On Windows 2000, double-click the "Sounds and Multimedia" tool.
AUDIO TAB. The Sound Playback section contains a list of audio playback devices installed on your computer. Sometimes there is more than one driver available for a given hardware device. The Sound Recording section contains a list of audio recording devices installed on your computer. Like the playback drivers, there are sometimes several drivers available for a given recording device. The Volume button beneath each device opens the generic Windows mixer (sndvol32) on the device, if it supports the Windows mixer interface. The settings on this page are recognized by the operating system but are ignored by VoxPro, which provides its own interface to the system audio devices.
HARDWARE TAB. To determine the version of your soundcard driver, select the device in the Devices list, then click the Properties button below. Select the Driver tab to see the version number. This page is also used to update the driver (once you have located and downloaded the current version from the vendor).
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What version of DirectX is installed?
Click the Start button. Select "Run" from the Start menu, and type in "dxdiag." This launches the DirectX Diagnostic Utility. (If it doesn? t, then you don? t have DirectX installed at all!) After dxdiag launches, it performs a system inventory which takes a few seconds. On the very first page (under the "System" tab), the DirectX version is listed.
By the way, the latest version of dxdiag displays a "Sound" tab for each audio device it finds on the system. Here you can find out the driver version number and whether it is WDM or emulated, and there is even a button for testing audio playback through the device.
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What version of VoxPro is installed?
Click on VoxPro's "Help/About" menu. The full version number is displayed there. Starting with version 3.3, the full version number is also displayed on the main title bar.
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What version of the VoxPro control panel driver is installed?
If you have the serial version of the control panel, no driver is required. (You know you have a serial control panel if it is plugged into a DB9 connector on the back of the computer and is powered by a 9-volt "wall wart.") Also, no driver is required to use the Classic (Mac) controller, although an inexpensive hardware adapter is necessary.
Two drivers are available for the USB control panel. To determine which one you have installed, make sure the control panel is plugged in, then open the system device manager and expand the branch labelled "Universal Serial Bus Controllers". If you see an "FTDI FT8U2XX Device", you have the so-called Direct Driver (D2XX). If you see a device called "USB High Speed Serial Converter", or simply "USB Serial Converter", you have the VCP (Virtual COM Port) driver installed. This driver is actually two drivers that work in tandem -- the other part is in the branch labelled "Ports (COM & LPT)" and appears as the "USB Serial Port". To determine the driver version, right-click on the device, select "Properties" from the popup menu, and then select the Driver tab. The version number is displayed on this page. More information on these drivers is available from FTDI at www.ftdichip.com.
We have found that on some computers with the VCP driver, it is important that the USB Serial Port driver be set to COM4, not COM3, where it can conflict with other devices (like your mouse). The symptom of a bad COM port setting is that the entire computer will lock up intermittently. If you need to change it, right-click on "USB Serial Port (COM3)" and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu. Click on the "Port Settings" tab, and then the "Advanced" button. Towards the bottom of this window there is a little combo box that allows the COM port to be selected. Change it to COM4, and "OK" your way out of the dialogs.
By the way, if you can't find the control panel driver in the device manager, and you see one of those nasty yellow exclamation points instead, it means Windows was allowed to install its own generic driver for the control panel, which will not work. You? ll have to locate the device in the device manager, uninstall it, and then install the proper drivers (from the VoxPro CD-ROM or directly from FTDI's site).
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How does Windows XP Service Pack 2 affect VoxPro?
Windows XP SP2 includes a firewall which prevents client connections to the VoxPro Network Coordinator unless certain steps are taken. The following procedure should be followed for any XP machine which is running SP2 and the VoxPro Network Coordinator:
Open a browser windows or use the "Start" button to locate "My Network Places".
Right-click and select "Properties".
A network properties window pops up. At the top of the right pane you'll see "Network Tasks". Choose "Change Windows Firewall settings" from the list below.
Click the "Exceptions" tab.
Click the "Add Port" button.
In the "Name" field, type "VoxPro PC".
In the "Port" field, type "33333".
Click "OK" and you should be set!
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Windows user accounts, file-sharing, security and permissions
File Access, Sharing and Security in Windows
In order for VoxPro to operate effectively, users must have read and write access not only to their own files, but to other users’ files as well (for example, to be able to copy a file to another user, or to access files on a remote VoxPro workstation). In addition, VoxPro must be able to maintain its databases and user configuration files, all of which require file access permissions from the operating system. The Windows operating system, and Windows XP in particular, places a number of default restrictions on what types of file operations are allowed and by whom. All of these restrictions can be overcome by following the procedures in the checklist below. Note that you will need administrative rights on the computer in order to make these changes; that is, you will need to login to Windows using an administrative account, not a regular user account.
Initial Procedures for Windows XP
- Disable Fast User Switching. Fast user switching is a feature that allows the logged-in Windows user to “impersonate” another user (although you’re probably not aware that that is what is happening). It’s a fine idea except that it breaks many programs, including VoxPro. Open the User Accounts wizard in the system Control Panel (available through the Start button popup menu). Under “Pick a task” choose “Change the way users log on or off”. (If you do not see this option, you are not logged in as the Windows administrator!) Disable “Use Fast User Switching” and click the Apply Options button. If you used Fast User Switching to login as the system administrator, you will be forced to logout at this point. Otherwise, keep the Control Panel window open…
- Disable Simple File Sharing. There is nothing simple about file sharing, and you won’t be able to set file access permissions properly if this option is enabled. Select Folder Options from the Tools menu at the top of the Control Panel window. This opens the small Folder Options window. Click on the View tab at the top of this window. At the bottom of the “Advanced settings” list you should see an item called “Use simple file sharing”. Disable it, and click OK.
Procedures for Windows 2000 and Windows XP (continued)
- Share the VoxPro folder. VoxPro attempts to do this itself when first installed, but you may want to verify that it was in fact able to do so. Open Windows Explorer and find the VoxPro installation folder (usually this is C:\Program Files\Voxpro). Right-click on the Voxpro folder and select Sharing from the popup menu. (If you don’t see this in the popup menu, you aren’t logged in as the Windows administrator!) Enable the Share this folder option, and use “Voxpro” as the share name. We leave the “User limit” set to the maximum allowed. Now keep this window open for the next step…
- Click on the Permissions button in the lower half of the window. A new window opens. You want to make sure that the “Everyone” group has Full Control, Change and Read permissions enabled. (In theory, the “Everyone” group really does include all Windows users, but of course there are exceptions to this, which are outside the scope of this user guide.) Click OK.
- You are now looking once again at the Properties window for the Voxpro folder. Click on the Security tab. Make sure that the “Power Users” and “Users” groups have the entire gamut of permissions enabled. (You won’t be able to change the permissions for “Administrators” and “SYSTEM”, and changes made to “CREATOR OWNER” won’t stick.) Click OK.
- If you have created or are planning to create VoxPro user accounts in a folder other than the default VoxPro installation folder, then you need to perform these same steps on that folder as well. Note that it is unnecessary to explicitly share and set these permissions on every user’s individual subfolder. In theory, “child” folders should inherit the permissions of the “parent” folder. Nonetheless, we have found rare instances in which this is not the case (usually on machines that have had their file systems upgraded from Windows 98), but it is usually sufficient in those cases to disable the sharing and permissions of the parent folder, and then to reset them as described. We do not recommend sharing the root folder of your hard drive.
- If you are running VoxPro on more than one computer around your LAN, then you are also probably interested in giving your users the ability to login to any VoxPro workstation to access their personal files. When a Windows program (such as VoxPro) attempts to open a file on a remote computer, one of the items of information that is exchanged between the two computers is the name and password of the user attempting the remote access (we are referring here to the Windows user account, not the VoxPro user account). If an identical account, with the identical password, exists on the remote machine, and that account has all of the proper security permissions set as described above, then access is granted. This holds especially true for Windows XP (there are some particular cases for which Windows 2000 is more permissive). The implication is that you need to create identical Windows user accounts (or profiles, as they are often called), with identical passwords, on all of your VoxPro workstations. The simplest solution by far is to create one Windows profile that everyone on the LAN uses. If you have a reason for creating multiple Windows profiles, then you’ll need to replicate the same profiles on all of your computers.
A very useful technique for troubleshooting file access problems is to attempt essentially the same thing using Windows Explorer. If you cannot access a given file or folder from Windows Explorer, then neither can VoxPro. If you cannot create or delete a file in a given folder from Windows Explorer, then neither can VoxPro. If Windows Explorer prompts you for a username and password while attempting to access a remote machine, then VoxPro will not be able to gain access to any folder on that machine (this is an indication of mismatched Windows profiles on the two computers).
The procedures described above apply to peer-to-peer networks, which are by far the most common type of Windows network. Configuring a domain server to authenticate user logins and permissions is beyond the scope of this user guide.
Windows Firewall (Windows XP only)
If you have enabled Windows Firewall, then the very first time that you run VoxPro you will get a Windows Security Alert asking if you want to block VoxPro from running. Click the Unblock button. On some computers you may also have to enable a UDP port as well. Open the Window Firewall wizard from the system control panel. Click the Exceptions tab and then the Add Port button in the lower half of the window. In the new window which pops up, type in “Voxpro” as the name, “33333” as the port number, select the UDP option and click OK.
Interactions of Windows Firewall with other network security software can be unpredictable and extremely hard to debug. In the worst case you may need to disable Windows Firewall and rely on other software for security.
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VoxPro Errors
An error occurs when trying to record.
There are several otherwise unrelated issues that can cause this problem:
(Version 3.1/3.2 only) DirectX 9 is not installed or is an older version. Solution: Install the latest version of DirectX included on the VoxPro PC CD-ROM, or by downloading it from Microsoft's DirectX site.
(Version 3.1/3.2 only) You are trying to use an emulated audio driver to record. Solution: Log in to VoxPro PC as Administrator. Click the Settings menu in VoxPro PC and select "Audio Devices." Look through the record devices available. If your soundcard provides both an emulated and WDM driver, choose the WDM driver. If you do not see your soundcard in the device list, it means you do not have a WDM driver installed. Check with the manufacturer to determine if a WDM driver (with DirectSound support) is available.
The soundcard driver is out of date. Solution: Download the latest driver for your soundcard from the vendor? s website.
You are logged onto Windows as a restricted or limited user, and you have no read/write permissions in the VoxPro PC installation folder. Solution: Log in to Windows using an account which gives you read/write permission in the VoxPro PC installation folder, or share the VoxPro folder to everyone. (If VoxPro is networked, share the folder to the network.)
The temporary record file (VP_SRcrd.tmp for stereo recordings, VP_MRcrd.tmp for mono) cannot be deleted. Solution: Launch Windows Explorer, browse to the VoxPro PC installation folder, delete the temporary record file.
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A required DLL (wmvcore.dll) is missing.
You have not installed the Microsoft Windows Media Format runtime library, which allows you to import and export compressed files in Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. On our Software and Utilities page you'll find a file called wmfdist.exe. Download and run this program. When you restart VoxPro you should not see this error again.
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An "entry point" is missing from wmvcore.
Your version of the Microsoft Windows Media Format runtime library is out of date. On our Software and Utilities page you'll find a file called wmfdist.exe. Download and run this program. When you restart VoxPro you should not see this error again.
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All my audio files are missing!
Maybe, maybe not. Try these things:
Make sure that VoxPro's internal audio format (i.e. sample rate and number of channels) is still set correctly. Audio files recorded in stereo, for example, will not be displayed if the monophonic format has been selected, and vice versa. Similarly, files recorded at a samplerate of 44100Hz will not be displayed if the audio devices are reset to 48000Hz.
Check all your folders in VoxPro.
Perform a database rebuild from VoxPro's main File menu.
If your files are still missing, then they've either been moved or deleted. You might run a system search for a particular filename that you remember, to see if it's even on the computer. You might also want to read about the VoxPro file format, as it may give you a clue as to what has happened.
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The graphics displayed in the VoxPro window are wierd.
Improper graphics device settings can cause strange problems such as empty Edit/Master lists, flashing or disappearing timers, and blank black or white areas on the screen. Open the system control panel, and double-click the Display tool. Select the "Settings" tab and click the "Advanced" button. At this point the tabs and pages that are displayed are dependant on the display adapter itself, but in general you are looking for a control called "Hardware Acceleration", which needs to be set on "full".
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VoxPro Configuration and Usability
I have to wait while new recordings are copied to another location.
With VoxPro PC version 3.3, this should only happen when recording in an account which is physically located on another computer, and is normal in this situation. For efficiency, VoxPro always records on the local computer, so at the conclusion of the recording the file must be copied to its permanent location on the remote computer.
In VoxPro versions 3.1 and 3.2, there are several scenarios which would cause this to occur. We stongly recommend that you upgrade to the latest version!
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How to change the name of a user account.
Exit VoxPro. Using Windows Explorer, browse to the VoxPro PC folder (usually in Program Files on your C drive). Open the VP_Depot folder and locate the folder belonging to the account whose name you wish to change. Rename the folder to the new account name.
Restart VoxPro and log in as the Administrator. Go to the Accounts menu and select Delete User. Delete the old account. (No files will be erased because you've renamed the entire folder.) Now select the Add User item in the Accounts menu. Add the new user, using the new name you gave to the account folder. VoxPro PC will perform a quick database rebuild on the contents of that folder. Now you can log in as the new user, and all the old audio files will be present.
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How do I re-install VoxPro onto a different drive or partition?
You may uninstall and re-install VoxPro on any drive or partition that you wish. The only real issue is what happens to the existing user accounts.
If you are leaving all the user accounts where they are, you need only copy the two files VP_Config.vpc and VP_Hotkeys.vpc from the old installation folder to the new. When you start VoxPro in its new location, it will see the user configuration data, which is already correct.
If you are moving the user accounts also, then you can copy the VP_Hotkeys.vpc file to the new installation folder, but the VP_Config.vpc file will have to be remade, so don't copy it. When you start VoxPro for the first time in its new location, and there is no configuration file, it will prompt you for a new path to the Administrator's account. Now you can login as the Administrator and add all the other user and team accounts. Pay special attention that the path given for each new account matches the location to which you have reinstalled VoxPro (or moved the VP_Depot folder).
If your VoxPro is networked, simply uninstall and re-install. The user configuration files are delivered from the Network Coordinator, so you do not have to copy anthing there.
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How do I move VoxPro audio files to a different drive or partition?
Make sure VoxPro is not running, then locate the current VP_Depot folder and copy it to its new location on a different disk. (If you are moving only a few selected users, you may move just their individual subfolders from the old location to the new one.) Start up VoxPro again and log in as Administrator. Delete the user accounts which are being moved, then re-create them, pointing to the new location where you have just moved their folders.
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VOXPRO 3.X ONLY: Network Configuration
Overview of the VoxPro Network Coordinator.
The function of the VoxPro Network Coordinator is to provide a single location from which distributed VoxPro workstations can receive user configuration data. This data includes items such as: the path to each account (i.e. the physical location on your LAN of each VoxPro account), user preference settings, last active folder and file, hotkey settings and team membership, among others. The Network Coordinator does NOT serve audio files across your LAN or WAN. VoxPro relies on standard Windows filesharing and RPC to access files from remote machines.
The Network Coordinator consists of four components, all located in the VoxProNet folder (by default, this is installed in the Program Files folder on your C: drive). VPNetService.svc is an executable file which runs as an "auto-start" Windows service, meaning that it starts running automatically at system boot time, and is shut down automatically when the computer is turned off. VPNetCoordinator.exe is a utility which is used to start the VoxPro Network service for the first time, and to shut it down manually. (Use of the Windows system administrator's Services tool to start and stop the Network Coordinator is not recommended.) The VPNetCoordinator utility also displays useful information such as the hostname, IP address and port that the Network Coordinator is running on, as well as a list of VoxPro clients which are currently attached to it. VP_Config.vpc and VP_Hotkeys.vpc are the account configuration files that the Network Coordinator maintains, and are created after the first VoxPro workstation is registered and attached to the network. Finally, VPNetErrorLog.txt records any error conditions that may arise, as well as start and stop times of the network service.
When VoxPro PC starts up, it checks the system registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Audion Labs) for a key called "StandAlone". If this key has a value of zero or doesn't exist at all, it searches for a key in the same location called "ServerAddr". This key is the hostname or IP address of the computer which is running the VoxPro Network Coordinator. It attempts to contact the Network Coordinator at this address, and then waits for a response. The response is essentially a copy of the user configuration files maintained by the Network Coordinator. If VoxPro does not receive this response after a suitable interval, it goes into "detached" mode: it uses its own copy of the user configuration file, allowing access to local accounts, but disables all administrative functions.
Assuming that a normal connection to the Network Coordinator is established, all administrative operations performed within VoxPro are relayed to the Network Coordinator, which in turn relays the information to other VoxPro workstations on the network. Administrative operations include adding/deleting users and teams, changing passwords, creating custom folders, setting user preferences, etc.
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How to enable VoxPro Network on a stand-alone VoxPro workstation.
Login to VoxPro as Administrator and open the Settings/EnableNetworkPlugin menu. (If this menu is disabled, the plugin is already enabled.) Enter the hostname or IP address of the computer which is running the Network Coordinator (the Network Service must have already been started), and click OK. VoxPro attempts to contact the Network Coordinator, and, if successful, receives new user configuration data. It then makes its best effort to convert the accounts on the local machine into network accounts. (If an account by the same name already exists, the local account is passed over.)
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What is the difference between a network account and a local account?
Local accounts are physically located on the local machine, and are assigned local pathnames, for example: "C:\Program Files\VoxPro PC\VP_Depot opJock". Network accounts may be on any machine on your LAN or WAN, and therefore have what is called a UNC path (Universal Naming Convention): "\\SomeMachine\SomeSharedFolder\VP_Depot opJock". Note the double backslash at the beginning of the UNC path, followed by the machine name, followed by what is called the "share point". A share point is a folder which is shared to the rest of the network. So, for example, on a machine called "StudioA", if the folder "C:\Program Files\VoxPro PC" is shared to the network as "VoxPro PC" (this would be the default), then the UNC path above becomes "\\StudioA\VoxPro PC\VP_Depot opJock".
In VoxPro, the Administrator has access to a window called "Check Disk Usage" in the Accounts menu. This window displays the full pathnames to all accounts registered on that machine or on the VoxPro network, whichever is applicable. Note that the Guest account is always local.
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Special notes on VoxPro Network versions.
VoxPro PC version 3.3 may run with VoxPro Network Coordinator version 2.0.0.2 or 2.0.0.3. If you already have 2.0.0.2 installed and it is working, there is no need to upgrade it. Version 2.0.0.3 contains a small change intended to repair a problem that sometimes occurs when upgrading from VoxPro PC version 3.1 to 3.3.
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VOXPRO 3.X ONLY: Configuration and Usability
Why can't I delete these Masters?
Since several Edits may reference a given Master, a given Master cannot be deleted until the last Edit which references it is deleted. Keep in mind that Edits are not truly deleted until the Deleted Files folder is emptied.
In some rare instances, a Master will be left with no referenced Edits. In this case, the "Delete" item in the Master's right-click popup menu is enabled, and allows the Master to be deleted immediately (it is not placed in the Deleted Files folder). Note also the "Referenced to..." and "Referenced by..." items in the Edits' and Masters' right-click popup menus, which show you the connections between Edits and Masters.
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A primer on the VoxPro file system.
Each user account has a folder called VP_Masters which contains all the actual audio data of each file. If you drill into the VP_Masters folder of a given user (using Windows Explorer, not VoxPro), you'll see that the Masters' names are those of the folders, not of individual files. Each Master folder (*.vpm) contains two files called MstrLeft.vpt and MstrRite.vpt (MstrMono.vpt if you're in mono mode). These files contain a short header followed by the actual PCM audio data for each track. In addition, there is a file called Edits.vpf which is actually a text file, and contains a list of Edits which reference the audio data in this Master.
The other folders in each account are Edit folders. Each account comes with four folders by default; more can be added. If you drill into an Edit folder you'll see that each Edit consists of two files, both quite small. The .vpe file contains the actual edit, which is a series of pointers into its repective Master(s), and the .vpa file contains auxilliary data that is used for fast access.
Each folder also contains a file called VP_EMap.vpd, which is a database of the contents of that folder (in the VP_Masters folder this file is called VP_MMap.vpd). If you delete the .vpd files, VoxPro will rebuild them automatically. The RebuildFileDatabase command in the main File menu of VoxPro in fact does this — it deletes all the .vpd files, then scans each Edit and each Master to determine the correct affiliations.
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The user accounts have disappeared from the VoxPro login screen.
Whether your VoxPro is a stand-alone unit or is networked, this probably means that the user configuration file VP_Config.vpc has been corrupted, along with its backup copies ~VP_Config.bak and ~VP_Config2.bak. Your audio files should still be intact and safe.
For a stand-alone VoxPro unit, exit the program and delete the configuration file and its backup copies from the VoxPro PC folder. For a networked VoxPro unit, you will have to shut down all you VoxPro workstations, then shut down the Network Coordinator (stop the service using the VPNetCoordinator utility; see above. Finally, remove the user configuration file and its backup copies from the VoxProNet folder, then restart the Network Service.
Start VoxPro again. A message to the effect that the user configuration is missing will be displayed. Following that, you will be prompted to enter a path to the Administrator's account. Take care that you enter the correct path name (read the discussion on paths above). Once you are logged in as Administrator, you may recreate your accounts, again taking care to ensure that the pathnames to the new accounts match the existing locations of the users' audio data. As each account is re-created, VoxPro rebuilds the database for that account.
At this point, each account is essentially brand new again, so users will have to reset their preferences and passwords, if any. Also, any teams which used to exist will have to be recreated, and team membership reassigned.
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VOXPRO 3.X ONLY: HASP (Dongle) Errors
HASP -100 error (driver missing).
Sometimes the installation of the HASP driver fails, even when the rest of the VoxPro installation succeeds. The first thing to do is to download and run HASPUserSetup.exe from our Software and Utilities page. If you still get this error when you start VoxPro, there is probably a problem with the account that you are logged into Windows with. Try using an administrative account.
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HASP -1000 error.
You're probably on XP and you've got Fast User Switching enabled. Fast User Switching is a nice little feature of Windows XP that kills lots of programs, including VoxPro. Log in to Windows as the system administrator, open the System Control Panel, select the "Users and Passwords" tool, then "Change the way users log on and off". You'll see a switch box to enable Fast User Switching. Disable it. Now try VoxPro again.
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Waiting for HASP to become available.
You might encounter this dialog box if you are still running VoxPro PC version 3.2, and on some systems this message pops up when Fast User Switching is enabled. See the description of the HASP -1000 Error above.
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Special Notes on HASP driver versions.
The HASP drivers do not appear in the system device manager, so there is no easy way to check your version. If the HASP is working at all (that is, you've never encountered an error message that explicitly refers to the HASP), then there is probably no need to update it. The version number of the Aladdin HASP driver refers to the installation package and not the individual components. If you want to update your HASP driver anyway, download and run HASPUserSetup.exe from our Software and Utilities page.
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