Note: Print this document in landscape mode to display the full width of the pictures
It is a good idea to set up the volume controls for the computer's
sound system before running Super Start the first time. Double click
on the speaker symbol that is usually located at the bottom right of
the computer's main screen:
You will see something like the following. It allows you to adjust the play volume:
If you have already adjusted it to your tast, just leave it where it is. If not, turn Volume Control up all the way, and Wave about half way up. Make sure the Mute boxes are not checked. Set the balance controls to the center. You might want to readjust the volume latter, but these settings will do for now. You can usually tell if it's too loud when you re-boot. The little song some systems play is by no means pleasant if too loud.
Click Options. Click Properties. Click Recording. Make sure Mike Volume is checked, then click OK. You should see something like the following:
Make sure Mic is selected and turn its volume all the way up. Set its balance to the center. Click on Options. If Advanced Controls and the 20dB boost is available for the Mike, select the 20dB boost.
That's all that's needed for setting system volume controls, and should not be required again.
Double-click on SuperStart.exe to start the program.
The main screen looks like this:
Just click the button that says what you want to do.
Clicking Record gives you the following:
The Record List is added to by clicking the buttons on the right side of the screen. It's obvious what the Alphabet, Numbers, Days, Months and States And Capitals buttons add to the list. The Presidents button adds the presidents to the list. It comes from the presidents.txt text file in the Presidents folder. It can be added to as needed. It's also a good place to see how text files are formatted for use by Super Start. Double click on presidents.txt and the Windows default text editor will give you access to the file. Notice that the top of the file has a slash followed by a description of the file. Most of the text files have a description formatted in the same manner. You will see the following on the first few lines:
/ presidents
prompt(The 1st president was George Washington)
George
Washington
The prompt is a reminder of what to say when recording.
Clicking the Declaration Signers button adds the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence to the list. Add puts the addition problems for 0 through 9 on the list. Add No Dupes provides the addition tables, but without duplication. For example, 5 + 6 = 11 will be included, but 6 + 5 = 11 will not. Subtract puts the subtraction tables for 0 through 9 on the list, and Subtract No Neg does the same thing but leaves out negative answers. Multiply and Multiply No Dupe put multiplication tables on the list. Divide puts division problems on the list, and Divide No Remainder leaves out problems with remainders. The Symbols button adds punctuation and other symbols to the list.
The Text Files button allows you to select any
appropriately formatted text files from the TextFiles folder. For
example, the numto100.txt file extends the built-in numbers of
0 through 9 out to 100. The Phonics button brings up a list of
the 117 phonics files in the PhonicsFiles folder, along with their
descriptions. The desired files can then be selected and the phonics
key words selected for recording from there. For example, the first
few lines of phona1.txt contain the following:
/ short a
prompt('a' - sound short a - bad b-a-d)
bad
prompt('a' -
sound short a - bag b-a-g)
bag
The Personal Files button does the same thing, but with files of any compatible kind you might wish to put into the PersonalFiles folder. Please be sure to read PersonalFiles/readme.htm for important information about the 1189 text files that ship with Super Start in the PersonalFiles folder. The files contain all of the chapters of the Bible (No, I won't supply Super Start without it. Take a look, you will probably like what you see. Afraid you might get religion? Start with a random selection of Proverbs in the record mode. You will find it's mostly just good advice. Think Christians are just a bunch of wimps? Try to follow the rules in Matthew, chapter 5, verses 20 through 48. Try it just one day. Wimps can't do it.). Please be patient after clicking the Personal Files button. It takes a little while to build a list of so many files.
The Pictures button allows you to select files from the GraphicsFiles folder to record their description. You can include just about any picture you wish. Bitmap files (with a .bmp extension -- the extension consists of the letters to the right of the period in a file name) and JPEG files (with a .jpg extension) may be used. It would be a very good idea for parents or guardians to include pictures of themselves and record things such as, "Hi, ......., this is mommy!" and other such phrases to keep the process interesting and enjoyable. There is no need for a digital camera. Just get a CD option with your pictures when you get them developed. In addition, pictures of animals, plants, geometric figures, places, people, art and just about anything you can think of can be included. The search engines have tons of pictures to offer.
You can also find sound files to go along with the pictures of animals. Notice the picture below. Lets say you find something called dolphin.jpg and something called dolphin.wav. Simply rename the wave file to soundof_dolphin.wav, then make a copy of dolphin.jpg. Paste the copy of dolphin.jpg back into the GraphicsFiles folder, and the system will call it "copy of dolphin.jpg." Rename that to soundof_dolphin.jpg. Record something for the original file (say it, spell it, whatever), and let the one matching the sound file speak for itself. You can rename the files to anything you wish, just as long as the base names of the two match.
The Record List can be edited. Items that already have sound files can be removed from the list if desired. There might be times when you want to keep them, though, so that you can balance the volumes. You can also highlight items and delete them by clicking the button provided or with the delete key on the keyboard. You can even delete everything and start over if you wish.
When you are ready to record, click on the Begin Recording button and you will see something like the following:
You will see the text of a text item or a small version of the
picture if it is a graphic item you are recording. After selecting an
item, click on the Start
Recording button and speak into the microphone.
Click the Stop
Recording button when through. You can then click
the Play
Information Just Recorded button for
a preview before clicking the Save
button. Once a file is recorded and saved, the button to play
the sound file (a file with a .wav extension) can
be clicked to listen to it. The slider on the right adjusts the
playback volume. Volume can be saved independently of the sound file
by clicking on the Save
Volume button. Volume is also saved when the sound
file is saved. Click Finished
to go back to the main screen.
Click the play button from the main screen and you will see the following:
This screen is almost the same as the one used to select record items, but with a few additional buttons. For example, while you only need one version of the letters to record, here you are offered upper, lower and mixed case letters. Everything else is pretty much the same. Again, please be sure to read PersonalFiles/readme.htm for important information about the 1189 text files provided in the PersonalFiles folder.
The up and down arrows allow you to click on an item then move it up and down on the list to change the order of play. With this capability you can, for example, mix some of the pictures-of-parents-interludes in with other items. As before, you can delete selected items, with the difference here that you would probably elect to remove items with no sound files from the list.
If you wish, you can save the list to a list file. You will be provided with an opportunity to append to an existing file, write over a file or enter the name of a new one that describes what's in it. List files use a .lst extension, although there is no need to include one when you enter a file name. Clicking on the Play List File button permits selecting a previously constructed list file to play.
Click the Click Here To Start Playing -- Press Esc To Stop button to play what you have selected. The list of items will continue to repeat until you press the Escape key or click the X at the top-right of the play screen. Press P to pause.
Joe