EqualizerAPO and VST - Is there a way to see "live" audio activity as we...
A system-wide equalizer for Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 / 11
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As per title.
For example, while I am configuring my microphone, I would like to see the waveform appear in the equalizer as I speak; or when toggling the noise gate, I would like to see the current audio levels to set the threshold.
I can confirm that the VSTs are actually functioning, but when I open the configuration panel it shows no audio activity.
This is how CE works ATM.
It shouldn't be much work to get VST hosting work properly so, hopefully Jonas has included this to his ToDo list and finds time for EqualizerAPO project in the close future.
CE = ?
Configuration Editor.
Have you tried through Voicemeeter (BANANA) integration? It does not support VST but has some build-in effects... .
https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/VoicemeeterBanana_UserManual.pdf
Last edit: Juha 2020-11-07
Thanks for the suggestion.
Yes, I've tried it - you can do similar things to the VST but with less control.
I've also tried another software called Cantabile which actually satisfies almost all my requirements. With Cantabile, you can use it in Voicemeeter as an ASIO Patch Insert (I think that's what its called, I'm learning off Youtube). But sometimes the programme desyncs with the voicemeeter feed and you get crackling audio so unfortunately I needed a different solution.
So here we are.... toying around with EqualizerAPO since I use PEACE on my headphones
Last edit: Banethor 2020-11-08
I'm not sure how the analysis panel is working. It could be that it shows the results based on the Equalizer APO commands. If so, no results of VST will been shown as you have noticed. On the other hand, Equalizer APO could analyse the difference between the input and output signal. Then the analysis panel should show everything. The question is why not the VST you're working with. Have you already looked at the code of Equalizer APO?
No I haven't looked at the code - and I'm not sure I have the technical background to understand it in detail even if I did.
Please see screenshots for my current EqualizerAPO settings.
I am hoping to get it to show like below (using an example from OBS studio)
Last edit: Banethor 2020-11-07
Good setup! I understand, it would be perfect when the analysis panel shows the mics input according to the plugins. I've tried to understand the process of graph drawing on the analysis panel. Unfortunately I get stuck. Although I understand a little bit of the drawing process I don't know where the data is actually coming from.
Hmm... it can be quite hard to understand if you look the source codes only ... but, in generally speaking, response curve drawn in analyzer panel is just the sum of all (IIR/FIR) filters responses (+ gains). A simple case : http://www.earlevel.com/main/2016/12/01/evaluating-filter-frequency-response/ .
So, try to find the related codes where filters are build and summed ... (You can make it all easier by debugging the Editor -project).
You're right. The graph is just a sum of all filters. This isn't realtime. Perhaps that's why it isn't that easy to include VST plugins processing data. This realtime data needs to be added to the graph. Since EqualizerAPO.dll is the audio processing engine I wonder if the Configuration Editor has access to the realtime data of this other thread.
AFAIK, it does not need that connection because of it is for to just build the config.txt file ... just like your PEACE is.
IMO, it would be quite easy task to route audio stream to CE (it does not need to go beyond CE) and process the stream with added filters for just to enable meters/analyzers show what they are made for.
Last edit: Juha 2020-11-07
Yes, it should be possible. Besides a graph it would allow for many other things like peak value meters, realtime frequency spectrums or other visualisations. I'm sure you can think of one or two ;)
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Last edit: Juha 2020-11-07
I see... But even without the analysis panel, the VST options pane (such as ReaGate above) is actually showing up blank as well! My screenshot is just an example when I use a different program
That's because the shown VST panel is a kind of "mockup". It's running to get the user input. This input (the parameters) is then feed to a (second but same) VST plugin running at the background to process the audio according the user input parameters. I'm not sure if this could be improved looking at the way Equalizer APO is doing things and how Windows is working in the first place for the audio processing objects (APO's).
Hello Peter and all! It's been 5 years since this thread went dry, so I am here to haunt you 😅 I did see that you, Peter, were working on a Bridghe at some point. Is there any hope iin the world that we will be able to get visual feedback out of EQAPO?
As an audio engineer-type, sure- you're supposed to be able to hear what you're doing. However, visual feedback offers something very important, as it has for 100 years. And that is reassurance, accuracy, and repeatability. So I, for one, would greatly benefit from visual feedback. The way in which EQAPO interjects itself into the windows audio pipeline is preferable to me, over typical VST host software. Not sure what the difference is, but EQAPO juist feels more "baked-in", so I do appreciate your great software as it stands today.
I would donate $100 towards a solution. I know it's not much, but maybe a kick-starter or something might be fun and make the work worth your time :)
Thanks Again,
Lee
Hi Lee,
How are you doing?
Perhaps I haven't mentioned it or you forgot but I'm not the developer of Equalizer APO. I'm the developer the Peace equalizer as such I do most of the support of Peace and Equalizer APO but I don't take part of its development.
I'm afraid since 5 years ago nothing changed. Mostly this is caused by nature of an Audio Processing Object like Equalizer APO. It's pretty difficult to have live data. To be thorough I'll briefly explain how Equalizer APO works generally speaking and with VST plugins in particular. Any interface for Equalizer APO writes textual commands to a file called config.txt or any included .txt file(s) which the APO (audio manipulation engine of Equalizer APO) picks up and processes. This means for every VST plugin in the Configuration Editor the engine needs to start a second instance and read the continuous changing VST plugin command according to the user input. This second instance processes the live data which isn't presented on a plugin interface because the engine is probably not capable of doing that as runs in the Windows audio service. So unfortunately this means no visual feedback is possible or it's difficult. I don't see any easy workaround and probably the developer doesn't see one either although I'm sure he has his thoughts. The only workaround I see is that the engine writes a file of live data which the Configuration Editor then picks up in order to show it on the plugin interface. But notice that the Configuration Editor hasn't had any additional useful features since its first version, meaning my idea workaround or any other is likely to be developed.
Of course kickstart project may help but I'm not equipped to write the proper code for a fork of Equalizer APO.
Peter,
Thanks for taking the time to respond with details, even though your project is related to EQAPO, but not directly your "baby". It really does seem that there is a no-visual-feedback "end of the road" for this type of audio pipeline integration.
I did find this while searching out solutions to lower-latency Windows audio, hopefully it's not too far away: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/windows-music-dev/making-music-on-windows/
Well, we've lived with it like this for so long, I suppose it will continue to have to work in this manner. Have a great rest of your weekend!
Last edit: Lee Bennett 2025-02-09
Thanks, Lee. And it's no problem checking in from time to time 😃