A how to for a PC XO.

[NiToNi]

But I do have a question - does anyone know of a multi-channel convolver VST for the MAC?

Jaz

I am looking to do this myself (since my MH LIO-8 interface is Mac only) and here are a couple of ways I'm thinking of:

(1) Multi-channel player (such as AyreWave) => capture output from player with Audio Hijack Pro => Run LAconvolver or similar (preferably FIR compatible) as an Audio Unit plug-in inside Audio Hijack Pro => Route output from Audio Hijack Pro into the FW sound card;

(2) AyreWave => capture output with Bidule for Mac => Run ConvolverVST (VST) or LAconvolver (AU) as a plug-in in Bidule => Route from Bidule out to sound card;

(3) Run an instance of Win7 inside OSX Using Parallels Desktop v6, which supports 5.1 surround => Win-based multi-channel player such as J River Media Center => built-in convolver in J River => capture the output from J River inside OSX using Audio Hijack Pro (or possibly Bidule) => route to sound card

(4) Run J River in Win7 using using Parallels => capture the output in OSX using Audio Hijack Pro => LAconvolver as AU plug-in in Audio Hijack Pro => route to sound card.

For stereo-playback, Pure Music supports AU plug-ins directly, so it is possible to convolve correction filters inside the player directly (like J River but without multi-channel playback).

The killer app for me would be to be able to use my Mac mini also as an OSX-based HTPC with full 7.1 (or 7.2) correction. Since apps like Plex and XMBC cannot decode DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD natively (yet), you could capture the S/PDIF with Audio Hijack Pro, use a Minnetonka SurCode DTS-HD decoder as an AU plug-in in Audio Hijack Pro, and a convolver, then output 7.1 surround to 8-channel sound card for D/A conversion.

 

[jazbo8]

NiToNi,

When it comes to MAC, the choices for DRC, XO are a bit limited, but as it turns out - LAConvolver can handle multiple channels already. You can also use Jack or Soundflower to route the signals on the MAC (both free), so multi-channel xo and drc on the Mac should be no problem. I am also looking at Adobe Audition for Mac (free beta now) that can let you mix your own up-sampled, multi-channel mixes from stereo tracks on the fly... But on my Mini, it kept crashing (rather unusual for a Mac app).

Since I had an old pc laptop laying around, I decided just to install Puppy Linux on it and run it as a stand-alone XO, DRC processor - I run only xo on the front L/R 2-way speakers, but room correction on all the speakers with BruteFIR. All the AC3 decoding are still done by my Nuforce AVP16 receiver, granted, it is not the ideal solution since this way additional D/A, and A/D are involved, but it is easier to use for the whole family imo. Basically, set it and leave it, all the playback operations stay the same.

My next project will be to build a complete digital system from the source to the speakers, well, the PWM/digital amps still have to filter out the modulation signal, but you get the idea...

Thanks,
Jaz

I am looking to do this myself (since my MH LIO-8 interface is Mac only) and here are a couple of ways I'm thinking of:

(1) Multi-channel player (such as AyreWave) => capture output from player with Audio Hijack Pro => Run LAconvolver or similar (preferably FIR compatible) as an Audio Unit plug-in inside Audio Hijack Pro => Route output from Audio Hijack Pro into the FW sound card;

(2) AyreWave => capture output with Bidule for Mac => Run ConvolverVST (VST) or LAconvolver (AU) as a plug-in in Bidule => Route from Bidule out to sound card;

(3) Run an instance of Win7 inside OSX Using Parallels Desktop v6, which supports 5.1 surround => Win-based multi-channel player such as J River Media Center => built-in convolver in J River => capture the output from J River inside OSX using Audio Hijack Pro (or possibly Bidule) => route to sound card

(4) Run J River in Win7 using using Parallels => capture the output in OSX using Audio Hijack Pro => LAconvolver as AU plug-in in Audio Hijack Pro => route to sound card.

For stereo-playback, Pure Music supports AU plug-ins directly, so it is possible to convolve correction filters inside the player directly (like J River but without multi-channel playback).

The killer app for me would be to be able to use my Mac mini also as an OSX-based HTPC with full 7.1 (or 7.2) correction. Since apps like Plex and XMBC cannot decode DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD natively (yet), you could capture the S/PDIF with Audio Hijack Pro, use a Minnetonka SurCode DTS-HD decoder as an AU plug-in in Audio Hijack Pro, and a convolver, then output 7.1 surround to 8-channel sound card for D/A conversion.

 

[hoka]

Nitoni's mentioning of "pure music" has made life much easier, I now run Pure Music on with a three way crossover already built in to my modified Griffin Firewave and the sound-quality is so much better then my previous setup that its just unreal!
Since Pure Music also runs AU untis I run ARC for room correction

 

[jazbo8]

Good suggestions, I will check them out as well.
Jaz

Nitoni's mentioning of "pure music" has made life much easier, I now run Pure Music on with a three way crossover already built in to my modified Griffin Firewave and the sound-quality is so much better then my previous setup that its just unreal!
Since Pure Music also runs AU untis I run ARC for room correction

 

[timreeves]

So this thread is MASSIVE!

I'm looking at doing this soon and I was wondering what's the deal with volume control?

I plan on using console + waves as I require the XO to work for multiple programs and will be using an asus xonar sound card (which i believe is multi-client and allows internal routing if you use the right drivers)

My question is, will the normal volume control in windows 7 work or do I need to find another way? I would also want a standad MCE remote control to adjust volume - if that complicates things further?

 

[Mark_A_W]

I use the main windows volume as the volume control - either by a multimedia keyboard with a knob, or via remote control.


I'm not aware of internal routing for the Xonar card. I own one, and I use the Uni Xonar drivers for it, neither they nor the Asus drivers have Routing.

I ended up buying an ESI Prodigy Hifi to get a card with internal routing. It does work, but THE DRIVERS ARE WOEFUL. BSOD all over the place, and lots of little quirks.

 

[Mark_A_W]

Ah, there may be a way to get the Xonar to work with Allocator, using the Uni Xonar drivers (the C-media control panel version).

http://www.thuneau.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1222&sid=d29ac35cbd0d70e1ce708f2d26436362

 

[xTr3Me]

Can anyone recommend a soundcard that is compatible to the FAL-Software?? (Allocator)

 

[xTr3Me]

Well I decided to order the Asus Xonar D2/PM. It shouldwork with the C-Media Version..

Is there a tutorial how I can make it work with MediaMonkey? I just found the description form mark_a_w but I dont know if this works too with MediaMoney. Tomorrow I will receive the Asus Xonar Soundcard and I hope it will work..

At the moment I still have the M-Audio2496 but it does not work with Mediamonkey.. I tried the WinAmp_Allocator_Output_v1_0, which already worked with the demo version of FAL, but now with the full light-version it does not work anymore and shows that there is an error when mediamonkey is started. if i remove the allocator_out.dll from the plugin folder of mediamonkey it works perfectly again..

 

[lduarte1973]

anyone tryed doing a crossover with the new ASUS Xonar Essence STX ?

 

[ackcheng]

Just want to report here that Acourate has now a new optional upgrades which elimiates pre-ringing of the impulse response.

I turns this

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

into this

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

The sound is alot more transparent, with better attacks and dynamics.

This is a magnified photos. The actually pre-ringing before correction is alot worse! Somehow, even the subsequent part of the IR is also matched better.

 

[ashok]

anyone tryed doing a crossover with the new ASUS Xonar Essence STX ?

This is a two channel stereo card !

The Asus Xonar D2X is a 7.1 channel card. That can give you a 3 way x2 crossover and sub. But I haven't yet understood if it is useable with Allocator. I haven't yet read all the other pages to find out if anyone has successfully implemented it!

 

[KOON3876]

Hi there is new USB to I2S x 4 device here, exaU2I
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...i-channel-asynchronous-usb-i2s-interface.html

I wrote how to PC XO with Reaper, here.
https://sites.google.com/site/koonaudioprojects/exau2i-FIR-crossover

 

[dwk123]

Well, don't I feel dumb. I've been using Reaper and ReqEQ to implement IIR filters for a while, but have been thinking I need to get Pristine Space set up and use Octave etc to generate my filters for an FIR setup. I didn't even realize that Reaper had what looks to be a usable FIR engine in place. Pity I'm heading out for a week of vacation tomorrow morning, or I'd definitely be trying this.

Is it only in 4.0? I will have to double check, but I think I'm still on a 3.x series.

 

[twest820]

It's not a FIR setup. Unless the reduce artifacts box is checked ReaFIR does block based processing using windowed FFTs. Checking the box is of debatable utility; last I did measurements the FIR synthesis was barely capable of 12dB/octave slopes. Good for certain kinds of EQ, not so great for crossovers or suppressing cone resonances or dipole correction.

I'd suggest avoiding brick walls in FFT mode. Management of discontinuities between blocks is limited (unless there have been significant improvements to the plugin since I investigated it last spring) so one tends to get better results with slopes closer to LR4. That said, the price is right and the functionality compares favorably with higher sound quality alternatives such as PLParEQX3.

 

[KOON3876]

Hi twest820 thanks,
I changed the page URL as
https://sites.google.com/site/koonaudioprojects/exau2i-FFT-crossover
"FFT channel divider, by Reaper and exaU2I Howto"

also please check this page. This is true FIR.
https://sites.google.com/site/koonaudioprojects/cuda-fir-vst-channel-divider

 

[twest820]

Yeah, ReaFIR instead of ReaFFT is an odd choice of name.

Brickwalls cause problems in FIR as well. As an example, the graph links at the bottom of this page show how the impulse response widens as the filter cutoff steepens---at least for me the time smearing is still audible with relatively short impulse responses like -mb 90. So you might try backing off the 1kHz wall and seeing where it gets you. Unless a speaker's poorly implemented for directivity (which is actually kind of common, but no so much the case with monitors) or is pushing its drivers more than normal there tends to be diminishing return from crossover slopes above 36dB/octave.

 

[KOON3876]

Hi anyone who are using VST based PC crossover audio, and has up to date CPU,
Could you try my "SSE FIR Filter" VST? (! sorry you have the risk !) no GPU required.

https://sites.google.com/site/koonaudioprojects/sse-fir-vst-plugin

Today I tried straight FIR, CPU only, SSE2 compiled on Core i7.
it looks like working but I want to know other person can use this.

 

[rvrazvan]

@KOON
You're a small genius ). A Ton of work there. I am not able to understand when you have time to build all that, considering the fact that you are not just copying something. Congrats!
But here is my question. Can you do a tutorial for those who want to use standard multichannel cards? It will be a hit

 

[kingcole]

PC XO must under test。。。。