Multiple EQ simultaneously
System-wide PC Audio Equalizer and Effects app for Windows 7 to 11
Brought to you by:
peverbeek
Menu
▾
▴
Hi!
Been trying to get this going for hours now. I decided to give up on google and come here and bother you people with my questions instead. :)
So this is what Im trying to do:
I have one headset. I want to be able to listen to spotify and play a game using the same headset at the same time. But I also want to have two separate EQ profiles for each app. Basicly I want a music EQ for spotify and a FPS EQ for my game.
Is there a way doing this with Peace? Or does anyone have any other solutions? I tried Steelseries Sonar and this is doing exactly this.. But Its kind of limited and buggy and I don't like it because its trying to force me to set them as default devices and stuff like that.
Any help would be appriciated. Also I'm kind of a noob, so explain it like I'm 11y (no offense to kids!).
Perfect decision ;)
In principle Peace (or better said Equalizer APO) can do things per device, and not per app. This is because Windows doesn't have the architecture to do so (although they offer a volume setting per app). Of course when not listening at the same time to the Spotify and game sound then 2 EQ profiles is the way to go, perhaps automating it through the Peace automation features like activating the profile (called configuration btw.) at app startup. But simultaneously listening needs 2 devices so that needs an app called VoiceMeeter, Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to understand. Basically VoiceMeeter creates a number of virtual audio devices for you to route the audio through. And Peace supports these devices. Once VoiceMeeter is installed they come available in the Peace audio devices list (at the right) as 'VoiceMeeter A#' where you can have up to 5 virtual devices when using VoiceMeeter Potatoe. In your Spotify app you select one such device, in your game another. What's also unfortunate that I'm not good at understand VoiceMeeter myself so I can't really help. But there are many nice Youtube tutorials out there.
Well hm. So I tinkered some more. Still no results.. This is what I have now. I feel like it SHOULD work?
Recording device: Hi-Fi Cable Output -> Listening to my Headphones
Playback device: Hi-Fi Cable Input -> Selected in Spotify
Im getting sound like this. I also manage to connect an EQ in both Peace and APO and it works.
But as soon as I add a different EQ to my headphones directly, it overrides or maybe even adds an extra EQ ontop of Hi-Fi Cable Input. It probably adds the EQ to my headphones, and then Hi-Fi Cable Input is getting that EQ and then adds a 2nd one? Not sure how to seperate them :S
:/
Last edit: krEJZi 2023-01-15
Having the Hi-Fi Cable for rerouting isn't enough. You need to have VoiceMeeter for its multiple virtual devices so you can set up the following in Peace:
1. A Spotify EQ config with the VoiceMeeter A1 device selected
2. A game EQ config with the VoiceMeeter A2 device selected
3. To have both EQ's active: one config on the main Peace screen and one config on the "Always active" list on the Peace Automation window.
To "attach" an audio device to an EQ config:
1. Create/Load EQ config
2. Select audio device
3. Save EQ config so the device stays attached to this config
As you can see it isn't that difficult but it isn't easy either. Especially knowing that you have to configure VoiceMeeter of which I don't know how to do (hence the VoiceMeeter tutorials on Youtube).
But I cant connect my headset to both A1 and A2. It can only be done once per real device. Thats why I gave up on voicemeeter. It is so confusing.
Yes, it is. Sorry to read about your confusion. I know it's powerful but it's quite techy. Somehow I can't get my head around it. I see people routing and eq-ing the input of their mic in different ways. But that's usually because they need to as being Youtubers so they have to figure it out. I can't even be sure if your specific need is possible. I think it is but that isn't enough.
Well its possible since you can do it with Sonar.
In Sonar you have: Game, Chat, Media and Mic. Each of these can have different EQs and all at the same time. And each can be set to the same device (my headset).
Problem is, the EQ in sonar only goes down to 20hz. Also it has no EQ switcher like Peace does based on .exe Im running (there is a separate github app for that tho). It also wants to force the sonar devices to be "default device" and thats breaks my sound to my TV because of dolby access app that also needs to be set as default device.
Last edit: krEJZi 2023-01-15
Those Sonar options are very nice. The question is how does it distinguishes between the different apps. As being an APO (audio processing object) Sonar can do in principle the same as Equalizer APO but unfortunately Equalizer APO doesn't have these options.
By forcing you mean you can't select another default device when watching TV? Perhaps that's a needed restriction for Sonar to do its thing?
On reboot, Steelseries sets the default devices. Its verry annoying. It still works If I change them.. But I would have to have a script that changes it after reboot or something.. Its just dumb coding from Steelseries.
But you choose in windows which app will use the game one etc. So you dont do that in Sonar.
Last edit: krEJZi 2023-01-19
That's indeed annoying.
Where do you select this? On the Windows sound settings page as shown in my screenshot? If so then setting different EQs for these different devices is easy.
Yes exactly. So Sonar creates virtual devices (I think?) calling them game, media, chat, mic and then you can set an EQ for each of those. Voice EQ for the mic one. And then you can have your spotify on the media device with music EQ and at the same time have your game EQ in your game all using the same headphones.
And then you can have it to autoswitch the game EQ based on what game you play.
That's precisely it :) Perhaps one of the devices is actually linked to the hardware and the other virtual ones rerouted to this one. I'm not sure how they did it but that doesn't matter.
Do you know how to set this up in Peace?
No. I mean you need voicemeeter or something for the devices but in voicemeeter u can still only do one hardware to one virtual? So Not sure if you can even do it.
Also Im not touching voicemeeter again, like the design of it is so bad and complicated. Thats why Steelseries is good, its so simple.
I agree! I can't seem to get my head around VoiceMeeter too and I should be a techie.
Does Peace show all 3 devices in its list (at the right on the main interface)?
The steelseries ones? Yes. But I never could get them to work at the same time. U can try it yourself, Sonar works with any headset/speakers/mic. Just download Steelseries Engine 3.
Last edit: krEJZi 2023-01-28
Have you tried the Automation window of Peace? Having these devices is ideal to use at the same time. You just need to make 2 separate EQ's and load 1 on the main screen of Peace and 1 in the "Always active" list on the Automation window. These are the steps:
1. Make/Load music EQ and select the Sonar chat device and save the EQ.
2. Make/Load game EQ and select the Sonar game device and save the EQ.
3. Now put one of the 2 in the "Always active" list (Automation window -> Always active tab).
4. Switch on automation.
5. Load the other one on the main Peace screen.
I just tried it again and its not working. Either the EQ effects does not work on the Steelseries devices or I get no sound at all.
I can only get it to work if I select my main headset device (by passing and not using the SS ones).
I can use VTS plugins and EQ on the Mic tho via equalizer APO.
Last edit: krEJZi 2023-01-29
And you have installed Equalizer APO specifically on the game and chat devices in the Configurator? By default Equalizer APO installs itself only on the default speakers/headphones device and on the mic.
Also after installing Equalizer APO on these 2 devices it might need some tinkering with the troubleshooting options, especially the "Install as" dropdrown box options.
I did install the APO drivers and I tried all of them. Rebooted like 6 times. xD
Yeah, that rebooting can be time consuming :(
Usually after saying to try SFX/EFX or, since some last couple of Windows updates, LFX/GFX, I advise to uncheck the "Use original APO" checkboxes. But I'm not sure what that will do to these virtual devices. Anyway, if we can't get Equalizer APO to work on game and chat then there aren't many options left. There is the wiki on the sound control panel but since Windows 11 22H2 it's not even there any longer (or very will hidden).
I did uncheck "Use original APO". :(
So that didn't mess things up. That at least is a good thing. So for all checkboxes for game and chat?
Do have access to the sound control panels of game and chat?
Uhm not sure what I did different now but, it seems to actually work now.
APO: https://i.imgur.com/EzEPMWd.png
I now have two different EQs with Peace in Spotify and Brave browser using Media for Spotify and chat for Brave at the same time. I swear this did not work a few hours ago doing the exact same thing lol. Enhancements is still on, like it was before too.
That does happen. I've supported people who after multiple computer restarts get things going. I don't know why multiple restarts do the trick. So you experience might be similar. Anyway, good you have got it going. Let me know if you have trouble setting things up the way you want it. Good that the enhancements are still on. That's because you haven't unchecked the pre-mix "Use original APO" checkbox which can be a good or bad thing for any device.