4Front EQ Vs. Winamp Standard EQ

[jalexm]

I have some basic questions about 4Front and Winamp Standard EQ:

1) Is is true that when user unchecks "Fast Layer 3 EQ" option the EQ used will be 4Front and not Winamp Standard EQ?

2) If the above is true, what about the frequencies? Winamp Standard EQ uses:
60, 170, 310, 600, 1k, 3k, 6k, 12k, 14k, 16k
and 4Front EQ uses:
31, 62, 125, 250, 500, 1k, 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k

3) If the frequencies are different, the skins are wrong, since they show Standard EQ frequencies.

4) What about the presets? If they were created for the Standard EQ (and its frequencies) I think they will sound no good when 4Front is used.

5) In 4Front web site I can read: Equalizer bands have dynamic range of -20dB...+20dB (standard winamp equalizer has only -6dB...+6dB). If it's true there are more skin problems. Also, I thought Standard EQ had dynamic range of -12...+12db.

6) I have checked/unchecked the option "Fast Layer 3 EQ" and can't hear any difference. Is there any test I could do and really hear some difference?

Thanks for your patience.
Thanks for Winamp 5.5. It's great!!!!!

[jalexm]

Why no answer?
Is this so hard question?

[Rocker]

we changed to 4front so long ago, i can't remember what happened.

maybe ben or djegg know better

[Sickthing]

I've played with the settings and unless something has changed, once 4Frong is used, changing the built equalizer has no effect at all. At least not to my ear. If I can't hear it, i don't care.

But doesn't have to do with the options? Once you change the DSP effect options isn't that the only "device" that's used?

[jalexm]

Originally posted by Sickthing
I've played with the settings and unless something has changed, once 4Frong is used, changing the built equalizer has no effect at all. At least not to my ear.

Exactly as me. I can't hear anything different checking/unchecking "Fast Layer 3 EQ".

But doesn't have to do with the options? Once you change the DSP effect options isn't that the only "device" that's used?

I think there's a mistake here. I'm not talking about an installed 4Front EQ but about the fact that Winamp uses 4Front EQ by default when you uncheck "Fast Layer 3 EQ".

In other words, it seems that there are 2 built-in EQs in Winamp: the Standard EQ and 4Front EQ. The first one works when you check "Fast Layer 3 EQ" and the second one works when you uncheck that option.

[Benski]

Here's the details:

Every input plugin has the ability to provide their own EQ. If they don't provide their own, Winamp does the equalization itself, using code provided from 4Front. The implementation of the 4front EQ inside Winamp only goes -12dB to +12dB.

Of the Nullsoft input plugins, only in_mp3 actually implements its own EQ. By default, it doesn't use it, but it will if you turn on "Layer 3 EQ" in the in_mp3 preferences (under "Input"). The Fast Layer 3 EQ works by adjusting the mp3 data before the decoding process.

Equalizer preference is always a matter of opinion. The reason we turned off "fast layer 3 eq" is because most users did not understand why the EQ sounded different between MP3 files and other files (WAV, M4A, WMA, etc).

I'm working on some new options for the Equalizer in 5.51, including the ability to switch to ISO frequencies (although the skins will show the weird Winamp frequncies) and a "constant Q" option which changes the relationship between bandwidth ("Q") and gain as the sliders are adjusted.

[jalexm]

Originally posted by Benski
Here's the details:

Every input plugin has the ability to provide their own EQ. If they don't provide their own, Winamp does the equalization itself, using code provided from 4Front. The implementation of the 4front EQ inside Winamp only goes -12dB to +12dB.

Of the Nullsoft input plugins, only in_mp3 actually implements its own EQ. By default, it doesn't use it, but it will if you turn on "Layer 3 EQ" in the in_mp3 preferences (under "Input"). The Fast Layer 3 EQ works by adjusting the mp3 data before the decoding process.

Equalizer preference is always a matter of opinion. The reason we turned off "fast layer 3 eq" is because most users did not understand why the EQ sounded different between MP3 files and other files (WAV, M4A, WMA, etc).

I'm working on some new options for the Equalizer in 5.51, including the ability to switch to ISO frequencies (although the skins will show the weird Winamp frequncies) and a "constant Q" option which changes the relationship between bandwidth ("Q") and gain as the sliders are adjusted.

Thanks for the answer! Very clear!
Just one more thing: I can't hear any difference when checking/unchecking "Fast Layer 3 EQ" option. Well, I only hear MP3 files. Is this the reason?

[TREADJF]

Originally posted by jalexm
Thanks for the answer! Very clear!
Just one more thing: I can't hear any difference when checking/unchecking "Fast Layer 3 EQ" option. Well, I only hear MP3 files. Is this the reason?

Well, i hear difference when checking/unchecking "Fast Layer 3 EQ" option. Maybe because my sound card be Creative Sound Blaster AWE64, a little old it's true, but very good. My speakers are stereo and are big.
I prefer the standard equalizer (Fast Layer 3 checked), it seems that equalize the sound correctly, exactly the way i adjusted the equalizer.
The musics i tested were genre House, Trance and Rock. I hear difference in bass and treble, the treble is more clear, seems less distortion, the bass is stronger, with "Fast Layer 3 EQ" option checked. Maybe i should adjust the equalizer preset again when uncheck the "Fast Layer 3 EQ" option, for example if FL3EQ unchecked works like 4Front, this explain why i thought worse. 4Front is different the bands.
I tried the 4Front too one time, not bad, but i prefer the standard equalizer (Fast Layer 3 checked).
The equalizer preset that i tested was adjusted like the file attached.
PS: Remember that each sound system has one configuration to sounds good.