Software I would like to see a reality.

[Speculant]

Please, tell me if this already exists.

I was thinking to myself, "Self, why do I need to buy all this expensive audiophile crossover gear when I have a perfectly good digital audio processing powerhouse sitting right in front of me?" In which case I mean my computer.

Here's what the software would do:

- You input either a single stereo input signal into the program (selectable via a drop-down list of programs currently outputting sound)

- The program interprets both channels of sound (L + R speaker) before the sound gets to the actual motherboard sound output (acting as a "middle-man" between the music/video software and your speakers). This allows you to assign a specific Hz range to each output.

It's 1:30 in the morning, so this whole spiel might not make much sense, but basically, it's a software crossover for your computer, sending very specific Hz ranges to each speaker. You could even bypass internal crossovers by having separate tweeter and woofer inputs on your speaker, you would use any of the extra 6 outputs provided by the center/sub, side, and rear outputs provided on many 7.1 channel motherboards.

The Center/Sub output (usually orange) is labeled as the two sub outputs in the software, because a sub is 1 channel and the software outputs a 2 channel signal (stereo), the software can either mix the stereo signal into one sub or split it into left/right for either sub (selectable in settings).

The normal stereo output (usually green) is the first Hz setting in the right channel and the first Hz setting in the left channel. (You can type in a number range in each box representing a Hz range for that output)

The rear channel output (usually black) is the second Hz setting in both channels.

The side channel output (usually grey/dark) is the third Hz setting in both channels.

All in all, it would allow for a stereo output to a right and left speaker with (optimally) a high, mid, and low driver with an option for one or two subs.

I drew up this (very) rough copy of what the interface would look like (attached image).

Again, I have no idea if I am making any sense right now but hopefully you can understand what I'm talking about.

 

[cpp]

That software could be here, this site list a lot of audio software

http://www.audiogrid.com/audio/

and True Audio has software

http://www.trueaudio.com/

and

http://www.thuneau.com/

and no doubt there are more out there that allow a person to review and analyze their audio inputs and outputs

 

[GranteedEV]

there's plenty of computer based crossover programs. The problem is the lesser hardware.

Look into stuff like bruteFIR for example.

 

[Speculant]

That software could be here, this site list a lot of audio software

http://www.audiogrid.com/audio/

and True Audio has software

http://www.trueaudio.com/

and

http://www.thuneau.com/

and no doubt there are more out there that allow a person to review and analyze their audio inputs and outputs

The "Filter" software on the audiogrid website is very close to what I'm looking for, except the "Filter" software can only assign Hz ranges from a .wav file, and it's not per channel. I'll keep looking, maybe I'll find what I'm looking for.

Edit: just checked out some of the stuff on the Thuneau website, it looks very promising. I will download some demos and see if it's what I want.

 

[BMXTRIX]

You also want to keep in mind that computers are RF hell holes. They impart electrical noise like crazy and are very hard to isolate. One of the biggest concerns with audio manufacturers, especially those who work with line level, or lower, voltages, is taking extreme care to minimize the noise floor.

While it is possible for you to do it all in your PC, and it certainly is, the problem exists in the tiny connectors that often are not of the highest quality. The audio path, especially analog audio, is subject to severe noise and a significantly raised ground floor for noise compared to products which are designed, from the ground up, with actual care and consideration for such things.

Can, and should, are one of those things which come into play.

Yes, you likely can. Should you? Perhaps if your PC is something you have put together to ensure a low level noise floor with minimal interference from electrical crosstalk and other issues.

A bunch of 1/8" mini-stereo connectors packed next to a cooling fan and 500+ watt power supply is just not ripe for top shelf audio quality.

 

[Speculant]

This is true, I can literally hear the hard drive interference through my headphones (when everything else is quiet), although the interference noise on the rear outputs isn't noticeable.

BUT

Since I do all my audio listening off of my computer anyways, I thought that I might as well properly adjust the levels of my drivers.

 

[TLS Guy]

Please, tell me if this already exists.

I was thinking to myself, "Self, why do I need to buy all this expensive audiophile crossover gear when I have a perfectly good digital audio processing powerhouse sitting right in front of me?" In which case I mean my computer.

Here's what the software would do:

- You input either a single stereo input signal into the program (selectable via a drop-down list of programs currently outputting sound)

- The program interprets both channels of sound (L + R speaker) before the sound gets to the actual motherboard sound output (acting as a "middle-man" between the music/video software and your speakers). This allows you to assign a specific Hz range to each output.

It's 1:30 in the morning, so this whole spiel might not make much sense, but basically, it's a software crossover for your computer, sending very specific Hz ranges to each speaker. You could even bypass internal crossovers by having separate tweeter and woofer inputs on your speaker, you would use any of the extra 6 outputs provided by the center/sub, side, and rear outputs provided on many 7.1 channel motherboards.

The Center/Sub output (usually orange) is labeled as the two sub outputs in the software, because a sub is 1 channel and the software outputs a 2 channel signal (stereo), the software can either mix the stereo signal into one sub or split it into left/right for either sub (selectable in settings).

The normal stereo output (usually green) is the first Hz setting in the right channel and the first Hz setting in the left channel. (You can type in a number range in each box representing a Hz range for that output)

The rear channel output (usually black) is the second Hz setting in both channels.

The side channel output (usually grey/dark) is the third Hz setting in both channels.

All in all, it would allow for a stereo output to a right and left speaker with (optimally) a high, mid, and low driver with an option for one or two subs.

I drew up this (very) rough copy of what the interface would look like (attached image).

Again, I have no idea if I am making any sense right now but hopefully you can understand what I'm talking about.

Most computer PC based audio programs have significant latency issues. So audio processing by PC is best reserved for where latency does not matter. Latency in a crossover would be a disaster. At this state of the game I can't see this being feasible except with a custom board.

 

[Speculant]

I guess it's just too specific of an application to become a reality.

 

[lsiberian]

The software does exist. The hardware can be bought in the form of an embedded machine with a small form factor or a prefabbed case.

www.minidsp.com has what you are looking for.

I see little value in building software for your pc that does what the minidsp does.

 

[Speculant]

That's badass! I've heard about miniDSP, but I wasn't sure about exactly what it did.

It's a bit pricey for my current budget, but I'm sure I can sell some more crap on Ebay to get the dough.