Stereo Tool

Stereo Tool 10.40 is released!

Here's the change log:

• RDS: Added RDS2 support (for station logo's only, for now).
• Streaming: Added AAC/AAC+ (HE-AAC, HE-AAC2) support using Fraunhofer FDK AAC.
• Streaming: Added streaming support for Linux and macOS versions.
• Streaming: AAC auto-updates license when used (for free), requires an internet connection. Contact us for manual upgrades.
• Updated PortAudio to Jul 22 2024 version which greatly improves Wasapi and KS (no more glitches). 32 bit ARM still uses June 26 2021 version due to issues.
• Updated IceCast (libShout) to latest version (2.4.6).
• Adaptive compressor: Added Gate hold for dynamic gate. Prevents getting stuck after big level drops.
• Adaptive compressor: GUI: Added Intellilimiter display.
• RDS: Added Long PS (LPS) support for RDS, allowing RDS texts up to 32 UTF-8 characters. Works via the GUI, ASCII mode (LPS= or LONGPS=) and UECP.
• Moved BS412 to just before the clipper; no longer affects HD output and works better as well (compatibility mode added for existing presets).
• Changed default preset to Adaptive Bass Monster Dense.
• Adaptive Multiband compressor 1: Mix L+R into L-R is now deprecated, this only made things worse.
• Added valid minimum values for Wasapi/MME/KS etc latency override sliders, based on user feedback.
• Pi 5 support: Added Pi 5 CPU mode under "Limit CPU", CPU usage is about halfway between Pi 4 and Medium.
• I/O: Added support for 1-channel devices.
• I/O: Improved "Stream has stopped" message, added more info about why.
• Linux ST-Enterprise for Intel/AMD now supports Intrasonics watermarking.
• GUI/Web interface: Wave drawing code improved.
• Web interface: Phone (small display) supported properly.
• Web interface: Loading and saving presets now works the same as native, with tree structure to select what to load/save.
• GUI: Complete rewrite and simplification of window sizing behavior.
• GUI: Meter bar height is adjusted if a big popup window is open.
• GUI: Added live meters to multiband and equalizer displays in native GUI.
• GUI: Meters are now skinnable.
• GUI: Click/drag distance check that determines when you hold the mouse button without moving for 0.5 seconds for precise control restored, broken in 10.30.
• GUI: Added tab support to move between widgets.
• GUI: Made (stereo) volume displays in top bar wider so it looks more consistent with the rest of the meters.
• GUI: Added accent color used when FM output L/R demodulated audio is > 0 dB.
• GUI: CPU meter colors don't change the full bar anymore; different sections have different colors now.
• GUI: Narrow mode for the top bar, where it hides any text when the screen becomes too small.
• GUI: Memory and performance optimizations.
• Interface: Hide Immersive Bass if it's disabled (deprecated, use Bass Exciter instead).
• libStereoTool: Added ARM32 Cortex A9 libThimeo non-X11 build.
• libStereoTool: New function added to set overall reading latency. The latency parameter in ReadMonoValue and ReadStereoValue is deprecated.
• STXtreme: Removed several filters that aren't useful in a hardware box (DeReverb, FM hiss removal etc).
• VST on macOS: Lots of improvements.
• VST3 on macOS supported.
• Bug fix: VST: Bug in parameter handling could potentially have caused crashes (none have been reported, unknown since when).
• Bug fix: VST GUI: Default value triangles were sometimes shown even if the default value was active.
• Bug fix: Multi-line translations in .stl files contained enters, which caused those lines to be skipped.
• Bug fix: ARM 32 bit builds showed "0" in the interface for all parameters that contain whole numbers. (This broke several releases ago; issue was display-only).
• Bug fix: Clipper: Data was shared between FM and HD clipping which at the very least caused unnecessary recalculations, and possibly also some audio effects.
• Bug fix: RDS: timing broke when we introduced RDS2 in 10.30, was sped up by a factor 4 (so texts were displayed 1/4th of the time they should be).
• Bug fix: RDS: RT+ didn't work if there was a : inside an RT+ field.
• Bug fix: RDS: ECC displayed value was wrong in some builds.
• Bug fix: Web interface: Fixed possible cause for NAN's in server communication.
• Bug fix: Some built-in voice presets were accidentally also shown under Repair and Broadcasting.
• Bug fix: Interfaces: Fixed AGC 1-band mode bands visible state.
• Bug fix: Interfaces: Speech detection naming issues solved, title said "Natural Dynamics" but that should have been a subtitle.
• Bug fix: Interfaces: Multiband voice link setting was missing since version 10.00.
• Bug fix: License page didn't have an entry for "Advanced Compressor" under Advanced Dynamics.
• Driver bug workaround: KS input sometimes returns an invalid (NAN) value for some sound cards, causing problems. We remove those and show a warning.
• Updated presets.
• MultiVOC: Added Linux 64 bit version.
• MicroMPX: Added RDS2 support. (fully supported in all decoders, but only in the encoder integrated in Stereo Tool for now).
• MicroMPX decoder: Optimized performance (-7%, heaviest thread -20%, on ARM 32 bit).
• MicroMPX encoder: Added SFN mode based on the system clock instead of GPS (enabling accurate NTP adjustments is highly recommended if you use this).
• MicroMPX encoder: JSON "password" protection was missing, added.
• MicroMPX: Web interface: Skinning support added.
• MicroMPX: Added method to hide GPS, demodulated out, account settings (flag files .micrompx.no_gps, .micrompx.no_demodulator, .micrompx.no_login).
• MicroMPX libraries: Added function to get stream statistics.
• Bug fix: MicroMPX decoder library: Intel64 Linux version could play a license sweep on startup even if licensed.
• Bug fix: MicroMPX: SFN lock could be lost for a few seconds at midnight.
• Bug fix: MicroMPX: Web interface: Too many (empty) rows were shown in list of outputs.
• Bug fix: MicroMPX: Web interface: License info was always displayed disabled (grayed out), even with a valid license.

Reported issues:

• License issue in Event licenses for MicroMPX
• License display issue for Adaptive MB1/2 mode Awaiting confirmation
• VST plugin enabled state issues
• Resources-page: "Threads and CPU core selection" is displayed twice.
• Audio I/O -> Synchronize: Some meters are 2x as high as they should be.
• Stored window position can be outside of the screen.

The new visuals in Bands section in MBs are very, very cool!

Just a question, what do the bars on the left stand for? Is it the limiting?


EDIT: Oh yeah it's for limiting, here's how it looks like working:


Looks amazing!

Hi, no, it's input vs output levels. Dark = input.

Makes sense why it reacted to heavy limits then
Very useful addition though! Will possibly help reduce the unnecessary bands in the presets.

Any chance we see streaming support added to the VST -or- to the micro MPX decoder?

Also an idea - you can have lossless option for micro MPX that enables streaming from decoder. This way you can have real dual redundant setup

In plugins, streaming is a lot harder because it can easily interfere with the streaming that's built into host applications (similarly named DLL's etc).

For MicroMPX, you can send multiple MicroMPX streams there which also offer redundancy. Is that what you meant? But why lossless backup? I'm a bit confused...

i have a license error for micrompx

It seems to be caused by your "Event" license. I'm looking into it now.

#metoo

Ok, I made a fix which actually wasn't a fix but broke this... Whoops. Should be ok again in the next beta build.