Members Anderton Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 The Beats thread and the comments about "Beats Audio" reminded me of this particular Windows issue. If this is enabled on your laptop, disable it immediately. You're welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Does this only apply to Windows laptops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 I have a Windows 7 laptop. The first window looks familiar but I don't have the second on mine Maybe it's a Windows 8 thang? Good advice, though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 It's not a Microsoft thing, of course -- except that MS gives HP an interface options section in the OS's driver access panel. It's an HP thing -- an 'enhancement' option built into the (presumably USB) speakers. And HP is apparently still trying to shake off the malaise and bad decisions hangover from the disastrous Fiorina era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 16, 2015 Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 The REAL Microsoft Tool of Satan here, by the way, is this puppy -- when set to anything other than 44.1 kHz (assuming conventional content music is your primary activity).... Once Windows 7 goes into shared mode, it starts SRC'ing everything to the target SR using obviously less than ideal on-the-fly SRC.* * I discovered how bad the SRC was when I was listening to some familiar tunes and I thought, gee, this sounds different than I expect, a little harsher, brighter, less defined, with possibly some HF 'ringing.' It kind of freaked me out. Then I looked at what else was open. One of the windows was DVD content in a VLC window. I looked down at my external converter box and it said 48 kHz. Somehow the setting (above) had got set to SRC to 48 kHz instead of 44.1 kHz (as it is above). Now this will happen even if the two devices trying to share are BOTH set to 44.1 kHz! 'Worse,' once W7 goes into shared mode it has to receive a sample rate command from a device with explicit exclusive control to change the SR away from the default for shared -- just being the only thing running is not exclusive control! And, as soon as you have device sharing again, no matter ths SR, it goes back to the default. I just confirmed this with a series of tests on my system. Since I'd rather degrade the sound of my virtual movie watching than that of my music listening, I leave the shared mode setting at 44.1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted June 16, 2015 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2015 It's not a Microsoft thing, of course -- except that MS gives HP an interface options section in the OS's driver access panel. It's an HP thing -- an 'enhancement' option built into the (presumably USB) speakers. And HP is apparently still trying to shake off the malaise and bad decisions hangover from the disastrous Fiorina era. Thanks for clearing that up, I will now only get upset with Microsoft for other reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks for clearing that up, I will now only get upset with Microsoft for other reasons. This kind of clarity is crucial when going up against the mega-giants. It's got me where I am today. Of course, they have to decide on some kind of behavior, but I guess I was hoping it was 'smart' enough to revert to the 'proper' sample rate when the number of devices contending for the sound device in question went back to one. But, nope. You have to give something exclusive control and then let it tell the interface to switch. Actually, come to think of it, my MOTU has a pop-up 'audio console' as part of its driver components and you can do it there. Or you can do it from the Win 7 sound devices control thing, but, instead of changing the default (assuming it's already the default you want), you can set the pulldown accordingly, hit the TEST button and then CANCEL (without hitting apply or OK). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks for clearing that up, I will now only get upset with Microsoft for other reasons. I just noticed you actually changed the title... To use a burgeoning meme-of-the-moment, Now that's Integrity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members motterpaul Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 If I go to "playback systems" and properties on almost any windows system I can choose "enhancements" (and they do not have to be enabled) that include reverb and all kinds of various EQ schemes with names like "pop, rock, classical, jazz, club, live, voice, ..." etc. Right click speaker on lower left corner, select "playback devices" highlight your device and click "properties" you get a menu with tabs, hit "Enhancements" --- environment = reverb options, Pitch shift is pitch shift (semitones), Equalizer is what I mentioned above, then there is also voice cancellation, virtual surround, and "loudness". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 You mainly get these enhancements if you're using a windows cards. Windows has allowed multimedia sound driver enhancements all the way back to 3.1 when I bought my first crystal card. Its "not" new or unique to HP. Its not even written by HP. Dell and others have the same kind of multimedia enhancements embedded in their OEM operating system software. Its the drivers the sound chip manufacturer provide these enhancements. HP is a hardware manufacturer who bundles in the drivers the hardware manufacturers provide onto the restore disk. You can actually go into their full restore disks and find all these enhanced drivers. Sometimes they let you pick different versions for pro systems vs home systems. This gives IT people options for company office systems so they can install minimal drivers and block all the enhancements. The only actual HP software you find bundled is may be some minor hardware diagnostic tools and tutorial junk that can be easily removed. Many of those are just windows tools already in windows with an HP GUI layered over it. If you have a Realtec card, you'll find different enhancements for their chips. If you have a sound blaster card you'll find enhancements for their chips. They all do it. I have seen some toning down of it however. Companies don't like buying bloatware. If its actually useful and dialed back then they usually add them in to accommodate customers usage patterns. You have the same crap with Video cards too. For awhile there Nvida got insanely invasive with their bloat ware. They started pissing off all too many companies and customers and they've since dialed back all that crap to keep HP as a customer. You got to be real careful with print drivers too. You wind up loading all kinds of malware when you install their drivers off a disk that do everything from telling you where to go to buy inks, loading spam ware, running apps on the task bar, you name it. You have to beware about all this stuff and know how to turn it all off or at least circumvent it. Normal multimedia users often don't even know its there. (and some actually need it) If you've always bought windows and did your own installs and updates and run things off of basic win drivers you probably haven't see all this stuff. Store bought system have come preloaded with bloated multimedia drivers for a long time now and its a big source of unnecessary CPU consumption. The first thing I do when I buy a new computer and deinstall half the crap I'll never use. Then I run MS config from the DOS prompt and shut off all the hidden programs running in the background. The difference can be like night and day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 If I go to "playback systems" and properties on almost any windows system I can choose "enhancements" (and they do not have to be enabled) that include reverb and all kinds of various EQ schemes with names like "pop, rock, classical, jazz, club, live, voice, ..." etc. Right click speaker on lower left corner, select "playback devices" highlight your device and click "properties" you get a menu with tabs, hit "Enhancements" --- environment = reverb options, Pitch shift is pitch shift (semitones), Equalizer is what I mentioned above, then there is also voice cancellation, virtual surround, and "loudness". What you see is dependent on the driver for the device in question. A typical mobo chip will probably have a bunch of that stuff in the Sound Blaster tradition, whereas drivers for 'pro' devices would generally not have those gamer/consumer oriented options. As you can see, there's no checkbox for 'enhancements' on the panel for my MOTU 828mkII [above] because it doesn't have any of that stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted June 18, 2015 Author Members Share Posted June 18, 2015 I clicked an "enhance" button for text, and just look what happened. ISN'T that how you w a n t to hear your music, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted June 18, 2015 Members Share Posted June 18, 2015 I especially like the 'stereo enhancements' that make my sinuses feel like they're about to implode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted June 18, 2015 Members Share Posted June 18, 2015 Here's the screens from a Dell. Same kind of driver enhancements for a Realtek card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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