MAS Player -- The Real Setup
Compatibility: The MAS Player is compatible with OS 3.9 and 4.1 using the correct software.
Installation of the Hardware: With your Amiga off, install the "Black Box" into the female 25-pin Parallel / Printer port on the back of the Amiga; to supply the "black Box" power, plug the joystick-looking 9-pin port into the Joystick port (your mouse should occupy the other port / the mouse port). The RCA plug connectors will direct the Amiga output (Paula chip) to the "Black Box." One can either go directly to the Amiga output (the Red & White RCA connectors on the back of the Amiga), or from the output of your sound card, if present. The 3.5mm female connector next to the pass-through joystick port on the backside of the "Black Box" is the connection to your speakers. Use a speaker set that allows you to adjust the volume (as in "increase" the volume) as I find the output a bit soft. Once all connected turn your Amiga on.
** Those using the SoundBlaster sound card in a Mediator can have output in both OS 3.9 and OS 4.1 by 1) feeding Paula output directly into the SoundBlaster Card internally (mine is soldered to the Audio card of my A4000T and via a four pin connector goes into the SB's AUX input), or 2) fed externally via the 3.5mm male-to-male plug from the Amiga's 3.5mm output (newer Amiga's) to the input plug on the SoundBlaster (or use RCA connectors). The SoundBlaster 128 is the only PCI card supported by both OS 3.9 & 4.1. This setup guarantees sound output from Paula, the Mediator-based PCI sound card and the MAS player in both OS's.
Installing the Software: The install disk contains a program that opens on an original Amiga low resolution PAL window (i.e., for the most basic hardware) and is not suitable for NTSC Amigas and those with graphic cards. If you have a (RTG) graphics card, either Amiga based or Mediator based, and an accelerated Amiga, then just put the disk aside. Go to Aminet and download two files; both work in both OS 3.9 and 4.1. First your need AmigaAmp Version 2.25 (AmigaAmp.lha), next you need mhimaspro.library (mhi_MASPro.lha). There is an option to download AmigaAmp-decoder-68K.lha and AmigaAmp-decoder-OS4.lha; these are not needed for use with the MAS Player, but are useful for other situations (in which you would select External, for the 68K or OS4 specific CPU).
**AmigaAmp Version 3 does not support (allow use of) the MHI aspect of the MAS Player. Use it for something else.
Once files are downloaded:
1) UnLHA both programs. Put the mhimaspro.library in SYS:Libs/MHI as SYS:Libs/MHI/mhimaspro.library (as is done by the install program); put the AmigaAmp in the location of preference.
2) Once the programs are installed, go to the AmigaAmp preferences, into the System submenu and under "Engine," select MHI driver. Using the requester to the right, go to the Libs:MHI directory and select the mhimaspro.library. Select any other options you desire at a later time. Click the "Save" button and bring up AmigaAMP program. Once running, select Open in the menu and go to the directory where you MP3 files are stored. Select one and hit the "Play" button. This should work, if not recheck you hardware and software.
3) If you get sound, great! You could stop here, or set up you music directory and play list.
Set Up Directory & Playlist: In AmigaAMP, select the icon (one click only) and R-Amiga "I" for Information (also in the menu items). Next, when the window opens, select the Icon tab. There you will find a list of options; those with parenthesis "( )" are turned off. You want to turn on (delete the "( )") and set the DIRECTORY=Your:Music ~ obviously to where your MP3's are stored. PLAYLIST= playlist. To make this file the easy way, is by opening a shell and at the prompt, ">" type in 'LIST >RAM
laylist YOUR:Music QUICK' with the result being a list of all of you music files in the file RAMlaylist; save this file somewhere, like the S: directory or wherever you prefer. Then set PLAYLIST= (to that file) in the AmigaAMP Icon [i.e., PLAYLIST=Slaylist ]. Make sure you save your changes.
Once the hardware and software is setup, you should be able to listen to your MP3's and also hear any Amiga based sounds that occur (game sounds or alerts).
This a basic working setup.
References:
http://www.amigaamp.de/ ~ luckily in English
http://www.mas-player.de/ ~ auf deutsch (try Google Translate)
Select 'Amiga' at the top of the page, then scroll down to download the software; the player also opens a low resolution window for basic amiga's. Play with it, then decide what you like.
Compatibility: The MAS Player is compatible with OS 3.9 and 4.1 using the correct software.
Installation of the Hardware: With your Amiga off, install the "Black Box" into the female 25-pin Parallel / Printer port on the back of the Amiga; to supply the "black Box" power, plug the joystick-looking 9-pin port into the Joystick port (your mouse should occupy the other port / the mouse port). The RCA plug connectors will direct the Amiga output (Paula chip) to the "Black Box." One can either go directly to the Amiga output (the Red & White RCA connectors on the back of the Amiga), or from the output of your sound card, if present. The 3.5mm female connector next to the pass-through joystick port on the backside of the "Black Box" is the connection to your speakers. Use a speaker set that allows you to adjust the volume (as in "increase" the volume) as I find the output a bit soft. Once all connected turn your Amiga on.
** Those using the SoundBlaster sound card in a Mediator can have output in both OS 3.9 and OS 4.1 by 1) feeding Paula output directly into the SoundBlaster Card internally (mine is soldered to the Audio card of my A4000T and via a four pin connector goes into the SB's AUX input), or 2) fed externally via the 3.5mm male-to-male plug from the Amiga's 3.5mm output (newer Amiga's) to the input plug on the SoundBlaster (or use RCA connectors). The SoundBlaster 128 is the only PCI card supported by both OS 3.9 & 4.1. This setup guarantees sound output from Paula, the Mediator-based PCI sound card and the MAS player in both OS's.
Installing the Software: The install disk contains a program that opens on an original Amiga low resolution PAL window (i.e., for the most basic hardware) and is not suitable for NTSC Amigas and those with graphic cards. If you have a (RTG) graphics card, either Amiga based or Mediator based, and an accelerated Amiga, then just put the disk aside. Go to Aminet and download two files; both work in both OS 3.9 and 4.1. First your need AmigaAmp Version 2.25 (AmigaAmp.lha), next you need mhimaspro.library (mhi_MASPro.lha). There is an option to download AmigaAmp-decoder-68K.lha and AmigaAmp-decoder-OS4.lha; these are not needed for use with the MAS Player, but are useful for other situations (in which you would select External, for the 68K or OS4 specific CPU).
**AmigaAmp Version 3 does not support (allow use of) the MHI aspect of the MAS Player. Use it for something else.
Once files are downloaded:
1) UnLHA both programs. Put the mhimaspro.library in SYS:Libs/MHI as SYS:Libs/MHI/mhimaspro.library (as is done by the install program); put the AmigaAmp in the location of preference.
2) Once the programs are installed, go to the AmigaAmp preferences, into the System submenu and under "Engine," select MHI driver. Using the requester to the right, go to the Libs:MHI directory and select the mhimaspro.library. Select any other options you desire at a later time. Click the "Save" button and bring up AmigaAMP program. Once running, select Open in the menu and go to the directory where you MP3 files are stored. Select one and hit the "Play" button. This should work, if not recheck you hardware and software.
3) If you get sound, great! You could stop here, or set up you music directory and play list.
Set Up Directory & Playlist: In AmigaAMP, select the icon (one click only) and R-Amiga "I" for Information (also in the menu items). Next, when the window opens, select the Icon tab. There you will find a list of options; those with parenthesis "( )" are turned off. You want to turn on (delete the "( )") and set the DIRECTORY=Your:Music ~ obviously to where your MP3's are stored. PLAYLIST= playlist. To make this file the easy way, is by opening a shell and at the prompt, ">" type in 'LIST >RAM
laylist YOUR:Music QUICK' with the result being a list of all of you music files in the file RAMlaylist; save this file somewhere, like the S: directory or wherever you prefer. Then set PLAYLIST= (to that file) in the AmigaAMP Icon [i.e., PLAYLIST=Slaylist ]. Make sure you save your changes.Once the hardware and software is setup, you should be able to listen to your MP3's and also hear any Amiga based sounds that occur (game sounds or alerts).
This a basic working setup.
References:
http://www.amigaamp.de/ ~ luckily in English
http://www.mas-player.de/ ~ auf deutsch (try Google Translate)
Select 'Amiga' at the top of the page, then scroll down to download the software; the player also opens a low resolution window for basic amiga's. Play with it, then decide what you like.
