| INTRODUCTION |
The Space Station is a memory resident, software driven virtual sampler for DOS or Windows 95.
It features all of the standard functions found on a hardware sampler and several others never seen before!.
The user interface has been designed for quick and easy use. However, the Space Station is a professional audio suite, and time will be needed to explore all its possible applications.
The manual deals with all
Space Station functions and concepts but some understanding of MIDI, Sampling
and Sound Design is necessary as technical terms have been used where applicable.
| REQUIREMENTS |
The Core of the Space Station's Output Engine can be adjusted to 11Khz, 22Khz or 44Khz in Stereo or Dual Mono modes, this enables the Software to run on any IBM or Clone PC with a 386 or faster processor, containing 6Mb of RAM or more, a Sound Blaster 16,32 or 64, a dual speed CD ROM or faster, a 16 colour VGA adapter or better and a minimum of 10Mb of Hard Disk space.
386 DX40
11Khz Stereo or Dual Mono
modes only using DOS 5 or greater.
486 DX66
11Khz or 22Khz Stereo
or Dual Mono modes using DOS 5 or greater.
P60 - P90
All modes using DOS 5
or greater or the same as a 486 DX66 in WIN 95.
P100 - P200
All modes in DOS or WIN
95.
P166MMX -P300MMX
All modes in DOS or WIN
95.
P2
All modes in DOS or WIN
95.
For information on Polyphony
Values see Test Results below.
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| COMPATIBILITY |
The Space Station only
supports the Creative Labs Sound blaster 16 range of cards. There
are many audio cards claiming to be 100% Sound blaster compatible which
in fact, are not. The Space Station talks directly to the Digital Sound
Processor (DSP) of your audio card. Unless you have a Creative Labs
Sound blaster 16 or AWE contact will not be established, and
the Space Station will not launch.
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| FUNDAMENTALS |
The Space Station Loads
Waves into RAM, eliminating the need for Audio Cards with RAM on board,
the more RAM your PC has the more Waves you can Load. All operations including
Wave Play back are carried out from within RAM limiting Disk access and
preventing most of the noise associated with PC Audio.
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| PERFORMANCE |
The Space Station will
perform like any Multitimbral Hardware device, with use of 16 MIDI Channels
sharing a global Polyphony Value. Instruments can be Loaded\ Assigned to
MIDI Channels and Played back simultaneously. Instruments can be modified
both on screen and with MIDI in REAL TIME.
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| INSTRUMENTS |
Standard PC Wave files can be Loaded\Assigned to Keys and modified using Sampler\Synth style editing tools. Instruments can consist of 1-128 Waves (single Layered) or 2-256 Waves (multi layered) and stored to disk as Banks.
1-256 WAVES = 1 BANK,
1-16 BANKS = 1 GROUP
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| STRUCTURE |
The Space Station has been
split into seven Functional areas known as Zones, each of which is colour
coded and has several Control Windows known as Levels. All Zones and Levels
are numbered for quick identification.
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| ZONES |
Designed for controlling and Monitoring MIDI, Groups, Banks and Waves.
Desktop (Zone 0)
Split into three Levels
for monitoring MIDI Data, Status and Memory Messages.
Edit Group (Zone 1)
Split into five Levels
for assigning Banks(Instruments) to MIDI Channels and setting Audio quality\Polyphony,
Sound blaster Levels, MIDI and Preferences.
Edit Bank (Zone 2)
Split into nine Levels
for generating and modifying Banks (instruments). All Levels within
this Zone give access to advanced synth style editing functions used for
controlling Waves in a none destructive manner. All Versions except
OEM.
Edit Wave (Zone 3)
Split into five Levels
for modifying and Recording Wave Files. All Levels within this Zone
physically modify the Waves. PRO and Manufacture Versions only.
Sequencer (Zone 4)
Split into five Levels
for creating and modifying Songs. All Levels within this Zone are used
for modifying MIDI Data in different ways. Zone Under Construction.
Mixer (Zone 5)
Split into three Levels
for transmitting fixed or user definable MIDI Data and constructing
and saving Mixers.
Navigator (Zone 6)
Split into two Levels
for moving around Zones\Levels quickly and providing on line Help for the
current active Level.
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| LIBRARY |
To make the Space Station more immediately useable for amateurs and pros alike, there is an extensive Instrument\Accessaries library supplied on CD ROM. You will find six directories named Groups, Banks, Waves, Mixers, LFO and Envelope.
Groups
Contains a range of Demo
files to get you started.
Banks
Contains a range of sub
directories each of which tree down to list of available Instruments,
ie: Banks\Sounds\Keyboard\Piano\ Acoustic\Grand02.bnk.
Waves
Contains a simular directory
structure to Banks and contains two Types of Waves.
Type One
Loop Waves, one Bar live
performances in the Key of A or E within twelve Tempos. All of the available
Loop Waves have be Assigned and saved as Banks utilising the Loop Mode
2 Function and without, all Loop Mode 2 Banks have a 2 on the File Name
end.
Type Two
Single Tones Recorded
from Keys C0,1,2,3,4,5,6 used for creating Instruments such as Grand02.bnk,
use these Waves to create your own Instruments and save as Banks.
Mixers
Contains a range of different
User Mixers for controlling all types of MIDI Hardware.
LFO
Contains a range of different
LFO Shapes used within Zone 2 Levels 7, 8 and 9.
Envelope
Contains a range of different
Envelope Shapes used within Zone 2 Level 3.
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| WINDOWS 95 |
The Space Station can be
Sequenced on the same PC running WIN 95 as long as there is another MIDI
port installed, this can be a second Sound Card or a dedicated MPU401 or
compatible. The second MIDI port is used to physically Output to the Sound
Blaster using MIDI cables, as the Space Station deals only with MIDI generated
by itself or received from the Sound Blaster external Input, however
use of the AWE32/64 Wave table or SB16 Daughter Board can still be achieve
internally. When using a Sequencer capable of Hard Disk Playback it is
important to Launch the Space Station first unless two Creative Labs Sound
Blaster cards are installed or the Sequencer is set to default to the other
card, this is due to the Space Station utilizing the SB16 Wave Play back
section of the Audio card. When using two Sound cards Hard Disk Play back
is possible but Polyphony will be seriously effected.
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