"Thumpier" bass

[Norwood]

Hi all, hope your weeks are going well.

I'm sure this is too strange a question but I want to ask it nonetheless. I have a decent enough system and can get some great sounds from my ol' faithfull SB Audigy card and my aging but incredibly resilient Logitech Z-640 5.1s.

Now, I'm not very well in versed in the exact technical terms as to what I want...but I'd like truer separation of bass. What I want to achieve is a "thumpier" bass drum. When I turn up or configure the bass aspects of what I'm listening to, it effects the bass guitar and low aspects as well...which is what I'm sure it's supposed to do.

But is there any plug-in, tip, trick, workaround or whatever that concentrates on the drum tracks of files that can bring out this "thump" I'm looking for?

--
Thanks all and take care,
Norwood

[Aminifu]

Hi,

I suggest you try the Enhancer DSP plug-in. It's an old plug-in so you need to use DrO's wrapper with it to fix compatibility issues with Vista/Windows 7. After you get it installed and running, click on the Help button at the bottom of it's configuration box for instructions on how to set it up. After you have it set the way you want, you can right-click on the edge of the configuration box to select the hide option to remove the configuration box from the screen. To redisplay the configuration box, go to General Preferences - Plugins - DSP and select configuration.

http://www.winamp.com/plugin/enhancer-017/81361

http://nunzioweb.com/daz/enhancer/index.html

[Norwood]

Hey thanks a lot! Seems to be working pretty well!

[Norwood]

Do you use it?

If so, what are your settings?

[Aminifu]

Hi Norwood,

Yeah, I love it. Had heard about it for years. Was using something else that wasn't compatible with Vista/Win 7 (causing random WA errors), so gave Enhancer a try a few months ago. There's a big thread discussing it (link below), that started in 2005. Too bad the original developer is no longer around.

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=221072

The settings that work best for you will depend on your sound system and type of music you listen to. Experiment, I suggest starting with low direct values and medium range values, then work your way up to what sounds good to you. I didn't like any of the provided presets. Give your brain time to adjust to what your ears are hearing before changing settings. You may find that settings that sound good at low volume will need to be adjusted down for high volume.

I have an old Creative Audigy Platinum sound card and the low wattage Logitech X-540 5.1 speakers. I listen to a lot of genres. I edit the "plugin.ini" file (when WA is not running) to have more precise control over the values set with the sliders.

[Enhancer]
Volume=75
Harm Bass=5
Harm Bass range=60
Drum Bass=30
Drum Bass range=70
Dry Signal=50
Harm Treble=40
Harm Treble Range=60
Ambience=0
Ambience Range=50
Boosted=1

I also use my sound card's 7 band equalizer (prefer it over WA's 11 band) to set a 'smile' curve (low and high frequencies boosted higher than middle) for the frequency ranges, because most of my tracks are mp3s.

http://digitalprosound.digitalmedian...le.jsp?id=8953

Note:
I use the Maiko output plug-in to upmix stereo for my 5.1 speaker system. I also let Maiko upsample my mp3s from 16 bit - 44.1 KHz to 24 bit - 96 KHz to match my sound card. I think it gives the mid-range to high frequencies a little more clarity, but this may be an illusion on my part.

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=302485

[Norwood]

Originally Posted by Aminifu

Hi Norwood,



I have an old Creative Audigy Platinum sound card and the low wattage Logitech X-540 5.1 speakers. I listen to a lot of genres. I edit the "plugin.ini" file (when WA is not running) to have more precise control over the values set with the sliders.

[Enhancer]
Volume=75
Harm Bass=5
Harm Bass range=60
Drum Bass=30
Drum Bass range=70
Dry Signal=50
Harm Treble=40
Harm Treble Range=60
Ambience=0
Ambience Range=50
Boosted=1

I'm very sorry if this is stupid, but I can't get those numbers in the plugin. They only go to ten (Spinal Tap shoutout).

Are you able to get these numbers from the plugin file from your sound card?

[DrO]

they're the raw values used in the settings file for the plug-in (as mentioned by needing to edit plugin.ini in the part you quoted).

-daz

[Aminifu]

Hi Norwood,

If you installed DrO's wrapper for Enhancer, then the settings are in the "plugin.ini" file. This file is in the "C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\Winamp\Plugins\" folder. Replace the "***" with your profile name and maybe the "C:" with the letter for the drive you are using.

It is not necessary to edit this file. I only do it to have more precise control. For example, the Enhancer interface will display "2", as you move the sliders, for all values from 20 to 29. If you want the middle of the range (25), it is hard to set with the sliders alone.

I don't understand this reference, "They only go to ten (Spinal Tap shoutout)". Generation gap?

[Aminifu]

I came across another great DSP plug-in called "Stereo Tool". It is much more complex than Enhancer. It will take time to figure out how to set it up (a lot of instructions to read and understand), but the results are as good or even better than Enhancer's, imo. It has presets that demonstrate what it can do. They can be used as starting points for customizations (reduce the learning curve).

The full version is expensive, but the free version contains all the features the average user would need (including a great Bass booster).

http://www.stereotool.com/

[Aminifu]

Originally Posted by kxbuck65ST

Hey thanks a lot! Seems to be working pretty well

Which one, Enhancer or Stereo Tool?

[Norwood]

Stereo Tool is incredible!