Robbie Elder

Hi Debbie! This sounds like one for mulder and scully Are you saving the files after applying these effects? Also if you burn an Audio CD, any files you've converted to another format will be put back into .wav. You might want to try a Data CD to preserve the current file size and format. Also make sure you do 'File Save As' to avoid accidentally overwriting the original files in order to preserve them. Probably best to stick the processed ones in a seperate folder and choose mp3 instead of wav.

There is no easy fix to this, you probably need a preamp to boost the signal unless it is a very high quality dynamic microphone

Do you have any other microphone devices hooked upto your computer such as a Webcam? I have a sneaking suspicion if it does sound far away, not just 'soft' then it might have been recording from another source. A good way to test verify is to do something that will cause the mic to distort (blow into it, or yell) If not, check out your sound settings in control panel. In Recording Settings, there should be a 'properties' button for your mic where you should be able to adjust it's input or boost settings.

some CD players can read a variety of formats, although the only way to guarantee a proper audio cd is to use Express Burn.

hi! you need to go into 'Options', then in the bottom right corner is 'Other Options' where you need to tick the "Add tag information to the ripped file" box

Hi fish99, If you look in "C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\Switch" there should be setup .exe file. You should keep a copy of that incase any future versions of Switch supercede your current License. Also keep a copy of the details you entered into Switch to register it which should have also been emailed to you! That's all you should need

Hi oldhag Apparently this driver belongs to Soundtap the 'Convert -> Convert Audio Stream' launches Soundtap so this doesn't surprise me, it might of had a bad install. You could try look for Soundtrap in Add/Remove programs or do a fresh install from the NCH website which should fix or remove the driver problem altogether.

Hi! Switch is quite Command Line friendly, I managed to work it out myself the other day after about half an hour. And I tend to stay far away from command line. Below is an excerpt from the help file on the commands, it's fairly lengthy: The Switch command-line tool allows you to use Switch to convert files from the Windows command line. This can be used to let other software convert files with Switch or to automate batch conversion. Important Note: Due to a limitation in the way Windows handles running graphical programs from the command line, Switch cannot give any feedback when an issued command has been completed, nor can it block the command line while a conversion is taking place. We are currently investigating possible ways to circumvent the Windows problem, but please note it down for now and take it into account when issuing command-line orders to Switch. The Switch executable is usually located as "C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\Switch\switch.exe" Usage: switch.exe [options] [files to add] "Options" is where you can issue a series of commands to Switch. The options are: -convert - convert all files loaded into Switch. -clear - remove all files loaded into Switch. -addfolder [FOLDER_NAME] - add a folder of files into Switch. -format [FORMAT_NAME] - specify the output file format for which to convert the loaded files. The format names are the file extensions for each format (e.g. .wav, .mp3). -outfolder [FOLDER_NAME] - specify the output folder to store the converted files. Do NOT end the folder path with a backslash '\' character. -settempfolder [FOLDER_NAME] - specify the temporary folder that Switch will store files in when playing or converting files. If the specified folder is not valid then no action will take place. -overwrite [OVERWRITE_FLAG] - specifies what to do when the converted file already exists. The flags are "PROMPT" (Prompt for What to Do), "ALWAYS" (Overwrite the File), "NEVER" (Don't Convert the Original File), "CANCEL" (Abort All Conversions), "APPENDNUMBER [format]" (Append number to filename - [format] is optional, if blank it will use the format already specified in the program). -settings [FORMAT_NAME] [sETTINGS_OPTIONS] - specifies the settings configuration to use for the specified format. For more detail on what parameters to use, see further down the page. -insettings [FORMAT_NAME] [sETTINGS_OPTIONS] - specifies the settings configuration to use for formats requiring decoding prior to conversion (e.g. .vox, .raw) For more detail on what parameters to use, see further down the page. -hide - hide the Switch window. -show - show the Switch window. -exit - exit Switch. "Files to Add" is where you type in the files you want to load into Switch. All typed filenames must use the full filepath of the name, and circumfixed with inverted commas. Examples: switch.exe -format MP3 switch.exe -outfolder "C:\My Music"; switch.exe -hide switch.exe "C:\My Documents\sound.mp3" switch.exe -convert "C:\My Music\music.mp3" -format .wav -overwrite ALWAYS switch.exe -convert "C:\My Music\music.ogg" -format .mp3 -overwrite APPENDNUMBER "%filename%-%number%" Unless you are in the Switch folder you will need to replace "switch.exe" from above with the full path "C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\Switch\switch.exe" like this: "C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\Switch\switch.exe" -convert "C:\My Music\music.mp3" -format WAV Settings Options: The following details what parameters to enter when using the "-settings" and "-insettings" options. Note the order in which the parameters are written is the order in which they must be typed. Additionally, all parameters must be entered otherwise the command will not take effect. WAV [codeC] [sAMPLE_RATE] [CHANNELS] * CODEC - either "PCM8", "PCM16", "ALAW" or "MULAW" (note ADPCM is not supported at this time) * SAMPLE_RATE - entered in Hz e.g. 8000 * CHANNELS - either 1 or 2 Note the possible combination of values that can be entered depend largely on the codec, so you would have to open Switch and determine beforehand what values you can use for the codec in question. Example: -settings .wav PCM16 44100 2 MP3 ENCODER_TYPE CBR[bITRATE] [HIGH_QUALITY] VBR[MIN_BITRATE] [MAX_BITRATE] [QUALITY] [CHANNEL_MODE] [ERROR_PROTECT] ENCODER_TYPE - either "CBR" or "VBR" CBR OPTIONS: * BITRATE - entered in kbps e.g. 128 * HIGH_QUALITY - either "TRUE" or "FALSE" VBR OPTIONS: * MIN_BITRATE - entered in kbps e.g. 128 * MAX_BITRATE - entered in kbps e.g. 192 * QUALITY - a value from 0 to 9 * CHANNEL_MODE - either "STEREO", "JOINT", "FORCE" or "MONO" * ERROR_PROTECT - either "TRUE" or "FALSE" Examples: * -settings .mp3 CBR 128 TRUE STEREO TRUE * -settings .mp3 VBR 128 192 4 MONO FALSE OGG ENCODER_TYPE Quality[QUALITY] VBR[MIN_BITRATE] [MAX_BITRATE] [CHANNELS] [sTRIP_COMMENTS] ENCODER_TYPE - either "Quality" or "VBR" Quality OPTIONS: * QUALITY - a value between 0 and 10 VBR OPTIONS: * MIN_BITRATE - entered in kbps e.g. 128 * MAX_BITRATE - entered in kbps e.g. 192 * CHANNELS - either 1 or 2 * STRIP_COMMENTS - either "TRUE" or "FALSE" Examples: * -settings .ogg Quality 5 2 TRUE * -settings .ogg VBR 96 192 1 FALSE WMA [codeC_INDEX] [sAMPLE_RATE] [bITRATE] [CHANNELS] CODEC_INDEX - this value should be an integer of 0 or greater. The maximum value will depend on which wma codecs you have installed on your computer. The value you specify corresponds directly to the index of the WMA codec pulldown list in the WMA settings dialog. For example, if you prefer to use the first value listed in the pulldown list, specify 0 here. If you prefer to use the second specify 1. SAMPLE_RATE - Specify the target sample rate of the conversion in Hz. eg. 44100. BITRATE - Specify the target bitrate of the conversion in bps. eg. 128000. CHANNELS - Specify 1 for Mono or 2 for Stereo. Examples: * -settings .wma 1 44100 192000 2 SPX [MODE] [VALUE] ([AGC] [DENOISE]) MODE - Defines what mode of encoding to perform. Must be one of the following values: * Preset * CBR (Constant Bitrate defined in bps) * VBR (Variable Bitrate defined in bps) * ABR (Average Bitrate defined in bps) VALUE - This parameter depends on the MODE you specified in the first parameter: * Preset - a value between 0 (lowest quality and highest compression) and 10 (highest quality and lowest compression). * CBR - the bitrate at which the audio will be encoded at. * VBR - the maximum bitrate at which to encode the audio. * ABR - the average bitrate at which to encode the audio. AGC - this is an optional parameter which will turn the Speex encoder's Adaptive Gain Control on. Denoise - this is an optional parameter which instructs the Speex encoder to denoise the input before encoding. Examples: * -settings .spx Preset 1 Denoise * -settings .spx VBR 192000 AGC Denoise * -settings .spx CBR 128000 MPC [QUALITY_PRESET] * QUALITY_PRESET - one of the following: Thumb, Radio, Standard, Extreme, Insane Example: -settings .mpc Standard APE [QUALITY_PRESET] * QUALITY_PRESET - one of the following: Fast, Normal, High, Extra High, Insane Example: -settings .ape Normal AIFF [sAMPLE_RATE] [CHANNELS] * SAMPLE_RATE - one of the following: 6000, 8000, 11025, 16000, 22050, 32000, 44100, 48000, 64000, 88200, 96000, 196000 * CHANNELS - either 1(Mono) or 2(Stereo) Example: -settings .aiff 44100 1 AAC/M4A ENCODER_TYPE ABR[bITRATE] VBR[QUALITY] [FORCE_MPEG2] [TNS] ENCODER_TYPE - either "ABR" or "VBR" ABR OPTIONS: * BITRATE - entered in kbps e.g. 128 VBR OPTIONS: * QUALITY - a value between 0 and 10 * FORCE_MPEG2 - either "TRUE" or "FALSE" * TNS - either "TRUE" or "FALSE" Examples: * -settings .aac ABR 128 FALSE FALSE * -settings .m4a VBR 100 TRUE TRUE FLAC [COMPRESSION_LEVEL] [sAMPLE_RATE] [CHANNELS] * COMPRESSION_LEVEL - a value between 0 and 8 * SAMPLE_RATE - entered in Hz e.g. 8000 * CHANNELS - either 1 or 2 Example: -settings .flac 6 44100 2 VOX/RAW [codeC] [sAMPLE_RATE] [CHANNELS] (Note: applies to both "-settings" and "-insettings" commands) * CODEC - a number between 0 and 8, representing the codec type. The codecs on offer are (in order): o Dialogic ADPCM o G.711 uLaw o G.711 aLaw o 16 bit PCM (Intel Endian) o 8 bit unsigned o 8 bit signed o 16 bit PCM (Big Endian) o 32 bit float (Intel Endian) o 32 bit float (Big Endian) * SAMPLE_RATE - entered in Hz e.g. 8000 * CHANNELS - either 1 or 2 Examples: * -settings .vox 0 44100 2 * -settings .raw 3 32000 1 * -insettings .vox 2 22050 2 * -insettings .raw 4 8000 1 AMR [bITRATE] * BITRATE - the bitrate at which you want to encode the AMR file (in kbps). The choices are 4.75, 5.15, 5.9, 6.7, 7.4, 7.95, 10.2 and 12.2. Examples: * -settings .amr 4.75 * -settings .amr 10.2 M3U/PLS/WPL/RSS * URL - the URL of the site where you will host the playlist file. URLs should start with the http:// or ftp:// protocol string as appropriate. To configure the settings for the generated MP3 file, use the standard MP3 settings syntax to configure it (i.e. -settings .mp3 etc. etc.) Examples: * -settings .rss "http://www.music.com/" * -settings .m3u "http://livebands.com/rock/" * -settings .pls "ftp://latinmusic.net/samba/"

Hi Arlo! Make sure you have the two soundclips loaded into individual tracks, and slightly overlapping where you want them to crossfade. Select one of the clips (Usually best to click the very top of the soundwave where the name of the file is shown) then hold down the Shift key and select the other track similarly. All going well, 3 little white boxes should appear at the start and end of each clip indicating they've been selected: Step 1 Then click Clip -> Cross Fade Selected clips. And it should end up like this: Step 2 voila!

Hi! A new version of Pixillion was released recently that might have fixed this. If not, does it consistantly happen with the same pictures? or is it any picture that happens to be converting after several have already done?

no probs I've suggested a future feature of including selectable preset tunings for variable instruments though, would involve a lot less googling!

If you look at the audio track at the bottom of the screen, there should be a little star you can click on for each audio track to select from the FX provided However there doesn't seem to be DC Offset or Normalize. You may have to export the sound to Wavepad, edit it, save, then import back into VideoPad

I think the easiest way to do this at the moment would be to create a still image (in MSPaint or any other similar program) with the credits on it (or several) then import those still frames into VideoPad then specify the amount of time you want each image to stay on the screen.

Which output format did you select in Debut? Also the settings for 'Encoder Options' and 'Change Resolution and Framerate' and I shall have a look into it for you

In Control -> Sound -> Recording Devices Have you set the mic as the default device?

The number after the note represents which Octave it is in. C4 = Middle C This might make it less confusing: http://www.dolmetsch.com/midinotes.gif

Are you using an amp or DI box before going line-in? I recall having to crank the output up a bit in order to get Pitch Perfect to detect the lower notes. Using the wave output from the TwelveKeys keyboard shows that it can detect notes much lower than that B, so it should be possible!

Hi Chad, Two mono channels (Left+Right) = Stereo. You might want to give MixPad a try instead, that way you can pan the individual tracks around and create a more stereo environment. You'll either want to disable one channel, or output Left to Track 1 and Right to Track 2.

Hi Steve, If you have a high enough screen resolution (800x600+) the Command bar on the left side of the screen should provide you with the basic first steps to help you on your way. (View -> Command Bar -> Show command bar. If you happened to have closed it) Short of that, there is a comprehensive helpfile (F1) or feel free to ask questions here.

Mixpad is a multi-track recorder, so you'd probably find it much more useful and can layer the vocals over the instrumental. Hardware wise; a soundcard with 'mic' or 'line in' + a microphone and you're set! If you're really keen on it you might want to invest in a Preamp too to boost the mic signal