Copyright: Copyright 1993-95 ® Creative Technology Ltd.


Help Contents
Contents

Overview

What is AWE32 Control?

Working with AWE32 Control

Working with Effects Engine

Working with Synthesizer Bank

Working with User Bank

Working with WaveFx

Play testing your Banks

Selecting other AWE devices

Enabling FM support

Enabling MPU401 Emulation

Browsing Sound Sample files or SoundFont Banks

Troubleshooting

If you have trouble launching AWE32 Control

If you have trouble changing to other AWE device

If you have trouble applying changes

If you have trouble with missing files


What is AWE32 Control?

AWE32 Control is a panel featuring tools that control your AWE32 hardware. It allows you to manipulate the bank settings and effect types of your hardware. Being able to upload wave files or SoundFont instruments, AWE32 Control gives you more flexibility and power in the way you want to. For example, you can audition bank changes using the panel's virtual keyboard.


Working with Effects Engine

Changing Effect Types

Changing Effect Variations


Changing Effect Types

To change effect types

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Effect tab.

2.	Under Types, click QSound Spatialization or Reverb & Chorus.

3.	To apply the changes, click the Apply button.

Tips

•	If you select QSound Spatialization, the effect variations of Reverb & Chorus will be disabled.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.


Changing Effect Variations

To change effect variations

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Effect tab.

2.	Under Types, click Reverb & Chorus.

3.	Select desired variations by clicking on the drop list or trackbar.

4.	To apply the changes, click the Apply button.

Tips

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.


Working with Synthesizer Bank

Changing Synthesizer Emulation

Using User Custom Emulation


Changing Synthesizer Emulation

To change a different Synthesizer emulation

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Synth tab.

2.	Under Synthesizer, click on the drop list directly below Available Synth.

3.	Select desired emulation by clicking on the drop list.

4.	To apply the changes, click the Apply button.

Tips

•	The path of the SoundFont bank used by the selected emulation is display in the Configured path edit box.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	You can check on the hardware memory status before changing any emulation.


Using User Custom Emulation

To use a user custom emulation

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Synth tab.

2.	Under Synthesizer, click on the drop list directly below Available Synth.

3.	Select the User Synth option in the drop list.

4.	Supply the path to the user custom SoundFont bank in the Configured path edit box.

5.	To apply the changes, click the Apply button.

Tips

•	You can search for your SoundFont bank by clicking on the Browse button. A list of most recent browsed files appears when you click on the down arrow button.

•	The path of the SoundFont bank used by the selected emulation appears in the Configured path edit box.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	You can check on the hardware memory status before changing any emulation.


Working with User Bank

Checking User Bank status

Uploading User Bank

Clearing User Banks


Checking User Bank status

To check the User Bank status

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the User tab.

2.	Under User variation, click on the drop list directly below Current state.

3.	Scroll the list to see the status of all the User Banks.

4.	If an User Bank is loaded, the bank name appears in the list.

Tips

•	The path of the SoundFont bank used by the selected user bank appears in the Configured path edit box.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.


Uploading User Bank

To upload SoundFont banks into User Bank

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the User tab.

2.	Under User variation, click on the drop list directly below Current state.

3.	Select a desired user bank from the drop list.

4.	Supply the path to the user bank in the Configured path edit box.

5.	To apply the changes, click the Apply button.

Tips

•	You can search for your SoundFont bank by clicking on the Browse button. A list of most recent browsed files appears when you click on the down arrow button.

•	The path of the SoundFont bank used by the selected user bank appears in the Configured path edit box.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	You can check on the hardware memory status before uploading any user bank.


Clearing User Banks

To clear current User Bank

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the User tab.

2.	Under User variation, click on the drop list directly below Current state.

3.	Select a desired user bank from the drop list.

4.	Click on the Clear button and select the Current User Bank option.

To clear all User Banks

1.	Click on the Clear button and select the All User Banks option.

Tips

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	You can check on the hardware memory status before clearing any user bank.

•	You can check if the user bank is cleared by going through the Current state drop list.


Working with WaveFx

Checking WaveFx Instruments status

Uploading Instruments

Clearing Instruments


Checking WaveFx Instruments status

To check the WaveFx Instrument status

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the WaveFx tab.

2.	Under Wave, click on the drop list directly below Instrument.

3.	Scroll the list to see the status of all the available instruments.

4.	If a sound sample is loaded, the sound sample's name will appear in the list.

Tips

•	The path of the SoundFont bank used by the selected instrument appears in the Sound sample path edit box.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.


Uploading Instruments

To upload instruments

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the WaveFx tab.

2.	Under Wave, click on the drop list directly below Instrument.

3.	Select a desired instrument from the drop list.

4.	Supply the path to the sound sample in the Sound sample path edit box.

5.	To apply the changes, click the Apply button.

Tips

•	You can search for your sound sample file by clicking on the Browse button. A list of most recent browsed files appears when you click on the down arrow button.

•	The path of the SoundFont bank used by the selected instrument appears in the Sound sample path edit box.

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	You can check on the hardware memory status before uploading any sound samples.


Clearing Instruments

To clear current WaveFx Instrument

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the WaveFx tab.

2.	Under Wave, click on the drop list directly below Instrument.

3.	Select a desired instrument from the drop list.

4.	Click on the Clear button and select the Current Instrument option.

To clear all WaveFx Instruments

1.	Click on the Clear button and select the All Instruments option.

Tips

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	You can check on the hardware memory status before clearing any instruments.

•	You can check if the instrument is cleared by going through the Instrument drop list.


Play testing your Banks

Playing on the Virtual Keyboard

Testing Instruments with MIDI Controllers

Changing the Virtual Keyboard's octave range

Resetting MIDI Controllers

Silence All Sound


Playing on the Virtual Keyboard

To playback an existing instrument from a bank

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Playback tab.

2.	Under Rehearse, click on the drop list directly below Playback bank.

3.	Select a desired bank from the drop list.

4.	Click on the drop list directly below Instrument.

5.	Select a desired instrument from the drop list.

6.	Click on the Virtual Keyboard to test the instrument.

Tips

•	If you wish to see the current hardware settings, click on the Refresh button.

•	If the instrument's playback sustain for too long, you can clear it by clicking the All Sound Off button.


Testing Instruments with MIDI Controllers

To test instruments with MIDI Controllers

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Playback tab.

2.	Select the desired instrument to be tested.

3.	Under Rehearse, click on the drop list directly below MIDI Controllers.

4.	Select a desired MIDI controller from the drop list.

5.	Change the value of the MIDI controller using the Controller value trackbar.

6.	Click on the Virtual Keyboard to test the instrument.

Tips

•	You can reset the controllers to defaults if it doesn't sound nice on your instrument.

•	If the instrument's playback sustain for too long, you can clear it by clicking the All Sound Off button.


Changing the Virtual Keyboard's octave range

To change the virtual keyboard's octave range

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Playback tab.

2.	Under Rehearse, click the vertical trackbar next to the virtual keyboard.

3.	Select the desired range by sliding the trackbar up or down.

4.	Click on the Virtual Keyboard to test the instrument.


Resetting MIDI Controllers

To reset the MIDI Controllers

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Playback tab.

2.	Click on the Reset Controllers button.

Tips

•	MIDI controllers are reset to default values defined by MIDI standard. Some controllers do not have default values and will not be reset.


Silence All Sound

To silence all MIDI sustain sound

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Playback tab.

2.	Click on the All Sound Off button.


Selecting other AWE devices

To select other AWE devices

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Device button. Device Selection dialog will appear.

2.	Select the desired device from the device list. Properties of the selected device will appear under Properties.

3.	Click on the Select button to confirm selection.

Tips

•	If you only wish to see the hardware properties, click on the Cancel button to exit.


Enabling FM support

To enable FM support

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Device button. The Device Selection dialog will appear.

2.	Select the desired device from the device list. Properties of the selected device will appear under Properties.

3.	Select the Allow FM support check box on this device to enable FM support.

4.	Click on the Select button or Cancel button to exit.

Tips

•	When you enable or disable the FM support, the effect takes place immediately. Clicking on Select or Cancel will not affect the changes.


Enabling MPU401 Emulation

To enable MPU401 emulation

1.	In AWE32 Control, click on the Device button. The Device Selection dialog will appear.

2.	Select the desired device from the device list. Properties of the selected device will appear under Properties.

3.	Select the Allow MPU401 Emulation check box on this device to enable MPU401 emulation.

4.	Click on the Select button or Cancel button to exit.

Tips

•	When you enable or disable the MPU401 emulation, the effect takes place immediately. Clicking on Select or Cancel will not affect the changes.


Browsing Sound Sample files or SoundFont Banks

To browse for sound sample or SoundFont banks

1.	In AWE32 Control, under Synth, User or WaveFx tab, click on the Browse button. Browse dialog will appear.

2.	Click on the drop list directly below List Files of Type and select the desired file type from the list.

3.	Navigate through the drives and directories of your system.

4.	Click on the desired file listed in the file list box.

5.	Select OK to confirm selection.

Tips

•	Information of the selected file will appear at the bottom of the Browse dialog. If there is no description displayed, the selected file could be an unsupported format.


If you have trouble launching AWE32 Control

If you cannot start AWE32 Control, one of the following messages should be displayed.

Invalid MIDI driver (SBAWE32.DRV)! AWE Manager has problem trying to acquire the MIDI driver. Check if the correct driver is installed.

This message indicates that the AWE Manager, requested by AWE32 Control, has problem trying to locate the AWE32 MIDI driver, SBAWE32.DRV. You should make sure that SBAWE32.DRV can be found in your Windows' system directory.

Existing MIDI driver (SBAWE32.DRV) has an incompatible version which cannot be used by this AWE32 Control. Please re-install the driver.

This message indicates that the AWE32 MIDI driver installed in your system is an older version and is not compatible with AWE32 Control. You should install the latest drivers from the package.

Current installed driver (SBAWE32.DRV) is version x.xx. AWE Manager (AWEMANXX.DLL version y.yy) requires driver with version z.zz and above.

This message indicates that the installed AWE32 MIDI driver has version x.xx which cannot be used by AWE Manager version y.yy. You will need AWE32 MIDI drivers with version z.zz at least.

None of your EMU8000 hardware are available now. Check if there are other instances of AWE32 Control.

AWE32 Control can be launched multiple times when supporting multiple cards. If you have only one AWE32 device, then you must have already launched AWE32 Control before. If you have multiple AWE32 devices, then you must have launched AWE32 Control multiple times. To verify that there are other instances of AWE32 Control, minimize all application on your desktop or use task manager to search for it.

Incompatible AWE Manager (AWEMANXX.DLL) version! AWE32 Control requires AWE Manager with version x.xx and above.

This message indicates that the installed AWE Manager is an older version. AWE32 Control needs AWE Manager with at least version x.xx.

Current installed AWE Manager (AWEMANXX.DLL) is version x.xx. AWE32 Control requires AWE Manager with version y.yy and above.

This message indicates that the installed AWE Manager has version x.xx which is not compatible with AWE32 Control. AWE32 Control needs AWE Manager with at least version y.yy.


If you have trouble changing to other AWE device

AWE32 Control supports multiple AWE devices installed in your system. You can choose between different AWE devices from AWE32 Control.

Another AWE32 Control has already acquired the selected XXXXX!

This message indicates that another AWE32 Control has already been launched to control the XXXX device. You can verify this from the device list box in the Select Device dialog. The bitmap next to the device name in the list box shows an hour glass to identify itself as being busy.


If you have trouble applying changes

You can apply changes to modifications made in Effect, Synth, User and WaveFx page. If you cannot apply changes, one of the following messages should appear.

MIDI driver (SBAWE32.DRV) is currently busy! Current operation will be aborted. Repeat operation if necessary.

This message indicates that the AWE32 MIDI driver is currently busy performing some other operations. When the AWE32 MIDI driver is busy, the AWE32 Control's cursor usually changes to the hour glass. You should repeat the operation again.

AWE Manager (AWEMANXX.DLL) is currently busy! Current operation will be aborted. Repeat operation if necessary.

This message indicates that the AWE Manager is currently busy performing some other operations. When the AWE Manager is busy, the AWE32 Control's cursor usually changes to the hour glass. You should repeat the operation again.

The path specified has the following problem: XXXXX. The original path will be restored.

This message appears only when you try to upload SoundFont banks or sound sample files (.WAV) to the AWE32 device. This means that the path you have specified causes the problem XXXXX and AWE32 Control will restore the original path prior changes made by you. When specifying a path, you should try to use the Browse dialog or Most Recent Use file list as much as possible.

There is no .SBK file selected! You are not allowed to apply this on current bank. Choose a .SBK file using the Browse command and apply again.

This message appears when you try to apply in Synth or User page. This message indicates that you are trying to apply changes to AWE32 Control without specifying any SoundFont file.

There is no .WAV file selected! You are not allowed to apply this on current instrument. Choose a .WAV file using the Browse command and apply again.

This message appears when you try to apply in WaveFx page. This message indicates that you are trying to apply changes to AWE32 Control without specifying any SoundFont file.

Insufficient Memory! AWE32 Control has detected insufficient memory on your system to complete current operation! Quit some applications and retry again.

This message warns that you have insufficient system memory to complete current operation. This is unlikely to happen but if it does, you should try closing some applications before trying again.

The selected file contains unrecognized format! Current operation will be aborted.

This message indicates that the file you attempt to upload to the AWE32 device has an unsupported format. You should verify the format of the file from the Browse dialog.

Your EMU8000 hardware has insufficient memory! Current operation will be aborted.

This message should only appear when you attempt to upload SoundFont or sound sample files to the AWE32 device. You should check up the available memory on your AWE32 device before uploading any files.

Effect Types cannot be changed during MIDI playback! Stop the MIDI playback and repeat the operation.

When MIDI is playing back, you cannot change the effect types. You will have to stop the playback to change the effect types.


If you have trouble with missing files

Missing files are usually caused by an incomplete software setup.

CTRESXX.DLL not found! Please make sure this DLL is located inside your shared components directory.

CTRESXX.DLL cannot be located in the shared components directory. If you can't find this file, you should still be able to work with AWE32 Control without any problem.

The path used to locate the required file is invalid!

This message appears when you assigned a path to a file which does not exist in your system. You should verify that the path is correct.


Glossary of Terms

File Information

File Date & Time

File Size

Cancel Instrument Selection

Confirm Select Instrument

Available Instrument List

Device Sound Engine

Device ROM Version

Device Base Address

Cancel Device Selection

Confirm Select Device

MPU 401 Emulation

FM Support

Available Device List

All Sound Off

Reset Controllers

Octave Ranges

Controller Value

Virtual Keyboard

MIDI Controllers List

Playback Instrument

Playback Bank

WaveFx Instrument List

Clear Banks/Instruments

Current User Bank state

Filename Path

Browse...

Most Recent Used Files

Available Synthesizer Support

Bass Level

Treble Level

Chorusing

Reverberation

Effect Types

Clear All Instrument

Clear Current Instrument

Refresh All Pages

Refresh Current Page

Clear All Bank

Clear Current Bank

Memory Status

Quit

On Top

Apply

Refresh

Device...

Help...


File Information

Displays the information of the selected file. This information usually describes the contents of file and description of file type.


File Date & Time

Displays the date which the selected file was created.


File Size

Displays the size of the selected file.


Cancel Instrument Selection

Exits the Select Instrument dialog. This will cancel any selections made and will not upload any instruments to the AWE32 device.


Confirm Select Instrument

Confirms the selection of instruments from the Instrument list box. Selected instruments will be uploaded to the AWE32 device.


Available Instrument List

Displays a list of available instruments in a SoundFont (.sbk) file. Double-clicking on any entries will select the entry. Selected instrument will be uploaded to the AWE32 device.


Device Sound Engine

Sound Engine is the core engine which reproduces MIDI playback on your AWE32 device. Different version of AWE devices may have different Sound Engine. For example 'EMU8000'.


Device ROM Version

ROM version identifies the version of ROM samples used in the selected AWE32 device. Different AWE devices may have different ROM version.


Device Base Address

Base address indicates the base I/O address of the AWE device. This field is only useful if you have multiple devices and need to identify individual devices uniquely.


Cancel Device Selection

Exits the Select Device dialog and cancels any changes in the device selection. However, changes made to the properties are not reversible.


Confirm Select Device

Confirms the selection of current AWE32 device and exits from the Select Device dialog. The AWE32 Control dialog will subsequently display the state of this device.


MPU 401 Emulation

Enables or disables MPU 401 emulation on the selected AWE32 device. When enabled, all MIDI out to MPU401 will be re-directed back to AWE32 device.


FM Support

Enables or disables FM support. If the FM support is disabled, you will not be able to use FM in the Control Panel's MIDI Mapper.


Available Device List

Displays a list of available AWE32 devices in the current system. If you have multiple AWE32 devices, you can select any one from the list to configure the properties.


All Sound Off

Turns off all note-on immediately. This includes note-on with sustain pedal down.


Reset Controllers

Resets the list of MIDI Controllers to their default values. Controllers which do not have reset-default value are not reset.


Octave Ranges

Select from four different octave ranges for the keyboard. The ranges are C-1 to G2, C2 to G5, C5 to G8 and C6 to G9.


Controller Value

MIDI Controller Trackbar. You can vary the value of the controllers using this trackbar.


Virtual Keyboard

You can play on this virtual keyboard using left mouse button. Holding the mouse button down has the same effect as holding the keyboard's keys down.


MIDI Controllers List

Displays a list of MIDI controllers which affect the playback session in Playback page.


Playback Instrument

Displays a list of instruments available for playback. You will need to select a valid bank for playback.


Playback Bank

Displays a list of banks available for playback. You will need to select an instrument for playback.


WaveFx Instrument List

Displays a list of instruments which you can upload wave files to.


Clear Banks/Instruments

Clears the current bank, instrument displayed or, list of 127 banks or list of 128 instruments.


Current User Bank state

Displays a list of 127 user banks and the name of the loaded SoundFont bank.


Filename Path

Shows the path of the file that is applied to the current bank or instrument.


Browse...

Activates the Browse dialog box. You can browse for .WAV or .SBK files from the Browse dialog box.


Most Recent Used Files

Displays a list of 30 most recently accessed files. These files can be in  .SBK or .WAV format.


Available Synthesizer Support

Lists the available Synthesizer supported by current AWE32 device. By default, Synthesizer will be used during the MIDI playback.


Bass Level

Bass level varies the bass frequency of the instruments used during MIDI playback. The bass level ranges from -12dB to +12dB.


Treble Level

Treble level varies the treble frequency of the instruments used during MIDI playback. The treble level ranges from -12dB to +12dB.


Chorusing

Chorusing adds depth and warmth to the sound. This gives audio playback orchestral fullness and resonance. There are eight different levels of chorusing.


Reverberation

Reverberation adds a spacious quality to the sound. Listening to a sound containing reverb is an experience similar to listening to music at an indoor concert. There are eight different levels of reverberation.


Effect Types

You can select from two sets of Effect types. QSound or Reverb & Chorus. These effect types will enhance the quality of your MIDI playback.


Clear All Instrument

Clears all the instrument in WaveFx bank. This will free AWE32 device memory if any of it is used by the instruments. This process is not reversible.


Clear Current Instrument

Clears the current displayed instrument of WaveFx bank. This process is not reversible.


Refresh All Pages

Refreshes all the pages of AWE32 Control. The selected AWE32 device's state will be displayed on the AWE32 Control.


Refresh Current Page

Refreshes the current page of AWE32 Control. The selected AWE32 device's state will be displayed on the AWE32 Control.


Clear All Bank

Clears all 127 banks of current AWE32 device. This will free the device memory if any of it is used by the banks. This process is not reversible.


Clear Current Bank

Clears the current displayed bank of the AWE32 device. This process is not reversible.


Memory Status

Shows the maximum and available amount of memory on the AWE32 device. Green region indicates the percentage of available memory.


Quit

Exits the AWE32 Control dialog. Changes made without applying will be lost.


On Top

AWE32 Control can be set to stay Always On Top. Selecting this option makes sure AWE32 Control stays on top of other windows.


Apply

Applies changes to the AWE32 device. Any changes made on the AWE32 Control will be applied to the device.


Refresh

Refreshes the AWE32 Control with the device's current state. Any changes made without applying will be lost.


Device...

Activates the Select Device dialog. From the Select Device dialog, you can view or make changes to any existing AWE32 devices' properties.


Help...

Launches the on-line help for AWE32 Control. You will get to know more about AWE32 Control from the on-line help.