electro-music.com   Dedicated to experimental electro-acoustic
and electronic music
 
    Front Page  |  Radio
 |  Media  |  Forum  |  Wiki  |  Links
Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
 FAQFAQ   CalendarCalendar   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   LinksLinks
 RegisterRegister   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in  Chat RoomChat Room 
 Forum index » How-tos » Ambiophonic Sound Reproduction
Using foobar player for AmbiophonicDSP VST plugin
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 1 of 1 [15 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
Author Message
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 4:36 pm    Post subject:  Using foobar player for AmbiophonicDSP VST plugin Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

For several years I've been using Winamp with the VSTBridge plugin to play my stereophonic recordings using the AmbiophonicDSP plugin (see: http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-37687.html ), but lately problems have been showing up using the audio drivers on my XP and Vista computers. So, I've tried the Foobar2000 player. It's not a pretty, but it seems to be a much more solid player. If you are getting frustrated with Winamp, I suggest you give Foobar2000 a go. Here's how:

Download Foobar2000 and install from this link: http://www.foobar2000.org/

I downloaded the latest stable version.

Next download George Yohng's VST Wrapper for Foobar 2000 player. It is needed to enable foobar to load and use VST plugins, like the electro-music.com AmbiophonicDSP. See here: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/forums.html?showtopic=59206 for download link in instructions. Instructions are also included in the zip archive.

Next, just copy the AmbiophonicDSP.dll file, or other dll VST plugin, to the C:\Foobar2000\components directory (or where ever you installed it) on your drive. Activate the AmbiophonicDSP by clicking on the little blue VST image in the Windows toolbar, select the "Use VST Effect" menu item, select the AmbiophonicDSP VST plugin or whatever you are using, and enjoy your music.

It doesn't sound better than Winamp, but Foobar2000 is much more robust, at least for me. If Winamp is working for you, this won't be worth the trouble.

If you have questions or problems, post them here and I'll try to help you out. Thanks to electro-music.com user kraut for pointing me in the right direction on this.

_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
ppw72



Joined: Jan 13, 2011
Posts: 4
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:55 pm    Post subject: Linux Ambio Setup
Subject description: Software
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hi Howard,

In case you or others are interested here's an outline of my setup running on Ubuntu using several open software packages.

Ladish - This is a jack session handler and works as the patch bay for all
the apps. Also handy for reassigning conflicting channel
assignment layouts. (Linux uses FL, FR, SL, SR, C, LFE instead of
the usual FL, FR, C, LFE, SL, SR.

Jack - Audio connection kit that allows you to connect jack compatible apps
together.

Jack Mixer - Controls the output levels and therefore the downmix of the
5.1/7.1 source to 4.0 for Ambio surround.

Festige - A wrapper that allows you to run Windows VST effects in Linux.
(Requires Wine - a Windows operating layer for Linux).

I'm using an audio player called Deadbeef for stereo music sources. It is simple but powerful and supports many features and formats. Very similar to Foobar actually. It only allows stereo output to Jack and doesn't support video, therefore I use VLC for video and multichannel sources.

The setup may sound a little convoluted but in practice it works really well. I have several Ladish session presets for various stereo and surround sample rates. I just open Ladish, load a session preset and it automatically opens all the apps and I'm ready to go. I've included a few screenshots of the system in action. (The screenshot doesn't capture the video but you get the idea).

I cannot tell you how much I'm enjoying the Ambiophonic plugin and its ability to elucidate the hidden gems within the soundscape. It's like the fresh eyes analogy applied to your ears! Thanks for sharing it with us.

All the best,

Paul


Stereo Music.jpg
 Description:
 Filesize:  209.67 KB
 Viewed:  949 Time(s)
This image has been reduced to fit the page. Click on it to enlarge.

Stereo Music.jpg



Surround Music.jpg
 Description:
 Filesize:  212.88 KB
 Viewed:  874 Time(s)
This image has been reduced to fit the page. Click on it to enlarge.

Surround Music.jpg



Surround Video.jpg
 Description:
 Filesize:  190.25 KB
 Viewed:  843 Time(s)
This image has been reduced to fit the page. Click on it to enlarge.

Surround Video.jpg


Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
janderclander14



Joined: Dec 02, 2008
Posts: 28
Location: France

PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Linux Ambio Setup
Subject description: Software
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

ppw72 wrote:
Hi Howard,

In case you or others are interested here's an outline of my setup running on Ubuntu using several open software packages.

Ladish - This is a jack session handler and works as the patch bay for all
the apps. Also handy for reassigning conflicting channel
assignment layouts. (Linux uses FL, FR, SL, SR, C, LFE instead of
the usual FL, FR, C, LFE, SL, SR.

Jack - Audio connection kit that allows you to connect jack compatible apps
together.

Jack Mixer - Controls the output levels and therefore the downmix of the
5.1/7.1 source to 4.0 for Ambio surround.

Festige - A wrapper that allows you to run Windows VST effects in Linux.
(Requires Wine - a Windows operating layer for Linux).

I'm using an audio player called Deadbeef for stereo music sources. It is simple but powerful and supports many features and formats. Very similar to Foobar actually. It only allows stereo output to Jack and doesn't support video, therefore I use VLC for video and multichannel sources.

The setup may sound a little convoluted but in practice it works really well. I have several Ladish session presets for various stereo and surround sample rates. I just open Ladish, load a session preset and it automatically opens all the apps and I'm ready to go. I've included a few screenshots of the system in action. (The screenshot doesn't capture the video but you get the idea).

I cannot tell you how much I'm enjoying the Ambiophonic plugin and its ability to elucidate the hidden gems within the soundscape. It's like the fresh eyes analogy applied to your ears! Thanks for sharing it with us.

All the best,

Paul


Hi!

From the screenshots I see you have set the delay value from the Ambio plugin to other than the default number.

Have you been able to store this value from one execution to another? I've tried several windows VST hosts and the delay parameter is always reseted to the initial value which is very annoying.

This does not happens with the other parameters whose values are correctly stored.

Regards
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ppw72



Joined: Jan 13, 2011
Posts: 4
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 4:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Linux Ambio Setup
Subject description: Software
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

janderclander14 wrote:


Hi!

From the screenshots I see you have set the delay value from the Ambio plugin to other than the default number.

Have you been able to store this value from one execution to another? I've tried several windows VST hosts and the delay parameter is always reseted to the initial value which is very annoying.

This does not happens with the other parameters whose values are correctly stored.

Regards


Hi,

Unfortunately the delay setting is not stored between sessions and as you say this seems to occur across different hosts. Because my speakers are spaced at about twice the distance of the standard setup I simply double the delay setting each time. Another quirk I've noticed with the delay setting is that the default setting changes depending on the sample rate you are using. i.e. a higher sample rate will produce a lower default delay setting. It still functions correctly but the scale of the numbers is different. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Kind regards,

Paul
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
janderclander14



Joined: Dec 02, 2008
Posts: 28
Location: France

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 3:44 am    Post subject: Re: Linux Ambio Setup
Subject description: Software
Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

ppw72 wrote:


Hi,

Unfortunately the delay setting is not stored between sessions and as you say this seems to occur across different hosts. Because my speakers are spaced at about twice the distance of the standard setup I simply double the delay setting each time. Another quirk I've noticed with the delay setting is that the default setting changes depending on the sample rate you are using. i.e. a higher sample rate will produce a lower default delay setting. It still functions correctly but the scale of the numbers is different. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Kind regards,

Paul


Indeed, the same happens to me. This seems to be easily fixable by developers. Could Mosc or RMiller provide a fix or a workaround for this?

Thanks
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kraut



Joined: Jun 08, 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I run ambiophonics in foobar and have the presets stored in the presets pane.

Just select the settings, and add in presets with a name.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
janderclander14



Joined: Dec 02, 2008
Posts: 28
Location: France

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

kraut wrote:
I run ambiophonics in foobar and have the presets stored in the presets pane.

Just select the settings, and add in presets with a name.


Thanks, but I'm affraid the delay setting is not stored within presets, at least in all VST I've tried.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

There is a new version, AmbiophonicDSPv1.2 that will remember the delay setting in the presets. Please see this topic for more information.

http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-52843.html

_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
janderclander14



Joined: Dec 02, 2008
Posts: 28
Location: France

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

mosc wrote:
There is a new version, AmbiophonicDSPv1.2 that will remember the delay setting in the presets. Please see this topic for more information.

http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-52843.html


Thank you very much! It worked perfectly!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

janderclander14 wrote:

Thank you very much! It worked perfectly!


Are there any other changes you would like? I may have missed some issues.

_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
janderclander14



Joined: Dec 02, 2008
Posts: 28
Location: France

PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

mosc wrote:
janderclander14 wrote:

Thank you very much! It worked perfectly!


Are there any other changes you would like? I may have missed some issues.


I think the delay value was the only issue, other than maybe the possibility of adding new features (e.g. multi-channel version, settings to adjust the frequency bandwidth to which apply the ambio effect, frequency oversampling to improve accuracy, etc.).

Are there any improvements planned?

Regards
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

janderclander14 wrote:
multi-channel version


Not planned because you can use as many copies of the plugin as you need.

Quote:
settings to adjust the frequency bandwidth to which apply the ambio effect


We have done a lot of experimentation and we find adding filters costs more in image clarity than it provides in benefits.

Quote:
frequency oversampling to improve accuracy, etc.).


The plugin runs that the sample rate determined by the host program. If you can get your host program to oversample, the AmbiophonicDSP plugin will follow suit. Oversampling in the digital domain would only add problems since there are no non-linear operations. In this kind of DSP, a the most dangerous thing is not having enough headroom (dynamic range). Internally, we deal with that problem, but using 24 bit audio is one thing you can do as a user, but it won't make much of an audible improvement.

_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
kraut



Joined: Jun 08, 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I installed the new version, works well.
But why is this file smaller than the original one?
Nothing seems to be missing. Streamlined?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mosc
Site Admin


Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 18197
Location: Durham, NC
Audio files: 212
G2 patch files: 60

PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

kraut wrote:
But why is this file smaller than the original one?


I didn't notice that. All I can suggest this that it was compiled by a newer version of the compiler. Is this proof of evolution?


_________________
--Howard
my music and other stuff
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address
kraut



Joined: Jun 08, 2011
Posts: 7
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
Is this proof of evolution?


I guess in your case not even intelligently designed, so yes, Darwinian.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 1 of 1 [15 Posts]
View unread posts
View new posts in the last week
Mark the topic unread :: View previous topic :: View next topic
 Forum index » How-tos » Ambiophonic Sound Reproduction
Jump to:  

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Forum with support of Syndicator RSS
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
Copyright © 2003 through 2009 by electro-music.com - Conditions Of Use