wrel2.1.me

speech signal process tools

.ip \fIenable_server\fP
If \fIxwaves\fP+ is not operating as display server, it begins 
doing so.  
.ip \fIdisable_server\fP
If \fIxwaves\fP+ is operating as display server, it stops doing so.
.ip "\fIget attributes global\fP"
In previous releases, the existing "get attributes" command was
restricted to obtaining display parameters.  The new keyword "global"
supports output of \fIwaves\fP+ globals.  Output of all or a named set
of globals can be directed to a named file (as well as stdout), and is
produced in a format suitable for inclusion in a .wave_pro file.
The menus->globals buttons in the default startup environment produce
a button panel that exploits the new feature to display and write 
the full set of globals.  This feature is available for both
\fIwaves\fP+ and \fIxwaves\fP+.  
.ip "\fImake height\fP"  
.ip "\fImake width\fP"
The behavior of the keywords "height" and "width" in the command
"make" has changed.  They now affect spectrogram displays as well as
waveform displays, and they no longer have the side effect of setting
the global variables "wave_height" and wave_width".  You can still set
"wave_height" and wave_width" in the make command by using the full
names; these globals still affect only waveform windows.
.ip "\fIadd_espsf number\fP"
The new keyword "number" has been added to \fIadd_espsf\fP (default
1).  This specifies the number of output files expected from the 
external program.  Appropriate file names are generated for the 
command string and are all displayed when the external command
terminates.  
.ip \fIclose_ctlwin\fP
.ip \fIopen_ctlwin\fP
These iconize and open the \fIxwaves\fP+ control panel.  
.ip auto_plot_limits
Resets the globals \fIplot_max\fP and \fIplot_min\fP so that 
automatic scaling (the default) takes place. 
.sh 2 "New \fIxwaves\fP+ Globals"
.ip \fIinit_file\fP
This names an \fIxwaves\fP+ command file. If \fIinit_file\fP is
present in the startup profile, the corresponding file is executed
before any command-line files are processed.  When combined with the
new features that provide user-defined menus and screen-button panels,
the \fIinit_file\fP provides a mechanism for creating
highly-customized \fIxwaves\fP+/ESPS packages that meet personal or
application-specific needs.  The default \fIinit_file\fP is
$ESPS_BASE/lib/waves/commands/xw_init.WC. 
.ip \fIoutput_dir\fP
The name of a writable directory to be used for all \fIxwaves\fP+ output
files.  Do not define this global unless you want it used, and make
sure that the named directory exists and is writable.  If
\fIoutput_dir\fP is defined, all output files from \fIxwaves\fP+,
\fIxspectrum\fP, and \fIxlabel\fP will go into this directory
(including edited files, saved file segments, spectrogram output
files, outputs from add_espsf, etc.).  It is OK to include environment
variables in the path.  This global makes it possible to produce
\fIxwaves\fP output when working in read-only directories. 
.ip \fIremote_path\fP
.ip \fIremote_input_path\fP
.ip \fIremote_output_path\fP
The semantics of \fIremote_path\fP has changed. It is now prefixed to
the basename of files rather than to their full names (which might
have included path specifications).  The semantics are extended by the
existence of additional globals.  If \fIremote_input_path\fP is
defined, it is prefixed to the basename of all input file names in
external calls.  It overrides any definition of \fIremote_path\fP.
Similarly, if remote_output_path is defined, it is prefixed to the
basename of all output file names in external calls.  It overrides
definitions of \fIremote_path\fP and \fIoutput_dir\fP.  
.ip \fIsocket_port\fP
This is the INET domain socket port number to be used when xwaves+ is
operating as a display server (as the result of the \fIxwaves\fP+
\fB-s\fP option or the enable_server command).  If set, socket_port
overrides the WAVES_PORT environment variable or the value given by
the \fB-p\fP option.
.ip \fIspec_middle_op\fP
middle_op text string corresponding to desired middle button operation
for spectrogram menus.  must be one of: "up/down move", "move
contour", "modify intensity", "play between marks", "repeat previous".
This and the \fIspec_left_op\fP global are provided (by analogy with
the waveform menu's \fIleft_op\fP and \fImiddle_op\fP) so that the
mouse bindings can be set under \fIxwaves\fP+ command control.
.ip \fIspec_left_op\fP
text corresponding to desired left button opera- tion for spectrogram
menus; must be one of: "up/down move", "move closest", "mark
formants", "repeat previous"
.ip \fIspect_interp\fP
1 to cause linear interpolation in rescaled spectrogram displays; 0 to
disable interpolation so that each discreet value is shown as a
uniform rectangle.
.ip \fIh_spect_rescale\fP
1 to cause horizontal rescaling of spectrogram displays; 0 to cause
fixed displays with 1-pixel per data record.  If data are interpolated,
then the range of the interpolated data computed together is
determined by \fIspect_rescale_scope\fP.
.ip \fIv_spect_rescale\fP
1 to cause vertical rescaling of spectrogram displays; 0 to cause
fixed displays with 1-pixel per data record.
.ip \fIspect_rescale_scope\fP
determines whether horizontal rescaling of interpolated data is
computed for the entire xwaves+ buffer (value is "buffer") or for just
the current window width (value is "view").  Rescaling for the entire
buffer can be quite slow if the ratio of the current view to the
entire buffer is large, but has the advantage that horizontal
scrolling is very fast once the new image is computed (since it is
stored).  Rescaling just the current view is faster (and is the
default), but has the disadvantage that the rescaling takes place
every time the viewpoint is moved (i.e., scrolling is slower).
In later releases, this global will also affect the rescaling of 
non-interpolated data.  
.ip \fIreticle_grid\fP
This controls plotting of the part of the spectrogram-window reticle that
lies within the spectrogram plotting area.  (The numbers around the
edges are not affected.)  Set the value to 0 to disable plotting;
non-zero (the default) gives the old behavior.
.ip \fIplot_max\fP
.ip \fIplot_min\fP
These new globals provide a 
limited means of overriding the automatic vertical scaling of plot
data.  If they are zero (the default), for each trace \fIxwaves\fP+ finds
the max and min in the entire buffer, and scales the plot so that the
max and min appear at the top and bottom of the window (or window
region, if there are multiple traces).  If \fIplot_max\fP (\fIplot_min\fP) is
non-zero, \fIxwaves\fP+ will scale every new or refreshed plot so that the
top (bottom) of the window or region corresponds to the fixed value.
Values outside of the range are simply clipped by the top or the
bottom of the display window (extending into the scrollbar).  (That is
the plots for multiple traces are not limited to a region of the
window as they are in the case of auto-scaling.  Yes, it can get very
ugly!  But it provides some capability where none existed.  
A new \fIxwaves\fP+ command -- \fIauto_plot_limits\fP -- was added as
a convenient means for restoring xwaves+ to the mode in which 
all plot limits are set automatically.  Note that the new 
ESPS program \fIclip\fP (1\-\s-1ESPS\s+1) can be added to the 
\fIxwaves\fP+ menu to achieve a similar effect.  
.ip \fIctlwin_iconized\fP
1 to cause \fIxwaves\fP+ to start up with its control window iconized;
0 to come up open. 
.ip \fIxlabel_ctlwin_x\fP
.ip \fIxlabel_ctlwin_y\fP
Control the initial position of the \fIxlabel\fP control panel. 
.ip \fIxspectrum_ctlwin_x\fP
.ip \fIxspectrum_ctlwin_y\fP
Control the initial position of the \fIxspectrum\fP control panel. 
.ip \fIxspectrum_datwin_x\fP
.ip \fIxspectrum_datwin_y\fP
.ip \fIxspectrum_datwin_height\fP
.ip \fIxspectrum_datwin_width\fP 
Control the initial position and size of the \fIxspectrum\fP spectral display.
.ip \fIxspectrum_datwin_forward\fP
A startup global that determines whether or not the \fIxspectrum\fP
plot window will be brought forward each time a new spectrum 
is computed. 
.ip \fIxspectrum_max_lpc_order\fP
A startup global that sets the maximum xspectrum LPC (maximum
entropy) order.  
.sh 2 "Spectrogram Display Improvements"
.lp
The previous version of \fIxwaves\fP+ would always automatically rescale
spectrograms in the vertical dimension to accommodate changes in the
height, but the horizontal scale was fixed at one pixel per data
record, so that each vertical column of pixels always corresponded to
one spectral slice computed by a DSP board or an ESPS program.  
.lp
The vertical rescaling code was revised to run 2-3 times faster than
in the previous release.
.lp
In the current version, rescaling works in the horizontal dimension as
well, and the program can automatically stretch or expand spectrograms
in both dimensions when the window is resized, much as it does with
waveform displays.  The operations "zoom in", "zoom out", "zoom full
out", and "bracket markers" are on the default spectrogram menu; when
horizontal rescaling is turned on, these operations and "align and
rescale" work in the same way with spectrograms as with waveform
displays.
.lp
Four global variables, \fIh_spect_rescale\fP, \fIv_spect_rescale\fP,
\fIspect_rescale_scope\fP, and \fIspect_interp\fP, provide control
over the rendering of \fIxwaves\fP+ spectrogram displays.
.lp
The global \fIh_spect_rescale\fP controls horizontal rescaling
of spectrograms.  In particular, 
.nf

	set h_spect_rescale 0

.fi
yields the behavior of the previous version of \fIxwaves\fP+, fixed
1-pixel-per-record horizontal scaling, and
.nf

	set h_spect_rescale 1

.fi
yields automatic horizontal rescaling.  
.lp
Similarly, the global \fIv_spect_rescale\fP controls vertical rescaling of
spectrograms; 
.nf

	set v_spect_rescale 0

.fi
turns off vertical rescaling and fixes the vertical scale at one pixel
for each frequency point computed by a DSP board or ESPS program, and
.nf

	set v_spect_rescale 1

.fi
restores automatic vertical rescaling.  When vertical rescaling is
turned off, the tops of spectrograms are cut off in windows that are
not high enough to hold them, and extra background is added above
spectrograms in windows that are higher than necessary.
.lp
Normally, when horizontal or vertical rescaling is turned on,
\fIxwaves\fP+ rescales by linearly interpolating values for pixels
that do not correspond exactly to computed data points.  In the new
version of \fIxwaves\fP+, a non-interpolated mode of rescaling is
available as well;
.nf

	set spect_interp 0

.fi
turns interpolation off, and
.nf

	set spect_interp 1

.fi
restores interpolation.  The non-interpolated mode is a style similar
to that selected by the -D option of \fIimage\fP (1\-\s-1ESPS\s+1).  Each
computed spectral value is represented by a rectangle of uniform color
or brightness; the edges of the rectangles are sharp, and there is no
gradual gradation from one data point to another.
.lp
When interpolation has been turned on, rescaling in either dimension
can create a rescaled image of the entire spectrogram data buffer or
just the visible part.  This choice is determined by
\fIspect_rescale_scope\fP;
.nf

	set spect_rescale_scope buffer

.fi
selects the entire buffer, and 
.nf

	set spect_rescale_scope view

.fi
selects just the visible part.  If "buffer" is selected, paging and
scrolling operations are very rapid once the data have been computed,
since the image resides on the X server and each operation uses a
single X Window System library call to map a new portion of the image
to the window.  However, the rescaling and interpolation calculation
itself can be very expensive in terms of both time and server memory.
Zooming in on a part of a spectrogram that is much shorter than the
full buffer can initiate a lengthy operation that ties up the window
system for several minutes and cannot be easily interrupted because
the mouse becomes unresponsive.  It is quite possible to exceed the
capacity of the server and crash the window system.  
.lp
Selecting "view" for \fIspect_rescale_scope\fP provides an alternative
tradeoff between scrolling speed and image compute time.  In this
mode, only the viewable data are interpolated and rescaled.  Since
these are computed as the spectrogram is scrolled, scrolling is slower
than in the case of "buffer".  But the time to compute the
interpolated and rescaled data becomes less and less the more "zoomed
in" you are.  To avoid nasty surprises, it is a good idea to keep
"view" as the default for \fIspect_rescale_scope\fP.  It is likewise
safer to set the global \fIzoom_ganged\fP to 0.
.lp
With interpolation turned off, a different rescaling process is
used:  no backup image is created, and the entire rescaling operation
is repeated whenever the window is repainted.  This can be slow at
small scales, but is reasonably fast at scales at which individual
rectangles are easy to pick out, since the time required depends more
strongly on the number of rectangles than on their sizes.  With
interpolation turned off, it is easy to zoom in on small portions of
large spectrograms.  However, beware of then turning interpolation on
without first zooming back out to a smaller scale, since anything that
causes a refresh (uncovering an obscured part of a window, for
example) can trigger an expensive interpolated rescaling.
.lp
The compiled in defaults (which also correspond to values in the 
default .wave_pro) are:  
.nf

	spect_interp = 1
	v_spect_rescale = 0
	h_spect_rescale = 0
	spect_rescale_scope = view

.fi
These produce the fastest painting behavior, with one bit in the image
for each point in the spectrogram file.  The default \fIxwaves\fP+
initialization command file (\fIinit_file\fP in the .wave_pro)
provides a screen button ("Images") that brings up a panel with screen
buttons that toggle the three globals that control scaling and
interpolation.
.lp
Another significant change to the spectrogram display capability is
that \fIxwaves\fP+ can now display spectrograms with nonlinear
frequency scales (FEA_SPEC files in ARB_FIXED format).  The plots are
made with linear record spacing, but a nonlinear vertical reticle
scale, so if your files have more detail at, say, the lower
frequencies, the plot will have an expanded scale at the lower
frequencies.  Cursors are properly coordinated with other spectrograms
with different vertical scales, the "Value" readout at the top gives
the proper values, and overlays on such displays work properly.
.sh 2 "\fIxwaves\fP+ as a Display Server"
.lp
\fIxwaves\fP+ can operate as a "display server", a term we use to
describe a mode of operation in which xwaves+, in addition to
operating under local control, listens on a network socket for xwaves+
commands (including the invocation of command files). Such commands
can be sent by arbitrary external shell scripts or C programs.  This
feature, new with Version 2.1, blurs the distinction between external