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Forum: VirtualDJ Technical Support

Topic: Problem with Sound Quality in Latest Builds 3523 & 3568-3573 !!! Please Help ... - Page: 8

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But the problem is that no-one has a definition of what it used to sound like.

As I stated before I have carried out two separate stages of testing and neither showed any difference in the sound output with different versions of VDJ, setting files and even different controllers.

It may be either something has changed external to VDJ or you are just "thinking" there is a difference.

Best thing to do is get a CD player, chuck in a CD of a track you also have on VDJ and run both through the venue mixer to see if VDJ has a significant difference in mid and high frequencies. One of my residencies is a bit off sound ways so that's exactly what I'm going to do on Friday and that will tell me for once and for all if there are any issues with the VDJ sound output.

I have been following this thread from the start and both Atomix and users are trying to get to the bottom of this but I don't think there is a universal solution out there.
 

geposted Tue 14 Feb 17 @ 8:59 pm
kradcliffe wrote :
But the problem is that no-one has a definition of what it used to sound like.

As I stated before I have carried out two separate stages of testing and neither showed any difference in the sound output with different versions of VDJ, setting files and even different controllers.

It may be either something has changed external to VDJ or you are just "thinking" there is a difference.

Best thing to do is get a CD player, chuck in a CD of a track you also have on VDJ and run both through the venue mixer to see if VDJ has a significant difference in mid and high frequencies. One of my residencies is a bit off sound ways so that's exactly what I'm going to do on Friday and that will tell me for once and for all if there are any issues with the VDJ sound output.

I have been following this thread from the start and both Atomix and users are trying to get to the bottom of this but I don't think there is a universal solution out there.


Hello my friend,

1) "But the problem is that no-one has a definition of what it used to sound like"

In this thread, I have described in detail on what the sound used to sound like, I do have a very good memory, I wouldn't have started this thread if the differences weren't so obvious.

2) "I have carried out two separate stages of testing and neither showed any difference in the sound output with different versions of VDJ, setting files and even different controllers."

The thing is that we have been doing these (experiments) for the past month, the sound quality has changed way before that, which means that a lot of factors could have caused this problem. Windows Updates, Codec Updates a change in the EQ Settings I don't know, I'm not an expert. Just because we haven't been able to reproduce the sound difference that we want to show, probably means that we haven't found the source of the the problem yet to do so.

3) "It may be either something has changed external to VDJ or you are just "thinking" there is a difference."

My friend, I think even you have mentioned that you have been cutting the Highs and the Mids from the Club's Mixer lately, so have I, I didn't before, I could easily Add Mids and Highs without any hesitation, now I subtract. Not only I have noticed this, even the club owners have noticed the difference, in 3 different clubs.

4) "I have been following this thread from the start and both Atomix and users are trying to get to the bottom of this but I don't think there is a universal solution out there"

All I'm asking for is a Build or Settings that will help me out with this issue, it's not about having the perfect sound, that would be impossible with so many different users and equipment, but a steady sound that I can rely on and Sound Quality, that will stop my ears from aching from the screaming trebles every time I listen to V DJ.
 

geposted Tue 14 Feb 17 @ 9:30 pm
But you need to gauge the sound against other software or hardware to determine if there actually is a physical difference.
 

geposted Tue 14 Feb 17 @ 10:15 pm
kradcliffe wrote :
But you need to gauge the sound against other software or hardware to determine if there actually is a physical difference.

Exactly this^
I mentioned serato because the sound is really like 99.9℅ the same. Just burn a CD with a song or find another DJ in your city that uses any other DJ software and compare the same exact song. Also we don't even know this:
Maybe the record pool company where you buy your music suddenly started to have low quality songs. I literally am out of ideas and I am really trying to determine that for sure the sound quality between 2 softwares or a CD player is indeed so much different. That's for you you to check.
 

geposted Tue 14 Feb 17 @ 10:59 pm
Windows WASAPI Drive issue/Update maybe? I don't use Windows but I have a Windows Machine. Using my SX2 and WASAPI the sound is harsh.. Using ASIO...much much better. Thats what I found when I was just messing around. Windows Optimizes the sound depending on what its playing through*internal speakers and such* and Ive noticed with some controllers it playing out using its setting for internal laptop speakers and when this happens, the mid and highs are very harsh. That was my finding just playing around. As I said I use a Mac and this hasn't been an issue. What Brand Windows is everyone using? Maybe an update in VDJ8 is causing the windows sound device not to notice anything hooked up..
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 3:09 am
For me, the things are easy:
Costumers complains about the sound
The owner of the venue complains about the audio
I have to set the knobs of High / Mids on the midi to - 35% so the speakers don't scream. I didn't have to do this before (let's keep out what I hear)

Same hardware, same software, same midi, same laptop, same files. Beyond a windows 10 update and virtualdj upgrade (and then downgrade), nothing else happened.

So, there definitely somewhere a problem. I told to the owner of the venue to bring someone, pay him, search the amplifiers etc and fix it. Personally, I won't bother anymore. And if he wish to use alternative programs, it's up to him.
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 4:31 am
@Labrokratis:

Everything depends on how a given system is set up.
When a sound engineer installs a system he uses a reference point to adjust the sound.
The final adjustment of the sound takes into account the entire signal path of the audio chain and the audio source that was used to tweak the system.
Besides the audio source which we can assume it was of great quality (most sound engineers will use "special cd's" as their source) if everything else changes it can downgrade the overal "quality" (the right term here is "coloring") of the soundsystem.
So, a simple change in one element (e.g. new mixer) can have a great impact on the outcome.
On your case we assume that no-one messed with the system settings and gear. Is that correct ? Is your club owner 100% sure than no-one messed with the SMU (Speaker Management Unit) or any other tweaking device (Equalizer, Crossover, Compressor, e.t.c.)
Also, has your club owner checked that he has no damaged speakers ? A simple burn-out of a crossover on a speaker or a sub stop working would transform the sound drastically.
I can accept that some users may experience "issues" with sound, but not THAT much... -35% adjustment is as good as -6 to -9db at least (depending on your EQ settings) which means that you have to remove at least "half" the power out of high frequencies.

From my understanding, SPBlackCat talks about small differencies in the 1 maybe 2db range, not more (since the sound is good as he says but the highs are just a little bit higher than they used to be)

@SPBlackCat:
We need a reference point I'm afraid. We don't know what's in your memory! :)
The reason we ask you to compare the sound with any other application is in order to have a reference point. In theory all apps should playback the exact same file with the exact same sound color if they don't use any DSP effect.
VirtualDj is designed to playback the sound as close to the source as possible without colorinzing it (emphasizing any specific audio frequencies).
If there is a bug present, this means that VirtualDj on your case emphasizes the highs/mids frequencies and in order to be able to understand that you need to compare it with other applications.
If VirtualDj sounds "just about the same" with all other audio applications then there are 2 cases:
1) You had a bug before that was emphasizing the low frequencies
2) Your memory doesn't serve you right.

That's why we need the reference point and that's why we ask for the recordings. :)
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 9:47 am
My gig machine is Win 8.1 and I have had updates disabled since the day I bought it. I use WASAPI because the Denon Asio drivers are crap but I can't imagine MS updating the WASAPI drivers often if at all.

When I go to VDJ sound config and swap between Windows WASAPI and Asio there is again no difference so that eliminates another possible point of error.

I can't talk for Windows 10 of course but being a permanent beta who knows what changes there are and when....
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 11:02 am
kradcliffe wrote :
My gig machine is Win 8.1 and I have had updates disabled since the day I bought it. I use WASAPI because the Denon Asio drivers are crap but I can't imagine MS updating the WASAPI drivers often if at all.

When I go to VDJ sound config and swap between Windows WASAPI and Asio there is again no difference so that eliminates another possible point of error.

I can't talk for Windows 10 of course but being a permanent beta who knows what changes there are and when....


I know what you mean but there is a way to use Asio drivers without having issues. I don't want to steer away from the original post so send me a message and I'll explain you what you can do if you are interested in fixing the Asio issues
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 3:16 pm
No, not interested. WASAPI has worked flawlessly for years now so I have no interest in using Asio. Thanks anyway!
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 4:05 pm
@kradcliffe
No problem! You're missing a lot though like having latency set 1ms and quality wise it's a bit better. Never hurts to try. I had major issues and I solved them myself.
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 4:52 pm
AdionPRO InfinityCTOMember since 2006
Why would wasapi have higher latency or lower quality?
Exclusive mode shouldn't be any different from ASIO.
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 5:21 pm
The difference with wasapi exclusive and no exclusive is that in exclusive mode it tells the receiver what bitrate and sampling frequency, as well as how many channels to set itself to, so the transfer is-bit perfect. The problem is that it can be a bit of a pain when multitasking and wanting to listen to other sounds.
It's good for video games and sound modes, like spreading the sound out to all surround speakers and using it for audio stuff but not so much for DJing (my opinion).

Asio on the other hand is much tighter and can handle easily 1ms and you are able to use other sounds. (I don't use it in exclusive mode). And it's a 2 way highway. The only problem is that on some systems the input lines cause issues. I have personally disabled the input lines in windows sound panel (recording playback) and within Virtual DJ's settings and so far I'm running flawless.
I have it at 1ms latency (and who knows, maybe in the future we'll get 0.5ms), and not even a single stutter. I really push my machine. Skin Fps at 60, 2 master video effects playing all time and using milkdrop and 2 sound effects as single deck effects and running on 30 screens and on some events even plugging a camera on a 30 meter USB cable and no user issues at all... It's a big dispute on which sound driver to use and each has his preference and personal opinion based on a personal experience.
I didn't want to mention Asio drivers here because I knew we would go off topic. Sorry for that..
 

geposted Wed 15 Feb 17 @ 5:58 pm
Just going to put this out there...you can sit there and stick with WASAPI or give ASIO a try.. to me very recently on my Windows machine at hope the mids and highs were harsh. Tried ASIO and in my case... warmer sound..IDK.. doesn't make sense but it is what it is.
 

geposted Tue 21 Feb 17 @ 6:40 am
I gave ASIO a try. Loaded the latest MC6000 64bit ASIO drivers from the Denon website.

Swapped between them and WASAPI and there was no difference in sound at all.

I left the ASIO drivers running then after about 10 minutes they hung then crashed completely. Uninstalled and back to the reliable Microsoft WASAPI drivers.
 

geposted Tue 21 Feb 17 @ 1:42 pm
kradcliffe wrote :
I gave ASIO a try. Loaded the latest MC6000 64bit ASIO drivers from the Denon website.

Swapped between them and WASAPI and there was no difference in sound at all.

I left the ASIO drivers running then after about 10 minutes they hung then crashed completely. Uninstalled and back to the reliable Microsoft WASAPI drivers.

Did you have input lines inside Virtual DJ?
 

geposted Tue 21 Feb 17 @ 2:13 pm
No, because I remembered that was a potential issue. Apart from that I was in external sound card mode rather than master + headphones.
 

geposted Tue 21 Feb 17 @ 2:31 pm
after reading this very long thread I will put my observations across to you

Virtual Dj 7 never sounded as crisp or as full as I would have liked and indeed its sound quality has been knocked a few times..

I have used VDJ 8 from the very early builds right up to the current beta releases , and I have found no variation in sound quality from build to build.

internally with the program the audio is a digital data stream, and unless an effect or eq is applied the sound out will be as good as the source file.

the final tonal quality is obviously going to be down to the final DAC in the audio card or controller, and of course some are better than others, my main gig setup uses a mc6000 mk1 and sounds better than my backup mixtrack pro.

when people post on here saying the sound quality has changed, are they taking into account that the environment the speakers are placed in can make a huge difference?

connecting to a club system with your own equipment ??? then of course you will need to re EQ the system , because the properties of your DAC output could be very different from the last one connected !!!!

My rig has stopped the same for the past 3 years, but I still reset the EQ to flat at every new venue , then re EQ it to get the best sound quality.

and if your connecting to a clubs system and they wont allow you to adjust the EQ, then you need to take a Graphic equaliser with you, the simple bass mid and treble included in VDJ and most controllers is mainly there to assist in mixing or making minor adjustments the band pass is far to wide to EQ a venue with .

one final point in overall sound quality....

I have a friend who for as long as I can remember has been an audio engineer at many radio stations , he has seen the introduction of the early digital systems thru to todays totally digital end to end solutions.

he has to be real careful with some combinations that can cause loss of audio quality in mixed analogue / digital signal paths, this he informs me is due to multiple digital quantising and sampling

for example

MP3 - digital but sample rates can vary
decoding - the decoding engine logarithm can have a big effect
DAC -on the output device - very very important !!

now we have an analogue signal, if its then fed into a modern digital mixer it gets sampled again, and the sound quality can be marred from any decoding artefacts from the previous DAC

out of the desk and we are reliant on the DAC of the mixing desk doing a good job

then lets consider the play out in a typical modern setup

do you have a EQ is it analogue or digital , well if its digital that's another resampling

feed back destroyer connected , again, not seen a non digital one in years - resample !

and your amp its analogue in, but does it have a digital dsp engine or a digital output drive ?






 

geposted Tue 21 Feb 17 @ 4:34 pm
Hello PhantomDeejay and Adion :-)

Hello People :-)

I managed to restore the sound that V DJ 8.2 used to have, so your Team will be able to reproduce it properly and compare it with the Latest Build.

I'll explain in detail the procedure that I followed so you can get as much Info as possible from it.

This is going to be a bit long, so people, please bare with me.

I remembered @PhantomDeejay mentioning in a post that the software could have carried a Bug or a Setting when updating from 8.1 to 8.2.

So I Reproduced the whole procedure that I followed historically.

Last year around this season, I had formatted and restored everything on my Laptop, so I kept a back-up of everything on my External HDD.

1) So, I Uninstalled V DJ and Reinstalled the Old Version that I had backed-up V DJ 8.1 build 2245, with all the files I had back-up then, including the settings.xml file. I had remained at this build because it was the best and most functional build for Hercules RMX2.

2) After that, I remembered updating to b.2857 (V DJ 8.1), so that's what I did.

3) The next update that I did was around August, from 8.1 to 8.2, I used build 3378 that was released at the beginning of August.

4) Next step, I updated with build 3386, listened to Virtual DJ and that was it !!! The Old Sound Quality I remembered was back-restored !!!

I could easily tell the difference, the sound was rich, with a strong Beat and Bass, I could easily add as much Mids and Highs without any hesitation, there were no more Hissing Sounds and Screaming Treble. I enjoyed listening to the result without any ear aches that the Latest Builds caused me.

I did this on both Laptops and had the same result.

All my Gear (Audio Interfaces - Controllers) work perfectly, Hercules RMX2, Novation Audiohub, even Native Instruments Audio2 Mk 2 which always had a bit of a flat sound to it.

I don't know How or Why this worked ...? I'm not an expert ...

The fact is that following this procedure, beginning from V DJ 8.1 and Updating to 8.2 to a certain build, the sound difference is obvious, but I noticed a few different Options and Settings in the Configuration, but the EQ Settings are exactly the same.

I've made recordings of course which I will provide you with.





 

geposted Wed 22 Feb 17 @ 7:51 pm
So did you identify which build caused the problem? It could be one that not everyone installed.

Although my personal testing showed no difference (I only went back to b2857) there is one of my resident venues where the mid and top is killing my ears. Seems there is a massive spike around 4k but it's not noticeable on all sound systems though.

Be interesting to see the outcome.
 

geposted Wed 22 Feb 17 @ 7:55 pm
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