FM Software 12/90 update -- Implementation notes ================================================ Changes have been made to all of the FM Software packages since the June 1990 release. Note especially that extensive MIDI driver modifications have resulted in new command line options. If you used any command line options in previous releases, be sure to check the "Command Line Changes" section below for new formats before running any of the revised programs. This document covers all available packages and some sections may not apply to the distribution you have received. New MIDI Drivers ---------------- The MIDI device interface code has been completely rewritten for this release. Support has been added for the Key Electronics MIDIator and the Creative Labs SOUND BLASTER (with MIDI adapter). A universal MIDI driver is employed which allows each program to operate with any of the supported interfaces. Default device selection can be overridden on the command line for systems using multiple interfaces. All I/O is now interrupt-driven by default, rather than via polled access (the previous default). New Programs ------------ * Play/R -- Memory resident MIDI file player. See PLAYR.DOC for details if this program has been included with your distribution. * FM2MDX -- FM-Edit to MIDIEX bank converter. * Play/B -- Batch Play version (non-interactive). Replaces Play15. Help - All interactive programs ------------------------------- * String search speed has been improved. * Search words can now be selected from the text using a mouse. Watch program ------------- * The Alt-0 send key has been modified to ask for the send string each time it is pressed. This permits quicker entry of strings while on the Monitor screen. * The available buffer memory has been increased to approx. 80K bytes. The size of MIDI files loaded is now only limited by the amount of free memory. Play program ------------ * Play list support has been added for continuous, automatic play. * Function keys and mouse selectors have been altered due to new functions associated with play lists. Check the help screen for the new definitions. * Files are now sorted alphabetically in the file list display, and play lists can be created by selecting files from that display. * There is now a meter display mode available (Alt-F6) which shows song length and position in measures and beats. Time signature is also shown in this mode. The time display is now more consistent when advancing. * A delay between songs in a play list can be specified using the -w option on the command line. * MIDI file size is now only limited by the amount of available memory. File extensions --------------- * Programs which read MIDI files will now check for any of the following extensions if none is specified: .mff, .mid, .std, .smf. * The default extension (.mff) for wildcard directories searches can be changed via the mff environment variable. Ex: set mff=mid Command Line Changes -------------------- All programs which do MIDI input/output now use the "-d" option to select the active device (if more than one is present): -dmfc selects IBM Music Feature -dmpu selects MPU-401 compatible -dmidiator selects MIDIator -dsbmidi selects Sound Blaster MIDI (The first 3 letters of the device name are sufficient.) Optional IRQ and I/O port address information can be added following the device id if necessary: -dxxx:: For example, to define an MPU-compatible interface using IRQ 5 and I/O address 332 (hex), use: -dMPU:5:332 If only the I/O address is required but the default IRQ is alright, use -dMPU::332. Other new options include "-i" which will try to determine the IRQ in use automatically (MPU and MFC only), "-v" which lists the type of interface actually selected before starting, and "-s" which doubles the size of the MIDI input buffer. Command line options (those beginning with "-") may be set permanently by including DOS environment variable definitions in your autoexec.bat file. Use the variables opt1, opt2, opt3, and so on. Be to include the "-" character before the option letter. For example, "set opt1=-dmpu:5:332". This has the same effect as including the -d option described above on each command. Device restrictions ------------------- MIDIator With the current drivers, the MIDIator is not automatically detected as are the other device types. The -dmid option must always be specified on any of the program command lines to utilize this device. This can be set by default by defining an environment variable before use (usually in the autoexec.bat file): set opt1=-dmid SOUND BLASTER Technically, the SOUND BLASTER uses a half-duplex MIDI implementation, meaning that it cannot simultaneously send and receive MIDI data. The MIDI driver "simulates" full-duplex operation by rapidly switching between input and output modes. This is not 100% effective, however, and some input data may be lost during "thru" operations. In particular, the thru/patchbay operations in the Watch program may not prove useful, depending on the amount of data being received. Thru operations are disabled entirely if not using interrupt-driven mode (i.e., -dsbm:0 is specified on the command line indicating no interrupt). Because of the i/o restriction, the FM-Tune program will also not operate correctly and so is not supported for use with the SOUND BLASTER. Questions --------- Questions or problems regarding this software should be addressed to: Kevin Weiner FM Software 1413 Spring St. Bethlehem, PA 18018 (215) 865-7956 CompuServe: 72416,2465 BIX or PAN: KWEINER