_KaszpiR_

hi,
I'm using kx drivers on widnows xp pro with sound blaster live 1024 (value), and its awesome.

Recently i started to fiddle around in dsp graphic editor and adjusted sound that is produced by the voip communicator - mumble (something much better than teamspeak and better than ventrilo), to better filter out bassess

Now i started to thing about the solution that can be found in certain games - decrease volume if someone is using game voip.

I just wanted to make it universal, like voip programs using specific output channels would tigger to decrease volume of the other channels. I just want to decrease background played music from foobar for about -4db when someone is chatting on voip.

I just don't know where to start to mix the channels, I'm not sure if its possible withe default bulitin plugins in kx pack. Thge main issue is i don't quite know the keayword i should be looking for on forums or google.

Any help is appreciated

Maddogg6

use a compressor, and use the side chain input and make a 'ducker'.

Feed VOIP audio to the side chain input - and Game audio to the MAIN input.

Audio from VOIP will lower the volume of the audio comming in on the MAIN in on the compressor.

Its how they do the voice overs with background music on radio & TV.
Music is louder when no one talking, then lowers in volume when voice naration is active.

Some caveats -
I think your card is a 4.0 only card, and using a dedicated wave device for VOIP will likely mean your game audio can be stereo only - My A2, being a 7.1 card - and having the Wave HQ device - makes it possible to do this *and* use directional audio in the game - I could not do that with my Live tho - I would have to use stereo only - unless of course I used the 2 cards I have. But I will assume that is not your case (have more than 1 sound card installed)

You may need to use yet another compressor feeding the side chain input of the other compressor, so you have a bit more control over how much the side chain input affects the main audio.

You still need to MIX the game audio and VOIP audio after the compressor... as, the audio fed to the side chain input *does not* come out though the compressor.

Google 'compressor side chain ducker' for more details on how this works. Note that the 'ducker' is the type of effect (or configuration of a compressor) you seek.
Simply a 'ducker' is a 'variable gate' - more signal on side chain = less audio out of the compressor - which again - only MAIN input ever is at the compressors output.

Also - to the the APS/Compressor(+) - you need to use a basic/x4 at the input and basic/div4 at the compressors output.
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/general-...-when-use.html

Hope that helps - I suppose I could make a pic of a DSP config for this if you need.

imperia

very interesting. first I am gonna check that mumble software. sounds interesting.
also the idea to "decreasing volume of one imput if there is a signal on another input" is very nice. I also play online games and always have problem hearing the voices of people talking on ventrilo.

Maddogg6 it would be very nice if you can post screenshot. I dont care about stereo output because i use mainly headphones during night.

Thank you.

Maddogg6

No problem - keep in mind you will likely need to adjust some things...
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/9...pduckervr4.jpg
By md6

Adjust the Compressor+ Threshold to adjust how much the game volume lowers when your VOIP receives audio.... I added Lex's noise gate too, to prevent VOIP from constantly transmitting - Vol after the noise gate can be used to adjust the VOIP send audio level...

I may be forgetting important details?? - its all pretty self explanatory to me.. so... just ask if something is not clear.

Edit:
I use this when talking on VOIP and listening to music - it works very well as a ducker.

Set the Game to use kX Wave 0/1 and the VOIP to use kX Wave 2/3. /edit

_KaszpiR_

Maddogg6
thanks for the details!! I knew I was missing only one thing - I just didn't expect that compresor would be named like that - well, I blame just my lack of the 'audio related slang', I've experienced this before

I've managed to do the basics with the compressor, as you suggested - I just have to tweak the sliders to know it better - for now it works only for foobar music, but since i know how-to then the rest is just a matter of time and additiona tweaking.

Thanks again for the help

Maddogg6

Google and Harmony Central are a good place to go to get better acquainted with all the 'audio related slang' - tho - things like 'compressor with side chain' and 'ducker' is not really 'slang' they are very common words used through out the audio industry.
'Slang' being a bit more cryptic in general.
Tho - the 'x4' and 'div4' are more kX specific, just because of some less common quirks found only in kX.

The '+' of the APS compressor is an indication of having the side chain - but the dynamics processor can also be used, tho that's a little more complicated as it can be configured as an expander which is the opposite of a compressor, and it has way more controls/adjustments too.

_KaszpiR_

hmm I havent used div4 and x4 and its working well without it, should i really try to add it?
edit: with x4 and div4 its working better ;D

and looking at some configurations I get the feeling i will have to erase compeltely current config and make my own dsp routing table

I'm using stereo output anyway, usually playing music on 2.1 (without bass redirection) or with headphones.

Max M.

>hmm I havent used div4 and x4 and its working well without it, should i really try to add it?

that's not really necessary.
In fact, the x4/div4 wrapping only affects the effect of the "Threshold" fader (w/o x4/div4, the actual threshold value just becomes 12dB higher than the value shown in plugin's UI)
So, as soon as you tweak the plugin by ears (and not by eyes) the x4/div4 wrapping doesn't make much sense.

__________________

Maddogg6

Part of the beauty of kX is the possibility to do the same thing in different ways - the ducker I posted - worked very well for me - if one was learning from it - the x4 and div4 helps make the adjustments a little more clearer to understand.
I feel - only experiences users can make adjustments completely by ear - and achieve desired results. So, I posted what I think is 'most correct' for someone to learn from.

_KaszpiR_

Another question

Now I got only one record line in CT4832
sometimes I'm with friends on voip and I want to record stuff from game using FRAPS, that uses 'best input audio' which is a microphone line or master record line (the only one i got acually).

In order to record in game sound I must redirect the sound I hear in my ears to the record in channel, in effect i automatically trigger voice activation in Voip communicator (i guess you know how annoying it is for the others.)


Is it possible to redirect sound such way that I can record the sound I hear in ears to one recording line
and the things I say to microphone would go to the another record input line (so I would only send voice without the whole game noise I hear).

I feel like I'm missing one extra record input in the DSP to achieve that (or maybe i have not yet fiddled with ASIO)

Maddogg6

You can do both... just not at the same time....

When you want to record fraps... use 1 DSP config... when doing VOIP in game - use another.

Fraps looks like it does not use ASIO... and only uses WDM (as you noticed, can only record from 1 stereo source at any one time)

The only other work around is to use some means to rout audio while in game to avoid recording game audio until you want to record with fraps.

Not sure if its feasible when games (DirectInput) may monopolize key stroke input (the most logical way to control a kX plugin) for the game - but you could use a MIDI keyboard to control a crossfade plugin that crossfades the record inputs while in game... but you would need the MIDI keyboard or some other physical midi control of some type. Not to mention using MIDI OX to connect MIDI input to the kX Control MIDI Port.

_KaszpiR_

well, your solution is overcomplicted, not giving me much advantage
thanks for the info, but i guess i will leave it as it is, then.

Maddogg6

hehe - sorry... but when asking for the difficult/impossible... the work arounds are likely to be 'not so simple' - otherwise you would have probably figured it out on your own... I was simply suggesting a possible work around that had a limitation - depending on your motivation level and hardware available - can be the difference between feasible and not feasible. But yeah - it the suggestion is a bit complex, but ...possible.

Russ

Hmm, it looks as though mumble might support using ASIO, if so, that would solve your problem.