Windows 7's resampling sucks, How can it be improved? Options

[Batman321]

I just checked the optional updates available for my Win 7 installation. No sign of a SRC update. Instead, they offer e.g. a "blurry font fix" to the IE 9 font rendering with highly questionable results.
[attachment=6741:ie9_blurry_font.png]

What an interesting choice of priority. No, actually it's not interesting, it's sad.

Chris

True... IE9 looks horrible after that crappy update

[googlebot]

I'm afraid audio has priority zero at Microsoft

I do not agree. Since Vista Windows has the most advanced audio subsystem of all OSes out of the box. CoreAudio comes close, but it lacks an application controllable output sample rate.

[Roseval]

There are a couple of media players for OSX doing automatic sample rate switching.
Just like in Win it is possible in OSX.
http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/OSX/Players.htm

[Juha]

So, you need dedicated playback software for to do that in OSX (AFAIK, samplerate switching isn't hard to implement when implemented in playback software)?

Juha

This post has been edited by Juha: Nov 6 2011, 11:52

[Roseval]

Correct.
iTunes doesn't support automatic sample rate switching just like WMP on Win doesn't.
You need a thrid party media player to do so.

[bennetng]

I have to agree that win7's resampling has some problems. It only sounds good in DS mode but not in Wave out mode. I have a test file for test. Original wavpack file and a video demonstration is included. You can listen to the sound in the video. VERY BIG differences. Audio in the video is lossy encoded but it can still show the differences between DS and waveout.

http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_...990775897092133

I don't really care WASAPI or ASIO or whatever has the best sound. The problem is that not all software have such mode for selection. For example, in Audition 1.5, I am having bad resampling no matter what I set in Audition's audio preferences.

This problem is not soundcard/driver related. Both my Edirol interface and Creative X-Fi have the same problem. They performed well in XP.

[googlebot]

There are a couple of media players for OSX doing automatic sample rate switching.
Just like in Win it is possible in OSX.

On OSX you have to provide the functionality manually on the application layer. Windows can provide this automatically. I didn't claim that the actual end-user functionality is significantly different on both systems.

[benski]

from the abovementioned thread:

Media Foundation, DirectShow, DirectSound, and waveOut each do sample rate conversion slightly differently. There is a bug in the waveOut sample rate conversion which results in a lower-quality sample rate conversion than was done in XP.

This makes sense of the prior conversation in this thread. It's likely that the RMAA tool is using the older waveIn API where -as Audacity is using DirectSound (at least by default).

[LordWarlock]

For whoever it may interest, there is now a hotfix (not on Windows Update, it's on request only, but should be in next SP) that should fix this sucky resampler. KB2653312

[C.R.Helmrich]

Thanks a million, Lord! Trying it right now. Edit: I listened to my test file with resampling triggered, before and after the hotfix installation. No more aliasing to my ears. That must be one of the best MS hotfixes in years

This issue occurs because the sample rate converter uses linear interpolation when it converts audio files.

*sigh*

Chris

This post has been edited by C.R.Helmrich: Mar 9 2012, 21:51

[extrabigmehdi]

For whoever it may interest, there is now a hotfix (not on Windows Update, it's on request only, but should be in next SP) that should fix this sucky resampler. KB2653312

Or you could bypass win7 resampler by using wasapi...

[Woodinville]

For whoever it may interest, there is now a hotfix (not on Windows Update, it's on request only, but should be in next SP) that should fix this sucky resampler. KB2653312

They have a perfectly good 120dB SNR resampler. WTF did they make this necessary!?

[hellokeith]

Why a hotfix and not an update?

[andy o]

For whoever it may interest, there is now a hotfix (not on Windows Update, it's on request only, but should be in next SP) that should fix this sucky resampler. KB2653312

Or you could bypass win7 resampler by using wasapi...

I don't think this is relevant. Doesn't the Windows mixer work in DirectSound or WASAPI shared?

[markanini]

For whoever it may interest, there is now a hotfix (not on Windows Update, it's on request only, but should be in next SP) that should fix this sucky resampler. KB2653312

They have a perfectly good 120dB SNR resampler. WTF did they make this necessary!?

IIRC MME still used crappy linear interpolation. Some one else will have to confirm.

[db1989]

Cross-linking for future reference:
“Windows 7/2008 have bug in SRC when recording via MME—hotfix available”

I’d also like to take this opportunity to respond to this:

Is there any reason the OS' resampling even matters? If it's bothersome to hear, or even from a "I know _____ and it bothers me", then anything worth listening to w/o that "problem" can simply be played through a player that performs its own resampling. Virtually every player lets you do this, probably with something good enough that isn't complainable. Who cares if your windows sounds or some crappy youtube vid has been upsampled and has a high range falloff? If it only matters for music and videos, just resample in your player if you absolutely cannot stand something in the OS.

tl;dr: If you don't like one thing's way of doing something, use what you believe to be a better version of it.

Very bad logic. Users are perfectly entitled to complain about sloppy implementation of automatic processes, especially in the supposedly latest-and-best edition of the world’s most popular OS, used by millions. Saying there are other options isn’t good enough. Jumping through hoops just to neutralise someone else’s failure should not be considered acceptable. I also take issue with the implicit idea that only those who notice and can deduce the correct cause deserve proper/adequate quality. Audibility shouldn’t matter in contexts such as this, and you instantly dismiss people who notice but aren’t aware of digital audio’s internals and/or may conclude that some other part of their signal-chain is at fault.