# HTPC audio processing



## Moonwrist (Apr 2, 2012)

I have htpc with soundblaster X-Fi xtreme audio and 5 active speakers.

Soundblaster doesn't have eq, delay or bass management controls for individual channels and I don't have an AV amplifier to do audio processing. Is there any program, plugin or media player that can do audio processing?


----------



## Moonwrist (Apr 2, 2012)

To answer my own question.

MPC HC and AC3Filter combined did the job.
AC3Filter should work with different media players but I didn't get it to work with VLC player and MPC HC was the next I tried.



> In an effort to stamp out forum SPAM only members with 5 posts or more can post website links or email addresses.


Use google to find these programs in the net.


----------



## Dotball (Apr 4, 2012)

You do realize Windows 7 has that functionality built in?

Right click the speaker icon and go to playback devices. Select the correct device and then configure, choose the correct setup (note 5.1 with sides or rears) and follow the bouncing ball to finish.

Then select properties for the correct device and go to the enhancements tab, choose room correction. You will need a microphone plugged in and sitting in your main listening position for this to work properly. Once it's finished you can then go back to properties and set the individual speaker balance through levels>balance.

There are, of course, a range of other options in there too which you should investigate to your advantage.

HTH
Cheers,


----------



## Moonwrist (Apr 2, 2012)

Dotball said:


> You do realize Windows 7 has that functionality built in?


No I didn't know that.



Dotball said:


> Right click the speaker icon and go to playback devices. Select the correct device and then configure, choose the correct setup (note 5.1 with sides or rears) and follow the bouncing ball to finish.


Yes that I did.


Dotball said:


> Then select properties for the correct device and go to the enhancements tab, choose room correction. You will need a microphone plugged in and sitting in your main listening position for this to work properly. Once it's finished you can then go back to properties and set the individual speaker balance through levels>balance.


Balance I found but that room correction I could't find.
Is it on every version of win7? I have home premium.
Or can it be blocked somehow? I do have soundblaster tab but it opens soundblaster control and there isn't adjustements for different channels.


Dotball said:


> There are, of course, a range of other options in there too which you should investigate to your advantage.


Maybe you could give me a hint?


----------



## Dotball (Apr 4, 2012)

Does your speaker properties dialog box look like this?









If so, click on room correction and follow the bouncing ball again. Otherwise it would seem M$ do change petty things in different versions.

That also shows the extras I mentioned.

And my speaker balance tab looks like this.









If you need anything else let us know.

Cheers,


----------



## Moonwrist (Apr 2, 2012)

Balance tab is same but I have a Sound Blaster tab and there isn't a room correction option.
The extra tab is for digital output.


----------



## Dotball (Apr 4, 2012)

OK sorry Moonwrist, it would seem the soundblaster X-Fi xtreme sound card removes or disables those options when you install their drivers.

Hope I didn't lead you too far astray. :sweat:

Cheers,


----------



## Moonwrist (Apr 2, 2012)

No need to be sorry.

If someone should be sorry it would be creative when they replace those options with their own mambo jambo cristalize program :coocoo:


----------



## mojave (Dec 30, 2006)

I use JRiver Media Center. It has full bass management with the option for various slopes and crossover frequencies. It also allows you to set levels and distance settings for each speaker. Finally, it has advanced parametric EQ with unlimited filters. Everything is done with 64 bit processing for maximum precision. Before JRiver implemented all this flexibility I used AC3filter or ffdshow to process my audio. I've also owned a Behringer DCX2496 and miniDSP.

I use different setups for music and movies. Right now I have to manually switch between my music zone or my movie zone, but JRiver plans to make it automatic soon. For music I use a stereo bass system with an 80 Hz crossover using 12 db/octave slopes on speakers and 24 db/octave slopes on the subs. I still EQ both subs together. For movies I route all bass to both subs with a 100 Hz crossover and 24 dB/octave slopes for both speakers and subs. 

Here are a few things you can do with JRiver. It is a little long, but I came up with it when posting something in a thread about comparing various processing options for for multiple subs and I wanted to be thorough.


Use different crossover frequencies for all channels
Use different crossover slopes for the high pass on each channel (12, 24, 36, 48 dB/octave)
Use different crossover slopes for the low pass on the subwoofer(s) associated with each channel (12, 24, 36, 48 dB/octave)
Use different crossover frequencies for high and low pass filters (mains could have a high pass at 40 Hz, but subs could have a low pass at 60 Hz)
Keep channels full range, but still send their bass to subwoofer(s)
Copy or move bass from other channels to the mains
Copy bass from the mains to other channels and the subwoofer for a 2.1 system (utilizes the surrounds as more bass sources)
Apply distance settings to any channel
Adjust the distance on the fly while use the RTA in REW to ensure the best integration at the crossover
Apply delay to any channel
Reroute sound to any channel (useful for duplicating the LFE channel on additional channels for more subwoofers)
Delay the mains more than the subs (useful for horn mains with close sealed subs)
Unlimited parametric EQ filters with high/low pass filters, high/low shelf filters, and peaking filters
Use PEQ filters on all frequencies below the Schroeder frequency regardless of which channels are producing the output
Apply PEQ filters to any or all channels
EQ a DIY sub to a flat frequency response close mic before EQing to the room
EQ a sub only to the room and compare to the previous
Adjust internal gain to prevent filters from causing clipping
Compare two sets of filters while listening (any ringing artifacts?)
Easy to implement Linkwitz Transform (just enter current Fs and Q and desired Fs and Q)
Use a reverse Linkwitz Transform to lower the bass curve if you have low Fs drivers and too much room gain
Adjust the lipsync
Apply settings based on media type (for example, you could have different audio, video, and music video settings)
Use two front subwoofers in stereo for music, but route all bass to them for video
Add 10dB of gain to the LFE channel for those SACD's or DVD-Audio's that aren't mastered incorrectly
Limiter and Clip Protection
Advanced volume protection with ability to set maximum system volume and reference level
Ability to route all computer audio through DSP (youtube, internet, games, etc.)


----------



## Jasonpctech (Apr 20, 2010)

Yup, Jriver all the way! :4stars: :TT Big fan and find it to be worth every penny. I use a digital Fiber Optic cable from HTPC to AVR VSX-1020 PIO. The sub control is great too. Video wise my Nvidia card based system plays HD video best with J River too. Mojave has it right, and J River forums are super helpful. J River stock no changes is good but it also is one of the most customizable packages out there especially considering the quality output.


----------



## Dub King (Aug 10, 2012)

Wow, JRiver Media Center is _exactly_ what I need! Just downloaded. I'm so glad I clicked into this thread, I've made numerous Google searches over the years looking for this functionality yet somehow I never found it.


----------



## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

Im an audio tweak freak .... I just heard about JRiver .,... WOW a dream come true.....:sn:


----------



## vann_d (Apr 7, 2009)

Man, I really wanted to use Jriver but both times I tried I had problems with the ota tv tuner. I really wanted to do a all-in-one solution with the htpc. Ended up just getting a receiver to do my audio processing after much frustration. Now just send hdmi from video card to receiver and things just work. Maybe I'll try again someday..


----------



## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

what type of tuner were you using in your PC ?


----------



## vann_d (Apr 7, 2009)

I'm using an avermedia? Dual tuner. I didn't have problems with the tuner being recognized or anything. Mainly just the interface. The channel guide setup is very awkward. MC7 just works so it was a little frustrating to have to spend time setting this stuff up. I may try it again someday. I loved the music player.


----------

