DFF file and Direct Sound, and Waves Nx issue

[hifinoob005]

Hello,

Dealing with two issues:

1.
Getting different volume levels from players.
Using MPC HC, MPC BE, LAV audio, Windows 10, Xonar DGX (manufacterer drivers), Waves NX.
Output via headpone jack (headphones).
Settings in the screenshots.

In MPC HC different renders can be selected from Playback>Output>Audio Render.
In MPC BE different renders can be selected from Audio>Audio Render.
The options from MPC BE can be selected in MPC HC as well, but don't have any effect.

MPC BE is always at a lower volume than any setting with MPC HC.

There is also a difference between these 2 in MPC HC, with the Direct Sound being quieter:
5.Direct Sound: Nx Headphones (Waves Virtual Audio Device) (00200000)
7.Nx Headphones (Waves Virtual Audio Device) (00200000)

Tried with just MPC HC outputting any audio.
Raising the volume from the Mixer in the Xonar control panel (L/R) from 75 to 100% raises the volumes for both options 5 and 7 above.
Unselected everything from Internal and External filters.
Internal LAV filters are set up the same as External.
In the Windows App Volume, everything is at 100%. Waves Loop Application is a Waves NX application.
Waves NX does not have any volume slider.

Can't find any audio slider that would fix these discrepancies.


2.
I'm getting an error when trying to play a DFF audio file.
Happening only with MPC HC in certain conditions, when selecting from Playback>Output>Audio Render:
1:System Default - Error
2.Speakers (ASUS Xonar DGX Audio Device) (00200000) - Ok
3.Default DirectSound Device (00800000) - Error
4.Default WaveOut Device (00200000) - Ok
5.Direct Sound: Nx Headphones (Waves Virtual Audio Device) (00200000) - Error
6.Direct Sound: Speakers (ASUS Xonar DGX Audio Device) (00200000) - Error
7.Nx Headphones (Waves Virtual Audio Device) (00200000) - Ok

MPC BE works with Direct Sound, or any settings (all options in screenshot).
Foobar works with Direct Sound Speakers (Xonar) and Direct Sound Waves NX.
The rest of the settings in screenshots.

Error message:
MPC-HC could not render some of the pins in the graph, you may not have the needed codecs filters installed on the system.
The following pin(s) failed to find a connectable filter:

Audio Switcher::Out
File Source (Async.)::Output
LAV Splitter::Audio
LAV Audio Decoder::Output
Audio Switcher::Out

Media Type 0:
--------------------------
Audio: IEEE Float 352800Hz 6ch 67737kbps

AM_MEDIA_TYPE:
majortype: MEDIATYPE_Audio {73647561-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
subtype: MEDIASUBTYPE_IEEE_FLOAT {00000003-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
formattype: FORMAT_WaveFormatEx {05589F81-C356-11CE-BF01-00AA0055595A}
bFixedSizeSamples: 1
bTemporalCompression: 0
lSampleSize: 24
cbFormat: 40

WAVEFORMATEX:
wFormatTag: 0xfffe
nChannels: 6
nSamplesPerSec: 352800
nAvgBytesPerSec: 8467200
nBlockAlign: 24
wBitsPerSample: 32
cbSize: 22 (extra bytes)

WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE:
wValidBitsPerSample: 32
dwChannelMask: 0x0000003f
SubFormat: {00000003-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}

pbFormat:
0000: fe ff 06 00 20 62 05 00 00 33 81 00 18 00 20 00 þÿ.. b...3... .
0010: 16 00 20 00 3f 00 00 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 10 00 .. .?...........
0020: 80 00 00 aa 00 38 9b 71 ?..ª.8?q


Media Type 1:
--------------------------
Audio: PCM 352800Hz 6ch 33868kbps

AM_MEDIA_TYPE:
majortype: MEDIATYPE_Audio {73647561-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
subtype: MEDIASUBTYPE_PCM {00000001-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
formattype: FORMAT_WaveFormatEx {05589F81-C356-11CE-BF01-00AA0055595A}
bFixedSizeSamples: 1
bTemporalCompression: 0
lSampleSize: 12
cbFormat: 40

WAVEFORMATEX:
wFormatTag: 0xfffe
nChannels: 6
nSamplesPerSec: 352800
nAvgBytesPerSec: 4233600
nBlockAlign: 12
wBitsPerSample: 16
cbSize: 22 (extra bytes)

WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE:
wValidBitsPerSample: 16
dwChannelMask: 0x0000003f
SubFormat: {00000001-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}

pbFormat:
0000: fe ff 06 00 20 62 05 00 80 99 40 00 0c 00 10 00 þÿ.. b..??@.....
0010: 16 00 10 00 3f 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 10 00 ....?...........
0020: 80 00 00 aa 00 38 9b 71 ?..ª.8?q

 

[hifinoob005]

For issue 1, did some tests with the different audio renders:
1:System Default - Low Volume
2.Speakers (ASUS Xonar DGX Audio Device) (00200000) - High Volume
3.Default DirectSound Device (00800000) - Low Volume
4.Default WaveOut Device (00200000) - High Volume
5.Direct Sound: Nx Headphones (Waves Virtual Audio Device) (00200000) - Low Volume
6.Direct Sound: Speakers (ASUS Xonar DGX Audio Device) (00200000) - Low Volume
7.Nx Headphones (Waves Virtual Audio Device) (00200000) - High Volume

There might be a system wide volume difference between Direct Sound and WaveOut, but where is the volume slider?

 

[hifinoob005]

With a Chord Mojo, selecting it as output seems to play DFF files in MPC:

 

[castleofargh]

On the right, the "normalize" and "regain volume" options would affect the final loudness.
For the rest I have no idea. If you really care about waves NX, they sell a more advanced version, where you can sort of place each virtual speaker where you want, and adjust the amount of room reverb. As I remember it, it also has its own gain adjustment. So you could probably better match it with other outputs.

Just in case, you could check the "communication" tab you have on one of your screenshots in windows properties. It's a silly thing that can reduce the volume when it detects some incoming signal. The trouble is that with almost any virtual audio path, Win will see an input involved, so you must have that stuff set to do nothing.

 

[hifinoob005]

On the right, the "normalize" and "regain volume" options would affect the final loudness.
For the rest I have no idea. If you really care about waves NX, they sell a more advanced version, where you can sort of place each virtual speaker where you want, and adjust the amount of room reverb. As I remember it, it also has its own gain adjustment. So you could probably better match it with other outputs.

Just in case, you could check the "communication" tab you have on one of your screenshots in windows properties. It's a silly thing that can reduce the volume when it detects some incoming signal. The trouble is that with almost any virtual audio path, Win will see an input involved, so you must have that stuff set to do nothing.

Disabling the Enable built in audio switcher, Normalize, or Regain volume did not change the difference between the two types of sound level (DirectSound and without DS).
Tried with different types of audio files, and video with other audio media types.
This behavior is also exhibited in 1by1, an audio player. Probably others, but haven't tested.

Checked the volume level in the audio parts in Control Panel>Sound, Xonar, Lav Audio, and Settings>System>Sound>App Volume and device preferences. They were all at 100% with one exception:
In Settings>System>Sound>App Volume and device preferences:
With MPC HC the audio slider was the same as the volume in MPC HC itself. Moving the slider from a low volume to 100% on this page increased the volume, did not move the MPC HC slider. Moving the MPC HC slider to 100% afterwards however did not increase the volume (after moving it to 100% in the Win>Settings page).
This must be a slider for the MPC HC volume, and when moving it in the WIN>Settings window it does not update in MPC HC.
But does not fix the DS vs non DS issue.

Foobar with DS behaves the same way. There is no without DS output option.
With WASAPI, the volume in WIN>Settings page remains at 100% and lowering it here does not change the volume. Volume must be changed from foobar.

Tested other software:MPC BE (without any audio enhancements), 1by1, DVDFab5, Kodi,
The slider in WIN>Settings remained at 100% in all of them regardless of the volume set internally by the players. Moving the slider in Win>Settings did change the volume.

Waves NX with DC and without DC still present the volume difference in the players that have it.
Waves Loop is the slider for NX. Changing the preset for NX did not change the volume slider.

 

[castleofargh]

Looks like you tried what I would have. Everything seems to suggest some silly volume control or DSP being activated by the soundcard. But clearly you've tried to find it already.