WaveWarp Users' Guide: last updated 28 February 2002

3.5-- Working with the "WaveWarp DirectX Interface"

3.5.1-- The DrawingBoard Manager Panel

The "Select a WaveWarp DrawingBoard to use as DirectX Plugin" dialog

Purpose: for selecting any WaveWarp DrawingBoard for use as a DirectX plugin. The drop-down list box contains all DrawingBoards which are currently open on all instances of WaveWarp. You may select any of these as your DirectX plugin. If there are currently no DrawingBoards open on any instance of WaveWarp, or indeed, if no instance of WaveWarp has yet been initiated, the drop-down list box will be empty. You can then use the "Browse" button to select any desired DrawingBoard file from any location on your computer. By default, the browser points to the "ExampleDrawingBoards\DirectX\Stereo" sub-directory of the WaveWarp root. This contains the pre-built stereo example DirectX plugin DrawingBoards distributed with WaveWarp. In most cases, you will be working with stereo plugins. However, should you wish to work with mono plugins, the "ExampleDrawingBoards\DirectX\Mono" sub-directory of the WaveWarp root contains some mono examples to get started.

Once you have selected a DrawingBoard, the WaveWarp application will automatically boot-up in the background, and the desired DrawingBoard will be loaded. If required, the DrawingBoard will be automatically converted into the appropriate DirectX configuration, i.e. it will be modified to contain a DirectX Input Port and a DirectX Output Port, as described in section 3.2-- above.

Then, as soon as you hit "Play" in your audio editor/sequencer application, the audio data will automatically be processed by WaveWarp in real-time.

The "Browse" button

Purpose: use this button to browse your hard disk(s) in order to select any WaveWarp DrawingBoard for use as a DirectX plugin. The required DrawingBoard conversion into the appropriate DirectX-enabled configuration is performed automatically.

The "Save As" button

Purpose: by pressing this button, the WaveWarp DrawingBoard currently selected as a DirectX plugin is saved, allowing you to save the settings of all parameters (sliders etc) "into" a standard DrawingBoard (".dwb") file with a name of your choice.

Notes:

1. you must always use the "Save As" button if you wish to save the settings of the plugin for later re-use. This information IS NOT saved using the "Presets:" dialog, nor when you save the entire audio editor/sequencer project.

2. remember to save any DrawingBoard which has been automatically converted into a DirectX configuration.

The "Help" button

Purpose: by pressing this button, the Description Window of the DrawingBoard currently selected as a DirectX plugin is opened in "read-only" mode, allowing you to read descriptive information about the plugin.

Hint: you can also access the built-in "Help" for any component on the DrawingBoard by right-clicking on its Parameter Window and selecting "Help".

Note: some audio editors/sequencers have a built-in "Help" button intrinsic to their DirectX interface. This button serves no function with respect to WaveWarp.

The "Open All Fx Parameter Windows" button

Purpose: by pressing this button, the Parameter Windows associated with all components on the currently-selected DrawingBoard will be opened. This enables you to adjust the parameters of any component on-the-fly while the DirectX plugin is active.

Important: there will generally be a slightly delayed reaction when manipulating the check boxes. This is due to the latencies associated with the underlying DirectX communication protocol. As such, the delayed reaction cannot be avoided, though some audio editors/sequencers will have quicker reactions than others, depending on their internal DirectX buffer sizes.

Hint: to avoid screen clutter, it is recommended that after opening all Parameter Windows on the DrawingBoard, you immediately close down the ones you don't need !

3.5.2-- The "Plugin Override" Control Panel

The "Mute" checkbox

Purpose: by checking this box, the output of the plugin is muted with respect to the action of the audio editor/sequencer application. Specifically, WaveWarp will receive no data, and the values returned to the sequencer will always be zero-valued whether or not there is a DirectX Output port present on the DrawingBoard.

The "Bypass" checkbox

Purpose: by checking this box, the plugin is bypassed with respect to the action of the audio editor/sequencer application. The values returned to the sequencer will always be equal to the values sent from the sequencer whether or not there is a DirectX Input or Output port present on the DrawingBoard.

Note: there may be a slight delay in the reaction to these check boxes. This is due to the latencies associated with the underlying DirectX communication protocol. As such, the delayed reaction cannot be avoided, though some audio editors/sequencers will have quicker reactions than others, depending on their internal DirectX buffer sizes.

3.5.3-- The "Bring WaveWarp to Front" button

Purpose: by pressing this button, the WaveWarp application is "brought to the foreground". This gives you complete access to the DrawingBoard currently selected as the DirectX plugin. You may alter the DrawingBoard in any way e.g. by removing, changing, or adding any components. You would do this if you wish to change the architecture of the plugin (or, indeed, create a new DrawingBoard for use as a new DirectX plugin). However, if you wish only to adjust the parameters of the existing components, without altering the architecture of the plugin, it is more convenient simply to activate the Parameter Windows via the "Open All Fx Parameter Windows" button , as described above.

Once you have pressed the "Bring WaveWarp to Front" button, the main WaveWarp window will appear in the foreground, and your audio editor/sequencer application will move to the background. However, although WaveWarp is now in the foreground, it is still under "remote control" of the audio editor/sequencer application. This is visually indicated in the Control Status Window on the WaveWarp main toolbar, as exemplified in the screenshot in Figure 28.

Figure 28 Screenshot illustrating the WaveWarp main menu bar status display indicating that WaveWarp is under remote control by a DirectX host application (in this example, by Samplitude). The DirectX host application can be "brought to the front" by clicking the DirectX button (located immediately to the left of the status display).

Since WaveWarp is still under remote control, the DrawingBoard will still function as a DirectX plugin (as long as you haven't removed the DirectX ports !). You may return to your audio editor/sequencer application at any time by pressing the "Return to DirectX Host" button, as illustrated in the screenshot above.

Notes:

1. WaveWarp will remain under "remote control" of the audio editor/sequencer application unless you delete all the DirectX Ports or close the DrawingBoard currently selected as the DirectX plugin, in which case WaveWarp will switch to "manual control", and will no longer be accessed by the audio editor/sequencer application until a new DrawingBoard is selected from within the WaveWarp DirectX Interface associated with that audio editor/sequencer application.

2. As an alternative to using the "Bring WaveWarp to Front" button, the WaveWarp application can be "brought to the foreground" in the conventional Windows manner, i.e. by selecting the appropriate "minimized" tab in the Windows Taskbar at the foot of the screen or by using the "Alt-Tab" keys to toggle between applications. Likewise, the DirectX host application can be similarly restored to the foreground, without using the "Return to DirectX Host" button. Under normal circumstances, it is simply a matter of preference which method to use. However, when there are multiple sequencers and/or tracks with multiple WaveWarp DirectX Interfaces communicating with corresponding multiple instances of WaveWarp, then the respective buttons present a considerably more convenient and direct means of toggling between the multiple applications present in the Taskbar.

3.5.4-- The "DrawingBoard Port Status" Panel

"DirectX Input Port" and "DirectX Output Port" displays

Purpose: display the status of the respective DirectX ports on the currently-selected WaveWarp DrawingBoard. The status of each port (i.e. the Input port and the Output port) can be one of the three possibilities: (i) not present - true when there is no DrawingBoard selected as a DirectX plugin, or when the selected DrawingBoard is a "one-sided" plugin such that the port in question (i.e. the Input Port or the Output Port) is absent (depending on the nature of the "one-side" plugin); (ii) running - true when a valid DrawingBoard containing the port has been selected as the DirectX plugin, and the DrawingBoard is running i.e. data is currently flowing through the port; (iii) stopped - true when a valid DrawingBoard containing the port has been selected as the DirectX plugin, but when the DrawingBoard is stopped i.e. when the "Stop" button in the WaveWarp Transport Window has been pressed while WaveWarp is under remote control of the audio editor/sequencer application.

"Re-start DrawingBoard" button

Purpose: to re-start the DrawingBoard currently selected as the DirectX plugin if it has been stopped from within the WaveWarp application. This is a convenient method of manually starting the DrawingBoard without having to "bring WaveWarp to the front" and press the "Play" button in the WaveWarp Transport Window. You will only have use for this button if you have previously "brought WaveWarp to the front", stopped the DrawingBoard by pressing the "Stop" button in the WaveWarp Transport Window (e.g. in order to alter the components on the DrawingBoard), then returned focus to the audio editor/sequencer application without having re-started the DrawingBoard before doing so.

3.5.5-- The "Plugin Data Format (from DirectX Host Application)" Status Panel

Purpose: displays format information about the audio data being sent to the WaveWarp plugin from the audio editor/sequencer application. Specifically, the "Sample Rate" display shows the sample rate at which data is being sent/retrieved to/from the WaveWarp DrawingBoard. The practical consequence of this is that the DrawingBoard must be constructed such that this sample rate is respected at the DirectX port(s) on the DrawingBoard. In most cases, this will be automatically guaranteed since the DrawingBoard components will adapt to the sample rate required by the DirectX port(s). However, in those situations where there are multiple sample rates on the DrawingBoard (i.e. taking advantage of WaveWarp's multirate engine) and especially where there are components such as signal generators which can have their own intrinsic sample rate(s), then these must be adjusted to be compatible with the sample rate required by the DirectX Port(s). The "Bit Size" display shows the numerical format of the data being sent/retrieved to/from the WaveWarp DirectX port(s). For most audio editors/sequencers, this will be "32-bits Floating Point" which is the same as WaveWarp's internal format so there is no conversion required. However, the DirectX protocol allows for other formats (e.g. 16-bit integer etc). In such cases, WaveWarp will automatically convert this other format to/from the required "32-bit floating point" format. The only observable consequence will be a slight increase in CPU resources required for the conversion, as well as a possible noise/distortion associated with the bit-size conversion. This is generally only significant for bit sizes lower than 16, otherwise such effects are barely audible (if not inaudible !).

3.5.6-- The Presets Dialog

Note that this panel is intrinsic to the DirectX host application and therefore will look different (and will have different controls and parameters) depending on the host application in use. The description here therefore serves only as a general guide to the functionality of this feature. Also, note that some host applications may not support this feature at all.

Purpose: to conveniently store the state of the WaveWarp DirectX Interface for later re-use. This dialog is an intrinsic feature of the DirectX plugin protocol, and is intended to allow the user to store favorite effect settings for later re-use. Simply type in any chosen name then hit the built-in "Save" button. (if it exists for a given DirectX host !). The settings of the WaveWarp DirectX Interface saved under the chosen preset name can then be restored at any time in the future, simply by selecting the name of the preset in the built-in drop-down list-box.

Important: this Preset Dialog is designed for storing favorite settings of conventional DirectX plugins. There is a minor limitation with respect to its functionality with the WaveWarp DirectX Interface. Specifically, only the name of the selected DrawingBoard (and the states of the Mute and Bypass checkboxes) are stored with the preset: the component parameter values (e.g. slider settings etc) ARE NOT stored with the preset. These must be saved "into" the DrawingBoard itself using the "Save As" button described in section 3.5.1-- to create a new DrawingBoard file containing your favorite settings (you can create as many DrawingBoard files as you wish). The name of each favorite DrawingBoard can then be saved via the Preset Dialog. Despite this minor limitation, the Preset Dialog is still a very convenient way of saving your list of favorite plugin DrawingBoards, and thereby keeping them distinct from all possible plugin DrawingBoards which will appear under the "Browse" button.

Notes:

1. some audio editor/sequencer applications DO NOT make use of the Presets Dialog. In such cases, you must use the "Browse" button for selecting the plugin DrawingBoards. You must keep your own record of your list of favorites.

2. in addition to using the Presets Dialog, you can also store the name of the currently-selected plugin DrawingBoard as part of your saved editor/sequencer project, as described in section 3.6--.