Stereo Tool

It would be appreciated to receive from stereo tool users any customized sts setup file that makes Stereo Tool sound smooth and crispy when playing pop music, the same as what we normally hear in the local FM Stereo Stations. I am sorry to say that the sound when using the provided presets for the "FM Transmitter Stereo" with all the correct settings for the FM Transmitter is still sound flat "I repeat Flat' and lack of crispiness, it is not the same as most FM Stations specially when playing the same type of pop music, However, I am sure that Stereo Tool has the capability and the power to bring the same sound with help of further customizing the sts setup file.
Thank you
Abdul

If by crispy you mean better (stronger) highs, and punchier bass sounds, try the new beta (work in progress, still called 3.40 now, but will soon be released as 3.50):
Winamp DSP plugin: http://www.stereotool.com/download/dsp_ ... r_BETA.exe
Stand alone version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... r_BETA.exe
Command line: http://www.stereotool.com/download/ster ... d_BETA.exe
VST version: http://www.stereotool.com/download/vst_ ... l_BETA.dll

In this new version the final (pre) limiter and Loudness filters have been rewritten. Especially the old final (pre) limiter reduced the bass and high peaks far too much.

It's NOT yet finished (some sounds cause some cracking sounds), but it should already give a much better sound than 3.40.

The FM Loud preset is the loudest that offers good sound quality, FM Hot sounds pretty bad (but many FM stations sound this way).

Thanks Hans for you help, please note that the one you mentioned as a command line version is actually a standalone installer, I would really be greatfull to you if you can send me the actual command line new beta version, as i always prefer to work on dos, i feel programs run faster that way.
Thanks again,
Abdul

Oops - corrected.

Hi Hans,
I have tried the vst beta version with my adobe audition 0.3, it sounds much much better, the overall sound is clean and open with space and punch, the high frequencies sound smoother with less or even no distortion.
Great job Hans, good enhancement, and we shall also wait for the final release of version 3.5 with even more improvement.
Abdul

Cool, thanks

I'm currently working on the last few causes of distortion (actually "crackling" sounds on instruments with strong mid frequencies like strings). And I _might_ still need to add an extra filter to reduce very loud highs a bit. Except for that, I don't really expect a lot more changes before I'll release it (but I've said that before, and I still haven't released it..)

Yes Hans, just to confirm of what you stated above. After listening to many music, i have also noticed some cracking sound in the mid to mid-low frequencies, apart from that the sound is live and much better than the early version.

The cracking is largely gone now. In general, the sound seems clearer in this new version. (Just use the same link, make sure that you have the new version by checking the About box, the title should mention the date 20090320).

Hi Hans,
I have tried the latest beta standalone version with various type of music and i can say that yes the cracking noise is gone, the sound is loud, punchy and clearer. I have also compared your product with the Breakaway Broadcast using various type of music and my impression is as follows:
When i increase the 5.5KHz equalizer slide by 0.5 (set to 1.5), the sound produced by Stereo Tool is identical to the same sound produced by the Breakaway Broadcast with its default setting and with "Reference settings" is being selected from the Core Preset. Sometimes i also feel that in some type of music, the 43Hz slide also requires a slight increment, may be by the same value (0.5). Please note that the equalizer in stereo tool is set before the Multiband.
I am sure that the reason why some people prefer the sound of the Breakaway Broadcast is because in all its normal presets it utilizes a shaped sound which is done by an internal tone control or an equalizer, ie. the sound of Plutonium, Zenith, Dance, Rock ..etc., and it is fact that many people prefer an equalized sound which has more highs and lows than a flat natural sound.

Hans, this is only my opinion and suggestion while comparing the two products, and i hope that i am not advertising or even criticizing anyone product. And as i am aware that you are an expert in sound and software you may further check and evaluate this comparison.
Thank you with kind regards,
Abdul

Hi Abdul,

I've just checked the effect of setting the 8th equalizer slider to 1.5. It does indeed seem to sound better (on headphones), and the effect on the Loudness filter seems to be very small. I'll check if it also sounds better on other equipment, if so I'll change the presets. And I'll probably also follow your suggestion about the 1st slider - a bit more bass would really sound better (and by doing it before the multiband compressor, I can still avoid distortion which can be caused by too loud bass sounds).

I was already planning to replace the current Presets mechanism by a much larger list of presets divided into separate categories, if I do that I can also add a lot of different presets for each category - maybe including some with different equalizer settings.

I've just uploaded a new version (20090322) where the Hard Limit filter is changed in the same way the Loudness filter was changed, which slightly improves the output quality.