of 8-channel MOD) instruments playing simultaneously, SC has to decide what voice(s) to omit. you can make this conversion easier for SC by using the following tricks: 1.do not use more voices than 4 (8) at a time. you can check out the current number of voices in the HQ play window; 2.do not use balance slides. even better: make the song monophonic by changing the balance to 0 for all voices; 3.do not use excessive volume slides simultaneously with the tempo change; 4.resample your instruments to 8363 hz before using them; 5.set the global tempo to 100% and don't use tempo values other than 72, 84, 96, 108, 126, 150, 186. ORDERING -------- Q: what is included with the program if i order it? A: you will get an illustrated 120-page bound manual, and two labeled installation disks. refer to the order forms for the general features of SC you will get for your money. Q: how fast can i receive the package? A: if you order directly from bluemoon software, you will receive it in two or three weeks, depending mainly on how fast the postal system works. we use air mail for all orders in order to reduce the delivery time. times for the u.s. and german distributors of SC should be similar. Q: are the mailing costs are already included in the price? A: yes, if not stated otherwise in the appropriate order form. Q: when do we have to pay - after or with ordering? A: with ordering, just as stated in order form. sorry, no COD-s. Q: i'm in canada. how can i order SC? A: you can order from the u.s. distributor. Q: i'm living in a very remote place X. can i order from here or do i really have to move all the way to USA, canada or germany before ordering? A: SC is available everywhere. use the international order form unless you are from north america or germany. in north america or germany you should use the appropriate u.s. or german forms. Q: do you keep your users posted on new developments and newer versions and of SC? A: of course. Q: will it be possible for users to obtain newer versions of SC free of charge? A: we will guarantee that you will be offered new versions as they come along. however, we cannot guarantee that they will be free of charge. of course, that does not mean that we wouldn't send you free bugfixes and free updates if they are simple enough. in fact, we have done that once already: after implementing the MOD save feature, we sent the newest version of SC to our customers - absolutely for free.