- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Hi Leif,
I’ve purchased Breakaway and licensed it to 2 or 3 machines (I can’t remember exactly). As a former radio program director (see other posts), I’ve been messing around with Winamp dsp plug-ins for years. If I could only find a decent output plug-in that gives me the ability to crossfade the way we used to do it manually (in radio)…
So anyhow, a genetic propensity plus 20+ years of "cranked to the max" closed headphone use has left me with very little hearing. I’m using a lot of cutting edge hearing enhancement stuff (FM, Bluetooth, etc.) to feed audio directly into the processors in my ears.
I’ve found that the most efficient method of understanding phone conversations is by using Skype and directing the audio out to a wired connection to my personal FM transmitter, which transmits to the digital instruments in my ears. Skype is especially good for this since it makes it simple to direct the output into Breakaway (I use a USB mic for my voice).
Right now I am feeding Breakaway into the SRS Audio Sandbox software, which allows me to tweak the audio even more, using the "VOIP" preset as a starting point. In the Breakaway configuration, I have rolled off all bass, and shaped bass to +50. You have to understand that my hearing loss is severe and my only goal is speech discrimination.
The bottom line: if Breakaway had a "speech" or "telephone" preset, I probably would not need to add SRS to the chain. Actually, what I need is a system-level EQ, so I could tailor the audio manually. Breakaway’s "Bass Cut" and "Shape" settings are fine for the average user, but I need more control.
Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc.? Does anyone know of a free standing EQ that really works?
By the way, I own a copy of Virtual Cable and have tried running Skype out through Winamp to use the EQ, but I can’t get rid of the stuttering (buffer issue?).
Hi Jim!
Telephony preset is actually on my to-do list, along with an easy way to switch between presets. It will be in Breakaway 1.03.
I’ve also been planning to make a power-user version of Breakaway at some point, with an 8-band parametric EQ for speaker calibration and equalization, and other advanced features. This EQ could definitely help compensating for hearing loss too. I don’t know exactly when it will be done, but stay tuned 🙂.
I don’t know of a software EQ (other than my own) that can run realtime with low latency.. Since it will be a while before there’s a Breakaway version with EQ, have you thought about using a Hardware EQ? An inexpensive graphic equalizer meant for in-car use would work very well, add no latency, and cost very little – I see several in the $30 price range on eBay.
///Leif
Leif,
Thanks for the info! I’ll be anxiously awaiting the "power user" version of Breakaway.
A hardware EQ should work well. I’ve wasted too much money on "hearing impaired amps/EQs" that are either incorporated into a phone or are inserted between the phone and the handset. They’re worthless.
Thanks again,
JimAnother preset that might be useful is one that is optimized for highly compressed files, such as the audio with streaming videos. I realize, of course, that no program is capable of actually fixing poor audio, but maybe it is possible to build a preset that would squeeze absolutely everything out of a crunched file?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.