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BPM Studio 4Private Edition

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Content

Content

1.01. About this manual ....................................... 61.02. System requirements .................................. 61.03. Package contents ........................................ 7

2.01. Software installation .................................... 72.02. The First Program Start ............................... 92.03. Defining Driver and Audio Parameters ........ 10

3.01. The Program Window of BPM Studio ....... 11

3.02. Player ........................................................ 12

3.02.1. Basic Functions .......................................... 123.02.2. Pitch ............................................................ 123.02.3. Fine Adjustment of Sliders ........................... 133.02.4. The Player Window ..................................... 13

3.03. Playlist ....................................................... 153.03.1. Basic Functions ......................................... 153.03.2. Ajustable Column Width and Content ........ 16

3.04. Preview Player ........................................... 16

3.05. File Archive ................................................ 173.05.1. File Archive ................................................ 173.05.2. Adjustable Column Width and Content ........ 193.05.3. Sorting Order .............................................. 19

3.06. Loop Sampler ........................................... 203.06.1. Using the Loop Sampler ............................. 203.06.2. The Loop Sampler display .......................... 21

3.07. Sample Player ......................................... 213.07.1. Editing Samples, and Assigning to keys ...... 21

3.08. Cross Fader ............................................... 22

3.09. BPM Counter ............................................. 233.09.1. Monitor Player of BPM Counter .................. 233.09.2. BPM determining in manual mode .............. 233.09.3. BPM determining in automatic mode .......... 24

Introduction 1

The installation of software 2

Description of the program 3

BPM Studio

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ContentBPM Studio

Content

3.10. File Editor ................................................. 253.10.1. Loading and displaying a title ....................... 253.10.2. Adjusting display range ............................... 253.10.3. Marking ranges, and exporting into files ....... 263.10.4. Adjusting volume and pitch ......................... 263.10.5. The Toolbar ................................................. 263.10.6. Functions of different markers ..................... 263.10.7. Working with Cue Points .............................. 27

3.11. File Info Box ............................................... 28

3.12. Mixer .......................................................... 293.12.1. Audio channels ............................................ 293.12.2. The Equalizer .............................................. 293.12.3. Loading and storing equalizer settings ......... 303.12.4. Recoder ..................................................... 30

3.13. CD-Player / CD Writer ............................... 323.13.1. CD-Reader ................................................. 323.13.2. Encoding Audio-CDs ................................... 323.13.3. CDDB-Query ............................................... 323.13.4. Copying Audio CDs (Ripping) ...................... 333.13.5. Encoder ..................................................... 343.13.6. CD-Writer ................................................... 343.13.7. Creating Audio-CDs .................................... 353.13.8. Creating Daten-CDs ................................... 363.13.9. System test in test mode ............................ 373.13.10. Deleting CD-RW's ....................................... 37

3.14. BPM Studio File Formats .......................... 38

3.15. Program Options ...................................... 393.15.1. Presets ....................................................... 393.15.2. Options ..................................................... 403.15.3. Audio I/O .................................................... 423.15.4. Storing ........................................................ 433.15.5. CDDA-Copy ................................................. 443.15.6. CD-Writer ................................................... 45


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Content BPM Studio

3.16. Additional Functions ................................. 493.16.1. Normalize Function ...................................... 493.16.2. Suchen Dialog ............................................. 493.16.3. The PreAmp Function (Limiter) ................... 493.16.4. The Backup- and Update Functions ............. 493.16.5. Interface for Visualisation Plugins ............... 49

4.01. Where can I get MP3 files? ...................... 50

4.02. How can I play MP3 files? ......................... 50

4.03. How do I work with Playlists? ................. 514.03.1. Adding titles to a Playlist ............................ 514.03.2. Modifying the title order ............................... 514.03.3. Storing a Playlist ......................................... 514.03.4. Loading a Playlist from hard drive ............... 514.03.5. Adding title sequences to an

already loaded list ....................................... 51

4.04. How can I change title information? ......... 52

4.05. Ripping and Archiving of Audio-CDs ....... 53

4.06. How do I use the Sampler most efficient? 564.06.1. Single Play ................................................. 564.06.2. Scratch Mode .............................................. 574.06.3. Configuring the Sample Player .................... 57

5.01. Keyboard use .............................................. 58

5.02. Tips and instructions ................................... 60

5.03. Support, Contakt ........................................ 60

5.04. Glossary .................................................... 62

Content


First Steps with 4BPM Studio Software

Appendix 5

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IntroductionBPM Studio

Congratulations to yourpurchase of BPM Studio!With BPM Studio software and control units fromALCATech, you have exceptional systems foraudio editing and administration at yourdisposition. With your purchase, you have chosento follow a completely new way in multimediaapplications. BPM studio is a next generationaudio-player, providing all new ways of playing,editing, and archiving audio files. These systemshave been developed explicitly for dance clubsand DJs, although, due to their wide spectrum offeatures, they are utilized in many other areas aswell. Currently BPM Studio is the only softwareon the market, capable of playing and archivingdifferent audio file formats to the extend it does.

An experienced Team of DJs has tested this software inprofessional use, while still in it’s developmentphase. It is subject to frequent quality control, andimprovement. A modern design, ergonomic userinterface, and the remote control units allow forsave handling even under most difficultcircumstances. You will be surprised about themany new opportunities BPM Studio will offer you,regardless if you are an entry-level user or aprofessional. To ensure that you will be able totake advantage of the programs extensivefeatures, and work effectively with it, it is highlyrecommended that you thoroughly study thismanual.BPM Studio is also available as professional levelMP-3 DJ software (BPM Pro).

1.02. System RequirementTo use BPM Studio you need at least the following:

• IBM compatible PC with Pentium II 400 MHz or higher• 128 MB RAM or higher• 20 MB available hard drive space for program files• SVGA graphics adapter with a minimum resolution of 800x600• 16 Bit sound card• CD-ROM Drive• Windows XP/7/8

1.01. About this ManualThe BPM Studio Manual provides detailedinformation about operating soft- and hardware.It is intended to help you with your initial phase ofworking with this system, and to provide answersto frequently asked questions. It is recommendedto install the software before studying this manual.To do so, follow the instructions in the followingchapter. Also, this chapter covers systemrequirements, and delivered supply. This manualrequires you to be familiar with your operatingsystems major functions and conventions, as wellas knowing how to use your mouse. Bold andunderlined terms are covered more extensivelyat another part of the manual. This part of themanual covers functions of different control units.Please be aware that not all functions areavailable at all control units.

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Installation BPM Studio

4.) Clicking [YES] will confirm the installation. Youcan still abort at this point. If you confirm,installation files will be copied to your hard drive.

5.) Now setup will prompt you to ensure that noother applications are running during theinstallation process. At this point too, you still havethe option to abort the installation, by clicking on[CANCEL]

6.) If you proceed by clicking [next], setup willdisplay the ALCATech end user licenseagreement

Please read it carefully and only continue theinstallation process if you agree to adhere to thelicense terms. Confirm you agree with the licenseagreement by clicking the [YES] button.

2.1. Software InstallationThis program needs to be installed to your harddrive from your CD. It can not be executed directlyfrom CD.

1.) Insert your installation CD into your CD-ROMdrive.

2.) If your PC has auto notify enabled, theinstallation program will now be started. If thisisn’t the case, choose run in your Windows startmenu, and enter: ”D:\setup”, D representing yourCD-ROM drives drive letter.

3.) Now the setup for the main application,additional modules, and the online manuals willstart.

Choose install BPM Studio to start the installation.

1.03. SupplyPlease make sure that following parts arepresent:

1. BPM Studio Pro CD2. Manual3. Registering post card

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7.) At this point register your version of BPMStudio to your name by entering your first andlast name and, if applicable, your companiesname. Click [NEXT] to confirm.

8.) Now, optionally, you can specify a path forthe program files, other than the default. It isrecommended though to use the default path,since this simplifies possible support questionslater on. The path to the default directory is:c:\program files\alcatech\BMP Studio Private.

If you already installed a previous PrivateEdition, the old version will be overwrittenand the new installation will work with theold settings.

InstallationBPM Studio9.) The following dialog box confirms that newentries have been created into the Windows startmenu for BPM Studio LE, and other useful links.

Of course you have the option to use another,already existing group, or to rename this entry.You can always go back by clicking the [BACK]button.

10.) The unpacked program files will now becopied to your hard drive, according to thepreviously defined parameters. Throughout thisprocess you will continuously be informed aboutinstallation progress, and remaining storagecapacity of your hard drive

11.) Upon completing this process, accordingentries will be added to your Windows registry,and program shortcuts will be created in the startmenu:

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Installation BPM StudioPlease be patient at this point, since this maytake a little while

12.) In order to complete and apply changesmade to your system, a Windows restart is nowrequired. You also have the option to cancel andrestart the system later, this is not recommendedthough.

After a system reboot several shortcuts will beadded to the windows start menu.

Also, a BPM Studio icon has been created onthe desktop. Now you can start BPM Studio forthe first time.

2.04. The First Program StartDouble click the program icon onthe desktop or, from yourwindows start menu choose:programs -> ALCATech -> BPM

Studio. The program will now start, and ask if youwant the small player to be default player for MP-3 files. If you do not want the player to be yourdefault program for such files, click no. You canalso prevent this dialog from showing at the nextprogram start, by checking the “don’t ask meagain” check box.

Upon this, the program will search for all localMP-3 files on your system, The search result willbe shown in the “HARD DRIVE” group in FileArchive.

Now the PC’s serial ports defined in the programoptions will be scanned for ALCATech remotecontrol units. If one is found, the program willannounce so. Now you can start your work.Read our step-by-step instructions how to getfamiliar with the hard- and software, and how tocreate file and play lists.

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InstallationBPM Studio

2.06. Defining Driver and AudioparametersBPM studio offers extensive features, andtherefore requires more system resources thansimpler MP-3 players like WinAMP™ for example.The capability of playing 10 MP-3 filessimultaneously, demand a well configured PC.Further BPM Studio offers extensive possibilitiesto manipulate audio engine settings. The audioengine represents the core of BPM Studio, andis responsible for highest quality play backs withshortest possible remote control latency intervals.

Therefore make sure that background programs,like real time virus scanners, power- and printmanagement, etc. be deactivated.

All important audio engine, and sound driversettings are defined on the “Audio IO” tab, locatedin the program options.Read in the according chapter How to adjust BPMStudio’s sound card utilization to fit your needs.

Should you encounter problems playing titles withBPM Studio try at first to change the followingparameters.

Size of BPM Studio’s internal buffer. Change thisvalue if you occasionally experience dropoutswhen playing titles, or the players don’t start right.

Size of the drivers buffer. Change this value ifyou can not achieve clean audio playback. (Thisvalue can only be edited when using wave drivers.

Lowest LatencyBPM Studio operates with smallest buffer sizes,and latency times. Deactivate this check box ifyou experience difficulties with your sound card.

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Program Window BPM Studio

3.01. The Program Window of BPM Studio

The appearance of the program window can be changed completely. (Skin support) Inprogram options (Chapter 3.18.), choose a skin you like. On the ALCATech website,(www.alcatech.com) a “design-pack” with tools and hints for your own skin creation isavailable for download.

The program window contains following modules:

Player APlayer BPlay list for player APlay list for player BSample PlayerBPM File Archive

The lower area (file archive) are multi functional.

It displays optionally either file archive, mixer, orCD-player/writer. Read the referring sections onhow to switch to the according sub modules.The following chapter covers structure, andfunctionality of these modules in detail. To quicklyget into working with BPM Studio, we recommendthe step-by-step instructions in chapter 4.

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3.02. Player

Player

3.02.1. Basic FunctionsThe player controls playback of audio files andone or more CD-ROM drives, if audio CDs areinserted. Besides the functions of a analog CDplayers, a vast number of additional features isavailable, which are only achievable by utilizing aPC. Structure and ergonomic design allow forprofessional use, and make readjusting fromcommercial double-CD-players easy.All titles can easily be inserted and played from aplay list, or a BPM file archive by drag&drop.Also simply double clicking on it in the accordingplay list, can load, and start playing a title. Further,it is possible to start a title from your hard driveover the pop up menu.

Track Keys:Jumps to the beginning of the title If titlehas played less than two seconds,jumps to previous title.

Jumps to the next title in the play list.

P o s i t i o nslider.

Search keys:

fast forward and fast back keys.

Play mode (switch):Single play stops the player at the endof the current title, otherwise the next

title will be started immediately.

BPM Studio

Loop, repeats current title indefinitely

Shuffle, plays titles in random order

Main functions:Play / Pause: When switching frompause to play, the main cue-pointwill be newly set.

Stops the player, and repositionsto current cue point. When holdingthis button for 2 sec., it canreposition either to current cuepoint, or title start.

Plays title from last cue point on.

3.02.2. Pitch FunctionWith this function the playback speedof a title is manipulated, andsubsequently, the BPM value. Thesefunction are used for title speedadjustment when mixing. Theuniversal buttons and ,areprogrammed for two variation ranges.Assigned are:A: +/- 4%, B: +/- 8%

Switches pitch function on or of for thisparticular player

Pitch Bend, decreases speedcontinuously

Pitch Bend increases speedcontinuously

Title will be faded out, and if single playoption is off, the next title in play list will

start.

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Player BPM Studio

3.02.4 The Player DisplayIn general, the player display is divided in twoareas. To the upper left hand area, a titles positionwithin a play list is indicated (TRACK) The centerarea indicates optionally either past play time(ELAPSED), or remaining play time (REMAIN)You can easily switch between these two modesby either clicking in the area, oron the left round button (TIME-button).

10 seconds before play time elapses, thisdisplay will start to blink in red, thusindicating the upcoming end of this title.

The top right area optionally indicates the BPMof a particular title (this information is retrievedout of he titles ID3-tag), or it’s pitch value. Asbefore, here you can also define these settingsby simply clicking into the area.

OFF (very efficient on resources)

Standard balance display

32 Frequencies display with peak levels

32 Frequencies display without peak levels

64 Frequencies display with peak levels

64 Frequencies display without peak levels

Amplitude, chronological

Scrolling title and performer information

The pop up menu allows you to switch betweenspectrum analyzer, and cue point buttons menu

3.02.3. Fine Adjustment of SlidersWhen you click on the scale beside a slider, thepitch range will be changed continuously in 0.1%increments. Thus, depending on mouse pointerposition, a value can in- and decreased by veryfine nuances.

The bottom left area shows a resource meter(audio data buffer size), followed by a spectrumanalyzer. In this display the following modes areavailable, to be switched also by mouse click intothe display area:

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Player

Player popup menu

BPM Studio

Remove a title from the player

Load a file directly into the player

Retrieves file information

Starts the file editor

Starts the BPM counter

Opens the search dialog box

Applies the normalize function on this title

Change title information in the ID3-tag

Deletes all defined cue points and playcounter

Opens the program options dialog

Load title into player

Play Title in Monitor Player

Remove title from play list

Delete title from hard drive

Add title to play list

Show File Info Box for marked file

Starts the file editor

Starts the BPM counter for this file

Opens the search dialog

Starts the normalize function

Exchange the artist or title in the ID-3 tag

deletes cue points, and play counter

Open program options dialog

Pop Up menu for play list

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Play List BPM Studio

Titles already in use bythe player, (minimum1 min.) are marked in red.

3.03. The Play List

3.03.1. Basic FunctionsEvery player has an individual play list. Play listsare used to conveniently arrange everything fromsmall title sequences, up to whole event orders.Within the play list, title, performer, BPM, and playlength of an audio file are displayed. The blue barmarks a title. All play lists can be stored as playlist files. (*.lst)Generally there are three ways to insert titles intoa play list: The pop up menu’s [load] function, with

drag&drop out of an archive, or with the button. The title sequence can also bemanipulated, by using drag&drop. A red arrowassists in this task.

Titles can be send to the player by eitherdrag&drop functionality, or the pop up menu inthe player itself. Depending on program settings,the title will then either automatically start, or beloaded, and pause. The ability to store play lists,allows you to create complete event orders, forevents, music genres, show interludes and more.The actual titles though, are only saved once onyour system, even if they appear in different playlists. Even importing play lists of other software,like for example WinAMP™ is possible. BPMStudio imports the *.m3u, and *.pls formats.

The following functions are also available:

Creates an empty play list

Loads an existing play list

Stores a created list to your hard drive.

Adds a title to a play list

Deletes an title from a list.

Marks all titles in a list

Opens the File Info Box

The right hand play list areas consists of a statuswindow, and the monitor player status windowfunctions can be switched to display with a mouseclick.

Displays how many titles are ina particular playlist

Indicates the overall play time of a list

Indicates the remaining play time of a list

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Play ListBPM Studio

3.03.2. Adjustable Column Widthand ContentThe columns in the play list can freely be resized,or assigned to fields of the ID-3 tag. For exampleyou can display annotations in place of theversion, and reduce the column width for artist.To change a column’s width, point the mousepointer into the head row between to columns. Itwill change into a bi-directional arrow. Now click,hold, and move to your liking.

The content of a column can be changed asfollows:Right click into the head row of the column youwant to change.

Here you canchoose what contentshould be displayedin this column. Withthe “Align” function,you can set thejustification of thiscolumn to left orright.

With “Reset”, youcan restore thedefault settings. Thisis especially useful ifa column has accidentally been deleted.

Preview players areused to screen titles,marked in the play list.

If the “double click loads player” is disabled inprogram options, a simple double click on a playlist entry will start or stop the preview player. Tothe right of the player a small peak level indicatoris located.

The player’s display optionally indicates elapsedtime, remaining time, or number of titles in playlist.

Preview player controls: Jump to previous list title Play Stop Jump to next list title

Position slider Actual play time

3.04. Preview Player

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Play List, Preview Player BPM Studio

3.05. File archive

The many available features of the file archivemake it a ideal tool to manage your whole titles.

3.05.1 File ArchiveBy clicking the button in the lower areaof mixer, and CD player interface, you can changeinto the archive mode. Here titles can becategorized by genre, release date, dance styleor other criteria. BPM Studio does not limit thenumber of categories, and sub categories to becreated. They will be displayed in the left-handwindow of file archives. The right hand windowshows the content of these categories, like titles,performers, BPM (if available), and play time.

The buttons and allow you to importtitles from your hard drives into these categories.This can also be accomplished by using FileArchive’s pop up menu. Once available files havebeen imported, they can conveniently be dragged,and dropped within categories. (Be remindedthough that this will only change a files listposition, not it’s location on your hard drive!) Thisallows convenient, most simple sorting, andarchiving of your titles.

Also by dragging and dropping, audio files areadded to, and positioned in play lists. Morefunctions are available with following buttons:

removes marked files

selects all files in a list

inverts the selection

cancels the selection

automatic sorting

opens the File Info Box

opens title search dialog

When creating categories, do not usespecial characters like / or \. Windows willinterpret these as sub-directories, whichmay cause difficulties.

Automatic sorting creates a new filearchive structure with all artists ascategories, and CD names as subcategories. Clicking on this button againwill switch back to the previous view.

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File- and playlist archiveBPM Studio

Pop up menu in title list

Pop up menu in category list

Creates a new category

Adds a new sub category

Removes a category

Renames the category

Delete a category’s content

Display all categories

Closes all categories


Adds files to a certain category

Updates the archive (See additional functions)

Back up / restore your files


Activate/deactivate automatic sort function


Plays with monitor-player

Remove title from list

Delete title from hard drive

Add titles

Opens the File Info Box

Opens the File Editor

Starts BPM Counter



Exchanges Artist and Title

Resets Cues, and play counter


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File- and playlist archive BPM Studio

corner of the filearchive a statusdisplay, and anotherpreview player, for

screening of selected titles, can be found. In thestatus display the number of titles in the currentplay list is indicated.

3.05.2. Adjustable column width,and contentsThe columns in the play list can now be assignedto ID3 tag fields, and resized. For example, assignannotations to the field that displays the versionnumber, or resize the column for the artist’s name.This way you can configure File Archive to bestsuit your needs.To change a column width, move your mousepointer over the line between two columns in thehead row of a play list. The mouse pointer willchange into a bi-directional arrow. Click and hold,and move the line to your liking.

The information a column contains can bechanged as follows: Right click the column youwish to modify in the head row, a pop up menuwill appear.

In this pop upmenu chose whatinformation yourcolumn issupposed todisplay. The“ALIGNMENT”option allows youto choose thec o l u m n sjustification, rightor left aligned.

With “RESET”,you can restorethe defaultsettings. This is particularly useful, if a columnhas been deleted by accident.

3.05.3. Sorting OrderTitles in File Archive are arranged in alphabeticalorder. By double clicking into a head row, titleswill arranged in order of this columns content. Alittle arrow in the head row marks this column.

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Loop SamplerBPM Studio

3.06. Loop Sampler

With the loop sampler it is possible to clipsequences from the title playing in the accordingplayer, quickly and efficiently; for furtherprocessing like editing, playing, or storing for lateruse. For each player, a loop sampler is available,which can be opened by clicking the right round

button in the player (LOOP-button).Loop samplers are independentmodules, which do by no means

hinder regular operation of BPM Studio Pro. Theoperation mode of loop samplers is indicated by

a blinking, red dot in the player’s display, locatedbetween TIME and PITCH/BPM. It can also beseen in the resource meter of the loop sampler.A red dot stands for recording, while a green dotmeans playback.In the program options, remote control unit tab,the record, stop, and play functions of the loopsampler can be assigned to the multi purposebuttons and . Thus it is possible tocontrol loop samplers, without having to displaythem.

3.06.1. Using the Loop Sampler

Sample will be played into it’s originaldirection

Sample will be played backwards

Sample will be played alternatingforward and backward

Sample will be played to monitorchannel, instead of player channel

Starts recording

Stops both playback and recording

Plays the sample

Opens a dialog box, to save sampleas file

In the “save file” dialog box, either wave or mp-3file format can be chosen for the sample

You can drag and drop samples on aplayer button.

Moves the start point

Moves samples endpoint

Adjusts output levelfrom –99.9 dB to 0 dB

Adjusts playback speedin a range from –20% to +20%

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Sample Player BPM Studio

The sample player canmanage up to 9 samples,which are available forimmediate playback byclicking the accordingbutton.A three color LEDindicates the player’sstatus. Green stands forREADY, the sample playeris ready to go, orangestands for ready in scratchmode. A red LEDindicates that the sampleplayer is loading data.While loading, playback is

not possible.

The sample player consists of nine, numberedbuttons. Each one can be assigned to a particularsample. The maximum sample length dependson available RAM. If a button has a sampleassigned, the number on it appears raised. Whenclicking this button, the assigned sample will beplayed. When “SINGLE PLAY” in the program’spop up menu is deactivated, simultaneousplayback of more than one sample is possible.

Sample player has two different playback modes.In start/stop mode, clicking on the button will startthe sample. Clicking on it again will stop it. Whenin SCRATCH MODE, a button click will start thesample, and every subsequent click will start itanew. You can switch between these two modeseither in the pop up menu, or with the keyboardsscroll key.The VOLUME control of the sample player allowsadjusting output volume independently from thetwo player’s volume. With the PITCH control, thesample’s playback speed can be smoothlyadjusted. By right clicking on the control you canreset to the zero position.

The pop up menu is opened by right clicking anumber key ( ).

3.07.1. Editing Samples, and Assigningthem to KeysThere are two different ways to assign a sampleto a number key. Either in the pop up menu, or bydragging it from a play list or the BPM File Archive.

If a sample exceeds the allowable file length of20 seconds, it will automatically be reduced tothe allowable value when loaded.

3.07. Sample Player

By utilizing the “+” and “-“ buttons, values can beadjusted with millisecond accuracy. Adjustmentscan also be made by utilizing the keyboard. Thetab key switches back and forth between the fourcontrollers. Cursor keys change values inmillisecond steps, and page up and /down apply10-millisecond-steps.

3.06.2. The Loop Sampler DisplayThis display is divided in three parts. To the lowerleft a resource meter for the sample buffer canbe found. The sample buffer is a reserved RAMarea of limited size. When exceeding this limit,which is indicated by the resource meter, reaching

100%, the sample will randomly loop through, andonly the last recorded part not exceeding theavailable, reserved memory will be recorded.

The display to the top right represents the samplegraphically. The display right below it shows thefollowing parameters:

- current volume- current pitch- Time difference between start of the sample anddefined insertion point (P-IN)- Time difference between start of the sample and defined ending point. (P-OUT)

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The Cross-Fader is usedto fade between player A,and player B. It can be setto either manual, orautomatic mode. Theautomatic mode can beswitched on and off, byclicking the button.When automatic mode isactive, the fader will byitself fade to the otherplayer, at the end of a title.In the Private Edition, thefade time can be adjustedwith the slider FADE TIME.

3.08. Cross Fader

Sample PlayerBPM Studio

Play sample (equivalent to clicking the button)

Activates / deactivates the loop function for this sample

Loads a audio file directly from your hard drive for this key

Removes assignment for this key

Deletes complete sample block 1 to 9

Opens File Info Box

Opens the File Editor

Prevents simultaneous playback of several samples

Switches between scratch mode, and Start/Stop mode

Opens the Program Options Dialog

Sample Player Popup Menu

A red, blinking button, in the upper left-handcorner of the display indicates active auto mode.It will automatically be deactivated as soon asthe buttons [CUE], [CUE/PLAY], or [START/STOP] are clicked in either player. With the button, the fade can be initiated ahead of time.When auto mode is not active, fade is initiated byclicking the button.

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Cross Fader BPM Studio

3.09. BPM Counter

This module accurately determines the BPMs(beats-per-minute) of a title and, if desired, savesthis value to the ID3-tag and a internal BPM-Database. Two different modes are available.In automatic mode, the base beat of a title isdetermined by utilizing special filters. The programmeasures these frequencies, and analyzes them.In manual mode, the value is determined bykeystrokes.

3.09.1. Monitor Player of BPM CounterBeat Counter providesit’s own player to playtitles to be measured, theMonitor-Player. Byutilizing the positionslider it is possible toquickly navigate to a

given point in a title. Above the slider, elapsedplaytime, and signal level are indicated. The lowerthree buttons are used to control playback.

3.09.2. BPM Determining in Manual Mode

Switch counter to manual.Start the title in Monitor-Player.

The space key on yourkeyboard will function astrigger. Press it at every

occurring base beat.

The program nowcounts every basebeat, indicating so bya red, blinking field. Ifno input is

recognized for more than two seconds, thecounter will reset to 0.

Watch the displayed BPM value. Once it stopsincreasing, you can leave the BPM counter byclicking the [OK] button. The determined valuewill be entered into the BPM database, anddisplayed in the play list

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Cross Fader, BPM CounterBPM Studio

3.09.3. BPM Determining in Auto Mode

Switch counter to Auto.Confirm by either clickingthe [start] button, or starting

a title in Monitor Player. The module will nowanalyze the title using the same procedure asthe automatic beat counters in the players.Independent of these though, the beat of a titlewill be filtered, and analyzed. Now watch the BPMdisplay, and the red area. When the shown valuedoes not increase anymore, and the blinking iscompletely synchronized with the title’s beat, itcan be assumed that the beat value has beenaccurately determined.Since it can happen that a title can not be correctlydisplayed with a standard filter (e.g. red areadoesn’t blink, but stays red), this filter can bemodified. To do so, activate [Filter Correction] inthe lower left corner of the filter window.

Upon starting analyzing, you can now adjust thefilter frequency range, so that the red area willblink exactly once per beat, and thus will provideclean results.The horizontal bar can be modified in position,and width, thus changing the filter curve. Thevertical slider changes the filter intensity(Amplitude). The so created frequency range willbe displayed visually.

After this process is complete the determinedvalues will be entered into the ID3 tag, added tothe internal BPM Database, and indicated in theplay list.

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BPM Counter BPM Studio

3.10. File Editor

With the file editor it is possible to cut sequencesout of a file, or to set cue points with single beataccuracy. All applied settings like volume, pitchcontrol, cue in, and cue out will be detected bythe players and applied, and can also be savedin Play Lists.

3.10.1. Loading and displaying a TitleWhen loading an audio file for the first time,initially, peaks will be created, and saved.

This procedure does not make any changes tothe file, it remains in it’s original condition. Peakswill be stored on the local hard drive. In programoptions, you can define if these peaks are to bedeleted after your done working with the program(more storage efficient), or if they should be saved.(More time efficient)

Once loaded the file will be graphically displayed.The field editor consists of two windows, of whichthe lower one always displays the file in it’s wholelength. This way you always have a completeoverview of the file, and are able to quicklynavigate within it. The top window is used to edit,set cue- start- and endpoints, or to select a certainarea for export to a file.

3.10.2. Adjusting Display RangeThere are twoways ofmodifying thetop part of thew i n d o w :Either adjustthe width, ormove the areabar back andforth between the bottom, and upper window. Theupper window always shows the area, marked inthe lower window.

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File EditorBPM Studio

3.10.5. The ToolbarStops playback in file editor

Starts playback in file editor

Jumps to beginning of selected area. Ifno area selected, jumps to title start, ifplayback is stopped, sets locator back

to title start

Plays marked area in a endless loop

Assigns magnifier function to rightmouse button

Displays the audio file in wave format

Displays audio file as dots

When marking areas with the magnifying functionby right clicking andmoving the mousepointer, the invertedarea will be magnified,and displayed in bothwindows. The areaselection can be madeon both windows.

By double clicking into the inverted area you canswitch between zoomed and overall view.

3.10.3. Marking ranges, and exportinginto filesDeactivate the magnifier function , and markan area in the upper or lower window by holdingright mouse button and moving. The marked area

will appear red. Tomodify keep rightmouse buttonpressed, to open popup menu, with optionslike zoom, play, and

save as *.wav or *.mp3 single right click. Save asfile, if you wish to work with selection at a laterpoint.

3.10.4. Adjusting volume and pitchThe volume controlallows to set outputvolume between –20 to0 dB

The pitch range can bemodified by +/- 20%

The + and – keys allow fine adjusting these values.They will be saved, and applied when loading fileinto player. The set pitch value will be added ontop of the value the player is set for.

3.10.6. Functions of different markersThe file editor recognizes four different markers,which can be used to mark different positions orareas within an audio file. All markers can beedited via pop up menu in the in the marker row,or moved with the mouse pointer.

The red locator – indicates the current playand pause positions, and can equals the positionsliders in players, and Monitor Players. Thismarker can be positioned by left click.

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File Editor BPM Studio

The blue entrance and end markers –mark the beginning and end of a title. They, also,can be moved either with the mouse pointer, orvia pop up menu. Once placed, the position sliderin the players will use these markers as new startand endpoint of a title.

The yellow cue point markers – indicate cuepoints. They also can be moved with the mousepointer. Via the pop up menu in the marker row,additional cue points can be inserted

The blue cue point marker – indicates theactive cue point. The active point is defined byeither in the cue point list to the top right, the popup menu, or the CUP button in the player.

3.10.7. Working with cue pointsA cue point is a position within a title recognizedby players as start point. The CUE button inplayers navigates to these points, and the CUPbutton starts playback from this point on. (Equalto CUE and PLAY) The file editor can assign upto nine cue points within each title.

The in file editor editable cue points are not compatible with DirectCue buttons inversion 4 Currently these points can not be used in the player.

Defines current cuepoint as standard

Deletes current cuepoint

Places start marker at this position

Places endmarker at this position.

Marker Row Popup Menu

Since players have only one CUE and CUPbutton, one of these points will be defined asstandard cuepoint. Thispoint will beused asd e f a u l twhenever CUE or CUP is clicked. To manage cuepoints, the file editors cue point list, in the upperright corner is used. Here the cue points are listedwith their exact location (1/1000sec. Accuracy)The current cue point is marked with a blue bar.When playing the title in the field editor, this bartravels, and always indicates the last passed cuepoint.

Adds a cue point

Deletes selected cue point

Defines selected cue point as standard

Plays title form selected cue point on, placeslocator to selected cue point

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File Info BoxBPM Studio

3.11. File Info BoxThe “GENRE”field generates adrop down menu,allowing you toassign titles todifferent styles.This way you cancategorize titles,which allows forconvenient searching later on.

Confirms changes

Cancels without saving changes

Starts the BPM Counterfor that title

Opens this title in file editor.

The File Info Box allows editing the entire ID3tag. In the program options you can choose tosave this information in the new ID3v3 format, orto keep the old ID3 format. If the File Info Box isopened from multiple selections, an additionaldrop down menu appears, allowing you to select,and edit particular titles.

If you want to change an entry for all selectedtitles mark the related checkbox for this entry andconfirm with OK.

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Mixer BPM Studio

The Mixer contains of three components, whichare displayed as pairs. In standard view, to theleft the audio channels are located, and theequalizer to the right. Optionally the equalizerdisplay can be replaced with the recorder byclicking the button.

The mixer merges all internal, and external audiosources. For players A and B, and the CD-ROMdrive frequency ranges can be adjusted andcorrected. With the Recorder it is possible torecord the audio signal from an external audiosource (MIC or LINE IN). Recordings can also bedone from the currently loaded program of bothplayers. Recordings can be saved as *.wav files.

3.12.1. Audio ChannelsThe audio mixer has four internalstereo inputs (Players A and B,CD-ROM drive, and Sampler),and two stereo outputs (Master,Monitor). The recorder supportstwo sound card inputs (MIC andLINE IN). The level control allowsadjusting the volume for everysingle stereo channel separately.A level indicator to the right ofthe control indicates the volume.The dB values of the individual

channels are indicated to the top right. Using thepanning field to the top right, the channel balancecan be shifted. A right click resets to zero.

Channels can be muted by clicking the [MUTE]button.

To the left of the channel designation beat displaysfor every input channel can be found. TheMASTER-Output controls the overall volume ofall four input channels.

All control can be reset to a value of –1.0dB bysimply right clicking on them.

3.12.2. The Equalizer

The equalizer is used to adjust and correctfrequency ranges of Players A, B, and the CDplayer. Individual player settings can be openedby clicking buttons , and beactivated and deactivated by clicking . Thecontrols allow to adjust every single one of all 14frequency ranges individually. These settings aregraphically displayed in a curve, located in thedisplay above the controls. By right clicking intothe display, or a click on the button, this curvewill be reset to linear frequency ranges.

3.12. Mixer

Level indicators can be turned off in theprogram options. This saves systemresources.

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3.12.4. Recorder

The button in the equalizer opens therecorder. The MIC and LINE controls are used tomanipulate two input signals of any sound card.

If the red OVERFLOW LED comes onepermanently, the overall amplification of theequalizer is set to high, which can causedistortions. In this case it is recommendedactivate the PREAMP (Limiter) function, or tomake according adjustments to the equalizersettings.The to start the recorder click on the button

3.12.3. Loading and Storing EqualizerSettingsBPM Studio supports loading and saving of asmany different equalizer settings as you like. Also,predefined templates are available. To manageyour settings use the “Presets” function in theequalizer’s pop up menu.

MixerBPM StudioThe Equalizer Popup Menu

Limiter function

Signal Subsidizing

Opens the equalizer settings menu

Resets settings back to zero

Displays the Program Options

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MIxer BPM Studio

To record a current program, all virtual devices need to be assigned to the same, duplexcapable, sound card. The windows mixer settings for this card need to be set on enableWAVE recording and LOOP functions. And this card needs to be chosen as recordingdevice in the RECORDER field.

Recorder Popup menu

Select sound card for recording

Select file format fore recording

Dialog for program options

Save settings

Opens search dialog

System functions

Exit BPM Studio

Too choose a sound card use the controls popup menu. The RECORD IN control is used tomanipulate the overall recording, and transmittinglevel.

The button starts recording. The

button allows to adjust recording levelsbefore doing so. The current recording is markedby a red dot, and a counting elapsed time counter

( ). Ends recording. If youhave recorded in WAVE format, a dialog box willappear asking you to define name, and in whatdirectory this file should be saved. automatically starts recording, if a predefinedinput starts to receive audio data.

In the menu point “RECORDING FORMAT” youcan determine to what file type your audio datais to be converted. Available are WAVE formator output to a Visualizations Plugins interface.Visualization interface are subject another pointin this manual.The button leads back to equalizer.

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CD Player / CD WriterBPM Studio

3.13. CD Player / CD Writer

The CD player / CD-writer provides all functionsnecessary to work with CDs. Here, reading in CDsis accomplished. If you are already installed aMP3 Codec, compressing to MP3 format isalso possible. You can also burn titles on CD-Rs as audio CD to be played with conventionalCD players, or as data CD for back up purposes.

To do so, three different modules are available:, and, with buttons located in the center

area of the CD player.

3.13.1. CD-Reader ( ):With this module, also called CD Player, you canuse your CD-ROM drive as fully functional audioCD player. All functions like Pitch, Pitch Bend,Cue-Points, etc. are available without restrictions.

The Play List and the player module are similarin structure and handling to the two main playersand the Play Lists.The CD-Reader also functions as device forreading in audio CDs, and copying them to harddrive. Read also in chapter 4 step-by stepinstructions for copying, and compressing audioCDs.

3.13.2. Encoding audio CDs(Only possible if a MP3 Codec is alreadyinstalled at your system)Generally encoding (compressing into MP3format) can be done in two different ways. Eitherby saving an audio file in WAVE format and lateron conversion or by immediate compression toMP3 while reading in. This choice is made in theProgram Options, on the register tab CDDA-Copy/ Configuration / . If thischeckbox is marked, copying and encoding willbe done in a one step process. Whencompressing large numbers of audio CDs it isrecommended to read all of these in, in high-speed mode as wave format, and then batchcompress them in Encoder Mode over night, forexample.

3.13.3. CDDB-QueryUpon inserting an audio CD in the CD-ROM drive,the titles in the Play List will appear as numbered

tracks. Now click the button.Provided so configured in windows, the PC willconnect to the Internet, logs on to the CDDB(database for administration of title informationof audio CDs) and attempts to find informationabout the inserted CD.

The CD Player also supports MP3, andWAVE formats, thus, it can be used asthird MP3 player, or as convenientpreview player.

Whenever an audio track is loaded inone of the players the CD ROM drivewill be locked. It can be unlocked byeither choosing “Remove” in theplayers pop up menu, or by pressingthe eject button.

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CD Player / CD Writer BPM StudioIf no information has been available for this CDin the CDDB database, you can now enter itmanually in the File Info Box.Now mark the titles to be read in with the left-

hand check box, and click on .All marked titles will now be read in. Progress isdisplayed in a status window.

If the “encode during copy” function, on the CDDAregister tab of Program Options is active, readin titles will immediately compressed into the MP3format, and stored in the according folder. Thisfolder can be defined in the “storing” register tabin Program Options.After successful encoding all titles willautomatically be listed in the “NEW FILES”category of file archive. For more clearness asubfolder for the current date will be created. (Seepicture on top of page)

Information downloaded from theCDDB server will be stored by BPMStudio, and will be available withoutbeing online.

If successful the information will be transmitted,and displayed in the Play List. These informationswill also be saved on your PC, so that they’ll beavailable when this CD is inserted again.

Query for several CDs (Batch-Function):As soon as an audio CD is inserted, BPM Studiowill store the CD code. With the next CDDB query,it will be attempted to retrieve all information, forCDs not yet identified. You can save time, byinserting audio CDs, wait till their track numbersare displayed, and then click on the CDDB query

button . Now all title lists of theseCDs (if available) will be retrieved, and beavailable when the CD is inserted again. Aftercompletion the Internet connection will beterminated. You can also establish the connectionmanually via the pop up menu of the CDDB –button. On the CDDA-Copy register tab inProgram Options different CDDB servers can beselected.

3.13.4. Copying Audio CDs (Ripping):After successful CDDB query all CD titles will bedisplayed in the Play List.

It is mandatory to enter title informationmanually, or to download it from CDDB,BEFORE titles are being ripped.Otherwise BPM Studio can only useCD-Code, and track numbers as filename.

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CD Player / CD WriterBPM Studio

3.13.5. Encoder ( ):The encoder converts WAVE files Info the MP3format. Here you will find all previously read inaudio-CDs, if you do not have activated the“COPY/ENCODE” option in the Program Options,before ripping. Also, the encoder can convertother, already present WAVE files, that have beenripped with other programs. Simply drag them outf the Windows Explorer, and drop them on the

encoder Play List, or, add with the button.

For screening, and controlling also the CD Playercan be used. The files can be played, controlled,and edited with the File-Editor. Following, themarked part will be transferred to the MP3 format

by clicking the button.

After compression is completed, you’ll find a newentry in the BPM file archive under NEW FILESwith the actual date, in which the compressedfiles are being stored. This folder can be renamedwith the RENAME button, or you can assign thosetitles to other present categories.

Eject button opens and closes theselected CD-ROM drive.

CD-ROM Selection field. Hereyou can select the CD-ROM driveto be displayed.

Starts copying selected titles.By right clicking you can opena pop up menu, allowing you

to copy a whole CD as CD-at-once track

Starts the CDDB-Inquiry. Theright click pop up menu allowsyou to manually establish a

connection to the Internet, if a connection isavailable in the Windows system settings.

(Only active in the Encoder)Starts the encoding procedurefor selected titles.

3.13.6. CD-Writer ( ):Produce your own audio CDs with your own mixor compilation - all with only one program: BPMStudio.The integrated burner supports all common CDwriters and media. Even burning MP3 files is noproblem. Thus you can conveniently createbackup copies, and quickly transfer play lists withthe according tracks to another system.

Before you start to create CDs, we recommendthat you make yourself familiar with the handlingof CD-R's, and CD-RW's. Also check the CDWriter settings on the according register tab inthe Program Options. In this manual, chapterProgram Options, you'll find all importantinstructions and explanations to optimallyconfigure your CD Recorder. Once set up, theBPM Studio CD writer allows you to very simplyand quickly create Audio- and Data-CDs.

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CD Player / CD Writer BPM Studio

The status bar to the left indicates overall lengthof the CD. Additionally a status bar below the tracklist displays the remaining capacity of the media.(Pay attention not to exceeding the media’smaximum play length when assembling the titlelist. If you do, an according message will warnyou before the write process.)

The title order can be modified by Drag&Drop.Start writing with the button. In thefollowing dialog fields, progress can be monitored,and modified.

At first, the Cue-Sheet will be created. It containsinformation that will be written onto the mediaparallel to the audio data, such as starting points,title length and (if the Recorder supports thisfunction) CD text information. Upon completion,a dialog with the calculated data will appear.

Generally start a new CD project with the button. In the following dialog you can decidewhether to create a Data- or a Audio-CD:

3.13.7. Creating Audio CDsSelect this mode if you want to create a CD thatcan be played with any common CD player orchanger. The maximum play length depends onthe type of media you use, and vary between 74and 80 minutes.

After confirming the dialog box by clicking[OK] the selected CD format will bedisplayed in the track list status bar.

Place the media to be recorded into theRecorder. The CD status indicator belowthe track list gives you information aboutthis media, and theRecorder itself.

Now you can load any title or whole PlayLists in the writers track list. This can be done indifferent ways

1.) Drag & Drop from the from Play Lists, filearchive, or Play List archive.

2.) Via the clipboard, with “copy” and “paste”(Ctrl – C / Ctrl – V)

3.) With the button you can load any PlayList present on the hard drive.

4.) With the button you can selectedtracks directly from your hard drive.

It is not necessary to convert MP3 filesinto the WAVE format. All tracks can beloaded into the writer as MP3s.Decompression is done in real timeduring the burn process.

Please avoid writing CDs over a network.If you use BPM Studio in a network, theCD Writer should be local, with the MP3or WAVE files to be burned.

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CD Player / CD WriterBPM StudioHere you can check if all the data is correct, if soconfirm with [next] and start the writing process.Of course you can still abort with [cancel]

The following status windows keeps you informedabout the whole writing process

After successfully writing the CD, the drives slidewill open, and you can take out .the CD

3.13.8. Creating data CDsSelect this mode if you would like to copy MP3files already present on your system to a CD, thatcan later on be played on a PC with a standardCD ROM drive installed. Thus, you can back upfiles easily, or transfer them to another computer.The maximum available drive capacity dependson the used media, and usually varies between650 to 700 MB.

Start a new CD project by clicking the button. In the following dialog box select ‘Data-CD”

Please make sure that with BPM Studioonly work you authored, or work of whichyou are explicitly allowed by author orsomeone in lieu, will be copied. Otherwiseyou might commit the offense of copyrightfraud, which is a federal felony, or be heldliable by the author, or designated peoplein lieu of.

The selected mode will be indicated in the statusbar to the left.

Now insert the media into the Recorder. The CDstatus window to the right below the status barindicates, as when creating audioCDs, the contents of the CD, andthe Recorder.

Now you can load selected titles, complete PlayLists into the Recorder.

This can be done in various ways:

1.) Drag & Drop from the from Play Lists orfile archive

2.) Via the clipboard, with “copy”and “paste” (Ctrl – C / Ctrl – V)

3.) With the button you can load any Play List present on the hard drive.

4.) With the button you can selectedtracks directly from your hard drive.

The status bar to the left shows how much storagespace on the media is already in use. Additionallya status bar to the right below the track listindicates the required disk space. (Pay attentionnot to exceed the media’s maximum play lengthwhen assembling the title list. If you do, anaccording message will warn you before the writeprocess.)

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CD Player / CD Writer BPM Studio

Eject button opens the tray of the selectedRecorder.

Select Recorder field. Select herewhich Recorder is to be used.

Important NoteA list of all supported CD Recorders can be foundin the version history, which is delivered with everyversion of BPM Studio.Please have understanding for the fact that wecan not support every CD Recorder on the market.This is not the objective of BPM Studio, and itdoes not claim to be a full-featured CD recordingprogram. Much more BPM Studio is primarily aDJ system for live performing.

Please make sure that in case of problems withburning CDs the first step should bee to reducethe speed. Not every media can record at anyspeed. Anyway you should disable auto load forevery available CD player; otherwise problemsmay arise, especially when burning CDs.

Star t the writing process by clicking the button. In the following dialog field

you can control the progress and manipulate thewriting process. Explanations of the accordingdialog boxes can be found in the previous chapter“Audio-CD”

3.13.9. Systemtest in test modeIf you star t the writing process with the

button, it will only be simulated. Yourcomputer will perform all actions that it wouldperform in a real write, with the exception thatthe laser will be disabled. This is very useful totest the system performance. The media will notbe changed in this mode.

3.13.10. Deleting CD-RW’s(If supported by the Recorder)If a CD-RW (CD rewriteable) already containingdata is inserted into the drive, you can delete thisdata by clicking the button.

Adding another Session:(Data CD only)You can add data to an unfinished media thatcontains data already, in a new session. To doso, the “import session” function on the CD-Writerregister tab in Program Options must be enabled.When inserting such a media, the used storagecapacity will be indicated in the status bar.

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3.14. BPM-Studio File FormatsThis chapter is supposed to give you a betterunderstanding of the file formats, and endingssupported by BPM Studio. Some of them can bedeleted, for others it is recommended to leavethem on your hard drive.

*.grp, *.idx, *.gps, *.plg, *.lst:These files are used for the file- Play List archive.The *.gps, and *.idx files contain information aboutthe structure of File- and Play List archive. For alltitles in a major category of the File Archive, a[category name].grp file will be created containingall title information for this category. The Play Listcategories can be found in the *.plg files, and thePlay Lists are stored as *.lst files. These arecompatible with the directly store- and loadablePlay Lists.

eq.eqp:File for equalizer presets

Bpm.set:Encrypted file for user information

*.bml, colors.cfg:This file contains the skins for BPM Studio. Thebitmaps are contained in the *.bml files, colorsare defined in the file colors.cfg.

*,cut:The cut format is available in the editors exportfunction. In this case it is not the marked areathat will be saved, but the Cue-Points, and markerinformation as links. Information that wouldotherwise only be available in the Play List or thefile archive can be backed up separately this way.

*.~*:Tilde files are created automatically as back upsof all files of File- and Play List Archive. (Eitherwhen exiting the program, or, when auto save isactive, every 15 minutes.

*.scn:Scan files will be created when needed by BPMStudio to position exactly in VBR files or very longMP3 files. They should not be deleted for:

1.) The Cue-Points will not be restored correctlysince BPM Studio can’t jump to the exactposition, which can cause a “jump” afteraddressing the Cue-Point.

2.) The *.scn files in auto play mode would haveto be generated anew, to determine theactual lenght of the title.

*.mem:Files for the saved files for the sampler functionsof all files. (A.B.Exit-Loop)

*.cue:Files for the Cue-Points of each file.

*.mem and *.cue files can be deleted. Of courseall Cue-Points of a loop will be lost, it still can beuseful to clean up every once in a while though

*.sdd:Files for the peak files of the wave editor. Theyserve the editor in navigating in, and loading offiles. These files can be deleted, the loading willtake longer though.

File FormatsBPM Studio

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Program Options BPM Studio

3.15. Program OptionsFrom anygiven pop upmenu viaoptions, the

programs basic settings can be opened. Theseare split in 6 different areas, which can be selectedon the 6 different register tabs.

3.15.1 Preset –Language and Skins:

Language Pack:Select here your languagepreference. Should yourlanguage not yet besupported by BPM Studioyou can, provided you’reinterested, order our SDKlanguage pack, and create atranslation for your language.

Skin Pack:Here you can select a skin.The list will display allavailable skins compatiblewith this version of BPMStudio installed in the folder...\BPM Studio\Skins\. Thedownload area of theALCATech website,information about new orupdated skins can beobtained.

Pitch Range:Defines the pitch area for sliders. This value willbe overwritten when clicking on one of the threepitch area buttons. (see also 3.2./ player)

Presets – Language and SkinsOptions - General settingsAudio I/O – Sound card configurationStoring – Defining directoriesCDDA-Copy – Adjusting CD parametersCD-Writer – Settings for CD-Recorder

Bend Speed:Defines the pitch bend area

Match Speed:Defines the time for BPM match

Brake Speed:Defines the time for the Brake function

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Program OptionsBPM Studio

3.15.2. Options –General Settings

Load Wave FilesScans for WAVE files atprogram starts, and loadssuch files

Load Sub DirectoriesProgram will load allsubsequent directories of aselected folder

Soft Pitch and BendChangesAllows for smooth operationof the sliders, and simulatesthe inertia of a vinyl albumwhen using pitch bend.

Double Click loadsPlayerWhen double clicking a title in a Play List it willnot be loaded into the preview player, but intothe main player.

Ask before loading a playerPerforms a security inquiry before the next titlewill be loaded

Reload File in Single Play ModeIf Single Play is activated, the current trackwill be repeated on end

Blink Display before file is done10 sec. prior to the end of the current title, thedisplay will blink in red.

Use Normalization if file is normalizedWhen check box is activated the settings ofthe normalized audio file will be used;otherwise they will be disregarded.

Use Silence Detection in AutoPlayWhen activated, possible silence at the end ofthe title will be skipped. This is done to optimizetitle transitions in auto fade mode. This functionwill only work properly, if the title has been editedwith the normalize function from version 4 on.

Check Play Lists when loadingWhen loading a Play List, presence of all list titleson the hard drive will be confirmed.

Show Playlist ColumnsShows vertical lines in head rows, and Explorer

Show Mixer LevelsActivates level indicator in Mixer. (Requires somesystem resources)

Show Mixer beatsActivates beat indicator in Mixer

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Remove Files from Playlist if playedThe title will automatically removed from the PlayList, once played.

Auto Cue (Skip Silence)Possible silence at the beginning of the title willbe skipped

Auto SaveAll settings and the state of the file archive willbe stored every 15 minutes

Alternate Bitmap DrawingUse this option if you experience problems withyour display, for example the slider look distorted.

Change Screen Resolituin on StartupAt program start, the windows monitor resolutionwill automatically be set to 800x600

Delete Editor PeakfilesAt program end the peak files generated by FileEditor will be deleted.

Scan VBR filesActivate this checkbox to enable exact positioningin files with variable bit rates

Save ID3 tagsThis program modifies the ID3 tag of the originalMP3 File

Write ID3v3 tagsThe program writes the ID3 tag with the version3. (It will not be accessible by older MP3 playersanymore)

Lock Main Window PositionThe position of the program’s main window onthe screen will be locked

Show TooltipsActivates the “hints” function (Requires somesystem resource)

Alternate Cue-Play functionWith this function activated, the player will playas long as the CUP button is held. Once released,the player will jump back to the Cue-Point.

Start as exclusive shell applicationWith this function, BPM Studio will be theexclusive application under Windows. Uponactivating, a reset will be initiated, after whichBPM Studio will be the exclusive application.

Aggressive refreshThis option causes a quicker display of the levelindicator, the spectrum analyzer, and the titlescrolling. On systems of lesser performancesystem resources can be freed, by deactivatingthis mode.

Ask before removing a fileWhen activated, a confirmation will be requiredbefore a title is removed from the player

Hidden menusThis option causes all pop up menus to bereduced to the important functions. The completemenu can be viewed though by clicking on thelast entry. If this is not selected, all entries will beshown.

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3.15.3. Audio I/O-Configuring the SoundCard

DriverHere the device driver isselected. In the Private Editiononly the Direct Sound driver isavailable.

Preload SizeSize of the internal playbackbuffer. Manipulate this value ifyou experience dropoutsduring playing, or the playersdon’t start clean.

Auto-Cue LevelHere the trigger level for theauto cue function (skip silenceat title beginning) can bedefined. This value can be setfrom –inf (absolute silence) to –30 dB (a quietlevel).

Soft FadesBPM Studio fades all audio signals in, and out,smoothly before any audio title or cue. Thus itprevents possible disturbing noises / crackling.

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3.15.4. Storing -Defining directories

Default Search DirectoryIn this folder all relevantapplication data will bestored. That for examplewould be the default Play Lists, the categories, andsubcategories of the FileArchive, Sample-Blockinformation, the equalizerpresets, and the CDDB titleinformation of previouslyread in CDs. It isrecommended not to changethis folder.

Directory for the RipperIn this folder the WAVE filesto be compressed will bestored temporarily. This pathcan lead to another, biggerhard drive. For example if you would like to ripseveral CDs first and then encode them in oneprocess. (See also CDDA options – copying,encoding)

Directory for MP3 encodingIn this folders the MP3 files will be stored aftercompression. It is recommended to create aseparate folder (e.g. C:\MP3) in which all titleswill be stored. This will make it easy to upgradethe system later on with additional hard drives.BPM Studio automatically scans all logicaldrives for present titles, if the original pathshould not be present anymore.

Directory for recorded filesDefault folder for WAVE files for the Recorder.

If an extended mix is to be recorded in WAVEformat, the file can easily exceed several GBs.For this, you can specify another folder on anotherhard drive.

FilenamesHere the filename, which later on will begenerated by programs, will be defined. It isrecommended to keep default values.In case you have a large file archive of alreadypresent files without ID3 tags, and want to read itinto BPM Studio, you can change the assignmenttemporarily.

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3.15.5. CDDA CopyDefining CDDA- andcompression parameters

Block CountNumber of blocks on a media, thatwill be read if the CD-ROM drive isaccessed.

Read CD Text InfosAudio CDs that have text on them,will be read (will not work with olderAudio CDs, or on older CD ROMdrives

Force Generic (NT)Activate this option if you are havingproblems under Windows NT witha possibly loaded ASPI driver

Encode during CopySelect this option if you want to read in audioCDs directly and convert them into MP3s, withouttemporarily storing them. Otherwise the ripper module will merely write filesin the WAVE format, and copy them to theirprospective folder. The conversion into the MP3format will then be done in the encoder mode ofthe CD player / ripper.

CDDB ServerHere you can define the desired CDDB server.With a click on “GET LIST” the mirror server listwill be loaded, and then the desired mirror servercan be selected. When having problems withcddb.cddb.com try freecddb.freecddb.org.

Your email settingsTo register with a CDDB server, your emailaddress is required

CD-ROMSelect here the CD-ROM drive, for whichadjustments are to be made.

Copy Mode: Burst CopyRead and write access will be performedsimultaneously

Copy Mode: NormalAlternating read and write access will beperformed

Copy Mode: Sector synchronizationIn this mode an exact repositioning of the readerhead is guaranteed in case the information flowshould be interrupted. This is the safest mode,but also the slowest copy method.

CD TypeHere you can select out of the list of your CD-ROM drives. This setting is only necessary whenyou are experiencing problems while reading inCDs, and “AutoDetect” doesn't solve the problem.

Write RIFF WaveWrites a MP3-Wave-File, that is compressed, butcan still be played on most Windows players.

FormatThis selection field shows all audio compressioncodes available on a system.

Format OptionsHere the quality of the compression is defined.(Depending on file format). It should be at least a128 kBit/s, 44,100 Khz stereo.

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3.15.6. CD WriterAdjusting Recorder Parameters

CD-ROMSelect a Recorder out of a list of allRecorders available in the system.The following six checkboxesindicate which functions aresupported by the selected Recorder.Functions not supported by theselected Recorder will be displayedin gray. (Inactive)

SpeedHere the burner speed is defined.MAX adjusts the speed to themaximum possible on the selectedRecorder. Decrease the speed ifyou frequently receive errorscaused by the performance of yoursystem, or the used media.

Record Track-at-onceTrack-at-once (TAO) is a writing method that foronce (similar to disc-at-once) burns single sessiondiscs, and for the other (mainly) can be used tocreate multi session discs – which would actuallynot be able with DAO per definition. With TAO thelaser will be switched off after writing eachparticular track, moved to the PMA to update thetemporary table of contents, repositioned to theend point of the previously burned track, andswitched back on to continue.

Record Disc-at-onceDisc at Once is the writing method of choice whencreating professional Audio-CDs and masters forcommercial mass production. With this method aCD will be burned within one single session, andthen closed. The laser writes without interruptionthe Lead-in with the table of contents, all tracks,and eventually the Lead-out. (This explains whya unusable through write interruption disc appearsto be containing all tracks, even if the mistakeoccurred during the first track. The table ofcontents has been written first, thus the player“thinks” the listed tracks are really on the media.)

Record MCN and ISRCsThe ISRC-Code (“International StandardRecording Code”) identifies a recording (ingeneral this means a track). In principal thereforevery track of a CD should have a ISRC code,which identifies it uniquely. This protocol is onlymastered by newer CD burners.

Record CD TextA procedure developed by Sony® and Phillips®.With CD text audio players of the newestgeneration are capable of displaying name ofartist, name of current title, and even annotations.The information of the ID3 tag will be added ontothe media, if the Recorder supports this function

Example of CD-ROM drives capable of readingout CD-Text*:

- Plextor PX-40TS (SCSI)- Sony CD-ROM CDU 711 (SCSI)- Teac CD-524-EA-B (IDE)- Teac CD-532-E-A (IDE)- Teac CD-532-E-B (IDE)- Teac CD-540 (IDE)

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Program OptionsBPM StudioFollowing CD Recorders are currently capableto read and write CD-Text*:

- Teac 56S/58S later than Firmware 1.0j(SCSI)

- Plexwriter 4220 later than Firmaware 1.02(SCSI)

- Plexwriter 8220 (SCSI)- Ricoh 7040 later than Firmware 1.20 (SCSI

& ATAPI)- Ricoh 7060 later than Firmware 1.20 (SCSI

& ATAPI)- Sony 948S later than Firmware 1.0h (SCSI)- Sony CDX 100 / 110 / 120 / 130 / 140 / 145- HP 8100 / 8110 / 8200 / 8210 / 9100 / 9110

(Same vendor as Sony)

To find regular CD players capable of reading CD-Text, visit your local consumer electronics store.

Record on Rewriteable DiscsThe Recorder supports writing on CD-RWs. Mediathat can be reused.

Record with Burn ProofBurn Proof is a procedure developed by Sanyo®in which throughout the whole process of burningthe Recorder’s internal buffer is monitored. Whensystem performance becomes slow, or evencritical, the drive notices that a buffer underrun isunavoidable – and stops the burning procedureat a suitable location. This gives the buffer timeto reload, the data is compared and synchronized,and the writing process continues right afterwhere it stopped. This averts the media to becomeunusable, if the data throughput should beinterrupted again.

Import SessionsSessions already present on the CD will beimported, the CD may not be finished though.Select this option if you want to write more dataon a multi session CD. Important! When writingon a multi session CD without activated import,all previous sessions will be destroyed.

CD-ROM/XAThe CD-ROM/XA is a mixture of the specificationsfor CD-I, CD-ROM mode 2, and the current formatfor data CDs. Deactivate this option if you arehaving problems reading in the CDs created withBPM Studio. Some older CD-ROM drives do notsupport this format. When writing multi sessionCDs, this format is a requirement in mostrecorders.

Close DiscFinalizes the CD after the burn procedure. OlderCD-ROM drives can not read Data-CDs if theyare not finalized. Audio CDs will always befinalized in general, since here it is not possibleto write on the CD in several sessions.

Burn ProofActivates the burn proof function of the recorder.(if any) Buffer underrun errors will be averted, andthe burn process will be faster.

Eject Disc from RecorderIf this option is selected, the tray of the drive willautomatically be opened when the burningprocess is complete.

Test ModeWhen in test mode, writing will only be simulated.All functions of a “real” burn will be performed,with the exception that the laser is switched of.Thus the media will not be changed or damaged.This mode is used for troubleshooting, to avoidto many plain media will turn out as scrap. Keepthe function “Eject Disc from Recorder” activated,since many Recorders only allow anotherrecording on the same media if it has beenremoved, put back into the device, and scannedback in anew.

* no Guarantee

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Pregap (sec)Here define the pause between tracks of a audioCD. For data CDs this function is obsolete.

File / Disc CachingBy using File / Disc caching, buffer underrunerrors are mostly history. Also it allows for a moreefficient use of the processor and other systemreasources.

File/Disc Caching Options

Enable CachingEnables File/Disc Caching

Cache Size (MB)Select cache size in MB. (Minimum is 1MB, max.is 32MB)Recommended cache sizes depending onavailable RAM:

RAM Rec. Cache Size 64MB 2 to 4 MB128MB 4 to 8 MB256MB 8 to 16 MB

Please do not exceed the maximum cache size.This could cause performance to decrease evenmore, than it would without activated caching

Full to Empty Ratio (%)Setting of data size to be read in, before the cachehas to be refilled. If the ratio is 86% to 15% forexample, the cache will be filled to a 100%, andafter 15% of the data have been purged, refilledto a 100% again. (This cycle will be repeated,until no data to be cached is present anymore.) Ithas been proofed that this method is moreefficient than trying to keep the cache filled to a100% at any given time.

CPU priority LevelSelects the processor priority level of the cacheprocess. For 99% of all systems the “normal”setting can be maintained.

A very extensive and clearly arrangeddocumentation about CD-Rs, CD-RWs, Recorder,and file formats can be found at http://www.disc4you.de/kompendien/cd/

Please pay attention also to troubleshootinghints in chapter 3.15. CD Player / CD Writer ofthis Manual!

More information about current sound card tests, program updates, and answers to frequentlyasked questions can be found on our website www.alcatech.de

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49

Additional Functions BPM Studio

3.16. Additional Functions

3.16.1. Normalize FunctionVia the pop up menu in File Archive and thedifferent play lists, the normalize-function can beactivated. Use this function if a title playback iseither too loud, or too quiet. If you activate thisfunction in the categories window, all titles presenton the system will be normalized. With largearchives this procedure can take several days (!),therefore must only be applied to a title once. Ifnew titles are added, this function will be applied,already normalized titles will not be scanned againthough, which speeds up the procedureconsiderably.During normalization the Peak- and RMS Valuesof all titles are determined, and a average valuefor the titles volume is calculated. The dynamicmostly stays unchanged, since only oneamplification factor is applied and no dynamicadjustment.

3.16.2. Search DialogThe search dialog is also accessible via the pop

up menu in BPM File Archive or the buttonin the file lists. Here you can perform your searchaccording to the following search criteria: BPMrange, artist, title, title version and album. Thesearch term or text string will always be comparedexactly with the list entries. But you can also usewildcards. Here some examples: WEST* will findall titles with WESTBAM, WESTERNHAGEN, etc.*HAGEN will find all titles like WESTERNHAGEN,NINA HAGEN, etc.*EN* finds all titles containing an EN, e.g. DEN

HARROW, or X-PERIENCE. If the search wassuccessful, a new folder SEARCH RESULTS willbe created in BPM File Archive in which thesearch results will be listed. If this folder shouldexits already, all files in it will be overwritten.

3.16.3. The back-up- and UpdatefunctionsVia the pop up menus of the Group window andthe File Archive you can access the BackUp andUpdate function.The back up Function allows you to create abackup copy of the entire File Archive in apredefined folder. From there it can be restoredlater on. With this method a copy of the FileArchive can be transferred to another PC also.The Update-Function offers two options.“Search Hard Drive” scans the entire system,including all connected network drives for playabletitles, and lists them under NEW FILES + date.“Update Archive” removes all titles no longerpresent out of the File Archive, and lists all newtitles in the NEW FILES category.

3.16.4. The PreAmp-Function(Limiter)Within the equalizer the PreAmp function can beactivated. This is recommended if the red“OVERFLOW” LED stays on permanently. Thismeans the overall amplification is to high, whichmay cause distortions.

3.16.5. Interface for VisualizationPluginsVia the Recorder pop up menu the interface forWinAMP Visualization Plugins can be activated.In a list, the in the folder \BPMStudio\Studio\Plugin installed plugins are listed.Some of these plugins can be configured withinthe range of their functions. To do so, click on thebutton “Configure” and make the desiredadjustments. To compensate for resourceproblems the “Priority” control is uses. ALCATechGmbH does not guarantee that BPM Studio willwork with these Plugins.

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4.01. Where can I get MP3 files?

First StepsBPM Studio

BPM Studio will be delivered without any MP3Files. Our systems are designed for you to copyyour Audio CDs to your computers hard drive,and save them as MP3 Files. Thus you can beassured that there will be no loss in quality, andplayability of the titles. But also the most MP3titles from other systems, as well as MP2, andWAVE files can be played with BPM Studio. Step-by-step instructions on how to copy CDs, andcreating a File Archive can be found in the FirstSteps chapter of this manual. You can also utilizeother encoders from other vendors, be awarethough, that quality differs between differentencoders.

BPM Studio offers two independent Players forplaying MP3 files, which provide all functions ofa professional double-CD-player for DJs.A requirement to use BPM Studio that there arealready MP3 files saved on a PC. These will beread in, and displayed in the play lists, at thefirst program start after the installation. Theplayers will automatically play the play list indescending order.

1.) At any given time titles can be added to the

Play List by clicking the button at leftlower corner of the Play List The title selectedin the File Archive will be added to the playlist. If no title is selected, a Explorer windowwill open showing the directory of your harddrive(s). Select here the MP3 files to beinserted, and confirm with OK. The selectedMP3 files will now be inserted into the playlist.

Legal reminder:BPM Studio may only be used to copy/encodetitles if you are the author, or if the author, or aperson owning the copyrights has authorized youto do so. Otherwise you take the risk that youmake yourself liable to prosecution, res. to be heldliable by the copyright owner. Please pay attentionto laws and regulations regarding the use of MP3files. You can inform yourself about these eitherwith the regional office of the GEMA, or on theInternet at www.gema.de. If you use BPM Studiooutside of Germany, please refer to the accordinginstitutions representing artist, and recordcompany rights.

4.02. How can I play MP3 files?2.) Load a given title out of a Play List or the

File Archive into one of the two players byDrag&Drop. To do so, move the mousepointer over the title, press the left mousebutton, and hold it down. The mouse pointerwill change into two little musical notes. Nowmove the mouse pointer over one of the twoplayers, and let go of the button. The titlewill be loaded into the player, and the redLED display over the [CUE] button will comeon. A click on the [PLAY] button starts theplayback.

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First Steps BPM Studio

4.03. How do I work with Playlists?

BPM Studio saves the title order in the play listsbelow the two players. The player will now playthose titles in the order of this list.You can modify this list to your liking, add titles,delete titles, rearrange the title order, or save thelist for further use. It is also possible to enter atitle a couple of times repeatedly, or in differentpositions on the list. All modifications made tothe list, (for example with the File Editor) will bestored, and will be available when loading thislist again. During this process only the titleinformation get modified, the MP3 filesthemselves will stay at their location.

This part of the manual only covers handling ofsingle play lists.

4.03.1. Adding titles to a play list1.) Click on the button, in the bottom left

corner of the play list. The title selected fromthe File Archive will now be inserted intothe play list at the predefined spot. If no titleis selected, a Explorer window will openshowing the root directory of your hard drive/s.

2.) Now select the MP3 files to be inserted, andclick OK to confirm. The selected titles willbe inserted into the play list.

4.03.2. Modifying the title orderVia Drag&Drop the order of titles can be modified.Click on a title, and drag it to another positionwithin the list. A little red arrow to the left in thelist simplifies sorting in.

4.03.3. Storing a Play ListClick on . An Explorer window will open inwhich you can specify a name, and a folder forthe play list to be saved. OK confirms, and theplay list will be stored under this name.

4.03.4. Loading a Play List from HardDriveClick on . A Explorer window will open, fromwhich you can load BPM Studio play lists (*.pls),as well as other formats like for example WinAMPplay lists. The previously loaded list will be lostthough.

4.03.5. Adding title sequences to analready loaded listIn the File Archive select the desired titles to beadded. By holding the [Ctrl] key down, you canselect and deselect multiple titles. When alldesired songs are selected, click on one of theselected titles, and drag the whole block into theplay list window of the player, and drop them.

You can also pull complete categoriesfrom the File archive into a play list. Thetitles will be added. Pull a completecategory on a player, and the old list willbe replaced with the new one.

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4.04. How can I change title information?BPM Studio offers convenient options on how theinformations attached to a title are managed.These informations are stored in the ID3 tags ofthe files themselves, and in the play list files (*.pls)

1.) Point the mouse pointer on the title to bemodified.

2.) With the right mouse button / pop up menuselect the “Properties” point. Alternatively

you can also use the button.

3.) The File Info Box will be opened:

When you select several files, and openthe File Properties Dialog, a checkboxwill appear beside every entry. If thischeckbox is marked, the modification inthe according field will be applied to alltitles. This is especially useful if severaltitles are to be assigned to a particulargenre, or album title.

Here all information contained in the ID3 tag willbe displayed. If you want to modify any of theinformation, simply overwrite it, and confirm withOK. The information will be updated in the ID3tag, as well as in the Play List.

To the right of the BPM field, the complete pathto this MP3 file will be displayed. If there is notenough space, you can move the mouse pointerover it, and the whole path will be displayed astool tip.

With the BPM... button you can open the BPMCounter module, and be able to determine theBPM value directly out of the properties dialog,and save it.

Edit... will start the File Editor with the selectedtitle.

In the chapter File Properties Dialog you can findfurther information and descriptions aboutmodifying title information.

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4.05. Ripping and Archiving Audio-CDsMany functions and perfected modules are inBPM Studio available for copying and archivingaudio-CDs. How you can transfer your existingCD collection to the BPM Studio system, isexplained in the following section.

Requirements:Music in the MP3 format occupies about 1 MB ofhard drive space for 1 minute of music. Thismeans that on a hard drive with 30 GB capacityapproximately 8,000 to 10,000 titles with anaverage length of 3.5 minutes can be stored.The Audio-CDs are read in with the CD-ROM driveand copied to the hard drive. This procedure isalso called “ripping”. The speed of this processmainly depends on the quality of the drive. Butalso the performance of the overall system isimportant, for example if copying and encodingare to be done in one single process.

After the installation of BPM Studio, MP3 fileswill be stored in the \DATA folder on drive C bydefault. We recommend, when using the programprofessionally, to install a second (or even more)additional hard drive/s, and to move the MP3folder accordingly to the new hard drive. This canbe done in the Program Options, “storage”register tab.Optimally create a \MP3 folder on the new harddrive, and select this folder as standard for MP3files. BPM Studio will then store all ripped, andencoded files in this folder.

A large relief, when adopting title lists on the PC,is the global CD database on the Internet. There,

the title information of the most known and currentCDs are stored, and can be downloaded for free.BPM Studio has a built in CDDB inquiry function,to be started over the button. If aparticular CD can not be found in this database,an alternative CDDB-database can be defined inthe Program Options. Or, the information can beentered manually in the file properties dialog.To be able to use the CDDB inquiry you need aInternet connection either over the dial up networkadapter of Windows, or through a real Internetconnection through a masked network. StandardProxy software for Windows only offers HTTP andFTP services. If you own a UNIX system asgateway, activate masquerading, and enter theIP Address of the gateway into the networksettings of Windows. If you use programs likeWinGate, or AVM KEN!, please activate theSOCKS Proxy in these programs, res. install theproper client software on the BPM Studio PCYou can get more help from about this topic fromyour system administrator, or your local PC store.

We recommend to save all MP3 files inone folder. The BPM Studio File Archiveand the hard drive directory stand in norelation to each other. If you move a filein the BPM Studio File Archive, thephysical location on the hard driveremains unchanged. This way, it can getmessy very easily, if you store files indifferent folders on your hard drive, andlater on rearrange them in the FileArchive.BPM Studio Private Edition doesn't

include an Encoder. All Functionsconcerning MP3 Encoding will onlywork if you have already installed aMP3 Codec on your PC.

54

First StepsBPM StudioRipping Audio-CDs:1.) Switch to the CD-Player of BPM Studio by

clicking the button. Insert a audio-CDinto the CD-ROM drive. After a couple of seconds,all titles on the CD should appear in the playersPlay List. Since BPM Studio doesn’t know thisCD yet, all titles will be displayed as TRACK –followed by their title number.

2.) Now click on the button.Provided Windows has a Internet connection setup, the PC will log on to the Internet, connects tothe CDDB (central disc data base for audio-CDs)and try’s to retrieve the information for the CD inthe drive.

3.) After successful CDDB query all titles of theCD will be listed.

If no information was provided in the CDDB forthis particular CD, at this point enter themmanually, in the file properties dialog. Now markthe titles to be read in with the according checkbox

to their left in the list, and click on .All marked titles will now be read in. The progresswill be displayed in a status window.

After successful encoding all files willautomatically listed in the File Archive’s “NEWFILES” category. For clearer appearance asubfolder with the current date will be created.(See also screen shot at end of page)

In the chapter CD Player you can read up morefunctions available for convenient audio-CD readin BPM Studio. You can, for example, read inwhole CDs as one track, or retrieve the CDinformation for several CDs with one single CDDBquery.

Creating an own File Archive:BPM Studio can manage several ten thousandsof titles. At such vastnumbers, it is easyto loose track, iftitles are notassigned to differentgeneral categories.For this purpose theFile Archive is used.In the screen shot tothe side you can seean examplestructure of anarchive of this kind.It consists of anumber ofcategories, and subcategories that canbe opened andclosed by doubleclick. After the initialinstallation or after reading in CDs you’ll find newtitles here that can be assigned to categoriesaccording to your preference.The archive shown here consists of the followingcategories:

55


NEW FILES:This category will automatically created by theripper, whenever new CDs are read in. The date,of when the CD was ripped, will be used as subcategory. In this sub category you will then findall the titles that have been read in at this particularday.

FIND RESULTS:This category will be created from BPM Studioafter the initial installation, when all hard drivesare scanned for MP3 files. This category willcontain sub categories, sorted by drive letter, inwhich all found MP3 files will be located.

DEFAULT:If you do not wish to make further modificationsin different categories res. subcategories, you cansort in all titles here. Otherwise just leave thegroups empty. This particular group/category isnecessary for BPM Studio to work properly, andcan not be deleted.

ARTIST:This category is created individually. As subcategories, different artists are defined. In one ofthese sub categories all titles of a certain artistpresent on the system are listed. This is veryuseful if you have a lot of titles from one particularartist, or whole albums are intended to be savedtogether. The sub category MIKE OLDFIELD forexample contains a second branch sub categorycalled TUBULAR BELLS, in which all titles of thisparticular album are saved.

TIME:This also individually created category utilizesdifferent times as sub directories. Here titles aresaved for which not the artist, but the release dateis used as index.

Of course these are only examples. Every usershould create a File Archive according to his ownneeds, and in the for him most overviewablefashion, so it can be browsed quickly duringevents.Independent of the File Archive structure, it isrecommended to use the search function, to finda particular title.Drag&Drop out of the group window:

You can drag a whole group out of thegroup window (to the left in File Archiveor Play List Archive), and drop it on aplayer. The previous play list will then bereplaced with the new titles. If you dragthe titles into a play list, they will all beamended to this list.

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4.06. How do I use the Sampler most efficient?With the sampler of BPM Studioyou can load short jingles,loops, and sound effects, andthen replay them by the click ofa button. The maximum lengthof such a sample in BPM StudioLE is 20 seconds. As in the twoplayers the playback will startexactly when the sampler buttonis clicked. This is achieved byutilizing very fast Direct Sounddrivers, or the Kernel Driver

developed by ALCATech. Learn now, how you canload and play samples with the sample player.

1.) Look up a jingle in your Play Lists. (You canalso use a regular title, merely 20 secondswill be loaded in the sampler though.

2.) Drag the title onto the desired button of thesampler, e.g. . To do so, place yourmouse pointer over the title, push the leftmouse button and hold it down, while youpoint at the desired button with the pointernow. The n let go. The sampler LED willshortly change its color from green to red,thus indicating that the sample has beenloaded. When the sample is loadedcompletely, the digit on the Sampler Buttonwill become brighter, this making it easierto determine which buttons have samplesassigned.

You can also load asample directly from thehard drive, via the pop upmenu. To do so point onthe desired button, andclick the r ight mousebutton. In the appearingmenu select “Load”, andselect the desired file inthe Explorer windowpopping up. Confirm withOK.

3.) Now click on the sampler button. The samplewill be played. For the duration of the sampleplayback can be stopped, by clicking thesame button again (not in scratch mode).You can also start the sample with thenumber block on your PCs keyboard or withthe sample block of the remote control unit(not RCP-1001). These buttons work parallel

Through the pop up menu two different playbackmodes can be selected for the sample player.

4.06.1. Single Play:When this option is activated (a little check markcan be seen in front of the entry) a possible stillplaying other sample will b stopped. Only ONEsample will be played at a time.

57

The volume of the sample player can be adjustedat the two [VOLUME] controls. Also the speed ofthe sample player, (Pitch) can be manipulated:

4.6.3. Configuring the Sample Player:BPM Studio supports output of the differentdevices, through different sound card channels.If not enough channels are available though thesample player can share the two output channelsof player A and B. In Program Options, registertab Audio I/O, simply the same channel as forplayer A, is entered for the sample player. When

using BPM Studio, the assignment keys

und are used to select if the output iscombined with that of player A or B. Please beaware that shifting the title takes a couple ofseconds. This will also be indicated by the samplerLED, when turns green again, the sampler isready.


4.06.2. Scratch mode:When this option is activated (a little check markcan be seen in front of the entry), upon clickingthe same button again the sample will not bestopped, but restarted. With this function a samplecan for example be played repeatedly to the beatof the title.

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Keyboard useBPM Studio

5.01. Keyboard use

59

Keyboard use BPM Studio

General functions:

Menu key: opens the context menu

Insert:1. Add records to the list with focus2. Add new group3. Alt+Insert: Add new subgroup

Space: Play/Stop Monitor oder Expand/Collapse Group

F1: Help

CTRL-P, SHIFT-P, ALT - P:Loads a track from a selected playlist into arespective Player (CTRL for Player A, SHIFT forPlayer B, ALT for CD-Player) by inserting theselected title into the playlist of this player afterthe current loaded title.

CTRL-Q, SHIFT-Q:Loads a track from the FileArchive into the left orright playlist (after the selected title in the playlist)

ALT - Q:Loads a track from the FileArchive into the Waitlist(after the selected title in the Waitlist)

Other functions:Toggle + P: Load selected Track into PlayerToggle + Q: Load selected Track in PlaylistToggle + Y: Pitch resetToggle + Z: Pitch on/off

Clipboard functions (Windows compatible):CTRL-A: Select allCTRL-C (CTRL-Insert): CopyCTRL-V (SHIFT-Insert): PasteCTRL-X (SHIFT-Delete): Cut

Alt + A: AutoFade on / offAlt + B: BPM counterAlt + C: Clear List or Clear GroupsAlt + D: Load DirectoryAlt + E: File EditorAlt + F: Start Manual FadeAlt + G: Show Group-File ArchiveAlt + H:Alt + I: File Info BoxAlt + J:Alt + K:Alt + l: Load list (or load files into File Archive)Alt + M: Show MixerAlt + N: NormalizeAlt + O: Options

Alt + R: Show RipperAlt + S: Search filesAlt + T:Alt + U:Alt + V:Alt + W:Alt + X: Exit

Sampler’s control:

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More information, description of ourcurrent sound card tests, programupdates and answers to frequently askedquestions (FAQ), can be found on ourweb site: www.alcatech.com

5.02. Tips and Instructions

General information:Usually BPM Studio works with all sound cardsserving DirectSound, installing one driver for allavailable channels.

If you experience any problems, you should atfirst (as a rule) load the newest driver for yoursound card, searching for it on the Web Site ofthe manufactuirer. Normally drivers arecontinuously updated and as the sound card isthe most important system component for BPMStudio, you should regularly check if a new driveris available.

The distribution of resources:The BPM Studio evaluates all frames of a MP3file and needs therefore a little more resourcesthan other simple MP3 player as WinAmpTM forexample. BPM Studio has essentially a muchgreater function range than this player and a directcomparison does not make any sense. So, weshould point out, that all sound cards possesstheir own, free IRQ and that is no other card orPC element uses it.Also other components like hard disk, CD-Romor graphic card play a role whcih is not tounderestimate for the total performance of asystem. It is also recommended to use a PCexclusively for BPM Studio (for professional use).

Driver latency:Under „latency“, we understand the „delay“between a command as for example ‘Play’, ‘Pau-se’ or ‘Stop’ and the moment the sound cardreacts to these commands and begins play forexample. Fundamentally ‘latency’ depends on theused driver type and partially on the driver too.As lower the latency of a driver is, the morequalified is the driver for exact Beat-mixing.

Tips and InstructionsBPM Studio

ALCATech GmbH assures the technical supportby e-mail. Your questions by e-mail pleasesend to [email protected] Please remember to give your Registrationnumber and program version.

Updated: 03/15/2015.

5.03. Contact, support

61

Contact BPM Studio

62

GlossaryBPM Studio

5.04. GlossaryApplicationSoftware programs that perform different tasksthat otherwise wouldn't be accomplished by anoperating system itself. Examples of suchapplications are: a text-editing program such asMicrosoft WORD, a bookkeeping program andBPM Studio.

ASFAbbreviation for Advanced Streaming Format. Itis a streaming format for files developed by Micro-soft.

BeatA repeating sound that defines speed and tempoof a title and is normally produced by aninstrument such as a drum for example.

BitA Bit is the smallest unit for binary data. With aBit exactly two different states (0 and 1) arerepresentable. (Bit = binary digit). A Bit is also aposition in the dual system. Most of the PCs andalso the modern information technology arebased on this numerical system.

Bit RateThe bit rate is a measure for the transmissionspeed of binary information. The scale unit forthe bit rate is bps (bits per second, number oftransmitted bits at one second). The maximal bitrate of a connection is also named as "bandwidth".As greather the bandwidth, as bigger is thetransmission speed. Some standard bit rates aree.g.: 96 Kbit, 128 Kbit, 196 Kbit, 244 Kbit. Ashigher bit rates allow to transfer more informationa better sound quality is obtainable. But a higherbit rate is always associated with a higher demandon memory space, as you have to store moreinformation as well.

BufferA memory space where data is held temporarilybefore final treatment. BPM Studio loads the titlefrom the hard disk into the buffer for a few secondsand then uncompresses it before the sound cardreceives it. Thanks to this action, no lockups orother malfunctions occur.

Configuration"To configure" means to adapt the hardware andsoftware to meet your own needs. BPM Studiohas a lot of possible different configurations inthe program options context menu. Please, readthe program options section in this manual for adetailed description of each selection.

Constant Bit RateIt means simply that the bit rate is not changedduring the copying or encoding. (See VBR also -Variable Bit Rate)

CueA cue is a position within a title that the playerrecognizes as a beginning point. BPM Studiomakes it possible to set up different Cue-Pointsfor a title. You can also start playing within a titlefrom this place.

CursorSymbol which shows on the monitor the positionof the next input. The traditionally cursor (e.g. ata DOS operating system) was displayed as asimply, blinking underline. Since the era of graficaluser interfaces and operating sytems the cursorcan change its design in accordance with itsfunction.

DesktopThe desktop or the background is what you seeon your computer monitor before you start anyother programs. This is the place where you startto work with other programs or files that you mayopen.

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Glossary BPM StudioDialogue boxThe Dialog box is a window that you can use tocommunicate with the computer or application.Dialog boxes give you information on the progressof a working application and offer you the optionto put that information to the use in the application.For example BPM Studio will show the programoptions as a dialog box.

DirectoryA directory is an area on the hard disk designatedfor storage for data files and other directories. Asan example, you would store all of your musictitles in a directory.

DriverA driver is a program that determines how acomputer will communicate with a peripheraldevice such as a sound card or video card. Themanufacturers of the peripherals create thedrivers. We recommend always visiting themanufacturer homepage of your sound card andother peripherals to find the newest informationabout their drivers.

DynamicsDynamics (or dynamic volume) in regard to soundis a range between the smallest and the greatestvalue of volume (the softest and the loudestposition). If the possibility to copy or play silenceor loudness is greater, then greater the dynamicswill be. It is also valid in the same way in therecording of audio signals.

Encode, Encoder, EncodingTo encode (code) means to transfer messagesor files into an encrypted form. Code is a systemof rules that is applied to transform a messageinto an impossible form so that it can only be readby authorized persons (normally to keep amessage in secrecy). Another way to encode isby decreasing the number of determined rulesused by an application with regards to huge datatransfer without a considerable loss of content.MP3 files are created as audio files by using anaudio Codec that holds only a fraction of the ori-ginal size of the file. The reading of AUDIO CDsis also called 'ripping'.

In this process, titles are copied from the CD asWAVE files to the hard disk. Then, an encoderwill read these files and transform them into MP3FORMAT. BPM Studio also offers the option toencode the CDs into MP3 format immediatelyduring reading ('ripping'). You can activate thatoption (rip and encode) in the program options -> option CDDA.

EncryptionData translation into an appropriate code toprotect information against unauthorized use byother persons. To be able to read coded files, youmust to have access to a code (or to a password)that authorizes you to decipher the codedinformation.

FileData collection (based on an application or pro-gram) of a determined type put on a computer,on floppy disks, on CD etc. Each file is storedunder an attributed name so that it's quick to findfor later use.

FormatThis is the preparation of a data medium (forexample: a hard disk) to store files. This is usuallydone during the first installation of an operatingsystem on a hard disk. It is also done to anyadditional hard disk in a PC.Format is a word that determines arrangementbased on rules. For example, there are left handand right hand text formats and there aredetermined audio file formats like WAVE, MP2and MP3.

IconA small image on the Desktop that symbolizes orrepresents a program or file. You can seeexamples of different icons on your Desktop.Normally, they are arranged on left side of thescreen as 'Recycle Bin', 'My Computer', and 'MyDocuments'. They are also called 'shortcut icons'.Programs associated with an icon will start bydouble clicking on the icon.

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ID3 TagThis is a feature of MP3 technology that givesthe user the possibility of storing informationregarding the MP3 within the MP3 itself. Basically,there are two types of ID3 tags: the old ID3-Tag,which is the fundamental tag and also the ID3V3tag, which is a more developed tag. BPM Studiosupports both formats and gives you the optionto choose the one you want to use. Werecommend using the ID3V3 Tag, because it cancontain much more information than the originaltag. The choice for which tag is used is made inthe program options.

InterfaceThis is the medium between hardware, softwareand the user. Basically, it allows the user tocommunicate with the PC in a simple way.

Joint StereoThis means that the encoder dynamically choosesan encoding algorithm according to the contentsof the audio file for each separate frame. Thisway each frame is encoded with the best possiblequality. The file size is simultaneously reducedthanks to a better compression ratio. These filesare also known as VBR files. BPM Studio canplay these files without any problems.

Kbit (kilobit)A kilobit corresponds to 1024 bits (1 kBit = 1024bits). The BPM Studio glossary definition shouldnot be confused with the metric system definitionwhere kilo is 1000.

MetronomeThis is a device that utters a fixed or continualsound (Tick, Whistle or blinking light). It isprimarily used by musicians to maintain a desiredbeat or play speed of a title so that it is not sloweror faster than what is designated.

MidiMidi is a serial communication protocol betweenelectronic musical instruments and effect devices.It serves to enlarge the sound capacities of adevice. An example of this would be a PC withMIDI software.

GlossaryBPM Studio

ModemThis makes it possible for a PC or similar deviceto connect to the Internet through a telephoneline. A modem (MOdulator / DEModulator)transforms digital signals from the PC into ana-log tones in preparation to send them acrosstelephone lines. This is needed becausetraditional telephone lines can only support ana-log signals. Modems are mostly used to connectto the Internet. There are also modems that senddata digitally. An example of this type of modemis an ISDN modem. ISDN works on a dedicateddigital telephone line instead of an analog line.

ModuleHardware or software that is a part of a biggersystem and represents influences to this system.A software module is a program that is developedto take over a specific part of a bigger program.The virtual Player, Mixer and CD - Player/Encoderare modules of BPM Studio. These modules areavailable in some or all versions of software.

MP3This is a file format developed by Fraunhofer IISin Germany. It contains compressed audio andID3 tag information. MP3's are intelligentlycompressed and are adapted to the sensibility ofthe human hearing and acoustic susceptibility. Itdynamically takes away all of the redundant, non-essential and not perceptible information and onlystores the necessary information for Hi-fi qualityplay. The file size can be minimized to 1/8th and1/19th of the original Wave file size. Thanks tothe MP3 Format, it was possible for the first timeto transfer music through Internet in Hi-fi qualitywith minimal download times. Larger and largerhard disks make it possible to store more musictitles directly on your computer. As a result of allthis, it was possible for BPM Studio to bedeveloped and introduced as a MP3 technologyinto the DJ field.

ParameterA parameter is a factor that determines a rangeof variations. By adding parameters to the endof a program command line, you can make theprogram run differently. A few examples ofparameters in BPM Studio are: buffer size, datapath and compression rate.

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Glossary BPM Studio

PeripheralAn auxiliary device, such as a printer, modem,storage system or external Remote Control Unitthat works in conjunction with a computer.

PitchProfessional CD players allows the user to changethe playback speed of a track. This is neccesarye.g. for synchronizing two titles with differentspeed (BPM - beats per minute) resp. playbackwith the same speed. The measure of thechanged speed in contrast to the original speedis called "pitch" and is stated in percent. A pitchvalue of +100% means that the title will be playedwith the double speed, -50% plays the titel withthe half of the speed.

Pitch BendUsing the Pitch Bend function a temporaryincreaseing or decreasing of the pitch is possible.This is usefully if two titles, already played backwith the same speed, shall be synchronized inbeat. By pressing a Pitch Bend button the speedwill be increase or decrease continuously. Atreleasing the button the title returns continuouslyto its originally speed as well. With the Pitch Bendbuttons the beats of two titels can synchronizedexactly and very small corrections of both playersare possible.

Rip, RippingRipping is act of reading an Audio CD using theCD-ROM drive of a computer and storing theinformation onto a hard disk. IBM PC's use theWave format for ripping and Mac computers usethe AIFF format. The generation of an MP3 filecan happen either after a rip or simultaneouslyas the rip is being performed.

Root DirectoryWhen a floppy or hard disk is formatted for use,this particular directory is created. It is called theRoot Directory. It contains important systematicfiles and is the first level for subdirectories.

Selection boxThis is a text box that enables a choice between'ON' and 'OFF' or 'Yes' or 'No'.

SubdirectoryThis is a directory within a directory.Subdirectories are used to organize files. Thismakes it easier to find files.

TempoTempo is the original speed of a title. The songwriter or interpreter defines this speed. With thePitch function of most professional CD players,and BPM Studio as well, this speed can bechanged in a wide range.

Text fieldThis is a rectangular box where text can beentered. There are many different ways to usethese Text boxes for example: changing standardtext entries or other pretending text (if the changeis allowed), entering necessary programinformation to enable the program to work andalso editing title entries in the ID3V3 tags for lateruse.

TrackWe refer to a Track as recorded title, a piece ofmusic or a song.

VBR FilesCompared to CBR (Constant bit rate), the encoderanalyzes the title's VBR (variable bit rate) andchooses an exact compression algorithm forevery frame adapted by the MP3 encoding. Thisallows for better compression at higher bit ratescompared to the compression of a simple signalor CBR.

WAVE fileThis format is used by Windows to store audiosignals free of sound quality loss. Examples ofsources of this sound quality could be: AudioCD's, Film soundtracks and records. All signalsare copied exactly. The quality in the WAV file isthe same as in the original data. But, in order tohave this kind of quality it is necessary to have alarge amount of free hard disk space.