Stereo Tool

Actually the highs are higher (I've measured it). In the next version the bass and mids will lget a bit louder again (and highs very very slightly softer).

Changes in this version:
- Found and fixed several bugs in the clipper (hole punching by loud highs should be reduced).
- Allowing some extra very brief distortion to reduce hole punching by loud highs.

CPU load is still increased!

Stand alone: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 32-010.exe
DSP: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 32-010.exe
Other versions not available now.

Older changes:
- Bass sensitivity clipping level drop: If there are both mids and highs, the drop is a bit less strong than before
- Bass sensitivity clipping level drop: Determining more precisely when the clip is needed. So instead of dropping the bass the whole 4096-samples block, it's now only dropped at the locations of this block where there really are mid/high freqs
- Bug reported by Phoenix ( viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4235 ) should be fixed.
- BS412 also needs a max deviation (+/- 75 kHz) display --> Added
- BS412 sometimes caused drops of upto 2.5 dB. This is preset dependent. --> Adding a slider with which you can specify the amount of headroom; by lowering the output level by 0.05 dB the margin for error is already increased by 50% which seems sufficient. Test if adjustment adjust compressors properly.
- Also adding a BS412 slider with which the max deviation can be lowered; this way you can create a denser sound (apparently many commercial stations like that even though they don't gain any loudness) and it protects against spikes when the sound card or path to the transmitter isn't perfect (reason: Many current processors usually clip the signal at around +/- 50 kHz instead of 75, so in many cases the path to the transmitter doesn't have to be perfect). (Partially done, to be added: BS412 must take clipping into account; clipping level adjustment for pilot/rds).
- Something is broken in latency 512.
- Different up speeds for louder end result
- Sound card adjustment for low freqs needed (that was on my todo list anyway, but I'm moving it to the top now).
- Slightly changed sensitivity behavior (les steep drops and rises of bass). Not sure if this is the best possible solution: Alternative might be to let the bass drops start and end INSIDE the area where loud bass is present, or do the same as now but limit the maximum change speed.
- Made tilt configuration a bit easier (less steep changes at the extremes)
- 2nd RC slider is saved now
- Added displays so you can see what is being sent out to the sound card (including calibrations)
- Changed clipper distortion masking filter, this version should have slightly less distortion than the previous one but almost the same amount of highs.
- Added 2 extra sliders to control the distortion masking. Increasing the 1st or decreasing the 2nd increases the amount of highs. The goal is to find a combination of values which allows the highs to pass without adding (too much) distortion.
2nd slider determines how fast something is determined to be a tone instead of hiss - for tones I don't allow more distortion than before. First slider multiplies the calculated effect (that is, it multiplies the allowed amount of distortion, which doesn't mean that it will actually be used or lead to louder highs).


Planned:
- Check sensitivity


Note: High frequency square waves are NOT good for testing. Use square for low freqs, normal for high (above approx. 100-200 Hz).

Big mistake in the implementation of 010: In extreme cases the protection got bypassed.... New version coming soon.

Changes in this version: BUG FIX FOR BUG INTRODUCED IN 010
- Found and fixed several bugs in the clipper (hole punching by loud highs should be reduced).
- Allowing some extra very brief distortion to reduce hole punching by loud highs.

CPU load is still increased!

Stand alone: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 32-011.exe
DSP: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 32-011.exe
VST: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 32-011.dll
Cmd: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 32-011.exe

Older changes:
- Bass sensitivity clipping level drop: If there are both mids and highs, the drop is a bit less strong than before
- Bass sensitivity clipping level drop: Determining more precisely when the clip is needed. So instead of dropping the bass the whole 4096-samples block, it's now only dropped at the locations of this block where there really are mid/high freqs
- Bug reported by Phoenix ( viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4235 ) should be fixed.
- BS412 also needs a max deviation (+/- 75 kHz) display --> Added
- BS412 sometimes caused drops of upto 2.5 dB. This is preset dependent. --> Adding a slider with which you can specify the amount of headroom; by lowering the output level by 0.05 dB the margin for error is already increased by 50% which seems sufficient. Test if adjustment adjust compressors properly.
- Also adding a BS412 slider with which the max deviation can be lowered; this way you can create a denser sound (apparently many commercial stations like that even though they don't gain any loudness) and it protects against spikes when the sound card or path to the transmitter isn't perfect (reason: Many current processors usually clip the signal at around +/- 50 kHz instead of 75, so in many cases the path to the transmitter doesn't have to be perfect). (Partially done, to be added: BS412 must take clipping into account; clipping level adjustment for pilot/rds).
- Something is broken in latency 512.
- Different up speeds for louder end result
- Sound card adjustment for low freqs needed (that was on my todo list anyway, but I'm moving it to the top now).
- Slightly changed sensitivity behavior (les steep drops and rises of bass). Not sure if this is the best possible solution: Alternative might be to let the bass drops start and end INSIDE the area where loud bass is present, or do the same as now but limit the maximum change speed.
- Made tilt configuration a bit easier (less steep changes at the extremes)
- 2nd RC slider is saved now
- Added displays so you can see what is being sent out to the sound card (including calibrations)
- Changed clipper distortion masking filter, this version should have slightly less distortion than the previous one but almost the same amount of highs.
- Added 2 extra sliders to control the distortion masking. Increasing the 1st or decreasing the 2nd increases the amount of highs. The goal is to find a combination of values which allows the highs to pass without adding (too much) distortion.
2nd slider determines how fast something is determined to be a tone instead of hiss - for tones I don't allow more distortion than before. First slider multiplies the calculated effect (that is, it multiplies the allowed amount of distortion, which doesn't mean that it will actually be used or lead to louder highs).


Planned:
- Check sensitivity


Note: High frequency square waves are NOT good for testing. Use square for low freqs, normal for high (above approx. 100-200 Hz).

Hans

As with the previous version #10, #11 I needed to drop the latency from 4096 to 2048 as I was hearing 'crackling'.
With a setting of 2048 the audio is perfect.
Prior this(#10/#11) it wasn't an issue.


mapleleaf

SAM DJ4 (64-bit)
Win7 - 64bit
24GB Corsair RAM

www.starbase-alpha.com

@mapleleaf: Is that crackling as in 'the CPU can't handle it and I hear very brief drops', or actual processing artifacts?

I'll upload a new version in a moment where the distortion is reduced again to nearly the same level as in earlier beta's, but still with louder highs - maybe that helps.

Changes in this version:
I wasn't too happy with the extra distortion in the last few beta's. Basically, the reduction of the high frequencies was caused by 3 different filters, and each of those contributes about equally to the reduction of highs. By going back to the original (beta005 and older) type of processing for one of these 3, nearly all the added distortion is completely gone - but the highs are still 2/3rd louder. I have added an extra slider (Airy / long) to control this 3rd filter separately, Airy values upto about 1 should be acceptable (0 gives the least distortion). For the other 2 sliders, proposed values are about 3.0 for Airy / short and 0.30 for avoid distortion.

CPU load is still increased!

Stand alone: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 32-012.exe
DSP: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 32-012.exe
Other versions not available.

Older changes:
- Bass sensitivity clipping level drop: If there are both mids and highs, the drop is a bit less strong than before
- Bass sensitivity clipping level drop: Determining more precisely when the clip is needed. So instead of dropping the bass the whole 4096-samples block, it's now only dropped at the locations of this block where there really are mid/high freqs
- Bug reported by Phoenix ( viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4235 ) should be fixed.
- BS412 also needs a max deviation (+/- 75 kHz) display --> Added
- BS412 sometimes caused drops of upto 2.5 dB. This is preset dependent. --> Adding a slider with which you can specify the amount of headroom; by lowering the output level by 0.05 dB the margin for error is already increased by 50% which seems sufficient. Test if adjustment adjust compressors properly.
- Also adding a BS412 slider with which the max deviation can be lowered; this way you can create a denser sound (apparently many commercial stations like that even though they don't gain any loudness) and it protects against spikes when the sound card or path to the transmitter isn't perfect (reason: Many current processors usually clip the signal at around +/- 50 kHz instead of 75, so in many cases the path to the transmitter doesn't have to be perfect). (Partially done, to be added: BS412 must take clipping into account; clipping level adjustment for pilot/rds).
- Something is broken in latency 512.
- Different up speeds for louder end result
- Sound card adjustment for low freqs needed (that was on my todo list anyway, but I'm moving it to the top now).
- Slightly changed sensitivity behavior (les steep drops and rises of bass). Not sure if this is the best possible solution: Alternative might be to let the bass drops start and end INSIDE the area where loud bass is present, or do the same as now but limit the maximum change speed.
- Made tilt configuration a bit easier (less steep changes at the extremes)
- 2nd RC slider is saved now
- Added displays so you can see what is being sent out to the sound card (including calibrations)
- Changed clipper distortion masking filter, this version should have slightly less distortion than the previous one but almost the same amount of highs.
- Added 2 extra sliders to control the distortion masking. Increasing the 1st or decreasing the 2nd increases the amount of highs. The goal is to find a combination of values which allows the highs to pass without adding (too much) distortion.
2nd slider determines how fast something is determined to be a tone instead of hiss - for tones I don't allow more distortion than before. First slider multiplies the calculated effect (that is, it multiplies the allowed amount of distortion, which doesn't mean that it will actually be used or lead to louder highs).
- Found and fixed several bugs in the clipper (hole punching by loud highs should be reduced).
- Allowing some extra very brief distortion to reduce hole punching by loud highs.


Planned:
- Check sensitivity


Note: High frequency square waves are NOT good for testing. Use square for low freqs, normal for high (above approx. 100-200 Hz).

Hm.... For volume drops caused by highs, also check the 'highs priority' slider - if you set it high it's horrible, at 0 the drops are clearly reduced.

I'll update the behavior such that it only works on bass sounds.

There is no change with b12 in fact it is a little more pronounced.

IMHO, it is processing artifacts as my CPU can handle it i7-3770k.

If I switch to 2048 no issues.

I dropped back to prior b10 and there were not any issue at 4096 this only appeared with 10, 11 now 12

tot ziens

I will never replace my E8400 @ 4,5GHz