SRS WOW and Trubass effects built in (Winamp Pro?)

[g3b]

I would love to see the inclusion of SRS Wow and Trubass DSP effects as part of Winamp proper rather than plugins.

There is, for example, SRS WOW XT plugin for Windows Media Player (info at srs.com (http://www.srs-store.com/store-plugins/mall/wowxt-plugin.asp)).

I am currently using the old SRS Wowthing plugin for winamp (which hasn't been developed since 1999). This works really well, and an updated version integrated into winamp would (in my opinion) be a great addition to Winamp (or possibly as a feature for Winamp Pro users to encourage uptake of the pro licence).

I have added a poll for other users to give feedback on this idea. Comments appreciated.

Thanks,

Grant

[g3b]

Oh, and I have allowed multiple choice in the poll to allow users to check both "Add to Winamp" and "Add to Winamp PRO". I trust that noone will be tempted to check a both a "Yes" and "No option.

[gaekwad2]

Reasons why I voted no
I hate DSPs
The amount of choice here (http://www.winamp.com/plugins/browse.php?ctype=P&category=5)
I hate DSPs
People complain about the download size already
I hate DSPs
"Winamp 5: the final edition (for now)"
Did I mention that I hate DSPs?

[g3b]

I agree that there is some choice available, for people who are intelligent enough to look around. However, in my opinion including great sound processing enhancements is closer to winamp's core functionality than "cd rippin' and burnin'" will ever be

Did I mention I love DSPs?

[gaekwad2]

People who are too dumb to look around usually use WMP. :p

Well, in addition to lite and full they could make a stuffed version to compete with iTunes, MMJB and WMP in terms of download size and bloat.

[DJ Egg]

SRS Wow is a patented & registered trademark, and inclusion of this 3rd-party plugin in Winamp Pro would cause the price of Pro to increase by about $10. It could NEVER be included in the free version of Winamp :/

Not to mention that it'd add an extra 8mb to the installer...

I guess we should be thankful that SRS still allows us to download and use their old plugin for free.

[g3b]

Thanks for your comments DJ Egg. I assumed that someone would raise this point. How much does it cost to have SRS WOW and Trubass in Windows Media Player?

Zip...Nada...Zero.

Yes, I know WMP sucks and that Microsoft pours lots of money into its "free" products, but it DOES have SRS Wow/Trubass for FREE.

I think that it is misleading to presume that SRS Wow/Trubass in Winamp would add $10.00 to the price. Unless, that is, know for a fact that the Nullsoft have already liaised with SRS on this matter, and SRS has said "It'll cost you $10.00 per installation". I very much doubt that this has occurred.

My opinion is that having SRS Wow/Trubass as part of Winamp (PRO) should at least be seriously explored. I presume that nullsoft could get the effect added for a very low price per unit--certainly not $10.00.

[g3b]

Oh, an DJ Egg, it would add around 800kb to the installer, not 8mb, so you are out by a factor of 10

;-)

Edit: I assume with leaner coding, it could be even less.

[sanosuke]

Originally posted by g3b
How much does it cost to have SRS WOW and Trubass in Windows Media Player?

Zip...Nada...Zero.
The cost is already included when you buy windows.
Originally posted by g3b

Oh, an DJ Egg, it would add around 800kb to the installer, not 8mb, so you are out by a factor of 10

;-) Have you downloaded windows media player 10 (or 9) before?

[g3b]

I take your point sanosuke about the cost of Windows covering SRS effects in WMP. I would be interested to see how much cost it would actually add to have the plugin as part of Winamp -- or at least to encourage SRS to continue developing and supporting their third party plugin.

I do not agree that the size of WMP 10 or 9 is due to the SRS effects. I quote from the documentation for version 1.0g of the SRS WOWThing for Winamp:

"Q: How large is the plug-in?
A: The entire program is just over 800k once installed."

This of course includes the 'funky' graphical GUI, which could be stripped away to further reduce the size.

My point is that:

1. WMP9+ sounds NOTICEABLY better than Winamp purely due to it having SRS effects.
2. This could be rectified if Winamp had SRS effects.

I'm not trying to dis winamp because I've used it for years, but from a listening perspective, WMP sounds significantly better with SRS. I guarantee that, in a blind test, most users would pick the WMP sound as "better/clearer/richer" than the Winamp sound.

[drewbar]

People can download a plug-in on their own. If they can't, then that is their problem. The plug-in and plenty other DSP plug-ins are available for download. If that is too hard for them they are free to use WMP. Less stupid people coming around here who thinks every plug-in ever made should come "integrated" with Winamp.

[g3b]

Originally posted by drewbar
People can download a plug-in on their own. If they can't, then that is their problem. The plug-in and plenty other DSP plug-ins are available for download. If that is too hard for them they are free to use WMP. Less stupid people coming around here who thinks every plug-in ever made should come "integrated" with Winamp.

1. I agree that people can download the plugin on their own.
2. If it is not possible to incorporate SRS DSP into Winamp proper, I think that at the very least SRS should be encouraged to continue developing and supporting an SRS WOW/Trubass product for Winamp so that people can "download the plugin on their own". The SRS DSP plugin makes a fantastic difference to the perceived sound reproduction in my opinion.
3. I don't entirely understand your comment "Less stupid people coming around here who thinks every plug-in ever made should come "integrated" with Winamp.". If you mean what I assume you mean, I am not one of those people that thinks Winamp should come with every plugin ever made. HOwever, being that Winamp's primary functionality is music playback, having kickass sound reproduction should be a requirement rather than an option. As mentioned above, I think that adding features such as "CD Burning" is further removed to music playback than SRS DSP functionality.

[DJ Egg]

I'm only going by the link (http://www.srs-store.com/store-plugins/mall/wowxt-plugin.asp) you posted...

Buy Now - $9.99
Download trial - 8mb

And as pointed out by Sanosuke, WiMP is NOT free, you pay for it (and the SRS plugin) when you buy Windows.


We already have a free version (http://www.winamp.com/plugins/details.php?id=1724). Yes, it's old (from 2000), but it works and is only 824kb... and that is the best you're ever gonna get for Winamp. The new version of SRS Wow will NEVER be included by default with Winamp.
End of story.

[g3b]

For your information, I contacted SRS labs about this, and have just received a reply from them stating that they do not have any plans to further develop or support any winamp plugins.

It is good to hear your opinion DJ Egg. I had hoped other users would be supportive of my suggestion, but it seems this is not the case. That is a shame and, I think, a lost opportunity for enhancing Winamp.

[UltraZelda64]

"And as pointed out by Sanosuke, WiMP is NOT free, you pay for it (and the SRS plugin) when you buy Windows."

Yes, you pay for WMP 8 or whatever verion it is... then all updates are free, unless they decide to not develop a new version for an older OS... my disc came with WMP8, I previously upgraded to 9, and currently use 10. For 300 bucks (Professional), they'd better give free updates.

[g3b]

Does anyone find it amusing that, yes, you do have to have windows to get Windows Media Player with its lovely SRS effects but yes, you also have to have windows to get Winamp!!!!

[electricmime]

but winamp doesnt come with windows, nor is it offered by microsoft... you also have to have windows to play many games, and you have to have windows to do alot of things... but they arent paid for by microsoft/their cost isnt covered by the price of windows...

besides, srs probably wouldnt have been able to make a deal due to contracts with microsoft anyway, and i wouldnt call it a lost opportunity, since it wasnt really an opportunity to begin with.. a lost opportunity would be if they offered to make it for winamp and winamp told them no

(also, there is a macamp, though its out of date and has been abandoned)

[gaekwad2]

Originally posted by g3b
Does anyone find it amusing that, yes, you do have to have windows to get Windows Media Player with its lovely SRS effects but yes, you also have to have windows to get Winamp!!!!
Maybe you should argue with the makers of SRS WOW that you already paid for it by paying for Windows and therefore are entitled to having them integrate it for free into any media player out there.

[DJ Egg]

Originally posted by g3b
For your information, I contacted SRS labs about this, and have just received a reply from them stating that they do not have any plans to further develop or support any winamp plugins.

It is good to hear your opinion DJ Egg. I had hoped other users would be supportive of my suggestion, but it seems this is not the case. That is a shame and, I think, a lost opportunity for enhancing Winamp. Don't get us wrong. We'd all love there to be a free updated SRS Wow plugin for Winamp (not that there's anything wrong with the old free one)... but you said it yourself, SRS have no plans to further update their Winamp plugin, and no-one else can develop it except for SRS. So it doesn't matter if we're supportive or not, because it ain't gonna happen anyway :/

Besides, there's plenty of other free DSP plugins which are as good as (if not better than) SRS Wow anyway. Heh.

[UltraZelda64]

Yeah, like Enhancer... unfortunately, it seems that it's been abandoned too...

[Professor Tom]

Hey I love WOW thing and couple it with Dee 2 via DSP stacker. I'm at a loss of how there are other better plugins. Define better.

[DJ Egg]

God knows. I don't use any dsp plugins. Winamp sounds awesome enough without them.

I just use the Winamp EQ, and three outputs from the M-Audio Revo soundcard... two to Labtec 5.1 speakers, the 3rd to 20-band mixer eq -to- hifi amp -to- quadrophonic mordaunt short speakers.

The neighbors love me.

[Professor Tom]

thanks. I thought you might have had a plugin in mind

[DJ Egg]

Well, I've tried a few in my time... eg. Dee3, Enhancer, Wide & Dynamix, Wow Thing, iZotope Ozone, Hi Fi 3 Surround Effect, Virtuoso, Arboretum Realizer, AmazingReverbV2, Spatializer...
but as I said, I honestly don't need any of them.

[free4eveeer]

hey i wanna ask something .. SRS WOW effect used to work well on my old winamp 2.8 .. when i installed the new v 5 winamp i find it working but no interface .. there is no more something called "the window of WOW" .. when i go to options --> "effects" i find it but i cannot open it anymore to change bass and treble effects .. any ideas ?

[DJ Egg]

You might need to switch to the classic skin first (instead of modern)
and then enable the plugin.

By the way, I see SRS have removed the old plugin from winamp.com,
so I've mirrored it here (www.meggamusic.co.uk/winamp/wowthingsetup.exe).

[Professor Tom]

I hate DSPs The amount of choice here I hate DSPs People complain about the download size already I hate DSPs "Winamp 5: the final edition (for now)" Did I mention that I hate DSPs?

I don't get it. Does he hate DSPs or not?

[free4eveeer]

thnx