Stereo Tool

Hello Everyone

I have been using Stereo Tool for my stream for a while now, but I noticed something unpleasant.

I am still using Bojcha's Unveil preset, but this time with Natural Dynamics on, True Bass is still on. The sound is great and I absolutely love the bass! Great for the songs I play! But, I noticed that songs that have a fade out at the end or a quiet portion at the beginning get all squashed to the same level. For example, as the song fades out, Stereo Tool keeps increasing the audio in response to that and when my playout program cues the next song, there is an abrupt transition, almost like there was no fade at all in the original song. A similar problem occurs in songs with a quiet start. Everything gets increased to the same level no matter how quiet it is. What should I do to remedy this problem? Thanks!

Classsic AGC problems. Need protection after AGC, in later preset i started to look more into that. Try "Average Joe" in latest beta, and if it's ok with you i can send you latest version.

Hello and thank you for responding!

I unfortunately can't download the newest Stereo Tool release right now, but you can send me the latest version of the preset and I will try it out.

69207- I have not heard the preset, but generally speaking the effect you hear is normal when large amounts of gain reduction are used, see # 3 below.

Thoughts-

1. Is your source material processed or leveled, prior to Stereo Tool? This could be the source files you obtained of your music content. I am not talking about the production of the songs themselves by the artist or producer, I mean what might have happened along the way to you.

2. Specifically, does your automation playout software, sound card or media player have a built-in compressor, limiter, or leveler that should be turned off?
Did someone give you the sound files, and they may have applied audio processing to them?

3. If the Stereo Tool preset uses the AGC, what is the average/median amount of gain reduction (aka dB compression)?
Some users may choose minimum amount of AGC gain reduction needed to level out incoming content prior to multiband processing and whatever comes next. This could be 10 dB average gain reduction.

4. Try using a lower compression ratio on the AGC such as 4 to 1 or even 2 to 1

5. You mention natural dynamics module. Is it possible it has been adjusted to act as an expander over a large scale? Some users may adjust this module to be subtle.

6. Is it possible a noise reduction or low-level boost module has been inadvertently turned on?
Although you should not be using low-level boost (based on what you said), my view is low-level boost is useful and should NOT be removed from the Stereo Tool product.

7. Let's say you are doing about 15 dB of gain reduction in the AGC, 15 dB in multiband one, 10 dB in multiband two and 8 dB in the broadband limiter.
You bet you will have "suck up" and music will not fade out (unless this has been mitigated by gating).

Go easy on the gain reduction...