Stereo Tool

That's not so strange, due to the loud Punch it will be pushed up a lot after the strict limiting. I'll have to think about this a bit more...

Something like this would make sense:
1. 0..150/300 and 0..400/800 clipping.
2. Clip 0..150/300 STRICT below its maximum level, and 0..400/800 STRICT below its maximum level, then merge the two.
3. Punch
4. Clip 0..150/300 STRICT below its maximum level, and 0..400/800 STRICT below its maximum level, then merge the two.

If the 2 maximum levels are close it might be unnecessary to use 2 STRICT filterings (they are very expensive in CPU cycles); this would probably make the CPU usage of Loudness more than twice as high as before!

Alternative to 4: Use a slightly bigger frequency range, and forget the rest. So like 250..350 or so. That doesn't impact the CPU load as much and might even be better (2 separate filters might cause a bigger than needed volume reduction in the 150/300..400/800 frequency range).


Edit: I'm now thinking that I could make the strict area of the first step bigger as well...


Note: As some people requested: Now building a version where the new sliders are saved to disk. (STS only, no VST)
Also added a new slider that increases the maximum allowed amount of distortion (this slightly increases the dynamics, at the cost of increasing the distortion - no bass distortion on highs though, and no scratching sounds, just tones that sound a bit weird... Hard to explain But if I listen to the difference it doesn't even sound really bad).

- Values of sliders are saved
- RESET button works on new sliders
- Sliders re-organized
- 'Allow more distortion' slider added (increases dynamics, but adds some distortion)
No further changes.

Winamp DSP plugin: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 510-61.exe
Stand alone version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-61.exe
VST version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-61.dll
VST version (No SSE2): http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-61.dll
Command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-61.exe
Linux command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-61 (not available)
Linux GUI version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-61 (not available)

After re-thinking the whole concept, I'm going to add Strict frequencies, a Strict before Punch target level and a Strict after Punch target level.

Edit: Building!

- Strict clipping frequency range added.
- Same frequencies now used before AND after Punch

Winamp DSP plugin: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 510-62.exe
Stand alone version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-62.exe
VST version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-62.dll
VST version (No SSE2): http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-62.dll
Command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-62.exe
Linux command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-62 (not available)
Linux GUI version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-62 (not available)

I'll test it for shure when i get home.. Meanwhile, why is clock at forum 1 hour ahead?
and, last days/weeks Forum is sometimes offline.

Hans,
This is not strict!(?)
I still have strict only when punch is disabled.

I have one very simple idea.
- Simple "Volume" 50-100% for 0-X Hz ?
Current "volume" is 100% (if post-amp is at 1.00)

Something is not working AT ALL at the moment. Looking into it now...

(If I set the clip level at 0 I expect no bass left - but it's still there and doesn't seem to respond to the slider at all. Also with Punch disabled.)


Edit: It DOES work, but if there are no highs no clipping is done. So a pure bass sound will still fill the whole 100% range...

Edit: I'm adding an extra slider to set the non-dynamic maximum allowed bass level ("Never raise bass above").


Edit: Building updated version now.

I've added a new slider "Never dynamically raise bass above". This slider does NOT overrule the maximum settings in the other 2 sliders, but if the bass is DYNAMICALLY raised above the level specified in those sliders, that can be stopped using this new slider. So if you don't want dynamic bass level increases at all, you can set this new slider to 0%; if you don't want any effect, set it at 100% (currently displayed as 1.00%), if you want higher bass levels in case of no highs, set it above 100% (probably not very useful).

beta63: i really don't get it, how this is so big problem.

Here we go again: Added a new slider 'Never dynamically raise bass above'.

How-to:
Say you want to protect the Composite Limiter against too loud bass. Then you might want the bass to be kept below 80% when other sounds are preset (distortion protection), but if there's nothing else you still want to keep it below 90% (before that was ALWAYS 100%).

Then:
- Clip (punched) lowest bass at: 80%
- Never dynamically raise bass above: 90%

The new slider will not DYNAMICALLY raise the level above 90% with these settings, but if you would set the 1st slider to 95%, the bass level would be 95%, not 90% - it ONLY stops dynamic bass level drops.

If you DON'T want the bass level to be raised dynamically when no other sounds are present, set the new slider below the minimum of the other 2 - for example at 0%.

Winamp DSP plugin: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 510-63.exe
Stand alone version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-63.exe
VST version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-63.dll
VST version (No SSE2): http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 510-63.dll
Command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 510-63.exe
Linux command line version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-63 (not available)
Linux GUI version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... BETA510-63 (not available)

Bojcha, the mechanism did work, but due to the fact that I turned the clipping OFF (I completely forgot about that, sorry...) when no higher frequencies were present it didn't seem to work. And, the Composite Limiter would still receive too loud bass sounds when no highs were present.

I have now in BETA63 (how could you reply to that before I posted it by the way??? ) added an extra level to allow full control of all the bass levels (both when there are highs present and when there are not.)


It is a bit complex because Loudness currently consist of about 30 different filters that all combined form the Loudness filter. And I cannot just change a single step without impacting the other filters in it. That's why earlier 'Allow louder highs' stopped working etc.

More specifically to your proposal: I could indeed process the lows completely separate and combine the end result, BUT that would lead to higher distortion levels because the only way to do that would be to process the highs 'as if' the (non-clipped) lows are present, and then - in the end - lower the lows. Which would lead to highs distortion levels that are equal to the levels without the lows clipping. Even worse: Lowering the bass levels could result in new spikes in the signal that also would need to be clipped, adding more distortion again.