System Preferences
The system preferences tab provides access to base settings that are global to the program. You must press the 'Reinitialise' button or restart Vermilion after modifying these settings in order for the new settings to take effect.
Startup Plugins: Vermilion is designed to be completely modular. Every system component except audio output and document handling can be replaced. In order to create music with Vermilion you should load all available system plugins at startup. By default this should be done for you. If not, or if you wish to customise the system plugins being used by Vermilion, you may select plugins from either the list of all known available plugins or the list of startup plugins and use the buttons with the big arrows to add or remove plugins.
Audio Configuration: Three drop-down lists are shown on the Preferences tab to allow you to set up your sound output. The boxes allow you to choose the audio device where you would like to direct sound output, the sample rate at which audio data is processed, and the size of the audio buffer used for mixing.
The Sound Device drop-down shows you all sound devices detected on your computer. If sound is not already working in Vermilion, run through the list of devices until you are able to hear sound. There may be quite a few to choose from, but in general it will be obvious which one to choose. Primary Sound Driver is usually correct under Windows, and Java Sound Audio Engine should work as a fallback on all platforms.
The Sample Rate drop-down lists commonly used audio sampling rates. A higher sample rate means better sound quality but also higher demand on the computer. Choosing 44100 will give CD quality audio and should work on most hardware. Choose a lower value if your audio breaks up during playback, or a higher value if you want better quality playback.
The Buffer Size drop-down allows you to choose the size of the buffer used for mixing audio. Using a longer buffer prevents audio dropouts when the computer is busy or mixing is intense. Using a shorter buffer reduces latency, the time between making a change on the screen and the results being heard through the speakers. A value of 4 or 8 is recommended for general operation and is stable up to 96 kHz on most modern computers and platforms.