Dirac Live Exclamation Mark issue

[pogo]

All unnecessary Windows processes should also be stopped.

 

[pogo]

You could also try to disconnect the M33, router, ... from the power grid for 10 minutes.

 

[C3KO]

Dirac gives informations about disabling the noise filter on Windows and reenable it afterwards in his latest changelogs for Dirac Live.
This noise filter might seem to be (at least for some) the cause of those stated timing problems (exclamation marks).
Dirac Live seems to have problems running its later editions on a MAC, as stated in their accompaning informations.

Sometimes the problem is sitting in front of the computer, with the variable it works, thanks

 

[ppataki]

Some fresh updates:

- I just got an email today from Dirac that in 1-2 months' time there shall be an update released that will solve all the remaining issues (they have promised that like 4 times already but let's be optimistic). They have a new CEO so things might indeed take a turn for better

- my UMIK-2 microphone shall arrive in the coming days, I will compare it with my UMIK-1 in Dirac and I will report back with my findings

 

[ppataki]

I have had some time to play around with the UMIK-2, you can see my general experience described here:

Using four bass guitar drivers to build a dual opposed subwoofer project

Even the title is unorthodox :) I have recently built a dual opposed subwoofer (DOS) for my home office which was a hugely successful project for me. Once it was done I have taken it downstairs in my living room and started playing around with what I can do with two subs instead of just one...

audiosciencereview.com

When it comes to using it with Dirac Live 3.10.3 specifically:
- I have optimized both my systems with it, I only got an 'Imprecise measurement' error message once (out of 18 measurement points). That is actually a much better ratio vs. with UMIK-1. And when I remeasured the faulty point it got fixed immediately
- This is the first time when Dirac could actually measure all the channel delay values correctly. I don't need to manually override them, it just works perfectly right away

As a result, the overall 'bubble' effect became much better, I feel more like being 'in' the movie vs. before
I am happy, the UMIK-2 is staying for sure!

I will try it with the new Dirac release too and will share my experience here, as usual

 

[ppataki]

I just realized that the above link was not the one I wanted to post, apologies
This is the correct link:

Setting subwoofer delay

I' NOT a room-correction expert... Phase differences will ONLY be an issue in the narrow band around 80Hz where the regular woofer and sub are working together (where the soundwaves might be partially or completely out-of-phase relative to each other). Assuming there is no "different DSP...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[dweeeeb2]

just an fyi I’m getting the error with a UMIK-2. I didn’t want people running off blindly buying it as the definitive answer
edit: Also at no point did Dirac or minidsp indicate that umik-1 could be the issue.

 

[pogo]

Q:	Unexpected W&F spikes on some PCs?
A:		This is a known issue occasionally observed on some Windows PCs (not on Mac). The cause is that the new C# based audio programming interface keeps creating too many small blocks of memory for transferring audio data without reusing them, which significantly increases the workload of the "Garbage Collector" at the system level to recycle them. Normally, this is not a big deal, but the W&F algorithm in this app is rather computation intensive and easily interrupted by a busy CPU, which manifests as intermittent spikes (every few seconds) caused by the audio dropouts. The technical solution is to replace the audio programming interface from C# based to C++ based at the deep lower level. This requires non-trivial work with unpredictable schedule. Before that, users are recommended to use this app on a relatively faster PC, and keep the workload of the PC as low as possible, for example, close other programs that are temporarily not needed when using this app. [Update] Since version 2.4.8, the app is able to use WASAPI audio interface as the second option, which significantly reduced memory garbages. However, it is currently in experimental stage.

Source: NAK T-100 FAQs

This will probably also be one of the problems in Dirac Live.
A major update is expected shortly.

 

[lotharmatheos]

just an fyi I’m getting the error with a UMIK-2. I didn’t want people running off blindly buying it as the definitive answer
edit: Also at no point did Dirac or minidsp indicate that umik-1 could be the issue.

I didn't have any problem with UMIK-1, UMIK-2 and mic I get with my Arcam SA30. All versions of Dirac Live working as expected.

Problem with exclamation mark and "imprecise" measurement was always connected to hardware, especially USB Port (not enough power and amperage)
Right-side ports on my Dell Latitude 3440 causing this problem.
Lenovo laptop IIL-15 doesnt have this problem at all, the same my desktop computer X670e with 7950X3D.

Left-side USB port on Dell has enough amperage and not causing any problems.
Tested many times,

 

[ppataki]

A small update: today a new version of Dirac Live has been published (v3.10.10) where they have solved at least some cause of the exclamation mark issue
I have measured my system earlier today with v3.10.3 (right before the latest version came out......typical) and I did not have any issues with the measurement

Please note that this new version is not that big update that I mentioned in my previous post - that one shall come towards the end of October according to Dirac Support (Glenn)

 

[levimax]

I tried the DLBC about 9 months ago with a UMIK-1 and some DIY tri-amp speakers and I got both "?" issue and crazy timing issues. I figured it was a problem with the tri-amp speakers so just gave up. I recently purchased some new speakers, Neuman KH310, and I still have 2 SVS 3000 subs as well as an Earthworks Mic so I tried it again as that is a pretty straight forward set-up. The good news is I didn't get any "?" issues but when DIRAC created the filter it was non-sensical with 121 ms delay, see below. I am really starting to think DLBC is not and may not ever be ready for prime time.

 

[ppataki]

I tried the DLBC about 9 months ago with a UMIK-1 and some DIY tri-amp speakers and I got both "?" issue and crazy timing issues. I figured it was a problem with the tri-amp speakers so just gave up. I recently purchased some new speakers, Neuman KH310, and I still have 2 SVS 3000 subs as well as an Earthworks Mic so I tried it again as that is a pretty straight forward set-up. The good news is I didn't get any "?" issues but when DIRAC created the filter it was non-sensical with 121 ms delay, see below. I am really starting to think DLBC is not and may not ever be ready for prime time.

View attachment 395740

I recommend trying a UMIK-2 instead of a UMIK-1 - that solved the delay issue for me. The UMIK-2 has its own clock source hence it is way more precise than the UMIK-1 when it comes to delay measurements.
See more about that in post #225 here and also in another thread here with measurement examples.

 

[ppataki]

And I forgot to share one more thing:

If any of you is using Jriver's WDM driver in real-time (i.e. also during Dirac measurements) you might want to increase the buffer value of the WDM driver to ensure no dropouts are happening during measurement.
I actually noticed this issue when measuring with REW and for me increasing the buffer size (from the default value of 10) to 100 actually solved that issue too.

Here is how you can make it happen: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,139696.msg968778.html#msg968778

 

[levimax]

I recommend trying a UMIK-2 instead of a UMIK-1 - that solved the delay issue for me. The UMIK-2 has its own clock source hence it is way more precise than the UMIK-1 when it comes to delay measurements.
See more about that in post #225 here and also in another thread here with measurement examples.

The Earthworks M23 I am using (With a Motu Ultralite MK5 interface) is much higher performance than either the UMIK-1 or UMIK-2 so I doubt that is the issue. Looking a little closer at the measurements I was getting it looks like the HF was rolled off starting at about 3 Khz. I will check all the settings and try again later. Maybe the clock rates are off somehow.