Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I have to import an audio file instead of just playing it from my hard drive or CD-ROM drive?

Since MetaMix has to play multiple streams of audio at the same time, it needs to be able to have quick access to uncompressed audio data.

Audio CDs provide uncompressed data easily to MetaMix, but not quickly enough. (Imagine your computer trying to play 6 different parts of a CD at the same time!) Hard disks provide the data quickly enough, but most of the audio files on your hard drive are probably compressed (e.g. MP3s). To decode several of these compression schemes on the fly at the same time would overwhelm most computers.

Thus, MetaMix imports your audio track into a temporary file on your hard drive in a uncompressed format (AIFF). You may have to wait patiently while it imports, but MetaMix's performance is much better and more reliable as a result.

Where does MetaMix store imported audio files?

The imported audio files are stored in a temporary directory specified by your Java Runtime Environment. On Mac OS X, this is usually /tmp. On Windows, it varies, but is usually something like C:\TEMP\ or C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\. The file names always start with the word "MetaMix" and have a "mov" or "aif" extension. They are automatically deleted when you quit MetaMix. If MetaMix crashes or if you force quit it, you should manually delete these files.

Why can't I import directly from CD on Windows

MetaMix is built on top of QuickTime, which does not support this feature on Windows.

Why is installation so difficult on Windows but so easy on Mac OS X?

Windows operating systems do not usually come bundled with QuickTime or with an adequate Java Runtime Environment, so these items need to be installed along with MetaMix, if they are not installed already. Mac OS X includes the proper QuickTime and Java components right out of the box.

My audio keeps on dropping out. What can I do?

MetaMix demands a lot from your computer: fast processing, lots of disk access, and a large chunk of RAM. If MetaMix doesn't get the resources it needs, audio playback will suffer. If this happens, there are a number of strategies you can try to improve playback. Here are just a few suggestions:

1) Reduce the number of background applications and processes running on your computer.
2) If you are using another application, stop using it.
3) Use advanced import options and choose a lower sampling rate, number of bits, and/or number of channels.
4) Use slow counter animation and/or minimize the MetaMix window.
5) On Windows, go to the QuickTime control panel. On the "Sound Out" section, click "options" and increase the size of the buffer.
6) If you can consistently reproduce the same audio dropout in the same place and in the same file, you may have found a bug. Please report it by e-mailing a detailed description to metamix@jasonfreeman.net.

Why does the counter sometimes show two different chunks whose clocks are identical?

Two layers started at different times and overlap. For instance: Assume the chunk length is 5 seconds and there are 2 simultaneous layers. MetaMix triggers chunk 0 to start, and 5 seconds later it triggers chunk 1. At this moment, chunk 0 has made it up to 0:05 and still has 5 seconds more to play, and chunk 1 is starting at 0:05 and has 10 seconds to play. So for 5 seconds, the two layers will be identical.


How can I capture the audio output of MetaMix to a file?

It is not possible to do this from within MetaMix, but there are many third-party utilities which will do the job. On Mac, try Rogue Amoeba Software's excellent Audio Hijack or Ambrosia Software's Detour. On Windows, try Tongsoft's 3D MP3 Sound Recorder.

What if I have a question that wasn't answered by this document?

E-mail your question to metamix@jasonfreeman.net.