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Author Topic: Useability suggestions (DSP, bitstreaming DSD)  (Read 546 times)

max096

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Useability suggestions (DSP, bitstreaming DSD)
« on: March 24, 2023, 10:17:28 pm »

I recently tried DSD for the first time. Not gonna go into that too much. Functionally, works out fine.

However, to really play the actual DSD file you have to use a hardware output and you also have to enable bitstreaming to dodge convertion to PCM, probably you also wanna turn off any output format changes you made, because while DSD bitstreaming bypasses that playing back other songs wonīt and I donīt want to do that if I pick a hardware output. I just want the bitrate the song has to arrive at my DAC. Then if you want to use your PC for other stuff later you end up changing everything back. That is a bit of an annoying dance to do. These are mostly suggestion to make this take less clicks around multiple menus for how I use it. Some of the suggestions may already have solution(s) that Iīm just not aware of.

In DSP for Output Sample rate the most common thing that at least I want to do is exactly matching the sample rate Iīve set in my OS (whatever the OS might be). Sometimes I set everything to 44.1kHz because most sounds are gonna be that, sometimes I set everything to 96kHz because the more high resolution songs I have are usually that. It would be great if you where able to apply a sample rate output to everything instead of having to enter the same thing 11 times if you just want to change them all to exactly the same thing. If you do not change the sample rate in MC the mixer the OS uses is gonna do it anyways. So it becomes a matter of do you think MC does a better job at it than the OS'es sound mixer.

It would also be useful if we could tie DSP settings to specific devices. So that the changes just apply when you change the device. With device I donīt necessarily mean a physical device, but whatever comes up as available outputs, the same device will be listed multiple times most likely. I donīt have an exact vision for how that would look like UI wise, but something along the lines of a device selector on top of the DSP window and a way for that to be not a thing for people donīt want that.

I also think, especially if the above change take place that things like bitsreaming would be good to just be part of the DSP menu (there may be more candidates to get the same treadment but that is the only one I have come in contact with). I know that that kind of bypasses most if not all things that happen there, but you also call it "DSP & output format" in the settings and it most definitely concerns the output format when you enable bitstreaming. Maybe you think it does not belong there, but I donīt think you necessarily have to be so technically clinical when it comes to usuability.

TLDR; The dream would be I just change the output and the rest falls into place by doing that.
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Hendrik

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Re: Useability suggestions (DSP, bitstreaming DSD)
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2023, 12:52:58 am »

If you regularly change between fixed set of settings, thats what Zones are for. You can have them all prepared in advance and just select which zone tickles your fancy this day for playback.
This way you can have a set of settings for different output devices, or just a different set of settings with the same output device attached to it. Whatever the use-case demands.

PS:
Right-click in the sample rate configuration to set them all at the same time.
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max096

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Re: Useability suggestions (DSP, bitstreaming DSD)
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2023, 05:33:15 am »

If you regularly change between fixed set of settings, thats what Zones are for. You can have them all prepared in advance and just select which zone tickles your fancy this day for playback.
This way you can have a set of settings for different output devices, or just a different set of settings with the same output device attached to it. Whatever the use-case demands.

PS:
Right-click in the sample rate configuration to set them all at the same time.

Ahh... makes sence, thanks.

It does change the settings properly, but it seems that if I change output device using zones like this it wonīt work until mc is restarted.

If I play music then pause with a direct sound output then switch to a zone where I set it to use WASAPI it tells me for everything I play that the output format is not supported. If I do it the other way around no message comes up, but it will not start playing either. Both zone settings work fine after a restart of mc.

Switching between zones that use the same output works fine. And doing that change in the output selector also works (most of the time). Both outputs are the same device just different api and its also the one set in windows.
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Hendrik

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Re: Useability suggestions (DSP, bitstreaming DSD)
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2023, 12:04:44 pm »

You will need to stop, not pause, otherwise the device will remain open and likely block playback. Unless these are actually different devices, and not just a separate interface to the same output.
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max096

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Re: Useability suggestions (DSP, bitstreaming DSD)
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2023, 01:00:20 pm »

You will need to stop, not pause, otherwise the device will remain open and likely block playback. Unless these are actually different devices, and not just a separate interface to the same output.

When stopping it works indeed. Thank's!  :)
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