Frequently Asked Questions


This FAQ is for the obsolete Premiere-format version of SFX Machine. See the FAQ for SFX Machine RT.

 

Frequently asked questions include:

 

Previous SFX Machine owners can upgrade to 1.5x for $25.

Owners of version 1.52 do not need to upgrade to 1.55 (if 1.52 installed normally). Owners of versions 1.50 or 1.51 should download the trial version, install it, and use the same password they received previously.

 

You should have received an e-mail from esales@esellerate.net entitled "eSellerate Order Notice". You will need to carefully examine the contents of this e-mail. You will find the following:

Your individual secret password is: xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx.

To enter your password: launch your Premiere-format host program, select some audio, and invoke SFX Machine. Once SFX Machine comes up, select "Utilities" from the Category list box on the left, then select the "REGISTER SFX!" preset from the Preset list box. Enter one of the above 4-digit numbers in each of the yellow "Value" fields. If you'd like, you can click the Preview button to listen to your password as you enter it! When you finish, it will tell you that your copy of SFX Machine has been registered.

 

If you're looking for a multi-track midi sequencer with digital audio, consider Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Performer™ or Emagic's Logic Audio™. Both are excellent, professional audio sequencers.

BIAS Deck™ 2.x records, edits and processes multi-track audio. BIAS also makes Peak™, a full-featured two-track editor. (In both cases, make sure to use the Premiere-compatible version 2.x, because BIAS has dropped Premiere support in versions 3.x. However, the 2.x versions may still be included on the 3.x CDs -- contact BIAS for confirmation.) SFX Machine and Peak's batch processor are a very powerful combination — even if you seldom need audio effects, many common utility-type tasks can be automated in this way. Peak LE™ 2.x is a lower-end version of Peak which also runs Premiere plug-ins and is available for under $100.

Finally, if you're doing video, take a look at the original Premiere-format host program, Adobe Premiere™.

 

    1. You can fine tune the sliders by holding down the Command key while clicking on the body of the slider.
    2. You can click on the body of the slider to make the indicator scroll toward the mouse cursor.
    3. You can use Option-A-click to add a link to slider A, Option-B-click to add a link to slider B, etc. (In previous versions, you could only add links to the last slider created, which meant you would have to delete the most recent sliders if you wanted to go back and link to an earlier one.)
    4. The Esc key toggles between the Edit and Slider screens.
    5. The Enter key toggles between preview on and off.
    6. The Control key starts the Preview over from the beginning so you donŐt have to hit the Preview button twice.
    7. The clip light now stays lit at the end if there was any clippage during the sound.
    8. The plug-in now allows you to cut, copy and paste to and from any text fields (numerical or comment fields).

     

There can be a conflict if the host program doesn't disable the direct (third-party) driver before calling a Premiere plug-in. All Premiere plug-ins preview using the Sound Manager. If the Sound Manager is using the Digi Sound Drivers, for example, and your host program is talking directly to the card using DAE or another third-party sound driver, the two can conflict. You should check your host program to see if there's an option to disable other drivers in the background, or contact the host program's manufacturer to see if they have a new version which fixes this problem.

In the meantime, the workaround is as follows: Select ONE of the following options before invoking SFX Machine:

    1. Set your host program to use the Sound Manager as its audio system, OR
    2. If you set the host's audio system to use the third-party direct audio driver, you must set your Sound (or Monitors and Sounds) control panel to use the built-in audio for preview playback.

     

Logic Audio searches in three places for a folder called "Premiere Plug-Ins": in the same folder from which Logic Audio was started; in the main directory of the volume from which the System was started; and in the active System folder.

SFX Machine won't show up in the same menu where the VST plug-ins show up. First, go into the Audio window. After loading an audio track and double-clicking on it, you get a new window that includes a Premiere menu; SFX Machine appears as an item in this menu. This procedure may vary depending on your version of the software; look up Premiere plug-ins in the Logic manual for more detailed information on how to invoke Premiere plug-ins.

 

You can find information about using Premiere plug-ins with third-party sound cards (such as the 1212 I/O) in Korg™'s 1212 I/O and Digital Performer FAQ.

 

The Premiere version was written using a third-party framework that hasn't been carbonized, so it is unlikely that there will be a Premiere version for OS X.

However, VST and AudioUnit versions are now available for OS 9, OS X and Windows (VST only).

 

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