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The Sound Site Newsletter Issue 02
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The
Sound
Site
Newsletter
Volume 1 #2 November 6, 1990 (h)
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Note from the Editor
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Welcome to the second issue. I am happy to say demand for the sound
letter is very high. Read on and enjoy!
-----> Dave
Corrections:
The Amiga sound site was named incorrectly in the last newsletter. Please
note the correction at list on list at the end. Sorry for any
inconvienice it may have caused.
CCB is proud to say that 15 megabytes of sound files are now
available at our site. New files includes
cheers.snd the opening to cheers
abcfd.txt list of abcfd files
=list= list of ccb directories
=sound2= This newsletter
playmac2.zip *New* point-n-shoot shell for REmac
Blast A directory full of Soundblaster utilities
Song digitized samples of NEW music
News Bits
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*****
Due to increasing usage on the system and delays ccb.ucsf.edu requests
that you limit FTP's to "off-peak" hours for best results. Many people
have been saying the the connection is slow thus to overcome this problem
ftp during non-prime hours. We thanks you for your support and
understanding. Hopefully a machine upgrade and the near future will
provide faster connection times.
*****
Playmac Technologies proudly introduces PLAYMAC 2.00 the SMART point-n-
shoot shell for REmac.
o Organize your sound-files
o Floppy disk and Hard Disk support
o Dos 3.2, 3.3 and 4.0 support
o Now able to play longer sound files
o New improved file handling
PLAYMAC 2.00 is available from the following sites by FTP
ccb.ucsf.edu Pub/Sound_list playmac2.zip
wsmr-simtel20.army.mil pd1:<msdos.voice> playmac2.zip.1
wuarchive.wustl.edu mirrors/msdos/voice playmac2.zip.1
We are also hoping it will appear on comp.binaries.ibm.pc
Playmac Technologies is also working on a Soundblaster/Adlib version of
Playmac slated for release shortly.
*****
Legend Software announces their first release SPELLCASTING 101 featuring
graphics and REAL SOUND on a Adlib, Soundblaster or Roland interface.
This adventure written by Steve Mertzky (of Infocoms Zork Zero) is
available in stores today.
*****
[Editors note. As of July 1, 1991 this site is no longer active]
Great news: Announcing a new location for sounds. This is like a
sister-site to ccb.ucsf.edu and carries sound files for the
soundblaster board by CREATIVE LABS. Also on this site are
gifs, games and other stuff. This site can be reached by
anonymous FTP at: 36.80.0.138
However there are still technical problems so the IP number may
fluctuate in the range of 36.80.0.(138-143) and for now the site
is up only between MIDNIGHT and 1pm (Pacific Coast time). For
the current IP number finger: minakami@neon.stanford.edu
******
We have a request for information if anybody can help please respond
directly to: MEN408T@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Subject: CVSD sound systems
Does anybody know anything about CVSD (continously variable slope
deltamodulation ) for encoding of speech??? I have a speech card that
uses this technique for recording and playback, it produces VERY good
quality speech considering it is only running at 32 K bits sec.
I wish to play back the sound through an I.B.M PC speaker but to do so
I have to write a program. I tried that bitstream approach, it does work
but is not very clear.
I noticed that REMAC produces quite good quality sound on the I.B.M speaker
and almost plays CVSD files.
I've tried different types of bit averaging on the system but this does not
seem to have much effect.
Would anybody have any bright ideas.
Thanks in advance
Dougal
*****
YOUR sound related announcement can go here just send it over to
us for inclusion in our magazine
*****
FAQL (Frequently Asked Questions List)
----
Due to a tremendous amount of questions we are generating a FAQL file
to be available by FTP from ccb.ucsf.edu and of course we have included
it below. If you have any sound questions or comments please pass them
along.
1) What is a .snd file
A .snd file is a 22khz raw Macintosh sound sample. It is strictly a
series of bytes describing the displacment of the speaker on the scale
from -127 and 128.
2) How do I use a .snd file
You will need to download a digitized playback program such as REmac
to decode these files on your computer. See the documentation file
with REmac for more information. If your .snd file is supported by
PLAYMAC, do nothing except copy this .snd file to the PLAYMAC
directory. PLAYMAC will automatically recognize this new .snd file as
a user-definable file.
3) Do I need external speakers to use REmac/PLAYMAC
No. REmac/PLAYMAC uses the internal speaker supplied on IBM's and
compatible machines. Sound output quality is dependant on the quality
of the speaker and the processing ability of the computer. As a
general rule, a 2" or larger speaker is recommended for optimal
playback quality.
4) I have both PLAYMAC and REmac and they don't talk to each
other whY?
PLAYMAC and REmac must be in the same directory. See your DOS manual
for more information.
5) When I play longer sound files garbage appears on my screen and my
computer shuts down (why?)
You have violated system integrity. REmac does not check for memory
violations, so if you have a limited about of memory, REmac will
continue to write to memory although it will violate system integrity
and cause problems. To avoid these problem, remove your memory
resident software or relocate these programs to XMS or EMS memory. It
is recommended that you run REmac/PLAYMAC with 500K or more free
memory after DOS and all your memory resident software is loaded.
6) Why does trakblaster not work on a 386
TrakBlaster is clock speed sensitive. It has been reported that
TrakBlaster will not run on computers running with a clock speed of
10mhz or higher. Lower your clock speed to 10mhz or slower and it
ought to work fine. It is recommended that TrakBlaster work with a
clock speed of 8mhz to 10mhz.
7) Why does PLAYMAC lock up after I edit the PLAYMAC.DAT file?
On some computers, it requires the PLAYMAC.DAT to end with a single
blank line. This means, the RETURN/ENTER key must be pressed after the
last entry. Problems also arise with more than one blank line after
the last PLAYMAC.DAT entry. If problems arise, remove unnecessary
empty lines at the end of the PLAYMAC.DAT file.
8) After editing the PLAYMAC.DAT file with my word processor, PLAYMAC
dies. Why?
PLAYMAC.DAT is a standard text file and must remain a standard text
file. Word processors such as Word Perfect do not write to standard
text files without a dozen or more commands. We recommending using a
standardized text editor such as EDIT by Integrated Software Solutions
(PLAYMAC Technologies). EDIT is a fast 20K text editing system that
supports all standard WordStar commands. It has a 64K text buffer
which is adequate for most applications.
9) After adding a new PLAYMAC.DAT entry, it doesn't display within
PLAYMAC.
PLAYMAC has approximately 5K of buffer space for user definable
selections. Once this memory space is exhausted, you are out of luck.
If you need more space, try convincing PLAYMAC Technologies for
another version of PLAYMAC with more user space.
10) I want to buy a sound card? What is the best to get.
Unfortunately there is no optimal answer as people will vary opinions
you should explore software packages and see what they support and do
some price shopping. Also ask around and see what you come up with.
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This sound site is availabe by anonymous FTP at:
ccb.ucsf.edu (128.218.1.13)
----------------------------
Other Known Sound FTP Sites
----------------------------
If you know of any other Sound ftp sites please forward the information
this way. If you know the administrators of the below sound sites or
you are in charge of one of the below sound sites please e-mail me so
we can join efforts. Your input to this sound-list would be greatly
appreciated.
WHERE WHAT
abcfd20.larc.nasa.gov Amiga Sound Files (Note correction)
ccb.ucsf.edu REmac/PLAYMAC general *.snd files
sumex-aim.stanford.edu Macintosh sounds (binhexed)
terminator.cc.umich.edu Misc Sound files
If you are reading this on a USENET 'rn' newsgroup and DID NOT RECEIVE
this by e-mail and want to be added onto our mailing list send the
following to: komatsu@alcor.usc.edu. Make sure that your
message begins on a new line and contains:
ADD-ME: your e-mail address
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| ccb.ucsf.edu IS the home of the Sound-List and over 15 megabytes |
| of sound files for REmac and Playmac. To add to sound list send |
| to: sound@ccb.ucsf.edu the phrase ADD-ME: <your e-mail address> |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| komatsu@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu | I will not encourage others to fly |
| komatsu@aludra.usc.edue | Tar is not a plaything |
| sound@ccb.ucsf.edu | I will not waste chalk |
| -----> Dave | |
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