3.319 audio tempo change problem while importing singer's disc

[teddyt]

With 3.319 when loading other singers songs while someoneelse is singing it interupts the song twice and also loads considerably slower than previous versions. I up my memory to 2gb's. This did not help. What to do?

[billyo]

Originally Posted by teddyt

With 3.319 when loading other singers songs while someoneelse is singing it interupts the song twice and also loads considerably slower than previous versions. I up my memory to 2gb's. This did not help. What to do?

you might need to get the latest firmware update of your cd/dvd drive

[madjim- with the Lord]

Be sure you have all of the custom windows updates.

Jim

[teddyt]

Originally Posted by billyo

you might need to get the latest firmware update of your cd/dvd drive

Thanks BillyO. I thought maybe that might be it. This helps me to make a decision to purchase MTU's cd/dvd internal drive. Thanks again!

teddyt

[mindonstrike]

something is hogging resources.

The manual has a number of tweaks in the trouble shooting section to free up resources

Also something to try would be go to Tools/Audio Controls and change the buffer to B or C and see if that helps.

Sam

[teddyt]

I am not happy with 3.319. When I first downloaded 3.319 I lost half my songs. Fortunately I had them backed up on an external drive. I'm still having trouble with loading other singers songs while someoneelse is singing. The music gliches twice and the songs load considerably slower. Hoster 3.312 was the best. Anything after that I personally had problems with. Now tonight 2/11/08 I had a show and when I booted up my computer half of my 10 thousand plus songs were gone. I had to get my cd's out and use them. I can't go back to 3.312 because I forgot to copy the product code. I can't begin to say how dissappointed I am.

[djcharli]

I am having the same problem with the songs importing while someone else is singing I did remove 3319 and reinstalled 3316 which I was using without any problems but it did not correct the problem it still messes up trying to import a singers song if I ever get this fixed I will never upgrade again.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by djcharli

I am having the same problem with the songs importing while someone else is singing I did remove 3319 and reinstalled 3316 which I was using without any problems but it did not correct the problem it still messes up trying to import a singers song if I ever get this fixed I will never upgrade again.

try updating the firmware of your cd/dvd drive, see if that works and also don't forget to do your windows custom updates.

[billyo]

Originally Posted by teddyt

I am not happy with 3.319. When I first downloaded 3.319 I lost half my songs. Fortunately I had them backed up on an external drive. I'm still having trouble with loading other singers songs while someoneelse is singing. The music gliches twice and the songs load considerably slower. Hoster 3.312 was the best. Anything after that I personally had problems with. Now tonight 2/11/08 I had a show and when I booted up my computer half of my 10 thousand plus songs were gone. I had to get my cd's out and use them. I can't go back to 3.312 because I forgot to copy the product code. I can't begin to say how dissappointed I am.

do you have all your kma files on your ext. drive ? or you have some of then in your int. drive, make sure you plug in your ext. drive before you power up your pc/laptop , try rebuilding the song database, if you have your songs on 2 drives try doing the merge song database, when rebuilding your songs select the drive(s) where your files are and hi-lite them , then click on delete ,then click on select again choose the same drive( s) then click on rebuilt..( do the same with merge )..if rebuilding song database doesnt work..

[ddouglass]

Teddyt,
MTU does read these forums and if there is a major problem then they do work on it. However, from what I see there are very few having these two problems.

The first problem is the loss of songs. I know that one of those posting in this thread lost songs because of the way the previous version was removed using the Windows Add or Remove Programs. This method deletes everything in the Hoster folders including song files, playlists, and database files. If this is the way you and any others did it then yes you lost songs. If not then your song files were moved to
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Music\MTU\Songs

The second problem with the import is more complicated. This is not an internal problem to Hoster, but a computer resources problem. Unfortunately it shows up when you use Hoster in this manner. Have you ever noticed that the longer you use Windows the slower it gets? The more Windows updates you install more resources are commited to the operating system and less are available for other functions. But you can't stop installing them because they are needed to keep the computer functioning correctly.
Try running Task Manager while you import as you would during a show with a song playing. Look at the Processes being used (click on the "CPU" column twice to show % of use in most used order) and check the Perfomance to see how much CPU time is being used and how much Memory is being used. These will tell you what is going on during the import that may be slowing or glitching your audio/video output. If you don't know what a particulr process is you can search the internet for that file name and get all kinds of info on it to help decide if you can and how to stop it.

[Beavis]

Originally Posted by teddyt

Does MTU read these forums.

they do !

[teddyt]

Thank you for your input. I will check my cpu %. The company that fixes any computer problems I have did tell me not to do any windows updates.
Thanks again.

[ddouglass]

Unfortunately you have to do some to install the latest MTU upgrades. Onced installed and running properly, you don't have to do Windows Updates until a future MTU update.

[swany]

When importing others tracks during a show, I go to a DJ break using my media player freeing up hoster for the task and play a couple of dance tunes as they have been requested anyway. After all most bars I do gigs for have at least a ratio of 4-1 regular patrons vs karaoke singers. So a 4-10 DJ break is not unheard of. I almost always do a couple of dance songs between rotations anyway. Unless I have a lot of singers. One other thing my Hoster PCs very rarely go online so the updates slowing me down don't happen. I have a home PC dedicated to online work much as possible. If you are happy with the way your pc works why update the thing to slow it down? Does sound silly don't it. Every so often I open the task manager and shut down the updates.

Biggest shame is why we have to have all this protection on, when a short rope and a tree with hanging examples of little so and so's that introduce nasties on the net could serve as bad examples of someone that done someone wrong. That problem could be eradicated except for the states and feds money ploy game called plea bargaining.

[bryant]

Originally Posted by swany

When importing others tracks during a show, I go to a DJ break using my media player freeing up hoster for the task and play a couple of dance tunes as they have been requested anyway. After all most bars I do gigs for have at least a ratio of 4-1 regular patrons vs karaoke singers. So a 4-10 DJ break is not unheard of. I almost always do a couple of dance songs between rotations anyway. Unless I have a lot of singers. One other thing my Hoster PCs very rarely go online so the updates slowing me down don't happen. I have a home PC dedicated to online work much as possible. If you are happy with the way your pc works why update the thing to slow it down? Does sound silly don't it. Every so often I open the task manager and shut down the updates.

Swany, once again, that's really weird because that is almost exactly how all my shows are run, and I use my computers the exact same way you do as far as online usage goes. My philosophy on updates is precisely that of yours.

[teddyt]

I can appreciate what you guys are saying. Fact of the matter is, when I do a show people come to sing and here the singers. No music breaks at all. If I did that my singers would go elsewhere.

[scottccook]

everyone is getting way off the point. Something is wrong. I have done all upgrades (Driver, Firmware, Windows, ect.), I have even gone as far as installing more RAM. Still, when a singer is singing and I try importing a singers disk, the tempo drops and I hear static. NO I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE MUSIC PLAYING WHILE I AM TRYING TO IMPORT. I have MAX. capasity shows every week, max two rotations. People do not come to dance, they come to sing. I have been absolutley mortified for the last few weeks, so I need answers. PLEASE, I AM BEGGING.

[teddyt]

I recently found my registration code for Hoster 3.312 and reinstalled it. I have done two shows since. I am now able to import other singers songs while someone is singing and happy to say no gliches in the music. I might try 3.313 to see if it's a little faster. Otherwise I'm staying with 3.312. Like I said earlier, if 3.312 works it can't be my computer ram, speed, or dvd drive.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by teddyt

I recently found my registration code for Hoster 3.312 and reinstalled it. I have done two shows since. I am now able to import other singers songs while someone is singing and happy to say no gliches in the music. I might try 3.313 to see if it's a little faster.

I believe you should be able to go all the way up to 3.316 and not have any delays.

[admin]

Gentlemen, we are testing 3.320 right now.

The problem with files disappearing, we think, is directly linked to our trying to be 100% Microsoft compliant for Vista. This requires removing all KMA and working files (Songs database, playlists, etc.) from where we have been installing them for 7 years, which Vista WON'T allow.

With 3.320, we now detect if the Windows is XP/2000 or Vista when you select Upgrade (versus Replace). If XP/2000 we don't move anything as it is not required. If Vista, we must move it and now show an HTML page with instructions to print and follow. We have been HIGHLY CRITICIZED by some of our own Beta Testers for requiring our users to disable the UAC (User Access Control) in Vista's security. However, we now have PROVEN that Vista will NOT allow us to move KMA files from where you have been importing them, if you used our default folder. We MUST move them, so disabling the UAC is the only way.

If installing Hoster by Remove, or for the first time, all Windows versions are installed the same; Vista compliant. Since this is a new install and no KMA and other working files exist, there is no problem with files "disappearing".

We are hoping to get a buyoff on 3.320 from our Beta Testers tonight/tomorrow so we are confident to release. In 30 years in business, MTU's products have NEVER lost user created files. This has been a nightmare for us! However, we now believe our latest round of changes should fix the files problem.

Ddouglass is one of our very best, technical helpers; a true asset to MTU. However, it is my understanding that whether you remove any program with Windows Add/Remove Programs, or run our Installation program and select "Remove", they BOTH run the same "uninstall" program created by our Installation program when Hoster was installed. What is placed on the hard drive, or created during installation, is "known" to the Uninstall program. What is created by the RUN TIME program (Hoster in this case), is NOT known to the uninstall program and thus cannot be removed by running it. Thus, KMA, Songs Database, Playlists, log files, etc. cannot be removed by Uninstalling.

As to importing singer's disc tracks, I am sorry to admit, we have not addressed that problem yet. Sometimes "vaporous" things happen that are not easy to explain or track down. This is one of those. It may disappear in 3.320. If not, we'll try to find out what changed from 3.312 that could cause it. I don't question at all that something has changed. The problem is getting the time to dig this out. It is NOT easy, and could take weeks of time to solve; weeks we don't have available at this time. Thus, for those having the import Singers disc slowdown, the only answer right now is to install 3.312 or maybe as high as 3.316 for now.

We are in the midst of developing Hoster 4.000, at Beta 14 released today for testing with Tempo change for the first time. To provide all the features requested by our users over the past years requires several major "core architecture" upgrades. They are very risky and time consuming, but we are now doing these with extreme testing. For example, the Player code had to be totally rewritten from ground up. The new code allows Tempo change, key change and crossfading with 2 songs playing at the same time. It also allows selecting the audio ports to play out, and adding a second Preview Player (audio only) in the Search dialog so you can hear a song before adding it to the Playlist... while anything that can happen is going on in the Play screen.

We are doing our best to balance our programmer resources between upgrading 3.3xx to handle incredible Microsoft bugs in Vista, and advancing 4.000. We are WAY behind when I hoped to release 4.000 because of all the problems Vista has caused.

Also, a decision I sorely regret having made... we believe we now have perfected importing and playing ZIP files. Many of our new users have had incredibly difficult problems to diagnose with ZIP files they did not create, but rather got over the Internet or on eBay... illegally! They are the bums who are driving the income down for honest, disc-buying Hosts. I truly regret ever supporting ZIP files!

The ZIPs they have are created with all manner of problems we have never in 30 years seen before, including MAX zip compression that not even WMP or WinZIP will handle. Hoster now handles EVERYTHING our users have run into. However, we have paid dearly to obtain this, and it has created problems along the way. For example, when we deleted the Windows \Temp folder to free up the unzipped filenames so we could re-use the same name, depending on how your Windows was used recently, it could delete Desktop icons and even some recent files (such as our Songbook.rtf file)! Why does Windows do that? With all the security they enforce on us, how could they leave things in the \Temp folder that should be protected? Go figure! But we had to learn that one the hard way.

KMA files seeming to disappear are in this same category. After months of research and testing, we did what we felt was the safest and easiest way to move the KMAs. It proved to be a disaster, and we have been focused 1000% on a solution. On top of that, some users' hard drives have had separate problems not related to Hoster. Try working with each user to discern what is what... that's stolen even more of our time to solve each problem.

I understand your feelings and wish I had a magic wand I could wave. As President of MTU, all I can do is focus our team to tackle each problem one at a time until each is finally solved. We are making progress as fast as we can, with new releases coming out weeks apart to get fixes to you as fast as we can. Then, you find more problems, and we go back and spend weeks solving them. We're just as frustrated as you.

Your income is at stake, and our reputation is at stake. After 31 continuous years in business as MTU, I'm not throwing in the towel. We're still fixing the problems... one at a time.

As I go to bed tonight, for the first time in many months, I truly believe we finally have solved all the file problems in 3.320. We'll see when we release.