Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[thomaspf]

I have been struggling with the opensource convolver and the DirectShow plugin for many years but the integration is poor and fragile. I really would like to see support for a convolver as a native DSP in MC14. Just to show you what type of correction you can expect I add a link to the un/corrected frequency response in my room. The improvement is significant.

Who else is trying to use MC with some form of room correction and how do you do it?

Cheers

Thomas

https://cid-9798175bc4b358d7.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Buffalo%20Dac/corrected%20response%20right.jpg
https://cid-9798175bc4b358d7.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Buffalo%20Dac/corrected%20response%20left.jpg

[)p(]

Who else is trying to use MC with some form of room correction and how do you do it?

I used to use the open source convolver but I had to select it everytime again when I started mc. With the support of vst plugins I tried the open source with vst. That dit not work.

Fortunally I found a commercial vst convolver that does work perfect with mc:
http://www.voxengo.com/product/pspace/?actg=hide&lanid=eng&resid=1600

If I could not use drc with mc I would not even consider it for playing audio

Your example pic links dont seem to work...

peter

[thomaspf]

Thanks Peter,

I fixed the links above. Let me know whether that works now. My room also has a set of bass traps and additional dampening to make it more suitable for audio playback. I agree that one of the big attractions of computer audio is room correction. I am using Acourate for generating the correction impulse. How did you generate yours? I gather JRiver is not spending much time on it since not that many people ask for it but when you listen to the benefits that is just startling. Even with a fully treated room there is no highend playback possible without some form of correction.

I will download the product at the link you described and give that a try with MC14. Can you load VST directly now or do you still need a shim adapter?

Cheers

  Thomas

[thomaspf]

Wow, that is indeed a cool product. The UI is a bit unintuitive but once you have it configured out how to create a default preset you can forget about it.

The integration works a lot better since it remembers all the settings and you do not get any of the strange buffering effects when switching tracks or resuming playback. It also applies automatic sample rate conversion if the source rate and the rate of the impusle file do not match. I had never gotten the automatic conversion to work with the open source convolver.

Did you find any source that charges less than $119.95. That is a steep add-on to MC.

Cheers

   Thomas

[)p(]

Yeah it works perfect with mc.

From the graphs I suspect you have already a very good response from your right speaker without correction. I am curious though why the response from the left speaker above 500 hz is not so good? I don't recall ever seeing so much difference in the higher freq response between left and right...but I am by no means an expert...

I use drc 3.x with a flat target and the psycho-acoustic correction enabled.
http://drc-fir.sourceforge.net/

peter

[thomaspf]

I have an asymmetric room and yes the speakers are Harbeth Monitor 40.

Doesn't a flat target not sound to dry?

Cheers

   Thomas

[)p(]

I have an asymmetric room and yes the speakers are Harbeth Monitor 40.

Doesn't a flat target not sound to dry?

Cheers

   Thomas

Very nice speakers 

Normally yes, thats why I said I use the new psycho acoustic processing in drc 3, it uses a model of how we actually hear the freq response. In a way I suppose you can say it adjusts the target for you.

peter

[audunth]

Hi,

I'm about to buy a program called Audiolense which also creates FIR filters for use with Convolver (the free directshow plugin). I haven't tried to set it up yet, but isn't that supposed to be used as a directshow filter (set up in the File Types dialog) as opposed to a DSP plugin? Of course you got my vote too to include a flawless method of using FIR filters in MC if the convolver directshow filter isn't working that well.

Also, I wonder if it's possible to set up different directshow filters for different zones, as I use MC for a full surround 7.1 setup in my home theater and a stereo setup in my living room, and would like to room correct both setups using Convolver.

[mojave]

I've also thought about using Audiolense and have downloaded the demo. However, with MC the DSP and VST plugins only work for audio only files. If you are watching a movie, the plugins are bypassed and Audiolense will not be used. I have been experimenting with using Virtual Audio Cable and routing the sound output from MC to Reaper and then using plugins within Reaper. It would be great if MC could do this internally.

[audunth]

Can't you add Convolver as a directshow filter used for video files also in the File Types dialog?

[mojave]

I guess you are right. I was adding it to the DSP effects, but now I see that I can add it as a directshow filter like you said (I didn't read your other post close enought ). I haven't actually used Convolver yet, but I was using other VST parametric EQs and they must be loaded into the DSP effects. Audiolense and Convolver might just do what I want. Please keep us updated on your usage of Audiolense.

[mojave]

I tried Convolver with Audiolense and all I get when I enable Convolver is static  . Convolver does work, however, as a plugin in Windows Media Player 11. I then loaded VoxengoPristineSpace as a VST plugin into MC 14 and loaded the sample file from Audiolense. It now works fine. The sample file is attenuated by 10 dB so it is easy to hear when it is in use. This still doesn't help me use it for movies and video media files.

[Yaobing]

In MC14, DirectShow filters can be added in DSP Studio.  With the open source Convolver filters, each time the filter is loaded it pops up a configuration window asking for a Config text file or an IR file.  I can not get past that popup without specifying a configuration file or an impulse response file.  How does one generate such a file?

[mojave]

The file is generated by measurement software such as Audiolense or Room Equalization Wizard (REW). There is a guide for using REW with Convolver at hometheatershack.com. That thread also has some good links to other resources. If you just need a sample file, I could send one to you. They are very small.

[Yaobing]

The file is generated by measurement software such as Audiolense or Room Equalization Wizard (REW). There is a guide for using REW with Convolver at hometheatershack.com. That thread also has some good links to other resources. If you just need a sample file, I could send one to you. They are very small.

Please send me a sample file so I can test how the filters work in MC's DSP Studio.  Thanks.  yaobing at jriver dot com

[mojave]

I just sent the configuration files and the accompanying wav file (use the second e-mail). I realized as I was looking at these that it ends up loading the wav file. I had my File Types set to play wav files with an external player. I changed it back to Automatic. I no longer get static, but now the Convolver plugin says "Output Format Not Supported."

[Yaobing]

Thanks for the sample files.

In DSP Studio in MC14, I can click Add Plug-in... > Add DirectShow DSP Filter, and find three Convolver filters among others:

Convolver Plug-in
Convolver Wrapper
ConvolverFilter

The first one is the DMO Audio Effects filter version.  The other two are regular DirectShow filters. 

Using the configuration files you sent, I can use the second version, "Convolver Wrapper", without any problem.  When enabled, it attenuated the volume as expected.

When the other two versions are enabled in MC14, they just give static noise.  I will have to look into this further.

The property page of "ConvolverFilter" crashes when it is deactivated.  This probably is a bug in the filter itself.

[Yaobing]

Hi,

I'm about to buy a program called Audiolense which also creates FIR filters for use with Convolver (the free directshow plugin). I haven't tried to set it up yet, but isn't that supposed to be used as a directshow filter (set up in the File Types dialog) as opposed to a DSP plugin? Of course you got my vote too to include a flawless method of using FIR filters in MC if the convolver directshow filter isn't working that well.

DirectShow filter selection in File Types is for playing video and audio using DirectShow engines.  Most audio types are not played through DirectShow.  Therefore File Type is not the place for setting this up.

MC14 supports DirectShow filters natively inside DSP Studio.  MC13 supports DirectShow filters using DirectX Host plugin in DSP Studio.

You can add "Convolver Wrapper" filter in DSP Studio.  It seems to work fine.  I have trouble using the other two versions - ConvolverFilter and Convolver Plug-in.

Can't you add Convolver as a directshow filter used for video files also in the File Types dialog?

I am not sure if this is how Convolver filters are supposed to be used.  Anyway, I tried it with a couple of mkv videos and it did not work.  One possible reason is the strict sample rate and channel number requirement by Convolver.  Another possible cause is the order in which the the filters are connected in DirectShow graph-building.

[mojave]

I tried Convolver Wrapper and was able to make it work in the DSP Studio. I was not able to make it work when added as a directshow filter for an MKV file.

I then opened the MKV file with Graphedit and inserted the Convolver Wrapper between the audio decoder and the Default DirectSound Device. It worked there without any problems. With Windows Media Player I opened a DVD. I was able to toggle the Convolver on and off there. With both programs, Convolver did seem to pick the correct number of channels and bitrate since my original config file included both 2.0 and 5.1 impulse filters with varying bitrates.

Audiolense creates a config file that then points to other config files which in turn point to the wav impulse filters. If the original config file contains the correct number of channels and bitrates, then it seems that Convolver can correctly insert itself.

There might be something helpful at the Convolver website.