Beta Test: DISTORT - audibility of distortions

[stereo coffee]

Of course available in a Linux based version ? ....

 

[PierreV]

Usability/safety feature: disallow the input of blatantly dangerous values.

Yes, I did forget to enter a "-" at some point
No, I did not damage anything

 

[pkane]

Of course available in a Linux based version ? ....

always on the horizon ...

 

[maty]

Just now the same test with 16/44 01. Bonaparte (Capercaille) and now I like more with the harmonic profile. Why? I have optimized Distort 1.0.6 to play multimedia in my system like my other software players

It sounds only a little better but better.

24/192 B2 Lyn Stanley - Over The Rainbow better with H2 at -73 dB than Bypass.

 

[pkane]

I have optimized Distort to play multimedia in my system

I didn't expect that DISTORT will be used as an audio player of choice! I may have to start charging money for it, since it can make your system sound like any other system, from solid state to tube to a clipping guitar amp

 

[maty]

The important thing is my improvement works with your soft too.

Now with H2 at -84 dB...

24/192 B2 Lyn Stanley - Over The Rainbow better with H2 at -84 dB than Bypass. But the difference is more subtle, hard to pass an ABX test.

16/44 01. Bonaparte (Capercaille) very much subtle difference. I am happy with the two options.

Now, complex music: orchestral. At -73 dB and -84 dB.

 

[maty]

24/192 A1 Eduard Strauss - Bahn Frei Polka

H2 at -73 dB. I like more with Bypass.

H2 at -84 dB. I like more with Bypass but the difference is subtle. Well, according to which section the difference is most noticeable.

 

[maty]

Now I want to emulate Simpelstark+ (DIY class AB).

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-integrated-amplifier.8819/page-2#post-222036

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-thd.htm

H2 at -84 dB

H3 at -92.4 dB -> -92 dB

H4 at -101.11 dB -> -101 dB

H5 at -101.18 dB -> 101 dB


Bug: It not admit with decimals.

 

[maty]

With Simpelstark+ harmonic profile.

* 24/192 A1 Eduard Strauss - Bahn Frei Polka

I like more with Bypass. More energy.


* 16/44 01. Bonaparte (Capercaille)

I like more with Bypass. More energy.


* 24/192 B2 Lyn Stanley - Over The Rainbow

I like more with Simpelstark+ harmonic profile.

 

[maty]

Conclusion:

You have to program as VST plugin so that it can be used in software players that allow it, such as JRiver MC, foobar2000 ...

And, congratulations, you can earn money. Add the phase with H2 and you have a winner!!!

 

[maty]

My improvement: I have forced it to work ALWAYS with the AVX2 instruction set.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Vector_Extensions


Off topic

Talking about AVX2, days ago:

MATLAB MKL Codepath Tweak Boosts AMD Ryzen MKL Performance Significantly
https://www.techpowerup.com/261241/...oosts-amd-ryzen-mkl-performance-significantly

 

[pkane]

24/192 A1 Eduard Strauss - Bahn Frei Polka

H2 at -73 dB. I like more with Bypass.

H2 at -84 dB. I like more with Bypass but the difference is subtle. Well, according to which section the difference is most noticeable.

I may have to add a blind comparison option to Distort, so that Bypass will only work at random times. This will make it easier to check what it is you are really hearing

 

[maty]

You have helped me a lot, because I have been able to confirm what Nelson Pass said about it.

As for the blind test, if the vast majority listen to badly recorded recordings with low / very low DR and is unable to differentiate MP3 LAME 320 kbps from FLAC or between 16/44 vs 24/96...

 

[pkane]

Usability/safety feature: disallow the input of blatantly dangerous values.

Yes, I did forget to enter a "-" at some point
No, I did not damage anything

Hi Pierre,

DISTORT tries to scale the transfer function to fit into the -1..1 range, regardless of what values you enter for the harmonics, so while the sound will be very distorted, it should never exceed 0dBFS What did you hear when you tried to play with a positive dB value?

The reason I'm asking is that sometimes it is useful to specify a positive value so as to increase the amplitude above the default. I wouldn't want to disable this unless it's really causing harm.

 

[maty]

With a VST plugin one can modify a dominant H3 in dominant H2. DISTORT with negative decibels? New funtionality to add.

YAMAHA A-S701 - tear-down, thoughts about the internals & few measurements
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ts-about-the-internals-few-measurements.9459/

External DAC used on CD-input, CD-DIRECT pressed, real 4-Ohms speakers connected, 1 KHz

I have to test, other day, the Simpelstark+ profile but lowering the harmonics by 6 dB, so that H2 at -90 dB and verify whether or not at these levels I can appreciate the advantages? of a monotonously decreasing harmonic profile.

 

[PierreV]

Hi Pierre,

DISTORT tries to scale the transfer function to fit into the -1..1 range, regardless of what values you enter for the harmonics, so while the sound will be very distorted, it should never exceed 0dBFS What did you hear when you tried to play with a positive dB value?

The reason I'm asking is that sometimes it is useful to specify a positive value so as to increase the amplitude above the default. I wouldn't want to disable this unless it's really causing harm.

I was playing with the noise setting - directly entered a positive value... The immediate result was scary but indeed not above 0 dBFS now that I test into a virtual device. Not sure I fully get the behavior of positive values there though, but I could definitely be a bit dumb here.

 

[pkane]

New version of DISTORT is out, v1.0.7

Changes:

• Added support for DirectSound playback (@digitalfrost please check!)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Added input validation in Noise Settings
• Changed default values for both, Noise Settings and Custom Harmonics to -300dB from 0dB

 

[maty]

H2 at -90 dB

H3 at -98 dB

H4 at -107 dB

H5 at -107 dB

The three files better with Bypass.

But my modded AV Marantz SR4500 is the bottleneck, I would need an amplifier with better specifications, so better we not take it for valid, I think.

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/marantz-sr4500-av-receiver-ht-labs-measures



My improvements have focused on reducing noise and interference (higher SNR -> better sound), so it is assumed that the distortion will be the same as the original. This week I made other internal improvement, improving sound depth (usually I listen to in near field) -> perhaps I had also modified the H2 phase?

- The End -

 

[Blumlein 88]

Was going to download version 7 and saw it was up to 8. There is a problem with 8. It is leaving H2 and H3 at -300 db no matter what settings I use. Appears to only be distorting H4. Sounds that way too. At the settings shown it is nearly clean sounding.

 

[pkane]

Was going to download version 7 and saw it was up to 8. There is a problem with 8. It is leaving H2 and H3 at -300 db no matter what settings I use. Appears to only be distorting H4. Sounds that way too. At the settings shown it is nearly clean sounding.

View attachment 41113

EDIT: I was able to reproduce this. Please increase FFT size setting to 64k, I assume you have it at 16k or lower. THD, THD+N and harmonics detection routine is using the spectrum settings, as is the chart. Smaller FFT size isn't as resolving in the frequency domain and it looks like some things are falling through the cracks, like some of the harmonics

Hmm, doesn’t look like H2 and H4 are -300dB from the plot, does it? I tried to reproduce with similar settings, but it seems to work for me... Maybe you can save the settings to a file and post it here as an attachment or send it to me? It should be fairly small, 7-8kb.