** MidiLab/2 Installation and Notes ** ------------IMPORTANT---------------IMPORTANT----------------IMPORTANT--------- Beginning with release 2.30, MidiLab/2 requires that the OS/2 V2.1 Multimedia Presentation Manager (MMPM/2) be installed. These are the last two diskettes provided with the OS/2 2.1 set. MidiLab/2 supports the Roland MPU-401 family of hardware MIDI interfaces in >>ONLY<< the "intelligent co-processor", or non-UART, mode of operation. If you have a hardware device which claims to be MPU-401 compatible, you must furthur determine whether or not the compatibility claim supports this mode. If it doesn't, MidiLab/2 will not function. (See the NOTE under step 4) ------------IMPORTANT---------------IMPORTANT----------------IMPORTANT--------- MidiLab/2 should be installed within an OS/2 2.1 environment, in its own directory. Install as follows: 1. Create a directory for MidiLab/2 on a drive of your choice. The following examples and instructions assume the directory is named MLABPM, and it is set as the current directory. 2. After copying MLABVxxx.EXE into the MLABPM directory, simply execute it. It's a self-extracting ZIP file, and will install all required files. 3. Create a MidiLab/2 icon by dragging a program template to an existing folder (or to the desktop) specifying the following settings: Program - Path and file name: [d:]\MLABPM\MLABPM.EXE - Parameters: /P=[d:]\songlib - Working directory: [d:]\MLABPM General - Title: MidiLab/2 The optional /P parameter is used to specify a default directory for loading and saving MIDI data files. Extensions of .MID (standard MIDI format 1) and .ML (MidiLab/2 native format) are supported. See 'Invoking MidiLab/2' under the Help Index for other optional parameters. 4. Add a DEVICE statement to CONFIG.SYS for the MidiLab/2 MPU device driver: DEVICE=[d:]\MLABPM\MPU401DD.SYS I=nn where: nn is the interrupt for which the MPU hardware is wired. (usually 2 or 5) NOTE: MidiLab/2 will run in a 'demo' mode if you don't have the MPU-401 hardware. The play and record functions will be disabled, but the file manager, editor, and most of the dialog boxes and windows will be available. The DEVICE statement is not required in this case, but a parameter of /Z should be used to avoid warning messages. For a user without the MPU hardware, this mode can still provide some useful facilities, such as examining, editing, or even creating MIDI files. 5. After re-booting your system, MidiLab/2 will be ready to run by mousing the MidiLab/2 icon created in step 3. A sample songfile (5THSYM.ML) created by MidiLab/2 is included, to be placed in a directory of your choice. This songfile is NOT a standard general MIDI file. It is highly unlikely that it will play with the correct voicing on your synthesizer; however, it provides you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with some of MidiLab/2's functions to voice the tracks properly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The online HELP contains the documentation and description of the product, as well as an introductory MIDI tutorial. Everything (I hope) you need to know is contained in the help support. Most, if not all, dialogs and pull-downs have at least some basic verbage on their functions. IMPORTANT: MidiLab/2 is designed for an XGA high-resolution display (1024 X 768). There are currently some problems achieving Display device independence. If the MidiLab/2 main window is incorrectly positioned when first started, reposition it with the mouse (or Alt-F7) and then exit the program. This will save the current window position, and it will be subsequently positioned correctly. A related problem is that some of the dialog box text may be truncated. Dragging a Helv 8 font from the Font Palette to the affected dialog box may correct the problem. MidiLab/2 has evolved over a seven year period, starting out as a DOS program, then OS/2 1.3 non-PM, and finally on to 2.0 32 bit. Your comments and suggestions are welcome, either on MIDILAB FORUM (VM), PC-TIE, or Compuserve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Release 2.30 notes: February 1994 - Allow MIDI-THRU / OMNI mode setting to be saved in .INI. - Disallow SysReset if function is active - Position Edit list box to current index position at entry - Implement 'Measures to play' and PlayLoop function - Set YESNOCANCEL for Confirm, allow abort on INI change - Added Reset button for 'starting_measures' group box - Convert main window pushbuttons to MMPM/2 graphic style - Implement Fast-Fwd (finally) - Put in bitmapped visual metronome - Set file search string to "*.M*" instead of "*.*" Release 2.21 notes: September 1993 - Provided for saving main window position in MLABPM.INI. - Update main window tempo box when tempo control slider is moved. - Insert Measure-End marks into MIDI 1.0 files to aid editing. - Miscellaneous bug and performance fixes. Release 2.10 notes: August 1993 - Fixed major I/O bug which was causing intermittent system hang - Added Track Erase function by double-clicking on index field. - Now packaging product using Self-Extracting ZIP file. Release 2.00 notes: July 1993 - Support for 16 tracks added. - Maximum capacity of each track increased to 999,999 bytes. - Option to display track text data during load - Track name field increased to 16 characters. - Track size parameters eliminated when invoking MidiLab/2. Track sizes are now specified via a dialog box by double clicking the track size field. - NOTE: You must keep a copy of the old version if you need to migrate existing .ML files to V2.00; V1.xx MidiLab .ML files are NOT upward compatible. To migrate, save the old files in .MID format, so they can be properly loaded to V2.00. Release 1.20 notes: June 1993 - Added Jumbo measure display - Primitive font support - Miscellaneous bug and performance fixes. Release 1.10 notes: April 1993 - Added improvements to Editor, including ability to easily mark large blocks. - Added MLABPM.INI; initialization file. - Added Remote Control facility, enabling MidiLab/2 to be controlled from a MIDI device. - Track capacity extended to 65K - Miscellaneous bug and performance fixes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Miscellaneous usage notes: - If errors occur immediately following installation, the most likely cause is an incorrect IRQ setting for the MPU hardware and/or the DEVICE statement in CONFIG.SYS. Other common problems are incompatabile MIDI hardware, or in some cases, a back-level MLABPM.INI file. In the last case, deleting the file will permit a new one to be allocated. - The MidiLab/2 device driver and the WIN/OS2 MPU-401 driver cannot coexist. One must be deactivated in order to use the other. When running MidiLab/2, insure WIN/OS2 is not active, and vice-versa. In some cases, it may be necessary to REM out the MidiLab/2 driver statement in CONFIG.SYS in order to run WIN/OS2 MIDI applications. - If performance problems occur, try turning off the index display from the 'Utilities' pull-down. - Time bases greater than 192 PPQ (pulses per quarter note) are not supported. If you have an existing MIDI song file with > 192, playback quality may be compromised. - MidiLab/2 supports a maximum of sixteen virtual tracks, and will load only the first seventeen tracks of a Format 1 MIDI file containing more than 17. The first track is assumed to contain setup information such as tempo, etc. - In Edit, the event list box is limited to approx. 2000 events. This is due to an OS/2 limitation of 65K for list box contents. This limitation is expected to be lifted in a future release of OS/2. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ James L. Bell Far Pavilions Studio Compuserve: 71034,3001 Tel: (408) 378-9649