Copyright: Copyright (c) 1996-1997 Creative Technology Ltd.


Help Contents
Contents

Overview

Mixer Control

The Interface

Knowing Mixer Control

Working with Mixer Control

Using the Mouse and Keyboard

Using the Recording Settings Dialog Box

Controlling the Output Gain

Customizing Mixer Control

Quitting Mixer Control


Mixer Control

Mixer Control is a powerful Windows-based audio mixer that allows you to combine and manipulate sound from various audio sources.

With the Mixer Control, it is possible to control the volume, tone and gain of an audio source while running other Windows applications.  You can also select and mix different audio sources during playback and recording.


Knowing Mixer Control

Note

The appearance of Mixer Control may differ as some audio cards do not support certain features shown in the diagram above.

Related Topics

Master Control

Tone Controls

Audio and Recording Source Controls

PC Speaker Volume Control

WaveSynth

LED Display

Audio Source Check Boxes

Recording Source Check Boxes

Control Menu


Master Control

Master Control

Master Control adjusts the volume level and balance of all audio sources.

To adjust the volume

Use the vertical slider.

To adjust the balance

Use the horizontal slider.

To balance both channels

Double-click the thumb of the horizontal slider.

To turn on sound from the Master Control

Select the Audio Source check box [image].
A green dot indicates a selected Master Control.


Tone Controls

Bass

Treble

Tone Controls adjust the bass and treble of all audio sources.

To adjust the level of bass or treble

Use the vertical slider.

To adjust the balance

Use the horizontal slider.

Notes

Bass represents the lower range of sound frequencies in the output.  Treble represents the higher range of sound frequencies in the output.

Tone Controls are not present in some audio cards.


Audio and Recording Source Controls

 or  	Wave input

MIDI input

CD-audio

Line-input

Microphone input

Auxiliary recording source

Audio Source Controls adjust the volume level and balance of the various audio sources.

To adjust the volume

Use the vertical slider.

To adjust the balance

Use the horizontal slider.

To balance both channels

Double-click the thumb of the horizontal slider.

Related Topic

Audio Source Check Boxes


PC Speaker Volume Control

PC Speaker Volume Control

PC Speaker Volume Control adjusts the volume level of the PC's internal speaker.

To adjust the volume

Use the vertical slider.

To turn on sound from the PC speaker

Select the Audio Source check box [image] for PC Speaker Volume Control.
A green dot indicates a selected PC speaker.


WaveSynth

WaveSynth

WaveSynth allows you to play MIDI instruments at better audio quality without needing the Wavetable synthesis hardware.

To enable WaveSynth

When you install WaveSynth in the system, Mixer Control will automatically detect it and then display accordingly.


LED Display

The LED Display allows you to view the data of audio sources graphically.

To invoke the LED display

On the Control Menu, select LED Display.

When you click on the LED Display, you can switch among any of the following graphic displays.

Power Spectrum — shows different frequency levels of the output.

VU Meter — shows the intensity of the sound entering both the left and right speakers.

Scope — shows the combined amplitude of waves from the selected audio sources.

To turn the LED Display on

Select the LED Display check box [image].
A green dot indicates the LED Display is on.

To turn the LED Display off

Clear the LED Display check box.

Note

There will not be any LED Display during the playback or recording of wave


Audio Source Check Boxes

An Audio Source check box [image] allows you to turn on the sound from the audio source.

To turn on all sounds

Select the Audio Source check box for the Master Volume.
A green dot in the Audio Source check box [image] indicates that the audio source is selected for output.

To turn on the sound from a specific audio source

Select the Audio Source check box for that audio source.
A green dot in the Audio Source check box [image] indicates that the audio source is selected for output.

Related Topic

Recording Source Check Boxes


Recording Source Check Boxes

A Recording Source check box [image] allows you to select an audio source for recording.  You can record from MIDI input, CD audio, Line-input and microphone input.

To record from an audio source

Select the Recording Source check box for that audio source.
A red dot in the Recording Source check box indicates that the audio source is selected.

Related Topic

Audio Source Check Boxes


Control Menu

The following describes each command on the Control Menu:

This menu item	Allows you to do this

Restore	Restore Mixer Control to its previous size.

Move	Move Mixer Control.

Minimize	Reduce Mixer Control to an icon.

Close	Close Mixer Control.

Switch To	Open the Task List dialog box listing all the currently running applications.

Minimum View	Display the Master Control only.

Expanded View	Display all the controls of Mixer Control.

Custom View	Display the customized controls only.

Title Bar	Show or hide the Title Bar.

LED Display	Invoke LED Display.

Preferences	Customize Mixer Control.

Recording Settings	Display the Recording Settings dialog box.

Output Gain	Display the Output Gain dialog box.

Help on Mixer Control	Launch the Mixer Control Help window where you can get information on how to perform various tasks in the application.

About Mixer Control	Display copyright information about Mixer Control.

MGC or AGC	Switch the Microphone Gain Control or Automatic Gain Control on or off.

Notes

The appearance of the Control Menu may differ because certain features are available only in some audio cards.

If the title bar is not displayed, the Menu appears when you click on your right mouse button anywhere on the Mixer window (except on a check box, slider, or LED display).


Using the Mouse and Keyboard

Like many Windows applications, Mixer Control can be controlled using the mouse or keyboard.

 Using the mouse

To select a check box, click on it with your left mouse button.

To adjust a slider bar, click on it and hold down the mouse button as you drag it to the desired position.

 Using the keyboard

To activate the Control-Menu Box, press <F10>. Use arrow keys to select options.

To advance from one control to another, press <Tab>.

To move to the previous control, press <Shift+Tab>.

To select an option in a check box, press <Spacebar>.

To adjust the volume, tone and gain of audio sources, use the Up or Down arrow keys.

To toggle the Title Bar, press <ESC>.


Using the Recording Settings Dialog Box

To change the recording settings

1	Select Recording Settings from the Control Menu.
The Recording Settings dialog box, shown below appears.

2	Use the Gain group box to amplify the recording gain level of either channel and the Microphone Gain Control (or Automatic Gain Control) to automatically adjust input from the microphone to a reasonable level during recording.

Note

The Gain or Microphone Gain Control is available only in some audio cards.


Controlling the Output Gain

To control the output gain

1	Select Output Gain the Control Menu.
The Output Gain dialog box below appears.

2	Change the gain setting of the left and right output channels to the desired level.
You can do this by clicking the up or down arrows in the L and R spin buttons.

3	Choose Close to close the Output Gain dialog box.

Note

The Gain is available only in some audio cards.


Customizing Mixer Control

You can customize the appearance of Mixer Control by using the Control menu.  The three ways of customizing the appearance of the Mixer are as follows:

Minimum View displays the Master Control only.

Expanded View displays controls for all the sources of sound available for recording or playback.  This  includes the volume, bass and treble controls.

Custom View displays any of the Master Control, PC Speaker Control and the controls of the Wave, MIDI and CD-audio.

If you want to choose the controls to display with the Custom View setting, choose the Preferences option in the control menu.  The Preferences dialog box below appears.

The Preferences dialog box allows you to toggle display of the following controls: Treble, Bass, Wave, MIDI, CD-audio, Line-input, microphone, and PC speaker.

In addition, the Preferences dialog box also allows you to choose the following options:

Show Balance Control — displays or hides the balance sliders.

Always on Top — keeps the Mixer as the topmost window.

Save Settings on Exit — saves all the settings made when you exit the Mixer.

Note

The Master Control always appears on the Mixer as it controls the volume and balance of the overall audio output during playback and recording.

Related Topic

Hiding the Title Bar


Hiding the Title Bar

To hide or display the Title Bar

Double-click anywhere in the window except on a check box, slider, or the LED display.


Quitting Mixer Control

To quit Mixer Control

On the Control Menu, click Close.
Alternatively, double-click the Control-Menu box.