Best bang for my buck

Audio Tips and Discussion
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i got a full 5.1 system bitstreaming over a optical usb connection so i get full ieee float or pcm 32bit 5.1 audio from my entire windows system iv been useing fxsound with it and love it its working very well i dont have a soundcard so this is the next best thang my question tho is how would i get the best sound detail without any bass or anythang that would be too high i want the best quality but dont want to strain my ears trying to listen to music :slight_smile: thank you

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Hi Gabby,
First, two general guidelines:

  1. Don’t set any of the Effects or EQ sliders past level 4.
  2. Avoid clipping (the first point will help with that). Whenever you encounter clipping distortion, it means you’ve hit your system’s threshold. Try to find the source, and turn it down.

These are the two things I’m understanding you’re aiming for:

If you’re looking for an “objective/neutral” sound - which is the pursuit of most “audiophiles,” and often the audiophiliac definition of “sound quality” - then I’m sorry to say that FxSound can only lead you astray, since it does what its name says, it adds effects to your sound, and, in doing so, changes the way the original recording sounds, or was meant to sound.
The Ambience slider, for example, adds a form of echo known as reverb to any audio stream, which was never present in the original recording to begin with.
Concerning detail in the high frequencies - the Clarity slider will definitely do wonders for that. Vocals, hihats and tambourines will come through much more pronounced, detailed and clearly when you boost the Clarity. You can also achieve a similar, more selective and more precise boost using the last three EQ sliders to the right.
While the Bass Boost slider will lend power, rumble and intensity to your bass, it will not add “detail” to it per se. You can achieve a similar and more selective and precise boost using the first two EQ sliders to the left.
The Dynamic Boost slider will boost the volume in a general and controlled manner, therefore, turning the volume of your device or system down a bit, and the Dynamic Boost slider up accordingly, will also add more detail and clarity to your audio stream. The downside here, as mentioned above, is that while the result will sound more pleasant to the ear, it will also be less “objective.”

You can find all available FxSound tutorials in this post I made last month:

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thank you so much fxsound wont leave me astrey tho im useing bitstreaming with custom apo drivers over optical so not the best quality for my mixes unless i wanna blare my speakers this helps amplyfy sounds without raiseing my volume which is my end goal i live in a apartment above others so if i get too loud i become homeless XD so this application is perfect for detail without loudness i do have all ofmy settings as you reccomended but iv found dynamic boost to suite my needs better can you describe the use case of that by chance? sorry if i sound a bit annoying this application is a bit confusing comeing from a normal hdmi 5.1 system my hdmi extractor broke hints why im back to optical now my drivers convert any audio to pcm 5.1 32bit or ieee float 5.1 32bit max so i dont have alot of clipping issues unless the actual surround mix well sucks XD

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Raising the volume is a simple A-to-B equation for the entire track, while the Dynamic Boost effect also makes the parts of the audio stream which are relatively quiet, actively louder; and hence, adds more detail.

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thank you so much :slight_smile: this helped alot with useing this in my system i have to say its working amazing enabled live encodeing over optical which i diddnt even know was possible

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Happy to assist. :nerd_face:
[Insert witty corporate slogan here]

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oh you help make this?!?! ok well i must say 1 thang please make a preset for the direct mix iv made one myself but would like the option for when playing games again this enables live encodeing so i use this for games like overwatch fps shooters that i need the best sense of thats behind me thats infront of me besides that keep up the good work guys :slight_smile:

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i do like the gameing preset tho so i do use that but for some games (games that use prologic) different rules may apply ( for anyone reading im useing bitstreaming over a usb optical connection useing custom apo drivers google this with dolby digital plus home theater and youll find theme easy)

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No, I play no part in programming the software.
If you’re referring to the Surround Sound issue, I answered that one earlier.
Either way, I have no idea what you mean by:

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i mean no audio enahancements applied but still haveing fxsound supply 32bit audio and ah i see sounds like a decent feature tho no? due to how i have my system running i use a 5.1 soundbar so i use this as kinda av reciver but the codecs are being pushed from the windows os not fxsound

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Perhaps I am misunderstanding something here, but FxSound is not capable of rendering 32 bit audio.

You can verify this by checking the Advanced tab of the virtual FxSound Speakers device’s Properties in Windows Sound.
It’s also a good idea to match up all of your devices at the same frequency setting.

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oh wow ok its my hardware then windows can see a 32bit connection i thought fx was supplying this because of the quality of sound iv used hdmi for years but this sounds better than hdmi audio for surround sound

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still learning this world and how this application actually functions thank you for putting up with me XD ok so if i turn off fxsound its not processing anymore ? thats the last thang i dont understand lol i have a decent know how on audio itself i tryed makeing my own system for 3 years useing voicemeeter before finally getting a 5.1 system

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for anyone reading this do not use fxsound if u hear clipping in your rear speakers with a surround system its not your system or fxsound some mixes just suck and fxsound applyfies individual sounds so it applyfies what sucks about those mixes even if thats clipping in the rear speakers this scared me for some time XD

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No, your audio will not be modified by FxSound while the main Power button is Off, if that is what you mean.

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thank you for putting up with me yes :slight_smile: thats what i meant

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These questions were answered in this thread,

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your amazing thank you :slight_smile:

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19

I just saw the video, Question: in MusicBee do i need to disable the option (us 32 bit output) since FxSound has the max bit output of 24 ? Imgur: The magic of the Internet

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@Thelucifer1978:

First of all, I was unfamiliar with MusicBee, so thanks for introducing me to it.

I’m guessing that any bottlenecking from 32 bit to 24 bit will be done automatically either way.
I would recommend you read the last post in the thread I linked, the technical data shared by FxSound’s lead engineer.
I’ve also copy-pasted that full post below - it’s not the first blockquote, but the second, long one.
Because things are actually a bit (pun not intended) more complicated than I thought.
Also keep in mind that these results depend on your audio output devices, your speakers or headphones, and their frequency settings and capabilities.

My apologies if all of this sounds confusing.
Let me be perfectly clear: this is wizardry, and I do not fully understand it myself. I am only resharing what I was told.
In the end, I would advise you to try different settings, and stick to the ones that work best, for you.
MusicBee also has its own forum, with a subsection for questions.