Stereo Tool

7.85 BETA015

Windows 32 bit:
Windows stand alone: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... 85-015.exe
Winamp DSP: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... 85-015.exe
Windows VST 32 bit: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 85-016.dll

CHANGED:
- Added option to switch between 1 and 160 bands for Exciter.

OLD CHANGES:
- Error (crash) on some systems should be solved
- Exciter generates more highs than the previous version (which generated too little). The amount of filtering is reduced though!
- Improved Exciter: Increased number of bands from 40 to 160. MP3-like artifacts AND distortion should be gone now.
- Exciter: Calculate target amplification levels for each bin using white (?) noise!
- Fixed some Exciter issues (which might have been the cause of errors that some people reported).
- Improved Exciter: Now using 40 bands instead of 1
- Show something in settings that have been changed (for example a dot next to the name of the setting).
- Add license check function: extern "C" bool stereoTool_IsLicenseValid(gStereoTool* st_instance);
- Added some filtering to make sound less 'sandy' (distorted).
- Exciter: Check why it sometimes boosts audio around 10 kHz (?) more than it should (Johnnie Cash) - protection filter appears not to work completely. Compare what happens without protection filter! -> Fixed (more or less)
- Added a soft of exciter (not an FM exciter but something that generates highs). I've placed it (for now) under True Bass, and it cannot be configured yet. Not really sure what to make of it yet, I think I like it but it does sound a bit "rough" sometimes. Note: It can cause pre- and post ringing at higher latency settings (I will fix that later, first want to get a bit of a feeling for what it does).
- Make scope skinnable
- Bug: i found one malfunction in the BS412 Section: If your switch off the FM Option and leave the BS412 Limiter in On-Position the Advanced Clipper only works in a reduced way: You can´t change the Clipper drive even if you pull the handle. The BS412 Limiter is greyed out instead so maybe someone doesn´t find the failure. If You switch the BS412 to off everything works fine again! Just a small detail, but maybe someone will have problems… -> I think I have fixed it (but there are a lot of different combinations of settings that can impact the result, I hope I haven't missed any). The next version shouldn't have this problem anymore, also, when BS412 is used I have now disabled the Advanced Clipper Drive slider.
I've been busy hiding a lot more deprecated features (if they are set to their default value). This should make the GUI a bit simpler. Stuff that's now hidden (still there and still functional if you really want to use it):
- "Bass AGC (Old)" panel
- "Classic Multiband Compressor" panel
- "Classic Singleband" panel
- "Pre-limiter" panel (in Advanced Clipper)
- "Leif's clipper efficiency modification" checkbox
- "Composite clipping Strictness (CPU)" checkbox
- Phase rotation: ""At start of processing" checkbox
- AGC "Compatibility & behavior" header
- All Singleband and Multiband "Compressor type" (Analog/Digital) pull-downs
- Multiband and Natural Dynamics "Compatibility mode (bad)" for Flat Frequency Response checkbox
- "Bass protection (Deprecated)" header in Advanced Clipper -> Bass
- "Highs gap protection: *" in Advanced Clipper -> Highs
- "Smooth slope" in Advanced Clipper -> Distortion
- "Upsampled highs clipping (useless)" in Advanced Clipper -> Distortion
- Stokkemask: "Force Stokkemask even if not using Composite Clipping (bad for audio)"
- BS412: ""De-basser non-ITU.1770 compatibility mode (bad)"
- Right clicking now restores default again, mid or double right clicking restores last loaded preset (or startup) value.
Bug: If you use FM and Normal output, with separately processed audio for streaming for Normal output, and for FM output enable pre-emphasis but *not* pre-emphasize output, then Normal output is not processed separately!
- What is the pink line in the BS412 display? Maybe remove it. http://i.imgur.com/70mWvqp.png -> Ah no, it's the adjustment of the compressor thresholds. Needs to be added to Help page.
- BS412 has VERY narrow jump on de-basser from 240 to 250 Hz. (Jump of multiple dB's). -> No, brown line jumps but actual output is smooth, so no problem.
- BS412 bass filter doesn't use ITU1770 as it should but some weird other shape that goes up to about 250 Hz.
- Need to support 2 default values and a RESET TO LAST LOADED VALUE reset option.
- Hide not selected deprecated stuff - partially working!
- Move Copyright stuff etc. also to command line version (maybe just copy it?)

TODO:
- Try "True Bass" for highs -> Probably make a version where different modes (with/without filtering, with better HPF) are tested. Maybe also with multiple bands?? To reduce generated distortion.
- Exciter: Smooth curve to avoid ringing (which is now filtered out by later steps, but that's bad).
- Exciter: Add slider for Band Width
- Exciter: Add slider for Band Overlap
- Exciter: Add slider and checkbox (?) for Band Shape (half cosine, cosine, squared/square root)
- Exciter: Check why lowest part (just above start) is too soft.
- Add Polar stereo viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6233&p=33031#p33031
- Continue with finding parameters to hide
- Try adding phase delay compensation
- O skin
- Show help in gui
- Blog post pre-processing
- Blog post MP3 and declipping

Where did you add this setting? Unfortunately I only see the following settings. I am by the way, in the "Extreme Tweaker" mode.


The result is, incidentally, become much better!

Weird, it should be visible in that screen. Please check that it's really BETA015!

Ok I've checked. It is the beta version 15. The sound is also much better than in the other betas. In my user directory is also the appropriate settings file: "vst_stereo_tool_BETA785-015.ini".

Hallo Hans,

Deze versie klinkt goed.
Probleempje
Wanneer ik de Highs exciter aanzet dan loopt de input buffer leeg en gaat hij hakkelen.
1 band (off=160) werkt wel goed.

Groet,

audiostreamen

Ah, the VST version for 015 was never uploaded (what got uploaded was version 014, it says 'NOT YET AVAILABLE' next to the link!). So, you're getting the improvements of version 014, but not yet the option to switch to 1 band.

I'm re-uploading now.
http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... 85-016.dll

Awesome; I just found out, PNR works now as VST plugin in WaveLab. I can now select a tiny section in a WAV with the noise I want to be filtered out and by playing the selection in a loop and let Sterotool analyze it, I can pretty much finetune it.

BUT: WaveLab only takes the settings before I manually save them as preset. If I dont it seems it takes the last saved settings and not the current ones in the memory of the plugin.

BTW: I never switched from the "Classic Multiband" to the new one because I simply dont understand it. I am no sound engineer, so the classic one was understandable for me and it is easier to access, since I have everything on one page: I use it a lot when I remaster music tracks for my private collection and each music track needs different settings, and there I can tweak everything on one page easily. I also use the voice protection setting of the classic multiband a lot to control the volume of a singer in a music track. For newcomers and rookies the classic multiband is awesome, because you understand it without the need to know all the specifics. The new multiband looks like high mathematics too me, I have no clue what is happening there with all the knobs. If the new multiband would have a user interface which emulates the classic multiband it would make it more accessable for newcomers and easier to tweak the settings for individual tracks during remastering.

Oh I'm sorry. I have just now read the sentence in the last beta. But thanks for the re-upload. Now the option also appears. The sound is still as good, if you take 160 bands. It's really hardly distorted, and principle useful. But a bit more configurations would be super.

I've rendered it offline with the VST-Plugin, so I could have a listen anyway

http://www110.zippyshare.com/v/ItwQxaOR/file.html

First 1 Band, then 160 Bands and then Original. I've listened it through speakers and various headphones. 160 Bands sounds a tiny little less distorted, but there is IMHO not much of a difference. Overall, I always preferred the original. The Exciter always makes voices and noise-like sounds "scratchy", like played back on vinyl. I don't like this kind of sound much at all, sorry But all the vinyl-fans might be screaming at me right now

But it works pretty good on old records from the 50s and early 60s, which have few highs and scratchy sound anyway. On this kind of music, 160 Bands sounds clearly better, much less mp3-like artifacts.

Well what you can expect from sound that fully missing highs. I think this is awesome.
Also there is huge difference between 1 and 160 bands... huge!

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