Stereo Tool

Yes, congratulations with the new official release.
Wish list? I know what we want: stereo spatial 223 (yes 1 better)

I use a Core2Quad Q9550. It's a 2.8Ghz Intel quad core. Stereo Tool (and everything else I use with it) max my CPU out @ 24% usage. I couldn't imagine a core2duo being that much worse, but I'd try what Hans suggested and reduce the CPU usage in some of those presets.

-n4-

Edit: I take some of that back. Since I've updated to 7.10 it now maxes me out @ 19-20% CPU. Thanks Hans.

By OC, do you mean overclocking?

Yes, that cpu should easy go to 2.6.
Mine core2duo is 3.0 and i keep it at 4.5 - but that is too much extreme OC.

For testing purposes, sure. For long term peace of mind and general stability and heat concerns, I'm not so sure.

I've always appreciated the concept of OC'ing a machine, though. The environment where this PC will live has been known, when the air conditioning fails, to reach 100 degrees for short spells.

I would rather have a machine coasting. I have access to a quad, just need to find a couple hours to config and load a new OS.

Alternatively, you can try to play with the settings a bit. It shouldn't be too difficult to reduce the CPU load of most presets a bit without much effect on the audio that comes out, especially for the ones made by Jeroen Platenkamp or DRZ (very high 'strictness' setting on the clipper; default there is 6).

For what it's worth:

A quad has more L2 cache. A Duo may have only 1MB per core.

The 7.0+ software is very cache intensive. If a system does not have enough cache, the performance suffers. This can be partially addressed by overclocking, as the overclock allows the floating point units to do more per unit time, thus clearing the bottleneck faster.

That said though, it still dismays me that "baseline" systems here are overclocked systems and/or the testing is done as a best case scenario.

I'd like to know how to switch between modes as well.

It's under Configuration.

Yes - great work Hans on 7.10! I'm also curious what's possibly next after all the extensive work on the new GUI and new compressors. Wish list;

- Agree re new stereo widener. 222 style (and possibly StereoMaxx style ?? I remember reading somewhere the StereoMaxx patent recently expired I think ?)
- 24 bit input for ST-SA.
- new composite limiter you foreshadowed 09 style. (~140% demodulated L/R audio levels, and lower modulation cost running RDS...) - what's not to like?