Installation

Rapid Evolution has been tested on Windows (XP, Vista, 7), Mac OSX and Linux. It should run on any operating system which supports Java. It is freely available at Mixshare.com.

You must have Java 1.5 or later installed on your system. If you do not have it, you can download it from Sun. You will want to download the “Java Runtime Environment” (JRE). Note: If you are using Windows, you can use the “re2launcher” install method below without having Java installed first.

Though not needed to run Rapid Evolution, you may also wish to install Quicktime as RE2 can utilize its codecs to analyze and play songs. Quicktime enhances RE2's capability to process a wide range of audio files.

The most recent version of Rapid Evolution is v2.13.13. There are several ways to download it:

1. re2_install.jar
   This is the default executable for the installer, which requires Java to be installed already.
2. re.zip
   This is a zip file that contains the executable for the installer, which is useful if your browser attempts to extract the contents of the above link. This zip file also contains a pre-installed Rapid Evolution directory for Windows, which is useful if the other install methods fail.
3. re2launcher.zip
   This installation package does not require Java, as it will install it automatically if necessary. This method currently requires Windows.

If you have any problems with the latest release, older releases are available here: v2.12.9, v2.10.25, v2.9.28, v2.8.33

The way you will start the installer depends on which link you used to download Rapid Evolution:

1. If you downloaded re2_install.jar, then you should be able to simply double click this file to start the installation. The command line equivalent would be “java -jar re2_install.jar”. If double clicking this file does not start the installation, then most likely Java is not installed or setup properly on your system. One common problem is some browsers attempt to extract the contents of this JAR file rather than save it as is. If you notice your computer does this, then you'll want to prevent this or download one of the other links.
2. If you downloaded re2.zip, then simply extract it and you will have the re2_install.jar. Then follow the steps above.
3. If you downloaded re2launcher.zip, then extract the contents of this file using a program such as WinZip or 7-Zip to a temporary directory and run “setup.exe”. Note: in more recent operating systems, the ZIP file will be treated as a folder, in which case you can simply open it or right-click and choose to extract the contents. This will only run on Windows machines, however, the advantage of this install is that it does not require Java, or rather, it will automatically install it for you if it does not exist. This method is useful if you have any problems with the other install methods.

• Sometimes other applications besides Java can be associated with the .JAR extension (like WinRAR), which will prevent double clicking “re2_install.jar” from starting the Installer. In these cases, you can try right clicking and selecting Open with… and choosing Java. If that doesn't help, then reinstalling Java can reassociate the extension properly.
• If the location you installed Rapid Evolution contains unsupported characters such as exclamation marks (i.e. “C:\Program Files\!DJ\RE2”), it can cause strange behavior.

One of the questions you are asked is how much RAM (memory) Rapid Evolution should use. Please note that this represents the maximum amount of memory Rapid Evolution will use. This is used as a safeguard to prevent RE2 from using too much memory and possibly interfering with live mixing applications. The default maximum is 400mb. The larger the music collection you have, the more RAM Rapid Evolution needs. For example, if you have around 20k songs you will need to set the RAM somewhere between 800 - 1000MB. If you find a need to change this value, you should re-run the installer and select a new value. Increasing the amount of memory generally improves performance, so if you experience any slowness in RE2 try raising this value.

Remember that you should not set this value to more than the actual amount of available RAM your system has. You will need take into account the amount of memory your OS uses and any memory needed by any other software you use, e.g. Serato and Traktor. To check how much memory is used / available, use one of the following methods:

• Windows
  • Check physical memory installed
    Click Start, then Control Panel → System (you may have to go into System and Maintenance before you can see the System option). Your total physical RAM can be seen under the General tab.
  • Check memory used By OS and programs
    First you should open any programs that you want to use, e.g. Serato and Traktor. Then hit Ctrl + Alt + Del (XP) or Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Vista) to call up the Task Manager. Under the Performance tab there will be amounts for the Total and Available RAM you have. Available is the one your interesed in.
• Mac OS X
  • Check physical memory installed
    To see how much RAM is installed, choose About This Mac from the Apple Menu.
  • Check memory used By OS and programs
    For Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4 or later, open Activity Monitor (/Applications/Utilities/). For Mac OS X 10.2.8 or earlier, open ProcessViewer (/Applications/Utilities/). Remember to open any programs, other than Rapid Evolution, that you want to use.
• Linux
  By using the command 'free' or 'free -m' you will be able to check you total installed RAM and memory usage. The '-m' will display the results in MB.

If you do have a large song collection, you may need to buy additional RAM or upgrade your existing RAM. Please check on the forum to make sure this is the case before you spend your music tokens.

Assuming the installer succeeds, then you are now ready to fire up Rapid Evolution! The installer should have given you the option of either creating a shortcut on the desktop or in the applications/start menu (by default, under Mixshare→Rapid Evolution). Using either of these shortcuts should start Rapid Evolution. However, if it does not start then you can try the following:

• Windows
  The problem is most often in the Java installation or configuration. Make sure you have Java 5.x or higher installed, as using previous versions such as 1.4.x will fail on the most recent version of Rapid Evolution. To rule out problems with the shortcut, you can open up the program directory (via My Computer or the Explorer), and try running “re2.bat” directly. If that works then the shortcut needs to be fixed, however if not, then you should look for any error messages that appear when running this batch file.
• Mac OS X
  In addition to using the link from the explorer, you can run Rapid Evolution from the terminal using the shell script “re2.sh”. The syntax would be “sh re2.sh” if you're in the program directory. Look for any error messages that might reveal a problem with the Java configuration or classpath.

In some cases Java is properly launching Rapid Evolution, but the application fails for other reasons. In these cases, the cause can be found in the log file “re2.log” which will be in the program directory. You can increase the logging level by modifying the “log4j.properties” file and replacing “INFO” with “DEBUG” in the first line. If you still do not see anything written to the log file when you attempt run run rapid evolution, then the problem is most likely with the Java configuration or perhaps the classpath.

Here is a list of common problems and their solutions:

• Out of Memory: If you specify too little RAM, it is possible that Rapid Evolution will not load. If so, you will see a java.lang.OutOfMemory exception in the console or log file. Simply reinstall and specify a larger value for the amount of RAM to use when prompted. Note: the amount of memory needed by Rapid Evolution is proportional to the number of songs added. For new installations you shouldn't run into this problem.
• Too Much Memory Specified: If you specify too much memory when installing Rapid Evolution, then it's possible that Java will throw an error and Rapid Evolution will not load. The error can be seen if running “re2.bat” or “re2.sh” from the command line. The actual limit will depend on the system setup, but try reinstalling and specifying a smaller value.

If you have any problems or questions that are not answered here, then please visit the forum for more information.