• Sound Blaster Tools and Sound Blaster Freedom Project (CUG #413): Programming tools and information for SoundBlaster and compatibles.
• THE Editor (CUG #414): highly source-portable editor that emulates IBM XEDIT and Mansfield KEDIT.
• Run-Time Type Information (CUG #415): C++ language extension, as proposed by ANSI C++ committee, in library form. (For UNIX only!)

This kit provides a programming specification for the Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro (DSP DAC/ADC only). As a bonus, the kit also provides some information and C code on programming for the PC Speaker. Since the source code was written to furnish a basic example, it does not demonstrate high speed ADC/DAC. All examples use DMA channel 1 and I/O base adddress 220h. You may need to make slight source modifications to make it work on your PC. Sound Blaster Tools builds the following MS-DOS mini-applications, and also includes precompiled versions of the same:

• rawin.exe: records a raw SB digital audio file (not .V0C)
• rawout.exe: plays back a raw SB digital audio file (not .VOC)
• waveinfo.exe: provides a debugging type dump of a Windows digital audio .WAV file.
• wave.exe: plays a Windows digital audio .WAV file.
• rwave.exe: re-samples a Windows digital audio .WAV file.
• voice.exe: provides a debugging type dump of an SB digital audio .VOC file.
• sbinfo.exe: reads current status of SB card including DSP version, mixer settings, volume of all input settings, master volume, and more.
• speaker.exe: allows you to play SB digital audio .VOC files through PC speaker.

The aim of the Sound Blaster Freedom Project is to provide a cheap source of programming information for the Sound Blaster and other sound cards.Previously, programming a sound card has required a not inconsiderable investment in a developer's kit for each sound card. These developer's kits have been known to be terse and not well written. Our aim is to provide enough information to the general programmer to allow them to add sound card support to their software at minimal cost.

SBFP includes source code in C and assembler for these DOS mini-applications:

• dacdma.exe: Outputs to SB DAC using DMA mode (up to 64KB only)
• recdma.exe: Records from SB DAC using DMA mode (up to 64KB only)
• dacdir.exe: Outputs to SB DAC in single sample mode
• driver.exe: Uses CT-VOICE.DRV to access the Soundblaster DAC channel.
• getvol.exe: Displays master, VOC, line, FM, and CD volume levels.
• fmtest.exe: Defines an FM instrument and plays chromatic scales.

This version includes significant enhancements by Christopher M. Box, some of which are:

• Added support for Sound Blaster 2.0 high-speed mode (this allows recording at 15 kHz and playback at 44 kHz).
• Added code to permit recording of samples, as well as playback.
• Updated dma_code.asm for 16-bit DMA and added start/stop control functions.
• A fix for the bug that caused sbdac.c to play one byte too many.

THE includes extensive documentation in the form of a 70-page ASCII Command Reference manual. In encylopaedic fashion, it describes each command along with its syntax, compatibility with XEDIT and KEDIT, implementation status, and pointers to related commands.

THE makes use of the powerful IBM VM/CMS REXX command language in any environment where it is available. THE uses the OS/2 REXX interpreter to execute macro files. An extensive interface between THE and REXX gives THE the complete power of REXX. Most UNIX systems provide REXX support and it's also available with DJGPP using Regina 0.05, a free REXX interpreter available from flipper.pvv.unit.no in pub/rexx. The makefile includes details on integrating THE and Regina. THE version 1.5, as released on 01/12/93, is now available as CUG #414.

All classes in this RTTI system inherit from the CLASS base class. This scheme allows public virtual inheritance to work. CLASS provides very little functionality, but it has the RTTI scaffoldings neccessary for all users of RTTI. The narrowing facility (what allows you to go from a base class pointer to a derived class pointer) depends upon the use of CLASS.

The Type_info class is the core of the RTTI implementation. It is initialized once per derived class. The constructors accept a list of the base classes and the name of the derived class. The typeid class provides an interface to the RTTI system; users get at the RTTI thru this class. This class just acts like a pass-through for the Type_info class.

The base_iterator class is initialized with the list of base classes. base_iterator allows the clients of the Type_info class to iterate through the list of bases. RTTI also includes demonstration code for string and trace classes.

Every class that uses RTTI must incorporate some scaffolding in both its declaration and its definition. The declaration must contain the following:

• For every RTTI class, a static Type_info class must be created, as in static const Type_info info_obj;
• For every RTTI class, two functions must be created to retrieve the Type information (one a virtual function and another a simple function), as in:

   virtual typeid get_info() const ;
   static typeid info() ;

• To allow a base class pointer to be converted into its appropriate derived class pointer, the narrowing facility is utilized, as in:

   static Type_info *_narrow(CLASS *) ;

• For the narrowing facility to work in the presence of virtual public inheritance, every RTTI class defines a virtual function that returns its this pointer:

   virtual void *get_this_ptr(void)
       const ;