Stereo Tool

Hi, i've been using the free version of perfect declipper for a while now, and have been enjoying it so much that i've spliced out the beeps with the original audio file (which is annoying), so was possibly thinking of buying this program in the future, but I don't trust the website as my browser recognises it as not secure and on others it blocks the website outright. This makes me uncomfortable if I were to pay for a license if it is not secure? (The website is a http address, and not a https which is more secure).

I would also like some clarification on what license to use? I currently use the program as a plug-in to use in the Mixcraft 10 Recording Studio DAW? So, would only the full license work for this? (I don't want to use Stereo Tool as well, just the declipper program.

Thank you,
Finn

Hi.
I don't even know if they sell the declipper standalone anymore tbh. They're certainly not prioritizing the Perfect Declipper plugin in the beta updates with the new GUI, nor updating the Perfect Declipper website since something like 2017. The devs are currently at a trade show so they likely won't be able to respond to this directly for a week or so, however.

Is there a specific reason you prefer not to have the rest of Stereo Tool? I also came from the declipper shareware and I honestly can't recommend Stereo Tool enough. It's become my favorite software thanks to the Declipper, True Bass subharmonics, and the Adaptive compressor mode. Ridiculous value.

ST Basic+Declipper is the license you would need if you want to use it in a DAW since Basic is required for the ST plugins to function. Also, I heard the price will soon increase by approx 20% for the first time since 2016 due to world inflation after the show. So it may be beneficial to get both before the Declipper alone costs almost as much as the Basic+Declipper as of this writing.

That's the thing. It's more how much more will it cost - considering I'm in the UK?

I don't know if anything's official yet, so I can't say for sure. As of this writing, it's 115 euro for ST Basic+Declipper. I would have to assume it would go up to approx 138 euro if they raise the prices by 20%. That's a 23 euro difference, which is indeed less than the price of ST Basic alone. Unless your country adds wild tariffs to international software, I can't imagine it would be any more expensive than the display price converted to your currency.

I too am very cost-conscious (read: broke) and I have to say the cost of ST is so much less than its value to my sanity. I need the declipper and loudness management at all times when listening to music or I start feeling additional fatigue/stress.

I might consider it. Can I use stereo tool then or the declipper as a plug-in into my Mixcraft DAW, or is it propriatry software? Also, one final note, what does the "natural dynamics" option do in the program, as using the declipper button without it raises the dynamic range already?

Stereo Tool is shareware at its core. It all works fully in trial mode with interruptions. Registering removes the interruptions for various modules, such as the beep for the declipper and the reminder for the plugins. It is proprietary, but that doesn't stop it from working in DAWs.

To clarify the license requirement: the VST plugins, which work in DAWs, require at least the Basic license to remove the interruptions since they can be used for production. The Standalone application however can be used without interruptions, depending on which modules and settings you enable.

Natural Dynamics is a transient enhancer, similar to the one found in Leif Claesson's Undo (which also uses the Thimeo Declipper). It enhances the 'punch' of tracks, leading to a more aggressive sound in some genres, or more 'pop' in others. I read there are plans to improve the dynamics detection to make it apply at more appropriate times, but there's no ETA for that.

edit: The current release version of Stereo Tool 10.40 has a visual bug in some plugin hosts making it hard to tell what's enabled, however it's fixed in the latest beta found here https://forums.stereotool.com/viewtopic ... 130#p77058

Right. So I guess I would get the basic license + the declipper and then use it in my DAW to improve DR - I usually leave natural dynamics on 1x, the declipper option on, the clip output option on and change the slider between -2dB to -4dB as I like to keep the changes light and not massive.

Actually, the old Declipper plugin's clipper is not great. The one that comes with ST Basic (the Advanced Clipper) sounds so much better and is used in many broadcast processing appliances from Telos Alliance. It's the less spoken-of feature of Basic that is indispensable for how transparent it is.

My preference for very light restoration is to use the Declipper module (addon), True Bass module (at default settings, free part of ST), and the Advanced Clipper module (part of Basic) and adjust its Drive slider to manage loudness. You can also adjust the amount of True Bass with the Deep Bass Synthesis slider on the main page of the plugin/app to reduce it if it's too obvious sounding.

May I ask if this is for production or personal enjoyment? If the latter, it would probably be easier to use the standalone app instead of the plugin so you can listen to any source in real-time with light restoration processing. But that's your call, once you get more familiar with the software.

edit: feel free to download and try it in your DAW before purchasing. It looks significantly different but works similarly.

This is for playing with professional songs, creating private CD mixtapes so not commercial. Although, I'm not sure why to use true bass and more stuff, as I'm not wanting to change the sound of the already-mastered songs much, just improve the DR.

True Bass generates new fundamentals below existing fundamental tones but only if it exists in a harmonic. This exists because much of the time the bottom end will be filtered out to make it "fit" on an overly loud CD. It's very transparent, but completely optional.

The Advanced Clipper, on the other hand, is fundamental to keeping the clarity added from the declipper from being harshly clipped out of the signal again.