Stereo Tool

Update to version
2.2BS

Update to version
2.3.16K

Aha !

So, what do you do except loading the presets ?

You have to compensate the (extreme) loudness difference !
If you don't compensate it, it is more or less a waste of time, because you compare apples and oranges.
Ok, you say that my IO preset hurts your ears (2.8K and 1.4K bands).
Of course if you calibrate the output volume for your Supersonic preset (and I know that you prefer to use headphones) it is not a surprise that the simple loading of my IO preset is hurting your ears (this would hurt my ears too).

For me (using loudness compensation) it is more that your SSm4 preset and its overemphasized 5.5K, 8K and 11K energy hurts my ears.
And this frequency range from 4K to 11.5K is known as the most problematic (excess sibiliant sounds, hihats, cymbals, etc.). for mastering.

Different people have different needs (and different ears).
So, everyone has the freedom to create or adjust presets for individual taste.

I still do not like the way yours process (emphasize) especially hihats and snares (this hurts my ears).
I use to compare presets by adjusting (lowering) post amp settings to match the original unprocessed loudness.
And doing this I have the (subjective) impression, that your preset creates overall a more artificial spectral signature than my preset (relative to modern mastered CDs).
And that is the most important difference between your preset and most other user presets on the one side and Bojcha's Addiction v11 on the other side.

Addiction v11 keeps the resulting spectral output balance very close to the original structure.
It is very good for most modern type of music.
The only disadvantage it has (for me !), that its processing is too neutral for old music.
Maybe, I am trying the impossible with my preset.
But I like it - ok.
You (and others) don't like it - ok !
Whatever - if you don't like my IO preset than stop to waste your time and ignore it.

But for your own preset development it would also help to use an exact (as possible) Post Amp loudness compensation (reduce Post Amp and save this to a new preset) to compare your preset with the unprocessed spectral signature (it might be necessary to adjust it a little bit from one track to another).
No.
Can't you hear the noise ?

Load my IO 2.3.16K preset and turn the Noise Gate off (or use your settings) !

Noise Gate is very important (and of course the AGC -12 dB RMS target output).

I'm too tired right now to go into all the rest of this, but I have been significantly redesigning. Let's just say there was too much low energy being pumped in through eq and not enough clipping of the bass that caused me to push the highs to compensate, and what got lost was SOME of the mids. It's not ANYWHERE near as bad as you make it out to be, as I've been using Addiction and B-Town as references the entire time ***AND*** my goal was slightly deeper bass and better percussion.

There are advantages and drawbacks to everything. Audio is subjective, because everyone's hearing is different. It's my opinion you're saying "too much highs" because you've really got too much mids, thus the mids mask the highs. In one breath, you are saying Bojcha's is closer for a spectral balance than mine, but mine is FAR, FAR, FAR closer of a match to the originals than yours in numerous instances particularly with things from the mid-80s and forward, ***AND*** it is very close to Bojcha's as well, so I'm extremely confused here.

At any rate, the tracks you seem to mainly listen to have a high noise floor due to the recording technologies of the time, which was onto magnetic tape with Dolby A and / or Dolby SR... You don't have that now due to the move to digital recording. The total "noise" is significantly less in most mid-80s and forward recordings due to moving away from magnetic media, so since I don't listen to a lot of 60s and 70s stuff, it's not as important to me.

So, yes, I do hear the "hiss", but others have said that the Noise Gate is not acting as much like a compander or expander and is doing more just tone / frequency removal, and like I just said, your primary music selection is going to have a higher noise floor than what my primary selection has, so that's a bigger deal to you, which is fine. Like I said, things are subjective...

I'm no an audiophile, but damn this sounds good.

_________________
I just use ST Winamp to listen to music.

Thank you.
But I think Brian is right that it is good for old music, but not so good for modern music with strong bass.
I already have changed some settings, but it is not finished yet.

This version 2.3.16K puts out approx. - 4 dB RMS.
So my new preset will be released instead as a whole family of presets with the approx. RMS output for every different preset as part of the name.
This will cover a range from -2 dB RMS (ultra loudness) up to -9 dB RMS.
So you will get 8 presets:
xyz RMS -2 dB.sts
xyz RMS -3 dB.sts
........................
........................
xyz RMS -9 dB.sts

Maybe it would be a good idea that everyone that release a preset should give information about the approx. loudness level measured in RMS.
So that everybody knows what loudness will come out of the speakers or headphones (to minimize the danger of severe ear damages).

Mids are tricky things. They can fool your ears into thinking that it sounds real good at first, but they cause fatigue over a longer period of time, particularly around 1-3K, which is where this preset is too rich.
What are you using to measure this?

I'm still trying to get accustomed to Breakaway RTA. I haven't looked for a forum explainer of it though...

The free TT DR Meter VST plugin.
http://www.pleasurizemusic.com/es/es/download
I use a free wrapper to use it post Stereo Tool DSP inside Breakaway Live 0.90.96b (bypassed trial).
http://www.savioursofsoul.de/Christian/programs/winamp/
I recommend to use version 1.0, because this is the only version that remembers it status (visible or not) after reload (-> higher versions must be configured everytime you load to be visible) !

viewtopic.php?p=6814#p6814

Too much hassle for me...at least at this point in time...

I have a version 4.4, and I only hear minimal differences in total volume between it and your -6. I think 4.3 is also in that same general area. Do you mind confirming?

Edit: Based on RTA, it looks like it is between -5 and -6...

I do confirm (comparing the loudness with my BASE RMS-6 preset - special hint for others).
Brian, please upload your version 4.4 (Supersonic) !

I have just found a free DSP stacker with the option to set dry/wet degree of processing.

This could be very interesting, because this way we can combine multiple instances of Stereo Tool (e.g. using 40 % IO 2.3.16K preset and 60 % SS 4.3, etc.).
The only disadvantage: this DSP stacker is not compatible with BA Live (as DSP host).
It (until now) only works inside Winamp 5.
http://mlplugin.try.hu/