Digital music files and CSDS

• Music files (MP3, WAV, OGG, or other audio files) are loaded into the CSDS Music Player via the Music Database, a Quick List, or the History List. Music files may also be loaded directly from a selected file on the computer's hard drive or CD-ROM.
• MP3 files can be created from audio CDs or vinyl records, or can be purchased from the web.
  • From Audio CDs: A "CD ripper" (such as AudioGrabber) extracts tracks from an audio CD in the computer's CD drive, and creates a WAV (or MP3) file for each selected track.
  • From Vinyl Records: A "Music Editor" (such as Adobe Audition, Goldwave, Audacity, or Sound Forge) records music from an external source such as a turntable/amplifier and creates a WAV (or MP3) file. The "Music Editor" can also be used to remove blank space at the start and end of the recording, normalize the volume, perform noise reduction, remove pops and hisses, change the pitch and/or tempo, and apply other bells and whistles.
  • From the Web: New MP3 files may be purchased from various vendors.
• Music files should be stored on your laptop, with appropriate information entered into the CSDS music database. The music can then be loaded from the database and played from your laptop at a dance. The primary advantage to using the music database, as opposed to just loading the music from a file each time, is that each music selection can have extra information associated with it. This information includes the following:
  • Title
  • Record label
  • Label name
  • Rating (how well you like the music)
  • Genre flags (e.g., singing call, round dance, patter, holiday, gospel, crowd exciter, special events, etc.)
  • Loop start and end markers (for automatic looping of patter records)
  • Beats per minute
  • Tempo and pitch deltas (amount to adjust tempo and pitch after loading music)
  • Recording artist(s)
  • Cue sheet file
  • Lyrics file
  • Comments
  • Rhythm
  • Phase (for round dance)
  • Key
  • Miscellaneous positional markers (up to eight markers may be set per music entry)
  • Date music was added to database
  • Date and time music was last played
• Using the Music Database, a Music Quick List, or the Music History List, a desired music selection can be quickly selected from a sorted and filtered list.
• Assuming you're within the Call From Screen section of CSDS, and that the Music Database has been properly configured, the cue sheet and/or lyrics for the loaded music selection automatically appear.