Mamba bugs/errors: post here !

First of all, I want to say that the latest version of Mamba Black (1.90) is very very stable! I played around for 6 hours with it last weekend and it crashed only two times. Compared to Version 1.62: it crashed 6 times every hour. :( Keep up the good work André!

But there is no thread on this forum that contain/collects the bugs and error messages in Mamba Black. Post them here for Old Grumpy.


To start with:

Play a show with music. Go to File > New Show. (during playing)
Mamba is than deleting the loaded frames, detete the music file, but the music keeps playing. This is not right.


Another bug:
Make a show and save it with the function 'Create releaseable show'.
The show will be saved in the folder 'Release'.
Save the same show (or another one) with this 'Create rel....' function again.Use the same name for the show.
Mamba will come up with a error message and closes the application.

I have nothing bad to report at this time ;)

But when I`m finnish re-building both my lasers.
Mamba Black will be running a hard Dual laser test while I try to make some new shows ;)

Here is my bug repport #1

I was working on a new show.
Have made 30second progress in the show!

I have maked a new framelist that have 15 frames!
Morphing frames and effects with no problem so far..
Inputting new frames and PLAY show, still no problem..

But then I make "new frame" and I hit the "Play frame edit drawbox only" (where you make frames) !

So now is mamba supposed to play only the 1 frame I`m making in the window..
The first time it did go fine.. but this time mamba shut down when I hit the PLAY button :(
And the same bug repeat everythime I do the same thing !!

THIS IS A BUG !!!


(btw: show soon done, and then I share it) :)

Small bug:

In the play area you have 4 Sourse buttons under the Preview screen.
The second one on top is Display Current Scene, but this is not quite true. If you have more than one track on the timeline, these other scenes are also displayed during playback. The button text must have Display Time Scenes, or something... :cool:

I think the problem is that it displays the output on all tracks while playing only between the start and end of the selected scene. It would be good to have a check box to say play all tracks or play selected track only when this button is selected.

Has anyone noticed that if you select play between markers and then paste a scene even though the play between markers button remains depressed it changes to play entire show. This is a PIA.

And another little bug is if you add 2 scenes of default length (1 second) and play them, then make them shorter to say half a second each when you play it still plays for 2 seconds even though the scenes end after 1 second.

Rob

A nasty error during saving a releaseable show:

Example:
-Create a frame and drag it to the timeline.
-Save this frame into the folder Mamba\frames with the name Testframe.
-Goto File>Create Releaseable Show.
-Give show a name, check the box and fill in a serial number, like 1234.
-Check the checkbox for the frame Testframe and click Save.

-Go again to File>Create Releaseable Show.
-Give show another name.
-The check box is still checked and the s/n 1234 is still there.
-Click Save.

Now Mamba will crash and is closing the application.
I tried this on 3 different computers and crashed 3 times...

Am I the only one?


X Audrey

No Audrey you are not the only one. This happens the same for me too - but I have a question for you. Does create releasable show work for you? For me I get lots of scenes in the right places but no frames. I suspect this happens for the same reason that 'save output to file' and 'use in liveplayer' do not work - they all just create a load of empty frames.

Rob

Mmmzz, yes you're right! It's not working with v1.90 at all :mad:
But try version 1.61. It's Ok there :) (Peter Mayer must behind all this:p)

That's funny because if you order a Mamba Black lasershow at http://www.spectrabeam.de/ you have to tell them your dongle number to get the right releaseable show.
So, they must have a working version of Mamba :(

.

mambaFreak , have any show to trade ?
:)

I try creating frames in editor of Mamba v1.9.0.3918, that's all right.
I can save it as framelist. Everything OK. Then I load it to change one frame or add a new frame to the list and I save it. After that the Mamba is crash, if I do anything. :mad:
Ok, I restart the software and I load the framelist again, and I realize that most of colors are changed in frames. ( It recolor same frames automatically.) :(

I already sent bugreports, and I look to a patch for it. :)

Whiteg

@ Liteglow:
PM me what you need.
A lot of people don't like this kind of trade in public here. :cool:

@ Whiteg:
Did it work with the 1.9.0.3915 version?
Maybe you can find something in the Changelog of build 3918. :rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

@ Whiteg:
Did it work with the 1.9.0.3915 version?

---

No, I didn't. When I bought it, I got this version (1.9.0.3918).
I got an email today from MediaLas, and they work on it. :)

Whiteg

Hey whiteg - you have a more up to date issue than me too - I have build 3916. I hope there is a new build released soon with some more fixes in.

Rob

I also have V-1.9.0.3918 :)

You need an upgrade Rob and fast :D

When I create a show with Mamba, I always piece out it from small sections. I use the begin and end markers for it.
If I create a show which is longer than 3 minutes I realize a annoying thing. If I switch on the begin-end marker and I create and play a piece of show over 3 minutes, everything is OK. Frames will show up on time. But when I play the whole show, frames will appear around 5-10 milliseconds faster than the beat on this section.
After it I modify the show to correct it. (I play the whole show again and again.)
Next time, when I try to play the same piece of show (use the begin-end marker again), frames appear around 5-10 milliseconds slower than the beat of music.

Did anybody meet with this problem?
(I don't use winamp.)

Whiteg

I did make a show for a loong time ago..
When after some months I was going to finnish it, I did find out that everything was out of sync :o

I dont know the reason.. I did never bother to finnish it..

Hi WhiteG
yes I experience this problem also but not on all shows...I have one show that I have given up working on because of the sync problems however I have since made at least 3 shows that work and time just fine. I have made OG aware of this its probably on that very long list of jobs he has for Mamba :(

ROb

Yes, same problem here often. :(
I solved this in one case by convert the mp3 file to a wave file and than back to mp3 again. I don't know way, but it worked.

About OG: this kind of errors should be priority instead of creating new features for version 2.0. And is also strange that OG does not post something here in this thread. :rolleyes:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

Yes, same problem here often. :(
I solved this in one case by convert the mp3 file to a wave file and than back to mp3 again. I don't know way, but it worked.

About OG: this kind of errors should be priority instead of creating new features for version 2.0. And is also strange that OG does not post something here in this thread. :rolleyes:

---

MambaFreak You're right!
Informations! Informations!

Whiteg

Some strange thing here:

Start Mamba > File > Show from ILDA framelist. Select a ILD file.
You get a new small window with the default 10 frames/sec.
Than click abort (using the red cross)
Mamba will still continue importing frames. :o

Another one:

Setup 1.
-Open a show with music with Mamba.
-Drag the last scene beyond the end of the music part. (as example)
-Set the red Begin Marker 10 seconds before the end of the music part.
-Set the red End Marker beyond the end of the music part, but before the end of the scene part.
-Select playback to Display Marked Area.

Mamba will output only the part until the end of the music, not unitl the end of the scene. It think this is wrong, because now it's not possible to program scenes in the silent part after the music part. :rolleyes:


Setup 2.
-Open a show with music with Mamba.
-Drag the last scene beyond the end of the music part. (as example)
-Set the red Begin Marker a few seconds beyond the end of the music part.
-Set the red End Marker beyond the end of the scene part.
-Select playback to Display Marked Area.

Mamba will not display the marked part at all, but plays the whole show from the beginning. :rolleyes:


.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

Another one:

Setup 1.
-Open a show with music with Mamba.
-Drag the last scene beyond the end of the music part. (as example)
-Set the red Begin Marker 10 seconds before the end of the music part.
-Set the red End Marker beyond the end of the music part, but before the end of the scene part.
-Select playback to Display Marked Area.

Mamba will output only the part until the end of the music, not unitl the end of the scene. It think this is wrong, because now it's not possible to program scenes in the silent part after the music part. :rolleyes:

Setup 2.
-Open a show with music with Mamba.
-Drag the last scene beyond the end of the music part. (as example)
-Set the red Begin Marker a few seconds beyond the end of the music part.
-Set the red End Marker beyond the end of the scene part.
-Select playback to Display Marked Area.

.

---

These are both due to the same problems & I have sort of questioned this before to OG and its a function of the way the music is badly handled. OG has not got the time to completely rip this up and start again for 1.x but I am certain the music implementation will work properly in 2.0.
The only work around is to get something like audacity and add a silent section at the end of your music file, as mamba will play until the music file or the show track ends - whichever is the soonest.
FYI When I create a show I always drop a blank scene into an unused track and make it equal to the music track length. This way I can play through the music to my hearts content without it stopping just when I dont want it to.

BTW I cant make the problem with making a show from ilda do as you describe. ?

Rob

Hi Rob,

Good to know that I'm not the only one with this thing here...
OG mentioned in a previos release that a MB show is now music-length based. In older versions it was track -or last-scene-length based.

I think Mamba should work time-based. If you also use software for capture video images, like 'Windows Movie Maker' or 'Pinnacle Video 12', you know that I mean with time-based: there is one timeline and emply 'tracks'. The first track is for video, the second for photo's, the next for text, the next for additional audio, ..... This kind of software doesn't care about the content of the tracks, it just plays the timeline from the beginning untill the last item on some track...


About that ILDA problem:
Press the red cross (the Close button of the small window)
MB will continue with importing instead of cancelling.

Yes, I got the v1.95 (build 5620) version right now.
But.... All the scenes on the timeline are displayed as blanks. :(
This is strange, because all frames are in the original color.
So, nothing will be lasered here. :(

Who has the same problems?

PS: I immediately tried the old v1.90 version and this is working OK.


.

I am waiting for them to send me the 1.95 version I hope it fixes the problems I have with exporting shows to .ild files in 1.90

Anything else changed in it apart from the new stuff in the "Help" menu ?

Onge

For sure!
I count 110 fixed bugs/changes/rewrotes in the Changelog file. :)
Most of them in the background, so don't expect a new user interface. ;)

A

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

Yes, I got the v1.95 (build 5620) version right now.
But.... All the scenes on the timeline are displayed as blanks. :(
This is strange, because all frames are in the original color.
So, nothing will be lasered here. :(

Who has the same problems?

PS: I immediately tried the old v1.90 version and this is working OK.


.

---

Power on dongle and projectrot, and restart mamba:) Ok!

No, not working here. :mad:

I can create frames with a color but after dragging them to the timeline, the scens become black. :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

No, not working here. :mad:

I can create frames with a color but after dragging them to the timeline, the scens become black. :(

---

Play complete show? Laser output ok?

No no no. The scenes on the timeline are black, the preview window is black and the laser output is black.

Compare it with drawing a black frame, drag it to the timeline and than press Play. Result: you see a black scene, no playback and no output. :(

Can anyone send me his Mamba.exe file? :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

No no no. The scenes on the timeline are black, the preview window is black and the laser output is black.

Compare it with drawing a black frame, drag it to the timeline and than press Play. Result: you see a black scene, no playback and no output. :(

---

At the first time I had black scenes on the timeline, too, after I updates MB.
I rebooted my computer. Next I switched my dongle and my laser on. After that I started Mamba.My MB has worked properly since that.

Send PM.

Gabor

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

No no no. The scenes on the timeline are black, the preview window is black and the laser output is black.

---

Hi,

Could you resolve the problem? Does you MB work proberly?
If it work, would you post it what was the solution.

Gabor

Hi Gabor,

I installed the whole software again (+v1.95) and now it's working.
Well, I now have normal scenes with the right colors. I will check the output to my laser tomorrow.

But I found another thing that is not right.
Can you check this out on your computer as well?

Load a show. The name of the music file is displayed in the green bar.
Now load another show with the new function Append in the File menu.
This 2nd show should be paste to the first one at the end, right?

What I see is that the audio file of the first show is gone!
Also the time markers from 6 minutes to the end are missing.

Please let me know that you found.

XX Audrey

Hi Audrey,

If I append a show to an other, the music will pass away. Probably it can't handle two music file at same time, so maybe that the cause why it clear music file from show. I think you have to merge yourself the two music file and load it into the show.
It was the cause why I asked a showplayer on the wish list.:)

You can set the timeline length. For example you have a 4 minutes long show and the timeline length was set to 6 minutes. If you append a 3 minutes show to the previous, it will longer than you have on timeline (you only have 2 minutes). So MB has to cut off the end of the second show. If you increase the length of timeline before appending, the second show will appear correctly.

Gabor

Mmmzzz, I think this music thing is bug. :(
If it is working like you describe, this Append thing is useless!
Why would it delete the first music file!? :confused:
And yes, a Showlayer would be better in this case.

And about this timeline:
I think this is also a bug. :(
Or Mamba should stop at 6 min, or it should play the shows with a nice timeline. What you see as well is a blue background of the scenes after 6 minutes. This also wrong I think. :(
If I have 3 shows that I want to paste on the timeline, I fist have to calculate what the total timeline will be and change the length of the timeline? It would be better if Mamba automatically extent this new total length. :rolleyes:

I PM'ed Andre to post something here.

Miss A

Another strange thing:

-Set the timeline length to 6 minutes and close Mamba.
-Open Mamba but don't load any show.
-Go with the mouse to the '5 minutes marker' of the timeline.
-Click on this 5 minutes marker. A white line is displayed and the LED clock will say "05:00.00".
-Now go with the mouse to the gray bar (track overview) just above this white line.
-Click on this gray line an this point. The clock will than say 03:21.00 or something.

Isn't this strange? :confused:

Audrey

Hi all,

I also realized the problem with unsynchron music and show speed.
Could you please try out to convert the soundfile to wav.?
This way solved my problems currently.

Cheers, Gebbi

Hi there,

let me confess that it is all my fault and nobody who tested the append mechanism noticed the things you pointed out, sorry! I was working on a lot of nightmare code during the last weeks and some goofs slipped through :( Will look into the timeline and append show problems and also the black output problem. The strangest thing is that you'll see the scanners moving, just no color output :(

Somewhere in this thread somebody asked why there was no response frome me. That's because I didn't know about this thread until I just saw a PM that pointed me to it. It is now added to my watchlist so I'll respond faster when you post in here.

About synchronization: Mamba 1.x has a very basic way of synchronizing things, depending on whether there is music or not. This was already in before I took over development, and changing it would require quite some effort that I think is better invested into a solid basis, i.e. Mamba 2.0. The sync glitches with MP3 seem to vary depending on which actual codec is installed for MP3. I'll try to find a way to get better and more consistent sync methods.

Hi Andre,

Thanks for your fast responce! :)

I think I have just one conclusion about this.
MediaLas should 'assign' a few (more) beta testers for MB.
This is the only way to debug this software.

In one of your very first posts, two years ago, you wrote that is is very important to listen to software end-users.
Well, make a list of the top 10 Mamba users here on this forum and you have your beta testers. :)

Miss A.

Hi,

I alway send my bugreports and description of bugs to MediaLas over email, when I find one.

My bug list send to mail medialas:)
(1:editor exception occured, 2:the scenes can overlap them, 3:Append show problem)

Mamba works more accurately . I can use it better.:)

I wait for patch or update.

Gabor

Okay them!
You can avoid scene overlap by checking the box No Scene Overlap in the Settings menu. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MambaFreak

Okay them!
You can avoid scene overlap by checking the box No Scene Overlap in the Settings menu. ;)

---

Audrey,
If I use mouse, the scenes won't overlap each other. But if I write
the position into the setting, I'll can overlap them.

where are the others:rolleyes: We all user MB?

Gabor

The no scene overlap check has been removed as there was no need for it. There is no sense in overlapping scenes on the same track so the software now should prevent this from occuring - hence no need for a checkbox

Rob

Gabor is right. You can overlap scenes by changing the start and endtime of a scene.
Example:
Scene 1: Start 0:00, End 10:00
Scene 2: Start 5:00, End 15:00

Hi,

This function works wrong:create releaseable. :(
I send it on a Monday the releaseable bug list and video.

Gabor

Overlapping scenes by editing the start/end/length values manually is my fault, yes. All the checks for overlapping were (and are) part of the drag/drop code, Mamba never checked for overlapping when adjusting those values with the controls on the lower left of the main window. Will be fixed shortly.

And now I'm waiting for monday, I'm curious about what bug there might be in the "Create releaseable show" stuff. Possibly already fixed :)

Hi OG,

Can you please tell us why it is not possible to download the latest build of Mamba? :confused:
I mean, now we have to wait untill the next release, were you have fixed 100 bugs. :rolleyes:
I think it will decrease bug reports if we can use the latest build. :)
The last post of Whiteg is a good example for that. :cool:

Microsoft Update is a good example for that: we all receive Hotfixes almost every week for Windows. :)


Greetings,
The Beta Build Users :D

.

Here here Audrey - It's such a rigmarol having to fill out the darn form every time.
It would be so much easier if they where sent automatically as my program I have say's they will.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smogthemog

Here here Audrey - It's such a rigmarol having to fill out the darn form every time.
It would be so much easier if they where sent automatically as my program I have say's they will.

---

Not to mention that Medialas isn't very responsive to the form:(

Currently have ver.3915 and filled in form about a month ago to get update and haven't had a response yet

I presumed with the update form going missing from the software download page that it must have meant version 2 was almost out

Troy

It is not necessary to fill out the form every time again. It is just a matter of priorities that causes the undesireable delays when rolling out a new version. I am totally consumed by working on Mamba Black, more than I planned to. As soon as I can find some time I'll work on the update mechanism again. The plan is that properly authenticated users would get their downloads with a similar mechnanism as the already mentioned Windows Update or e.g. Mozilla Thunderbird. But there are requirements to meet for this and that takes time which I don't have at the moment. I can't do more than working my a** off, sorry.


//Edit: As mentioned numerous times before, if you feel that you requested an update but didn't get anything, feel free to PM me with your dongle number and email and I'll check. If you don't know your dongle number (AKA serial number), have a look at the bottom of the "About" dialog. :)

//Edit 2: Needless to say that we receive lots of submits where people are incapable of entering their details correctly or even completely. If your dongle number is "0000" or "-1" or "1.80.838"... *sigh*. I'm thinking of adding the request form to Mamba Black itself so that I can at least fill in SOME details automatically (for the mentally challenged). </rant>