| Media Rack Support FAQ Frequently Asked Questions | |
| Overview | |
| Here's where you'll find answers to lots of questions. | |
Media Rack Support
System Requirements and Environments
Playing
Recording
Mixer (Volume Control)
Troubleshooting
| Media Rack Support |
How do I get support for MediaRack?
Regardless of where you got Media Rack, we provide on this web these support resources:
A free, open download area where you can get the latest bug fix update for standard versions of Media Rack
Links to the web sites of many of the companies who bundled Media Rack with their PCs, sound cards, modems, or other products. If you got Media Rack bundled with such a product, you may be able to get additional support from your supplier. Please check with your supplier for their support policies.
Note: Willow Pond didn't make your sound card, modem, or other hardware product, even if there is no other company name in your hardware packaging. We do not make or sell hardware at all, and we never have. We make and sell only software. If your sound card or modem does not have a manufacturer name on it, then it is likely a low-cost item from a company that does not intend to support its products. Unfortunately, we can not help you with questions about your sound card or its drivers, though we might be able to help you locate your hardware maker.
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How can I get anupgrade to the latest version of Media Rack?
Download it from here, for FREE.
I copied Media Rack froma friend's PC, and when I try to run it an error message says that I am missing somefiles.
Well, you shouldn't copy Media Rack from someone else's PC. It is designed not to workunless it is properly installed from valid installation disks.
What about hardware ordriver support?
We have never made or sold any hardware. In fact, we may have never even seen yourhardware or its drivers! So the only help we can offer here is to
Media Rack used to work fine, butnow that I've upgraded my PC to Windows 95 I am having problems.
A common cause of a wide range of problems is trying to use older Windows 3.1 driversunder Windows 95. You should make sure you are using the latest Windows 95 drivers foryour sound card. As for Media Rack itself, if it is version 2.1 or later it should workwell under Windows 95.
| System Requirements and Environments |
With which Windowsversions will Media Rack work?
If you want to use Windows 98 or later, you should use our newer
| Playing |
If I have trouble playingsomething, what should I do?
Please refer to the Troubleshooting sectionbelow.
I can't hear audio CDs throughMedia Rack, even though I can hear wave and MIDI files. What is wrong?
Here are three possibilities:
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Can I make Media Rack automaticallyplay my CD when I insert it ("AutoPlay")?
Yes. You'll find the AutoPlay option under the Media Rack CD menu. If you don't see itthere, make sure you have the latest version of Media Rack (you can
Can I access or edit thefile on disk in which Media Rack stores the CD database?
This file is called CDPLYER.TDB, and is located in the Windows directory. It is a textfile, so you can view it easily. Note however that if you edit this file yourselfrather than letting Media Rack handle the file, and you do something wrong, we can nothelp you fix it! So at least save a copy of it before you experiment!
When I play a CD or playlist, itdoesn't play in order. What is wrong?
It sounds like you have the Media Rack player's Random button enabled. Just click it totoggle it off.
My sound card includes MIDIwavetable. What should I try if when I play a MIDI file it doesn't sound very good? Whatam I doing wrong?
Make sure you are using the desired MIDI output device. Look at the available MIDIoutput devices under the Media Rack's MIDI menu. Look for something called Wavetable orMPU-401 (names vary from driver to driver).
Can I play MP3 files? Or DVDdisks? Or AVI files? Or (fill in your favorite new multimedia type here)?
No. You have to get WillowMEDIAto play the new multimedia types.
| Recording |
How do I record CDs (or fromany other audio source)?
Here's how you record pretty much anything, including audio CDs:
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What microphone should I usewith Media Rack?
We have no idea. You should match your microphone to your sound card hardware, andapplications such as Media Rack have nothing to do with it.
What audio format should I use whenrecording?
It's a tradeoff between file size and CPU usage on one hand, and disk space on theother hand.
Here are some typical guidelines for PCM (uncompressed) audio:
| Usage | Frequency | Sample Size | Channels | Disk Space per Minute |
| Recording CDs (CD quality audio) | 44.1 kHz | 16 bits | Stereo | 10.5 MB |
| Recording FM Radio (radio quality audio) | 22.05 kHz | 8 bits | Stereo | 2.7 MB |
| Recording reminders and conversations | 11.025 kHz | 8 bits | Mono | 0.7 MB |
To save lots of disk space at the cost of some quality, you could use compressed audio.
Note: Media Rack gives you access to ACM-compatible compressionsoftware already on your PC, it does not include its own compression. You can find audioformat/compression options under the button just above the Record button on the MediaRack's Wave Player component. Here are some examples of audio formats that might beavailable on your PC:
| Usage | Compression | Compression Ratio | Loss of Quality |
| Recording CDs (CD quality audio) | MPEG, AC3, MP3 | Often 5:1 to 10:1 | Small |
| Recording FM Radio (radio quality audio) | IMA-ADPCM, MS-ADPCM | Often 2:1 or 4:1 | Medium |
| Recording reminders and conversations | IMA-ADPCM, MS-ADPCM | Often 2:1 or 4:1 | Medium |
| Recording phone calls | GSM, TrueSpeech, CELP, for example | Often 10:1 or more | Medium to High |
Of course the better the compression, the more calculation power is required.
What is Media Rack's maximumrecording length?
Media Rack imposes no limits at all. You can record as long a file as will fit on yourhard disk. (Other programs, such as the Sound Recorder accessory that comes with Windows,limit your recording to a fixed length or else to the amount of space available in memory,not disk.)
The maximum duration recording you can fit in a given amount of disk space is affectedby the audio format in which you are recording.
| Mixer (Volume Control) |
I have a question about themeaning of some mixer controls…
Mixer controls are determined entirely by your audio hardware and its drivers, not byMedia Rack. Media Rack asks the drivers what controls to display, what to call them, andhow they should behave. This is all done according to Microsoft Windows mixer standards,letting programs show controls for sound cards and drivers which they have never evenseen. So if you have questions about individual mixer controls, please refer them to your
I don't see any volume control sliderson the front of Media Rack.
If you don't see volume sliders on Media Rack's mixer component, it probably means oneof two things:
To see if your drivers are installed at all, try to play wave and MIDI files. If youcan not get any audio, try reinstalling your drivers. If you don't have the driver disks,you'll have to contact your sound card or audio chipmaker since Willow Pond does not support audio drivers.
The sliders on my MediaRack don't match those in the documentation.
Media Rack queries the sound card drivers to find out what volume controls to display.The controls, including their text labels, are all supplied by the drivers. As a result,the controls shown will vary between sound cards and sometimes even driver versions. Thecontrols shown in the documentation show one example, but your controls will likely bedifferent. For more information about volume control for your sound card, you should
Can I control volumes ifI have more than one sound card installed?
No. Media Rack just controls volume for the first sound card it finds.
Our newer WillowMEDIA productlets you control volume for multiple sound cards.
Troubleshooting Guidelines and Procedures
If you have trouble playing something, the most important thing to understand iswhether the problem is with your system configuration or solely with Media Rack. The bestway to do this is:
If you also get a failure using Media Player, then the problem is with your multimediaPC configuration (hardware conflicts, incorrect driver versions, for example), not withMedia Rack. Contact your hardware supplier for help configuring your system to play themultimedia you want.
While we can't offer a troubleshooting service for your universal audio problems, someof the obvious things to check include:
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Where to Get Updated Drivers and Support
In almost all cases, the drivers for your sound card are created by the maker of thesound chips on the sound card or a company they hire to write them. Only a few sound cardmakers do their own drivers. All audio driver support, including replacement drivers, isonly available from either the maker of your hardware or from the maker of the audio chipson your sound card.
We have never made or sold any hardware at all. In fact, we may have never even seenyour sound card or its drivers! Please don't ask us for drivers for your multimediahardware.
If all you want is replacement drivers and do not need human support, you can often getwhat you need from the web site of the sound chip maker (see below). Keep in mind that thechip makers will not provide any support or hand-holding to you.
However, if you want human support for trouble you are having with a driver, your onlyhope is to try contacting your sound card maker. They are the ones who received your moneywhen you bought the sound card, and are the ones who are supposed to stand behind thecomplete assembled product.
Note: If you upgrade your operating system (for example, from Windows3.1 to Windows 95), you must get updated drivers for your sound card to be sure it willwork properly. If you try to use old drivers under a new operating system, often yoursound card may appear to work initially but will cause unpredictable problems later.
Finding Your Sound Card Maker (for support and drivers)
If you don't know who made your sound card, you can look for the FCC ID on the card anduse it to search the FCCEquipment Authorization Database. All PC hardware makers are supposed to get an FCC IDfor their products, so you should be able to find out who made your hardware.
Finding Your Sound Chip Maker (for drivers only)
If you can't get help from your sound card maker or can't figure out who it is,you may still be able to figure out who made your sound chips and drivers byexamining your sound card hardware. Here's what you should look for:
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