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Author Topic: Why does DSP Volume Leveling work when using WASAPI loopback?  (Read 1299 times)

Trumpetguy

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Why does DSP Volume Leveling work when using WASAPI loopback?
« on: September 24, 2014, 03:01:23 am »

I usually have Volume Leveling enabled when playing from my local library. How does this work when using a source such as loopback, where volume level information does not exist? Right now I see in the audio path that is lowers the level by 10dB, and when Volume Leveling is disabled, audio gets louder. So the question is really not whether it does do anything, because it does. The question is more about: Why -10dB, and why any leveling at all?

I can see two ways around this, either manually enabling/disabling the Volume Leveling depending on source. Or use zones.

But is there any reason why this feature is enabled at all when playing loopback? Especially since the possibility to set at fixed attenuation level was removed in MC18 or early 19.
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Matt

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Re: Why does DSP Volume Leveling work when using WASAPI loopback?
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2014, 07:37:00 am »

-10dB is just a guess when we don't know so it won't be a lot louder than other things.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

Trumpetguy

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Re: Why does DSP Volume Leveling work when using WASAPI loopback?
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2014, 11:35:32 am »

Ok, so using zones would be the better option in this case.

But I cannot help wondering if 0dB would be the better default choice when loopback is enabled. Using loopback is a quite different thing than playing the occassional non-analyzed, local library track.

Would you be willing to consider setting the default value to 0dB?
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mwillems

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Re: Why does DSP Volume Leveling work when using WASAPI loopback?
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2014, 11:52:40 am »

Ok, so using zones would be the better option in this case.

But I cannot help wondering if 0dB would be the better default choice when loopback is enabled. Using loopback is a quite different thing than playing the occassional non-analyzed, local library track.

Would you be willing to consider setting the default value to 0dB?

I personally find it really jarring when web video or system sounds come through drastically louder than other things after enabling loopback (I like the current default -10dB from volume leveling).

There are a lot of DSP settings a person might be using that don't make sense for loopback, and the way to manage that is separate zones (or possibly using the new track DSP options).  With zoneswitch appropriately configured, the multizone process isn't really any different than having one zone from a UI perspective (enabling loopback goes automatically to the correct zone, everything else lands in the normal zone); the only challenges I can think of are in configuration on the front end.  

That said, if the default did change, I could take care of my issue with zones too, so I guess fairs' fair ;D

Have you got a use case where zones + zoneswitch wouldn't work correctly for you? 
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Trumpetguy

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Re: Why does DSP Volume Leveling work when using WASAPI loopback?
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2014, 12:48:28 pm »

Ok, so there are uses that would require zones either way. I was just lazy and wanted to check why this was implemented the way it is.

Zones and auto zoneswitch works perfectly, so now I'm going to cinfigure it my work desktop computer client.
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