Sound IS different from v2
 

They say in the FAQ that the sound is the same as in WinAmp v2 since Winamp3 uses the same algorithm. But when I first ran Winamp3 the sound was very very lower than the old winamp. I compared then with the same song in the 2 version and the difference is obvious, not in my head (as they say in the FAQ)!! I had to increase sound "sound only" in the sound panel to get the same level, but now Windows sounds are too high !!

What I noticed is that WinAmp v2 sound control bar did actually control the sound level that is in the volume panel, i.e. when I moved it in winamp, it moved also in the volume panel. But in Winamp3 it does not, I have to set the sound to the maximum in winamp to get the same level as WinAmp v2...

Is there a way to have a correct sound level without being annoyed by Windows' sounds ??? Can we switch back to the old "control system" ?

I actually saw this one coming...

In the "Winamp2 Days", users complained about Winamp changing the Windows sounds control or whatever and now with Winamp3, when it doesn't change it(so it seems, according to Cerber14), they complain that it does. It never ends... :)

By the way, Cerber14, the FAQ refers to sound quality, not volume. ;)

k but I got used to that feature...

Could the programers create an option to set "live sound control" or not ?

And basically why is the sound level different in the 2 versions ? :cry: :cry: try it: open the 2 versions, set the same percentage in both winamps, play a song in v2 then in v3 and u'll see what I mean.

And by the way: sound quality is different as well: the song I used to compare has some crack noises at the start that I did not noticed with winamp v2 (comparison made with the same volume level !)

Well, then there might be a bug or a glitch in Peter's wac's... Wait for him to update.

Edit: I'm talking about the quality, of course.
No problem here, by the way...

It's much better this way. I wouldn't want the error beeps and other Windows sounds to change volume if I changed Winamp3's volume. You can achieve the same volume modification of Winamp2 by setting the volume in Winamp3 to 100% and modifying the Windows sound directly in the Windows sound mixer.

Sound Quality
 

The algorithm they use to play WMAs has definitely changed, as I'm getting a high amount of static when when playing them that I didn't get in WinAMP 2.x. It's as if it's sending too much bass to my speakers or something, really weird.

Reply to Devesh42:

You're wrong since changing volume in WinAmp v2 is effective only when WinAmp runs, as soon as you quit WinAmp, it sets back the volume to the previous level, ie before it started and you changed it...

I didn't say anything about the volume after Winamp is run. I said that when you change the volume in Winamp2, you are also changing the volume for a whole lot of other things. This behavior is undesirable.

i agree with you guys. the sound in winamp3 is absolutely horrible!
there is a constant hiss and a static-type of sound that completely ruins the song that you're trying to listen to.
i got winamp3 yesterday and used it for about 10 minutes.. i was so excited because the graphics look so much better than winamp2.. but the sound quality is horrible.
also i noticed that there is not place in winamp3 for plug-ins. bad move guys. i'm no audiowhore by any means, but i had to use an output plugin with my last computer just so the songs wouldnt skip.. and now that's not even an option... i think the winamp guys will get a lot of complaints...

if you are getting lower then expected sound and or hearing static then it's a directsound problem, just go into the prefs screen and disable direct sound and Winamp 2.x (if you used it in its default output mode) will sound EXACTLY the same as Winamp3

liquidlungs, you're strange.

as for this Volume Control catastrophe - WINAMP is the only thing that should be playing audio on your pc anyway. REMOVE your windows sound sceme. mess with the settings, you can get equal sounding music from wa3. just takes iq>10

has anyone ever noticed powerdvd plays DVDs at a lower volume level than everything else? AND if u have an amplifier (one that is NOT part of a PC), all the hardcore settings produce softer sound. if u want quality sound, buy a quality snd card and quality speakers.

"hard dye doesn't make the blonde smart":igor:

RE: Plugins.

They exist, but are handled differently now. They are called components, and have the extension ".wac". Instead of having a dedicated space in the preference page for output plugins, input plugins, etc., plugins are no longer differentiated. They register themselves with Winamp3, and add a new entry to the preferences page (depends on the plugin though... some will only create a new window, and will not add anything to the preferences page). This new system allows much greater flexibility.

Since Winamp3 is so new, you will have to wait a while for developers to code components. Infact, all the components of Winamp3 are "plugins"... video support, playlist, media library... even the main window is a component that could theoretically be removed if you wanted to (although I don't know why you would).

1) I have a quality sound system and speakers.

2) Disabling DirectSound makes it skip here and there while the song is playing.

I just keep all of my volume settings at 100% and adjust the volume on the speakers.

Same here.

i guess it's a direct sound problem, take the waveOut and increase the buffer size.

ok, so here is the real answer, more than likely you have the following:

winamp2 is using waveout, winamp3 is using directsound
thus, both have different volumes.

or the other way around, just set them to the same thing and adjust your volumes accordingly.

that is all.

if u have sblive/audigy it isnt that good :s

also, directsound sounds best in winxp/2k, sounds/works sucky in 98

I don't care what you say, there IS a noticeable difference in sound quality between Winamp 2 and Winamp3. I just ran both simultaneously (Winamp 2.80 and Winamp3 Final Release, DirectSound output on both, EQ turned off), and I could detect a clear improvement in sound quality. Even if they use the same decoder... maybe Winamp3 is doing something to affect output.

Caleb, it's an Altec Lansing ADA885 speaker system and a Santa Cruz Turtle Beach card.

As far as OS, I'm running WindowsXP and Winamp2.x and Winamp3 are both set to play with DirectSound, however they both sound different.

Winamp3 has static.

the answer to the 1st pb I mentionned was actually a directsound pb. I unchecked "Enable directsound" and the sound is (here) exactly the same as with WinAmp v2

Get PP's new wa3plugz here:

http://www.blorp.com/~peter/zips/wa3plugz_488.exe

These are the very latest versions of the directsound/waveout and mod/midi components. If you can identify an audio bug, i.e. a difference in sound quality between 2 and 3 with the latest plugins, then report it with your FULL (internal) hardware setup. That's everything. Every card in your system, BIOS revision, they all matter would you believe it.

there's an easy solution to this problem....
 

of course, winamp3 has static, poor quality sound , but what's different, is that it already defualts using DIRECTSOUND......no matter if you have the latest directx, which i do of course, it still sounds bad, and lower......i compared, and fooled around with the winamp3 preferences......

want to get winamp2 clear quality vibrant like sound again?

1. go to your preferences
2. select to view the direct sound
3. disable direct sound


now your songs will be perfect, except that i uninstalled winamp3 because of all it's pathetically stupid bugs that made the playlist unusable after downloading some skins......winamp3 is BUGZILLA if you ask me....

Please.... it's not DirectSound that causes the buggy sound, it's dodgy sound card drivers. I bet you've got a Creative sound card.

For reference, here's my pre-written canned response to sound problems:


It's a problem with your sound card drivers:

1) Upgrade your drivers to the latest version
2) If the problem persists, download the Winamp3 plugin update at http://www.blorp.com/~peter/zips/wa3plugz_488.exe.
3) If this still doesn't work, disable DirectSound by unchecking the Preferences->Audio->Enable DirectSound Output checkbox.

If you're running a Creative card, you may want to try the kX drivers (www.kxproject.com), which tend to work better than Creative's own (wouldn't take much).

......
 

ok......creative soundblaster live sound cards are rated best by both pc world and pc magazine how many times, so i don't think this sound card would be the fault.....

and another thing, games that use directx, use directsound to make the sound, but yet, in the games, the sound is crisp......
atleast i know that the games do, it gives you that option.....

so no, i don't think it's a sound card, winamp3 has obviously many other problems too, so i think it's more of a winamp3 problem.....

Well I never read pc magazine, but pc world (and pc gamer for that matter) are evil mags who give most of there awards and top reviews to the highest bidder. :rolleyes:

Now the sblive!/aduigy are ok cards.. but Creative's drivers suck.
I have AC'97 on-board audio, no bells or whistles :( .
But Winamp 3 works in XP with Directsound on. No snaps, cracks, pops staticy stuff.

Come on guys! There's no chance to disable the DirectSound option. It is too good to be true in Winamp 2.

So, if sound quality in Winamp 3 is really affected by this DirectSound option then either it is corrected or I'll keep the Winamp 2 install files forever !!!

I haven't complained about any Winamp 3 features so far because I do understand it is "in development". But the DirectSound features are something I couldn't avoid. Sorry. :(

highest bidder?
 

is this a lame excuse, "highest bidders"

well, they do have some odd named things in there every once in a while rated in the top 5, including the cheap company, ABS computer systems, so i don't think it would be a highest bidder............

why, let's see, what computer company that doesn't make it on that list is any good?

we all know compaqs are crap, just check out their computers at stores, they never work properly, especially in radio shack, and where they have screensaver passwords so people cannot play with the computers, but 2 out of the 4 compaqs there, 2 were seriously useless(crashing when you cannot even get in to crash it), and the other had some broken stuff because the shit design was cheap as hell...........

the best 2 computer companies are dell and gateway, then ibm, then hp, then compaq........but i'm not sure if i would even choose the last 3 period, people only complain about them....

so yeah, highest bidders, and what other sound card do you think there is that is actually good out there? if there drivers suck, they wouldn't rate them the best, i've listened to that book for so long, and they've never been wrong........

and especially about the drivers thing, if directsound plays clearly in computer games, but not on winamp3, would you call that a sound card problem? i don't think so............... end of discussion

It very well could be. :D As I said I have AC'97 sound... lots of companys incroprate this into mobos and some even use it as a low cost soundcard solution.

I just get some new drivers.. installed them and tested on some games, all the games use directsound. Tribes 2, GTA3 and Battlecrusier Mellenium( do't know if this uses DS) all worked fine with the new drivers.
But when I played Unreal Tournament after a few miuntes the sound degrades till you can tell what is what... different progs using DS and they reacted differently to the drivers. I put my old drivers back and UT played like it always has.

:igor: Are you kidding me... (maybe thats why you have DS trouble ;) ) the best computer companies are:
Your Own Custom Pc :cool:, FalconNorthwest and Alienware.

Ok, I just have to comment on someone saying that alienware is the best PC manufacturer out there. That is complete and uttter BS. Alienware is overpriced to the extent of obscenity. I can build what alienware sells for 3k, for about 1500, and thats without trying.

I also agree that for businesses Dell is the way to go, hands down, no competition in that market. And if you are a home user and just want something that works and has good customer support, Dell is also the way to go, period.

So please, get off your overclocking, I am a "l337 733nag3r" horse and learn what you are talking about before you start making recommendations.

Sound quality and playlist randomizing
 

Hi

I've just spent the last few days really enjoying Winamp 3 - to my ears the sound is much improved over 2, but the thing that's really making my life fun is that I've got 12Gb of MP3s on my computer and I'm hearing tracks that I didn't know I had - the randomize playlist thing is delving deep into the heart of my music collection and pulling out some beauties.

By the way, replying to the person earlier who said Compaq are useless, I just want to say a guy I used to work with bought a Compaq laptop in the US, shipped it to the UK, it broke after 2 years and they replaced the whole thing, no questions. I figure that's a pretty good way to behave.

Cheers