Stereo Tool

I've observed a couple of requests for a "light" sounding preset. I thought I'd share this one. I'm big on balance, and on having the multiband not speed out of control coloring the audio. As a result, this preset is not the most dense one you'll ever hear. But because it runs at high ratio (and has an excellent crossover), it's extremely consistent sounding, and fairly loud for a streaming preset. If you want to hear the music and almost never hear the processing actually work, this one might be a decent choice for you.

A quick credit, the crossover in this setting is borrowed from Bojcha's 7-band design in Sevdah. The rest is from yours truly.

NOTE: Please adjust the AGC gate level to taste and be sure to adjust the pre-amp so that approximately 13db gain is present on most songs, but never more than 15db. Because the gate is set post pre-amp, this should fix the gate level, as well.

UPDATE: Updated BARELY with a couple minor tweaks to improve consistency and reduce audibility. Again, these tweaks are quite subtle, but I wanted this version out there instead.

UPDATE: Version 3 eliminates the singleband compressor just before the final clipper. Its effect was (by design) extremely subtle and some may not like the slight bit of extra busy-ness that it imparts to the audio texture. The final clipper's output level has been correspondingly adjusted for identical loudness.

UPDATE: Version 4 is probably the latest version of this preset. It includes maybe half a dozen tweaks for consistency after hundreds of hours of listening. Be warned, the tweaks are subtle, and you'll need to play a decent variety of material through both presets to hear any difference. The multiband drive is very slightly increased (about .5 dB) and several multiband limiters had their thresholds tweaked.

I've posted an update, this message is to bump the thread.

Which is the new version? Can you put a version number?

Great point. There's no date for the file upload, is there? For now, it's the one that has been downloaded fewer times. I guess next time, I'll just delete the original and post only the new one.

New version (4) uploaded. Enjoy.

Sorry, but I cant find the new version (4).

Apparently, I missed the limit of 3 files, and thought I had added it. Here you go, and sorry again.

UPDATE: Version 5 has improved AGC timing to sound a little more fluid, and get "stuck" a little less. It's still extremely gentle and imperceptible. Multiband attack times have been completely overhauled, as have the MB limiter thresholds, to match. Overall, it's every bit as consistent, but punchier and (ever so slightly) louder now.

Enjoy.

A different naming convention is now in use since being included in the stock presets, but here's the latest version of this preset. Minor tweaks that affect dynamics, including making the AGC a bit more fluid sounding, and some tweaks to multiband timing. Also, this version should work well out of the box for the Standalone version as well as DSP.

Just checking: The latest is the v6a that you sent me?