complaints about my shade not opening

[danickstr]

hi could you check to see if my shade opens, i have no idea why it does not open, since it works on both of my computers at home. thanks for checking!

[Naturally Digital]

hi could you check to see if my shade opens, i have no idea why it does not open, since it works on both of my computers at home. thanks for checking!No-go for me on the surfing machine.

[Jay Q]

No. Your previous version doesn't open for me either.

Jay

[Mountain Media]

Doesn't open here, either. Interesting result, though --

(I almost never play with shades, so maybe any that don't open do this, but --)

My 'default' is one of the Contemporary shades. When I attempt to load
- danickstr3 - I end up with the Original shade, which I assume is built into SS.
Basically, it attempts to replace the Contemporary shade, but does not complete loading, I think.

[danickstr]

well it seems that all of my current shade files are not working any longer either...very strange. anyway, the odd tihng is that this worked fine and now it doesn't. so I have to troubleshoot it, which is hardly how I want to spend my time. does anyone have shortcuts to checking file sizes or whatever could be wrong here? let me know.

one more thing: what is the best resource tool for this job. I am getting minor differences using reshacker. things like original numbers in corner are about 2 digits off of my new file. but bitmap sizes seem the same. not sure if it has to doo with bitmap type, i.e. adobe rgb/ibm/24bit/16 bit...etc. any thoughts here folks? also, a sticky for shade makers would help clear this BS up. No fun to put time into this a a donation to find out that there are glitches due to lack of clarity.

[mako]

Hello Nick - it works fine for me.

mako

[danickstr]

odd but good news:)

[Tree Leopard]

Works for me too. In fact I've been ever - so - slow - ly working on a variation of this shade (as you already know Nick).

Two guesses - it might be how the bitmaps were originally saved and / or differing bit & screen res settings that we're all using. Perhaps saving the bitmaps @ 256 colours could be safest solution. But it would great to hear from the experts about the kinds of choices they make in this regard and what they look for when they test their shades.

This week I'll post a beta of what I've got - which I've been using for many weeks now on both DAW and laptop. So lets see if that works with the punters here.

Andre

[bit]

Hello.
I have never had any trouble with reshacker. Is the size of the .shd file still the same as the one you started out from? If it isn't, I guess you have to compare the sizes bitmap by bitmap. Are you properly virus protected?

BIT


Check out the Silver Shade by BIT here:
http://home.combitel.no/bit/Soundclips_frame_page.htm

[danickstr]

thanks bit

I am not sure what happened, since i had 3 backups on this comp and they all have stopped opening. They all opened before, and there has been no change to them. I have virus software and spyware software, but I geuss things can happen. Mayb it is a virus.

[Tree Leopard]

OK, here's something interesting / odd / strange...

I'm running a demo of NOD 32 (http://www.eset.com/home/home.htm) AV on my DAW, just see what its like with SAW / audio / multimedia in comparison to KAV (http://www.kaspersky.com/) .

The shade won't open and my version won't open either.

NOD 32 is a little more difficult to fully disable than KAV. So I went through and disabled all the autoruns (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html) I could (identified by "eset" - the company name).

Rebooted with NOD 32 disabled. Both shades open. Both shades worked with KAV Personal Edition. Scanned the shades with NOD 32 - OK... hmmm...

Andre

[canipus]

OK, here's something interesting / odd / strange...

I'm running a demo of NOD 32 (http://www.eset.com/home/home.htm) AV on my DAW, just see what its like with SAW / audio / multimedia in comparison to KAV (http://www.kaspersky.com/) .

The shade won't open and my version won't open either.

NOD 32 is a little more difficult to fully disable than KAV. So I went through and disabled all the autoruns (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html) I could (identified by "eset" - the company name).

Rebooted with NOD 32 disabled. Both shades open. Both shades worked with KAV Personal Edition. Scanned the shades with NOD 32 - OK... hmmm...

Andre

NOD32 has problems with certain Pc configurations and disc file systems. It can lock up on some files its doing a scan on and that prevents the file being released to it host application so some programs just stop working completely. It's rare but it happened to me and I tracked it down to NOD and then ran disk monitor byte by byte access software and found out what was going on. The problem is totally undocumented on the NOD site but the problem is REAL.
Get rid of it and use another AV app.

[Tree Leopard]

Canipus - thanks for that. I've gone back to KAV.

I noticed that any audio app I ran - SAW included - didn't really get on that well with NOD either.

If you simply quit out of NOD there are modules still running in the background which continue to interfere with operations. Access to drives would slow down for a few seconds and audio would be slow to load. GUIs would behave strangley for a brief second... Hence having to disable autoruns and reboot for normal, smooth operation.

Interesting also, that after I uninstalled NOD my sound scheme went back to default blip-bloops-ville. Erhh...

Andre

[Jay Q]

Andre, this must be one of those YMMV things because I use NOD without any of the problems you mentioned. In fact, NOD has been the most problem-free AV software I've ever used. I use it only on my work machine, but I do have some audio software on my work machine, and it all works without glitches.

If disabling NOD allows the shade to work for you, there's obviously some connection between the problem with displaying the shade and NOD, but it can't be that NOD is causing the problem because my DAW isn't running any AV software (I occasionally scan it from my other machine using NOD, but the DAW itself has no AV software installed), and the danickstr shade won't load. It doesn't work on my work machine either. I tried your suggestion of disabling NOD, and I made sure that no NOD-related processes were running, but still a no-go getting the shade to load. It seems there's more to this than meets the eye.

Jay

[mako]

Mmmm - perhaps try Avast for AV protection.

I've been using it for over 12 months and have no program conflicts ( that I know of ) with it.

Updates are speedy - unlike 20 minute jobs for one I used to use ( 56k connection).

It's free - worth a try.

mako

[Tree Leopard]

Andre, this must be one of those YMMV things because I use NOD without any of the problems you mentioned. In fact, NOD has been the most problem-free AV software I've ever used. I use it only on my work machine, but I do have some audio software on my work machine, and it all works without glitches.

If disabling NOD allows the shade to work for you, there's obviously some connection between the problem with displaying the shade and NOD, but it can't be that NOD is causing the problem because my DAW isn't running any AV software (I occasionally scan it from my other machine using NOD, but the DAW itself has no AV software installed), and the danickstr shade won't load. It doesn't work on my work machine either. I tried your suggestion of disabling NOD, and I made sure that no NOD-related processes were running, but still a no-go getting the shade to load. It seems there's more to this than meets the eye.

Jay... sure... I think NOD just added a wild card to actual problem with the shade. Quite a few people in small / medium business I know are using it and they love it (great support too, they say). You'd recommended it before, as well.

But with DAWs its a different situation to a business with a bunch of DB, Server & POS apps - many of us have custom spec'd machines using software that makes intensive demands on system resources. I once had the network version of KAV installed which, like NOD, slowed everything down so I changed to Personal, which has been great thus far. You can fully turn it off and run a scan when you need to.

As for the shade (both Nicks version and mine)... well, it just won't load anymore - how about that! It only works on one of the IBM T40s I'm using for remote recording.

Andre

[Jay Q]

As for the shade (both Nicks version and mine)... well, it just won't load anymore - how about that! It only works on one of the IBM T40s I'm using for remote recording.It's been so long since Nick posted it, I don't even recall what it looks like or if screen shots were even made available. Does anyone have any screen shots they can post or a link to screen shots?

Thanks,
Jay

[Tree Leopard]

It's been so long since Nick posted it, I don't even recall what it looks like or if screen shots were even made available. Does anyone have any screen shots they can post or a link to screen shots?

Thanks,
JayJay - this is drving me crazy! I just installed a fab little applet called WinRoll (http://http://www.palma.com.au/winroll/). Sometimes very handy. Won't work with SAW of course, but most of other things, yes.

So... guess what... Nick's shade and my shade are now working again. LOL! A couple of quick caps are attached...

Andre

[Tree Leopard]

Bum! The file limit is 39.1kb ... when I get a chance I'll upload the caps to a file share thingy... back soon...

[danickstr]

i've got a link around here somewhere....where did I put that thing....oh ya there it is, down there.

[danickstr]

oh ya and I am still waiting patiently for my sticky or info site that gives detailed information about shade format, such as bit size and format, recommended res hacker, etc. or if i did all this stuff right in the first place, then i guess we wait until this issue with nod av is addressed.

[Jay Q]

then i guess we wait until this issue with nod av is addressed.Thanks for pointing out the link, Nick (duh). Like I said, don't know how NOD could be the culprit since it's not on my DAW and I still can't open your shade.

Jay

[canipus]

Nick

If you haven't done this you may want to download a standard shade from RML. Extract the component bitmaps into a folder. Extract the component bitmaps from your shade into another folder. Now get an application that does a binary file size compare on the two folders. You may find one of your bitmaps image size has changed from the default.
The reason I mention this is that I came across this issue with a 3rd party shade while doing the canipus shade edits. One of the bitmaps was way out in size ( totally different number of pixels), from the default. It was a bitmap that I didn't utilise or edit so I didn't think any more about it, BUT there is DEFINITELY a 3rd party shade with the wrong file size out there and I can't remember whose it was.
If its compiled in your shade then this may be the culprit.

[Tree Leopard]

BUT there is DEFINITELY a 3rd party shade with the wrong file size out there and I can't remember whose it was.
If its compiled in your shade then this may be the culprit.Right.. I think I know what modules these are... thanks for the clue!

Andre

[danickstr]

i guess this issue is not important enough to get an answer from any of the original graphics programmers, but it sure would be nice to have more specific info, even though it would be a bit late to the party, since my whole reason for doing this was to try to get the ableton live graphics-type users (me inc.) to consider this DAW. lots of time into it and not a lot of info. what was i thinking? not usually a tack i take. now i remember why. lack of access to information is not my favorite thing.

[ambler]

Nick

This is, as far as I can tell, a reshacker thing. Every now and then when saving a file after editing it renders the file useless. This occurs randomly, there is no correlation to image size or bit depth... and there is no way back. The only way to fix it is to reload each individual bitmap. I have resorted to making a backup copy after each edit so that I only have to reload one set of edits when this inevitably happens.

I have downloaded and checked out your shade and it matches my own experience. It doesn't work as a shade file but you can extract all the bitmaps and reload them into another working shade file.

Incidently, SAWStudio doesn't care about image size at all. It will load a bitmap with a specific name from the shade file and place the top, left corner in a specific location on the interface. It doesn't matter whether it's 4,8,16 or 24 bit... or if it's 4 pixels or 400, it just aligns the top left corner and away you go. Of course different size bitmaps may behave in the interface in an unpredictable way, eg, part of the bitmap may not show or the bitmap may cover another control etc. but SAW will load it anyway without complaint.

I hope this is the kind of info you are after, I've worked all this out through trial and error as there is no official process for making shades.

Mark

[Pedro Itriago]

I don't think the shade concept was ever made to be used this way by the users. That's is, I think, the reasons why there is no info, documentation, hint or whatever regarding how to make them.

Those who got into it just asked if it would be possible for them to play with the shade to modify it/make their own. And if I remember correctly (there's also the guy who runs the place to correct me), this is exactly the kind of problems/complaints that Bob didn't want to have. He wasn't that "hip" in the first place with the idea of people tinkering with shades, but he gave his blessing anyway.


I hope this is the kind of info you are after, I've worked all this out through trial and error as there is no official process for making shades.

Mark

[danickstr]

Thanks Ambler for that specific info. As far as going back, I guess there must be a way,but requires a reshacker hacker, and I don't kow one. Well, then there is the answer. I do find it curious that on one hand the website boasts of the hundreds of shades available and then when it comes to trying to give one to the program, it becomes an issue lacking in specifics and frankly, support. Guess I learned my lesson. Don't try to do anyone any favors, unless you plan to re-do that favor 50 times to get it right.

[Pedro Itriago]

Nick, don't take it so hard. A lot of us appreciate the effort put by many people just like you in making not only shades, but plug-ins. I can see your frustration trying to solve the p[roblem some people have found with your shade, especially using a program like reshacker which I tried to use to make my own shade but it just threw me away until I get the time I need to commit to do it. It's very frustrating not being able to see how things will look like.

I've dealt with this problem with other softwares were you have to use a tool like reshacker to edit menues & dialogs and you just can't see how it'll look until you have the whole program compiled and then see how the dialog goes way beyond the dialog windows and ends up cropped.

Again, speaking for Bob from seeing this discussion many times before, he was reluctant to let people hack the shades to make their own and, if memory serves me well, the first non-iqsoft/rml shade appeared even without Bob's authorization and even so he didn't say much about it other than warn to be careful when doing that. The links are there because so many people started making their own shades that it was suggested to Bob thru forum and I can imagine thru e-mail to compile a link list to them and he did, the same way he did with 3rd party plug-ins, but unlike with plug-ins, he didn't like to take away some of his coding/support energy into the shades.

I think, so far, we in the forum are capable to help with this issues by ourselves, much in the same way that plug-in developers were helped by many users before putting out their plugs.

BTW, whatever happened to the shade creation program that someones was doing?. Feel free to embarrasing me by saying you're/were the one developing it

[ambler]

BTW, whatever happened to the shade creation program that someones was doing?

Coming soon. ;)

[mako]

Nick - Just to confuse the issue more - I just tried both versions (2 and 3) again, and both load for me.

Weird eh? Darn computers.

cheers

mako

[ambler]

Really?! :confused:

I've spent months working this stuff out and you just negated all my conclusions in two lines! :eek:

Did you download version 3 from Nick's site recently, or was it a previously downloaded copy?

Mark

[Pedro Itriago]

Ahh, just like when you hear a sqweek in you car and once you get to the ship to show it to the mechanic, PUFF!!! it's gone.

[danickstr]

sorry that this is so confusing for those of you trying to solve it... guess we are the blind leading the blind...trying to feel our way around...

[mako]

Really?! :confused:

I've spent months working this stuff out and you just negated all my conclusions in two lines! :eek:

Did you download version 3 from Nick's site recently, or was it a previously downloaded copy?

Mark

My apologies for not responding earlier Mark - I missed your post.

To make sure, I've just d/l ed the shade again and it works fine for me.
:confused:

Nick - would it be possible to compress the shades you have for download please?

I'm on dialup so it's an hour d/l for me.

Thank you and good luck in finding this gremlin.

mako

[danickstr]

i think the link to canipus's shades at my site also contains my zipped file...kinda confusing but it's still a smaller file i think...:)