Stereo Tool

Ok, using the new median display and the 'generic' preset, I've found the following multiband 'soft limit' settings to stay as closely as possible to the original sound:

MODERN MUSIC (Lady Gaga, dance, Beyonce, Esmee Denters, Timbaland, Kid Rock):
4.58 / 6.10 / 6.10 / 6.10 / 6.10 / 5.93 / 4.75 / 3.22 / 2.03 / 1.02

OLDER MUSIC (70s-80s, unprocessed original CDs):
2.71 / 5.59 / 7.29 / 8.98 / 8.31 / 6.78 / 5.08 / 3.22 / 2.03 / 1.02

ORIGINAL STEREO TOOL DEFAULTS:
5.27 / 6.13 / 6.61 / 6.80 / 6.71 / 6.18 / 5.56 / 4.89 / 3.64 / 1.53

As you can see from these settings, modern recordings contain more bass and less mids than older music.

Both have less highs than the current Stereo Tool defaults. Bass and mids for modern music is relatively close to the current Stereo Tool defaults.

I think 'modern music' is probably the best generic setting, this is how current day CDs are mastered, which is probably the best compromise to get a good sound on most equipment. If you have very high quality equipment, maybe the 'older music' settings are better, as they probably more closely resemble unprocessed audio (but for modern music you might want to increase the bass a bit).

This is great!

I just tested the "modern music" settings with the generic preset. For most modern tracks there's almost no change in the sound!

I've also tested it with some of the FM presets, and they are now closer to the original - and the lower highs level (with pre-emphasis!) is a lot easier on the Final Limiter, Loudness and Hard Limit filters. (They could use some more bass though for tracks with loud bass, so I think Bojcha might be onto something with the knee/ratio thing)

First I thought you quit.. now i don't know.

edit:
AGC: I just played with AGC from AudioProc (winamp plugin), and like that thru stereo tool (with AGC off)
Awesome results.

Thank you very much indeed Bojcha !

AudioProc ?
Doesn't it add extra latency like flying from Earth to Mars and back again ?
So how have you set up the AudioProc AGC ?

That was test only. Point was that AGC from AudioProc has lower responce to lows .. so when i combine it with stereotool overall rms is more stable. dwnspeed ~300, upspeed ~4000LB Bst ~-10. - singleband

Interesting... Is that also less than Stereo Tool with 2 bands, with 'Raise band 2 output level above band 1 output level if its volume drops below' set high enough? Because with that setting, the freqs above 200 Hz won't respond to bass anymore. (Freqs below 200 Hz still will)

Maybe - maybe - I should make the value specified there more gradual - so not 'if the volume drops below x, stay at x', but more gradual.

Till now all AGCs in processors reacts less on lows and little more on mids and bit more on higs (or flat with mids) ...
- In AudioProc AGC reacts about 10dB less at 40Hz and curve goes to 500Hz, after that flat to 16kHz
- In breakaway something like this
40Hz : +3
90Hz : -1.3
170Hz: -5.8
350Hz: -7
700Hz: -7 \
1.4kHz: -4.1 dB, depend on preset
2.8kHz: -2.5 /
5.5kHz: -6
10kHz : -7.2
16kHz : -7.4

AGC EQ and ratio/knee settings in multiband ?

Somehow i skipped this important question.

Anyway..
It's not same at all as dualband AGC (in current StereoTool)! Current 2nd band in AGC pushes freqs from 250Hz up and Leave freqs under 250Hz down!
Singleband AGC with much less detection on lows, lows goes up, they don't stay down. So output from AGC actually stay unchanged (in freq. responce).
AGC like this always keeps multiband at same level so multiband compression limiting is more same song-to-song.
Current ST AGC - if you play High Dynamic song, multiband will do less compressing, and if you play Highly compressed material, multiband will compress it more! Should be opposite or same, isn't it.

edit:
i Just wonder..
If 1st band in AGC can follow 2nd .. will that make the difference. I think it will, and there is adjustmet for that already.

I haven't had a lot of time lately, but here's some minor updates and what I'm planning to do:

1. Singleband AGC/RMS type processing: I've reconfigured the settings, now it seems to work as expected. Note that you should only use this if you either want pumping, or if you want a really loud output without getting a distorted sound. (Will post in in a moment)

New default values are in the software now, and the settings are being loaded and saved (not yet for VST though). ■ FIXED

1A. Do something with the 1st noise gate band to make it not crackle but still work. Possibly add some band(s). ■ FIXED

1B. Fix issue with VST host

2. I'm going to adjust the presets to more closely match the 'do nothing' behavior: Basically this means reducing the highs a bit, using the new median output display.

3. At that point I'll release the new version (additions: multiband median output level display, agc style singleband before final limiter/loudness, pre-emphasis and less strict limiting for web radio stations, and improved handling of hiccups in the stand alone version when the CPU load gets very high) as version 5.10.

4. When that's done, I'll look into the ideas that have been proposed here: Sideband equalizer for AGC, knee/ratio for multiband.

Hi Hans
Belive or not i have ready preset with more open lows ..
That's mean .. very Loud Lows in song will BE Loud and, some nice rock song with medium lows will be just slightly boosted at lows.
But ofcourse if you want you can look at that ratio settings anyway.

AGC: Is it hard to make option for agc - first band to folow 1st. ?

btw ..
AGC 2 (after mb) .. is not good with fm processing! react different, on high more! loud "S" .. etc..
Not same as no FM processing.