PSTuner

PSTuner v2.0, © 1995, bruce linde/really desperate records OVERVIEW PSTuner is a Psion 3a 'strobetuner' that determines pitch by grabbing quarter-second samples and counting cycles/second, using a couple of creative algorithms tailored to the Psion 3a's sampling environment. It is extremely accurate (at a cost of some speed) and will yield best results when fed clean, consistent notes (a note struck too hard will ring sharp before settling in). Or, you can use harmonics. FILES PSTuner requires three files, which MUST exist and be kept in these locations: \APP\PSTuner.opa \OPD\Tuner.pic \Sys$samp.ldd (must be at the root level) In addition, Psion has authorized distribution of Sys$samp.ldd on the condition that the docs and sample files (originally uploaded by Psion as TSMP10.ZIP) are kept together. They are included with PSTuner. THE DRIVER - Sys$samp.ldd" PSTuner makes use of a driver provided by Psion. The docs that come with the driver include the following disclaimers, which are not as dire as they might sound at first read: "Psion will not be held responsible for any loss of data as a result of use of Sys$samp.ldd, which is still to some extent in an experimental phase. It has not been exhaustively tested, and can not be relied upon, i.e., not to reset your 3a occasionally. It is not an official Psion product." The worst thing that I've experienced is that it took a little trial and error to ensure that PSTuner wouldn't leave the driver loaded in memory. I was extremely careful about making sure the driver cleans up after itself, but if this happens to you, you can easily recover the 6k of memory the driver grabs for itself by running the program and simply quitting before going into LISTEN mode. As far as stability goes, I've actually left the thing running for days with no problems. If you DO experience weirdnesses, please let me know a.s.a.p. SHAREWARE NOTIFICATION PSTuner came about as I was getting more and more into my 3a, trying to grok OPL, and playing more guitar (more about music in a minute). It occured to me that while I didn't always carry a tuner, I almost always had my 3a with me. I wrote PSTuner to exploit the digital sampling and programming features of the 3a, and because it was something I could use. It is my hope that you, too, will find it useful. If you DO continue using PSTuner, it is shareware... SHAREWARE DETAILS All proceeds from PSTuner go to The Documentation of AIDS Issues and Research Foundation. D.A.I.R. is a 501(c)3 non-profit information archive used by Persons With AIDS and medical professionals world-wide. Please send a tax-deductible donation of ANY size to: D.A.I.R. c/o bruce linde 2840 60th av oakland, ca 94605 STUFF The 'Esc' key will get you out of most PSTuner screens. Help is not available while in LISTEN mode. If you don't back up your 3a, either to a RAM card or another CPU, please re-read the help file called THE DRIVER (above), and give backups some thought... unless, of course, you have nothing to lose. I am not responsible for out-of-tune performances or loss of data resulting from use or misuse of PSTuner or the Sys$samp.ldd driver. Oh, and don't forget that PSTuner is shareware. Thanks! HARMONICS Every note consists of a fundamental, and harmonic overtones (thirds, fifths, octaves, etc.). These 'harmonics' can be isolated on a guitar (or bass) by partially muting a string at the twelfth, fifth, or seventh frets, as you pluck the string. This dampens the grosser vibrations of the string, letting the higher-pitched components of the note (harmonics) ring through. 12th and 5th fret harmonics produce higher octaves of the fundamental; 7th fret harmonics yield fifths. MUSIC STUFF Write or e-mail for more information about: "bruce linde: not like other men", an independent release on really desperate records, and "Beggars and Saints" and "Monkey", the most recent releases by Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, on Triloka Records (w/ bruce on bass): really desperate records 2840 60th av oakland, ca 94605 www.songwriter.com brucelinde@aol.com ---------------------------- Credit Where Credit Is Due PSTuner is my first program. It was written with considerable support and guidance from Master Programmer/Lode Runner Ron Hunsinger. Every novice diving into the deep end of the programming pool should be lucky enough to have a Ron as their lifeguard... thanks also to: Jamie Pyper@Psion S.F., for turning me into a 3a junkie, Jack McCrae, for kick-starting me by sharing his Blackjack source code, David Wood@Psion U.K., for uploading the Sys$samp.ldd driver and documentation, and, whoever wrote the 3a OPL Programming Manual! bruce linde july 15, 1995 ---------------------------- History 2.0 thanks to John Woodthorpe i found out what was causing soft resets on some 3a's. somewhere along the way the driver got corrupted in the v1.1 upload, going from 6080 bytes (correct) to 6095 bytes (wrong!). apologies to anyone who got the corrupted driver! i also made the main window a little more user friendly and fixed some minor bugs/dumbnesses. 1.1 minor bug fix to allow running app from any drive (all files must still be on the same drive) 1.0 6 months ago i couldn't even spell 'programmer', and now i r one!