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