[darinf]

  Hi Darin!
 
I just downloaded the new 1.2beta. I haven't got a chance to test the latency, but it sounds as good as ever! The one thing I did notice though was that when I open Safari on my 2013 Macbook Pro (El Cap) OOYH stutters and pops for a second. I tried to reproduce it with other programs but so far it's just Safari, and oddly, when I open a dock folder with several application shortcuts. I don't know if this is because I only have 8Gb of RAM, but I don't think it did this previously. Otherwise it performs superbly. 
 
I was just wondering if the decrease in latency does come at the cost of system performance, would it possible to add a slider that allows you to choose the tradeoff point between latency/performance. Soundworks implements one in their plugin and it works out quite nicely. 
 
I don't know if this is even a real issue and if it also just might get resolved with the final rollout. However, since I don't do much gaming, I would rather take the hit on latency.
 
I'm so glad everything is moving ahead. It is also great to hear that the mobile version is still in the works even if far down the line!

Hi @edwardsean ,
 
Due to the much faster processing engine, the low latency engine is more sensitive to other things going on on the computer. The engine was completely rewritten from scratch in order to reduce the latency. But the new engine also uses more CPU power. The way it stands now, there is no way to dial the performance up and down. It's on "full speed" so to speak all the time. 
 
It would be nice to be able to change the processing power usage. In theory it could be done by reducing the quality of the sound, but I'm not sure many people would want that.
 
-Darin

 

[hekeli]

  I hope that makes sense. Basically I wanted gamers to have access to Out Of Your Head technology for $25. Gamers may not care about the different speaker presets. They just want a clean 7.1 speaker experience to use with games.

 
I applaud your thinking. Might just splurge on that for support. What speakers is the preset based on? If it's a "clean" studio monitor 7.1 suitable for movies too, I can see it selling a lot. But you should market it as such too.

 

[edwardsean]

  Hi @edwardsean ,
 
Due to the much faster processing engine, the low latency engine is more sensitive to other things going on on the computer. The engine was completely rewritten from scratch in order to reduce the latency. But the new engine also uses more CPU power. The way it stands now, there is no way to dial the performance up and down. It's on "full speed" so to speak all the time. 
 
It would be nice to be able to change the processing power usage. In theory it could be done by reducing the quality of the sound, but I'm not sure many people would want that.
 
-Darin

Thanks for clearing that up Darin. That makes sense. Yes, truly, I wouldn't want to sacrifice sound quality either.
 
I was thinking the slider could throttle how much the CPU is taxed in exchange for increased latency rather than giving up SQ. It sounds like from what you shared that that this might not be possible as it involves the basic code architecture. 
 
Does the new version improve performance in other ways besides processing speed? If not I may go back to the previous version because I often work on the same system while listening to music.Would there be a way to download the pre-low-latency build? I overwrote it when I installed the beta.
 
Thanks!

 

[darinf]

   
I applaud your thinking. Might just splurge on that for support. What speakers is the preset based on? If it's a "clean" studio monitor 7.1 suitable for movies too, I can see it selling a lot. But you should market it as such too.

The preset is based on a recording studio. The recording studios tend to have the most acoustic treatment and are also very meticulously calibrated to multi-channel audio standards. It's still using a measurement of a room with speakers though. It's not a computer simulation so there will be some room reflections/interactions as you would have in a room with speakers.

 

[darinf]

  Thanks for clearing that up Darin. That makes sense. Yes, truly, I wouldn't want to sacrifice sound quality either.
 
I was thinking the slider could throttle how much the CPU is taxed in exchange for increased latency rather than giving up SQ. It sounds like from what you shared that that this might not be possible as it involves the basic code architecture. 
 
Does the new version improve performance in other ways besides processing speed? If not I may go back to the previous version because I often work on the same system while listening to music.Would there be a way to download the pre-low-latency build? I overwrote it when I installed the beta.
 
Thanks!

If you want to go back to the old version, shoot me an e-mail and I can send you a link. Or I guess I should make the older versions available for download for people who would rather minimize CPU requirements and don't need low latency.

 

[Takeanidea]

Anyone got Prerendered files recorded using elcapitan yet? I can't seem to get them to work. Soundflower won't install properly.....

 

[louiebh]

guys i think the clipping issue is coming from the speaker sliders all being on +6db since putting everything on 0 and adjusting only the outputs clipping is nowhere near as horrible as it was!

 

[songmic]

Has anyone here used OOYH with Sonarworks? If so, do they work synergistically or result in a DSP disaster sound-wise?

 

[edwardsean]

Has anyone here used OOYH with Sonarworks? If so, do they work synergistically or result in a DSP disaster sound-wise?

Hi. Sonarworks is fantastic with OOYH. I don't know if it would work as well if you had a custom file with EQ augmentations for your ear and headphones. However, using stock OOYH presetsI've found feeding it a more neutral EQ curve via SW to work really well. However, there are so many variables at play, you could end up with all the DSP fighting each other and producing something pretty artificial. I found I had to configure SW and match it to an OOYH preset together for a natural sound. The results, at least to my ears, render OOYH even more euphonic and convincing. 
 
It is definitely worth experimenting with the combination. As for sequence in the chain, I thought through and tried both ways, and definitely SW should come before OOYH. 
 
All the best to you. 

 

[Dorohedoro]

Hi, I just downloaded the demo but there is no way for me to make this work. It says that one or more audio programs are running and the ooyh cant work because of that. I have win7 64 with an asus xonar essence st, please help. Thanks!

 

[darinf]

Hi, I just downloaded the demo but there is no way for me to make this work. It says that one or more audio programs are running and the ooyh cant work because of that. I have win7 64 with an asus xonar essence st, please help. Thanks!

 
Hi @Dorohedoro
 
Which Xonar device do you have? Essence STX PCI card?
 
Unfortunately, I have had others report a similar bug with the Xonar cards. I have not been able to get my hands on one to test yet.
 
But if you're willing to try a few things...
 
First, does Out Of Your Head work if you use a different audio device for playback, like your built-in audio? (Select the built-in audio device in the Out Of Your Head Control Panel - Output Audio Devices column.)
 
Secondly, in the Windows\Control Panel\Sound\Playback Devices, try setting your Xonar as the default playback device before launching Out Of Your Head. Does that help?
 
There are some diagnostic numbers in the bottom left corner of the Out Of Your Head Control Panel. When you have the Xonar selected, do the numbers appear at all? Do they count up continuously or do they "hover" around a particular value?
 
The other option is to try turning off "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device." You can find this option if you go to "Windows\Control Panel\Sound\Playback Devices" and right-click on the Xonar device. Then select Properties and then the "Advanced" tab. Uncheck "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device." Then hit OK or Apply.
 
Does that help at all?
 
I am not familiar with the Xonar cards, but have you tried disabling or exiting any Xonar software that comes with the card? I am not sure if the card requires ASUS software in order to run. But definitely disable all the Dolby software and make sure it's not running as a service or background app.
 
I am trying to get a hold of a Xonar card to test and see if I can get it to work.
 
You can also e-mail us directly from our website to continue troubleshooting if you prefer.
 
Thanks,
-Darin

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Hi Darin:
 
I've been using the OOYH beta low latency version for about six month, and I'm extremely pleased with how well it works. I'm now using a very high powered computer with an I7 processor, a Samsung EVO 850 SSD, an 16 gb of DDR3 memory.  Probably overkill, but I didn't want the computer to be a bottleneck in any way.
 
Like Edward Sean, I sent my LCD X's to Latvia to have Sonarworks do  a custom calibration, and I added a Subpac S2 tactile subwoofer and bought an ifi iDSD Micro to give the setup a powerhouse DAC/headphone amp. 
 
All I can say is I've got a real high end synergy here. It's terrific with both stereo streaming sources such as Classics Online HD, Tidal,
and does excellent multichannel through Netflix and my offline blu-ray rips. 
 
So the only real questions I have relate to when this program goes from beta to final version? 
 
Obviously I notice there are a few glitches left in the program.  One person noted an issue with digital clipping.  I notice it as well,
and it seem to be associated with the levels in some presets.  Also the program upon first use fails to recognize you've actually purchased the  preset and cuts you off after the first 30 seconds.  Would be nice if this glitch could be fixed as well.
 
Also, I am on the email list and have yet to receive an update regarding things like new versions, and new available presets.  I think you leave money on the table if you don't have a timely method of telling your customers what new cool stuff they can buy.
 
Regarding cool stuff, do you still do custom presets?  If so, which presets are available?  I might want to visit and get 3 or 4 sometime later this year. You can PM me about the presets.
 
Great work Darin and best regards.

 

[darinf]

  Hi Darin:
 
I've been using the OOYH beta low latency version for about six month, and I'm extremely pleased with how well it works. I'm now using a very high powered computer with an I7 processor, a Samsung EVO 850 SSD, an 16 gb of DDR3 memory.  Probably overkill, but I didn't want the computer to be a bottleneck in any way.
 
Like Edward Sean, I sent my LCD X's to Latvia to have Sonarworks do  a custom calibration, and I added a Subpac S2 tactile subwoofer and bought an ifi iDSD Micro to give the setup a powerhouse DAC/headphone amp. 
 
All I can say is I've got a real high end synergy here. It's terrific with both stereo streaming sources such as Classics Online HD, Tidal,
and does excellent multichannel through Netflix and my offline blu-ray rips. 
 
So the only real questions I have relate to when this program goes from beta to final version? 
 
Obviously I notice there are a few glitches left in the program.  One person noted an issue with digital clipping.  I notice it as well,
and it seem to be associated with the levels in some presets.  Also the program upon first use fails to recognize you've actually purchased the  preset and cuts you off after the first 30 seconds.  Would be nice if this glitch could be fixed as well.
 
Also, I am on the email list and have yet to receive an update regarding things like new versions, and new available presets.  I think you leave money on the table if you don't have a timely method of telling your customers what new cool stuff they can buy.
 
Regarding cool stuff, do you still do custom presets?  If so, which presets are available?  I might want to visit and get 3 or 4 sometime later this year. You can PM me about the presets.
 
Great work Darin and best regards.

 
Hi @phoenixdogfan
Thanks for your post and supporting Out Of Your Head.
Sounds like you have an "ultimate" setup for using Out Of Your Head. I also love pairing the SUBPAC with Out Of Your Head.
 
I realize there are some bugs, as with most software. Regarding the clipping, we recently changed the Windows version so that the levels across the board are lower. For people with previous versions, Out Of Your Head will reload their previous level settings when you upgrade to the latest release version, so the levels will still be high. But for others, the default levels are lower and set to 0dB, but now you can raise the volume up to +6dB if the lower levels are not high enough for some people. So, if you download and install the latest version from our website, you can go through your presets and hit the Reset button to set all the levels at 0dB. This should help reduce any clipping.
 
On Mac, there was no change since clipping is not a big problem.
 
Regarding the license bug on Windows, we have been trying to figure that out for it seems like a year. I thought we had it fixed, but it still seems to happen on most systems. We have a bunch of code to try to reset everything after Out Of Your Head launches to try to fix that problem. But Out Of Your Head still has problems telling the driver that the preset is licensed. One work around is to switch speaker presets back and forth right after Out Of Your Head is launched. This seems to properly load the license status. Sorry about the bug.
 
I agree that Out Of Your Head could be a lot more robust and a lot more polished, but it's basically me and a programmer doing this and we tend to focus our resources on new features and new products. Although we do spend a fair amount of time fixing bugs as they pop up.
 
Yes, I am bad about sending out announcements. I don't like bothering people with e-mails like I get all the time from other companies. But you're right. At the very least, I should get the word out when we have a new version or released our low latency and gamer version. Sorry about that. I have made some annoucements on our Facebook page and on Twitter. You can follow/like us and get announcements that way too.
 
Lastly, yes! We do custom presets. Anyone can come to San Diego or have me come to you to do custom measurements with your ears for the ultimate custom speaker preset. I will PM you with the details and options. If you come to San Diego the cost is around $400 per measurement for most locations.
 
Thanks again for all your great feedback.
-Darin

 

[arnaud]

Darin,
 
The minimum would be to at least keep a published log of the builds and changes / corrections with a download link to latest stable build and an "about OOYH" in the control panel so that one know which version is installed.
 
A nice improvement would be a check of updates from OOYH control panel with possibility to download / install update.
 
cheers,
arnaud

 

[volly]

Hi Darin,
 
This sounds promising, have you guys thought about putting up your software on Valve's Steam Service?!
 
Would get a bit more exposure too, will be keeping an eye on the progress of OOYH!
 
Best of luck!