HQ Player

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...what would be the appropriate sampling frequency for room correction filters? I'm using acourate to generate them but the limit is 192khz, I could ask the developer for higher rates though.

192khz seems quite lowish to me.

 

While I am not Jussi, I am using acourate filter with HQPlayer. There is a school of thought on filter bandwidth that says you should limit it to that which is necessary the bandwidth of the actual correction. If you are correcting to 24khz, then 48 khz filters and let the software scale the filter. Because HQP uses high-quality scaling for non-integer sample-rate conversions, you can get away with one rate. Personally, I do use 192k filters because I have a lot of those files and I stay in PCM through to the DAC, so it minimizes conversions. But for upsampling to high-rate DSD, I see no advantage in using anything more than nyquist. Jussi has stated that the actual rate of the filter is content-dependent and if you have 192k filter and feed it a 44.1 signal, the filter is scales to the incoming rate to save procesing power.

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I think Jussi will have to answer that, since I don't have a DSD-capable DAC and do not use the upsampler.

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You will find that information over on the Roonlabs forum.

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Am I missing something here or has the CUDA box disappeared in the preferences on 3.14 for OSX?

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Is there a way to hijack a Pandora stream for playback through HQplayer using the AnySource functionality? Is that available on the desktop app?

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I would definitely like to have that option.  Pandora streams clip with my Inguz installation in LMS and if LMS can pass Pandora to HQPlayer, I would be very happy. I can use stream-through in Pure Music to hijack the Pandora desktop player stream, but I have had problems with that too. It really is a shame that Pandora won't just open their API to Roon, but that's a complaint for another day.  

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I'm migrating my system to a new room and plan to employ a mid-2011 Macbook Air for Purevinyl; but I'm wondering if this 1.7Ghz 2 core i5 with 4 gig can also handle Roon core plus HQPlayer doing convolution for RC filters. My DAC only accepts up to 24/192 PCM, so the DSD modulators wouldn't be invoked.  What do you people think? 

 

Also, I think I understand the HQPlayer license. Because it is single-computer, single use: if I load it on the Air, I need to remove it from my iMac, correct?

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I've been a bit confused for some time over using the gain comp in the convolution setup.  Since my filters really cut the volume a lot, I used 20db in my last set up and I have tried to use a number related to what acourate is telling me the gain loss is when I run the filter macro. I built a filter that included 6db of gain rather than leaving it at 0.0db and it clipped hard on some Bill Frisell that I played. So does HQplayer always soft-clip? Maybe the gain comp explanations in the manual could use a bit more explanations?

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Miska, is there a way to set different RC filters for different endpoints as a configuration? I have been using HQPlayer with Roon into a USBridge to my DAC at the other end of my home and have RC filters loaded for the speakers there.  But I added a pair of KEF LS50Ws to my office where the desktop running HQPlayer is and I tried using the USB to computer/Coreaudio connection instead of Network IP6 and although it worked, I am stuck with the RC filters already loaded for the other system and speakers. I could disable them while listening in the office, but it would be nice to build some for my office and use them too. Am I stuck either using Roon or switching the RC filters each time I switch the NAA endpoint?

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22 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Matrix pipeline "profiles" are on my TODO-list for 4.x (Desktop & Embedded), which solves this case...

 

Great!  I bought a license yesterday.

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What is the best way to configure a digital input stream into HQplayer, say an FM tuner with a digital out, to implement RC convolution on the bitstream? Also, is there any hope for AU or VST plugin support at any point? Thanks, Jussi.

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3 hours ago, Miska said:

No, none of the plugins support processing DSD. I really want to have equal processing capabilities for both PCM and DSD, it is important to me.

 

Those plugins APIs are also not easy to integrate into my current high performance DSP pipeline that can also utilize GPU.

 

I gather that I could set HQPlayer to output to built-in output on my iMac and hijack the stream, process using a plugin and then output to a device?  I'm trying to game-up a way to try the Room Shaper that Mitch just reviewed in my Roon-->HQPlayer set up. I currently have HDMI direct wire into my M51 dac from the iMac because the USB input went out and I can't use it anymore for the networked audio that I hade previously with a Allo USBridge and NAA.  I know there's some way to accomplish this but I gather that I don't want to intercept the Roon to HQPlayer stream because of your work to stabilize it. Comments? Thanks Jussi.

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20 minutes ago, Miska said:

But you could do it other way around and hijack the plugin's output and send that to HQPlayer instead.

 

You can achieve similar or better results with REW or Acourate and using HQPlayer's convolution engine. You don't need that plugin for anything. And then you are not limited to PCM.

 

 

Understood.  I may try that just to see.

 

I already use acourate-built 131k tap RC filters in HQPlayer's convolution engine and it works wonderfully.  As I understood Mitch's review, this plugin works in real-time to further reduce room mode decay times based on the time-varying signal, which isn't something a static filter convolved with the signal can correct. Right?  I am limited in what I can do for room treatments because I live in a brick loft and I can't attach anything to the bricks or mortar. I could add some bass traps but the good ones (SpringTraps) are cost-prohibitive for my room volume (~6000 ft^3). So I thought this might be worth at least a trial. Thanks again, Jussi.

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I'm having some difficulty reconfiguring my system using digital interfaces for both analog and digital input.  I have a pair of TASCAM UH-7000s.  I have been using one as an interface for Purevinyl which functions as a DAW. So the corrected signal goes back to the interface and out AES/EBU to my DAC.  For a different table dedicated to 78's and other analog (tape, tuner) and digital input (cd player) I was using a TC Electronic Impact Twin, which I am trying to retire because MacOS no longer supports the drivers. 

 

My desire was to use the second 7000 for the second phono input with Purevinyl (once Rob finally finishes the Catalina version) and run line-level and digital inputs to HQPlayer and out to my DAC.  Based on initial experiments, HQPlayer doesn't want to share the CoreAudio bus for inputs and outputs.  The USB input on my NAD M51 recently failed, so my USBridge is useless to provide a NAA endpoint becaue the HDMI output doesn't seem to carry audio.  I can get a DigiOne I guess.  Am I missing something here?  Jussi?  What's the simplest way to get my analog and digital inputs into the iMac for processing by HQPlayer and out to my DAC? 

 

Using Desktop 4.5 on 2012 iMac i7.

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Hi Jussi,

 

I am only using one interface at a time.  But I am also not getting any sound/signal to appear in HQPlayer. This is what I am trying to do: rca analog into-->A/D 7000--> into HQP--> out coreaudio/iMacHDMI/thunderbolt adapter to DAC/HDMI

digital (44.1 cd and 48 tuner)-->AES in 7000 ---> HQP out  coreaudio/iMac/HDMI/thunderbolt adapter to DAC/HDMI

 

I will separately use the 7000s for Purevinyl.

 

So far I am not getting signal. This is probably a user error, but I have no idea what I am doing wrong.

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It appears that it is a driver problem with Catalina. Can I use desktop on my Air running High Sierra and send to client on my iMac and then output to coreaudio HDMI?  The workarounds necessary for Catalina are so ridiculous. They buggered up the USB busses so badly.

 

OK, IO can see that won't work either.  So, I guess I am stuck with Purevinyl on High Sierra for all inputs and outputs until the drivers are updated for Catalina. My goal was to be able to enjoy HQPlayer upsampling to DSD256 for everything except vinyl.  I haven't figured out a way to pipe Purevinyl out to HQPlayer in.  I Ilke Rob's RIAA and 78 correction curves. I realize that I could import RIAA filter into HQPlayer for cascading with my RC filters but thats more work than I want to undertake when Rob already did the heavy lifting. Sigh. Another day, another Apple fubar.

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Neither have I.  HQPlayer isn't the problem.  UH-7000 is.

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8 hours ago, Miska said:

 

You could check if this works:

https://rogueamoeba.com/loopback/

 

In this kind of case, switching sample rates is not an issue either.

 

For ADC and digital input tasks I use RME ADI-2 Pro, it can even do DSD256 input from ADC on macOS, I've used it with HQPlayer4Pro to record DSD.

Loopback doesn't work.

 

RME Pro is $US2000. Although that may work, it is definitely a major expense after I already spent on my UH-7000s. For that kind of money I could have a Holo Spring 2.

8 hours ago, Miska said:

 

 

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Loopback doesn't work in the configuration that I have tried using it: running out of Purevinyl and into HQPlayer with Loopback providing the throughput.  Yes, HQPlayer has microphone permissions. Loopback wants to use both Purevinyl and HQP as sources and won't let me chain them directly.  I tried using soundflower as a throughput but that didn't work either.

 

Today I got Purevinyl working with the UH-7000 in a Mojave virtual machine running under Catalina. I suspect that Purevinyl working as a DAW makes this easier. An HQPlayer instance recognizes the UH-7000 but I still can't get an input or output to work.  It does not appear to be working as a DAW. I can't seem to invoke the permissions for microphone in the Mojave VM instance and it is probably a setting due to the VM configuration that I have yet to conquer. For now, I will bifurcate my signal paths to Roon--> HQP--> NAD M51 via coreaudio/HDMI for file playback and streaming, and Turntables/Tape/CD/FM-->7000-->Purevinyl-->7000-->NAD via AES/EBU as I have been using for some time.  It is a bit clunky but it works. Reverberate core as a plugin provides convolution of the same RC filters used in HQP. 

 

Again, the goal is to eventually go Turntables/Tape/CD/FM-->7000-->Purevinyl-->HQP-->NAD via coreaudio/HDMI and the reason for that is so that room correction convolution and upsampling can be done by HQP for everything. Although atm I am limited to 192k PCM, I will be moving to Holo Spring 2 or May at some point this year and going DSD 256.  The reference RME does look good though. If they update it with the new AKM 90 series chip I will consider it an option for DSD direct.  

 

Thanks for the input guys.

 

Also, just to note why I am doing all this: UH-7000 driver broke with Catalina. Tascam is working on a new driver, but until it is finished, these are bricked without workarounds.  Also, Catalina broke Purevinyl; Rob is working on a new build.  Both run under Mojave for now. My desktop is on Catalina and I can't roll it back without data loss.  I did not have a time machine backup due to an internal drive failure that required me to break the fusion drive and go external SSD for OS.

 

 

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I have been toying with building/buying a fanless media PC to run HQP EC modulators and also madVR for dynamic tone mapping for my projector. That’s probably the best overall solution. Then I can send the output to an NAA on the network to whatever DAC I end up with. Ive been looking at the Zotac Magnus boxes but I am unsure if the i7 9750H will handle the 7EC. 

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Thanks, Bob.  I will play with it again tomorrow.  I feel like once a long time ago I passed Electromagnetics, I should be able to figure this out, right?

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Ok, I got a working Catalina driver from TASCAM for the UH-7000 operational now and I still can't seem to pipe PCM into HQP as a souce.  

 

My chain is this:  Live PCM source (48k, 24b) from Accuphase FM tuner into TASCAM Digital Inputs 1 and 2, set to "Monitor Computer 1 and 2", I have Audio Midi configured for sound input from the TASCAM and I can get see input from the System Preferences Sound set up window so it is reaching Coreaudio.  What I can't get is HQP to allow me to set the input to the TASCAM and get anything playing.  

 

I have tried output to my NAD M51 DAC as normally configured or back to the TASCAM, a configuration that works with Puremusic.  What else can I try here?

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On 6/26/2020 at 2:29 PM, Miska said:

 

Have you selected the TASCAM as input device? And then followed instructions here

https://www.signalyst.com/quickstart.html

under heading "Playing from source selection"?

 

Yes.  I have tried everything.  I tried using default and soundflower too.  It has to be a permission issue with Coreaudio or something.  The TASCAM does show up as a device in the pull down menu for both backend and input.  Its so frustrating. This machine is too old to move to Big Sur, so I will keep working on things in Catalina as I think of them. I don't get why the RME would work so easily but this TASCAM won't.

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So, I did a thing.  To keep myself from spending some real $$$ on a Holo May, I bought a D90 to play with for DSD direct, since this is undiscovered country for me having had a PCM-only dac for the last 8 years.

 

If I am reading the datasheet correctly for the AK4499EQ, then DSD operates with just 44.1k base rates and not 48k rates too.  So, given that, am I better off to use [source] to leave 48k base rate PCM files in PCM to the DAC, or to have HQP output a 44.1x128 or x256 DSD to the D90 for 48k base rate files?  I am using a convolution filter at 192Khz, but I can always build a new one at a higher/different rate in acourate. Comments?

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Selecting expand HF scales the filter for the appropriate rate, so yes tick that.  I don't know if Jussi enabled a set of rate families in the latest versions, so I stick with one set of convolution filters at the highest rate that I typically will desire in my case 192khz, or the highest rate available if outputting DSD.  HQP takes care of the sample rate conversions, so there's no need to worry about that and you can output in either DSD or PCM as desired.  One way to tell if you have your filters implemented properly and operational is if the output level is significantly lower due to the convolution.