Stereo Tool

Just tried this plugin and think it is AMAZING.

Well, to be honest I have not tried much at all - just activated the 'fake stereo' option and instantly got the better seperation I have been wanting for a long time.

There is no reference to the fake stereo option in the hlpe files and although it says the channels are delayed I wondered exactly what this means.

How is this amazing software able to get a better seperation just by delaying the music? I mean, the option is called 'fake stereo' but is it really fake or is the seperation just enhanced?

Would be intersted to hear more about how this option gives a greater stereo effect and if indeed it is fake or just utilises the stereo data already in the recording as describing it as 'fake' may put some people off selecting this option.

Good work and you have my respect for making such a great plugin.

***EDIT***
Ok, sounds a snippet of info to say it is indeed fake stereo and works because 1 channel is delayed a bit, so not really interested in that.
Found an alternative, the Stereo Boost 1990s style. Now I have read up on the Stereo Image/Flat Stereo controls and although they work absolutely great with the width pushed up to 4 I am hesitant to push it up anymore as the dev has advised it may cause artifacts. I think the Stereo Boot 1990s style work the best so far and gives the widest image. I only have it set to a 2.0 boost strength but that alone seems to seperate the channels greatly indeed and gives a much more vibrant sound.

So, 1990s style Stereo Boost seems to be the best for me at the moment although I cant find any info about this setting. I am presuming the 1990s style works in a much better processing way that just delaying the channel as fake stereo does.

Again, great product and would love to read something about the 1990s Stereo Booster.

Cheers.
soundman4

The 1990s Stereo Boost is relatively new (added in version 4.10) and I haven't written a description about it yet.

The documentation is getting out-of-date lately anyway (I've added a lot of new features to the Loudness window that aren't described anywhere but in these forums) - so I think I need to update it soon.

(But writing new filters is much more fun )

Well hvz, you have made me very happy with this plugin - it sounds amazing.
With about 5 hours messing around with settings today - I think the 1990s setting really gives an amazing seperation.
Looking forward to any updates to the manual as although I mess around and change settings, I do not like to keep them without knowing what they do as I fear that I may be introducing artifacts (etc) into the music.
Well done hvz!!!!!

The Stereo Boost (1990s) filter won't introduce artifacts. It only increases the differences that are already present.

If you have low quality MP3's, "what is already present" might contain artifacts, if that's the case those artifacts will be increased also. But if the source audio is good, there won't be any.

Also, reverb sound on voices is often different between the channels, which means that it will get a boost. That may not always sound too good.

Well funny you mention the vocal reverb as I noticed that but didnt want to mention it.
It does sound a bit out of place sometimes as vocals do tend to echo - but for me it is a worthy payoff for getting the improved seperation.

My 2 main high quality speakers are situated on the wall but are fairly far apart. The room they are in is a fairly odd shape and because of the distance apart of the speakers I lose nearly all seperation and my music seems to come from the centre although not Mono.

Dont get me wrong, I have great equiptment, my winamp goes through to a mega powerful Yahama amp that is capable of all the bells and whistles including 7.1, DTS etc etc, so the equipment is fine, just that room and speaker distance nulls any good seperation.
So, I have been searching arounnd for something that will make the stereo seperation more obvious and your amazing software seems to do the trick.

I would be interested to know (from the expert) which method could be classed as the best seperation method or filter for Stereo Tool.

Cheers again.
soundman4
(PS) the room is about 24foot in length and only about 7foot wide so you can imagine the aweful acoustics.

Well, they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Fake Stereo is just that - fake. But if your source is mono and you want to add some stereo effect, it's the only filter in Stereo Tool that does something.

Stereo Boost is the best quality wise - but the stereo sounds (including the reverb) are getting louder than the mono sounds.

Flat Stereo/Stereo Image does NOT alter the volume of the sounds, but only the placement. But it can introduce artifacts.


** BRAIN FLASH ** (hm, is that an existing term?)
While typing this I just got a new idea - I think I can add an extra filter after Stereo Boost that removes sounds that have gotten louder than they were originally... While keeping most of the increased stereo.... It MIGHT introduce artifacts again, but I'm not sure about that, so I can at least give it a try...

It's now on my todo list.

Thanks alot for that!
LOL @ the brain-flash.
I am sticking with the 1990s filter at the moment as that seems the most effective.
The idea to add an extra optional filter to slightly lower the volume of the seperated sounds is a superb idea!
Cheers hvz!

The "brain flash" idea seems to work... I hope to get a test version ready later tonight or tomorrow.

First attempt (not yet fully configurable, and not yet configured correctly to get the best possible sound with the least possible artifacts) should be available in about an hour.

Unfortunately this new filter will increase both the CPU load and the latency quite a lot - I think I might even need to turn it off by default, even though it improves the sound.

Winamp DSP plugin: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... r_BETA.exe
Stand alone version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... r_BETA.exe
Command line: N/A
VST version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... l_BETA.dll

How to use it:
To enable the new filter, enable "Stereo Image processing" and set the Phase slider to 1.01 (instead of 1.00).
(I haven't had time yet to add a new checkbox to enable/disable the new filter, will do that asap)

For now, if you leave Phase on 1.01, you can use the "Stereo Image Processing On" checkbox to enable/disable the new filter.

Note: The new filter does introduce some artifacts. To reduce those, I've currently configured it such that it removes at most 25% of a sound - that should catch most of the increased reverb, while keeping the artifacts at a low level. I'll make this configurable later on.