Multiplay problem

[timtheenchanteruk]

doesn't work, tried that :)

 

Still looking right now at downgrading to XP, or changing from multiplay as the delay really does make it unusable for anything other than dance/music based shows.

 

as David has said, the time before a delay occurs is completely at random, I've done loads of testing to try to find a work around, and not got one yet, it happens if multiplay hasn't been touched for a while (at random) ive tried a loop "standby" cue that doesnt work reliably, seems to improve matters, but not perfect, especially if you need an perfect on cue effect

[cedd]

Still looking right now at downgrading to XP, or changing from multiplay as the delay really does make it unusable for anything other than dance/music based shows.

A mutual friend of ours isn't far off having his software ready to go. We're still testing the Alpha version but I'm confident enough to have used it on a few shows with no trouble. Plays just about any file format, in any bitrate, floating point DSP, deck based playback. Ideal for dance shows and modular so you can add or remove different types of playback "deck" as needed (hot start array instead of linear cue list, for instance). It's not quite designed to be show control software like Multiplay is (and does very well), it's a playback tool, so no fades or anything like that, but you will be able to set "in" and "out" times and tweak EQ and pan on a per-cue basis. It also handles multiple output devices and supports ASIO and WDM. Oh, and it also looks quite pretty!

More details once it's finished!

[timtheenchanteruk]

sounds good, keep me posted :)

[allanr]

It's once you've left the computer to sit for a little while, say, 15 minutes, (though the time seems to be random and indeterminable) and it's almost like something goes to sleep - even though all power saving measures including usb bus power saving are turned off. Then when you hit GO there is a random delay before the cue actually fires.

 

David

 

I've tried a simple "idle" test of MultiPlay on each of my 3 PCS over various time periods. Pointer was placed on an audio cue, then machine left untouched. At the end of each period SPACE-BAR was pressed and result noted.

 

XP SP3..................... 26', 60', 110' .............. audio playback, no delay

Vista SP2 32 bit........ 21', 31', 60', 92' ............ audio playback, no delay

Win 7 SP1 64bit.........21', 26', 45', 60', 110' ....... audio playback, no delay

 

Is this a fair test or are there any other more stringent test suggestions?

[David Duffy]

The poor quality (or mono) audio is an issue I have honestly never seen on my machines.

 

My sincere thanks to Alan for coming up with a solution for at least some Windows 7 users. :)

[Just Some Bloke]

It's once you've left the computer to sit for a little while, say, 15 minutes, (though the time seems to be random and indeterminable) and it's almost like something goes to sleep - even though all power saving measures including usb bus power saving are turned off. Then when you hit GO there is a random delay before the cue actually fires.

 

David

 

I've tried a simple "idle" test of MultiPlay on each of my 3 PCS over various time periods. Pointer was placed on an audio cue, then machine left untouched. At the end of each period SPACE-BAR was pressed and result noted.

 

XP SP3..................... 26', 60', 110' .............. audio playback, no delay

Vista SP2 32 bit........ 21', 31', 60', 92' ............ audio playback, no delay

Win 7 SP1 64bit.........21', 26', 45', 60', 110' ....... audio playback, no delay

 

Is this a fair test or are there any other more stringent test suggestions?

 

I use my Win7 machine with Multiplay quite often and I have to say that there is usually a delay between pressing space bar and sound coming out. For this reason I use it for playing back of backing tracks when gigging in the duo but don't use it for theatre. (In case you're wondering why I use it in the duo, it's becasue it is quiker to move songs around the playlist, which we change every gig).

[ValleyArtists]

3) Reboot/Restart Vista/Win 7 PC and open MultiPlay. Play a MP3 file and check the result.

 

Job done?

 

Thank you so much AlanR - This fixed my sound issues on Win 7. Don't seem to have any cue delay issues.

 

PeterF

[Cheeseweasel]

I've just installed Multiplay on my Win 7 machine to run some playback for a show tomorrow and found that MP3 playback is unusably bad. I came across this thread and gave the suggested fix a go using the file that someone helpfully posted on dropbox. Trouble is, my machine is returning this error:

The module "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\l3codecx.ax" was loaded but the call to DllRegisterServer failed with error code 0x80070005.

Just wondering if anyone's found a different workaround to the Multiplay MP3 issue (which is a well known problem), or knows how to get around the error code? I'm expecting a big pile of MP3s to be thrown my way tomorrow, and although I'd like to convert them all to WAV, I'd still like the ability to play MP3s if the need arises, as I think the excuse that "my playback can't handle MP3s" might raise a few eyebrows.

 

Thanks

[david.elsbury]

Is it an x86 vs x64 issue of some kind? I run 'fre:ac'audio cconverter and it really takes no time at all to convert.

 

hth

[Cheeseweasel]

Is it an x86 vs x64 issue of some kind? I run 'fre:ac'audio cconverter and it really takes no time at all to convert.

 

hth

 

Not sure - the solution earlier in the thread suggested that it could be made to work on 64-bit machines. Tbh although I like the simplicity of the layout in Multiplay (and the fact that it's free available for a small donation), I've found the sporadic 2-second delay that sometimes follows the GO command is a bit of a deal-breaker for most situations. Think I'll be downloading something else for the 1 or 2 shows per year when I need the ability to cue audio - I might even pay money for it...

[BentAnvil]

I've uploaded a copy of l3codecx.ax for people to use.

 

 

SOME BACKGROUND

------------------------------------

For 32 bit applications like MultiPlay, the system decoders/codecs are usually located as follows:

On 32 bit OS, %SystemRoot%\System32\

On 64 bit OS %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\

 

Note: %SystemRoot% usually denotes C:\Windows\

 

 

COPY & REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:

--------------------------------------------------------------

Administrator logon required. Take care, usual disclaimers apply.....

 

1) Locate and check the revision of l3codecx.ax on an up-to-date XP SP3 installation. The file is usually held in C:\Windows\System32\. Use XP File Manager "Properties" to check the revision. The latest version is v1.6.0.52, dated 15Jun2010, size 143,422 bytes. It is important to use this latest file because it contains the fix for a security issue identified in KB2115168, see http://technet.micro...lletin/MS10-052

 

2) Copy l3codecx.ax from XP system and paste into the Vista/Win 7 system. For 32bit versions this is usually C:\Windows\System32\

For 64bit versions this is usually C:\Windows\SysWOW64\

 

2) The file now requires to be registered on the Vista/Win 7 system.

- Open a Command Prompt box in RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR mode, and type:

regsvr32 FILEPATH\l3codecx.ax (substituting for "FILEPATH" the actual path on your PC, which depends on whether Vista or Win 7 is 32bit or 64 bit. e.g. C:\Windows\System32\ )

- Press ENTER and you should get the "Successful" message.

Note if you need to reverese (undo) this action, type: regsvr32 /u FILEPATH\l3codecx.ax

 

3) Reboot/Restart Vista/Win 7 PC and open MultiPlay. Play a MP3 file and check the result.

 

Job done?

 

EVEN MORE DETAILS

-----------------------------------

If you attempt to check the file revision of l3codecx.ax AFTER you've copied it to Vista or Win 7/8, you won't see that info. That's because Microsoft File Manager on Vista/Win 7/8 only reports version details of EXE or DLL files. So it is easier to check the version on XP BEFORE you copy over. Once copied to Vista/Win 7/8, a workaround is to temporarily append a .dll suffix to the .ax file, then use File Manager "Properties" as normal to check the revision. After checking, remember to remove the .dll suffix leaving it as .ax

 

end of document.