The Amiga CD-player program Written by: Ivo Kroone The idea of the Amiga CD-player program is to give to a relatively cheap CD-player features that can be compared to those in sound studios. Using the RC port (Remote Control port) of the CD-player, it is possible to control the device via the Amiga. This program is written for Pioneer SR CD-players. Normally these CD-players are controlled by a "MIDI-sound-system". This sound system receives signals from the wireless remote control and transfers these signals to the various devices, including the CD- player. In this program the Amiga acts as the remote control receiver, and controls the CD-player. The current version of the program will only work with Pioneer SR equipment, not because I like Pioneer that much, but because I already had a Pioneer CD-player. Furthermore other manufacturers also did (or acted as) they didn't know how the remote control signals are configured. This "doc" belongs to the PreRelease (Demo version) of version 2.24. Please feel free to write to: Ivo Kroone Drieboomlaan 223 1624 BH Hoorn The Netherlands (Europe) for enquiries, comment, ideas, questions, etc. about this program. And remember that this is only version 2.24. The Menus: Info: I guess these menus speak for themselves, use these menus to get info and "on-line" help. Play: Start to end: Use this function to play from the first (up) to the last track of the CD. This function equals the normal PLAY function. Backwards: Plays the complete CD. Starting with the last track, and ending with the first track. All counters and other stuff on the message window will function properly. Introscan: Use this function to "browse" through a new or unknown album. In this mode (only) the first XXX-seconds of each track will be played. NOTE: Many CD-players offer this function, but no CD-player is capable of using variable scan durations. Using CDP you can decide the scan time. Random: The computer programs the CD-player, so all tracks of the current album will be played once. Shuffle: The computer programs the CD-player with a new track, each time the previous track has ended. This may cause some tracks to be played more than once. Time play: After selecting the computer will ask for a time to play. For example: 5 minutes. The Amiga will program the CD- player in such a way that the CD-player will play for 5 minutes. Example: This might be handy as a reminder e.g., when the CD stops your favorite MTV program (XPO?) starts. Time fade: Equals the "Time play" function, but instead of an abrupt stop the CD-player will fade down (this function can only be used in combination with CD-players capable of fading) Pseudo alarm: When selected the Amiga will ask for a TIME. When the internal Amiga clock (also available on Amigas without memory expansion!) reaches the selected time the CD-player begins to play. In combination with a somewhat heavy amplifier (and speakers) the may cause a whole neighborhood to wake up. Next: Selects the next track. Equals the "track search" function, marked with >>|. Previous: Selects the previous track. Equals two times the |<< function. Auto space: Inserts a space between two tracks. The current spacing is 4 seconds. This is the minimum time for cassette decks with track search functions. NOTE: Many CD-players offer this function, but no CD-player is capable of using variable spacing durations. Pause: Equals the pause function of the CD-player Repeat: All: The whole album will be played, when the last track is reached, the complete album will be played again. This function also works in combination with the "play start to end" and "play backwards" modes/functions. Single: The currently played track will be repeated over and over until you select stop or dis-select this mode. A - B: A part of a track will be repeated (over and over). When selected, the Amiga will ask you to press the left mouse button. The moment you press this button will be "A". After that the computer will ask to press this mouse button again, the moment you press again will be "B". After "moment" A and B are known by the Amiga, the program will play from A up to B, (manual) search back to A, and repeat this until you break it's activity down. Programmed: The "program" (selection of tracks to play) will be repeated continuously. Program: Program: When selected, the current album will appear in the message window. Now, use the numeric key pad (on the right of your keyboard), or click the mouse on the tracks you wish to select, to program. All selected tracks will be high- lighted. Use the "OK" gadget to send your program to the CD-player. NOTE: After sending your program to the CD-player, CDP is free for other applications. So you can edit some songtexts, or something like that. Negative: Basically equals the above mentioned program function. Except that the tracks you select won't be played. Instead, the tracks you didn't select will be played. This might be handy when you're just using the PGM functions to listen to the tracks you like better than other tracks. A-B side: The A-B program feature (also known as "Auto Edit") splits the tracks on a CD into two halves, side A and side B. This will facilitate easy recording onto a two-sided cassette tape with the CD-player assigning the tracks so they will fit onto both sides, no tracks being broken half- way when the tape end is reached. Program from discfile: When selected, the current album will appear in the message window. Now, use the numeric key pad (on the right of your keyboard), or click the mouse on the tracks you wish to select, to program. All selected tracks will be highlighted. Use the "OK" gadget to finish. Extra: CDP knows some extra program facilities, that can not be found on regular CD-players. Use the following keys to program extra codes: P : Program a pause. This will cause the CD-player to pause. Use the PAUSE function on your CD-player or PAUSE function in the menu bar to continue playing, when this is executed. H : Hold. This is the "intelligent" pause function. The hold function accepts (=needs) a parameter. This parameter describes the duration of the pause. In this way you're able to insert variable pauses between tracks. -When selected a number input gadget will appear. Use this gadget to enter the pause time. < : Manual search backward. This will cause one manual search keypress. This can be used to repeat a part of a track (this acts somewhat like the repeat A-B mode). > : As the above mentioned function, this will cause a manual search forward. E : Eject. Only for use when the end of an album is reached, the tray will be ejected. For people who want to use their CD-player like a toy the C : Close, function is also included to close the tray. (I am working on special options for twin-tray CD- players. In this way both tray-functions will become useful) ] : Fade in. After a stop (pause or otherwise) this may be used to fade in. ] : Fade out. Fade out, this slightly turn the volume down (just as the fade in, turns the volume up). When faded out this automatically causes a PAUSE. NOTE: Fade functions are only available on CD-players that already have fade facilities. ! : Signal. When the "!" is reached in your "program" the Amiga will beep, to draw your attention to whatever. When your "program" is being running CDP cannot be used for any other CD duties. Please don't run a second CDP when the first CDP is running, this may cause strange effects. Please refer to the separate CDP-DataBase for even more intelligent programming functions. Disc extras Songtext options Load text: Load a songtext (ASCII) from disk to link to a track on the current album. When this function is selected the index of the current album will appear in the "message window". Select the track to link the songtext to. After this a load window will pop up. Now select the name of the ASCII (!) text you wish to load/link. Edit text: This loads the currently selected text editor and provides the selected text. When finished editing, the editor will return the text to CDP. -Use the CDP.pref file to let CDP know which editor you prefer. This means that CDP does not include an editor, it just loads an editor using CLI. Save text: Use this option to extract a songtext from a track and save it to disk as an ASCII file. -A string gadget will pop-up so will be able to enter the name of the text. This gadget will display the name of the track from which you extracted the text as a default. Print text: The currently selected songtext will be copied onto paper using the PRT: device (so you can use the Amiga-DOS preferences file to change the printer type). The text will be printed inclusive of a header. Import text: This one doesn't work yet. The display only indicates the future options. This is a "not yet implemented" option. Display text: Displays the currently selected (or the track currently being played) linked songtext in a separate window. Use the left mousebutton to return to the message window. Disc index options Read and edit new disc: This is the main input mode to add new titles to your CD-database. When selected the Amiga opens the disc tray. Insert a new disc, and close the tray. Now, the CD-player sends data to the Amiga that makes it possible for CDP to recognize the CD, the next time you feed it to CDP (This data consists of: total playing time, number (#) of tracks, and playing time of each track). -After recognizing a string gadget appears, in which you are supposed to enter the data to be linked to the CD-data. You have to enter the following data: -Name of the album; Just the name, nothing special. -Artist; The name of the artist whose album this is. If the album is a collection (or movie soundtrack), just press [return], this causes CDP to ask you for an artist for each track. -Name of track #X: The name of the track that equals the number mentioned in the gadget. -(Artist; if CDP knows, by the answer to the first "artist" questions, that this is a collection, you are supposed to enter this track's artist) The total playing time and time of each track is already known by CDP, this data will be linked automatically. Don't forget to SAVE the changes made to you CD-database file! Otherwise CDP will never get "wiser". Append old disc file: If you have more than one disc-file, this will merge them together. Albums that seem to exist twice (or more than twice) will be deleted automatically. Save new disc file: Saves the current disc-file (=CDP database file). Remember that Amiga-DOS automatically replaces files! Delete disc file: Discards the current disc-file. An "Are your sure?" requester will appear first, but be careful! Recognize disc: Use this option to make CDP recognize a new disc/get it's current album. When selected, the Amiga opens the disc tray. Insert a CD and close the tray. Your CD- player will pass (send) some data (See above) to the Amiga, which will be interpreted by CDP. Using this data CDP will compare the data supplied in the database file (=Discfile) to recognize the CD you put in the CD-player. If everything is OK, the name and index of the album will be displayed in the message window. If not, a requester will ask you whether your wish to add this CD to your disc file, or not (if you want to add it, the "Read and edit new disc" function will be selected for you). Miscellaneous This demo version knows a few albums without a separate disc- file. This is just because it's a demo version, it makes copying a lot easier. "CDP" is the main file of CDP, the "CDP"-file is CDP itself. The CDP.info (the icon) uses the "IconX" command to make CDP executable from the Workbench. So, if CDP is copied using the Workbench, only the icon and a little script-file will be duplicated! As this is the demo version, the serparate modules are missing. With this demo it is possible to make better use of your CD- player, as described in this manual. For running a studio (which includes music management, jingle options, the timer/mix features, etc.) a normal version of CDP is recommended. CDP's default album is "Out of the Blue" (Debbie Gibson), this made programming a lot easier (In this way there is no case in which CDP has no album). And for a few people (including me) this makes using CDP a lot faster, because it immediately knows the right album. CDP v2.24 is written using an Amiga 500 (1MB) using Intuition 1.2. Referring to the 1MB, I was also able to write the program so that it can operate in "heavy" Amiga 2500 systems, without problems. CDP takes up about 133Kb.