X-Git-Url: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/ucgi/~mdw/git/mup/blobdiff_plain/cdb3c0882392596f814cf939cbfbd38adc6f2bfe..ddf6330b56bcfb657e0186b24b9b1422c51d3424:/mup/docs/faq.txt diff --git a/mup/docs/faq.txt b/mup/docs/faq.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fd7cff2 --- /dev/null +++ b/mup/docs/faq.txt @@ -0,0 +1,307 @@ + + Mup Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) + + 1. Frequent questions for those who have not yet used Mup + + 1.1 Q: What makes Mup unique? Why should I consider using + Mup? + + 1. Mup provides high quality music output at very low + cost. You can download Mup and try it out for + yourself. + + 2. Mup is available ready-to-run for several computer + operating systems, and is also available in source + form, so that it can be run on almost any kind of + computers, including Windows, Apple, Linux or Unix. + + 3. If you prefer a command line interface, Mup provides + that, and doesn't require using a mouse or learning a + new editor; you can just create a Mup input file using + any text editor of your choice. However, if you + prefer an interface with menus and integrated editor, + the companion Mupmate program provides that. + + 4. Mup input can be easily generated or manipulated by + another program. Input files are typically small, so + it doesn't take a long time to create them. Since they + are ordinary text they can easily be moved to other + systems, even if the other system uses a different + operating system. For example, it would be easy to + email a song in Mup format to a friend, and if they + had Mup, they could then print it out or play it via + MIDI. Since Mup output is standard PostScript or + standard MIDI, output files are also portable to + almost any operating system. + + 5. Mup handles page layout details, but provides ways to + alter the layout if you wish. It has the power to + handle complicated scores, and can produce + professional-quality output quickly. + + 6. Mup's ability to produce MIDI output can be very + helpful for "proof listening" to your music, which is + usually a very effective way to spot errors that you + might miss by just looking at the score, + + 1.2 Q: Will Mup run on my computer? + + We currently provide Mup in ready-to-run form for Windows + and Linux x86 systems. A port of Mup for the Macintosh is + available from + http://www.uni-paderborn.de/cs/Michael.Thies.html and a + version for OS/2 is available from http://homepages.tu- + darmstadt.de/~st002279/os2/html/mup.html + + If you use a different operating system, Mup source code is + also available, so if you have a C compiler, you can + probably compile and run Mup. It has been run using several + versions of UNIX on x86, Sun, Digital, Silicon Graphics, and + other systems. It has also been run under OS/2, as well as + on an Amiga. An ANSI-C compiler is recommended, but not + required. Under MS-DOS, you will need a memory extender, + and at least a 32-bit compiler is strongly recommended. Mup + will run on a 386, but at least a 486 is recommended for + best performance. If you try to compile Mup and have + problems, please let us know at support@arkkra.com We'd like + to make it portable to as many computer system types as + possible. The companion Mupmate program requires a C++ + compiler and the FLTK toolkit. + + 1.3 Q: How long will it take to learn how to use Mup? + + This will vary from person to person. A person who has + experience with computer languages will probably pick up Mup + more quickly, but such knowledge is not necessary. Mup has + a broad array of features, so if you want to learn how to + use every feature that Mup has to offer, this may take + several days. (The Mup User's Guide, which explains all the + features, and includes many examples, is about 150 pages + long.) However, once you get Mup installed, you can start + experimenting with Mup after reading the first few pages of + the User's Guide, and it should take no more than a few + hours to feel comfortable with the basics, enough to enter + simple songs and get professional-looking output. The + User's Guide includes many examples, and is provided both as + a PostScript file that you can print out on paper, and as + HTML files with hundreds of hypertext links, that you can + view with your Web browser. The Mup installation package + contains several sample files and a template file to help + you get started. You can also download sample songs from + ftp://ftp.arkkra.com/pub/music + + 1.4 Q: How long will it take to enter music? + + This will vary greatly, depending on a number of factors, + such as how complicated the music is, how much experience + you have had with using Mup, how fast you type, etc. An + experienced Mup user can typically enter simple music in + less than 15 minutes per page, but very complex music can + often take over an hour, especially if you like to make a + lot of adjustments to make things look just exactly the way + you want. + + 1.5 Q: How did Mup and Arkkra Enterprises come about? + + We are musicians and computer programmers who wanted a music + publication program that would produce very high-quality + output with a minimum amount of fuss. We wrote the Mup + program for our own use, and continue to use it for all our + own compositions. When other people expressed an interest in + getting a copy of Mup, we formed Arkkra Enterprises to set + up a Web site to make Mup available as shareware to anyone + who wants it. We rely on the shareware registration fee + that you pay to cover the cost of maintaining a Web site and + providing support to answer questions. We add new features + based on user suggestions, and once you register, we will + notify you of any future free upgrades. + + 1.6 Q: How do I pay for Mup? + + Fill out the registration form and send the form and (US) + $29 in cash, check, or money order to the address given on + the form. If you are writing a check from a bank outside + the United States, please make it out in the bank's local + currency in an amount equivalent to 29 U.S. dollars; our + bank will not accept US-dollar-denominated checks from non- + US banks. If you wish to pay via credit card, we have an + arrangement with setSystems to handle paying for Mup with a + credit card. They are able to handle transactions in many + different currencies. setSystems is part of Digital River, + a well-known e-commerce company. As soon as we receive your + payment, we will email the registration information to you. + Once you register, we will notify you via email of future + Mup versions, and you can upgrade to any future versions of + Mup for free. Once you have registered, you also can join + the Mup users mailing list if you wish, at no additional + charge. We only use your address to send you information + about Mup; it is our policy to not give out names, email, or + street addresses to anyone else. + + -------------------------------------------------- + + 2. Frequent questions from Mup users + + 2.1 Q. Is there a mailing list for Mup users? + + Yes. There is a "majordomo" mailing list available + exclusively to registered Mup users. It provides a forum + where you can ask or answer questions, get tips on how other + people are using Mup, etc. + + 2.2 Q. Can I put Mup output into some other document? + + There is a tool that comes with Ghostscript, called + "ps2epsi" that converts a PostScript file to an Encapsulated + PostScript file, which can then be imported into other + documents. + + 2.3 Q: Can Mup produce PDF files? + + Not directly, but since Mup produces PostScript output, you + can easily convert the output to PDF format using the ps2pdf + utility that comes with Ghostscript. + + 2.4 Q. Why is the first score indented differently than the + others? + + The first score of a piece of music is traditionally + indented somewhat more than subsequent scores, so that's + what Mup does by default. It does that by setting the + default label parameter to a few spaces, whereas it sets the + default for the label2 parameter to an empty string. If you + don't want the indentation, you can set + label="" + + 2.5 Q: Is is possible to specify a pickup measure? + + Yes. You use "space" on all voices. For example, + 1: 2.s; 4e; + 2: 2.s; 4c; + will produce a pickup measure with just a quarter note in + it. + + 2.6 Q: Is it possible to display a tempo marking of the + form '(N = 120)' where N is a note symbol, like a + quarter note? + + Yes. Try something like + rom above all: 1 "( \(sm4n) = 120 )"; + + 2.7 Q: Can Mup take a MIDI file as input? + + No. However, it is possible to write a program that reads a + MIDI file and outputs a file that can be input to Mup. Two + programs that do this, called "mtm" and "midi2mup" have been + donated by Mup users. They are limited, and not supported + by Arkkra Enterprises, but may be useful for some people. + Check out the programs donated by Mup users. + + 2.8 Q: What are some of the shorthands that can be used to + reduce typing? + + There are many shorthands available. Some of the most useful + are: + + - When the time value of a chord is the same as that of + the previous chord in the measure, it can be omitted. + If all pitch values of a chord are the same as the + previous chord, they can be omitted. For example: + 1: 4c; 4c; 4ceg; 4ceg; + is the same as + 1: 4c; ; ceg; ; + + - If several voices have the same music data, they can be + given on a single line. + 1-3 1-2: mr; + is equivalent to + 1 1: mr; + 1 2: mr; + 2 1: mr; + 2 2: mr; + 3 1: mr; + 3 2: mr; + A similar shorthand works for text and music symbols: + rom above 1-4: 3 "mf"; // staffs 1 through 4 + < below 2-3: 4 til 3m+2; // staffs 2 and 3 + mussym 1-5: 1 "ferm"; // staffs 1 through 5 + + - If several chords in a row have the same items in + square brackets before the chords, only the first must + have everything included. By giving an ellipsis after + the ] the items in brackets will be repeated for the + rest of the measure or until cancelled. Thus the + following lines are equivalent: + 1: [with .] c; [with .] d; [with .] e; + 1: [with .]... c; d; e; + + 2.9 Q: The Mupprnt command doesn't seem to work right. What + do I do? + + You may need to edit the mupprnt file to make sure the + variables and paths are set to match where things are + installed on your system. In particular, + + - GS_DIR needs to be set to the directory which contains + the Ghostscript font files (*.gsf) and the other + Ghostscript setup files (gs_*.ps). + + - GS_DEVICE needs to be set to the proper type to match + your printer type. + + - The path to Mup must be correct + + - The path to Ghostscript (gs or gs386 on MS-DOS/Windows + system) must be correct. + + - On MS-DOS/Windows systems, dos4gw.exe must be in your + PATH. + If you are using a viewer such as GSview or gv, you may want + to use its print feature rather than using mupprnt. + + 2.10 Q: On MS-DOS, the Mupdisp command comes back with + ghostscript error 1. What do I do? + + Check your config.sys file. You need to have a line like + files=10 + where the number after the equals sign is greater than or + equal to 9. + + Also, make sure gs386.exe exists and is in your PATH. If you + are running Mup from MS-DOS directly or from a DOS prompt + under Windows, make sure you installed the DOS version of + Ghostscript, not the Windows version. If you are using + Mupmate, or Winmup, make sure you installed the Windows + version of Ghostscript, not the MS-DOS version. + + 2.11 Q: If I use Mup for a language other than English, + will it handle the letters that are not used in + English? + + Mup handles most common non-ASCII characters. If your + keyboard does not allow you to enter them directly, you can + enter them by name, such as \(a:) for an 'a' with 2 dots + over it. The User's Guide section on text strings gives a + complete list of supported non-ASCII characters. + + 2.12 Q: Under Linux, Mupdisp says it can't open + /dev/console. What do I do? + + The svga library used by Mupdisp in non-X-windows mode + requires write permission to the console. To allow this: + + - Make Mupdisp setuid to root: + chown root mupdisp + chmod 4755 mupdisp + + 2.13 Q: What if I have more questions about Mup? + + Send us email at support@arkkra.com We welcome any comments + and questions about Mup. Normally, you should have no + problem contacting us this way. In the unlikely event you + get a "rejected" reply when sending email, this is because + excessive "spam" (junk mail) has been received from your + domain at some time in the past, and our Internet service + provider has installed a "spam blocker." In this case, you + will have to send email from another address or send paper + mail.