Readme file for Koan Plus and Koan Plus Demo Version 1.0 20th October 1994 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Points to be aware of: MIDI Mapper/ sound output +++++++++++++++++++++++ If you get no sound (or only a few sounds) coming out of Koan Plus make sure your MIDI Mapper is set up correctly. Look in the on-line help or refer to your soundcard instruction manual. Some soundcards come with default configurations that only use the first 10 MIDI channels, and Koan pieces often use more. You should make sure that all 16 channels are 'active'. Patches/ sounds ++++++++++++++ Although General MIDI is positioned as being a saviour for the music industry, as it defines a standard mapping for 128 different sounds, each soundcard has different qualities of sound for each 'patch' (various predefined sounds your soundcard plays). This means that the instruments that the pieces use will sound better/worse depending on the soundcard on which you play the piece, or on which card the piece was originally authored (no author can check their piece sounds good on every soundcard - which is where General MIDI provides some help). If you really do not like the particular patch on your card that corresponds to one used in a piece you can use the MIDI mapper to reassign say patch 39 to play as patch 40. Also, some soundcards support reverb or chorus which is very useful for ambient pieces. Koan pieces can also be written to take adavantage of other useful controls, such as portamento or modulation for instance, but not many cards support these parameters. The volume of each patch will also vary from soundcard to soundcard. Slow or jumpy pieces ++++++++++++++++++ We recommend a 486 33Mhz PC or better, especially for the more rhythmic pieces as the processing requirement can be quite high. However, slower machines can still run Koan Plus. You may need to set your Resolution and Cycle values (Setup Options) to higher values, maybe 50, 100, 200 or even higher - refer to the on-line help for further discussion. Higher values can even sometimes help to give it that extra smoothness (at the expense of rhythmic accuracy) even with more powerful machines. If the software is making too many demands on your processor you can select Low priority mode, again refer to the on-line help. Time it takes to stop a piece +++++++++++++++++++++++ This is directly governed by your soundcard windows driver, and some are faster than others. MIDI File recordings +++++++++++++++++ It is possible that when recording rhythmic or complex pieces you may notice a very small number of slight pauses in the MIDI file you have recorded. This is to do with Windows limitations with Koan Plus. The only solution is to use a PC with greater processing power. Gravis Ultrasound ++++++++++++++++ Make sure you set up your MIDI Mapper to use the 'Ultrasound' setup (for patch caching apps) and not any of the other setups like Ultra 1024, Ultra 512 or Ultra 256 which are for non-patch caching applications. If you don't do this then some patches will be loaded incorrectly. Other Notes: ============= Don't forget you can purchase new pieces or even create your own with Koan Pro. Contact your distributor for details. Support: ======= Technical support on this product (no support is given on the Demo product) is provided through your local distributor from whom you purchased it. Distributors: ========== United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Koch Media East Street Farnham Surrey GU9 7XX UK Tel: +44 (0) (1)252 714340 Fax: +44 (0) (1)252 711121 Note: The (1) is a new telephone code in the UK active now. Elsewhere +++++++++ Please contact SSEYO for details. SSEYO Ltd PO Box 29 Beaconsfield Bucks HP9 1EB UK Tel: +44 (0) (1)494 671257 Fax: +44 (0) (1)494 671258 Note: The (1) is a new telephone code in the UK active now, but some international telephone exchanges may not yet support this. All exchanges should support this by April next year. Internet: koaninfo@sseyo.demon.co.uk Compuserve: 100317,302