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Topic: foo_dsp_vlevel (Read 210789 times) previous topic - next topic
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foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #25
question: it is possible to add option to  menu  in order to activate/disable vlevel without open dspmanager

I'd like this too.
Can't wait for a HD-AAC encoder :P

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #26
meee2! But seriously I see there's currently no development on the plugin any more.

I use this dsp inside the converter chain (converting for car audio). Did you people realize it adds significant noise, some kind of metallic hiss artifacts, to tracks? You can hear that especially in the beginning of tracks which start silent.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #27
I use this dsp inside the converter chain (converting for car audio). Did you people realize it adds significant noise, some kind of metallic hiss artifacts, to tracks? You can hear that especially in the beginning of tracks which start silent.


That's the point of dynamic range compression. Make quiet parts loud and make loud parts quiet. The "dynamic range" is compressed. Less peaks, just one big valley. You're just hearing the background hiss that's already on the track which you don't hear at regular volumes.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #28
Yep. If only dsp like this could recognize the silence at the beginning and at the end of tracks and do not amplify the volume there...

 

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #29
Yep. If only dsp like this could recognize the silence at the beginning and at the end of tracks and do not amplify the volume there...

Define silence 

Are you sure this plugin is in fact compressing the dynamics and not justamplifying the quiet parts? I mean... foobar already compensate for loudness with replaygain
Can't wait for a HD-AAC encoder :P

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #30
That's the point of dynamic range compression.
Thanks for the dummie information  No, I was under the impression the dsp adds a specific artifact to the audio material because IIRC I've heard that noise more than once now... I'll hunt it down and upload samples.

EDIT: Done. http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....st&p=514917
I'm on a notebook and cannot hear, if the noise is in the original too. The dsp.m4a has been converted with "apply gain/prevent clipping" and Vlevel DSP with the values: str.80,mul15,len4s. The noise is not from the aac conversion, it would also be there in lossless targets.

EDIT2 - Just realized the noise is in the original. So it was false alarm about vlevel adding noise . Vlevel is great

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #31

Yep. If only dsp like this could recognize the silence at the beginning and at the end of tracks and do not amplify the volume there...

Define silence 

Are you sure this plugin is in fact compressing the dynamics and not justamplifying the quiet parts? I mean... foobar already compensate for loudness with replaygain


You only seem to hear the quiet parts more since your brain is processing a different sound than what you're used to hearing.  The loud parts get quieter as well but your brain doesn't register it as much.  But really, "quieter" is misleading.  With DRC's, the overall sound seems to get louder since what's happening is all the sounds are getting crammed into the range where our ears are most sensitive.  For example, say you have a room full of people.  Ten people are whispering far away (you can barely hear them).  One person is talking normally in front of you.  So let's move all the whispering people closer to you by 5 meters so you can hear them.  And move the talking person back 5 meters.  You can still hear the talking person.  But now you have all these whispering people around you, and the room seems noisier in general.  So the sound dynamics of the room completely change.

Also, Replaygain is completely different from DRC's like VLevel.  Replaygain only keeps the average loudness at a set target dB.  This is accomplished by decreasing or increasing the gain.  It just so happens that most recordings are too loud so most tracks get quieter.  But on musical pieces with a very wide dynamic range, the average loudness may be audible in a moving car/loud workplace, but the quiet segments completely fade into the background noise.  So Replaygain is useless in these situations.  Let's use the example of the room full of people again.  With Replaygain, you don't move the people, you tell the whispering people to talk normally and the talking person to shout.  So this way, the sound dynamics are maintained since you always hear the talking person as much louder than the whispering people. 

I hope that made sense... 

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #32
...And the problem is there is often 'silence' at the beginning and at the end of a track that shouldn't be amplified. DSPs like this treat this silence equally with other quiet parts - they try to make it loud. And loud 'silence' is noise. I wish someone could make this plugin a bit smarter.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #33
lower the max. multiplier value a little bit.

Than the amplification will be lower as well as the amplified noise.

I use 9.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #34
That is not a true solution, isn't it?

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #35
Uhm, I'd guess that this plugin is supposed to be used at parties, conventions or other gatherings when the noise-part doesn't matter but everyone should hear the music. As has been said, replaygain is not the solution but compression is. Radio-channels compress the music they play to better fit where most people listen to it, the car, at work etc. This is the same.

Simply, if you are at home, alone and enjoying some relaxing (or exciting) music you really should not need to have this plugin loaded.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #36
BTW you've probably seen it in another section: The noise addition wasn't a vlevel problem, but nero aac encoder failure at q 0.6 and even higher. Serious problem imo if you encode classical music.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #37
Simply, if you are at home, alone and enjoying some relaxing (or exciting) music you really should not need to have this plugin loaded.

I don't think so. I often cannot turn my music loud enough at home to listen to certain kinds of music (operas et al.) where there is a too much a difference between the loudest and the quietest parts. I need a bit of compression to make quiet parts a bit louder without making the loud parts too loud.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #38
That is not a true solution, isn't it?



If you are using vlevel for any reason, you are changing  the levels. So expect some raised noise at low levels.
That's in the nature of the component.

However by adjusting the components settings to your listening conditions you can minimize this effect.

Also the problem isn't limited to a song's start and end.  I generally listen to classical and this problem can occur at the middle of a track -especially by analog recordings.

This is what you pay for listening music at a noisy place or play it quieter for the sake of your neighbors at night.

vlevel also gives me problems with gapless playback.  The volume sometimes falls suddenly at track changes.

edit. typo

However, no other way to listen to Carmina Burana at midnight..

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #39
Also the problem isn't limited to a song's start and end.  I generally listen to classical and this problem can occur at the middle of a track[...]
Exactly this is the point.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #40
Unless someone designs a program that can discriminate between music and noise (that's not part of music) or a cough - that does listen to music just as the human brain does, the only solution seems to lower the gain until the noise does not sound noticeable at your environmental noise level.

May be a vlevel value added to the file like rg value can be solution. How this value can be changed along the time axis may be the problem here.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #41
Also the problem isn't limited to a song's start and end.  I generally listen to classical and this problem can occur at the middle of a track -especially by analog recordings.

I can abide amplified "mid-silence". Sudden level changes when amplified "end-silence" abruptly turns into next track's yet-unamplified "pre-silence" (which in turn gets amplified just to die away when the actual music begins) is much worse, and that problem can be solved with treating "start-/end-" "and "middle-silence" differently.

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #42
[/quote]
I can abide amplified "mid-silence". Sudden level changes when amplified "end-silence" abruptly turns into next track's yet-unamplified "pre-silence" (which in turn gets amplified just to die away when the actual music begins) is much worse, and that problem can be solved with treating "start-/end-" "and "middle-silence" differently.
[/quote]


It seems vlevel resets between tracks.  Apart from the above problem this causes clicks in live recordings track changes. Vlevel should be able to read ahead from the next track (gapless).  This would solve some problems.

I don't have any idea if foobar2000 allows this.  (That is to read from the next track while still playing the current one)

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #43
Hello!

I updated foo_dsp_vlevel to version 20071107.0 with the following changes:
made ready for 0.9.x series
config settings now work well
added useful limits for max multiplier
added dB scale
added debug code

You can download the new version under:
http://www.wiesinger.com/opensource/foobar..._dsp_vlevel.dll

You need the following DLLs (Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86)):
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

I've tested it with foobar2000 0.9.5Beta* without any problems.

Please let me know whether all the problems have been fixed.

When there are no problems reported I'll release the source code, too.

Wiesl

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #44
Hey thanks, it works, but I didn't have any problems before, so no changes for me

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #45
Hey thanks, it works, but I didn't have any problems before, so no changes for me


Did saving of the configs work before?

With which foobar2000/plugin version?

Wiesl

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #46
Yes, worked, any fb2k 0.9 till latest beta and foo_dsp_vlevel v.20060324.0

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #47
Hello!

I updated foo_dsp_vlevel to version 20080302.0 with the following changes:
- Updated README
- Updated Version
So there are no code changes.

You can download the new version under:
http://www.wiesinger.com/opensource/foobar..._dsp_vlevel.dll

Source code can be found at:
http://www.wiesinger.com/opensource/foobar...-20080302.0.zip

You need the following DLLs (Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package (x86)):
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en

I've tested it with foobar2000 0.9.5.1 without any problems.

Wiesl

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #48
hi

thanks for this
Is there a possibility to get it to run without installing the vc++ thing on c:/
I mean we could put the required dll's on a subfolder or something ?
(requiring such things doesnt go well with the foobar minimalistic philosophy imho)

thanks

foo_dsp_vlevel

Reply #49
It's about how it's compiled, static libraries, isn't it? I also prefer "everything in one place", which would make the whole thing portable...