Stereo Tool

Windows 32 bit:
Windows stand alone: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 52-014.exe
Winamp DSP: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 2-014A.exe
VST: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 2-014A.dll

CHANGES:
- Check pilot generation code (57 kHz harmonic) -> Pilot is ok (generated output does NOT contain this tone), this is only a GUI (frequency analysis for displaying) issue. Ignore.
- GUI: Weird jumps at 100 ms buffer size reported by DJ_DOGGY -> Must have occurred at both 100 and 200 ms. Should be fixed now, there were 2 different values used to switch between quick updates with fading and scrolling without fading. Now both use the same value.
- Hide panels in password protected mode or something Temporarily done, now waiting for feedback. *
- Voice vibrations: Choose one of 3 methods (010, 011, 011A). Added Method slider. See viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5734&start=47 Waiting for feedback to finish this. **

* I got a complaint from someone who wants to resell Stereo Tool, but is afraid that customers will touch the settings and then keep coming back to him. His request was to only give them access to the AGC, Multiband and some FM settings. To do this, I have added a PASSWORD protection mode (only configurable in Extreme Tweaker mode right now, it's in the Configuration panel). You can set a password there and enable it. Once that's done, almost all the settings are hidden, until someone enters the password and presses the 'Log in' button.

This solution doesn't completely make sense yet though, because it's currently still possible for people to load and save presets etc. I don't know if I should disable that (saving presets seems quite useful, even if you only have access to MB and AGC). Also, I think people should have access to at least some sound card settings (if they want to connect it to a new transmitter for example), although I could imagine that you want to have an expert present at that moment.

Also, I wonder if it would be useful to have 2 modes: One with AGC and MB and some more things, and one where you cannot do anything at all until you've logged in.

Note: Password protection is VERY dumb, you can easily turn it off in the .ini file or even look up the password in it. The goal is to keep 'idiots' out of the system, not to keep everyone out.

Let me know what you think...


** When testing this, please be aware that the Method slider also affects the behavior of the slider left of it (Smoothe mid frequencies). It causes it to act less strong further from the center frequency, which means that you might need to set it to a higher value to get the same effect for higher Method values.


TODO:
- Fix GUI crash at certain display sizes
- Test Declipper after PNR
- Test voice vibration methods 0/1/2 - I don't hear it, waiting for feedback... --> Just go for "0".
- Clear log in box when logged in.
- Clip highs stricter when highs cause volume drops.
- Made CPU affinity more user friendly (pulldown and masks as backup)
- Check if CPU load didn't increase for 3 Highs Gap Protection steps in FM HQ mode instead of 2. Both for with and without composite clipper. About 1% increase, including voice vibration protection. That's ok. But in Composite mode the difference is much bigger! Check; if needed go back to 2 steps. Or, if I'm using vibration protection in all steps, turn it off in the 1st 3 steps. --> Went back to 2.3 steps (last step is done 1/3rd), CPU load is now roughly the same as before. Highs gap protection seems to be nearly unaffected.
- Improve password protection. Prepare to later also support password protected presets (not now). Mail Henk M.
- Check Multiband settings Bojcha in Skype - ok, seen it, but what should I do with it?
- Check Band Coupling in MB compressor. --> REMOVE and replace by what Wes Keene said.
- Re-record 'This sound is processed by' thingy. It sounds annoying and I hear it on too many stations now... (even big ones with millions of listeners lol... they should really get a license!)
- Add interface for media group I talked to at IBC for 50 FM and 50 web stations.

PREVIOUS:
- ABDP: Mid tone intermodulation distortion: Make new filter at start of ABDP to control mids clipping level. Clip lows and mids separately, then together, measure volume loss for each and then use that as new clipping levels. Only in case where there are loud tones present (voices) with loud bass. Bojcha: Phase Tornado fixes it. Problem seems te be caused by combination of: 1. Loud bass below 100 Hz (maybe even lower); 2. Loud mids consisting of a constant tone with no or very little other sounds. But apparently only if this constant tone has a lot of harmonics - a sine wave comes out nearly ok. Ok. Fix almost there now. Todo: Improve detection (bigger frequency range? Add highs!!!). Todo: Measure at 75% clipping as well. TODO: Harmonics turnoff should not affect bass!
- Sloppy causes crackling sound in piano's. Should probably be switched off is there are very little highs.
- Highs Gap Protection: Turn 3rd step off for non-FM mode.
- Highs Gap Protection: Forgot to make changes in Composite Clipper mode.
- Fix declipper + PNR. Does it cause problems if it's used as intended? MUST BE TESTED TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T DAMAGE THE SOUND
- Fix crash when clicking on volume bars.
- Highs Gap Protection: 2nd step does almost nothing - why? - Correct, but seems ok this way...
- Highs Gap Protection: power_X must not be used (sounds better without), but it must be used for something else because if power_X is 0, the current filter is insufficient. --> Now not using power_X anymore, but 3 steps instead of 2 in HQ gap mode. This seems to be very close to the optimal result. Need feedback on this.... it appears to be ok but I'm not 100% sure that the problem is completely gone. And I still need to test if it doesn't increase highs intermodulation distortion (probably not though).
- Don't use Sloppy value when ABDP is disabled.
- Highs Gap Protection caused a jump in the spectrum between 3.5-3.8 kHz for loud highs. This is now smoothed over a bigger area (2400-4800 Hz).
- Bad gap in ABDP - causes highs to sound less full. Fix ASAP! Only in Composite mode! Was introduced in one of the previous beta's
- Make Configuration, Repair and Processing settings saveable separately.
- Split filters in Restoration / Processing.
- At Band Coupling '0' the values in the GUI weren't recalculated properly.
- Default value for Sloppy was 0% (-99 dB), should be 100%.
- ABDP: Added new "Sloppy" slider. Effect: Slightly louder, 0.5 dB more highs! And probably less pumping due to highs. (*)
- Band coupling settings don't work if Band Coupling slider in main Multiband window is set to 0%.
- Declipper result is very bad if PNR is used before it. NOT SURE YET IF IT'S REALLY FIXED.
- PNR can also be done AFTER declipping.
- Display FM lowpass frequency at bottom when FM output is used.
- Show warning when PNR is disabled due to changed settings.
- Added Multiband compressor Band Coupling matrix. You can use this to overrule the standard band coupling settings. Only available in Extreme Tweaker mode, awaiting responses to see how useful it it (if it is useful I'll move it to Expert mode).
- Advanced Clipper: Advanced Bass Distortion Protection (ABDP): Drop in output when strongly clipping around 2600-4000 Hz is reduced.
- Advanced Clipper: ABDP: "Smooth Slide" slider added to make transition between deep bass (clipped) and less deep bass smoother. There used to be a drop upto the 2nd configured bass frequency, with this switch enabled the drop is smoothed (maximum at 1st configured bass freq, gone at 2nd). Result: Warmer, more open, less 'restrained' sound. But probably also a bit more intermodulation distortion. (which might be fixable by changing the frequencies a bit). (*)
- Added PNR Noise & Hum
- PNR analysis data is saved now
- ABDP: Calvin Harris ft. John Newman - Blame has distortion in lower highs; Highs distortion protection doesn't seem to handle it properly. Except for that I'm now getting a good sound for almost all tracks with bass clipping set to 100% (!) and Highs Priority to 20%, Sloppy at maximum. Cause: Highs in this track are at around 4 kHz and I'm not filtering highs for harmonics there. Very unusual track, ignore for now.

Hm... After set password and logged in on the logout the password is still there for login again.. i think its better to clear input box on logout

Yes I guess I should do that... Maybe also hide it (show * only).

I would rather want password for presets.

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control point
control point2

And Bypass maybe?!

I normal stereo mode with advanced clipper also occurs.

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Urban Junglist

Do you really mean password protection (so someone with the password could view all the settings) or do you mean that you want to be able to give someone a preset without letting them see or change the settings? (load an encoded preset and while it's loaded block saving or viewing/changing settings)? Or do you mean that you want to stop people from changing settings but not from viewing them?

Hm.... if you set all to 100% all the meters do the same and that seems to be correct. If I couple band 1+2 by setting the same settings for both they also do exactly the same thing. So they do appear to show the actual behavior for each band.

It does behave incorrectly when using limiting though: Limiting is shown in the band which causes limiting to occur, but it affects all bands via this coupling and also the shown levels for all bands (so the colored bars go down more when limiting occurs, the white dotted bar that comes down is only shown in the band which causes it).

Anyway, what about the sound?

If it's password protected, then not be able to change or view settings. However some settings should be possible to change, like Advanced clipper, MB range, EQ...

Coupling.. Yes i noticed that compressors reacts whenever limiter(s) kick in. I still think that's wrong. At some point i can see B1 compressor kick fast and back for 6dB wich is ofcourse not true.
Tried it to use to "calm" some bands when big range occures, seems it helps.

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control point
control point2

There was something wrong with the 752-014 DSP and VST versions; if you have problems please re-download them (links are updated and now point to 752-014A)