Sorry if this has be posted before, but I have a crossfade plug-in for Winamp and it just kicks ass! I can listen to shuffle and have all the songs blend together for hours! If the empeg decoder is software based, is there any reason this can't be done? While we're at it, how about a compressor plug-in for noise car environments??

Thanks!

Brad

Crossfading has been discussed before, no one's implemented it yet. Do some searches on the BBS for crossfading and add your voice to those discussions.

As far as compression is concerned, Richard Lovjoy has written a replacement Empeg kernel for this purpose. It can be found here.

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Tony Fabris

ok, i am a little lost, what exactly does that replacement kernel do, adjsut for varying silence in tracks?

Richard Lovejoy's volume adjustment kernel is a realtime volume compressor. It increases the volume of quiet passages in music tracks, so that they are not buried in road noise.

It works by slowly increasing the gain of a track, and cutting back on the volume if one of the track's peaks would clip. For instance, during the quiet flutes at the beginning of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer", the gain is increased so that they can be heard. When the loud horn section comes in after the flutes, the gain is cut back again so that the horns are at a normal volume.

Although it can't make "all songs play at the same perceived volume", it does help towards that goal. I find that it does help certain songs with a lower perceived volume sound a bit louder. It depends on the song and how it's produced.

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Tony Fabris

Could it be possible to have that be a switchable feature in the software rather than replacing the kernal? It would be great for the car to do compression and then to turn it off in the menus while hooked up to a home system...

How about crossfade too? I was unable to find it in the search (perhaps I should look again) but I think it would be a great feature! Especially when shuffleing between some tracks that don't have "clean" beginnings (like some Pink Floyd tracks that are meant to blend into one another).

Could it be possible to have that be a switchable feature in the software rather than replacing the kernal? It would be great for the car to do compression and then to turn it off in the menus while hooked up to a home system...

The reason it's a kernel replacement is because that's the only part of the Empeg that's open-source. It's the only way Richard could do it at all.

Eventually, the player software will support a plug-in architecture which (in theory) would allow this sort of thing to be added on, and be switchable from the player software interface. But until Empeg writes this plug-in architecture, we're stuck with kernel hacks.

Having said that, it is possible to switch Rjlov's volume adjustment kernel on and off if you do a rather complex hack to the player's init script. Richard has added some ioctl code to his kernel which allows a third program called "selecter" to pass a value to the kernel at player boot-up time. There is a five-second pause where you can press one of the four buttons to choose different parameters for the volume adjustment kernel (no change, off, on low, on high). In addition, Empeg has already given us the ability to add a "quit" command to the main menu, so if you write the init script properly, you can choose "quit" from the main menu and it will loop back to Selecter, give you the five-second choice, then restart the player software.

It's all very kludgy, but it works. If you begged him really nicely, Richard might even give you instructions on how to get it working. The only problem is that Selecter doesn't display any text for the choices so you just have to "know" when to hit the button and which buttons do what.

Right now I'm not running the voladj code because I'm using a "pure" 1.02 installation. I'm just waiting for 1.02 to go final, and for a version of that kernel that includes Richard's code as well as Frank's code for the Displayserver IR hack.

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Tony Fabris

"I'm just waiting for 1.02 to go final, and for a version of that kernel that includes Richard's code as well as Frank's code for the Displayserver IR hack."

I second that. If anyone does compile this kernel, could you be so kind as to post its whereabouts for some of us less kernel saavy souls? Gracias.

-Zeke



just say you weren't paying much attention...

You asked for it so here it is.

The kernel is for a Mk2 and includes Rjlov's voladj patch and Frank's IR_translation patch which also works with displayserver.

Brian

-See my empeg here-

Thanks, Brian!

Now, if only I could get to the Hulkster.net site, I could die a happy man.

Would somebody reboot the internet for me, please?

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Tony Fabris

I just noticed my dsl is down right now. I think I need to go reboot the router which I can't do from here. I'll try and do it within a couple hours.

Brian

-See my empeg here-

Actually somehow the power got pulled from my router. Everything should be up and running now.

Brian

-See my empeg here-

Actually somehow the power got pulled from my router.

Gremlins! It was gremlins, I tell you!

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Tony Fabris

Hey, Brian, since Richard seems to be AFK lately, how about a 1.02 version of that kernel for Mark1 players, too?

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Tony Fabris

God, it's like rubbing a lantern around here! Thank you so much.

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Just send an e-mail to Tony and have him reboot your part of the internet. ;-)

Calvin

Sure, I'll put it up in a few minutes, along with windows friendly zip files.


Brian

-See my empeg here-

Yup, like rubbing a lamp!

Thanks, Brian!

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Tony Fabris

Can i use this one simply with empeg upgrade tool? I have 1.02 consumer image installed currently. Sry but i'm quite a dumbuser, not a programmer or linux freak but i would like to have this functionality.

Veiko
[email protected]

MK1 #317 - 20GB blue

Is this the same crossfader plugin? http://sqrsoft.audiogalaxy.com/en/index.html
Its interesting to read how it works.

I'm posting a private message from Tony in case some other dumbuser (like me) has problem with installing the the hack

In reply to:

---

From: tfabris
Received: 30/01/01 08:39 PM
1) Install Car2, version 1.02 developer, from the Empeg web site.

2) Get the zipped file for windows users...
http://www.hulkster.net/empeg/files/rjlov-irhack-mk2.zImage.zip

3) Unzip that zipped file to your hard disk.

4) Use my Empeg Logo editor to send that kernel you just unzipped to the Empeg. (It's an option on the file menu).

That will get you a working Voladj kernel installed. It also has the capability to work with Displayserver (it's one of two components that displayserver needs), but support for displayserver itself needs to come from Frank- I can't help you there at the moment. Try posting on the BBS asking for instructions on how to install Displayserver.

---

Veiko
[email protected]

MK1 #317 - 20GB blue