FAQ - Frequently
Asked Questions
Q. Why do I have to register the program?
Q. My header keeps saying it is an unregistered
version. Can you send me a key, and will it self destruct in 60
days if you don't?
Q. How do I get DanceMaster set up on my
laptop?
Q. How much disk space does each song take?
Q. How should I name sound files?
Q. Where should I put sound files?
Q. How can I print from DanceMaster?
Q. (To be added)
Q. Why do I have to register the program?
A. The idea with registration is that people are supposed
to try the program for a while and decide if they like it. If they
do, then they are encouraged to register it by sending a donation
to the cause in an amount proportionate to what they feel the program
is worth to them. (The $10 is just to cover the cost of making and
mailing the CD.)
Registration is primarily an incentive to encourage people to make
a donation to support the further development of the program. After
you have used DanceMaster
for a while, send me your full name and some money (whatever you
feel it is worth) and I will send you a registration key. I will
also put you on the notification list for updates. Any contributions
will be credited toward the purchase of the Advanced Edition, if
you choose to upgrade when it is available.
Q. My header keeps saying it is an unregistered
version. Can you send me a key, and will it self destruct in 60
days if you don't?
A. The program won't self-destruct
at all - the Basic Edition will work fine indefinitely without being
registered. The Advanced Edition will revert to Basic functionality
and continue to work in Basic mode.
Q. How do I get DanceMaster set up on
my laptop?
A. The easiest way
to get all the pieces into the proper places is to use the
CD-ROM. It has a program that checks for all the required pieces,
and installs them if necessary (I couldn't put that program on the
website - it only runs from a CD).
Once DanceMaster is
set up, you will still have to select, download and install other
software to record the music on your computer, and you will have
to physically connect your computer to your audio equipment.
Q. How much disk space does each song
take?
A. t depends on how much you choose
to compress them - more compressed gets you smaller files, of course,
but also lower fidelity. You can squeeze them down to less than
100K, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it.
I started out using 64K bits / second, which results in files of
about 1.5Mb. Using our original rig (Hilton 75 and Director speaker)
nobody could tell the difference between that and the original record.
Lately we have been using a pair of very small Bose powered speakers
instead of the Hilton and Director, and those sound so much better
that I can now hear a difference, so I've switched to 96K Bits/second,
which sounds better and yields files of about 2 - 2.5Mb per song.
That is still over 300 songs per gigabyte of disk space, so I'm
not worried.
Q. How should I name sound files?
A. Personally, I think it is best
to name the sound file with the name of the dance. (I.e.: "Maria
Elana Bolero.mp3". You would then call the voice cues file
"Maria Elana Bolero Cues.mp3".
Q. Where should I put sound files?
A. In C:\DanceMaster\Music Files.
DanceMaster looks for
sound files in the folder you have designated as the "Sound
File Folder" on the "File Locations" screen. If you
need to put them somewhare else for some reason, that would be the
place to go to do that. (But I'd really rather you didn't.) When
DM is first installed,
the sound file folder is set to DanceMaster\Samples\Sample Sounds,
so you will need to change that when you record your own music.
(Clicking the "Switch from Sample Database" button on
the Main Menu will do that automatically.)
On the Main Menu, select "Change File Locations". The
File Locations screen will show you the current locations of the
database, cues and sound folders. Click "Change Sound File
Folder" and navigate to C:\DanceMaster\Music Files. Then double-click
on that folder to tell DM to look there for sound files.
I know, that last part doesn't make much sense, but that is the
way it has to work.
Q. How can I print from DanceMaster Player?
A. Most printing is done from
Librarian, but you can print your playlist (Tonight's Program) from
the Player (Advanced Edition). Just click the purple "Print
this program" button on the bottom of the Playlist screen.
TBD
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