BPM Studio Online-Manual
BPM Studio V. 3.4
BPM Studio User Manual - Version 3.4
(about this documentation)
Introduction
system requirements
Contents of Box
History
Installation
software installation
first start
Basic modules
basic modules
Player
Playlist
BPM File Archive
Loop Sampler
Sample Player
Sample Editor
Cross Fader
BPM Counter
File Editor
Mixer
MP3 Stream Module
File Info Box
CD Player
Remote Control
Program Options
Preferences
Options
Audio I/O
File Storage
CDDA-Copy
Remote Control
User Administration
Additional Functions
Normalize function
Search function
Monitor functions
Preview player
BPM Database
Pre-Amp function
Backup and Update
Visualisation Plugins
Hints
Technical Information
Key assignment
please check out also our FAQ-List and our NEW's section!
Congratulations for purchasing the latest version of BPM Studio!
You now have an exceptional software program for audio processing and management. By buying this you
have decided to tread an entirely new path in multimedia applications. BPM Studio is the next generation of
audio players, opening up new opportunities for playing, archiving and processing. This software was
developed especially for discos and DJs, but its range of functions enables it to be used in many other areas.
BPM Studio is the only software currently available which can securely manage and play audio data in various
formats. And its 19" remote control is absolutely unique! An experienced team of DJs tested the software in
professional use during the development period, and it is continually being checked and improved. Modern
design and simple construction of the program surface ensure secure handling in difficult conditions. So
whether you're a beginner or a pro you'll be amazed at what BPM Studio can offer. Even though we have
worked very hard to ensure that BPM Studio is very easy to use, in order to fully appreciate the extent of the
program's wide range of functionality and use it effectively, it is advisable to read this manual carefully.
BPM Studio is available in 3 different versions:
BPM Studio (Light)
BPM Studio (Home)
BPM Studio (Professional)
The functions available differ from version to version. You can see from the sticker on the package which
version you have acquired.
Likewise to the product family belongs BPM Studio Gastro, (a MP3-6x-Player that allows you to play sounds of
up to 6 different building areas), as well as a "private" edition. Closer information you will receive on our
homepage or from your specialist dealer.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this manual, please send us an e-mail.
© 1999 - 2002 ALCATech GmbH. Rights reserved.
BPM Studio User Manual for Windows
This manual and the software described therein is part of a license contract and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of the
contract and is not to be regarded as an obligation of ALCATech. ALCATech Gmbh gives no guarantees regarding the accuracy and exactitude of
details in this manual. Unless expressly permitted by the license contract, no part of this license may be reproduced, saved in data banks or
transferred electronically, photo-mechanically or in any other way to another data carrier without first receiving written permission from ALCATech
GmbH. Intel is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT and Windows 2000 are registered
trademarks of Microsoft in the USA and other countries. Pentium, Pentium II and Pentium Pro are trademarks of the Intel Corporation. All further
trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 1999-2002 ALCATech GmbH, D-96515 Sonneberg, Otto Bergner Straße 30, Germany,
Internet: www.alcatech.de • www.alcatech.com
Extended Functions
User Management
Network Functions
Support, Contact
http://www.alcatech.com/help/index.html [29.11.2000 13:06:23]
BPM Studio Online-Manual
BPM Studio User Manual - Version 3.4
(about this documentation)
please check out also our FAQ-List and our NEW's section!
Congratulations for purchasing the latest version of BPM Studio!
You now have an exceptional software program for audio processing and management. By buying this you
have decided to tread an entirely new path in multimedia applications. BPM Studio is the next generation of
audio players, opening up new opportunities for playing, archiving and processing. This software was
developed especially for discos and DJs, but its range of functions enables it to be used in many other areas.
BPM Studio is the only software currently available which can securely manage and play audio data in various
formats. And its 19" remote control is absolutely unique! An experienced team of DJs tested the software in
professional use during the development period, and it is continually being checked and improved. Modern
design and simple construction of the program surface ensure secure handling in difficult conditions. So
whether you're a beginner or a pro you'll be amazed at what BPM Studio can offer. Even though we have
worked very hard to ensure that BPM Studio is very easy to use, in order to fully appreciate the extent of the
program's wide range of functionality and use it effectively, it is advisable to read this manual carefully.
BPM Studio is available in 3 different versions:
BPM Studio (Light)
BPM Studio (Home)
BPM Studio (Professional)
The functions available differ from version to version. You can see from the sticker on the package which
version you have acquired.
Likewise to the product family belongs BPM Studio Gastro, (a MP3-6x-Player that allows you to play sounds of
up to 6 different building areas), as well as a "private" edition. Closer information you will receive on our
homepage or from your specialist dealer.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this manual, please send us an e-mail.
© 1999 - 2002 ALCATech GmbH. Rights reserved.
BPM Studio User Manual for Windows
This manual and the software described therein is part of a license contract and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of the
contract and is not to be regarded as an obligation of ALCATech. ALCATech Gmbh gives no guarantees regarding the accuracy and exactitude of
details in this manual. Unless expressly permitted by the license contract, no part of this license may be reproduced, saved in data banks or
transferred electronically, photo-mechanically or in any other way to another data carrier without first receiving written permission from ALCATech
GmbH. Intel is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT and Windows 2000 are registered
trademarks of Microsoft in the USA and other countries. Pentium, Pentium II and Pentium Pro are trademarks of the Intel Corporation. All further
trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Copyright © 1999-2002 ALCATech GmbH, D-96515 Sonneberg, Otto Bergner Straße 30, Germany,
Internet: www.alcatech.de • www.alcatech.com
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
About This Documentation
In this manual you will find comprehensive information
about how to use the software and hardware. It will
help to simplify daily use with the program, and provide
answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Before reading this manual it is advisable that you first
install the program. To do this, read the instructions in
the following chapter. In this chapter the system
requirements and contents of BPM Studio are
described.
It is assumed that you are familiar with the most
important functions and conventions of your operating
system, as well as being familiary with using a mouse.
For the sake of better clarity and understanding, "mp3"
or "wav" data will from here on be referred to as "audio
data", if the original data on the hard disk is in
question. A "track" is then the link to this data via one
of the playlists, the BPM File Archive, or the players.
Although this manual describes all program modules and functions of BPM Studio, please remember
that the exactl functionality available to you will depend upon which version of BPM Studio you are
using.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
System Requirements
The following are the minimum hardware requirements for BPM Studio:
• IBM PC or 100% compatible with Pentium-II Processor with min. 350Hz
• 128 MB memory
• 10 MB harddisk space for installation. Additional space is required for storage of audio files
• SVGA video card with resolution of 800 x 600 pixels
• 1x 16 bit sound card (2 sound cards recommended)
• 32 speed CD-ROM drive
• Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT version 4.0
• DirectX 5.0 or higher
• An Internet connection for streaming audio via the Internet.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Contents of Box
Please ensure that the following parts are included:
1. BPM Studio CD
2. Manual
3. Registration Card
4. Hardware Dongle
If you have purchased the professional version:
- 19" Remote Control Unit
- Mains Adaptor
- Connector Lead
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BPM Studio - News
Version History BPM Studio light, home and professional
Version 1.5.0 / release date: 12.08.1999
Version 2.0.0 / release date: 18.11.1999
Version 3.0.0 / release date: 20.04.2000
Version 3.0.5 / release date: 03.05.2000
Version 3.2.0 / release date: 23.08.2000
Version 3.2.5 / release date: 04.09.2000
Version 3.3.0 / release date: 12.10.2000
Version 3.4.0 / release date: 06.11.2000
Version 3.4.0 / release date: 06.11.2000
Important ! The file archive is now no longer downward compatible, but there will be no
limitations to the number of files
3.4.0 / New Features:
In the new generation of remote controls the faderstart function was implemented. To activate check
the "Fader Start" box in the remote options. Caution: Fader start only works with remote controls with
the firmware version 3.00B and up. The fader start has been made available in the software now and
can be used with new RC units.
AutoUpdate for sound card drivers: In BPM Studio an automatic upgrade function for audio
drivers is implemented. ALCATech receives the latest driver versions from selected sound card
manufacturers and make the accessible on the ALCATech server for download. By the AutoUpdate
function you not only get informed about new versions of BPM Studio, even about the latest drivers
for your soundcard. To make this possible, BPM Studio recognizes the existing audio hardware and
its driver versions and compares them to the driver data on the ALCATech server. Whenever there is
a new version you will receive a notification including the corresponding link.
3.4.0 / Gimmicks:
New hotkeys in the lists. By this some shortcuts have been changed. Selected track can be loaded
directly into the playlists now. Further Windows- compatible clipboard function were implemented
(CTRL-C, CTRL-V etc.) See details here
3.4.0 / Bugfixes:
Because of the design of Winx the list size was limited to 32768 entries. By the development of a
replacement of the Windows listbox control this limitation no longer exists.
Sometimes the ripper wasn't able to read the last frame of a track correctly.
The system froze when searching and setting a position in the CD player.
The set auto cue level didn't get assigned.
BPM-Studio could be started twice that wasn't wanted that way...
Under W2K shutdown/restart didn't work correctly. Fixed
The AutoStart Funktion (/AUTO) didn't work correctly.
When the audio buffer was set to 2 sec in the audio options the current track quit playing after
Search--> Play.
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Also with a 2 sec. preload buffer and instant cue short loops and skips occured after Search --> Play.
When playing a song in the monitor and starting another track blue screens appeared in a few cases.
Some genres of older versions did not get adapted correctly.
Some small troubles with the Kernel Driver and Delta soundcards got fixed.
AutoPlay, in the wait list mode witha hard fade were played back delayed and the first 500 ms were
cut off.
Very small files, although already normalized, got normalized over and over again.
A problem occuring with sector synchronisation and block sizes above 13 on some CD-ROM drives
got fixed.
At tracks over 60 minutes length the time is now displayed correctly (at least till 99:99.0 minutes).
When using the Kernel driver in some cases the allocated memory wasn't freed which could lead to a
rapid loss of free memory. In this case some malfunctions as dropouts or jittering after some hours
could occur.
Version 3.3.0 / release date: 12.10.2000
3.3.0 / Gimmicks:
The kernel driver now got its own entry in the system settings.
When there are any problems with the Kernel driver it can be easily deactivated.
In the BPM Studio audio options the latency of the kernel driver can be set now.
This can be useful when playback stutters on sounds not tested by us, for instance
Caution: Anyone who does not know what he should do should keep his hands off this !!!
Instant cue function: The audio engine got reviewed and is now capable to jump from any
position back to the cue point within 4 ms (depending on the audio driver).
Especially interesting is this feature at the cue play function (normal or alternative)
which can work as a sampler now.
Complete Windows ME support. ME now works as fine as Win 98, the known disadvantages of
Win 2000 and and Windows NT do not exist and we can recommend Windows ME as well as
Windows 98 without any limitations.
3.3.0 / Bugfixes:
A "small" bug in the user options got fixed. In some cases the passwords were visible to all
users. (sorry ;-))
Hybrid CD's where the last track is a data track are now being processed and read correctly
The communication with the control unit got improved so that less commands have to be transmitted.
An error (Invalid driver ID) when opening the options under Windows 95C got fixed
A problem with the kernel driver and some driver versions of the SB PCI got recovered. The driver
could be selected but the player did not run.
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At stop and restart of a player there is no "rough" stop but a short fading of 25 ms is executed to
avoid clicks.
Unfortunately the system sounds were not switched off at properly the start of BPM Studio which led
to troubles sometimes. All system sounds are now being disabled completely and restored after
shutdown of BPM Studio.
As soon as the kernel driver was installed it was not possible to switch the comuter to suspended
mode which was especially annoying withn notebooks. The kernel driver now supports suspended
mode and does not have to be deactivated.
Some customers pointed out that the MP3 codec of the newer versions sounds worse. The reason
was the new encoder library we received from Fraunhofer. Tests confirmed this so we returned to
the previous version which never caused problems.
At some installations the playback was spoiled by noise - fixed
Some small bugfixes in the kernel driver
Lots of trifles and clean ups not interesting for the normal user
Version 3.2.5 / release date: 04.09.2000
3.3.0 / New Features:
In the list menus there is now a entry "Export" by which selected Titles can be copied or decoded.
3.2.5 / Bugfixes:
Lots of trifles and clean ups not interesting for the normal user
Version 3.2.0 / release date: 23.08.2000
3.2.0 / New Features:
Extremely exact Realtime BPM counter working between 50 and 300 BPM with 99% accuracy. The
following ranges are available: 50...100, 75...150,100...200, 150...300 BPM.
The value is being calculated directly in the player and does not requier a separate
BPM counter. Once calculated the value can be transferred directly to the ID3 tag.
In the BPM Studio Audio Options a new driver type can be selected, the Kernel driver. This driver
developed by ALCATech adresses the soundcard at an extremely low level and offers extremely
ahort latency times (4-10 ms) by high stability because of its high priority. The driver gets back on
existing driver functionalities as e.g. DirectSound and works on almost all cards even those that
produced dropouts because of their missing Direct sound drivers. The kernel driver only works with
windows 95/98, NT and W2K are NOT suppoted until now because of the limitations of the operating
system.
CDDB batch query: After inserting several CD's the CDDB query for these CD's
can be done in one go.
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Loudness adjustment: The normalize function was reviewed completely and works now as a
loudness adjustment. The file archive menu now contains a new option „Normalize“ with which the
whole file archive will be normalized in one go. At large archives this process might take several
hours but has to be done only once for each song. When adding new files and normalzing files
already scanned will not be scanned again and will therefore go faster. When normalizing peak and
RMS levels of all songs are being scanned and the value of the average loudness is being detected.
When finished the song with the highst and the lowest loudness level is detected and all songs will
be adjusted based on these values. Songs with a high volume level will be damped and songs with a
low level will be amplified, the dynamics remain widely untouched because only one amplification
factor is used for each track and no dynamics adjustment is applied.
Internet connection can be established/terminated manually right click on CDDB button
New driver interface for EASI drivers (eMagic)
Pro version only: Calibrate Sliders: The control unit options now have the button „Calibrate“. In case
the sliders don't reset to the middle position this can be calibrated by clicking on this button.
3.2.0 / Gimmicks:
Low level audio engine reviewed and optimized completely. Parallel processing of Data by MMX
optimizing improved. Memory comsuption of the audio engine reduced.
3.2.0 / Bugfixes:
At times BPM Studio did not recognize the change of a CD, fixed
Blue screen in Dsound.vxd caused by some DirectSound drivers e.g. Midiman 2044 avoided
When more than 999 songs were loaded in a playlist the track number was cut off, fixed
When player is stopped you can toggle between the recent cue-point and the song start. When
jumping back to the start of song silence is being skipped
Some genres are no longer being stored in the registry and will therefore not erased when the
registry is cleared
In the file options folders in several levels are displayed correctly
Troubles with the bitmap drawing on some graphic cards were fixed
Smaller problems with ASIO drivers were fixed
New Spline interpolation filter offering better pitch quality with ASIO, EASI, WAVE and Kernel drivers
Master tempo algorithm completely reviewed. Much better quality and MMX optimized.
Version 3.0.5 / release date: 03.05.2000
3.0.5 / Neue Features:
The same track can be loaded to the playlists several times
„agressive refresh“ option - It's possible to deactivate the aggressive refresh (all displays are redrawn
at slower speed). This function improves the performance up to 10% per player on slower computers
(Celeron(TM) Notebooks etc.)
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3.0.5 / Gimmicks:
Improvement of performance from 7 to 10% by optimizing
New keyboard shortcut Alt+V = Visualization
3.0.5 / Bugfixes:
An error by changing the preload buffer size in the audio options was fixed
The last 2-3 seconds were cut off, this error was fixed
An error at the „Silent Detection“ (Auto-Cue) was fixed
Access Violation by using front/rear outputs was fixed
Version 3.0.0 / release date: 20.04.2000
3.0.0 / Neue Module:
Several users can work without influencing each other by using the user administration
Skin support
3.0.0 / New Features:
„Master Tempo“ (time stretching, changing playback speed without changing the pitch)
WinAmp Visualization PlugIn support
Full Screen mode 800x600 and 1024x768 supportet, at higher resolutions several modules are being
displayed additional
Several tracks can be selected and edited in the File Info Box. So an artist or album entry can be
assinged to a hole group of tracks
3D soundcard support, so with a Terratec DMX sound card e. g. a two-channel-solution can be
obtained. Hint: Due to the fact that the front and rear output are offer a different quality of playback,
this solution is not suitable for professional use. Terratec DMX and SB Live were tested successfully,
but the SB live does not offer enough hardware buffer space to work as monitor for BPM Studio.
BPM Studio now comes with extended networt support. A system can consist of one server and
several clients. The servers File Archive is displayed on all clients, but changes can only be made on
the server. Changes in the servers File Archive are automatically detected by the clients.
BPM Studio can be run as an exclusive shell application. This feature is useful for applications
were users should only be allowed to have access only to BPM Studio and no other programs on the
system.
BPM Studio was optimized for multiprocessor systems running under NT or W2000.
Each player can use seperate processor, if present, which improves the systems stability and player
performance.
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BPM Studio - News
For the CDDB query BPB Studio either uses an existing internet connection or the automatic dial
function of Windows and terminates the connection correctly.
The settings of the CDDB query are being expanded, to use alternate CDDB servers you can enter
URL and port number of the server
Advanced CDDA parameters can be setup for each CD-ROM drive
3.0.0 / Bugfixes:
In some configurations BPM Studio lost the File Archive. This bug is fixed now
Temp files are being delete completely now
The ID3 tag was not written on write protected files, This has now be changed
No temp files are generated on writing ID3 tags
Sometimes the group "SEARCH RESULTS" were deleted by the autosave function
Access violation occured when exiting the BPM Counter
A problem in the whole system when using DirectSound at W2000 was avoided.
(With a start of a player the last 0,5 seconds of the previous song was repeated)
Version 2.0.0 / release date: 18.11.1999
2.0.0 / New Modules:
A new module called Loop Sampler was insert
By using the MP3 Streaming-Modul the master output can live streamed in a network or the
Internet. BPM Studio supports the Shoutcast/Icecast protocols, and no other external modules are
needed. In our check outs we streamed with 128 kBit, and the system load was smaller than 30%
Language Modul: BPM Studio supports now different languages. (in this time are available the
languages english and german and we work on italian, france and dutch)
Backup Modul for the file archive
2.0.0 / New Features:
Every modul that could save the titles in WAVE till now can save now directly in MP3. So the
recorder can now record MP3's in realtime.
The monitor-function has been completly redone. The different sample frequencies of the
soundcards will be corrected, so drifting apart of the output signals between monitor and master will
be avoided
MP3 to WAVE decompressing
Presets for the equalizer settings
Displaying pitch and pitch area in the display of the remote control
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NEW: fulltext search (wildcards *, ?)
Now you can seach for BPM areas e.g. 120..130 BPM
You can drag titels from the playlists to the cd-player, so the cd-player is a 3rd player or a
comfortable preview player.
Autosave feature: every 5 minutes the whole state of BPM-Studio is saved to disk. Even when the
system crashes you wont lose your archives or other data.
With the buttons A,B,C you can set the pitch area for each player, even from the remote control.
2.0.0 / Gimmicks:
When autoplay-mode was active while program shut down, it will be activated when you start
BPM-Studio again.
AutoCue (skip silence at the beginning)
The CPU usage was reduced about 5%, this means again more performance
The options of the ASIO drivers can be changed directly from the options of BPM Studio
The wave out drivers have been optimized. Buffers of 3x8192 are no problem on fast computers (P
III 500), this reduces the delay that is always higher than the delay of the other drivers.
A lot of customers, who work with the Digital SL, could not change to BPM-Studio when they had
bigger filearchives created with visiosonic software. Because Digital SL encoded all MP3 files.We
took a closer look at the encoded files and we determined that this encoding is not for protecting
copyrights. The encoding only prevents the users of Digital SL to change to another system, like
BPM-Studio. Because in our opinion all software should be compatible as possible, we implemented
a function that can read the encoded Digital SL files, without changing them. Welcome to
BPM-Studio and much greetings to Visiosonic ;-)
A new command line parameter has been added. With /auto your can start BPM-Studio in auto-play
mode. A playlist called 'auto.lst' will be loaded an played. When you install BPM-Studio in an auto
run folder of windows you only have to turn on the computer an it will start to play. This is usefull for
cafes, bars, etc. when there is no DJ. Additionally you can use the parameter /SHUFFLE.
There is a new Hot-Key: with [Control]-[Shift] or [Alt]-[P] you can the play selected track in the player
2.0.0 / Bugfixes:
The „List Index out of bounds“ error was fixed.
Errors while saving the settings of the sampler were fixed.
„Unable to create file“ error was fixed. BPM-Studio now checks the filenames for illegal chars (like "
\/:*?"<>|. ") replaces them with a blank char.
An error with the CD-Text informations was fixed
A memory leak that could crash your system was fixed
ASPI driver (NT) initializing error was fixed
The noise problem in cobination with newer versions of Windows 95 was fixed
You can now disable the ASPI Driver that could cause problems under NT
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The long-term stability has been improved
Internet problems on startup were fixed
An error while parsing the ID3 Tags was fixed.
webmaster | ALCATech | SWIFTSOFT | copyright
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BPM Studio - News
New key shortcuts in Version 3.4.0
CTRL-P, SHIFT-P, ALT-P:
loads a track from the focussed list in the
corresponding player (CTRL for player A, SHIFT
for Player B, ALT for CD player) and inserts it
after the selected track in the playlist.
CTRL-Q, SHIFT-Q:
loads a track from the file archive in the left or
right playlist (after the selected track in the
playlist)
ALT-Q:
loads a track from the file archive in the waitlist
(after the selected track in the playlist)
Clipboard Functions (Windows-like):
CTRL-A: Select all
CTRL-C (CTRL -insert): copy
CTRL-V (SHIFT-insert): insert
CTRL-X (SHIFT-delete): cut
Changes made to version Version 3.4.0:
Player Pitch Functions:
CTRL-Insert, SHIFT-Insert, ALT-Insert (formerly
Pitch on) are being removed because of the
clipboard functions and are being replaced by:
CTRL-Z, SHIFT-Z, ALT-Z: Pitch on/off
CTRL-Delete, SHIFT-Delete, ALT-Delete
(formerly Pitch on) are being removed because of
the clipboard functions and are being replaced by:
CTRL-Y, SHIFT-Y, ALT-Y: Pitch Reset
ALT-Y: (Select all) is being replaced by CTRL-A
ALT-Z: (Invert selection) removed
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Software Installation
To install BPM Studio, please follow these instructions. Please note that the program must be installed onto
your hard disk from the application CD. It cannot be started from the CD or without the hardware dongle.
1. Connect the hardware dongle to a parallel port on your PC. (printers already connected may also be used)
2. Insert the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If your computer is programmed to recognize CD changes then the installation program will start
automatically. If not, click on "RUN" in the Windows 95/98 start menu and type "D:/setup.exe", where 'D' is the
letter of your CD-ROM drive.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete your installation.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
First start
During the installation process, a shortcut to BPM Studio was installed on your desktop, as well as under the
Start menu. Simply double click on either the program icon on your desktop (or the start menu (PROGRAMS)
(ALCATech) (BPM Studio)). When the program first starts, it will automatically check your system to ensure
proper operation is possible, and if you have purchased the professional version, a check will be performed to
see if the remote control unit is connected. If BPM Studio is not currently your default player, you will be given
the opportunity to do so here.
That's it. Now you can start having fun with BPM Studio.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
The basic modules
BPM Studio is consists of 7 different modules:
1 Player A
2 Player B
3 Playlist for Player A
4 Playlist for Player B
5 Sample Player
6 Cross Fader
7 BPM File Archive
The middle and lower screen area (3, 6, 4 and 7) is
multifunctional. The middle program area can be
operated with a single-list or dual-list. You can switch
between these views by simply pressing
in the cross fader. In the lower field the BPM file
archive, the mixer or the CD player can be faded in by
pressing
,
and
.
By clicking next to any slider, it will automatically move slowly in the respective direction.
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and
BPM Studio Online-Manual
The Player
As both audio players are identical in
functionality, only one will be described
here. The player controls the output of
audio, whether that audio resides on your
hard disk or on a CD-ROM. Aside from the
normal functions you are used to with
virtually any analog CD player, there are
many more extra features which are only
made possible by processing audio data on
a PC. Using drag & drop all tracks can be
transferred from the playlists or the BPM file
archive and played. A track can also be
loaded and started by double-clicking on the
relevant playlist.
And, you can also load a track from the hard disk via the context
menu.
Starting from version 2.0 a Loop Sampler is available.
You can start it by click on the 'LOOP' button as shown here.
Track - buttons
Loop / Search buttons
rewinds the current audio file to the beginning of
its track. If the track has been playing less than 2
Using the left mouse key:
seconds, the previous track will be loaded.
The player goes into loop mode. If you keep the mouse
key depressed, there will be a smaller
loads the next track into the current player.
increase in search speed.
is a position slider that can
be used for adjusting the current playback position.
Main Functions
Play / Pause. When switching from Pause to
Play, the default-cue point is automatically
reset.
Using the right mouse key:
The player goes into loop mode. If you keep the mouse
key depressed, there is a larger
increase in search speed.
If play mode of the search keys is stopped by clicking
the right mouse button, the buttons operate as normal
for fast forward or rewind.
Play modes (Switch)
returns the play position to saved cue point.
Single Play, stops at next track.
Loop, continually repeats the current playlist.
plays the current audio track from last saved
cue point.
randomly plays tracks from current playlist.
switches between Pitch and
Master Tempo
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By clicking next to the Pitch slider (on the scale itself), the pitch area is altered in 0.1% steps.
Extended Cue Functions
Pitch Functions
Using the file editor, an additional 9
cue points can be set in addition to
the standard cue points. The exact
procedure is described in the
chapter on the file editor. If the file
editor is invoked from the playlist via
the context menu, the cue points are
saved in the playlists; if the file editor
is invoked from the BPM File
Archive, the cue points remain
pertaining to the track, similar to BPM data. Tracks
which have been given additional cue points are
marked with a green square in the playlist. If such a
track is loaded into the player, the cue points may be
selected via the context menu of the CUE and CUP
keys.
Pitching means altering the playing speed of an audio
file, and thus the Beats Per Minute (BPM) of the same
track. Using this function the playing speed of tracks
can be mixed to match each other. The universal
can be programmed for
buttons
3 pitch ranges as follows (default setting)
via program options: A for +/- 8%, B for +/16%, C for +/-24% (or if you use master
tempo: 4, 8 and 12%).
switches the pitch function
on or off for the selected player.
decreases the pitch of the current audio file.
increases the pitch of the current audio file.
matches the pitch to the BPM value
of the other player.
With the right mouse key:
Adjusts the track pitch gradually
to 0 and starts the next track
from the playlist (if not in single
play mode).
5 seconds before the end of playing time, this display flashes red as a warning signal.
The Displays
The display is
divided into two
areas. In the upper
area, the position
of the track in the
playlist is displayed on the left (TRACK). The middle
area displays either the elapsed time (ELAPSED) or
the remaining time (REMAIN). To switch between
displays, simply click directly on the area or on the
TIME key.
The upper right area serves to display either the
BPM of the track (data taken from the BPM
32 frequency analyzer with peak display
32 frequency analyzer without peak display
64 frequency analyzer with peak display
64 frequency analyzer without peak display
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database) or the pitch value. Switching between
these displays is again carried out by clicking on the
area. In the lower area on the left there is a resource
display (audio data buffer memory). Next to this is a
VU meter with the following modes which can be
selected by mouse click.:
Amplitude (time dependent)
OFF (Saves Resources)
Scrolling display of track and artist
Standard Tuning Display
Player Context Menu
●
Remove current track from the Player
Load an audio track into the Player
Display File Info Box for the current track
●
Start the File Editor
●
Start the BPM Counter
●
Open the search window
●
Carries out normalize function for the current audio track
●
Decompress the current audio track to a wave file
Delete cue points, fades and play counters
Displays the program options
●
●
●
●
Realtime BPM Counter:
(In the light version the BPM Counter is only available in a limited
function range!)
The both players automatically detect the BPM value of the current
track with an extremely high accuracy, when no value is stored in the
ID3-Tag yet. The following ranges are available: 50...100,
75...150,100...200, 150...300 BPM. By using the context menu in the
BPM value display this value can be stored directly into the ID3-Tag
at the current track. BPM detection by the separate BPM Counter is
no longer nessecary.You can restart the detection by the RESET
function in the context menu. This enables you to check and change
an already stored value in the ID3-Tag.
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The Sample Player
The sample player is responsible for
managing up to 9 audio samples,
which are ready to be played at the
touch of a button. Using the sample
editor various sample blocks (in
groups of 9) can be saved.
Using the PITCH adjuster, the playback speed can be
gradually altered. By clicking the right mouse key on
the slider, the setting returns to normal.
Using the
and
keys, the sample player can
be allocated to either player A or B. This works only if
both players are assigned to separate sound cards. If
The current operating status of the
both players use the same sound card, these two
sample player can be seen by looking
buttons are meaningless. Via the context menu, you
at the LED at the top middle of the
can activate a "loop" function which continues to play
player. Green indicates standby
the sample until the digit key is repressed. By clicking
mode, red an audio file is currently
being loaded into the sample player. the right mouse key on the digit buttons from
to
The sample player itself has nine digital keys which
can each be allocated a sample. The length of sample
that can be loaded depends on the size of the main
memory, as well as the version you have purchased. If
a button already contains a sample, that button
appears dark. When the button is clicked, the sample
is played. If SINGLE PLAY mode is deactivated via the
context menu, several samples can be played
simultaneously.
There are two play modes. In "start/stop" mode, the
sample is played by clicking the button, and stopped
by pressing it again (on/off). In "scratch" mode, the
sample is always played from the beginning. All
samples can be stopped by clicking the 0 button on the
keyboard. To switch between the two modes, select
"SCRATCH MODE" in the context menu or the scroll
key on the keyboard. The volume slider of the sample
player is the same as that of the mixer-channel
SAMPLE, they function synchronously.
the sample player context menu is opened.
Processing Samples and Assigning Buttons
To assign a sample to a particular button in the sample
player, there are several different methods: Via the
context menu, by drag & drop from one of the playlists,
BPM File Archive, or via the sample editor. If a file
exceeds the permissible length of it is automatically
reduced on loading. Using the sample editor
you
can manage samples and edit them using the file
editor, which can be accessed from the context menu
or the sample editor itself.
Sample Player Context Menu
●
●
●
●
Plays the selected sample (click on button)
Activates/Deactivates the loop function for the selected sample
Assigns an audio file directly to this button
Cancels assignment to this button
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●
Deletes the entire sample block 1 to 9
●
Displays the File Info Dialog for the selected file
●
Displays the File Editor, useful for editing samples
●
Displays the Sample Editor
●
Prevents simultaneous playing of several samples
Switches between scratch and start/stop mode
Displays the Program Options
●
●
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The Playlists
By default, the dual-playlist screen is
displayed. Each playlist in this mode is
or
identical. By clicking on either
in the cross fader, you can choose between
the dual list screen (playlist mode) or a
single list (waitlist mode). When you switch
from dual list to single list, both track
displays are listed together, first from
playlist A, then from playlist B. When
switching back to dual list, the songs are
returned to their original playlist.
Playlists make it extremely simple to put
together a complete set or entire evening's
worth of music. The name of the track,
artist, BPM and playing time of each track is The blue bar marks an audio file. All playlists can be saved as
displayed in the playlist. The track currently playlist data. (*.LST). All data pertaining to a track such as pitch,
cues etc. are saved in this file. The stored lists of both playlist
being played is marked in white.
displays are compatible.
If the file has been processed in the file editor you
will see a green square next to the BPM.
Audio files already played (min. 1 minute in player)
to the BPM.
There are three basic methods of adding audio files to
playlists: via the context menu directly from your hard
disk, by dragging & dropping from the other list or the
BPM File Archive, and by using the
button. The
order in which audio files are played back can also be
altered by simply dragging & dropping each file into its
new place. A red arrow
next to each
file makes sorting much easier. You can also transfer
tracks to a player with drag & drop, context menu or
double clicking on the file. Depending on the basic
program setting, the track will then either be played
immediately or paused at the beginning of the track.
The following functions are also available:
Creates an empty playlist
are marked with a red square next
Adds an audio file to the current playlist
Removes the currently selected audio file from
the current playlist
Selects all tracks in the current playlist
Displays the file info box for the currently selected
audio file
The lower right field contains the status window as well
as a monitor player. The following displays of the
status window can be changed by mouse click:
Displays the number of tracks in the current playlist
Loads a saved playlist
Displays the total playing time of the current playlist
Saves the current playlist
Displays the remaining playing time of the current
playlist
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Tip: Use the single list mode display (waitlist) if you use Auto-Fading often.
By combining saved playlists with crossfade effects,
you can very quickly put together complete program
sets for various events, differing musical styles, shows
and much more. The original track files are only saved
once in the system even if they are allocated to several
playlists. In the chapter about the cross fader there is
an
explanation of how to allocate pre-configured cross
fades, as well as how to generate your own playing
sequences. It is also possible to import playlists from
other systems and players such as WinAMP. Please
note that BPM Studio version 1.5 imports both *.m3u
and *.pls formats.
Playlist Context Menu:
●
Loads an audio track into a Player
●
Plays a selected audio track in the Preview Player
●
Removes the selected audio track from the Playlist
●
●
Deletes the selected audio track from the hard disk
Adds audio file(s) to the Playlist
●
Displays the File Info Box for the current audio file
●
Displays the File Editor for the current audio file
●
Displays the BPM Counter for the current audio file
●
Displays the search window
●
Begin Normalization on the current audio file
●
Decompresses the current audio file to a wave file
Resets track (cues, fades, play counter)
Displays the program options dialog
●
●
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The Cross Fader (Home and Professional Version only)
The cross fader allows you to fade
between player A and player B. In
order to provide the maximum amount
of flexibility, there are two cross fade
modes provided; Manual and
Automatic.
To change assigned cross fades, the altered cross
fade must be re-assigned by drag & drop to confirm.
This prevents unwanted alteration of assigned fades.
All fade effects are saved within the playlist file itself. A
flashing red light in the top left corner indicates that
automatic mode is activate. It is deactivated whenever
the CUE, CUE/PLAY or START/STOP buttons are
To switch automatic mode on and off,
clicked in any of the players. Using the
key, the
fade can be cancelled in advance in automatic mode.
If automatic mode is not active, a cross fade is started
simply click on
. If automatic
mode is activated there is then a cross
fade at the end of the track currently
being played, to the track loaded on
the opposite player. You can alter the cross fade by
using the mouse to move the red or blue curve, or use
can use one of the several pre-programmed cross
fades provided via the context menu. With drag &
drop, the cross fade set is allocated to a particular
track, but that effect is only used at the end of the track
itself. All following tracks on the playlist automatically
receive the same cross fade until another fade is
allocated. A track with an assigned effect is marked
with a green line in the playlist.
key with the preset and
by activating the
displayed fade mode. The currently displayed fade is
now used, but the fade is not assigned to the track
itself. Using the
screen.
button switches to the single list
Use of the manual fade slider overrides any preset fade mode.
The fade time is set by the FADE TIME slider. Please
remember that this is the time for the "complete" time
window. If the fade effect does fill the entire window,
the real time is shortened accordingly.
This slider allows for setting the fade
time
Direct cross fading by hand is also possible by using
the MANUAL FADE slider.
This slider allows fading between
players A and B
At the top right of the display, the tuning of the two
channels during the fade can be seen. The white
vertical line shows the current position of the fade on
the time axis.
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In the single list screen,
the cross fader appears
in an adapted layout. As
this mode is often used
for autofading, you have
direct access to 6 preset
fades. The sliders also
facilitate more precise
setting, if required. To
switch to a dual list
screen, simply click on
the
button
located at the lower part
of the cross fader.
BPM Studio Online-Manual
Cross Fader Context Menu:
●
Default cross fade mode
●
●
●
Preset fade modes 1 to 6
●
●
●
●
●
Locks the display/editing field
Switches between clock and fader displays
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The BPM file archive
Once the files have been loaded into the BPM File
Archive, they can be easily moved from category to
category using drag & drop (whereby only the link to
screen modes which can be selected with the
the data is altered, not the actual position on the hard
button. In the first mode there is a display with all
disk!). This makes sorting and archiving of audio tracks
loaded tracks which contains information for each track very simple. Drag & drop can also be used to transfer
such as track name, artist, version, format, BPM (if
and add audio files to the playlists. The audio files also
available in internal database) and playing time. In the remain in the BPM File Archive. The following
second mode, the BPM file is divided into 2 lists. On
additional functions can be performed by using these
the left you can set up your own list categories. On the buttons:
right the contents of that category is displayed. Using
The BPM File Archive facilitates easy import and
management of audio files. There are 2 different
the
and
buttons you can import audio files
into these categories. This function can also be
accessed via the BPM File Archive's context menu.
Removes selected audio files
The difference between
and
is that the
former is used to import individual files, whereas the
latter can be used to import entire directories or even
an entire hard disk. At the time of import, the program
immediately checks whether the file can be played.
Inverts selection
Selects all audio files within the list
Deletes the selection
Sort according to track or artist
Displays File Info dialog
Searches for audio files
The Monitor button (available for both
In the bottom right-hand corner of the
players), provides a very powerful
BPM File Archive there is a status
function. If the monitor player has been
display as well as a preview player.
allocated its own sound card, and the monitor functions The number of tracks in the selected group is
are activated in the program options (register card
displayed in the status display.
audio I/O), you may switch player A and/or B to the
monitor output. This allows monitoring of selected
audio files without actually playing them out the sound
card used for distributing your program.
Please avoid the use of special charakters such as / or \ because Windows defines them as
subdirectories and leads to malfunctions.
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Context Menu Within The Group List:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Add a Group
Add a Sub-Group
Remove a Group
Rename a Group
Delete Contents of a Group
Display All Sub-Groups
Close all Sub-Groups
Open Search Window
Add Audio Files
Filearchive Update (see Additional Functions)
●
Save Backup / Restore Backup
Start the normalize function for the complete archive
●
Display Options Dialog
●
Context Menu Within The Track List:
●
Play Selected Track in Preview Monitor
●
●
Remove Selected Tracks
Delete Selected Tracks from Hard Disk
Add Tracks
Display File Info Dialog for the Selected Track
●
Display File Editor for the Selected Track
●
Display BPM Counter for the Selected Track
●
Display the Search Dialog
●
Start the Normalize Function
●
Decompress Selected Audio File to a Wave File
Reset Track (cues, fades, play counter)
Display the Options dialog
●
●
●
●
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The Mixer
The mixer consists of two components, the audio
channels and the equalizer/recorder. Internal and
external audio sources are all controlled via the mixer.
The equalizers can be made to make frequency
adjustments for both players and the CD-ROM drive.
Using the recorder, you can edit an external audio
signal (via MIC or LINE IN), or edit the audio track
currently playing in the two players or sample player,
as well as save the track as a wave or MP3 file. You
can also send the track as an MP3-Stream to an
external streaming server.
In Program Options the peak display can be switched on or off to saves system resources.
The Audio Channels
The mixer has four internal stereo
inputs (player A, player B, CD player
and sampler), as well as two stereo
outputs (master, monitor). In the
recorder you can select a MIC and a
LINE IN input from a sound card. With
the level slider the volume level of each
stereo channel can be individually
adjusted. The level is displayed as a
bar to the left of the slider. A dB display
(per channel) is visible at the top right.
With the panning field top left the
balance of a single channel can be
moved. You can use the right mouse
key to reset this value. The MUTE button switches off
the sound.
Using the MONITOR button of the input channels
(player A, player B, CD player and sampler) the
respective audio signal is transmitted to the monitor
output channel so it can be played independent of the
tracks currently playing (if monitor functions have been
activated in program options and are allocated to a
separate sound card. Left of the channel description
there is a beat display for each input channel. Instead
of MONITOR buttons there are reset buttons in the two
output channels (master and monitor) which are used
to reset the volume level to -1.0 dB. The same applies
for all channels by pressing the right mouse key on the
slider scale. The MASTER output sets the overall
volume of all four input channels irrelevant of the
number of sound cards used.
The Equalizer
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The equalizer is used to correct frequencies in either of settings of the two players and the CD player can be
the two or the CD player.
re-called, and activated or deactivated using the
button. You can adjust individual frequencies by
adjusting the respective slider. The resulting curve is
With the
buttons, the equalizer
displayed above in graph form. By clicking the
button, or the right mouse key on the display, the
frequency curve is reset to a linear shape.
is continually lit,
If the red OVERFLOW-LED
the buffer memory of the sound card is overloaded. In
this case, the dynamics scale is too great and will yield
distortion during playback. It is advisable to switch to
the PREAMP function (limiter) using the context menu.
Clicking with the mouse on the scale next to the slider will automatically move the slider slowly in the
direction required.
Equalizer Display Context Menu
●
Limiter function
●
Areas for frequency curve correction
●
●
●
●
●
Displays the equalizer settings window
Resets current settings
Displays the Options dialog
Saving and Loading of Equalizer Settings
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BPM Studio allows you to save and load equalizer settings.
Pre-defined settings are also available. You can manage the settings
by using the context menu in the equalizer display and selecting
"Presets", as shown below.
The Recorder (not included in the Light version)
The
button is used to switch to the recorder
display. The two sliders (MIC and LINE IN) are for
Press
Via the
advance.
to start recording / sending.
button, the record level can be set in
ends recording. When recording has ended,
you will be prompted for the file name and directory to
store the recording.
setting the input signal from the two input channels of
a sound card. Sound card selection is made via the
slider context menus. The RECORD IN slider controls
the overall volume of the recording.
) recording starts
If autostart is activated (
automatically as soon as an audio signal has been
detected at one of the defined sources. Press
to return to the equalizer display.
With the
or
buttons you can return to
the BPM explorer or the CD ripper.
If the audio track currently playing is to be recorded, all virtual devices must be allocated to the same
duplex sound card, the WAVE or LOOP function (or similar) must be active in the Windows Mixer panel,
and the card must have been selected as record device in the RECORDER area.
Recorder/Equalizer Context Menu
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●
Select sound card for recording
Select recording format
●
Displays the Program Options dialog.
●
●
Saves current settings
Opens the search window
●
Exits BPM Studio
●
Using the "Record Format" menu, you can
select between 4 different options: recording as
a WAVE file (ressources-saving), recording as
a MP3 file (disk space-saving), send the
recorded audio as MP3-Stream to an external
MP3 streaming server or to the Visualisation
Plugin. Please see the section MP3 Streaming
Module and Visualisation Plugins for more
information.
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The CD Player (Home and Professional Version only)
The CD player can be used to play audio CDs, copy
CDDA files onto the hard disk as wave files, as well as
to compress wave files into MP3 format, or compress
CDDA files directly into MP3 format. In future versions
it will also be possible to decode to a wave file and
copy onto an audio CD as a CDDA track.
audio CD onto the hard disk as a wave file for later
compression, or compress directly into MP3 format
while copying the CD. Selection is made in Program
Options under Register Card CDDA-Copy /
There are 3 different modes available:
For compressing large numbers of audio tracks, it is
advisable to quickly copy all audio CDs as wave files,
and then to compress in encoder mode in one session,
overnight for example.
,
(future version), and
The playlist and the player module of the CD are
identical to the two main players and playlists. Use the
buttons in the middle area of the CD player display to
switch between the three operating modes, to start
copy or compression procedures, or to switch to the
mixer / BPM explorer.
configuration /
.
Eject button, opens or close the selected CDROM
drive
CD-ROM selection. You can choose which
drive you want to display.
Basically, encoding (compressing to MP3 format) can
be done in 2 different ways. Either copy the
The CD Player supports both MP3 and WAVE files, so you can use it as third MP3 player or preview
player if desired.
CD Reader Mode
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Audio CDs are copied in CD Reader mode. Tracks
appear in the playlist as numbered tracks.
To copy audio tracks, simply mark the tracks to be
copied, and click on the Copy button
button starts the CDDB
A klick at the
query. When your system is configurated properly,
your PC will be connected to the internet and BPM
Studio will retrieve all CD data which are
.
All selected tracks will now be copied (or immediately
compressed if the "Encode During Copy" option has
been selected), and transferred to the default file of the
ripper, which can also be set via Program Options.
not yet available on your system. Subsequently the
connection will be terminated. You can etablished an
internet connection manually by clicking on the context
menu at the CDDB Button. The track list will be
retrieve from the CDDB Server, shown in the playlist,
stored and will be available if you re-insert the CD. In
the program options at the tab CDDA Copy you can
enter several CDDB Servers.
You can also insert all CDs one after another and
execute the CDDB query in one go.
If an audio track is loaded into a player, the CD-ROM drive is automatically locked.
Before you can remove the CD, you must select "Remove" via the context menu of the player, or click
on the EJECT button.
Encoder Mode
Here you will find the copied CDDA tracks. If you did
not activate the compression option, these files will be
available in WAVE format.
The tracks can be played on any player, as well as
checked or processed using the File Editor. Available
wave files may also be added here. Subsequently, the
selected tracks are compressed into MP3 format by
clicking on
button.
After compression, you will find a new entry in the
BPM file archive under the "NEW FILES" section,
containing the current date the compressed tracks
have been copied on. This directory can be renamed
using RENAME, or you can sort and archive the tracks
under the available categories.
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Data loaded from the CDDB server via an Internet connection are saved in BPM Studio, and remain
available online for use at a later date. CDDB enquiry need only be carried out once for each CD.
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The Loop Sampler (Home and Professional Versions Only)
The Loop Sampler allows you to
easily record sections from the
current audio file playing in the
selected player. This can be done
using very small time ranges. These
loop samples can be changed,
played or stored range for future
use.
A Loop Sampler is available for
each player, and can be accessed
by clicking on the button. The Loop
Sampler runs as its own
module, and while it is running,
BPM Studio retains its full
range of functionality.
The operating statistics of the Loop
Sampler is displayed by a blinking
dot within the display of the player,
between the Time and Pitch/BPM
displays. This dot is also displayed
in the ressource display of the Loop
Sampler itself.
If you are in the process of recording a sample, this dot will continually
blink red. If you are playing a sample, this dot will continually blink green.
In the Remote Control section of the Program Options dialog, you can set
up the universal buttons
, such as record, stop and play of the
Loop Sampler. By using this configuration it is possible to control the
Loop Sampler without an active sampler display.
By using drag & drop, you can assign the current sample to any of the 9 sample entries within the
Sample Player for easy playback.
Buttons for Operating the Loop Sampler
Play the sample in the recorded direction
Stop recording or playing
Playing the sample in the reverse direction
Playing the sample alternating forward and
reverse
Switch the output channel of the Loop Sampler
between the monitor and the current player
Begin recording
Play the sample
Display the "Save As" dialog
Note: When using the "Save As" function, you can
save the audio file as either a WAVE or MP3 file.
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Adjusts the starting point
Adjusts the output level from -99.9 db up to 0
db
Adjusts the stopping point
Adjusts the play speed (pitch) between
-20% and +20%
The "+" and "-" buttons allow you to control the respective values by an accuracy of one millisecond. You can
also control the values by using the keyboard. The TAB key switches between each of the 4 controls. With the
cursor keys you can change the values in steps of milliseconds, and with page up / page down keys you can
change the values in 10-millisecond steps.
The Loop Sampler Display
The Loop Sampler display is divided into 3 areas. In the far left
portion of the screen, the resources for the sample buffer are
displayed. This is a reserved range in the RAM with an limited
length. If the resource display reaches the 100% marking, the
sample "walks thru", and only the last range is stored.
In the upper right corner, a graphical
representation of the sample is displayed.
Directly underneath that graphical
representation, the following addition
information will be displayed:
- Adjusted Volume
- Adjusted Pitch
- Time difference between the beginning of
the sample and the adjusted start point
(P-IN)
- Time difference between the beginning of
the sample and the adjusted end point
(P-OUT)
In order to re-use the sample later, you must store it. Dragging the sample and dropping it on a key in
the Sample Player only temporarily links this sample to this key, and will not be saved between
sessions.
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The File Editor (Home and Professional Version only)
The file editor makes it possible to edit individual sequences of an audio file, or to set up cue points exactly
upon an individual beat. Up to 9 different cues can be saved per track and called up in a player. All settings
such as volume, pitch, cue-in and cue-out are recognized by the players and can be saved via the playlists.
Loading a Track and Display
The first time an audio file is loaded peaks are formed
and saved, as shown below.
When this happens, no alterations are being made to
the file itself, it remains in its original state. The peaks
are saved separately on your hard disk, and in the
Program Options, you can decide whether or not to
delete these peaks at the end of the
program, or to keep them on the hard disk. By keeping
this information, you will save time later on. After
loading, the audio file is shown in graph form. The file
editor has 2 working windows. In the lower window the
file is always displayed in its full length. This helps to
maintain transparency and helps you to quickly locate
any position within the file. The upper window is used
for editing of files, setting cues, beginning and end
points, or selecting an area for export to a new file.
Altering the Display Range
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There are two ways of altering the display of the upper
working window:
By changing the width
or moving the position
of the area bar
between the upper
and lower windows. In
the upper window, the
area which is marked
by the area bar above
the lower window is
always displayed. In the area bar, the playing time is
displayed if the bar is wide enough.
By activating the zoom
and
function
dragging the mouse
(right key) across an
area in the upper or
lower window. The
selected area is then
magnified. By double
clicking on the area
bar, you can now select
between zoom view
and total view.
Marking of an Area, and Exporting Part of an Audio File
play the selected area, or
copy the selected area onto
the hard disk as a new .WAV
or .MP3 file. This saved file
can then be used later as a
sample, for instance.
De-activate the zoom function
and drag the
right mouse key across an area in the upper or lower
window. The area is now shown in red. With the right
mouse you can alter this area, or display the context
menu which you can use to zoom in,
Altering the Volume and Pitch
Using the volume slider, you can
alter the volume from -inf to 0
dB, thus allowing easy alignment
to the volume of other audio
Using the + and - keys, each of these values can be
finely tuned. This changes are saved and used when
the audio file is loaded into the player. The pitch value
set here is added to the pitch value in the player.
tracks.
The pitch can be altered
by +/-20%.
The Tool Bar
STOP - Stops play in the file editor
PLAY - Starts play in the file editor
REWIND - Goes to the
beginning of the marked area
during play, to the start of a track
if no area is marked, or sets the locator (at STOP)
back to the starting point.
LOOP Plays the marked area (blue marker) or
the complete track continuously.
ZOOM Switches the right function mouse
between zoom and marking.
Displays the wave form of the audio file.
Markers and Their Functions
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Displays the audio file in the form
of points.
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The file editor recognises 4 different types of markers.
The blue cue-in and cue-out marker mark the
Each of these markers can be used for marking certain
beginning and end of a track. They can be
positions or sections of a track. All markers can be
moved with the mouse, and the position slider in
edited by using context menus in the marker bar, or
each player recognizes them as new beginnings
moved by using the mouse.
and endings.
The yellow cue marker marks cue points. They can
also be moved by the mouse and positioned exactly
to the beat. Use the context menu of the marker bar
to add new cue points.
The red locator marks the current play or pause
position, and is identical to the position sliders in
each of the players and preview players. By clicking
the left mouse key, the position of each marker is
defined.
The blue cue marker represents the active cue.
This is defined in the cue list at the top right, via the
context menu of the player's CUE or CUP keys, or
using the context menu of the marker bar.
Working with Cue Points
A cue is a position within a track that the player
The current cue is marked by a blue bar. During
recognizes as a beginning point. With the CUE key of playing in the file editor, this marker moves and marks
the player you can move the track to this position, with the last cue reached by the locator.
the CUP key you play the track from this position (like
Adds a cue point at the position
CUE and PLAY). With the file editor, up to 9 cue points
where the locator is currently
can be set per track. As each player has only one CUE
key and CUP key, one of these cues will be taken as a
Deletes the marked cue point
standard cue which can be reached using CUE and
CUP key. The file editor has a cue list in the top right
Defines the marked cue point
hand corner for easy cue management.
as a standard cue
The positions of the cue points are displayed to within
one thousandth of a second, as shown below
Plays the track from this cue point /
returns the locator back to this point
Marker Bar Context Menus
Within the marker bar, the following menus are available:
●
●
●
Adds a cue point at the current position
Sets the beginning marker at this point
Sets the end marker at this point
For the cue point markers, the menu changes as follows:
●
●
●
●
Defines this cue as a standard cue point
Deletes the selected cue point
Sets the beginning marker to this point
Sets the end marker to this point
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Context menus are only available when the file editor is in pause mode
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The File Info Display
The checkbox list is shown if you have
selected more than one title in the File
Archive. If you want to change an entry for all
selected titles mark one of these checkboxes.
In this display you can view and edit complete ID3 tag
information. Use Program Options to define whether these
should be written in the new ID3v3 format, or using the older
ID3 format.
Starts the BPM counter for this track
Starts the File Editor for this track
In the GENRE area there is a pop-up menu
that is used to assign the track a particular
musical style. You can then use the Search
Dialog for rapidly locating tracks of a certain
genre.
Closes the File Info display and saves the
current settings
Closes the File Info display without saving
the current settings
The File Info display works with BPM Studio's own BPM database. A new determined BPM value will be
stored in the ID3 Tag as well as in the database. When a new audio file is copied to the system and the
database is aware of it, the BPM value from the database will be stored in the ID3 Tag of that audio file.
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The BPM Counter (Home and Professional Version only)
This module allows for exact determiniation and
definition of the BPM (beats per minute) of a
selected audio track. This definition is saved in
the program's own BPM database. There are 2
different modes that can be used.
In the "automatic mode", the bass beat of a
track is defined using a special filter. The
program then measures these frequencies and
analyzes them accordingly. The measurable
frequency is freely editable just like with a
channel of a parametric equalizer.
In "manual mode", the BPM is defined by key
beat.
BPM Manual Mode Definition
Press the Manual button to switch
the BPM counter into manual
mode.
The BPM module counts every
bass beat and displays it with a
red flashing light. If no input is
made for longer than 2 seconds,
the BPM counter is reset.
Observe the displayed BPM value. When it no longer
changes you can leave the BPM counter by pressing
button. The measured BPM value is
To begin, press the start button, or start the track in the the
monitor player itself. The start button now becomes a then saved in the BPM data bank and displayed in the
playlists.
trigger. Next, tap the trigger key to the bass beat (or
the space bar on the keyboard).
In order for the Pitch-To-Functions of each player to function properly, the BPM information in the
program's internal BPM database for each track is required.
BPM Automatic Mode Definition
To do a manual filter adjustment, activate the manual
filter corrector in the bottom left corner of the filter
Press the Automatic button to
window. Once the analysis has started, you can now
switch the BPM counter into
adjust the frequency of the filter in automatic mode so
automatic mode.
that the display area allows for a clean evaluation. You
will know when this happens by noticing that the red
LED light only lights up to every bass beat once.
The position and width
of the horizontal bar
can be adjusted as
Next, press the start button, or start the track in the
required. This will
monitor player.
cause a change in the
curve of the filter. The
The BPM counter module now analyzes the track by
vertical slider alters the
using the same algorithm as the real time BPM counter
intensity (amplitude) of
in the both players. The beats of the track are filtered
the
filter.
The
wave
frequency
generated
by the two
and displayed independently. Observe now the BPM
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value and the red display carefully. If the red display
matches the beat of the track exactly and the BPM
value will be changed no longer, the exact BPM value
is detected.
sliders is displayed in graph form. If the preview
function is activated, only the audio signal is now
audible at the filter output. Having successfully
completed the evaluation, just as in manual mode, the
BPM value is saved in the BPM data base and
If the red LED indicator remains lit, this means that the displayed in the playlists.
BPM cannot be exactly tuned to the filters standard
The BPM Counter Monitor Player
setting. This can happen depending upon the audio
track being analyzed. If this happens, the filter can be
The BPM Counter Monitor plays the
manually adjusted.
track to be measured. By using the
position slider, any position within a
track can be quickly located. At the
top, the playing time and signal level
are displayed. The lower three keys
are used to control the playback itself.
If a value of 20 has been achieved in the beat counter, but evaluation has not been successful, the
entire analysis must be restarted.
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Search Window
The Search dialog can be displayed using the
context menu inside of the BPM File Archive or the
playlists, or by using the
button.
In this dialog, you can search according to the
following track features: BPM range, artist, title,
version and album. The search word or text string is
always compared exactly as entered, i.e., case
sensitive.
You can also use wildcards (*,?). Here a few
examples: WEST* finds all titles with WESTBAM,
WESTERNHAGEN and so on. *HAGEN finds all
titles with WESTERNHAGEN, NINA HAGEN, and so
on. *EN* finds all titles, whitch includes a EN, e.g.
DEN HARROW or X-PERIENCE.
If the search has been successful, a new SEARCH RESULTS directory is set up in the BPM File Archive listing
all the results. If the directory exists, the entries are updated.
If the directory already exists, all previously stored audio files will be automatically removed.
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The Normalize Function
Via the context menu, used inside of the BPM File Archive and various playlists, you can
access the normalize function. This function you can use if a track is played with a to high or
to low volume level. If you select this function about the context menu at the GROUPS
window the whole File Archive will be normalized in one go. At large archives this process
might take several days (!) but has to be done only once for each song. When adding new files and normalzing
files already scanned will not be scanned again and will therefore go faster.
When normalizing peak and RMS levels of all songs are being scanned and the value of the average loudness
is being detected. When finished the song with the highst and the lowest loudness level is detected and all
songs will be adjusted based on these values. Songs with a high volume level will be damped and songs with a
low level will be amplified, the dynamics remain widely untouched because only one amplification factor is used
for each track and no dynamics adjustment is applied.
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The Program Options
You can access the global Program Options by using the context menu ("OPTIONS") from any display.
These options are divided into 7 different categories. Please select any option below for additional information.
PREFERENCES - Languages / Internet Options
OPTIONS - General Settings
AUDIO I/O - Sound Card Configuration
File Storage - Storing File Directories
CDDA-Copy - Setting CDDA and Compression Parameters
Remote Control - Remote Control Configuration
User Administration
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The Preview Players
Panel facilities of the Preview Player:
The preview players are used to preview audio tracks
in the playlists. The track marked with a blue bar in the
playlists is always the one that is played. If the "Double
Click Loads Player" option has been de-selected
(under Program Options), you can start or stop a track
immediately by simply double clicking on any list entry.
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Load the previous track from list
play
stop
Load the next track from list
Position Slider
Current Playing Time
In the right corner of the preview player is a small
level meter indicating the playback level of the
player.
BPM Studio Online-Manual
The Backup and Update Functions
By using the context menu in the groups window of the File Archive you get to the Backup- and Update
functions.
The Backup Function allowes you to create a backup of the whole File Archive in a previously created folder
on your harddisk or restore it from there. This way a copy of the File Archive can be transferred to another PC
also.
The Update Function incudes 2 options:
"Search Disk for Files" scans the whole system including connected network drives for playable files and
displays them in the group NEW FILES + date.
"Archive Update" removes songs that are not longer present from the File Archive and displays all new songs
on the NEW FILES section
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Sample Editor (Home and Professional Versions Only)
The Sample Editor provides for processing of up to 9
samples, each assignable to any one of the 9 sample
buttons. Each sample can be altered individually in
terms of LOOP, VOLUME, PITCH, FADE IN and
FADE OUT.
The nine channels each form what is known as a
"sample block", of which, as many as required,
including all individual settings, can be saved as *.SMP
files using
.
Sample Block Functions
The buttons at the bottom of the window refer to the
entire sample block.
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Displays an Open dialog for loading a
previously saved sample block.
Displays the Save dialog for loading a
sample block as a *.SMP file.
Deletes all files in the open sample block
Saves settings and closes the sample
editor window
Closes the sample editor without saving
settings
BPM Studio Online-Manual
Sample Channel Functions
The following settings can be performed on each
individual sample:
By activating the loop function (please also see
context menu in sample player), the sample is
played in a continuous loop.
All these functions can be reset to their normal
positions by clicking the right mouse key on the green
display or the slider. The settings can also be adjusted
made while the file is playing.
Plays the sample in the monitor channel
Sets the sample volume
Sets the sample pitch value
between -20% and +20%
Defines the fade-in time of the
sample, between 0 and max. 5
seconds (depending on sample
Displays the Open dialog for loading any audio
file as a sample in the appropriate sample channel.
Any previously loaded sample is overwritten
Starts the file editor, in which the sample can
be more extensively processed (see processing of
MP3 files in file editor)
length)
Defines the fade-out time of the sample,
between 0 and max. 5 seconds (depending on
sample length)
Sample Editor Context Menu:
●
Play the sample (click on play button)
Activates/Deactivates the loop function for this sample
Loads an audio file directly from hard disk for this channel
Deletes all settings for this channel
Displays the File Info Dialog for the selected sample
●
Displays the File Editor for the selected sample
●
●
●
●
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The MP3 Streaming Module (Home and Professional Version only)
New in version 2.0, the MP3 Streaming Module
enables direct transmission of a MP3 audio stream to
an internal network or to an external MP3 streaming
media server for distribution across the Internet.
To use this module, choose the "Streaming" menu by
using the context menu of the recorder. A click in the
upper right corner fades out
the module, it can be faded in
again by click on it's icon in the
task bar. The streaming
module is active in the background as long as it is
selected in the context menu.
You can use the two "SET" buttons to
change the settings for server and kind
of streaming you wish to do. These
values must be the same as those
used on the stream server itself. At the
moment, the Shoutcast and Icecast
streaming media protocols are
supported. BPM Studio will log into
both of these types of servers as an
audio encoder, thus providing audio for
re-distribution.
To change the actual server settings,
you can click the "SET" button next to
the above display.
To change the format of streaming
media, click on the "Set" button next to
the above display. The settings you
should use depend on your available
bandwidth for the stream.
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PROFILE: define a name for your profile here. If you
type in a new name, then select OK, all of the
information entered will be saved under this new
profile name.
SERVER: the URL or IP adress of the streaming
server
PORT, PASSWORD: the port and password the
streaming server is using to allow connections
The contents of these two fields will be sent as
additional information to the MP3 streamming server.
Here you can type the topic of your program as well as
the URL of the web site hosting your service. When
you activate the "Auto" checkbox
, the current
information will be taken from BPM Studio.
Choose the transfer protocol here.
Shoutcast is a protocol that can be used for servers
supporting the non-commercial streaming server
www.shoutcast.com protocol. Icecast is used for
servers supporting the www.icecast.com streaming
protocol. You can find out additional information by
visiting the web sites listed above.
The following entries will be need if you wish to make
your "Radio Station" public for all to use. You can
make your system public by selecting the "Public
Server" checkbox as shown below.
Starts the web browser and shows the
state of the streaming server
Establishes the connection to the
streamming server
Disconnects from the streamming server
(The connection should be closed before
you exit BPM Studio)
If you activate the "Send Meta Infos" checkbox,
additional information concerning your system will be
sent to each client logging on.
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Visualisation plugins
The WinAMP visualisation plugis can be activated by the recorders context menu. A box with the in the folder
...\BPM Studio\Plugins installed plugins will be shown. Some of the plugins can be configurated within their
performance range. To do this, click on the button "CONFIGURE" and enter the desired settings there. The
slider "PRIORITY" can be used to compensate resource conflicts.
ALCATech does not guarantee the proper function of BPM Studio together with these plugins.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
The Remote Control
The basic functions of the remote control are identical to those of the upper area of the server screen. If the
remote control is registered under Program Options, the program checks at the start whether or not the remote
control is connected and fully functional.
Installation
The control is connected to a serial interface (COM1 or COM1 / COM 2
Select the COM port the remote control is connected
COM2) using the cable provided. Mains supply is
to.
provided by the mains lead, which are also provided.
Next, start BPM Studio, and open the Program Options
RC Active
dialog, and select the Remote Control tab. The
Select this check box if a remote control unit is
following settings must be made:
physically connected. The program will now check and
verify each time it is started that the remote control unit
is connected and fully functional.
Operation
The remote control unit is divided into control areas for
each of the players as well as the sample player. The
basic functions are identical to those described in the
module descriptions pertaining to the players and
sample player.
There are the following differences to the players
on the screen:
The slider in the sample player (slider C under
Program Options), can be configured to control sample
volume, sample pitch or manual fading between A and
B players.
The universal buttons top right in
both players are also freely
configurable. In version 1.5 of
BPM Studio they are switched
parallel in both players and can
be allocated as follows:
If the program locates a remote control at startup, and
the remote control sliders are configured to pitch, the
pitch sliders on the screen are automatically locked.
Button A:
Alterations in pitch can now only be made using the
remote control. The sliders on the screen merely show - Pitch area 1
the position of the sliders.
- Monitor to player A
- Loop Sampler record
*If the sliders of both players are set to pitch and the
Button B:
remote control is connected, the pitch-to key is only
allocated the pitch-to-0 function.
- Pitch area 2
- Monitor to player B
The functions of the sliders and the programmable
- Loop Sampler stop
universal buttons can be defined under Program
Button C:
Options, using the Remote Control tab. Please see
- Pitch area 1
also the tips on section Program Options.
- Monitor to CD player
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The sliders of the two players (A and B sliders in
- Loop Sampler play
Program Options) can be set to control either pitch or
volume. For the notebook version, this enables mixing
to be done without an external mixer. Pitch settings are
made with the software itself.
If the sliders of both players are set to pitch and the remote control is connected, the pitch-to key is only
allocated the pitch-to-0 function.
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Remote control - Remote Control Configuration
In this section you can configure the remote control to
suit your own requirements. The sliders and universal
buttons can be allocated to perform various functions
depending on the application (stationary PC/DJ case,
mobile PC or notebook), and the hardware (number of
sound cards, audio hardware equipment)
Slider A, Slider B
Here you can select the function assigned to the
sliders in the two players. In BPM Studio version 2.0
you can select playing volume or pitch value.
Slider C
is the sample player slider. In version 2.0 three
functions are available: sampler pitch, sampler volume,
and manual fade A/B.
Adjust Sliders
activate this option if you experiencee problems with
the end points of the sliders
Text Scrolling
activates text scrolling in display (requires a lot of
system resources).
Level Meters
activates the level display (requires a lot of system
resources).
Fader Start
(at Hardware Rev. 3.00B and mixer with fader start)
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Button A, B, C
Set the function of thesoft keys of both players. These
settings apply to the switches in the program, too.
With this box checked the player starts when the fader
on the external mixer is being pushed up.
COM1 / COM 2
This defines which COM port the remote control is
connected to when first installing.
Fader Stop
(at Hardware Rev. 3.00B and mixer with fader start)
With this box checked the player will stop when the
fader on the external mixer is pulled down
RC Active
should always be selected if a remote control is
physically connected. If selected, BPM Studio
automatically checks at startup whether the remote is
connected and is functioning correctly.
This button calibrates the sliders of the
remote control. Therefore please make
shure that the sliders are in the correct middle position
and click this button. The current position of the sliders
will be defined as 0.
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Preferences - Language and Internet Options
Language pack:
Here you can choose the language which you prefer
Skin Pack
Here you can choose your prefered skin. The list
shows you all skins from the folder ...\BPM
Studio\Skins which are compatible with thecurrent
version of BPM Studio. Information about new skins
you can get at the download area at
www.alcatech.com.
Pitch Range
defines the pitch area of the slider. This value is
overwritten by activating one of the three pitch range
buttons
Bend Speed
defines pitch-bend range
Pitch To - Speed
defines time for pitch-to-0
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
OPTIONS - General Settings
Load Wave Files
Automatic BPM Counter
at startup, BPM Studio will scan for wave files and load activates the automatic BPM counter in the players
them automatically
Load Sub Directories
If a directory is selected for loading, all sub directories
will also be loaded
Soft Pitch and Bend changes
facilitates soft pitch and bend changes, helping to
simulate the sluggishness of an LP
Start Player after loading a file
starts player after loading an audio file
Double Click Loads Player
a double click on either playlist does not start preview
player, but loads track into the main player
Ask before load a player
a confirmation query will be shown before loading the
next title
Auto Save
All options, as well as the settings of the File Archive,
will be stored each 5 minutes
Alternate Bitmap Drawing
use this function if you experience display problems,
such as with bitmaps, sliders, etc.
Change Screen Resolution on Startup
at startup, the resolution of Windows is automatically
changed to 800 x 600 mode
Delete Cutter Peakfiles
at program exit, peakfiles generated by the file editor
are deleted
Scan VBR Files
Select this option to facilitate exact positioning of files
with a variable bitrate
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Reload File in Single Play Mode
If single play and loop is activated, the track is
repeated. If not, then the entire playlist is activated
Save ID3 Tags
the program writes the ID3 tag of the original MP3 files
Write ID3-V3 Tags
Blink Display Before File is Done
the program writes the ID3 tag of the original MP3 files
5 seconds before the end of the current track, the time as version 3 (the ID3 tag is no longer readable for
display turns red and flashes
older players)
Use Normalization If File is Normalized
If this checkbox is selected, the settings of the
normalized audio file are used. If not, they are ignored
Check Playlists When Loading
checks playlists when loading to ensure that all tracks
are still available in the system
Show Playlist Columns
switches on vertical columns in the playlist
and explorer (uses a lot of system resources)
Show Mixer Levels
switches on levels display in the mixer
Show beats in mixer
toggles the beat display in the mixer
Remove files from PlayList if Played
track is automatically removed from playlist after it is
played
Lock Main Window Position
the main window position is locked
Show Tooltips
activates tool tips (uses a lot of system resources)
Alternative Cue Play Function
By pressing the cue key there will be switched
between the recent cue point and the song start
Start as exclusive shell application
Use this function if you want start BPM Studio as a
single application in Windows. After activating your
system will be restarted without the Windows Explorer
and BPM Studio as single application.
Aggressive Refresh
The option forces a faster drawing of the level meters,
the spectrum analyzer and the title scrolling. On low
performance systems this can save ressources.
Auto Cue (Skip Silence)
If a title has a few seconds of silence at the beginning,
that silence will be automatically skipped
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AUDIO I/O - Sound Card Configuration
Driver
Instant Cue
select sound driver (DirectSound, Kernel Driver, Wave,
activates
the quick start of a player when clicking the
ASIO or EASI). By using the button, you can change
cue
play
key
or the play key in the loop sampler (< 5
the settings for the ASIO driver. (In the light
ms). Deactivate this option when skipping occurs.
version only the Direct Sound driver is
available)
Auto Cue level
here the trigger level of the auot cue function (skip
Monitor
silence on start of track). The value varies between -inf
defines the channel for output of the preview player's
(absolute silence) and -30 dB (quite low volume).
audio signal
Player A, Player B, Sampler,
CD-Player:
Using the pulldown menus, each player can be
allocated a sound card or stereo channel of a
multi-channel sound card
Underneath each selected output channel the latency
time is displayed.
Default Buffer Size
sets the buffer size of the playback buffer. The higher
the value, the greater the program stability, but it takes
longer to analyze the audio data in the buffer. This can
become noticeable as a delay when switching from
cue to play and back.
Soft Fades
facilitates soft fade using the sliders in the mixer.
Monitor Enabled
activates the mixer-monitor function for the sound
cards
Lowest Latency
The kernel driver works with a very small buffer size
and shortest latency. Uncheck this box if you
encounter dropouts during playback or soundcard
problems.
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Preload Size
Length of the internal playback buffer. Change this
value if you encounter dropouts or improper start of the Starts a test on your sound card. For additional
players.
information on this test and what it covers, please see
the section on Monitor Functions
Opens the dialog for setting the
latency of the kernel driver (only active when the
Kernel driver is selected)
Dialog for latency settings
Here the latency for each soundcard/channel. Vary the settings when you have troubles with stability and
playback quality. A higher value delays the functions a little but provides higher stability.
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File Storage - Storing File Directories
Data directory
In this directory all relevant application data is being
stored. These are for example the default playlists, the
groups and the subgroups of the BPM file archive, the
sample block data, the equalizer presets and the
CDDB data from ripped CD's. It is strongly
recommended not to change this folder. If you want To
access the file archive of this PC with a second version
of BPM Studio the DATA directory has to be made
accessible.
Ripper directory
In this directory all WAV files to be compressed are
stored temporarily. This path can be set to a second
(larger) harddisk e.g. when you rip several CD's and
rip them afterwards in one go. (See also
CDDA-Options- encode during copy)
MP3 encoding directory
The MP3 files are being stored there after encoding. It
is recommended to create a separate
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directory (e.g. C:\mp3) or on separate hard drive (e.g.
D:\mp3)= where all tracks are stored. This facilitates
expanding the system with more harddisks at later
times. BPM Studio searches all logical drives when the
original data path is missing (see also title search on
load)
Directory for recorded files
standard directory for the wave and MP3 recorder.
When a longer mix is recorded in the WAVE format it
might consume several MB of hard disk space. For this
reason you can redirect the path to a larger harddisk.
File names
Here the filename generated automatically by the
program is set. It is recommended to keep the default
settings.
In case you want to load a large archive of untagged
existing tracks you can change the assignment
temporarily.
BPM Studio Online-Manual
CDDA-Copy - Setting CDDA and Compression Parameters
Block Count
Number of blocks on the CD which are copied to
CD-ROM per access
Read CD-Text Infos
audio CDs with text info are read (does not function
with older CDs or in connection with old CD-ROM
drives)
Force Generic (NT)
activate this option if you are having trouble reading
CDDA Data
Encode During Copy
Activate this option if you want to rip audio CD's
without temporary storage to the MP3 format.
Otherwise the audio data will be saved in the WAVE
format int the designated directory. Compessing into
the MP3 format is done in the encoder mode of the CD
player/ripper. This is useful when the CD-Rom drive
can read faster than the processor can compress. You
can rip the CD'S first and compress it later (overnight,
for instance). Please note that the CDDB query has to
be executed BEFORE the ripping.
CDDB Server
Here you can enter the desired CDDB server. By
clicking on GET LIST the mirror server list will be
Copy Mode: Normal
The CD is copied by alternatively writing and reading
blocks of data
Copy Mode: Burst-Copy
reading and writing takes place simultaneously
Copy Mode: Sector Synchronization
In the case of an interruption in data flow, this mode
guarantees an exact repositioning of the reading head.
This is the safest method, but also the slowest.
Write RIFF-File
writes a MP3 wave file which has been compressed.
This file can them be played by players who support
MP3 audio playback
Select the Format
In this field, you can select from a the list of audio
compressor codecs currently available on your system.
The default is the MPEG Layer3 supplied with BPM
Studio.
Select the Format Options
Here you can set the compression quality, which
depends upon your data format. You should select at
least 128 kBit/s, 44, 100 Hz, stereo for the highest
quality. If you are going to be using the streaming
module to stream these files over the Internet to
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loaded and the desired mirror server can be selected.
E-Mail Settings
To register at the CDDB server will require you to
provide your e-mail address.
listeners who may not have large amounts of
bandwidth, you should select a format that is much
lower. A rough guideline here is to select sampling rate
that is approximately 60% less than the lowest dial up
connection you think your listeners may use. For
example, if the lowest dial up Internet connection your
listeners will have is 36.6, then using a sampling rate
of 24kbps will ensure that the audio streams down
close to or in real time.
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User Administration (not included in the light version)
You can find a detailled description of the different
functions in seperate chapter.
File Archive read-only
The user is not licensed to change the file archive
(regardless to trying to change his own or the
By the user administration several useres can work on
administrators file archive)
the same system at different times without influencing
each other. Each user gets his own program settings
Playlists read-only
as for example playlists, file archive, skin (program
graphics surface), program options or the assignment The user is not allowed to save playlists
of the virtual devices to the soundcard channels.
Further on there is a possibility to activate/deactivate
Allow Delete Files
the program modules according to the user. Each user The user can execute the function "Delete Files"
can be assigned to his own file archive or to
the (write protected) master file archive.
Allow Program Termination
The user administration gets activated by setting up
The
user can exit the software (if not active the
the first new user or by entering a password for the
administratior
password will be requested)
administrator. From this moment on a password query
appears with every program start where the password
field can also be left blank.
Ripper/Encoder up to Recorder:
By checking these boxes the BPM Studio modules can
be activated/deactivated
Separate Settings
Separate settings of the program options can be
assigned to the specified user.
Options
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The user can change the program options (regardless
User Defined File Archive
to if trying to change his own or the administrators
The user gets his own file archive (By setting up a new options)
user with an own file archive a previously saved file
archive can be taken over afterwards)
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Monitor Functions
For professional use of BPM Studio, the monitor
functions are indispensable. While a track is being
played over the PA in via one of the players, the
sample player or the CD player, any other internal or
external signal source can be listened to so as to
preview a track, set a cue point, define the BPM of a
track or to carry out BPM adjustment. In order to do
this, a second sound card (or multi-channel sound
card) is necessary for moving the BPM Studio monitor
channels to a separate audio channel.
Monitor functions have to be activated under the Audio
I/O section in Program Options.
In the monitor area, a separate sound card is allocated
to the monitor channel.
- the monitor switch in the main program
- the monitor buttons in the mixer
The volume of the monitor channel can be set in the
mixer with the MONITOR slider.
Before you can activate the monitor functions, the
sound cards must be checked and synchronized. If this
does not happen, you may experience runtime
differences between the player and the monitor
channel, based on the different sample frequences of
the sound cards.
For the synchronization of your sound cards do
the following:
First, select the sound driver you want to use.
(synchronization is only needed for the Direct Sound or
- all preview players in the playlists as well as the BPM Wave driver). Next, click on the "Soundcard Test"
File Archive
button. Each sound card that is detected on your
system will be tested for a period of one minute. BPM
- the preview player in BPM counter
Studio will use these results to synchronize the sound
cards. The test must be done for each driver you want
to use.
The following virtual devices use the monitor
channel:
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Network Functions
General
This chapter describes the advanced network functions of BPM Studio. The first two parts are explaining the
single functions separately. In the following part various suggestions for the use and setup examples and their
functions are explained. Due to the fact that the network functions and the user management are closely
working together it is highly recommended to refer to Chapter User Management as well.
The working with BPM Studio in a network generally based on the central supply of the MP3 files for every
client on one server or a client having
this function. Additionally a network wide use of file archives is possible.
Adressing the mp3 files
Joined use of the MP3 files on several client PC's
You can install BPM Studio on several client PC's and use a common pool of MP3 files. This is the requirement
for the work with network file archives. Although we recommend 100 Mbit networks we did not encounter
problems wit 10 Mbit networks with up to 5 clients. The folder(s) including the MP3 files are made accessible on
the server PC. On the client PC's access is possible by a connected network drive (recommended) or the
Windows 98 network client.
Adressing the MP3 files by drive letter
This adressing is preset in the program options by entering a logical drive letter in the entries of the tab
„Storage“. It is also a basic requirement for the correct functionality of the network in common and the „Refresh“
function in the file archive. When you add MP3 files to the file archives by clicking „+FILE“ or „+DIR“ you have
to select by Desktop\My Computer\[Drive]:\[Folder].
The adressing is done by Drive:\[folder]\[subdirectory]\*.mp3
See two example entries below. In the first part the link to the location of the MP3 file is obvious.
At the first start only logical drives, i. e. harddisks and connected network drives, are being searched. A network
drive can be connected in the windows explorer by clicking on EXTRAS->network drive.
Adressing by drive letter:
Example entry from a *.grp-File of the File Archive
(displayed with line break here, the original file don't contain this line break):
Track0=C:\PROGRAMME\ALCATECH\BPM-STUDIO PROFI\DATA\A-HA - EARLY
MORNING.MP3|TAG|A-HA|EARLY MORNING||HEADLINES AND DEADLINES THE HITS OF
A-HA|||OTHER|MP3|0|179696|0|327680|0|0|-1|0|0|0|3|128|7|-1|0|0|0|-1|||0|
Example entry from a Playlist
(displayed with line break here, the original file don't contain this line break):
C:\MP3\EIFEL 65 - BLUE DABADI.MP3|TAG|EIFEL 65|BLUE DABADI||||HTTP://WWW.BPM
STUDIO.DE||MP3|0|221152|0|327680|0|0|-1|0|0|0|3|128|8|-1|0|0|0|1019794890|||0|
Adressing th MP3 files by computer name
When there should be no network drive connected to the client PC e.g. if the client is seldom connected to
certain servers there is a possiblity to load the data via the Windows network client.To do this you have to load
the files/folders by clicking „+FILE“ and „+DIR“ but this time from the network environment and not by „My
computer“. The adress of the MP3 file has got the following format:
\\[computername]\[Folder]\[subdirectory]\*.mp3
An example for a line in the file archive by which the adressing is done by the computer name is shown below.
In place if the drive letter you find \\HOLI\ (computer name) and the name of the assigned directory DATA1.
With this way of adressing a Windows name resolution will be executed which can lead to timing problem in
certain cases when the adress of the WIN-S-Masterbrowser is changing currently, for instance. Up till now no
drop-outs were encountered because of this way of adressing. Please note that the BPM file archive functions
under „Refresh“ do not work correctly then. In mobile use with local server connection it is recommended to set
up a separate user with an own file archive on each perfomance location and to load the files present on
location via the network client.
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Adressing by network client:
Examle Entry from a *.grp-File of the File Archive,
(displayed with line break here, the original file don't contain this line break):
Track620=\\HOLI\DATA1\MP3\RUBRIKEN\HOUSE\WATERGATE - MADE OF
ORLEANS.MP3|TAG|WATERGATE|MADE OF ORLEANS||DREAM DANCE - VOL.13 - DISC
1||||MP3|0|230400|0|327680|0|0|-1|0|0|0|3|128|8|-1|0|0|0|-1|||0|
Network file archives
A BPM file archive consists of a group of text files stored in the DATA folder of the BPM Studio version. The
files groups.gps and groups.idx contain the dirctory structure of the file archive.The *.grp files conain the paths
to the MP3 files.
These files can be located on a local drive, a connected network drive or on a PC within the network which can
be adressed by \\[computername]\ (see adressing by computer name). Independently from the sort of file
archive only the MP3 files on the server are being accessed.
Basically there are two sorts of file archives: The master file archive and the user file archive.
A master file archive is located on the server and can only be edited there. This one can be shown to the clients
write protected. Any user can access this file archive without having to care about refreshing or structure. This
is the duty of the administrator.
An user file archive can be set up either on each client or, like the master file archive, on the server. If the user
file archive is located on the client there is no way to access this archive from another client. Changes to this
archive would have to be done by each user on all clients. Therefore there is a possibility to store the user file
archives on the server.
All these settings are made in the user management and the tab „Storage“. Which sorts of network file archives
come in use is depending on the structure of the network, the number of users, the way of data maintenance
and other local conditions. It is recommended to analyze the data before the installation and to refer to the
provider of the network.
Creating a master file archive
With the initial installation of BPM Studio on the server (or the client PC which will handle the server service) a
file archive is created in the folder DATA. This remains even when new users are being set up and can be
edited from the administrator account.
The path to this file archive is entered in the program options-> file storage (path for the data folder). Further
the files for the equalizer presets( eq.eqp) and the locally stores CDDB query results (cdda.cdb) are located
there. At the initial installation the default path for the MP3 files is stored there which should be changed to the
folder for joined access. To use this file archive from A BPM Studio client on other PC's some settings are to be
made.
First the DATA-folder of BPM Studio has to be made accessible by the windows explorer (It is possible to make
the complete c: drive of the server accessible but it is not recommended for security reasons).
On the client PC's a new drive letter will be created and connected to the DATA folder. Subsequently this folder
can be selected by the drive letter from all client PC's. By shutting down the program options BPM Studio now
reports the presence of a file archive. After confirming a security query this master file archive will be used
instead of the local client file archive.
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Title search function when loading
In a file archive used on several PC's it cannot be
guaranteed that the MP3 files can be found on the
same drive letter but in the same folder or the same
directory structure. For this reason BPM Studio is
1) The file archive can only be edited on the server, on scanning automatically all logical drives when loading.
all clients it is shown read-only. BPM Studio detects
This function is helpful on stand-alone systems too.
automatically if the file archive is located on the server When expanding the system with additional harddisks
or on a client.
BPM Studio searches for the same directories on all
directory.
2) Each client is checking from time to time for
changes in the file archive and updates his own file
archive then.
Access protection on network file archives
To make sure that on all clients the latest data are
available, BPM Studio offers two background
functions:
Example configuration
With this example configuration the network functions will be explained more detailed.
A discotheque with 1 server in the office and 2 clients in 2 areas, all Dj's are working with the same file archive
supplied by the discotheque and can use with their own settings in their areas. The ripping of CD's and the
maintenance of the file archive is done on the server.
Configuration:
MP3 files and a master file archive are being stored on the server. The clients access the file archive and the
MP3 files via network read only.
Server:
The server consists of a system drive C:\, two data drives D:\ and E:\ and a CD-ROM drive F:\. The ripping of
the CD's is done in the office which is possible during a running performance without any troubles. For this
function Win 98 and a BPM home version has to be installed on the server.
The user management remains untouched on drive C:\ the BPM Studio/DATA folder and the drives D:\ and E:\
are made accessible.
Client:
The client PC's are configurated as follows:
A system drive C:\
Win98, BPM Studio home or professional,
Soundcards as required,
CD-ROM drive D:\
Three network drives connected to the server:
E:\ containing the data directory of the server
F:\ and G:\ with D:\ and E:\ of the server
Now in BPM Studio the data path will be redirected from C:\program files\Alcatech\BPM Studio\data to the
server (D:\ because this logical drive is connected directly to the data folder). So the administrator uses the
master file archive of the server on the client PC. Changes can only be made on the server.
After restarting BPM Studio the master file archive will be loaded fro the server and the client automatically logs
on to the server. When a track is loaded from the file archive BPM Studio searches both connected network
drives.
Expanding options for two users:
Now you can set up some more users on each client allowed to make their own setting and to find the last
loaded playlists when logging on but can access the master file archive. For this purpose the two new users are
being entered in the user management, assigned a new password and the option „Seperate file archive“ gets
deselected. Additionally „file archive write protected“ should be selected.
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User Management
General:
This chapter describes the function of the user management of BPM Studio. Example setups can be found on
the end of the chapter. The user management allows independent work of different users on a single system.
Additionally it is possible to set up user related limitations. With the use of several installations of BPM Studio
numerous setup possibilities can be created by the cooperation of network funtions and user management. For
more informations please see „Network functions“.
Activating the user management
The user management will be activated by entering a
new user name after clicking the „New“ button. From
this moment on a user name and a password will be
rquested with every program start. The passwordfield
can also be left blank.
Setting up login and logout passwords
In the fields „Login Password“ and „Logout Password“
the passwords for the program start
and the program termination are being set up. A
password for program termination is not necessary in
most cases. If this field is left blank there will be no
password request when exiting the program.
Changing the active user
The active user can only changed by exiting BPM
Studio and restarting. After restarting the new user
name has to be entered.
User related settings:
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The tab „User“ is divided into global settings for the selcted user (left column) and access limitations of the user
to the modules of BPM Studio ( right column).
Separate settings
With this box checked, all settings of the six tabs
containing the program options of this user will be
stored separately. This is done by the user logging in
with his name at the program startup and entering his
individual settings in the program options menu. This is
only possible when the box „Options“ in the right
column of the user management is checked. Further
on it is possible that the user (or the administrator
logged in with this name) enters his settings once and
the administrator locks the access to the program
options afterwards.
Other possibilities of this option are the setup of
different soundcard configurations (channel
assignments or flexible configurations/notebook
installations).
Playlists read only
This checkbox deactivates the button „Save List“ in all
playlists. This way no playlists can be saved or
prepared playlists can be overwritten. The user can
only access prepared playlists but can change them
during runtime. Saving these changes is not possible.
Files can be deleted
This checkbox activates the context menu entry in the
File Archive and the Playlists for deleting files from the
harddisk. If its deactivated, tracks can only remove
from the File Archive without deleting from disk. This
Option you can use also to prevent an occasional
erasure of files from disk.
Application can be terminated
When this box is checked BPM Studio can be closed
by the user regularly. When a password is set up it will
requested then. When the box is not checked
generally the administrator password has to be
entered. In case BPM Studio is running as an
exclusive shell application and the computer itself is
physically not accessible you can prevent the access
to the system without permission by this function.
Separate file archive
With this box checked an own file achive for this user
wil be created. The user can set it up independently
from the master file archive (managed by the
administrator) but is responsible then for backup and
updating. The function „File Archive Update“ in the
context menu of the group window can be used for
this. In network installations the user's file archive can
be located on the server or the master file archive can
Ripper“ to „
Mixer“
be shown to this user (read only), see chapter Network Checkboxes „
Here
the
different
modules
are
enabled/disabled.
functions. The setup is done by entering the specified
user on the tab „Storage“ in the options menu.
Options
User is allowed to change the options when checked.
The option „Separate file archive“ can only be
selcted together with the option „Separate
Settings“ because the user gets assigned to
his own data paths (Tab „Storage“)
With the checkbox „Separate Settings“
unselected, the user has access to the
administrator options!
File archive read only
This option is widely self-explaining. With this box
checked the user cannot make any changes to the file
archive. This relates to the group structure of the
archives and the title lists in the groups.
Changes to the ID3 tag will be accepted. (To prevent
this either the modules „BPM Counter“ and „File Info“
have to be locked or the boxes „Write ID3 Tags“ and
„Write ID3V3 Tags“ have to be unchecked in the
program options).
When a master file archive is shown via
network it will always be „read only“ even if
the box „file archive read only“ is checked.
Example setting
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The administrator and two DJ's are working on the system. The administrator maintains the file archive and
adds new songs. Both DJ's are working with the songs present on the system. DJ1 works only with the file
archive supplied by the administrator, DJ 2 has set up his own file archive and maintains it.Both DJ's are
workind independently on the system at different times.
The settings are as follows:
(
=active,
=inactive, !=required, *= recommended, .= irrelevant)
DJ 1:
DJ 2:
* Separate Settings
! Separate Settings
! Separate File Archive
! Separate File Archive
* File Archive read-only
! File Archive read-only
. Playlists read-only
. Playlists read-only
* Enable delete Files
* Enable delete Files
. Enable Program termination
. Enable Program termination
* Ripper
* Ripper
. File Info
. File Info
. BPM Counter
. BPM Counter
. File Editor
. File Editor
. Sample Editor
. Sample Editor
. Recorder
. Recorder
. Mixer
. Mixer
* Options
* Options
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
BPM Database
BPM Studio has its own BPM data base in which all
track BPM values are stored. When you first install
BPM Studio, some BPM data is supplied for you.
Further audio tracks can be entered either via the File
Info dialog field, or the BPM counter. When you add
new audio tracks to the system, the program checks if
a BPM value is
already available for the track, and if so, allocates it to
that track. If a new MP3 file is loaded with a BPM value
already in the ID3 tag, this information is transferred to
the internal BPM data base. If a value already exists
for this track, it is automatically updated.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
The PreAmp Function (Limiter)
A pre-amp function is available within the equalizer. This is recommended to prevent a buffer overflow, which
leads to distortion of audio, in the system. Buffer overflow is signalled by the OVERFLOW-LED (
being illuminated continuously.
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) lighting
BPM Studio Online-Manual
Hints
General information: The 5 virtual devices of BPM Studio can be assigned to up to 5 different soundcards.
The assignment is done on the tab Audio I/O in the program options. Generally BPM Studio works with all
DirectSound capable soundcards installing a driver for all available channels. Further all cards with WAVE
and/or ASIO/EASI drivers are supported but these card have a longer latency time than the ones with
DiectSound drivers and because of their driver architecture they tend to produce dropouts when the system
ressources are low.
Generally it is recommended to download the latest drivers from the manufacturers website for trouble
shooting. Usually these drivers are being updated frequently and being the most important component of BPM
Studio the soundcard should always have the latest driver.
ALCATech recommends and tests the latest soundcards under Windows 98. Test reviews are published at
www.alcatech.com. At present we cannot offer support for NT and Windows 2000 and recommend Windows
98. Most soundcards do not offer suitable drivers for these systems anyway and these systems have some
disadvantages compared to Windows 98. They are designed to be server operating systems but offer poor
multimedia capabilities.
Several soundcards in one PC: (This is concerning all „normal“ soundcards witha stereo output e.g.
Soundblaster, Terratec) A sound card driver can ususally address only one soundcard. It is not able to
recognize the presence of two equal soundcards in the PC. For this reason generally two different soundcards
must be used.
When the latest Terratec from November 99 are installed soundcards of different manufacturers must be used,
e.g. Soundblaster live + Terratec DMX. In every way the use of a multichannel soundcard is to be preferred
because they are much easier to install and are mostly cascadeable.
Assignment of the system ressources: BPM Studio processes all frames of the mp3 file and therefore
requires more ressources than other single MP3 players such as WINAMP(TM). Further BPM Studio offers a
wider range of functions than these players and a direct comparison to them makes no sense. For this reason it
is essential that each soundcard is assigned to a separate IRQ which is not in use by any other card or PC
component. Also the other components like harddisk, CD-ROM drive and graphics card have a high influence
on the system's performance. For the professional use it is highly recommended to run BPM Studio solely on
the computer.
Latency of the drivers: Latency means the delay between a command such as play, pause or stop and the
moment when the soundcard reacts on it e.g. starts playing. Generally these latencies depend on the used
driver model or the driver itself. The lower the driver latency is the better it is suitable for exact beat mixing.
- Kernel driver: 4...13 ms, this driver is definitely the fastest.
- DirectSound drivers: 20...30 ms, 150...300 ms (!) with emulated drivers
- MME Wave drivers: 70...180 ms, depending on the selected buffer size in the program options
- ASIO/EASI drivers: 20...50 ms, the latency is generally set up in the ASIO driver options.
As you can see from the list above the kernel driver and the direct sound drivers are to be preferred because
both drivers work in the kernel mode of the operating system and are therefore relatively independent from the
system resources. The ASIO and WAVE drivers are running quite stable too and are very suitable for
background music as in dance schools, pubs a.s.o. BPM Studio supports WAVE drivers because they are
available for almost any soundcard and work properly even with NT.
DirectSound driver: This is the fastest and most stable standard driver. Depending on the hardware
configuration toggling between cue and play takes less than 20...30 ms. The sophisticated DJ putting a big
weight on exact beat mixing and using the cue and play functions of BPM Studio will prefer this driver model. If
the kernel driver is supported by your soundcard it is recommended because of its even lower latency and
stable playback.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Kernel driver: This driver developed by ALCATech adresses the soundcard from a very low level in the kernel
mode and provides an extremely high priority with a very short latency of 4...13 ms and highest stability. The
kernel driver utilizes the functionality of existing drivers such as Direct sound and therefore works on most
soundcards, even on those which could only be run with ASIO or WAVE drivers because of the missing
DirectSound drivers and tended to produce dropouts.
The Kernel driver only works with Win/95/98/Milennium. NT and W2K are not supported because of their
limitations.
ASIO drivers: This driver developed by Steinberg is designed as an interface for multichannel soundcards. It is
a little slower than the direct sound drivers and tends to produce drop-outs as a user mode driver at high
resource consumption. This driver is suitable for background music purposes and works quite well. The latency
is between 6 and 50 ms and can be adjusted usually on the driver options. For BPM Studio latencies from 20 to
46 ms are recommended otherwise drop-outs can occur. The correct has to be detected by „trial-and-error“.
On some of the tested cards ASIO drivers are running unstable.
EASI drivers: This driver developed by eMagic is equivalent in function and stability to the ASIO drivers and is
eMagic's answer to Steinbergs ASIO. All statements made on ASIO are valid on EASI too because they differ
slightly only. EASI is rarely supported and threrefore almost without meaning.
Wave drivers (Wave out): This is a very stable driver which can be use alternatively to the wave driver but
provides hight latency times. On multichannel soundcards without DirectSound or ASIO drivers it is the only
way to adress the differnt channels separately. It is very suitable for background music, but not for live DJ's.
Latency is between 120...200 ms.
With /auto you can start BPM-Studio in auto-play mode. A playlist called 'auto.lst' will be loaded and played.
When you install BPM-Studio in an auto run folder of Windows, you only have to turn on the computer and it will
start to play. This is useful for cafes, bars, etc. during times when there is no DJ facility. Additionally, you can
use the parameter /SHUFFLE.
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Key Assignment
Menu-Key: Opens a context menu
Insert:
1. add entrys to the list that currently has the focus
2. add a new group
3. Alt+Insert: add a new sub group
Space:
Play/Stop Monitor or Expand/Collapse Group
Cursor Left, Right:
If the monitor player is playing, searches in a track
F1: Help
TAB: Change Focus
Clipboard Functions (Windows-like):
CTRL-A: Select all
CTRL-C (CTRL -insert): copy
CTRL-V (SHIFT-insert): insert
CTRL-X (SHIFT-delete): cut
Toggles:
Control = Player A
Shift = Player B
Alt = Player C
Functios:
Toggle + F1: Cue-Play
Toggle + F2: Cue (Default)
Toggle + F3: Play/Pause
Toggle + SPACE: Play/Pause
Toggle + F4: Time Display
Toggle + F5: Seek back
Toggle + F6: Seek fwd
Toggle + F7: Track back
Toggle + F8: Track fwd
Toggle + F9: Pitch down
Toggle + F10: Pitch up
Toggle + F11: Bend down
Toggle + F12: Bend up
Toggle + Insert: Pitch on/off
Toggle + Back: Pitch to
Toggle + Delete: Reset Pitch
Toggle + 0: Jump to Start
Toggle + 1: Jump to Cue Point 1
Toggle + 2: Jump to Cue Point 2
Toggle + 3: Jump to Cue Point 3
Toggle + 4: Jump to Cue Point 4
Toggle + 5: Jump to Cue Point 5
Toggle + 6: Jump to Cue Point 6
Toggle + 7: Jump to Cue Point 7
Toggle + 8: Jump to Cue Point 8
Toggle + 9: Jump to Cue Point 9
Toggle + P: Load selected Track in Player
Toggle + Q: Load selected Track in Playlist
Toggle + Y: Pitch reset
Toggle + Z: Pitch on/off
Toggle + Cursor: Move Slider Position
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Alt + A: AutoFade In/Out
Alt + B: BPM Counter
Alt + C: Clear List or Clear Groups
Alt + D: Load Directory
Alt + E: File Editor
Alt + F: Start Manual Fade
Alt + G: Show Group-File Archive
Alt + H:
Alt + I: File Info Display
Alt + J:
Alt + K:
Alt + L: Load list (load files in File Archiv)
Alt + M: Show Mixer
Alt + N: Normalize
Alt + O: Options
Alt + P: look at Toggles
Alt + Q: look at Toggles
Alt + R: Show Ripper
Alt + S: Search Files
Alt + T:
Alt + U:
Alt + V:
Alt + W: Waitlist/PlayList
Alt + X: Exit
Alt + Y: Select all
Alt + Z: Invert Selection
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BPM Studio Online-Manual
Technical Support, Contact Information
ALCATech offers technical support by eMail and fax.
Inquiries by eMail are to be sent to [email protected]
The fax no. is +49 3675 4201 20
For every inquiry it is necessary to state the registration number and the program version.
You can also look for a ALCATech dealer close to you, our complete list of worldwide resellers
you can find at www.alcatech.com, section "RESELLER".
Hints to improve this manual are always welcome.
Last revised 07.11.2000
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