Exclusive mode and OS wide EQ

[kinghrothgar]

So I had been using exclusive mode in Roon (on Mac OS X) for a bit now. I was about to start doing some REW measurements with my fancy new UMIK-2 when it dawned on me that exclusive mode results in my equalization settings (in SoundSource) being bypassed. This led me to wonder a few things:

1. How are y'all doing EQ + exclusive mode? Applying the EQ in each application you want to use exclusive mode with? This seems like a pretty big headache as I'm already up to 4 different EQs (various headphones and systems plugged into the computer) that I'd need to figure out how to import into every program.
2. Is exclusive mode really worth it? Or is it more overkill than something that would have an actual noticeable effect? Like 24 vs 32 bit. It's unclear to me what actual resampling or modifications letting the audio passthrough the OS mixer would actually have.

 

[staticV3]

How are y'all doing EQ + exclusive mode?

Either apply the EQ in each application, or find a hardware EQ solution, like the ADI-2, miniDSP, Qudelix, D50 III, etc.

Is exclusive mode really worth it?

I don't think so.
It's more of a peace of mind, obsessive compulsive thing.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Is exclusive mode really worth it?

It depends. If you are using default Windows Sound settings, then I think exclusive mode is useful. If you have done everything possible to have a good Window Sound set up, then exclusive mode is probably not necessary. See this excellent thread:

Ending the Windows Audio Quality Debate

A debate has been long raging in the audio community that Windows isn't fit for use in a high resolution audio system. Sceptics counterargued that bits are bits and Windows audio degradations are a figment of an over-active audiophile imagination. I decided to investigate this as I kept...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Sokel]

You can use the "from file" method.

Just generate the sweeps you like in REW's generator,load each one you want to measure in the sweep file window and play them back with the player of your choice.
You have to use acoustic timing reference as shown in the pic.

 

[Vincent Kars]

A big advantage of exclusive mode is that the media player has a exclusive lock on the audio device. No more email notifications at full blast in the middle of a string quartet!
It provides automatic sample rate switching as well.

 

[voodooless]

A big advantage of exclusive mode is that the media player has a exclusive lock on the audio device. No more email notifications at full blast in the middle of a string quartet!

In Sourdsource, you can just disable all of the app sounds, except the ones you want (or turn them down). That's actually way more flexible.

I'd say, all in all, exclusive mode on MacOS isn't needed in the vast majority of cases.

 

[dualazmak]

Even though I understand OP @kinghrothgar is talking the issue on Mac OS, let me share my present system-wide one stop DSP (XO, EQ, Time-Alignment, Gain) and routing thereof on Windows 11 OS.

I always prefer having independent one-stop software DSP Center which can receive all the digital audio signals from any of audio playing software like JRiver, Roon, web-browser, etc., by selection and/or by mixing (seldom, though).

I have been using "EKIO" as such system-wide one-stop DSP Center (feeding DSP-ed multichannels into multichannel DAC) together with VB Audio MATRIX (donation software) as system-wide ASIO/VASIO/VAIO routing center.

One of the very nice and robust features of VB Audio MATRIX is that we can adjust the gain in dB scale in each of the so many available routing grids; by using this gain adjustments, we can easily level-match all the digital audio signals; e.g. level-matching between ASIO routing from JRiver/Roon and Youtube audio by web browser feeding into VAIO virtual audio device (given by VB Audio MATRIX) as Windows' default audio device.

If you would be interested, you can find an example setup of such flexible system-wide ASIO/VASIO/VAIO routing by VB Audio NATRIX here on my project thread.

Spoiler