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- How can I write a CD with track markers?
- What is the highest transfer rate of the DARC88 card?
- How do you set the sample rate of an entire VIP? It always defaults to 44.1, but I need it at 48.
- When I try to either play or record using Samplitude I get this error message ‘The waveform Input Device...
- I want to grab audio from CD’s in Samplitude Master or Studio 4.0. Which CD-ROM drives are supported?
- Is there a specific Windows NT version of Samplitude Studio? Is Samplitude Studio 4.0’s 32-bit code sufficient for Windows NT or do I need a separate Windows NT version of the program?
- Does Samplitude Studio 4.0 support multi-threading for dual processor CPU’s?
- How can I automate the panning and volume fader changes in the mixer window?
- How can I change the volume and panning curve that was created with the mixer window automation?
- When I record the first track into the virtual project (VIP) the volume during playback is not the same (lower) than the level the audio was recorded with. Why is that?
- What is the purpose of the buffers and how do I find the best settings?
- I have 32 MB of RAM in my computer system. How are the buffer settings in Samplitude influenced by the RAM?
- In the Samplitude main window: How do I get tracks from the upper window into the lower window?
- In Samplitude CD, Master or Studio 4.0, can I change the duration of the pause from one track to the next? Say have a 2 second pause after one track and a 5 second pause after the next…
- The ARC44 sound card doesn’t have any DSP chips on-board. Doesn’t that decrease performance?
- I have recorded a fairly long project (hdp), approximately one hour long, two tracks - using Samplitude Studio. I want to select several ranges within that project and create a separate .wav file for each one, which I will then use to create a CD. What is the easiest way to do this?
- I can’t extract audio from my Ricoh CD-R drive in Samplitude Master or Studio 4.0. What may be wrong?
- When I record, the levels for the recorded part are fine, just the way I set them. When I play it back, it drops down in volume significantly. What may be wrong?
- Why is it that when I do simultaneous record and playback on my Creative Labs sound card the audio playing back is of poor quality?
- What happened to version 3.0 of Samplitude Studio?
- How do I convert a completed .VIP project into a .WAV file?
- Which types of MPEG compression files can be imported and exported in Samplitude Studio 4.0?
- I have the ARC44 and I want to ask about track bouncing. This function converts one VIP to a WAV file, storing all the EQ and effect settings. What happens if I want to convert the whole mix with the external effects (AUX 1, AUX 2) also.
- I would like to synchronize my sequencer with Samplitude. How can I go about this?
- I have moved all my project files to another hard disk and none of my VIP’s will open anymore. How can I remedy the problem?
- Sometimes I only get one stereo track when I open a new VIP in Samplitude Master 3.21. Usually I get two. How do I create/delete stereo tracks in a VIP?
- I used long file names in Samplitude Master 3.21 for my audio files. Now CDAudio won’t open the table of contents (TOC) file. What may be the problem?
- I tried using the Tools menu that lets you automatically export the currently select wave to an external program. However, my external program wont let me leave and save my wave as it was sent to it, I have to rename it. Now when I return to Samplitude I have to import this new waveform to a new HDP. Is there an easier way?
- I recorded audio in a stereo VIP. Why do I only see one waveform?
- I am using Red Roaster to burn Red Book audio CD’s. However, on my 486-66 computer I constantly get buffer-underrun errors. What could be the problem?
- I am getting audio dropouts during playback or recording (many times when synchronizing to a sequencing program. How can I fix these problems?
- It seems like Windows 95 is constantly accessing my hard disk, which causes dropouts in Samplitude. How can I remedy the problem?
- My new VIP projects always default to a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. How can I change that?
- I have had problems getting Samplitude to recognize my new sound card as a usable device. What am I doing wrong?
- When trying to do simultaneous record and playback in Samplitude, the program displays a dialog indicating that there is something wrong with my sound card. Is there a fix for this problem?
- I hear pops and clicks when playing back or recording audio with the CardD+. Is there a fix for the problem?
- Would it help to install more memory in my system to increase the speed or track numbers in Samplitude?
- I want to process the audio contained in my VIP objects. How can I do this?
- Why do the meters in Samplitude Master show that the audio is clipping while the material never goes beyond 0 dB?
- Does Samplitude Studio 4.0 support the ARC44 sound card?
- How does the Convolution function in Samplitude Studio work?
- I want to use multiple sound cards in Samplitude Studio. Is there anything I need to be aware of?
- Is there a way to mark a range in a VIP between two cursors?
- In Samplitude Studio 4.0 how can I copy individual tracks or extend a VIP with additional tracks?
- How can I move volume curves/nodes in a VIP?
Q: How can I write a CD with track markers?
Red Roaster, which contains both Samplitude Master/CD and CDAudio by Point Software allow you to create a Red Book audio CD. Samplitude Master/CD can be used to set the track indexes, edit the audio and write the TOC (table of contents) file for use with CDAudio, which then burns the audio CD.
Q: What is the highest transfer rate of the DARC88 card?
The DARC88 card is capable of handling 24-bit audio streams. When recording audio from an ADAT, the protocol is capable of handling 24-bit audio, but the ADAT itself reduces the resolution to 16-bit information. Any data that doesn't have the higher resolution is therefore padded by adding zeros to create the 24-bit signal. This is significant if Samplitude Master is used for audio editing, which can record the 24-bit signal from the sound card and process the audio in 24-bit float. This means an additional gain in depth resolution, not achievable with regular 24-bit integer or 16-bit processing.
When transferring the signal back to the ADAT it is re-dithered to 16-bit.
Q: How do you set the sample rate of an entire VIP? It always defaults to 44.1, but I need it at 48.
Initially, a new VIP defaults to a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. It will then conform to the sample rate of the first audio material that is either dragged to an audio track or recorded with the Record Parameter dialog. In the dialog it can be specified which sample rate to use. The VIP will then use the same sample rate as chosen in the Record Parameter dialog.
Q: When I try to either play or record using Samplitude I get this error message ‘The waveform Input Device Soundblaster Record (220) cannot record this format. Reason: MMSYSTEM032 The specified format cannot be translated or supported. Use the capabilities function to view supported formats.’ What may be wrong?
Make sure that a sampling rate is selected that the sound card can support. For playback, the sampling rate can be chosen with the Play Parameter dialog (shortcut: ‘P’). The ‘?’ button next to the Device box in this dialog can be used to verify the sampling rates supported by the sound card. For recording, the sampling rate can be selected from the Record Parameter dialog.
All drives that are supported are SCSI devices. Confirmed SCSI controllers include:
- Adaptec 2940 PCI
- NCR 810 PCI
- TEKRAM PCI
- Adaptec AIC 7880 PCI UW (onboard IWILL PPro Mainboard)
Confirmed CD drives are:
- Toshiba double-speed
- Toshiba 5301TA quad-speed
- Toshiba 3601TA quad-speed
- Toshiba 3701TA 6x & 7x
- Toshiba 5701TA 6x & 7x
- Plextor 10x
- Plextor 12x
- Teac CD 562 6x
- Sony CDU 920S (CD-Writer!)
- NEC CD222 quad-speed
- Pioneer DR-U10X 10x
- Pioneer DR-U10X 10x
- Yamaha 100 (CD-Writer)
- Yamaha 102 (CD-Writer)
- Philips CDD 2000 and CDD 2600
- HP Surestore 4020
Q: Is there a specific Windows NT version of Samplitude Studio? Is Samplitude Studio 4.0’s 32-bit code sufficient for Windows NT or do I need a separate Windows NT version of the program?
Windows NT essentially needs the same code as Windows 95. During the programming of Samplitude Studio 4.0’s code special care has been taken to include Windows NT specific coding issues. The real time routines in Samplitude Studio 4.0 are written in assembler code refined for use on Pentium processors. That’s the reason why they are so potent and fast!
No special NT version is therefore needed, as Samplitude Studio 4.0 is already optimized for use with Windows NT.
Q: Does Samplitude Studio 4.0 support multi-threading for dual processor CPU’s?
Samplitude doesn’t support the standard multithreading format. Internally, Samplitude has a much more sophisticated parallel-processing engine and doesn’t need the multithreading functionality. Standard multithreading doesn’t necessarily improve the performance of the program, but rather decreases it by the additional routing and processing load based on the two processors working on different tasks.
However, there is added performance by running Samplitude Studio 4.0 on dual processor systems and Windows NT4.0. The second processor handles the complete user interface of the mixer window. This means that the first processor is free to handle the regular audio processing tasks.
Under Windows NT4.0 and Windows 95 Samplitude can be started twice (not only on dual processor systems), which allows the separate processing of i.e. Noise Reduction in one copy of the program while the other program can be used to continue recording tracks or do other tasks.
Q: How can I automate the panning and volume fader changes in the mixer window?
Each channel in the mixer window has a checkbox labeled ‘Auto’. By checking the box Samplitude switches into an automated mode. Several things take place at this point. If the track already contains a volume or panning curve and the project is played back, the volume fader and panning knob will move with the changes in the curves.
If the VIP is not played back the controls adjust the position of the overall curves. If the VIP is played back and the controls are adjusted during the playback, new curve events are created, which are recalled during successive playbacks.
Q: How can I change the volume and panning curve that was created with the mixer window automation?
Samplitude allows you to make changes on the fly by activating the automation for a particular channel (checkbox ‘Auto’ needs to be turned on) and during playback adjusting the respective control. The control movements redraw the respective curve. This can be repeated at any time.
Samplitude contains an adjustable method to reduce and prevent digital clipping or overloading of the digital converters of a sound card. All new virtual multi track projects are automatically reduced to either –6 or –12 dB. This can be adjusted with the Project Information dialog (shortcut: 'I'). In the dialog the volume reduction can be reset to 0 dB.
One of the problems that can sometimes occur is that the tracks are too hot. It doesn't actually become a problem until the fourth or fifth track is added, when the combined signal becomes too loud for the converters and clipping is introduced.
By simply resetting it to 0 dB you can return the VIP volume to the recorded volume level.
Q: What is the purpose of the buffers and how do I find the best settings?
Samplitude uses the buffers as a caching device to process individual tasks. The buffers are located in the RAM memory of the computer and are used to pre-load audio data from the hard disk or move data between the different processing functions within Samplitude. Without these buffers it may be difficult to achieve error free playback or recording of audio material.
The best settings depend on the individual computer system. It is recommended to start out with the default settings in the System Information dialog, which are 8192 bytes for each buffer type and a buffer number of 4. If audio interruptions occur, it is suggested to increase the number of buffers, before the buffer size is increased.
The buffer number is multiplied with the individual buffer size. Here is an example: HDP buffer has a size of 8192 bytes and the buffer number is set to 5. This would create a HDP cash of 40960 bytes or 41 kBytes.Some sound cards also work best with certain buffer settings. For example, the Digital Audio Labs CardD+ or the MIDIMAN DMan sound cards seem to working best with 8192 bytes for each buffer type. The buffer number can be adjusted up or down to gain interruption free playback or recording.
If the status bar located at lower right hand corner of the main window never even gets close to the maximum number of buffers configured, it may help to decrease the buffer numbers. This will effectively increase the speed with which many of the real time processing functions are updated in the VIP or Mixer window.
The RAM memory of the computer doesn't affect the buffer settings. This means that a bigger RAM size doesn't necessarily mean that the buffer sizes can be increased as well. The buffers are often influenced by how well a sound card's driver works with the current size of the buffer. Some sound cards seem to have problems with anything above 8192 bytes.
The overall size of the buffer type is made up of the size specified and the buffer numbers. A size of 8192 bytes and 8 buffer numbers would create a total buffer size of 65536 bytes or 65 Kbytes.
Q: In the Samplitude main window: How do I get tracks from the upper window into the lower window?
Samplitude allows the dragging of objects across tracks. By clicking and holding the right mouse button on an object in a track it can be picked up and dragged to another track or location. To drag all objects in a track, one of the methods is to hold the Shift key and consecutively clicking the right mouse button on all the objects that are to be moved. This will activate the objects. Once the objects are activated the Shift key is released and the above method is used to drag the selected objects to another location or track.
There is also a specific mouse mode called Object Mode that allows the drawing of a marquee around the objects, which need to be moved. This is done with the left mouse button.
To switch the mouse mode, select Setup, VIP Mouse Mode and select the Objects Mode for all versions of Samplitude, except Master, ARC44 and Studio 4.0. The VIP Mouse Mode in those versions is changed with File->Preferences->VIP Mouse Mode. Clicking the right mouse button outside of the track display in the VIP can also perform this task.
Setting and moving the pause marker around can simply change the pause between the tracks. The pause marker is set with the key ‘P’ (Studio 4.0: Menu Tools->CD->Set Pause). Once the pause marker has been set, it can be picked up with the mouse and moved anywhere in the track. By zooming in a couple of steps a more accurate placement of the track can be performed. The Time Display or the indicator in the upper left-hand corner of the VIP shows the correct time. Please note that commercial CD players will reduce the audio output to 0 when a pause index is encountered. The audio output is turned on again when the track index is for the following song is passed. This may make the use of pause indexes impractical for live recordings.
Q: The ARC44 sound card doesn’t have any DSP chips on-board. Doesn’t that decrease performance?
Available DSP power on a sound card is a wonderful thing. However, the limitation is, that most sound cards have only one DSP chip on the card. When the chip is maxed out with it's processing capabilities additional processing has to be transferred to the computer CPU. This may actually decrease the overall processing speed.
On higher end systems, such as Pentium computers, the DSP processing done on the CPU is in most part actually faster than done on the card's DSP chip itself.
The ARC44 actually contains a freely programmable component, which is responsible for tasks such as the memory requests, the bus-interface and the synchronization of the converters. For this reason the software driver for the card can be fine-tuned to specific needs. That is one of the reasons why the ARC44 doesn't need a DMA or IRQ setting! This is VERY helpful when the computer system reaches maximum load and especially graphics cards won't be able to cause any audio interruption or clicks based on interrupt or DMA handling.
Q: I have recorded a fairly long project (hdp), approximately one hour long, two tracks - using Samplitude Studio. I want to select several ranges within that project and create a separate .wav file for each one, which I will then use to create a CD. What is the easiest way to do this?
There are a couple of ways to go about it. Both methods use the contents of the HDP file that was recorded.
Method #1 would be directly working with the HDP. In the HDP window mark a range that needs to be copied to a new HDP/WAV file. Use the Cut->Copy As (Samplitude Studio 2.52, Master) or Edit-Copy As (Studio 4.0, ARC44) to copy the range to a new HDP file. In Samplitude Studio 2.52, if the audio was recorded with the Wav Format option checked in the Record Parameter dialog, the audio material is already in a WAV compatible file format. Otherwise use the Export->Wave function to export the HDP to a WAV file.
Method #2 would initially start out with the object in a VIP track, which contains the recorded audio material. Since the VIP allows us to work in a non-destructive, non-linear fashion it is easy to separate the object at places that would constitute the individual WAV files. Separating can be performed by activating the object (click right mouse button on object) and clicking the cursor at the position the cut is to be made. The key ‘T’ will separate the object. Perform as many cuts as needed to separate the individual blocks. By double clicking the right mouse button on an individual object the corresponding range in the data window (HDP) is recalled. From there on the same steps in Method #1 can be performed.
The Ricoh drives use a reverse bit order when reading the audio data from the CD. This reverse bit order is not yet implemented in Samplitude Master and Studio 4.0.
Samplitude contains an adjustable method to reduce digital clipping or overloading of the digital converters of your sound card. All new virtual multi track projects are automatically reduced to -6 dB. This can be adjusted with the Project Information dialog (shortcut: 'I') or in the Mixer window in Samplitude ARC44 and Studio 4.0. Here you can reset the volume reduction.
One of the problems that can sometimes occur is that the tracks are too hot. It doesn't actually become a problem until a fourth or fifth track is added, when the combined signal becomes too loud for the converters. That is why Samplitude includes a control over the volume reduction. It was found that in instances where the tracks contain more delicate audio material it actually helps to have the overall volume control available. The control can be set to an individual’s liking, dependent on what type of audio or music are recorded. This means more control of the final results!
By simply resetting it to 0 dB the VIP volume can be returned to the recorded volume level.
The Creative Labs SB16PnP has a hardware limitation when working with a full-duplex driver (simultaneous playback and record). The reason for the poor playback quality is the reduction of the audio playback to an 8-bit signal, rather than a 16-bit signal. In other words, the card is not capable of sustaining 16-bit signal paths for playback and recording at the same time. Creative Labs currently offer no fixes.
Q: What happened to version 3.0 of Samplitude Studio?
It was decided to adjust the numbering system of the different Samplitude versions, so that they reflect the developmental level among all versions. The Studio version has been affected by this change the most. Version 3.0 was actually completely dropped (if only by name) and replaced with version 4.0.
Q: How do I convert a completed .VIP project into a .WAV file?
To convert the contents of a VIP project into a single WAV file the Track Bouncing option is used. This option allows the user to bounce the complete project or only a marked range. It is furthermore possible to mute individual tracks to exclude them from the final result. All real time settings in the project are also calculated into the new WAV file.
The Track Bouncing function can be found in the Object menu in Samplitude Studio 2.52 and in the Tools menu in Samplitude Studio 4.0.
Q: Which types of MPEG compression files can be imported and exported in Samplitude Studio 4.0?
Samplitude Studio 4.0 imports and exports to MPEG 2 from and to WAV and MPG files. The format is pre-selected to a 10:1 compression, which should constitute a 'no quality loss' format.
Before bouncing the tracks in the VIP to a separate HDP/WAV file, the signals that are coming back from the auxiliary channels would need to be recorded onto a track in the VIP. This would then be included in the final bounced WAV file.
Q: I would like to synchronize my sequencer with Samplitude. How can I go about this?
Samplitude Studio allows the synchronization between software programs on the same computer via a so-called ‘Virtual MIDI Router’. Such a device driver is a piece of software that acts as a link between the two programs. Both applications share information via this router and no physical connection via MIDI interface has to be made.
One of the available MIDI routers is located on SEK’D’s web site at http://www.sekd.com in the Files section.
This driver works under Windows 3.x and Windows 95.
It is recommended to use Samplitude as the slave and let the sequencing program to be the master. The MTC Input or MIDI Clock Input sections in Samplitude's Synchronization dialog will need to be activated and the MIDI router device driver will need to be referenced in the device box.
Vice versa, the sequencing program needs to be told to send synchronization signals (MTC or MC) to the virtual MIDI port and put into slave mode. Both programs should lock up and run in synchronization with each other.
Simply move the VIP file into the same directory that contains the HDP or RAP files. Samplitude will ask to specify (find or 'Retry') where the physical files are located. Once it finds the first file in the same directory it usually opens all the other files as well.
Samplitude Master will create a single stereo track VIP when the ‘New’ button for VIP’s in the Record Parameter dialog is pressed. The normal method of creating a new VIP would take place via the Project->New virtual Project function in the menu bar. This will create a two stereo track project.
Samplitude Master has a limitation that allows it to only work with two stereo track VIP’s. It is therefore not recommended to create a new VIP from within the Record Parameter dialog, as the program won’t be able to open the VIP after it’s been saved and closed. This is a problem that will be fixed in the next release of Samplitude Master.
Samplitude Master is a 32-bit application, essentially allowing the work with long file names. CDAudio however is a 16-bit application, which uses the DOS convention for naming files; the file name itself can only be 8 characters long. This causes a conflict when using long file names to create audio files in Samplitude Master. CDAudio is simply not able to read the path information in the TOC file to access the audio file(s). To solve the problem, only file names not longer than 8 characters are to be used in Samplitude Master.
To fix a TOC file that contains long file names please follow these steps:
- If the VIP or HDP files are not needed anymore, simply rename the WAV file(s) that are referenced in the TOC file to shorter names. The TOC file can be opened with a text editor, such as the Windows Notepad. The TOC file has the extension ‘.toc’ and is usually located in the same directory that the Samplitude VIP project was saved in.
- Correct the entries in the TOC file to reflect the new name of the WAV file(s).
- Save the TOC file and reopen it in CDAudio.
Actually, the same file is used by both programs. However, after the HDP is closed down in Samplitude, the .HDP file itself (not the WAV file) is deleted, along with the .H0 and .H1 files, and the external program opens the WAV file.
After processing in the external program the file can then be reopened in Samplitude. If you wish to preserve the original audio file you can use the Save Project As command in the Project menu to create a copy of the file before using it with the external program.
Q: I recorded audio in a stereo VIP. Why do I only see one waveform?
Samplitude deals with true stereo WAV files strictly on that basis to speed up processing. That is the reason why the graphical representation of the stereo audio is represented by only one waveform. All processing is done on both channels. If the separate channels (left or right) need to be edited, the program allows the conversion of the stereo WAV file to a linked two mono files via the File->Save in Format (Samplitude Studio 4.0) or Special->Save in Format (Samplitude Studio 2.52).
There is a number of things involved in burning a Red Book audio CD. The data stream has to be constant for the CD burner to be able to continue with the writing process. If the device runs out of data, the process is interrupted and cannot be recovered.
The leading causes for a buffer-underrun are:
- Lacking system speed
- Lower memory settings
- Auto insertion notification is turned on
- Hardware incompatibilities
- Hardware conflicts
Let's address each of them with some suggestions:
1) Lacking system speed:
A 486-66 may not be fast enough for the task. A large amount of system resources and speed are needed to successfully burn a Red Book audio CD. There are other factors involved for arriving at this conclusion. One for example is the hard disk speed. If it is not up to par with the transfer rate and handling needed for keeping up a constant high-speed transfer, the process is interrupted. A fast hard disk is needed for this process. It also may help to upgrade the CPU to a faster processor.2) Low memory settings:
CDAudio can have it's own caching memory set. This is especially important if when working on a slower system. Because of the need of a constant data transfer, the caching memory is used to read data from the hard disk and temporarily store it in the caching memory. This should in almost all cases solve any type of buffer-underrun problems. Here is an excerpt from the CDAudio documentation:------------
The size of the read ahead cache can be controlled by the 'MaxBufferMemKB' entry in the CDAUDIO.INI file. The default setting is "MaxBufferMemKB=3072" and allows PoINT CDwrite to allocate 3 MBytes of memory. With this amount of cache memory PoINT CDaudio can be interrupted for more than 10 seconds.
Please note that only physical memory can be used for caching. Therefore the buffer size cannot exceed the size of physical RAM that is installed in your computer.
You should maximally use half of the installed physical memory for caching. Reasonable cache sizes are 4096 for 2x speed and 8192 for 4x speed.
------------It is recommended to set the cache to at least 4096 and possibly to 8192. The CDAUDIO.INI file is most likely located in the Windows directory.
Another way dealing with Windows memory usage is by changing an entry in the SYSTEM.INI. Windows 95 reserves a part of the memory for very fast data exchange called the VCache. The VCache can be further configured to tell Windows how much memory to use.
The VCache section in the SYSTEM.INI usually doesn't have any entries, unless additional lines are put in it manually. This means, that by default Windows 95 takes care of the amount of memory that is used for recently used file contents.
Adding an entry in the VCache section usually fixes pops and clicks problems for owners of DAL CardD+ and some other sound cards. As far as performance of Samplitude in Windows 95 we have never noticed any difference, although theoretically it may help to specify a cache amount.
If the user wants to experiment with it, we would suggest the following settings and go from there:
[VCache]
minfilecache=128
maxfilecache=4096This means that the minimum RAM used for the caching is 128 Kbytes. The maximum that Windows 95 is allowed to use is 4096 Kbytes, which translates into 4 MB of your RAM. This number should not be increased tos more than half of your physical RAM.
3) Auto insertion notification is turned on:
Make sure that the auto insertion notification is turned off! Windows 95 periodically checks all available CD-ROM drives. If the CD-R drive has drivers installed that enable it as a CD-ROM drive in Windows 95 and the notification is turned on, Windows may interrupt the burning process. This can also lead to a buffer-underrun message!
Again, here is an excerpt from the CDAudio documentation on how to turn it off:
- Open the Control Panel of Windows 95.
- Open the "System" folder.
- Select the "Device Manager".
- Open the directory "CD-ROM". You will see a list of CD-ROM drives connected to your system.
- Open the first CD-ROM device driver by double-clicking the corresponding line.
- Select the tab "Settings".
- Disable the "insert notification" option and click on 'Ok'.
- Repeat steps 6 and 7 for all CD-ROM drives.
- Click on 'Ok' to accept the changes.
- Close all windows and restart Windows 95.
4) Hardware incompatibilities:
Make sure that the latest drivers for the CD-R drive are used. The manufacturer of the CD-R drive may need to be contacted.5) Hardware conflicts:
Also make sure that there is no conflict with other components in the system. Many times buffer-underruns are caused by lack of computer speed and insufficient cache memory settings. However, if the above suggestions still do not lead to satisfactory results, the possibility that a hardware conflict exists in the system setup cannot be overlooked. For example, the SCSI chain needs to be properly terminated on both sides.
Dropouts are often caused by insufficient system resources or speed thereof. When the dropouts occur and errors actually show up in the bottom right hand status bar in Samplitude it's time to look at the buffer settings.
The buffer settings in Samplitude Studio 2.52 can be changed with Setup->System or the key 'Y' in Samplitude Studio 4.0 and ARC44 the menu is File-Preferences-System. There are different buffer types and all of them should be set to 8192 bytes to start out. The buffer numbers can be increased to 9. The buffer sizes are multiplied with the buffer number to arrive at the total caching size for that functionality. In other words: 8192 bytes x 9 = 73728 bytes or 74 Kbytes for a cache size. This usually does the trick with errors due to slow system speeds or low system resources.
The buffer numbers can be safely reduced after the dropouts disappear, until they are introduced again.
The dropouts can also show up if a large zoom level is used and the program has difficulties keeping up with paging through the VIP. In this case a higher zoom level is recommended.
By turning off the LED meters for the VIP track system resources can further be conserved.
Especially for Samplitude Studio 4.0 the rule of thumb is, the more real time processing is used in the VIP and/or Mixer window, the higher the chance of audio dropouts. Any limiting of real time processing may solve the problem. On the other hand, increasing the overall system speed will also do the trick. This usually means a faster CPU and a faster hard disk.
If the virtual memory of Windows 95 is configured too small Windows may often exchange data with the hard disk to dynamically resize the swap file located on the drive. This can cause audio interruptions when playing back or recording audio in Samplitude.
To remedy the problem, the virtual memory in Windows 95 should be configured to reflect a large minimum size to reduce the resizing activity. Here are steps to change the virtual memory settings:
- Open the System dialog in Control Panel.
- In the System Properties dialog select the Performance tab.
- Next, select Virtual Memory.
- In the Virtual Memory dialog select ‘Let me specify my own virtual settings.’
- Set the Minimum size to at least 40 MB size. Windows 95 determines the Maximum size if you don’t reduce it.
- Click on OK. Windows 95 may ask you to reboot your system at this point.
Q: My new VIP projects always default to a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. How can I change that?
By default Samplitude will open a new VIP with a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. However, the first audio material that is either recorded to a track or dragged from a data window (HDP or RAP) into a track ultimately determines the sample rate for the VIP. If the Record Parameter dialog is set to record at 48 kHz instead of 44.1 kHz and it is the first audio material that is recorded into the VIP track, the VIP will conform to the 48 kHz sample rate from that point on. The same is true for material that is dragged from a 48 kHz data window for example. Once the object in the VIP track is created, the VIP will continue to only accept 48 kHz material in it’s tracks.
Problems of this type are often caused by sound card device drivers that are either not installed properly or are conflicting with other hardware or software in the computer system. It is suggested to remove the current driver for the sound card and attempt reinstallation of the most recent driver for the sound card.
This error message is caused by a sound card that is not capable of doing simultaneous record and playback. This capability is referred to as ‘full-duplex’ which enables a sound card to record and play back audio data at the same time. There is no fix for this type of problem other than to replace the current sound card with a full-duplex card or to install a second half-duplex card. The second card could be used for playback, while the first is used to record the audio.
There is indeed a couple of fixes. One would be to request an updated driver for the CardD+ from Digital Audio Labs. There is a ‘large DMA buffer fix’ update available at their Web site or direct from Digital Audio Labs. This usually fixes these types of problems.
Should the problems persist, the following is an alternative:
Windows 95 reserves a part of the memory for very fast data exchange called the VCache. The VCache can be further configured to tell Windows how much memory to use.
The VCache section in the SYSTEM.INI usually doesn't have any entries, unless additional lines are put in it manually. This means, that by default Windows 95 takes care of the amount of memory that is used for recently used file contents.
Adding an entry in the VCache section usually fixes pops and clicks problems for owners of DAL CardD+ and some other sound cards. As far as performance of Samplitude in Windows 95 we have never noticed any difference, although theoretically it may help to specify a cache amount.
If the user wants to experiment with it, we would suggest the following settings and go from there:
[VCache]
minfilecache=128
maxfilecache=4096
This means that the minimum RAM used for the caching is 128 Kbytes. The maximum that Windows 95 is allowed to use is 4096 Kbytes, which translates into 4 MB of your RAM. This number should not be increased tos more than half of your physical RAM.
As far as Samplitude is concerned, it doesn't matter whether a system has 32 MB of RAM or 64 MB. The difference comes with the way Windows 95 reacts to the increased amount of memory. There are a few tweaks that will enhance Windows 95 performance:
- Don't let Windows 95 determine it's own swap file size (Virtual Memory Settings). Even with 64 MB of RAM, Windows 95 will still create a swap file and will use it, sometimes even during operation in Samplitude! By setting it to a size of i.e. 40 MB, a permanent file of that size is created on the hard disk and less swapping and expanding of the swap file will take place. This increases performance in Windows 95.
- The buffer settings in Windows 95 seem to be affected by three components, the sound card, the CPU speed and the hard disk speed. Increasing the amount of RAM doesn't seem to have a great effect on the buffer settings in Samplitude. The number of buffers may be reduced to see how the performance in Samplitude is affected by the change. Depending on the sound card that is installed, the buffers may be set to 8192 bytes. It may help to write down the previous settings so they can be re-entered in case the performance doesn’t increase.
There is no great mystery to setting up a system. It can get pretty hairy though if a number of factors come together such as the FastFind program kicking in and keeping the hard disk busy. If MS Office products such as Word or Excel are only used on a limited basis it may help to disable the FastFind altogether.
Q: I want to process the audio contained in my VIP objects. How can I do this?
Each object in the VIP window is referencing a range from a physical data window (HDP or RAP). By double clicking the right mouse button on the object, the corresponding range in the data window can be displayed. At this point the processing functions in the Edit menu (Samplitude Studio 2.52 and Master 3.21) or the Effects menu (Samplitude Studio 4.0).
In Samplitude Studio 4.0 the right mouse button can be clicked once on the object to activate it. Once activated, the referenced audio material in the object can be processed with most of the Effects menu functions without having to display the data window first.
Also in Samplitude Studio 4.0 the Mixer window can be used to process panning, volume, EQ, compression and delay for entire tracks.
The peaking meters may be due to a data mismatch during the amplitude calculation, which basically means that the meters 'think' that the audio is peaking at 0 dB, but the signal itself is actually a fraction below the 0 dB. That means that the peak in the meters occurs at exactly 0 dB and not at over 0 dB in amplitude as it should. This problem will be fixed with the next release of Samplitude Master.
The audio is not affected by the meters issue and the peak indicator can be safely disregarded in cases where the audio stays below 0 dB.
Q: Does Samplitude Studio 4.0 support the ARC44 sound card?
Yes it does. The ARC44 sound card is fully supported by Samplitude Studio 4.0. However, version 2.11 or later of the ARC44 driver is needed for operation with Samplitude Studio 4.0. New driver versions are available from Hohner Midia's web site at http://www.hohnermidia.com.
Q: How does the Convolution function in Samplitude Studio work?
The Convolution function is based on the concept of taking an impulse response (a very short WAV or HDP file) and analyzing it as a pattern. The pattern can then be applied to another audio file, recreating the character or 'feel' of the original impulse response. In real life the impulse response could be a large room response that is analyzed and applied to a very dry guitar signal, for example.
Samplitude Studio 4.0 actually contains a new Room Simulator that is based on this concept. Especially natural room reverbs can be recreated and applied to any audio material very successfully using this function.
Q: I want to use multiple sound cards in Samplitude Studio. Is there anything I need to be aware of?
Samplitude Studio 2.52 can work with up to four sound cards, while Samplitude Studio 4.0 can work with an unlimited number of I/O devices. However, when using different sound cards, timing issues based on the computer’s ability to process and serve the individual devices with data may result in out of sync tracks. It also depends on the internal accuracy of an individual sound card whether the tracks stay in sync or not.
It is suggested to use sound cards with multiple I/O channels, such as the ARC44 or others. These types of sound cards can synchronize the individual channels and the out of sync problem will therefore not be an issue.
Q: Is there a way to mark a range in a VIP between two cursors?
There are two ways to accomplish marking ranges in the VIP window:
1) Click the left mouse button at the position at which the range is supposed to start. Next, hold the Shift key and click the left mouse button at the position the range is to end. Samplitude will automatically mark the range between the two cursor positions.
2) If two markers are defined in the VIP window, the first marker can be selected by clicking on it's head above the VIP tracks. Again, hold the Shift key and click on the head of the second marker. Samplitude will again mark a range between the two markers.
Please note that the ranges can be extended by clicking the left mouse button inside the range and dragging the cursor beyond the range border. Samplitude will pick up the range edge and lock it to the cursor movement until the left mouse button is released. This works for the range beginning and end.
Q: In Samplitude Studio 4.0 how can I copy individual tracks or extend a VIP with additional tracks?
Copying of tracks is possible after marking a short range in the respective track(s) that need to be copied to another location (track) in the same VIP or another VIP. Here is a quick outline of the procedure:
1) Mark a short range in the VIP track that needs to be copied.(Any volume or panning curve will also be copied. It does not matter whether the object(s) are activated.) Marking a range is Samplitude Studio's way to designate which track is to be copied.
2) Select Edit->Edit Tracks->Copy Tracks. A new window is created with the name VirtClip. It contains the complete contents of the track.
3) Mark another short range in the track of the VIP that the VirtClip contents needs to be copied to. Again, this is Studio's way to designate where the track is inserted (copied) to.
4) Select Edit->Edit Track->Insert Tracks. The contents of the VirtClip will be inserted before the track that contains the marked range.
This is also the method to extend a VIP with additional tracks. Simply mark a short range in either one track or a number of tracks. If the VIP needs to be extended by four tracks, a short range would be marked in four tracks of the existing VIP and copied to the VirtClip with Edit->Edit Track->Copy Tracks. Next, the last track of the VIP is marked with a short range and Edit->Edit Track->Insert Tracks is used to insert the VirtClip contents.
Q: How can I move volume curves/nodes in a VIP?
Samplitude allows you to move the volume curve in various ways. The method depends on what needs to be accomplished.
- Adjusting the complete curve up or down (making it louder or softer):
This is easily accomplished by moving the volume fader for the track that contains the volume curve. The curve will be scaled to the new setting. An existing curve doesn't need to be redrawn.- Moving a specific volume node:
This can be done by clicking the right mouse button on the volume node and dragging it to a new location.- Moving a multiple of volume nodes:
To move a number of nodes they will first need to be selected. The selecting of multiple nodes can be done by either holding the Shift key and clicking the right mouse button on the desired nodes or by changing the mouse mode to Volume Mode (click right mouse button outside of the track display) and drawing a marquee around the desired nodes (left mouse button).
It is also possible to start at an empty spot to the lower right of the nodes, clicking and holding the left mouse button and dragging a marquee around the desired nodes. This can be done without changing to the Volume Mouse Mode.
Once the volume nodes are selected, a click of the right mouse button on one of the nodes while holding the Shift key, allows you to drag the curve contents to a new location.
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