Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Announcing Home Theater Digital Gain Optimizer V0.5 Beta

This is now maintained in the Wiki

http://www.meridianunplugged.com/wiki/index.php?pagename=How%20to%20obtain%20level%20perfect

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https://www.meridianunplugged.com/u...bb=showflat&Number=115728#Post115728

George, you're an absolute star. Fantastic work.

Cheers

George

George,

Cool little app, I like that it does not change the original file, nice one.

A couple of cosmetic comments:
1) Traget File Typo.
2) Align the windows.

Regards,
Carl

Already done. But didn't bother to release yet.

Just uploaded V0.2 Beta

Functionally not different. Just cosmetic and some information about the results.

I gave the tool parameters to make no change to my original 75db calibrated MSL file so I could see a summary of the state of my channels. Then I put in +3dB target on all fronts to show what the summary looks like for what I'm actually running now.

I don't actually run a sub and that was added just for testing.

When I was Calibrated to 75dB



Running this on my system now

George, this is fantastic. I will try this in the next few days and report back to you.

In summary- this exercise of restating is helpful to me and perhaps will be helpful to someone else, sorry to repeat- Right now, when I calibrate my digital speakers, the loudest I can set them is to 0. I can only reduce the gain on them. You are supposed to calibrate the speakers so they are at reference level of 75db (c weighted, slow (going from memory)). In my theater, the loudest speaker is the rear right- so that is 0. My fronts I believe are at like -1.5db. The way digital volume works is to begin at the highest volume and then it remove resolution below the max volume setting. By having my mains at a negative number to bring them into balance, I am losing some resolution. Meridian has a DSP mode for the center that can add as much as 3db to the center channel. In order to make sure you are not clipping, they set everything to -3db. Hence, if someone were to use this mode then they would be back to 0, which would mean no resolution loss. But since most of us, I certainly don't, bump the center channel gain, we are all losing resolution on all the channels. Is this about correct.

In your file above your channels 1&2 (L&R?) go from -3.5 to +3.0 and your channel 3 (center?) goes from -3.0 to +3.0. Wouldnt you want to make the 1&2 channels +2.5 to bring them into balance? Your app is terrific but would you encourage us to manually make these adjustments on a per channel basis?

The application runs both ways.

The -3.5 to 3.0 happened because I chose the option to force target value on all front 3 channels.

If you don't want to violate relative levels. Then choose Loudest or Lowest and all relative levels are maintained. If the differences are small it's a trade off of being Perfectly Full Scale (in front) vs Perfectly Balanced (in front).

You can be Perfectly Full Scale on ALL channels too if you wish (last option).

I may add individual channel adjustment, this was just easier and quicker.

Yes your description is about right. But I must stress losing resolution ALL the time is much worse than the risk of occasionally clipping.

Yes 1&2 is Left/Right I was not 100% sure if that was always the case the way the XML file it setup. I'll add labels in the future.

Just uploaded V0.3. Basically shows real channel names.

Thanks George and without the benefit of expertise I agree with your point about risking clipping- especially if its in the surround channels. I doubt youd notice that. Ive been on the run so I have not had a chance to try this but tomorrow I believe Ill have some free time on my hands that I can allocate to this.

I should correct myself regarding risks of rears clipping (where some folks have to run rears above +3dB).

Rears are often attenuated (both in Trifield and Movies) but something can be attenuated (not loud) but still be Full Scale and clip. But if the channel is attenuated (soft) it's very unlikely you'll hear it, if it does clip.

Here is a good link explaining some of this in the context of CD's being mixed too loud. Basically a well mixed CD will slightly clip because they want to maximize dynamic range.

http://www.chicagomasteringservice.com/loudness.html

I've uploaded V0.4 Beta.

This version will look through your Presets for any offsets to Center, Sides or Rears and recalculate the total Resolution loss or Clipping Risk.

I did not do this for subs because it gets more complicated.