Stereo Tool

I'm really hoping someone can help me here - I've tried everything I can find already on these forums.

I use Stereo Tool 6.00 (full version, registered) as a plug-in DSP with Sam Broadcaster & the sound is continually skipping / cutting, tiny momentary 'blips' in the sound.

I am using Windows XP with the following info:

C Drive = 86% FREE (Sam Broadcaster installed on this drive)
D Drive = 97% FREE
Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3GHZ / 2.50 GHZ RAM

Music comes from an external HDD via USB (used way before I purchased ST, never any problems at all)

I have tried pushing the 'Buffer settings' sliders in the 'AIR OUT' section of Sam4 upto the MAX as suggested in the Help pages on this site. I have also dropped the latency to 512 in ST Config...which DOES take away the worst of the stuttering / blipping... however when I first installed ST 6.00 I had the latency up at 4096 and it was OK but then would go nuts skipping every hour or so.
I have 'Screen updates' as slow and the 'Waveform display' off altogether... I really do not know what else to do!

I'm feeding the SAM with uncompressed WAV files from the external HDD and ALL of SAM4's sound processing is OFF / Bypassed

Can anyone suggest anything I can try???????


Many Thanks in Advance,


PaulB

Just to add some further info - my PC CPU via Task Manager is running at a fairly steady 40% with Sam4 & ST running - as for the ST I am trying to use any of the FM Euro presets such as 'FM Transmitter (Europe, Stereo)' or 'Hot' or 'Extreme'... it doesn't make any difference which one's I use...

Just to make sure:
- No 'direct sound card access' used?

Wgat happens if you turn some filters off? That should reduce the cpu load further...

Hi hvz - thanks for your reply.

Are you referring to the 'FM Transmitter Configuration' window?

In there I see "DIRECT SOUNDCARD ACCESS" 'Enable Direct Soundcard Access (bypasses Winamp limitations)' is Unchecked / unticked

I have Teamviewer set up if you wanted to come in & take a look? ... I totally understand if you do not want to though!! - No harm in my asking though I guess!!

Also re CPU load - with SAM4 running now with ST enabled too - CPU load is steady at 40% - This is OK isn't it???

Hi hvz - maybe I find something!!!

I try to insert here but I can't - screen-shot

In "Configure audio and display" - "Clear buffer if no data arrives for" - I have set at "0.050 sec" - I think as I increase this value sound is not stuttering as much??

Please can you advise???

Thanks!

Ah! That makes sense! This setting is there to make sure that - in Winamp - if one tracks end and the next starts, the buffers are cleared - otherwise you would hear a bit of the previous track at the start of the new track (and Winamp inserts a pause in between). 0.050 s is extremely short though - 1.5 seconds is the default value if I remember correctly.

So, with this setting - is the stuttering gone completely, or is there still something there?

Hi hvz!

I have increase setting to "5.000 sec" and all stuttering has completely gone!!

I have even been able to set latency back to '4096' is OK

What latency should I have set? - I am streaming at 256k using SAM4 & ST - the output is then picked-up remotely & sent to FM TX.

Also re Winamp, I am not using Winamp at all - I just use Sam4 & ST

Many Thanks,


Paul

Hi Paul,

Higher latency = better quality, so 4096 is fine.

I'm a bit surprised about Sam though - by default, this setting should only be enabled in winamp. Or did you load it in winamp before?

Hi hvz,

You mean the "Configure audio and display" - "Clear buffer if no data arrives for" setting?

I don't even have Winamp on my pc - I don't use it... It could be though that I somehow ticked the setting whilst messing about with it!! - So it may have been my fault all along!!!!

Do you know how to enable ST to work with Patchmix DSP & Airomate? - I only want to use Airomate for RDS coding, and ST for all the audio side, at present we have some set up via this 'Patchmix' thing that involves a 'virtual cable' in the Airomate - I'm very confused!! - I would just like to use ST for all audio & pass thru Airomate for RDS... OR.... use ST for the whole lot! - you have RDS on ST 6.00 don't you?

Many Thanks in Advance,


Paul