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Announcing beta-test of PKHarmonic VST plugin

javieracoustics

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I generated a 1kHz tone and applied the PKHarmonics. I see that it took some effect, mainly amplification, but when I look at the spectrogram of the processed file, I see no harmonics. I applied similar settings as above to H2, H3, H4.
This is the spectrum processed file:
1630631928908.png
 
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pkane

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I generated a 1kHz tone and applied the PKHarmonics. I see that it took some effect, mainly amplification, but when I look at the spectrogram of the processed file, I see no harmonics. I applied similar settings as above to H2, H3, H4.
This is the spectrum processed file:View attachment 151184

Then the plugin must not be in the audio path or not enabled. Here's a loopback capture over a digital device:

1630633196890.png


And here are some extra harmonics:

1630633337883.png
 

maty

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JRiver Media Center v28.0.49 (64-bit) - DSP - PKHarmonic 1.02.png


It sounds better with the VSTplugin PKHarmonic 1.02 and H2 and H4 only (well below what is considered audible, -90 dB)

George Lloyd, Kathryn Stott, The London Symphony Orchestra – George Lloyd Piano Concerto No. 4 (1984) Vinyl, Conifer Records, UK
front-gl.jpg


foobar2000 1.6.7 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-10-09 10:05:32

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: George Lloyd , Kathryn Stott , The London Symphony Orchestra / George Lloyd Piano Concerto No. 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR15 -0.03 dB -20.69 dB 15:24 01-Allegro
DR14 -3.34 dB -24.61 dB 9:45 02-Larghetto
DR15 -0.03 dB -19.69 dB 12:19 03-Vivace - Lento - Vivace
DR16 -1.61 dB -24.61 dB 11:28 04-The Lily Leaf And The Grasshopper (Piano Solo)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 4
Official DR value: DR15

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2417 kbps
Codec: FLAC
 
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Markymark

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Hi Paul,

crashed on Windows 10 while installing C++ Redistributable (Reboot without notice). Came up fine afterwards. Otherwise runs like a charm. Many thanks for providing this little gadget.

Let me know if you need more information regarding my system.

Rgrds,

Mark
 

maty

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An experiment:

Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust (1975), remastered with something of EQ, WAV 32/96

Better sound with PKHarmonic again!

Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust (1975) WAV 32-96 JRMC - DSP -PKHarmonic.png


foobar2000 1.6.7 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-10-12 17:24:39

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Joan Baez / Diamonds & Rust
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -2.26 dB -17.20 dB 4:46 01-Diamonds & Rust
DR12 -2.55 dB -16.78 dB 4:30 02-Fountain Of Sorrow
DR11 -2.08 dB -17.63 dB 2:45 03-Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer
DR13 -0.19 dB -17.16 dB 3:08 04-Children And All That Jazz
DR13 -0.07 dB -16.27 dB 4:45 05-Simple Twist Of Fate
DR13 -0.20 dB -15.99 dB 2:46 06-Blue Sky
DR14 -0.13 dB -17.83 dB 3:04 07-Hello In There
DR14 -0.57 dB -19.04 dB 4:28 08-Jesse
DR13 -0.78 dB -17.19 dB 3:56 09-Winds Of The Old Days
DR12 -2.35 dB -16.68 dB 3:26 10-Dida
DR10 -2.97 dB -16.40 dB 4:14 11-I Dream Of Jeannie / Danny Boy (Medley)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 11
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 32
Bitrate: 6144 kbps
Codec: PCM (floating-point)
================================================================================
 

SIY

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An experiment:

Joan Baez - Diamonds & Rust (1975), remastered with something of EQ, WAV 32/96

Better sound with PKHarmonic again!

View attachment 158616

foobar2000 1.6.7 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2021-10-12 17:24:39

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Joan Baez / Diamonds & Rust
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -2.26 dB -17.20 dB 4:46 01-Diamonds & Rust
DR12 -2.55 dB -16.78 dB 4:30 02-Fountain Of Sorrow
DR11 -2.08 dB -17.63 dB 2:45 03-Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer
DR13 -0.19 dB -17.16 dB 3:08 04-Children And All That Jazz
DR13 -0.07 dB -16.27 dB 4:45 05-Simple Twist Of Fate
DR13 -0.20 dB -15.99 dB 2:46 06-Blue Sky
DR14 -0.13 dB -17.83 dB 3:04 07-Hello In There
DR14 -0.57 dB -19.04 dB 4:28 08-Jesse
DR13 -0.78 dB -17.19 dB 3:56 09-Winds Of The Old Days
DR12 -2.35 dB -16.68 dB 3:26 10-Dida
DR10 -2.97 dB -16.40 dB 4:14 11-I Dream Of Jeannie / Danny Boy (Medley)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 11
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 32
Bitrate: 6144 kbps
Codec: PCM (floating-point)
================================================================================
What were your controls for determining "better sound"? How did you do the level matching and double blind?
 

maty

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With PKHarmonic the volume is higher so you have to lower it to compare, which is what I do.

My ears, which are used to hearing excellent recordings, mainly without electronic or computer instrumentation and with a large dynamic range.

Since this thread began, I have managed to further improve the sound of my second system by optimizing the W10 better. I did not use PKHarmonic for a long time because I made it sound better without it. It has caught my attention that with harmonics of such a low level I notice the difference!

With orchestral recordings I always preferred without harmonics, however now I also like it with the VSTplugin activated and with that configuration.

In other people's audio systems I have always been unable to notice differences, even between MP3 vs FLAC. But in both of my systems always.
 

SIY

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With PKHarmonic the volume is higher so you have to lower it to compare, which is what I do.

My ears, which are used to hearing excellent recordings, mainly without electronic or computer instrumentation and with a large dynamic range.

Since this thread began, I have managed to further improve the sound of my second system by optimizing the W10 better. I did not use PKHarmonic for a long time because I made it sound better without it. It has caught my attention that with harmonics of such a low level I notice the difference!

With orchestral recordings I always preferred without harmonics, however now I also like it with the VSTplugin activated and with that configuration.

In other people's audio systems I have always been unable to notice differences, even between MP3 vs FLAC. But in both of my systems always.
IOW, no controls. Peeking. Not using your ears.
 

maty

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Why not? If the difference is appreciable, matching volumes, there is something. When I am not able to appreciate differences I also recognize it.

Anyone can try to verify it for himself, with a good recording, mainly acoustic instrumentation, without spending a penny. First with H2 at -40 dB and go down ...
 

maty

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Or you can build Nelson Pass 2nd Harmonic Generator

H2


H2 V2 Build

[PDF] https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/att...2d1630095691-h2-v2-build-diy-preamp-h2-v2-pdf

H2 - harmonics.png


I think PKHarmonic is a simple way to try if you like monotonically decreasing harmonics.
 

maty

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BTW, I can hear the difference with Zoom too. All sounds go to JRiver MC thanks to the WDM Driver (a virtual audio driver). And browsers too.

I like more the voices without PKHarmonic (Zoom, Chrome, Firefox... ). Yesterday with the new YouTube video from Danny Richie: So, you want a GREAT Speaker? Tyler Acoustics. Voice more clear and intelligible without PKHarmonic.

 

maty

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Just now,

Better without PKHarmonic, as expected.
 

SIY

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Why not? If the difference is appreciable, matching volumes, there is something. When I am not able to appreciate differences I also recognize it.

Anyone can try to verify it for himself, with a good recording, mainly acoustic instrumentation, without spending a penny. First with H2 at -40 dB and go down ...
Bullshit excuses for making claims without basic controls are bullshit. Do better or find a place more amenable to fairy tales and woo-woo. This is Audio Science Review.
 

maty

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When the difference is evident one does not need to do blind tests. If it were a scientific paper then yes, but this is a an audio forum.
 

SIY

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When the difference is evident one does not need to do blind tests. If it were a scientific paper then yes, but this is a an audio forum.
Bullshit. Stop making excuses.
 
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As discussed in a separate thread, this is a beta-test of a VST (Windows) plugin to allow you to dial-in an arbitrary amount of harmonic distortion while playing music with your favorite music player. Now you can enjoy that second harmonic without investing many thousands of $$$ into a tube preamp :)

View attachment 103517

Because this is a plugin, it can run as part of any playback system using a host app that supports VST 2.4 (Foobar, JRiver MC, Equalizer APO, Audacity, Reaper, etc.) Adding the VST plugin differs for each of the host applications. Generally, you'll want to know if the host is 32- or 64-bit, and then pick the correct PKHarmonic version to use with the host. Download the desired version for your host app, and run setup.exe after extracting it from the zip file.

The 32-bit plugin will be installed, by default, in:
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\PKAudio\PKHarmonic32
and the 64-bit plugin in:
  • C:\Program Files\PKAudio\PKHarmonic64

Point your host to PKHarmonic.dll file in the above folder.

Bypass button can be pressed during playback to remove all distortion from PKHarmonic for A/B comparison. You can adjust the amount of distortion during playback, but be careful as clipping and other unwanted effects might creep in if you pick a large enough amount of harmonic distortion. Additional instructions and future versions will be available on the PKHarmonic page: https://distortaudio.org/pkharmonic.html

H2 = second harmonic
H3 = third, H4 = fourth, etc.

The amount of each harmonic that you dial is in the amount relative to 0dBFS fundamental 1KHz signal. Please note that the slider allows setting up to +10dB, which is almost always guaranteed to cause clipping, unless your playback level is set to low. This is based on the same distortion engine as is used in the DISTORT app.

This plugin was tested on Windows 10 and Windows 8. I can't say if it'll work on any other version, but you can certainly try and let me know if it works. Also, let me know if you try different player/host applications.

To help continue the development of PKHarmonic, DeltaWave, Distort, Earful and future free software, I ask you to consider making a small donation through the PKHarmonic page using the PayPal Donate button. Donate as much or as little as you want, but please consider how much money you're saving by not having to buy that tube preamp!!! If you do donate, please let me know which of my apps you enjoy and why.

Please post feedback, results, and suggestions for improvements in this thread.


Any chance you might release a linux version ?

In the case you are using a windows onli UI library, or that the build process might require work, a release there could be an option to use it without a UI, that would load parameters from a file.
 
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pkane

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Any chance you might release a linux version ?

In the case you are using a windows onli UI library, or that the build process might require work, a release there could be an option to use it without a UI, that would load parameters from a file.

I'm not that familiar with Linux audio chain to even know where to insert a DSP plugin. A Linux version may happen at some time in the future, but it's not going to be soon, I'm afraid.
 

dc655321

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I'm not that familiar with Linux audio chain to even know where to insert a DSP plugin. A Linux version may happen at some time in the future, but it's not going to be soon, I'm afraid.

lol. It's the usual linux problem - there is not one place to insert a DSP plugin; there's at least three.
 
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