Stereo Tool

(Transport: TODO list from page 11 or so):

What remains for version 5.10:
1. Disable separate pre-emphasis and relaxed clipping when FM processing is enabled. It's currently too confusing. ■ DONE
2. Remove remaining spikes -> behavior is incorrect, it should partially maintain spikes that are really big (= difficult to get rid of). ---> Looking into this I found that I need to do something very different, and I also need to do that for normal (non-web based) processing: ■ DONE
2a. Add 'maximum mirror reflection' and make it configurable. ■ DONE
2b. Add an extra slower Hard Limit phase, or let the volume come up slower when the peaks get really loud, to avoid bass artifacts in xylophone sounds. Easy to do where hard_limit_volume[] is used. ■ DONE
3. Fix settings in presets to closer match modern CD sound (less highs etc.), using the Median display. ■ BUSY
3a. Also fix the singleband behavior (AGC style on/off). ■ DONE, default is OFF again, built-in presets with Loudness get ON
4. Check the new presets (I only just noticed Bojcha's post, will try to check it tomorrow).
5. Fix Loudness distortion caused by louder bass and lower highs. ■ Appears to be partially fixed by improved Hard Limit filter
6. Check and add good new presets (also in the 'share your settings' forum).
7. Use 'large file mode' for command line version. ■ BUSY, waiting for reply
8. Fix hangups for switching between Singleband AGC/non-AGC switching. ■ DONE (?)
9. Save all new settings to disk (INI and VST): 'maximum mirror reflection', 'multiband constant frequency', ... ■ DONE (?)
10. Reduce Loudness window height a bit. ■ DONE (?)
11. Make VST version working again on all hosts!
12. Release 5.10
13. UPDATE DOCUMENTATION

- All settings are now saved to disk
- Loudness window is now slightly smaller vertically, should fix on 1024x768 displays as requested by Kakoon.

Winamp DSP plugin: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 510-19.exe
Stand alone version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-19.exe
VST version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-19.dll
VST version (No SSE2): http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-19.dll
Command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-19.exe
Linux command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-19 (Build error - server was offline)

That's good! just mid-range need to be reconfigured a bit with "soft limit"

Limiting & Loudness window is a bit messy? Not problem for me, I'm just saying.

One thing i notice in AGC2!
I dont know is it bug or what but here what happens
I want it to use it like RMS-leveler with slow down/up speeds, and it works just fine but only with "Taget Level" at -15dB or lower.
I tryed to use it with, let's say, -7 or -8dB because i don't need that much reduction but output is not so constant then!?

That could be true. The normal AGC behaves a lot like Multiband using 'COMPRESS' (instead of LIMIT) setting. That is, if a sound pushes it down only a bit, the effect of it is smaller, or, in other words, the original difference between soft and loud sounds is maintained.

Reason: Say you have a track A that is already dense. And a track B with loud peaks (say Gimme Gimme Gimme).

Then the spikes in track B would cause the volume to drop on each spike, while the constant (but overall equally loud) track A would not contain any loud enough spikes to reduce the volume.

In Singleband/AGC2 however, I *WANT* the volume to drop on spikes of Gimme Gimme Gimme, because this filter is intended to get rid of loud spikes before Loudness. So the intent of this filter is NOT to level the sound, but to protect Loudness. That's when I wouldn't use it except when Loudness is set to a very high value. That's also the reason that loud highs will cause the volume to drop in FM mode, and that loud bass sounds drop the volume so much - it's RMS based, intended to limit the RMS input volume for Loudness (where RMS level determines how many artifacts will occur).


Just for clarity: If you want high quality output, which is not extremely loud, keep this turned OFF.

ok
Explains it all.
That's why i have lower level on constant bass-beat and higher level with maximized track

"Keep band1 at band2 Level..." not saved.

Bojcha: About the link to the Orban files that you posted earlier:
I'm confused. I assumed those files to be pre-emphasized and then de-emphasized. However, if I pre-emphasize them, I get large spikes in the output - which are not present in the originals.

Michi95 asked this before, and now I'll ask again: Do you have any idea if these files are pre-emphasized and then de-emphasized, or only pre-emphasized?

If they are only pre-emphasized, they have far less highs than Stereo Tool (so they are probably also de-emphasized, which makes sense for normal listening). But I don't understand those peaks (unless my own pre-emphasis filter is flawed).

To get a similar sound in Stereo Tool try the following settings:
- FM Transmitter (Europe Stereo), with the following modifications:
- Set Loudness to 3.00
- Turn on the Multiband equalizer, and AFTER multiband
- Set the top 3 band equalizer sliders to: 1.32, 1.40, 1.35
- EDIT: The louder highs cause some volume drops when loud 's' sounds are present. To fix that, in Multiband, lower 'Allow louder highs' to -20000 or so.
- For comparison with the same output volume, set Post Amp to 0.72. (NOT if you're actually broadcasting!)

Fixed now - will be in next BETA.

I know for this files but I did not post them here I think it was Michi at page 15
PDF is in archive file where is all explained! - I downloaded 50us files.

Ah!
1. Data is fed through several analog steps. That might already explain a lot
2. Apparently they are using some trick with a non-symmetrical stereo information band. Which might also explain why it's possible to sometimes reach higher output levels.

So then I think the settings that I posted above should be useful. (Note: They were determined using only track 3 of the set, the others have not yet been taken into account). This time I played the original recording for track 3 (obtained elsewhere), and compared the frequency output of Stereo Tool against that of track 3. With the settings I mentioned both are nearly identical. (Stereo Tool does appear to sound more 'dense' though, probably a matter of configuring things).