PC ANIMATION STATION QUICKSTART GUIDE INTRODUCTION Now you can record, download, morph and mix sounds on your computer! Congratulations on your purchase of the Digital BlueTM PC Animation Station. Now you can mix and morph sounds and sentences to say what you want! To help you get started quickly, the information that follows is divided into eight sections: Introduction Getting Started References and Troubleshooting What if...? General Troubleshooting Audio Set-up Help Error Messages Sales and Support Please refer to the PC Animation Station Quick Start card that accompanied your product and follow those instructions before reading this file. This file is intended to help you with the basic installation of your PC Animation Station. Complete information on how to use your PC Animation Station is contained in the "On-Line Help." When your software installation is complete, click the ? within the application to see our On-Line Help. It will assist you in understanding how to use and enjoy your new PC Animation Station! Look for these fun features in the Digital Blue PC Animation Station: 1. Go out and record lots of sounds and voices! Record all kinds of sounds to create your own sound library! 2. Create some fun and funky phrases! Add words or sound effects to your recordings! Type anything and the computer will say it! 3. Morph your voice at the computer! Sound like a monster or a robot! 4. Pick a Cartoon Network® character, pick an accessory, pick a phrase! Pick a cartoon character. Add cool animated accessories. Make it say a funny phrase! 5. Share your creations with the world! Show off your creations! Email your sound files to your friends. 1 GETTING STARTED Here's what your PC Animation Station includes: · Animation Station · Software editing CD-ROM · Connecting cable · Headphones · Belt Clip · Quick Start Info Card Here's what you need: System Requirements: · Windows* 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000, XP · Intel ® Pentium ® or Celeron TM processor, 233 MHz recommended, 200 MHz minimum · 32 MB of RAM · Minimum 140 MB free hard disk space required to install, 90 MB of disc space used after installation · 4x CD ROM · SVGA 800x600 display, 16-bit color · 16-bit Windows® compatible sound device · DirectX® 6 (included with install) · Standard mouse and keyboard *Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners Congratulations on your purchase of the Digital Blue PC Animation Station. Please follow the instructions below to install your Animation Station and software. Battery Installation: Your Animation Station requires three "AAA" batteries, which are not included. Before you begin installation, please install the batteries in the battery compartment, located on the back of the Animation Station, as follows: 2 GETTING STARTED Connect the Animation Station to the computer: Plug the microphone labeled end of the Animation Station's connecting cable into the Mic-In port on your computer. The location of this port differs, depending on the type of computer you own. Common Mic-In icons are seen illustrated below. PLEASE NOTE: The Animation Station needs to be connected to the computer to successfully complete the software install. You will not be able to download recorded sounds or make live recordings, unless you have plugged in the connecting cable to both the Animation Station and the computer. When you are using your Animation Station away from the computer, be sure to disconnect the download cable from the Animation Station. THIS TOY IS NOT A USB DEVICE. The cable connects to your computer through the microphone-in jack. Install the software: 1. Place CD in your CD-ROM drive. 2. The program will automatically launch the installation program. 3. Click on the install button to begin installing the application software 4. When you have read and accepted the License Agreement, click "Yes." The installation wizard will guide you through the installation process. If Autoplay does not automatically launch the installer, go to the desktop and double-click on the icon named My Computer. double-click the icon for the CVD-ROM/DVD drive that contains the PC Animation Station software. Sometimes this will cause Autoplay to start. If it doesn't, double click on the setup.exe, and follow the set-up steps on this page. The software program will lead you through the installation process. The software will verify that your computer plays audio. After you have completed the software installation, double-click on the PC Animation Station shortcut icon to launch the software, or go to the start menu to launch the software. Understanding the Animation Station: Connections: Headphones connect to the toy here. Use care when connecting the square end of the cable to the Animation Station. The cable connection on this side of the Animation Station has electrical pins that can be bent, making it difficult or impossible to connect the download cable to it. 3 GETTING STARTED Control Panel: a. Record: Push and hold to record. Or push to start recording and push again to stop. b. Playback: Push to playback your most recent recording. c. Volume Adjust: Turn clockwise to increase the playback volume, turn counterclockwise to decrease playback volume. c. d. a. d. Trash: Push once and hold for one second to delete most recent recording. Push and hold for at least three seconds to delete all recordings. b. e. Download: With the Animation Station connected to the computer, push to download sounds into the computer. The Download button will not work unless you are running the software and connect the toy to your computer with the connecting cable. e. Reactivating your Animation Station: After 20 minutes of inactivity, the Animation Station will go into a sleep mode (the LCD display will go blank). You can reactivate it by pushing any button once. Headphones: You can use the headphones to hear your recorded sounds when you are away from your computer. Plug headphones into the input jack as shown on the previous diagram. If the toy is connected to the computer, sounds you hear through the computer will be muffled. Use your computer's speakers when you are playing with the toy at the computer. Belt Clip: Carry your Animation Station in its convenient belt clip. Recording at the computer with your Animation Station: When recording sounds at your computer, always point your Animation Station away from the speakers to minimize high-pitched audio feedback. Recording sounds with your Animation Station: The Animation Station will record up to 4 minutes of sounds or 99 separate recordings. The minimum length of a recording is one to two seconds. Shorter messages will not be stored on the Animation Station. As more recordings are stored on it, the buttons on the Animation Station may respond more slowly. When the Animation Station is not connected to the computer, your Animation Station can capture sounds up to 15 feet away. When connected to the computer the Animation Station will record sounds six to 12 inches away. Care and maintenance: Always keep your Animation Station away from intense heat and moisture. Cable Take care to avoid damaging the connections. Avoid pulling the cord that connects the Animation Station to the computer. Putting too much strain on the cord can lead to trouble. There are pins that can be bent if the download cable is not properly connected to the toy. Take care when connecting the download cable to the toy. Never force the plug into the socket at the side of the toy. Instead, remove the plug and attempt the connection again. Avoid excessive pulling on the headphone cord that connects to the Animation Station. Putting too much strain on the cord can lead to trouble. 4 REFERENCES AND TROUBLESHOOTING Check our website for the latest information for any product updates. Web address: www.playdigitalblue.com TECHNICAL SUPPORT North America: 1-888-800-0502 Read Me files Any Read Me files copied to your drive during installation may contain important information that was discovered too late to include in either Online Help or the Parent Quick Start Guide. This information may include the solution to your problem, so make sure to look at the Read Me files before calling Technical Support. The Read ME file is located in the Digital BlueTM PC Animation Station program group. TROUBLESHOOTING We've made every effort to ensure that your toy and software will function properly with any computer that meets the minimum system requirements. However, it is impossible to test all possible system configurations or foresee all possible environments in which this product will be used. If you have problems with your Animation Station or software please try the following before contacting Technical Support: · Look for an answer in this document. · Check any Read Me files copied to your hard drive during installation. · Scan through the Online Help file using the index for detailed explanations of software features. · Visit our web site at http://www.playdigitalblue.com · If you are still experiencing problems and are unable to make your Animation Station function properly, call Technical Support. 5 WHAT IF? WHAT IF? You can't hear any sounds? · If you're using your Animation Station away from the computer... 1. Make sure you are using the headphones! At the computer, make sure your computer speakers are turned on and the volume is not turned all the way down. 2. Turn up the volume knob on your Animation Station. · If you are using your Animation Station to make recordings at the computer... 1. Make sure the Animation Station is awake. 2. On the download screen, if your computer's sound card does not support full-duplex audio, wait until all your recordings have been downloaded. Then play them back using the software. 3. Make sure you have the Animation Station connected to the cable, and the cable plugged into the microphone jack. You would like to hear sounds while you are downloading them? · You should hear sounds while they are downloading. If you don't hear them, check these things first: 1. Is your Animation Station awake? 2. Are you looking at the download screen in the software? 3. Are your speakers turned on and/or plugged in? · If you don't hear sounds in the download screen, you might have a half-duplex sound card. You can still use all the features in the Animation Station application. You will hear your sounds after you record them. You will not hear some of the sounds the computer makes. Your downloaded recordings are too quiet or too noisy? · Try using the "Louder" filter in the sound lab to make a sound louder. · Try using the "Remove noise" filter in the sound lab. You don't hear any button sounds when you're on the Live Recording Screen. · You may have a half-duplex sound card. Check with your sound card vendor to see if they have a newer sound card driver you can download from their website to experience full-duplex audio. 6 WHAT IF? You hear a loud screeching sound? · This is caused by feedback that occurs when your microphone is close enough to the speakers to pick up the sounds coming out of your speakers. Feedback can be eliminated by making sure you have set up the microphone facing away from your computer's speakers. If you are experiencing feedback, keep moving your microphone away from the speakers until the feedback stops. Use the Audio Set-up Wizard to adjust your microphone and speaker levels to minimize risk of hearing feedback. When using the Animation Station away from the computer, always point the Animation Station away from the headphones. Pointing the Animation Station toward the headphones can cause feedback. If feedback occurs, use the Volume Adjust dial on the Animation Station to reduce the feedback tone. · If you are using a laptop and having persistent problems with feedback, please use your Animation Station headphones. · You can also set your microphone and speaker-level settings application whenever you want, using the Audio Set-up Wizard located in your PC Animation Station program group. Follow the instructions on screen to improve the sound of your recording and prevent feedback. · Turn down the volume knob on your speakers. · Reposition the speakers on your desktop and/or move the microphone. The volume of my downloaded sounds is too low? · When recording sounds with the toy away from the computer, be sure to disconnect the download connection cable from the toy. · Make sure you have connected the toy to your computer using the mic-in jack (not the line-in jack). · If you are making a recording while connected to the computer, use the live recording screen. If you record into the toy while at the computer and then download them, those sounds will be very quiet . I can't hear anything through my headphones while I'm playing with the toy away from the computer? · Make sure the toy is turned on. · Try turning the green volume knob on the toy. · Disconnect the download cable if y ...