PaceMaker v2.x plug-in FAQ

General

1.1. What is PaceMaker plug-in

PaceMaker is a plug-in for Winamp player that enables independent control of the sound tempo, pitch and playback rate:

  • Tempo control speeds up or slows down the music tempo without affecting the music key (pitch)

  • Pitch control changes the music pitch (key) without affecting the tempo

  • Speed control changes the music playback rate as if a vinyl record or an audio tape were played at a too high or low rate.

PaceMaker version 2 also features a Vocal Removal capability to suppress original singing voice, which is useful for practicing singing or karaoke.

Why would anyone wish to do that then? Well, someone may find it fun to play with music, for example to make Elvis sing like chipmunks or Michael Jackson sound like a soul king, or just to add some tempo to electrify almost any song...

In addition, it's turned out that there are also "useful" applications for PaceMaker:

  • Slow down music tempo to ease practicing music
  • Singes can change the music key to match their voice
  • Dancers can change the music tempo suitable for dancing
  • Adjust music key instead of retuning instrument for each song
  • Listen to 78 RPM vinyl singles with a usual 33/45 RPM disc player
  • Transcribe tunes
  • Write down dictations

1.2. System requirements

  • A PC with a 150 Mhz processor or better.

  • Windows operating system or compatible.

  • Winamp player installed to the PC. The latest version of Winamp player can be downloaded for free at www.winamp.com.

Please notice that this version of PaceMaker plug-in doesn't work with Winamp version 3.0. There's however another version of PaceMaker for Winamp3 available at the PaceMaker3 page.

1.3. Is there PaceMaker or Similar software available for other platforms?

Currently the PaceMaker plug-in is available for the Winamp player for PC/Windows domain only (PaceMaker for XAudio player also does exist, but it's not in public distribution due to license issues). However, if someone wishes to convert PaceMaker for some other player, the source codes are available from the author :).

There are also other shareware/freeware/open source software with similar capabilities for other operating systems:

  • Ardour - Digital Audio Workstation for Linux (uses SoundTouch library, ahem).
  • SoundTouch - an open-source sound processing library. Includes a command-line tool for processing audio files in .wav format. Can be compiled to practically any platform with gcc or similar compiler tools available (Linux, Unix, MAC, etc).

Where are all Mac software, hilfe! If you've a hint of other applicable software you'd like to see on this list, please drop an e-mail to author.

1.4. Can I Redistribute PaceMaker or link it to my own page?

Yes, PaceMaker can be distributed on own WWW pages, as a part of a program collection or a publication as far as no changes are made to the PaceMaker software or installation package, and no other payment is demanded for PaceMaker plug-in except for reasonable delivery costs.

If you wish to add a link to PaceMaker site, please use this address: http://www.surina.net/pacemaker. This address will direct the user to correct location should the actual WWW server change some day.

1.5. Registering PaceMaker

If you find PaceMaker useful and fun, please support the development work by registering your copy of PaceMaker against a small registration fee. Using PaceMaker for any commercial or professional use will require registering.

Please go to PaceMaker registration page for more information!

1.5.1. Do I need to register my copy of PaceMaker plug-in?

As long as you're using PaceMaker for noncommercial/nonprofessional use, registering the plug-in is voluntary. Using PaceMaker for any commercial or professional use will require registering.

Registering your copy of PaceMaker also enables some additional features for your use, such as configurable sliders, wider adjustment ranges and system-level hotkeys.

Despite the registration being voluntary for normal users, creating and maintaining the PaceMaker plug-in have however required a considerable effort, so if you're enjoying using PaceMaker, you may wish to support the development work by registering your copy of PaceMaker against a small registration fee.

Good reasons to register your copy of PaceMaker plug-in are:

  • To enable registered users only additional features

  • If you find PaceMaker useful or fun

  • If you're using PaceMaker on constant basis

  • If you're using PaceMaker for any commercial or professional use.

  • If you wish to support the PaceMaker development !

1.6. History and Future

1.6.1. Plug-in History

The history of PaceMaker plug-in dates back to several years when I was studying at university (HUT), and while having courses in signal processing I came around playing with various digital audio/image effects on Matlab. Although effective for linear processing, Matlab isn't a very fast platform for non-linear calculations, so I ended up gathering a simple test framework around Winamp plug-in SDK for testing more burdensome routines.

Of all those course work submission and other sound processing trials, I found certain tempo/pitch manipulation routines especially amusing. I revised and refined those routines, improved the user interface and made the result available for other people as a plug-in named "PaceMaker".

By the way, I used to have a 200 Mhz PentiumMMX processor back those days, and I had to do quite a bit of optimization work already to make the routines run properly in real time on my PC. Back then, playing stereo audio with "best quality" settings used to reserve better part of the CPU capacity, whereas running PaceMaker with a somewhat recent CPU nowadays hardly makes any noticeable difference in CPU load at all...

1.6.2. Change History

Changes in PaceMaker v2.1:

  • Miscellaneous fixes in processing routines
  • Added a Windows control message for switching vocal removing capability on/off
  • Removed expiration notification that activated on 1.1.2005. This expiration check was accidentally forgotten to version 2.02 from an earlier beta version. Apologies!

Changes in PaceMaker v2.02:

  • Fixed a small but annoying bug that distorted sound
  • Fixed a bug that distorted sound when playing files with different sample rates

Changes in PaceMaker v2.0:

  • New user interface with skin
  • Configurable slider ranges
  • Configurable system-level hotkeys
  • Voice Removal
  • Fixed problems with some sound formats

Changes since PaceMaker v1.31 :

  • Show the registered name correctly in the configuration window when the plug-in has been registered.
  • Configuration window title changed as it occasionally caused conflicts when controlling PaceMaker from external applications.

Changes since PaceMaker v1.3 :

  • Fixed a bug that slider precision settings weren't saved when closing PaceMaker

Changes since PaceMaker v1.23 :

  • Memorizing settings for each song
  • Reset settings for new songs
  • Configurable adjustment precision
  • Ability to control PaceMaker from external applications by using Windows Messages.

Changes since PaceMaker v1.2 :

  • Fixed a MMX detection routine issue causing PaceMaker to crash with some Cyrix processors.
  • Some tweaks and bug fixes under the hood.
  • Extended the dll API for using PaceMaker in other programs (visit the dev section for more details [note : link to the internet]).

Changes since v1.2beta :

  • Decent support for other sample frequencies than 44.1 kHz
  • Fix to Winamp v2.666 and v2.7 incompatibility issues
  • Option to disable sound tweaking on the PaceMaker window
  • Spin buttons for alternative control of the sliders, 'Reset' and 'Help!' buttons.

Changes since v1.1 :

  • Support for 'mono' songs.
  • Option to use semi-tones instead of octaves to change pitch.
  • Support for 'CD Reader' input plug-in (enables using PaceMaker directly with music CD's!).
  • Sound quality improvements
  • A little bit of this and that.

1.6.1. Future plans

Features planned for next PaceMaker version:

  • New, improved sound processing routines for better sound quality

1.7. Contact information

Check for new PaceMaker releases at the product home page http://www.surina.net/pacemaker.

If you've found a bug, please see the below section, reporting bugs, for what information to include with the bug report.

Send comments and bug reports to the author at <oparviai @ iki . fi>. If you've registered your copy of the plug-in, please include your registration information.

Please notice that incomplete letters shorter than four lines may be discarded by spam mail filter. This last comment of spam filter isn't meant to discourage people from asking questions, because usually the questions are quite appropriate and valid. However, I've received also numerous e-mails having only a single-line note like "it doesnt work help plz"! If you ponder whether your question is valid and worth asking, please use the above example "it doesnt work help plz" as a standard for estimating validness of your message.

1.7.1. Reporting bugs

PaceMaker has been tested with various PC's and different Windows versions, but it's not quite impossible that there still would be bugs.

If you notice PaceMaker crashing Winamp, please include the error message shown by Windows in your bug report. Although obscure, the error message stating something like "Module xxx has caused an illegal operation in address 0xxxxxx" may appear useful for detecting at which point of the program the bug lies. Alternatively, if your Windows version generates DrWatson (drwtsn32.exe) error logs, please include the error log in submission.

Please also include information of your CPU (i.e. Intel Pentium,-II,-III,-4, AMD K6,K6-2,Athlon,-XP or what else), Windows version (95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/what else) and Winamp version you're using.

1.8. License

The PaceMaker plug-in is provided "as is" without external support or warranty for non-registered users. The software can be freely used and further distributed for non-commercial purposes. Use for commercial purposes require registering the plug-in against small registration fee (see the section "Registering PaceMaker"). Registering a single copy of PaceMaker will authorize to use the PaceMaker plug-in for commercial/professional use by one person in one computer at a time.

The PaceMaker software can be distributed as a part of a program collection or a publication, as far as no changes are made to the PaceMaker software or installation package, and no other payment is demanded for PaceMaker plug-in except for reasonable delivery costs.

Use of PaceMaker plug-in module or the source code as a part of a commercial product without author's permission are prohibited. Please contact author for further details.

Always wear protective clothing and approved helmet when using the software. The software may contain small particles, so keep it out of reach of children under age of five. The author don't assume any responsibility for mental or social problems the software may cause.

Please feel free to contact the author in any case of confusion of these terms.

This document was updated on 1-Jan-2005