Stereo Tool

Hi hvz,

Nobody is yelling, just my 2 cents of what i've heard from my ears over various chains.

If you had read all that i've wrote, i said that i'm an engineer for over 20 years!!! Over that time, i serviced +1000 units of Optimod and other sound processors( got that now?)? Yes, seriously!! If you want, i can "teach" you something...

Of course taste is very important, if not the most important part in processing. That's why your ears don't count when you are fine tuning a radio broadcast with nacional coverage and has millions of listeners. Every single listener as is own taste. Spectrum analyzers come in handy here, as well as oscilloscopes, mdo's(if you are into dab or streaming), and also important, a very good "ghost" chain, composed by receiver+pre+amplifier+speakers. Get a good pressed vynil of jazz or rhythm and blues, a very good pick-up(none of that crappy ortofon's...),a turntable very well balanced, a bootle of your favorite drink and tune the chain!

No, i expected that anybody argued with me, but with good arguments!
I know how ST works, better than you know. Got it???

Where did i disrespect hvz?

As far is i'm aware, this is a free forum, where anybody can express their opinion. Unless hvz tells me other thing, i'll continue to argue with my experience of 20 years in the business.

And if you dare to confront me, please go ahead. I'm right here. Take your best shot!!!

Good, we expect the same. Saying "I've worked in sound processing a long time so I know everything better" is not a good argument. As Hans said: show us what you mean - record something you think sounds good. Also record the sound you got from Stereo Tool. Then we can compare and have an opinion on the matter.

_________________
Imaging producer & Stereo Tool audio processing consultant

Your best arguments are: No you don't.

No it isn't. It's a supportforum for a software called Stereo Tool.

del4you2

I know, you didn't disprespect him, that was just a warning in case you wanted to. In fact, nobody is also going to disrespect you. All we need is some proof behind the things you're claiming.

Now, we're all aware 8100 has its own signature sound. It's just the way the hardware works. It's not transparent. I know you are aware of it too. ST on the other hand isn't transparent either, it can't be due to its "design". The highs get much cleaner with much tighter signal control than 8100 (with no matter what auxiliary cards) could ever approach. The fact is - if you want to 100% reproduce the 8100 sound with ST - you're going to fail. One can approach some timbre of it - but it will never behave exactly like the HW box in question. If you don't like the timbre which ST produces. Well.. surely it doesn't sound like a 30-year old design. It's just too modern for that, with different philosophy behind it. But if you could tell us /or show us what you don't like in Stereo Tool's sound, at least we would know what you're talking about.

Also ST is a software, so it has to be accompanied by some good DACs in order to behave exactly like it should (including DC/tilt control), not to mention the CPU, that also has to be powerful enough (which isn't a problem nowadays).

From my point of view - at its price, Stereo Tool is currently capable of producing MUCH cleaner and louder audio than all Orban boxes, including the newest 8600/8600s designs. The only competitors for it that would match its loudness and clarity come from Telos Alliance - Omnia 7/9 and maybe 11 (both 7 and 9 share part of the alogrithms with ST, which were licensed by Hans to Telos, not the other way round).

Now let's look at the features:
- tight MPX signal control (even tighter with super clean mpx clipper, +150% of audio in 100% modulation)
- perfect MPX filtering (more than 80dB of separation for pilot and RDS, extremely steep filters allowing for 16 kHz freq. response, that is also with composite clipper active)
- declipping of input source (along with expanders bringing back life to squashed material mastered today)
- BS412 compliant mpx power control (mandatory in many countries, what's more - these controls in ST are far more advanced than in any box I've seen)
- Stokkemasker compliant (mandatory in NL)
- RDS encoding built-in
- built in streaming client
- multiple instances possible on one machine
- multiple mpx outputs possible
- synchronization for different transmitters is possible
- AM compability
- asymmetric clipper (AM)

and probably many more that I forgot right now, but please just check the features that 8100 doesn't have.

As for advantages of a software vs HW:
- bug fixes from version to version
- instant update to newer versions (free of charge)
- incredibly flexible - you can choose between number of bands, crossovers etc, realtime
- modular licensing - pay for the features you need, not more. If you need more in the future, just buy access to new features
- HW replacement is dirt cheap (in fact you decide how the platform looks like - and it can be very advanced as well)
- all in one, multi-puropse

Also bear in mind what gjbbgu said - it's a Stereo Tool support forum. So we expect your counter-arguments with regard to ST to be brought into daylight, rather than just empty words.

@DylanPetit: To get back to your original question, is this something like what you're looking for? The recordings on the first page are gone so I can't compare - but this is an 80s sound:
http://178.19.127.141/listen_mp3.m3u

What a non discussion, I have a Orban here and it has it's signature sound, I have a full original Aphex airchain and it has it's own signature sound and I have Breakaway which has it's signature sound and ST is become the most clean processor I heard with room for progression, and I have 30 years experience, both broadcast and live. So if this becomes your argument, you maybe better consider to post your "crappy" comments elsewhere. Nobody will miss you here
Just MY 2 cents.

Mr. del4you2,

It is high time you recognize that it is only your ("professional") ego arguing.

ST is a positive, inspirational and a highly productive project.

Accept it and enjoy it.