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Author Topic: "Hum normalizing feature" what is going on?!  (Read 3487 times)
Arbiter
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« on: November 20, 2018, 02:55:56 AM »

I've had a continually frustrating issue with the software on my obsidian v4 soundboard. I don't know when this was added but there is some sort of "hum normalizer" that is ruining my perfectly good soundfonts. I just created two brand new fonts making sure they were seamless from power on to the hum sound. Now all of the sudden there is a EXTREMELY noticeable and VERY annoying gap between them! I've looked into everything it could possibly be and I've come to the conclusion that it's some software add on that was never discussed. Only one other person has noticed it so far and that is forum member EvilOttoJr.

He states in his recent soundfont release "Fallen Master" that, "If you decide not to use the premade files and make your own setups instead, it's worth noting that you have to run the idle hum at about 70% volume to match the other sounds. The Ultrasabers boards currently feature a volume normalizing feature that messes up properly leveled sounds; I've asked them repeatedly to look into the issue, but until they do, this is the fix."

This "volume normalizing feature" has been really ruining both the immersion and quality of my recently made soundfonts. I would like an explanation or update to fix this problem PLEASE. If anyone has any information on this topic PLEASE SHARE. I've emailed Ultrasabers about this problem and I'll be showing what they say as soon as I get the reply.
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ktulu1347
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« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2018, 03:49:40 AM »

This is a known issue that I've read about in several other posts, including a couple from EvilOttoJr.  I believe he mentioned it in his procedure for converting sound files using MediaHuman back in January and that's where I first learned of it.  I agree that it can be frustrating in its present nondefeatable form, but it seems that UltraSabers sees this as a feature rather than a bug at this point.  To be fair, I can see their point of view though I'd rather have the choice to apply the normalization or not.

I ran into it recently myself while trying to install a generous forum user's font and had to spend a good bit of time tweaking things to get the transitions close to the seamlessness I wanted.  I decided to trick the board by putting a gain swell at the end of the power on, motion and clash sounds to try and ramp back up toward the idle hum.  It's still not perfect, but until the normalization feature can be switched off it's a solution that worked well enough for me at least.

Overall I've been very pleased with the UltraSabers hardware and software, so I'm willing to deal with a few quirks.  That said, I'll be interested to read what response you get.  Their customer service is generally excellent, so I'm sure this is on their list though it may be low priority.
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"The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

Arbiter
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« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2018, 03:28:01 PM »

Good point ktuulu1347, I'll mess around with settings and see what happens, right now I'm just turing the hum sound down 50% and it works relatively well. Hopefully they will make it an option cause it does help with a few soundfonts. Thanks for your input, I'll let you know as soon as they reply.
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projectno253
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« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2018, 08:41:48 AM »

So the hums are being boosted? That's unfortunate, I knew that Obsidian did some normalizing differently than I'm used to on other boards, but I didn't expect it to be boosting the hum volume up. I can't think of a solution that doesn't involve mixing everything to account for this.
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Arbiter
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« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2018, 11:06:49 AM »

Here's the email reply I got from Ultrasabers: "I am sorry to hear that you are having this issue with the software. RSX Engineering is aware of this as they are in the forum answering questions regarding the Diamond Controller often. I will forward the email to RSX Engineering, but I am sure this is something in the works for those that create their own custom soundfonts. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

So I guess the issue has been noticed and will hopefully soon be an optional thing. Again, thanks for the input guys.
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Dark Path Media
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« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2018, 09:25:25 PM »

My understanding is that the normalization feature is designed to boost ALL sounds to at least a peak value of 0 dB, which is a typical feature you will find in DAW programs; albeit, you usually have the option to turn it on or off. I doubt that this feature regulates RMS or average volume, because it is variable; and doing so could very well push the peak well past 0 dB, which can sound distorted at best, and potentially damage the speaker at worst.

The amount of noticeable volume boost you get in normalizing audio to 0 dB depends greatly on the volume dynamics of the waveform. Typically, every conventional saber sound easily peaks at 0 dB; other than the hum. Hum sounds are also usually very consistent in terms of volume, with little to no dynamics, fluctuations, etc. (waveform peaks & valleys). For those reasons, the only noticeable volume boost would be for the hum sounds, as they are the only sounds purposely established at a lower volume.

It seems to me, normalization would be an excellent feature... IF employed by the software on all sounds EXCEPT the hum. If they make that change, and/or provide users with the ability to turn it on and off at will, that would be perfect.
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RSX Engineering
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« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2018, 08:39:55 AM »

I've had a continually frustrating issue with the software on my obsidian v4 soundboard. I don't know when this was added but there is some sort of "hum normalizer" that is ruining my perfectly good soundfonts. I just created two brand new fonts making sure they were seamless from power on to the hum sound. Now all of the sudden there is a EXTREMELY noticeable and VERY annoying gap between them! I've looked into everything it could possibly be and I've come to the conclusion that it's some software add on that was never discussed. Only one other person has noticed it so far and that is forum member EvilOttoJr.

He states in his recent soundfont release "Fallen Master" that, "If you decide not to use the premade files and make your own setups instead, it's worth noting that you have to run the idle hum at about 70% volume to match the other sounds. The Ultrasabers boards currently feature a volume normalizing feature that messes up properly leveled sounds; I've asked them repeatedly to look into the issue, but until they do, this is the fix."

This "volume normalizing feature" has been really ruining both the immersion and quality of my recently made soundfonts. I would like an explanation or update to fix this problem PLEASE. If anyone has any information on this topic PLEASE SHARE. I've emailed Ultrasabers about this problem and I'll be showing what they say as soon as I get the reply.

Hey everyone,

There will be a software update which will contain some fixes, among them the aforementioned volume normalization, as well as a 64-bit version for Mac users. Unfortunately, this is taking longer than expected due to some unforeseen issues we've encountered.
Rest assure we are not ignoring your feedback.
Thank you all for being pro-active.

The RSX Engineering team
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BatMike90
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« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2018, 11:22:58 AM »



Fantastic!! What other fixes?
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Arsenel:
RGBW DIAMOND: Archon v3.1 / Dominicide / Graflex SE /  Guardian
V4 SOUND : Dark Prophecy v3 (x2) / Emperor's Hand
STUNT: Aeon v4 / Bellicose / Dark Apprentice v4 (x2) / Dark Prophecy v3 (x2) / Phantom Initiate V4 / Prophecy v3 / Renegade LE / Scorpion (x2)
Star Wars Cosplay Alias:
Merik Wolfe (Jedi Knight) / Darth Marcotus (Sith Warrior)
BatMike90's Soundfonts

RSX Engineering
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« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2018, 09:06:10 AM »

Fantastic!! What other fixes?

Some bug fixes, including the Open GL driver issues for systems with AMD graphic cards.

The RSX Engineering team
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Arbiter
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« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2018, 07:37:51 PM »

My understanding is that the normalization feature is designed to boost ALL sounds to at least a peak value of 0 dB, which is a typical feature you will find in DAW programs; albeit, you usually have the option to turn it on or off. I doubt that this feature regulates RMS or average volume, because it is variable; and doing so could very well push the peak well past 0 dB, which can sound distorted at best, and potentially damage the speaker at worst.

The amount of noticeable volume boost you get in normalizing audio to 0 dB depends greatly on the volume dynamics of the waveform. Typically, every conventional saber sound easily peaks at 0 dB; other than the hum. Hum sounds are also usually very consistent in terms of volume, with little to no dynamics, fluctuations, etc. (waveform peaks & valleys). For those reasons, the only noticeable volume boost would be for the hum sounds, as they are the only sounds purposely established at a lower volume.

It seems to me, normalization would be an excellent feature... IF employed by the software on all sounds EXCEPT the hum. If they make that change, and/or provide users with the ability to turn it on and off at will, that would be perfect.

I absolutely agree with that, if only they left out the hum  Cry
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Arbiter
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« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2018, 07:45:37 PM »

So there's an official update coming! So glad you guys heard our complaints, this was best case scenario! (RSX Engineering team's response listed below, sort of got swept under the rug so I thought I'd show it here for anyone that missed it).


"Hey everyone,

There will be a software update which will contain some fixes, among them the aforementioned volume normalization, as well as a 64-bit version for Mac users. Unfortunately, this is taking longer than expected due to some unforeseen issues we've encountered.
Rest assure we are not ignoring your feedback.
Thank you all for being pro-active.

The RSX Engineering team"
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