Starting OpenCP

After starting OPENCP from the command line the dos extender is loaded. By default OPENCP looks for a file dos4gw.exe in all directories included in the path statement and the home directory. When it cannot find this file, OPENCP exists with the error message could not execute: No such file or directory.

OPENCP then tries to detect the sound cards defined in the cp.ini file. If the card is not found you cannot use it. If more than one sound card is installed and found by OPENCP the first one listed in the cp.ini is used as the default device.^2.1

By entering a filename as parameter onto the command line you can load a module. If a filename is given the file will be loaded and OPENCP starts with the player.^2.2 When the parameter is the name of a directory the fileselector starts with the given directory. If the parameter equals a certain archive all files found inside the archive will be played (by adding them to the playlist).

If more than one parameter is given a playlist will be set up, containing all found files. You can mix filenames of archives, files in archives and normal files on the hard disk.

You normally don't have to supply the right file extensions, as they are guessed by the fileselector. If the filename is not complete the file will not be processed (unlike the quickfind function).

OPENCP can be configured using the command line, although the configuration through the cp.ini file is more comfortable. The options split up into three main sections each starting with ``-'' followed by a letter. For each section different options are given, which will configure the player accordingly. You can precede each option with the section prefix every time or supply multiple options seperated with ``,''. Some special options do not require the use of a sections prefix, like the help switch.

The command line looks like:
cp [prefix option[,option]] [specialOption] [filename]^2.3

Special options include:

-h

show a help screen

-m

use a monochrome graphics card (hercules or mda). Useful when starting OPENCP under windows.

-c<name>

use a configuration defined in cp.ini

Fileselector options are envoked with -f. The values in square brackets define a choice that must be made when using one of these options.

r[0|1]

remove played files from playlist

o[0|1]

don't scramble playlist order

l[0|1]

loop modules

Playback options are preceded by -v. Values in sharp brackets define a range in which the value must be taken.

a<0...800>

set amplification

v<0...100>

set volume

b<-100...100>

set balance

p<-100...100>

set panning

r<-100...100>

set reverb

c<-100...100>

set chorus

s[0|1]

set surround

f[0|1|2]

set filter (0=off, 1=AOI, 2=FOI)

Device setting are accomplished with the suffix -s.

p<name>

use specific player device

s<name>

use specific sampler device

w<name>

use specific wavetable device

r<0...64000>

sample at specific rate

8

play/sample/mix as 8bit

m

play/sample/mix mono

Finally an example to illustrate the above features:

cp -fl0,r1 -va80,p50,f2 -spdevpdisk -sr44100 ftstar.xm

This will start OPENCP and load the file ftstar.xm^2.4. The music will be played once and will not loop (-fl0, r1). Further the player is advised to amplify this file with 80%, set the panning to 50% and interpolate every sample (-va80, p50, f2). The mixed output will be saved into .wav format through the diskwriter device (-spdevpdisk) with a sample rate of 44.1KHz (-sr44100).

You can burn this WAV file directly onto a CD-Audio and play it with every normal CD player. A much simpler and more convinient way to make such a sample image of a module is by using predefined configurations with the -c switch. Have a look at the section Using the diskwriter on page .

Footnotes

... device.^2.1

You can change this in the player by using the @: device. See page for detail.

... player.^2.2

This will work if the file is inside an archivr located in the current directory. If no (unpacked) file is found all archives in the current directory are searched for an appropriate filename.

... [filename]^2.3

Square brackets [] indicate an optional item that can be repeated.

...ftstar.xm^2.4

A marvelous piece of music composed by KB which won The Party 1997.