moriarty@fluke.UUCP (04/02/87)
In article <1382@tekig4.TEK.COM>, bradn@tekig4.TEK.COM (Bradford Needham) writes: > I'd like some information about the MacNifty audio digitizer for the Mac. > > Who makes it and what's their address? They don't seem to be at the address > I have. While it is distributed by The Kette Group, the creators are Impulse, 6860 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55445. I'll check this once I get home -- I have some recent correspondence from them (more on that later). > Is the thing Mac+ (actually SE) compatible? Is anybody using one on a Mac+? > Is the software copy-protected? It is Mac+ compatible -- IF you have an adapter. I use the old ThunderWare ThunderScan adapter -- the new one (which runs off of the power pin on the external drive port) is even nicer. So that's an Extra $25 if you use a Mac+ or an SE (I have used it on an SE for about six months). The software is not copy-protected -- all of mine is on my DataFrame. Much of the software is PD, other than the SoundCap program (player, SoundInit, etc.). > Can you easily incorporate digitized sounds into a program (e.g., Aztec C)? > Has anyone done this with Aztec C? No experience here, but several programs (NetTrek and others) use SoundCap sound files with them. > What do you like/dislike about the MacNifty or the company that makes it? As companies go, I have to give Impulse a B. My major complaint would be their documentation; it's folksy, but it's often non-intuitive and often seems to feel that you should "figure it out yourself". Luckily, most of the software is pretty well thought out. My major complaint doesn't come to MacNifty's door -- I want to add sound to my animation. They thoughtfully provided a program for putting sound in VideoWorks productions -- but I have found VideoWorks impractical for my efforts. What I REALLY want is to use it with is MacMovies, but I have been told that MacMovies has no options to allow sound to be used during MacMovies' animations [If this is not true, PLEASE let me know!]. The other way that this could be solved would be multi-tasking (i.e. animation and SoundPlay at the same time), but we all know that isn't within the realm of reality, for the Mac+ at least. OK, now for compliments. Inputting sound through a microphone (or better, tape) is a cinch, though it should be emphasized that with the size of digitized sound, lots of memory and disk space are a big help. The compressed option in SoundCap makes this less essential (but you loose quality); still, 1 Meg of memory and a 20 Meg hard drive have been a big help. Once you've got the sound in, it is VERY simple to manipulate the sound -- ramping, amplification, reverberation, changing tempo, and about 50 things I don't understand, not being a sound technician (note: not due to bad documentation on Impulse's part here -- I'm just too lazy to read sections I'm not currently using). As to support, they do a nice job; quarterly newsletter, free upgrades for software bug fixes (I have gotten two free software upgrades), and reasonable prices for major software upgrades. Case in point: Just got a note from them advertising a new piece of software that replaces SoundCap -- allows you to mix several digitized sounds into one. I can USE that, believe me! Price: $25. Reasonable. I believe this will be going out with digitizers from now on. You can get it for better prices through mail order - but they may not be selling it with the new software. I admit that the applications for such a device/software are currently not great unless you're a programmer (again, assuming that one can access sounds with most current Mac languages). I've stuck basically to (ugh) VideoWorks movies and startup sounds for my Mac (which are a lot of fun). Not high up in the Need category for me -- but the Satisfaction ratio has been high. If you have more questions, drop me a note... "And God help whoever gets in our way!" "Dimitri...?" "YES, Alexi? "We're not supposed to believe in God." "Oh. That's right." Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer INTERNET: moriarty@fluke.COM Manual UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty CREDO: You gotta be Cruel to be Kind... <*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>