User manual NERO NEROMIX - QUICKSTART GUIDE

Quick Start Guide www.nero.com ENGLISH NeroMIX This Quick Start Guide and the NeroMIX software are protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Copying or reproduction ­ in whole or in part ­ is not permitted. Claims against Ahead Software beyond the provisions of the guarantee are ruled out. In particular, Ahead Software accepts no liability for the accuracy of completeness of the content of this manual. The software is subject to change. All trademarks are mentioned exclusively for information purposes. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this manual! Unless you own the copyright or have the permission of the copyright holder, the unauthorized copying of CDs can represent a violation of national or international laws and may result in serious penalties. Copyright © 1995 - 2002 by Ahead Software AG 2·E NeroMIX Contents Contents 2 What is NeroMIX? 2.1 Important terms 2.2 Playback formats supported 2.3 Minimized display 2.4 Full screen display 2.5 Playback buttons 2.6 Equalizer 2.7 Preferences area 2.8 Skins NeroMIX as a burning program 3.1 Burning an audio CD 3.2 Burning a data CD 3.3 Copying a CD 3.4 Creating an image file 3.5 Burning an image file NeroMIX as a media player 4.1 NeroMIX as an audio and video player 4.2 Loading files 4.3 Compiling playlists 4.4 Loading playlists 4.5 Playing back playlists NeroMIX as an encoder/decoder 5.1 Encoding/decoding audio files 5.2 Recording records NeroMIX as a visualizer 6.1 Starting visualization 6.2 Nero Animation Studio 10 10 11 12 13 19 20 21 22 23 23 25 30 32 34 35 35 35 36 36 36 38 38 38 40 40 41 E·3 3 4 5 6 NeroMIX ENGLISH 1 Installation 1.1 System requirements 1.2 Installation 4 4 4 Installation 1 1.1 Installation System requirements In order to use NeroMIX, your computer should meet the following minimum requirements: Computer: Memory: Available hard drive space: Soundcard CD/DVD or CD-RW drive Pentium 266 32 MB RAM 25 MB Operating systems supported: Windows 95 (Version B / Service Release 2 onwards) Windows 98 Windows Me Windows NT 4.0 Windows 2000 Windows XP 1.2 Installation To install and use the software under Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000, you must have administrator rights. Carry out the following steps: 1. Close all unnecessary Windows programs. 2. Insert the NeroMIX CD into the CD/DVD drive. The installation window appears automatically. If it does not, start the installation as follows. Click on the Start button and select the Run command. Then click on the Browse button and select the drive containing the NeroMIX CD. Select the file Setup.exe and click on the Open button. 4·E NeroMIX Installation 3. Click on the NeroMIX field in the installation window to start the installation. 4. Click on the Next button to start the installation. NeroMIX E·5 ENGLISH Installation 5. Read the license terms and conditions carefully and then activate the option `I accept all details of the above license agreement', if you agree to the terms of the contract and then click on the Next button. 6. Complete the compulsory fields `User name' and `Company name' (private individuals can repeat their first and last name in the company name field). If required, enter the NeroMIX serial number. This can be found on the packaging and may only consist of figures. By default, NeroMIX is installed in the directory `C:\Programs\ahead'. To select a different directory, click on the Edit button and then choose the desired directory. 6·E NeroMIX Installation When all details are correct, click on the Next button. If NeroMIX has been supplied with a new recorder as part of the manufacturer's package, it is not normally necessary to enter the serial number. NeroMIX E·7 ENGLISH Installation 7. When the installation of NeroMIX is complete, click on the Exit button. The start screen appears again. 8. Click on the Finish field to close the installation window. 8·E NeroMIX Installation 9. Select your preferred option for completing the installation and click on the OK button. Yes, restart computer now. The computer is shut down and restarted, so that you can use NeroMIX. No, I will restart the computer later. The computer is not restarted automatically. However, you cannot then use NeroMIX; this is only possible once the computer has been restarted. NeroMIX E·9 ENGLISH What is NeroMIX? 2 What is NeroMIX? NeroMIX represents the next generation in burning software! When it comes to creating multimedia CDs, NeroMIX stands out from the crowd by combining the essential elements of CD burning (data, audio, copies) with the freedom of digital audio and the creativity of a cover editor ­ and all with an intuitive, user-definable interface. With NeroMIX, you do not have to work laboriously through help files before you burn your first CD. Simply select a skin that you like, insert a CD in your CD-R/RW drive and click on the Burn button. The burning functions in NeroMIX allow you to burn both audio CDs AND data CDs. Of course, it is also possible to copy CDs. The playback functions in NeroMIX allow you to play back audio tracks and video files, which can be saved in a variety of different formats. But that is not all, NeroMIX is also a recording program for saving analog audio files digitally, e.g. so that you can burn them onto CD later. NeroMIX is also an encoder and decoder, which can compress or decompress audio files. With the Nero Animation Studio, NeroMIX even contains a visualization program, which presents audio files visually. 2.1 Playlist Important terms The audio and video files displayed in NeroMIX are located in a so-called playlist. This list contains all of the files to be played back and/or burned onto CD. Playlists can be individually compiled and you can add or remove audio tracks or video files. Playlists can be saved and you can reload them at any time, allowing rapid access to your files. As the file size of a playlist is minimal, you can create and save a large number of different playlists. The external appearance of NeroMIX can be changed by using different skins (interfaces). All illustrations in this guide show the default NeroMIX skin. If several skins are available, you can load them using the Preferences menu. You can also use the keyboard shortcut ALT + S to automatically open the window containing the available skins, where you can change the skin if you wish. Skins Visualization Audio files can not only be played back acoustically, they can also be presented visually. You can use the visual effects to get yourself into a particular mood. Click on the Visualization area to activate it, and the visualization then appears in the display. Plug-ins Plug-ins are small supplementary programs that are loaded when starting NeroMIX and extend the functionality of the program. For example, plug-ins can be used for different skins and visualizers. 10 · E NeroMIX What is NeroMIX? 2.2 Playback formats supported NeroMIX is capable of playing both audio and video files. These files can be in the following formats: Audio formats WAV CDA VQF MIDI AIFF WMA It is also possible to play Internet radio. Video formats AVI MPEG-1 MPEG-2 MP3 NeroMIX E · 11 ENGLISH What is NeroMIX? 2.3 Minimized display NeroMIX can either be displayed as minimized or maximized. The buttons, icons and display areas available change according to the selected display mode. 2.3.1 Icons and buttons In minimized display, only the most important buttons and icons are visible. Element Function Switches to NeroMIX full screen mode. Loads an audio track or a video file Skips to the previous file Pauses the track or video file Plays the file Ends playback Skips to the next track Turns the speaker on or off Displays the current playback time Controller for searching for a specific passage in an audio track or video file Controller for changing the track Closes NeroMIX 12 · E NeroMIX What is NeroMIX? 2.4 Full screen display The maximized display of NeroMIX shows all icons, the two areas `Playlist' and `Display' and the Record button. 2.4.1 Icons and buttons The maximized display of NeroMIX shows all icons, the two areas `Playlist' and `Display' and the Record button. Element Function Opens a dialog box for adding files to a playlist. Opens the burning dialog for copying a CD. If this icon appears, the playlist is only played back once. Clicking on the icon switches to the next mode. If this icon appears, the playlist is repeated once, i.e. the playlist is played twice in total. Clicking on the icon switches to the next mode. If this icon appears, the playlist is played back repeatedly. Clicking on the icon switches to the next mode. NeroMIX E · 13 ENGLISH What is NeroMIX? If this icon appears, the playlist is played back in the specified order. Clicking on the icon switches to the next mode. If this icon appears, the content of the playlist is played back in random order. Clicking on the icon switches to the next mode. If this icon appears, the equalizer is not displayed. Clicking on the icon opens the equalizer. If this icon appears, the equalizer is displayed. Clicking on the icon closes the equalizer. Opens the Preferences area If this icon appears, the audio track is played back with no visualization by the Nero Animation Studio. Clicking on the icon opens a visualization. If this icon appears, the audio track is played back with visualization by the Nero Animation Studio. Clicking on the icon closes the visualization. Controller for searching for a specific passage in an audio track or video file Controller for track selection Record button 14 · E NeroMIX What is NeroMIX? 2.4.2 Playlist area The playlist area shows the tracks that are in the playlist and provides icons for manipulating your playlists. Tracks in the playlist External playlist manager Length of tracks Playlist icons Playlist icons Filling level display for the medium Total playback time of track 2.4.2.1 Icons in the playlist area Icon : : : : : : : : Function Opens the external playlist manager. Opens a dialog and adds the selected files when you click on the Open icon. Removes the selected track from the playlist ­ this does not delete the actual file. Deletes the current playlist. Before it is deleted, you have the opportunity to save the playlist. Opens a dialog and inserts an existing playlist in `m3u' or `pls' format. Saves the current playlist. Shows additional information about the selected track. First of all opens a dialog for entering the title/artist for the CD and then opens the Nero Cover Designer. This displays the tracks in the playlist and allows you to print out the different components of the cover. NeroMIX E · 15 ENGLISH What is NeroMIX? 2.4.2.2 Playlist manager The playlist manager allows you to easily edit and rearrange the tracks. To edit a track, simply select the desired track and double click on the `Title', `Artist', `Album' or `Genre' column and edit the track information. Tracks can be rearranged in two ways: Either select the desired tracks and move them to the desired position using `drag & drop' or click on the column; the tracks are then sorted in ascending or descending order. 16 · E NeroMIX What is NeroMIX? 2.4.3 Display area The display area is multifunctional, i.e. its content depends on the action being executed. Playback If a track is being played back, the name of the track, the title and artist, the track length, the bit rate, the playback time elapsed and the action executed are shown. Title Length of track Number of track in Artist the playlist Bit rate of track Action executed Volume profile Playback time elapsed Visualization If visualization is activated, this also appears in the display area. NeroMIX E · 17 ENGLISH What is NeroMIX? Burning If a CD is being burned, the information about the burning process also appears in the display area. 18 · E NeroMIX What is NeroMIX? 2.5 Playback buttons The playback area of NeroMIX contains the components necessary for playing back audio and video files and also allows you to minimize the skin and mute the speakers. Button Function Starts playback Pauses playback Ends playback : Play back next file Play back previous file Minimizes NeroMIX Mutes the speaker Volume display Controller for adjusting the volume NeroMIX E · 19 ENGLISH What is NeroMIX? 2.6 Equalizer If the equalizer is displayed, the adjustable frequency bands and pre-defined frequency profiles appear below the main menu. Area Function Closes the graphic equalizer On/off button Slider for the equalizer Equalizer frequency band Pre-defined frequency profiles The selected profile is highlighted in color. Slider for scrolling through the frequency profiles Button for adding profiles Button for deleting the selected profile 20 · E NeroMIX