***************************************************** ** ** ** The Final Music-Ripper V1.00 - User's Guide ** ** ** ***************************************************** Contents -------- 1. Note for the User 2. Introduction 3. Program Extent 4. Running the Search-Part 5. Running the Edit-Part 6. The 'Extended Sample-PLST-Comparison' 7. The 'Data Part' 7.1. Playing Samples 7.2. Renaming Samples or Songs 8. The 'Functions Part' 8.1. Save Samples 8.2. Load Samples 8.3. Play Score 9. The 'Disk Part' 10. Some Words on Ripping Musics 1. Note for the User -------------------- I have tried to spread this program without bugs. Nevertheless it's possible that some routines are not running 100%. I would be glad to receive any comments on those things. If you have ideas for improvements, let me know them as well ! It depends on my coding possibilities and free time and on the usefulness of your ideas whether I will consider them in further versions of the ripper... So take paper and pencil and write to: (no name) PLK 034745 D 2800 Bremen 21 West-Germany Please describe your problem as exactly as you can: the more exactly you are, the faster I will be... It would be great of you to send YOUR version of the ripper with the letter, 'cause maybe there already IS an improved version. You will get back your disk as fast as possible. 2. Introduction --------------- I know that writing a ripper isn't a new idea, but this one is the most comfortably I know. Even a totally new idea is realized in it: the Extended Sample-PLST-Comparison. See more about it chapter 6. The Final Music-Ripper is so easy to use that it would need nearly no documentation. So in case that you belong to the 'discoverers': stop reading and get started (execute 'AEP-Ripper'). Otherwise go on and you will have no more questions at the end... 3. Program Extent ----------------- The Final Music-Ripper consists of four files: 'AEP-Ripper' (search-part), 'AEP-Ripper_Edit' (edit-part), 'Ripperpic' (screen to edit-part) and 'AEP-Ripper.doc' (manual). To run the edit-part you need four more files, as there are: 'narrow.font' in the fonts-dir, 'diskfont.library' in the libs-dir, 'PLST' in the main dir and 'run' in the c-dir. Besides the ripper-disk MUST be named 'st-00', otherwise the edit-part can't be executed ! The ripper was spreaded 'ready to run', so normally you shouldn't have any problems with it. If there is something wrong, contact me for solving the problem. 4. Running the Search-Part -------------------------- As you probably already noticed, The Final Music-Ripper consists of two parts. The edit-part can be executed 'stand- alone' just to work on modules. The search-part takes the job of spying for modules in memory. It automatically recognizes whether Ranger RAM is connected to your AMIGA or not and searches in both areas (Chip and Ranger RAM) when necessary. To execute the search-part insert the disk with the ripper, wait for the CLI prompt, type 'AEP-Ripper' and press return. A message will be appearing on the screen which is telling you that the program is 'Searching in Chip RAM'. The search will continue until the end of the memory is reached or a module is found. The first case will simply lead back to the CLI. In the second case the module's name and address will be displayed. You can decide between starting the edit-part or continueing the search by using the mousebuttons. When the edit-part can't be executed (e.g. due to low mem) you are offered to save the module to 'st-00:modules'. The search-part automatically recognizes when there's trouble with the edit-part. The search-part of The Final Music-Ripper is the best one I know. It finds EVERY module made with soundtracker but nearly doesn't fail. Besides it's quite fast. But if you know a module which isn't found by The Final Music-Ripper, send me a disk with the module and your version of the ripper. I will try to make the search-part find the module... P.S.: I have not implemented the 31-instrument soundtracker. That would have been to complex and I don't see the purpose on a 31-instrument-ST... When Chris Hülsbeck's new music-editor is released no one will any longer work with 'soundtracker' if he is not a fool, or what do you think about the tunes of "R-Type" or "Grand Monster Slam" ?? If you want to rip a module with 31 instruments, use 'AEP-Rip31' from the c-directory. It will hunt a V2.3-Module and save it to 'st-00:modules/ mod.31' on your desire. You can covert it to 15 samples with 'ConvertMod' and then edit it with the ripper. 5. Running the Edit-Part ------------------------ There are two ways to get into the edit-part: The first way is to find a module with the search-part. The second one is to execute it directly with 'AEP-Ripper_Edit'. The only difference is that in the second case you'll still have to load a module to work on. From the main menu you are controlling every action to be made with the editor. You can release functions from the 'Functions Part' (left top) and supervise disk accesses of Load & Save Module in the 'Disk Part' (left bottom), can get important informations about the module and change the names in the 'Data Part' (right side) and can read the status of the program below the display. You will get more detailed information about all these things in the next chapters... 6. The 'Extended Sample-PLST-Comparison' ---------------------------------------- Everytime the edit-part gets a new module with unknown samples, the 'Extended Sample-PLST-Comparison' will be started before you get into the main menu. You can recognize this by the status message 'Doing the Extended Sample-PLST-Comparison'. I had the idea to this routine when I was ripping some songs of the Flash Team Sampler. Some very sly guys had deleted the sample-names, so I had to find them out in very laborious work. At that time I swore not to do that a second time. So I coded this routine. The point is that the presets are not compared by the name but by the raw data. So you can say exactly whether an instrument is known or not. Please don't panic w hen the comparison is running and the AMIGA seems to be doing nothing. It takes much time to test a sample, especially when you have more than 500 instruments in your PLST like I ! Just wait a bit, and you'll find yourself in the main menu. 7. The 'Data Part' ------------------ From the data part you can get informations about the module: address, length and patterns (hex), names and datas of the samples. There's not much to explain. The Sample Data is displayed in two colours: grey is for 'unknown' (not listed in the PLST), light blue is for 'known'. 7.1. Playing Samples -------------------- Another thing you can do in the data part is to replay samples. To hear a sample just click it's name. When a 'loopie' (repeat-sample) is going on your nerves, play a 'non-loopie' or click an instrument which is not used to beware of the madhouse. You can NOT play instruments when you are outside the main menu (see the status message). 7.2. Renaming Samples --------------------- Playing samples you'll notice that the name of the played instrument appears in the 'Rename'-Gadget at the bottom. This means that you can type in a new name or change the old one. Press return to accept the changes, otherwise the old name will be kept. If the new name is already used by a different sample or preset, the ripper will put an index at the end of it (for example '-0'). To rename the song simply click the gadget of the songname and proceed like renaming samples. Rename is NOT possible outside the main menu. 8. The 'Function Part' ---------------------- When you are in the main menu you can choose between the different functions this part offers to you. Just click the action you want to release. I think most of the functions need no explanation. So here you are the most important details: 8.1. Save Samples: ------------------ Saves the unknown (grey) samples to the given instrument- -disks. Then a new presetlist will be created which contains the saved samples. When there's trouble with any of the samples (e.g. cause of low disk space) it keeps unknown (and grey). When your memory is low it could happen that the ripper can't create the new PLST. A requester will appear and you can decide to save only the new presets as 'st-00: NewPresets'. 8.2. Load Samples: ------------------ When you are ripping modules it may happen that the search- -part finds an intact definition-part with destroyed samples. This function is enabling you to 'repair' those kinds of modules. Certainly you can only reload the known samples, but if you have many instruments in your PLST it works ! 8.3. Play Score: ---------------- The replay-function of The Final Music-Ripper is running in interrupt. So it returns to main menu after activation and you are able to rename samples while listening to the song. But when you are releasing a disk access the music will be held. Otherwise the replay-routine gets in trouble and even crashes ! When you get back into the main menu, the song will start to play again. 9. The 'Disk Part' ------------------ Up to now I have not implemented the diskmenu. I am planning to use the filerequester of the Arp-Library in further versions, but I don't have any documentations corresponding to it. Because of this you can choose files only by the two string-gadgets. When you execute Load or Save Module, the Path-Input-Gadget will be activated automatically. Make your changes and then press return to get into the File-Input-Gadget. Give the name of the module and release the action by pressing return again. You can also use the 'Access ok'-Gadget, but that would force you to leave the keys... 10. Some Words on Ripping Musics -------------------------------- In my opinion it's not 'lame' to rip songs out of intros or demos. On the contrary I think that it's an honour to every musician when his musics are ripped. One should mind that only good songs will be ripped. Finally this means that the composer had done a very good job, and besides ripping contributes to spread his name and work. So be happy when you hear your own song in an other's demo...