Using Sounds with InstantPalace

      • Default Sounds

        The sounds used with InstantPalace are in .au format, and are located in the palace/media directory. A default InstantPalace installation includes 12 sounds. They are:

         
        amen.au
applause.au
belch.au
boom.au
crunch.au
debut.au
guffaw.au
kiss.au
no.au
pop.au
teehee.au
yes.au

      • Soundlist.txt

        For InstantPalace sounds to be activated, the media directory must include a text file called soundlist.txt, which tells InstantPalace which sounds to use. This file contains the name of each sound, one per line, without the .au extension. The contents of the default soundlist.txt file for the sounds listed above would look like this:

         
        amen
applause
belch
boom
crunch
debut
guffaw
kiss
no
pop
teehee
yes

        If you have misplaced your default .au sounds, you can download the default sounds and soundlist.txt file and place them in your palace/media directory.

      • Case Sensitive

        InstantPalace sounds are case sensitive. Be sure to verify the case in soundlist.txt, the sounds themselves, and in any scripts that use sounds.

      • Recommended Settings

        When making or converting sounds for use in InstantPalace, the recommended settings are:

        Sun .au format with the following properties:

        • 8-bit
        • mlaw
        • 8000Hz (8kHz)
        • one-channel (mono)

      • Sound Programs

        Cool Edit Pro by Syntrillium Software is a great choice for PC users. The Pro version is available at the Cool Edit web site along with a Demo version with limited functionality. An older, but highly functional shareware version of Cool Edit known as Cool Edit 96 is also available, and works quite well for InstantPalace usage.

        For Mac users, SoundApp is an indispensible freeware tool for playing and converting sounds. A popular choice for recording sounds on the Mac is the shareware program Ultra Recorder. These programs are also available from download.com, Tucows, and other software distribution sites.

      • Step-by-step Wav to Au File Conversion with Cool Edit 96

        This is a step-by-step procedure for converting a wav file to au format using the shareware program Cool Edit 96 for Windows.

        1. Launch Cool Edit 96.
        2. Go to File Menu, Open, and navigate to a wav sound file, or simply drag a wav file onto the Cool Edit 96 window.
        3. Go to Edit Menu, Convert Sample Type, and a window will pop open.
        4. On this panel, set the Sample Rate to 8000, under Channels select Mono, and under Resolution select 16 bit, and Click OK to close the panel.
        5. Go to File Menu, Save As, and a window will pop open.
        6. In the "Save as type" section, select Next/Sun (*.au;*.snd) - you may have to scroll to find it.
        7. Click the Options button, and a smaller window will pop open.
        8. Verify that the selected item is mu-Law 8 bit, and click OK to close the small window.
        9. Back on the "Save As" window, next to File Name, enter a name that ends with .au, and click OK to save the file.

        You should now have an InstantPalace compatible sound in au format of the wav file you started with.

        If you plan to use Cool Edit 96 frequently for converting wav files for InstantPalace use, you can create a Sample Rate Conversion Preset to speed up the process. You can set up a Preset under Step #4 above. After setting the sample rate to 8000, selecting mono, and selecting 16 bit, and before clicking OK to dismiss the window, click the "Save As" button in the Sample Rate Conversion Preset section. A small window will pop up. Enter the name of this preset (example, InstantPalace au file) in the box where it says Save Current Conversion, and click OK. Once you have set up a Preset, instead of making the three individual changes designated in Step #4, just click the small arrow next to Sample Rate Conversion Presets and select your Preset when accessing the Convert Sample Type window, and all the changes will be made at once.

        Cool Edit 96 will also do batch conversions using an internal scripting function. For complete instructions on batch conversions, go to Help Menu, Contents, click the Search button near the top of the screen, scroll down to select "batch", click the Display button, and in the Topics Found window that pops up, select Batch File Conversion and click Display.

      • Playing Sounds Simultaneously

        C-clients can only play one sound at a time, although a C-client can play both a midi and a wav simultaneously. InstantPalace can play multiple au sounds at once, which provides for the authoring possibility of layering "background" and "foreground" sounds. When trying for such an effect, one should take into consideration that unless the sound is already in the user's cache, it will need to download first, and will then play automatically once downloaded.

      • Additional Resources

        • InstantPalace Resources Index
        • Scripting for InstantPalace
        • Customizing InstantPalace
        • InstantPalace Installation
        • 104 Avatars for InstantPalace
        • Using Larger Avatars with InstantPalace
        • InstantPalace with 4.4 Windows Server
        • Mac InstantPalace and Browser Issues
        • InstantPalace Troubleshooting
        • Iptscrae Quick Reference Table
        • InstantPalace Demos
        • InstantPalace Parameters
        • InstantPalace Discussion Group

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