Peakmeter for Columns UI Options

[(Sly)]

Thanks (Sly), that's very nice !

What do you mean exactly by "images need to be tiled" ? And how can we implement them within the peakmeter ? (sorry, beginner here )

i mean the image draw style need to be in tile mode.

This post has been edited by (Sly): Dec 29 2007, 18:42

[foo_pm]

Apparently foo_pm is not very responsive for the time being... (last reply to this topic : november 17th, despite all our posts / questions / comments / etc.)

My email notification malfunctioned and i only had little time. Sorry! Thank you all for all your posts!

[Jose Hidalgo]

No problem. Thanks for your time.

[foo_pm]

...
Here also, I didn't mean to change your default logarithmic scale, because it's great the way it is. I see this request only as an option of course. But please allow me to tell you why : this comes from real-life experience.

When you make a professional utilization of a real peakmeter like the ones I own, you can easily understand that it's more important to have a very accurate view of what happens between -10 and 0dB, than to see what happens between -40 and -30dB. And all this must be done with a limited number of LEDs. That's why my peakmeters are built like said above (3dB increments, then 2dB increments, than 1dB increments for the zone where we need accuracy). That makes the measurements much more accurate where they need to, without them being unnecessarily precise where they don't need to. We have 9 LEDs for the -10/limit range, and 11 LEDs for the -43/-13 range. And believe me, that's really useful.

Peakmeter has a zoom function which can be used to improve the view between -10 and 0dB. May be this can help you.

Because we must remember that a peakmeter is not only some fancy pretty colored widget. It is also a professional measurement utility. And I think maybe we should all keep that in mind. A peakmeter is all of this, no more, no less.

I will keep it in mind

So that's the reason why I'd like if we could, OPTIONALLY, toggle this special "measurement mode" on/off (Preferences > Logarithmic mode (default) or Measurement mode (option)). At least to me it would be really helpful. I don't mean to insist anymore, but I hope you'll understand these additional explanations and you'll reconsider your position (hey, it's just an additional option, so why not after all, provided you have a bit of time ? it's not really complicated to implement...).

Of course I'm open to giving you any additional information that you should need in this matter. Thanks again.

I understand what you are saying and will give it some more thoughts. Thank you!

I made a nice bitmap for use as a volume bar in peakmeter:



It's made in Paint.Net using this procedure:

1. Make a new bitmap 800x8 pixels
2. Create two extra layers (so you have three total). Name the two "Slashes" and "Colorfade" respectively. make sure the Colorfade layer is the topmost one.
3. Using the paint bucket tool, make the colorfade layer entirely green.
4. Draw two gradients in the colorfade layer. You do that by using the selection tool to confine the gradient. by looking at my finished result you will get the idea.
5. In the Slashes layer you use the text tool to place a string consisting of slashes only in white color.
6. Adjust the layer properties of the colorfade layer and set the blend mode to Multiply.

That's it.

Download the BMP file here (800x8 pixels):
http://saivert.xerc.biz/foobar2000/bar5.bmp


PS hope they get out the new SDK soon. I really want peakmeter as a "UI element".

Very usable and nice! Thank you!

[foo_pm]

i created some 'leds' for peakmeter with irfanview and paint in 5 minutes.
hope you like it

foreground:

background:

images need to be tiled

Thank you! In addition to the idea of Jose Hidalgo ("LEDs turning on and off") it will be very effective. I will implement this in a future release.

if not added yet, you really need to change the responsetime of the RMS meter to make it interesting and useful.

You're right. It's already on the todo list.

[foo_pm]

Here's another preview:

[4nt1]

oh now thats pimp, so pretty any idea when the sdk comes out for 0.9.5 so you can make a basic ui compatible component too?

cant wait either way!!!

[Jose Hidalgo]

Yes : Default UI integration would definitely be a must.

[Jose Hidalgo]

Peakmeter has a zoom function which can be used to improve the view between -10 and 0dB. May be this can help you.

AFAIK the zoom function affects the whole range of the peakmeter. Am I right ?
If so, maybe it would be a good idea to be able to define a zoom range in the prefs.
Example : Zoom range = from [ -10dB ] (user-definable value) to [ automatically selected max defined peakmeter value ]
Then each time we right-click > Zoom in, only the defined range would be zoomed, not the whole peakmeter. What do you think ?
Up to you now.

Thank you! In addition to the idea of Jose Hidalgo ("LEDs turning on and off") it will be very effective. I will implement this in a future release.

That's great news ! Thank you !


@Sly : could you please create two more LEDs ? (yellow and red)
That way, we could choose to have green leds, followed by some yellow reds (e.g. between -10 and 0dB), followed by red leds. That would be awesome.
Of course all those LEDs would be grey when not lit.
Thanks in advance if you can do that for foo_pm, and thanks to foo_pm for implementing this in a future release.

This post has been edited by Jose Hidalgo: Jan 6 2008, 18:46

[eindh]

Yes, please, add Default UI compatibility.

[foo_pm]

oh now thats pimp, so pretty any idea when the sdk comes out for 0.9.5 so you can make a basic ui compatible component too?
cant wait either way!!!

Yes : Default UI integration would definitely be a must.

Yes, please, add Default UI compatibility.

Thanks! But first I have to wait for the new sdk !

Peakmeter has a zoom function which can be used to improve the view between -10 and 0dB. May be this can help you.

AFAIK the zoom function affects the whole range of the peakmeter. Am I right ?
If so, maybe it would be a good idea to be able to define a zoom range in the prefs.
Example : Zoom range = from [ -10dB ] (user-definable value) to [ automatically selected max defined peakmeter value ]
Then each time we right-click > Zoom in, only the defined range would be zoomed, not the whole peakmeter. What do you think ?
Up to you now.

Yes, the zoom function uses the whole user defined range. A user defined start value is a good idea and i'll think about it. Using Right click is not possible cause it displays the popup menu. But i can use left and middle click to increase and decrease the zoom level faster. It will be implemented in the near future. Thanks!

[Scrith]

Here's another preview:

That looks great! Please hurry and post a beta because I'm getting used to another new spectrum plug-in (Spectrum Channel panel, I think its called) that is worth a look...in particular, it has a nice stereo display (right channel goes right from center, left channel goes backwards to the left from center). I think the ideal PeakMeter/Spectrum display would be something like that with peak meters in the middle.

[Jose Hidalgo]

I think the ideal would be 3 separate panels (for spectrum left, spectrum right, and peakmeter). So that the user can position them anywhere he wants :

Spectrum Left - Peakmeter - Spectrum Right

Peak.....Spectrum Left
meter...Spectrum Right

Peakmeter - Spectrum Left - Spectrum Right

Etc.

With of course the choice, for the Spectrum left's 20-20000 range, to go from left to right or from right to left (in case Spectrum Left is over Spectrum Right like in my second example, it wouldn't look nice to have Spectrum Right's range go from left to right, and Spectrum Left's range go from right to left ! )

This post has been edited by Jose Hidalgo: Jan 9 2008, 01:59

[foo_pm]

Here's another preview:

That looks great! Please hurry and post a beta because I'm getting used to another new spectrum plug-in (Spectrum Channel panel, I think its called) that is worth a look...in particular, it has a nice stereo display (right channel goes right from center, left channel goes backwards to the left from center). I think the ideal PeakMeter/Spectrum display would be something like that with peak meters in the middle.

I think the ideal would be 3 separate panels (for spectrum left, spectrum right, and peakmeter). So that the user can position them anywhere he wants :

Spectrum Left - Peakmeter - Spectrum Right

Peak.....Spectrum Left
meter...Spectrum Right

Peakmeter - Spectrum Left - Spectrum Right

Etc.

With of course the choice, for the Spectrum left's 20-20000 range, to go from left to right or from right to left (in case Spectrum Left is over Spectrum Right like in my second example, it wouldn't look nice to have Spectrum Right's range go from left to right, and Spectrum Left's range go from right to left ! )

Thanks for your hints. I'll think about it. But in the next release there will be only one spectrum analyzer for one or more channels. But you will be able to modify the number of frequency bands and select a specified window function. (accessory advertising )

[4nt1]

hey foo_pm, looking amazing, can I ask for simplicities sake that you add some presets to get the less advanced users up and running, no doubt it might be a little more confusing with all of the options now, ie you wont need to run all 3 possible bars to get the look and feel of what you have in your screen shot. perhaps even some documentation might assist, not only will you make the advanced users happy but the new foobar users as well!!! (which I am not, but thinking of the masses)

[Jose Hidalgo]

Some questions about the bands :

- Can we go below 28 Hz ? (down to 20 Hz, or even lower for HT installations with infra-capable subs)

- Rather than selecting all the bands manually, some automatic mode would be handy. Example : you choose only 3 parameters : the lowest frequency, the highest frequency, the number of bands, and all the intermediate frequencies are automatically calculated. Now that would be really good ! So users could choose between automatic mode and manual mode.

[foo_pm]

hey foo_pm, looking amazing, can I ask for simplicities sake that you add some presets to get the less advanced users up and running, no doubt it might be a little more confusing with all of the options now, ie you wont need to run all 3 possible bars to get the look and feel of what you have in your screen shot. perhaps even some documentation might assist, not only will you make the advanced users happy but the new foobar users as well!!! (which I am not, but thinking of the masses)

Thanks 4nt1! A documentation (wiki) is planned and will be accessible using the help button in the settings dialog. In addition to this some presets in form of setting files might be helpfull.

Some questions about the bands :

- Can we go below 28 Hz ? (down to 20 Hz, or even lower for HT installations with infra-capable subs)

Yes, the 28 Hz band also displays all frequencys below 28 Hz to represent the hole spectrum.

- Rather than selecting all the bands manually, some automatic mode would be handy. Example : you choose only 3 parameters : the lowest frequency, the highest frequency, the number of bands, and all the intermediate frequencies are automatically calculated. Now that would be really good ! So users could choose between automatic mode and manual mode.

That's another good idea but there are already 3 Buttons below the band list view, which can be used to select a part or all bands. Button "A" will select all bands. Button "2" will select every second band. Button "4" will select every forth band. Hopefully that should be sufficient.

[(Sly)]

@Sly : could you please create two more LEDs ? (yellow and red)
That way, we could choose to have green leds, followed by some yellow reds (e.g. between -10 and 0dB), followed by red leds. That would be awesome.
Of course all those LEDs would be grey when not lit.
Thanks in advance if you can do that for foo_pm, and thanks to foo_pm for implementing this in a future release.

here are the color leds (green, yellow, red), i've created grey images for every color, too.
itt would be really nice to implement them into future releases

green:
greyed green:
yellow:
greyed yellow:
red:
greyed red:

This post has been edited by (Sly): Jan 13 2008, 15:20

[Jose Hidalgo]

Thanks a bunch Sly !!

Let's hope foo_pm will find those as useful as we do... thanks in advance.

[bertox]

OH YEAAHH!!! I want this plugin working now!!!!!!

http://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p...er0050zwwa5.jpg


You are the number one!!!

..

This post has been edited by bertox: Jan 31 2008, 17:01

[ebjcoat]

Is it possible to port this plugin to the default UI for foobar 0.9.5?

[eevan]

Browse through the thread a bit
While waiting for a port, you can use it in 0.9.5 with the help of Dockable Panels

[foo_pm]

@Sly : could you please create two more LEDs ? (yellow and red)
That way, we could choose to have green leds, followed by some yellow reds (e.g. between -10 and 0dB), followed by red leds. That would be awesome.
Of course all those LEDs would be grey when not lit.
Thanks in advance if you can do that for foo_pm, and thanks to foo_pm for implementing this in a future release. ;)

here are the color leds (green, yellow, red), i've created grey images for every color, too.
itt would be really nice to implement them into future releases
green:
greyed green:
yellow:
greyed yellow:
red:
greyed red:

Thanks a bunch Sly !!

Let's hope foo_pm will find those as useful as we do... thanks in advance.

Thank you! Very amazing. I' ll try to implement this as an additional internal bitmap when adjustable dB range steps will be implemented.

[foo_pm]

OH YEAAHH!!! I want this plugin working now!!!!!!

http://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p...er0050zwwa5.jpg


You are the number one!!!

..

Thanks a lot! You can get it here: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....st&p=546448