Stereo Tool

Note: I'm also curious what you hear when you enable the Exciter at a low latency (512 or 1024) on low bitrate MP3 files...

Hello Hans,

I think it's really great that you've added the Exciter. But it would be good if this would work even without TrueBass. (One might, after all, that not only in combination with the bass). Could we maybe do something configurable? It would be good if you could regulate the intensity and also what you filter out. Then you could decide whether you'd like it or not from file to file, too.

Otherwise, great job

Edited:

I've just the exciter on the piece that I sent you applied, but the "left - right". The result is so much better.

It might be good if you give the user the choice of whether he wants to apply all the way to the left / right or mid / side. Then it gives even better results.

You mean L+R and L-R? That doesn't seem to make much sense - i'll try it though. Could it be that the sounds that are mono (main instruments, vocals etc) are less suitable for this?

O, btw - you can enable/disable it regardless of the True Bass settings. I just put it there because I didn't know yet where to put it.

7.85 BETA009

Windows 32 bit:
Windows stand alone: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 85-009.exe
Winamp DSP: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 85-009.exe
Windows VST 32 bit: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 85-009.dll

CHANGED:
- Added some filtering to make sound less 'sandy' (distorted).
- Exciter: Check why it sometimes boosts audio around 10 kHz (?) more than it should (Johnnie Cash) - protection filter appears not to work completely. Compare what happens without protection filter! -> Fixed (more or less)

OLD CHANGES:
- Added a soft of exciter (not an FM exciter but something that generates highs). I've placed it (for now) under True Bass, and it cannot be configured yet. Not really sure what to make of it yet, I think I like it but it does sound a bit "rough" sometimes. Note: It can cause pre- and post ringing at higher latency settings (I will fix that later, first want to get a bit of a feeling for what it does).
- Make scope skinnable
- Bug: i found one malfunction in the BS412 Section: If your switch off the FM Option and leave the BS412 Limiter in On-Position the Advanced Clipper only works in a reduced way: You can´t change the Clipper drive even if you pull the handle. The BS412 Limiter is greyed out instead so maybe someone doesn´t find the failure. If You switch the BS412 to off everything works fine again! Just a small detail, but maybe someone will have problems… -> I think I have fixed it (but there are a lot of different combinations of settings that can impact the result, I hope I haven't missed any). The next version shouldn't have this problem anymore, also, when BS412 is used I have now disabled the Advanced Clipper Drive slider.
I've been busy hiding a lot more deprecated features (if they are set to their default value). This should make the GUI a bit simpler. Stuff that's now hidden (still there and still functional if you really want to use it):
- "Bass AGC (Old)" panel
- "Classic Multiband Compressor" panel
- "Classic Singleband" panel
- "Pre-limiter" panel (in Advanced Clipper)
- "Leif's clipper efficiency modification" checkbox
- "Composite clipping Strictness (CPU)" checkbox
- Phase rotation: ""At start of processing" checkbox
- AGC "Compatibility & behavior" header
- All Singleband and Multiband "Compressor type" (Analog/Digital) pull-downs
- Multiband and Natural Dynamics "Compatibility mode (bad)" for Flat Frequency Response checkbox
- "Bass protection (Deprecated)" header in Advanced Clipper -> Bass
- "Highs gap protection: *" in Advanced Clipper -> Highs
- "Smooth slope" in Advanced Clipper -> Distortion
- "Upsampled highs clipping (useless)" in Advanced Clipper -> Distortion
- Stokkemask: "Force Stokkemask even if not using Composite Clipping (bad for audio)"
- BS412: ""De-basser non-ITU.1770 compatibility mode (bad)"
- Right clicking now restores default again, mid or double right clicking restores last loaded preset (or startup) value.
Bug: If you use FM and Normal output, with separately processed audio for streaming for Normal output, and for FM output enable pre-emphasis but *not* pre-emphasize output, then Normal output is not processed separately!
- What is the pink line in the BS412 display? Maybe remove it. http://i.imgur.com/70mWvqp.png -> Ah no, it's the adjustment of the compressor thresholds. Needs to be added to Help page.
- BS412 has VERY narrow jump on de-basser from 240 to 250 Hz. (Jump of multiple dB's). -> No, brown line jumps but actual output is smooth, so no problem.
- BS412 bass filter doesn't use ITU1770 as it should but some weird other shape that goes up to about 250 Hz.
- Need to support 2 default values and a RESET TO LAST LOADED VALUE reset option.
- Hide not selected deprecated stuff - partially working!
- Move Copyright stuff etc. also to command line version (maybe just copy it?)

TODO:
- Add license check function: extern "C" bool stereoTool_IsLicenseValid(gStereoTool* st_instance);
- Show something in settings that have been changed (for example a dot next to the name of the setting).
- Try "True Bass" for highs -> Probably make a version where different modes (with/without filtering, with better HPF) are tested. Maybe also with multiple bands?? To reduce generated distortion.
- Continue with finding parameters to hide
- Try adding phase delay compensation
- O skin
- Blog post pre-processing
- Blog post MP3 and declipping

Yes that's what I meant! I do not think the Mono instruments for this are less suitable. Why I asked this: If you used the example that I have sent to you first of all with this process, then there is much less distortion in the higher frequencies. Furthermore, I personally find the stereo image will come out slightly better. Probably it is but simply because, as in this piece of music, the drum sounds are purely monotonous.

But it may also be that this is personally like better just for me. Maybe it works not with other pieces. You have to test that.

The requested URL /download/stereo_tool_standalone_installer_BETA785-009.exe was not found on this server.

Hm, somehow they didn't get uploaded - I've just re-ran the script and now it's there.

That's also true for all earlier versions in this thread, what implies that no one ever downloaded them.

Huh. But I did get feedback from people who tested it. Maybe they got removed afterwards. Checking...

Edit: Ah. The ClamAV virus scanner is giving a false positive:
https://www.virustotal.com/nl/file/b826 ... 452989918/

And when it does my provider automatically deletes the file.

So, download it while you can! It will probably disappear at some point again.

Disappeared again

_________________
by GAP
"Less is More" (Bob Katz)