Bughead Emperor

[highstream]

The best place to look and ask is the JPlay Bughead forum: Infinity Blade HQ (Bug Head Emperor) worth trying - Computer Audio - JPLAY - hi-end audio player for Windows

[Nikhil]

Seem to be several places to download on the site and I'm also confused as to whether more then one package is involved - are "rewrite data" and "all cores..."part of BHE or something else?

 

I haven't stayed current with BHE but here's the answer to your question;

"ReWrite Data" is a separate program that de-fragments files to reduce deterministic jitter.

"All Core Any Cures" is a processor core optimization script.

 

For best sound the following sequence is recommended ...

 

1. Run "All Core Any Cures"

2. Right click on "Rewrite Data" to Run as Administrator

3. Select "Bughead" on top left and Click on "START [Rewrite data]"

4. Click "User Select" on top right and click Ok on the message

Browse to the folder where your ASIO drivers are located

C: Program Files > <DAC Manufacturer> etc

Click on "START [Rewrite data]"

(Wait 3 mins and repeat steps 1 to 4 three times)

 

5. Start BugHead player

[highstream]

The reason I suggested going over to the JPlay forum is because not only are more of the people who've been using it longest over there, but that thread is longer, more detailed, and users more current, either on the thread or via messaging (which has helped a lot when needed), and one or two of the participants have had on and off exchanges with the developer (he even posted once or twice). As Nikhil indicates, he's not current. His explanations are good, while his instructions, although incomplete, would have helped a good while back but as you noted there are more choices now. And some are not apparent and some are system specific. Hope to see you at JPlay's forum (computer audio).

[Norton]

Thanks to Nikhil and Highstream for responses.

 

I've been playing with BHE for a day now, first impressions are of the most frustrating replay software experience I've had to to date and at times it did cross my mind that it might just be an elaborate practical joke on audiophiles. Certainly vinyl beats it hands down for convenience, while WTFPlay with no network access and a text-only interface seems a breeze by comparison..but when BHE works, it does sound quite good, so am trying to persist.

 

I had a look at the JPlay forum thread but with getting on for 200 pages geared to JPlay users (I'm not) it's not that easy to extract what I need to know. I have found the secret menu though...

 

I was hoping some kind soul might have put together a quick start guide in English, explaining various menu screens and relating them to more conventional audio-speak. What does Stardust or MMX/AVX etc do for example?

 

My biggest problem is that about 75% of the time I just get a series of rapid clicks (but not relay type noise) rather than music and I can't work out for sure what combination of settings causes it. The fact that you have to wait a few minutes each time to find out whether it's going to play nicely just adds to the frustration. So far it seems more likely to appear on Normal rather than upsampling replay but that's about all I can deduce.

[YashN]

Thanks to Nikhil and Highstream for responses.

I've been playing with BHE for a day now, first impressions are of the most frustrating replay software experience I've had to to date

 

For a much simpler version, try BugHead Green. The jump in SQ is no joke. PCM only.

[YashN]

"ReWrite Data" is a separate program that de-fragments files to reduce deterministic jitter.

 

Rewrite Data isn't about defragmentation of files at all, unless it has changed significantly from its origins.

 

It's about making a fresh copy of the data.

[Nikhil]

Rewrite Data isn't about defragmentation of files at all, unless it has changed significantly from its origins.

It's about making a fresh copy of the data.

 

 

Probably something got lost in translation ...

[highstream]

In the hope that repetition being the key to learning will sooner or later take hold here, I encourage you again, Norton, to take your questions and problems to the Jplay forum. That's where the greatest user knowledge of using BH resides, at least in English. Use of Jplay is not a prerequisite to using BH or help on the thread, although its use definitely helps sound quality in a big way Note that the BH thread is under a non JPlay-specific forum. At the forum, I suggest two things right off: pose your questions (and describe your system), and take the time to read through the thread (much of it can be paged through quickly). You are not the first to have basic questions, let alone system-specific problems. Another benefit of going through the thread is spotting those who seem to know more and/or have a system similar to yours that you can pm for advice. BH users are friendly and typically helpful in that way.

[Nikhil]

I was hoping some kind soul might have put together a quick start guide in English, explaining various menu screens and relating them to more conventional audio-speak. What does Stardust or MMX/AVX etc do for example?

 

MMX/AVX refers to Intel's Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE).

SIMD instructions are used in processors to handle media.

 

In BHE and REWRITE DATA you choose the appropriate instruction set based on your processor.

[Norton]

MMX/AVX refers to Intel's Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE).

SIMD instructions are used in processors to handle media.

 

In BHE and REWRITE DATA you choose the appropriate instruction set based on your processor.

 

Thanks, finger crossed you may have solved my initial problem. Changing MMX to AVX (it's a recent i7) seems to get rid of the clicks.

 

But I didn't quite understand the logic of your rewrite sequence above, why would you run it in the folder where your drivers are, I thought the purpose was to run it on your music files?

[Nikhil]

But I didn't quite understand the logic of your rewrite sequence above, why would you run it in the folder where your drivers are, I thought the purpose was to run it on your music files?

 

It's a preparatory step which to my understanding optimizes the BHE program itself and the ASIO drivers before playback. In fact you can use REWRITE DATA to optimize other programs as well.

 

grizzlyaudio: Rewrite 1.25 x64 - Bughead Emperor - Audiophile file optimisation

 

PureBasic Forum • View topic - Rewrite data - VLC became High-end media player

 

 

 

Have you figured out the player and how to setup BHE?

The player essentially has two basic concepts - the upsampling part and the filters

 

So if you have a 44.1 Hz file you can use 2x, 4x upto 8x upsampling.

Then you have tuning based on your hardware and finally the Low Pass Filter (LPF) strategy.

However to get started just use the defaults or just click the "Self Sound Optimizer"

 

Again I'm not using the current version so I hope that it's still useful.

 

Regards.

[YashN]

But I didn't quite understand the logic of your rewrite sequence above, why would you run it in the folder where your drivers are, I thought the purpose was to run it on your music files?

Yes, its original purpose is to rewrite the audio file data.

 

However, it can also be used for a variety of data (Yokota even suggest trying with video files and drivers and installers/executables if I remember correctly.).

 

For audio specifically, I'd use it on the audio file, listen, then also test on the driver as suggested: applying it once should be enough, then listen again. If the driver rewrite doesn't make an obvious difference, I'd just RD the audio file.

 

For some of the background of the mechanism by which this is possible, read about how DRAM works, namely the use of capacitors and a periodic refresh mechanism around it. Yet another 'digital' sub-system which is internally encoded as analogue values.

[YashN]

grizzlyaudio: Rewrite 1.25 x64 - Bughead Emperor - Audiophile file optimisation

 

grizzylyaudio is wrong about Rewrite Data being about 'de-fragmentation' of files.

 

It isn't.

 

It is not a problem of fragmentation.

- Yokota.

[Norton]

It's a preparatory step which to my understanding optimizes the BHE program itself and the ASIO drivers before playback. In fact you can use REWRITE DATA to optimize other programs as well.

 

grizzlyaudio: Rewrite 1.25 x64 - Bughead Emperor - Audiophile file optimisation

 

PureBasic Forum • View topic - Rewrite data - VLC became High-end media player

 

 

 

Have you figured out the player and how to setup BHE?

The player essentially has two basic concepts - the upsampling part and the filters

 

So if you have a 44.1 Hz file you can use 2x, 4x upto 8x upsampling.

Then you have tuning based on your hardware and finally the Low Pass Filter (LPF) strategy.

However to get started just use the defaults or just click the "Self Sound Optimizer"

 

Again I'm not using the current version so I hope that it's still useful.

 

Regards.

 

Thanks, yes I've certainly had it playing successfully and sounding good. Could be a red herring but changing the default MMX to AVX seems to have solved the main problem.

 

So far, I don't think, for me, it will replace WTFplay or HQP.

[Nikhil]

Thanks, yes I've certainly had it playing successfully and sounding good. Could be a red herring but changing the default MMX to AVX seems to have solved the main problem.

 

So far, I don't think, for me, it will replace WTFplay or HQP.

 

 

It takes some time to understand the player but it does do something right.

It's difficult to use as your regular player but it's good to have in the arsenal.

 

I would recommend using the Self Sound Optimizer for most occasions.

I just leave it at normal i.e. no upsampling at all - and the sound is pretty good.

 

Have you managed to setup your player in "High Class Professional" mode?

[Nikhil]

It isn't.

- Yokota.

 

Here is what he says it is.

 

Rewrite data

 

As I continued to research and development of sound player, I will notice that the transfer method

of the memory changes the sound quality in the MMX and SSE and AVX. Memory output circuit of

the CPU, when it was thought to change by the CPU instructions and register, I found the answer

to the sound quality is of course changed. By the hypothesis grounds, it was named the technique

of new jitter suppression. "Rewrite memory"

 

"This is to achieve low jitter in all sound player"

[satbaba]

I tried the Bughead Emperor player. I like the sound quality.

But I could not make the settings.

What is the best setting you use ?

[Norton]

Have you managed to setup your player in "High Class Professional" mode?

 

No, the best I can get is "20% Sound Degradation". From the JPLay forum it seems that you need lots of and/or double sided (whatever that means) RAM to get to "High Class Professional". I'm just on 8 gb.

[YashN]

Here is what he says it is.

 

Rewrite data

 

As I continued to research and development of sound player, I will notice that the transfer method

of the memory changes the sound quality in the MMX and SSE and AVX. Memory output circuit of

the CPU, when it was thought to change by the CPU instructions and register, I found the answer

to the sound quality is of course changed. By the hypothesis grounds, it was named the technique

of new jitter suppression. "Rewrite memory"

 

"This is to achieve low jitter in all sound player"

 

None of which has anything to do at all with file defragmentation.

[Nikhil]

None of which has anything to do at all with file defragmentation.

 

It isn't making a fresh copy of the data either ... touché?

[Nikhil]

No, the best I can get is "20% Sound Degradation". From the JPLay forum it seems that you need lots of and/or double sided (whatever that means) RAM to get to "High Class Professional". I'm just on 8 gb.

Double sided RAM is pretty standard these days - you might just have double sided RAM.

Double sided RAM has chips mounted on both sides

(See image below which I've just linked off google images)

 

 

I went up to 32GB on my AudioPC and it put me in HCP mode on a core i5 machine.

[YashN]

It isn't making a fresh copy of the data either ... touché?

 

It is. That's the whole point.

 

Do you read code?

[Nikhil]

It is. That's the whole point.

 

Do you read code?

 

No not my thing. But very interested to know more about what you are saying.

[YashN]

No not my thing. But very interested to know more about what you are saying.

It's OK.

 

It's interesting to ask oneself what is the reason behind why we need to 'rewrite the data' first.

 

For that, let's start with how the data is stored on the HDD platter surface and how it's read.

 

Let's assume for now the audio file isn't defragmented on the HDD because that's not what the initial idea by Yokota is about (note that I am not saying a fragmented audio file or other file could not have an incidence on SQ, just that this isn't the phenomenon that RD has been written to deal with).

[Norton]

Double sided RAM is pretty standard these days - you might just have double sided RAM.

Double sided RAM has chips mounted on both sides

(See image below which I've just linked off google images)

 

 

I went up to 32GB on my AudioPC and it put me in HCP mode on a core i5 machine.

 

Thanks. I have't opened up to check, but BHE won't let me select the double sided setup option (#7?).

 

However, after a few days' listening it's clear to me that this player is in a different league from anything I've heard before. In day to day terms it's right at the limit of practicality, but chance on the optimum settings and it has the clarity and detail of the best of the rest, but with a 3D, big, solid and tactile sound I've only ever heard from vinyl before. I suspect that it also works differently from other players.

 

Given the detailed attention paid to other enhancements on this forum, I'm surprised that someone who knows hasn't already posted a step by step evaluation of what it does, as it's clearly doing something different that impacts SQ big time. I'm presuming a large part of the wait time is because it loads the whole playlist into RAM and then runs rewrite data against it, let alone the endless configurable upsampling, filtering and whatever Stardust and Natural Sound do?