Re: sox_ng-14.6.0 released

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17 juin 2025 20:16:51 SoX NG <[email protected]>:

> Well, we seem to have shaken 14.6 out over the last month
> and 14.6.0 is now up at
>=20
> =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 https://codeberg.org/sox_ng/sox_ng/releases
>=20
> Apart from the last six months' enhancements, bug fixes and relaxations,
> the most interesting additions are two new effects and
> a new combine method for synth.
>=20
> Effect dolbyb is the big one, something people have been hankering for
> for some time now, and its frequency response curves, though not as
> exact as commercial offerings such as DDiCodec claim, are surprisingly
> close to those of a Nakamichi NR-200. We have yet to see how close its
> reactions in the time domain are to the real thing but as it is a digital
> simulation of real Dolby B electronic circuitry, my expectations are good=
.
>=20
> The tricky part is adjusting its response to whatever level the tape was
> digitized at; a real tape deck knows what voltages represent the "Dolby l=
evel"
> on the tape itself, corresponding to the saturation level of the tape its=
elf,
> but when it's been digitized through a preamp and the sound card's mixer,
> the level could be anything, which is what its "threshold gain" parameter
> is for. As yet, listening tests at a variety of levels is the best we hav=
e
> but are hoping to be able to semi-automate an initial guess for it.
>=20
> The second new effect is "softvol". If one of those is in the effects cha=
in,
> the 'v' and 'V' keys in interactive mode (i.e. when it's called as "play_=
ng")
> adjust the volume while it's playing, something that seems to have stoppe=
d
> working when it's trying to adjust the volume in the sound card's mixer,
> and it goes far over "to 11", limiting itself only when the audio would
> have clipped.
>=20
> Its other optional parameter slowly increases the volume, again limited t=
o
> when the audio would have clipped. This not only lets you play a range of
> tracks recorded at different levels and adjusts them all to about the sam=
e
> volume, but brings out the quiet passages. My personal favourite is
> "softvol 400 10" which gradually increases the volume so that it doubles
> in ten seconds if everything is quiet, but it starts at 40,000% of normal=
 volume
> giving a strange emphasis to the opening moments of the track, which may =
contain
> something quiet but interesting and at worst make a track start with a bu=
rst.
>=20
> Lastly, the "synth vdelay" option uses the synthesized wave as an offset
> into a delay line of the input signal, which allows the creation of a ran=
ge
> of custom choruses and phasers as well as some strange other effects.
>=20
> An example of softvol and vdelay in action can be found under
> http://martinwguy.net/test of which Osage Extension is the apparently
> silent second half of the leadout of the film "Killers of the Flower Moon=
"
> but which is actually something very very quiet: a fly passes,
> distant thunder rolls, wolves howl in the distance, all overlaid with
> the MP3 noise of the original amplified to an audible level and all
> processed with a triangular vdelay to make it yodel by an octave and a ha=
lf.
> Osage_Harper instead is a 6-minute track that this serendipitous discover=
y
> inspired a contemporary composer, David "Kawika" Harper, to create.
>=20
> Thanks to the many developers who contributed changes included in this re=
lease
> and to the authors who pulled all the stops out to help me make the best
> we could of their work.
>=20
> The next new-feature release, 14.7.0, is scheduled for November '25,
> and, in August, bug-fix releases to each of the 14.X release series.
>=20
> All contributions, suggestions and reports of oddities are welcome.
>=20
> =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 M
>=20
>=20
>=20
> _______________________________________________
> Sox-users mailing list
> [email protected]
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sox-users
Congratulations, and thanks to the team and all contributors. It is a pleas=
ure seeing the revival of that project.

The one feature it always lacked was good noise reduction. At the time, Aud=
acity was much better than Sox at removing mic and background (mostly) whit=
e noise. Maybe there is an issue tracker where I might ask that for the nex=
t feature release?

Best regards,
- Sylvain Leroux

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   <br>
   <div>
    <p>17 juin 2025 20:16:51 SoX NG &lt;[email protected]&gt;:</p>
   </div>
   <blockquote style=3D"margin:0;border-left:3px solid #ccc; padding-left:1=
0px">
    <div>
     Well, we seem to have shaken 14.6 out over the last month<br>and 14.6.=
0 is now up at<br><br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; https://codeberg.org/sox_ng/sox_n=
g/releases<br><br>Apart from the last six months' enhancements, bug fixes a=
nd relaxations,<br>the most interesting additions are two new effects and<b=
r>a new combine method for synth.<br><br>Effect dolbyb is the big one, some=
thing people have been hankering for<br>for some time now, and its frequenc=
y response curves, though not as<br>exact as commercial offerings such as D=
DiCodec claim, are surprisingly<br>close to those of a Nakamichi NR-200. We=
 have yet to see how close its<br>reactions in the time domain are to the r=
eal thing but as it is a digital<br>simulation of real Dolby B electronic c=
ircuitry, my expectations are good.<br><br>The tricky part is adjusting its=
 response to whatever level the tape was<br>digitized at; a real tape deck =
knows what voltages represent the "Dolby level"<br>on the tape itself, corr=
esponding to the saturation level of the tape itself,<br>but when it's been=
 digitized through a preamp and the sound card's mixer,<br>the level could =
be anything, which is what its "threshold gain" parameter<br>is for. As yet=
, listening tests at a variety of levels is the best we have<br>but are hop=
ing to be able to semi-automate an initial guess for it.<br><br>The second =
new effect is "softvol". If one of those is in the effects chain,<br>the 'v=
' and 'V' keys in interactive mode (i.e. when it's called as "play_ng")<br>=
adjust the volume while it's playing, something that seems to have stopped<=
br>working when it's trying to adjust the volume in the sound card's mixer,=
<br>and it goes far over "to 11", limiting itself only when the audio would=
<br>have clipped.<br><br>Its other optional parameter slowly increases the =
volume, again limited to<br>when the audio would have clipped. This not onl=
y lets you play a range of<br>tracks recorded at different levels and adjus=
ts them all to about the same<br>volume, but brings out the quiet passages.=
 My personal favourite is<br>"softvol 400 10" which gradually increases the=
 volume so that it doubles<br>in ten seconds if everything is quiet, but it=
 starts at 40,000% of normal volume<br>giving a strange emphasis to the ope=
ning moments of the track, which may contain<br>something quiet but interes=
ting and at worst make a track start with a burst.<br><br>Lastly, the "synt=
h vdelay" option uses the synthesized wave as an offset<br>into a delay lin=
e of the input signal, which allows the creation of a range<br>of custom ch=
oruses and phasers as well as some strange other effects.<br><br>An example=
 of softvol and vdelay in action can be found under<br>http://martinwguy.ne=
t/test of which Osage Extension is the apparently<br>silent second half of =
the leadout of the film "Killers of the Flower Moon"<br>but which is actual=
ly something very very quiet: a fly passes,<br>distant thunder rolls, wolve=
s howl in the distance, all overlaid with<br>the MP3 noise of the original =
amplified to an audible level and all<br>processed with a triangular vdelay=
 to make it yodel by an octave and a half.<br>Osage_Harper instead is a 6-m=
inute track that this serendipitous discovery<br>inspired a contemporary co=
mposer, David "Kawika" Harper, to create.<br><br>Thanks to the many develop=
ers who contributed changes included in this release<br>and to the authors =
who pulled all the stops out to help me make the best<br>we could of their =
work.<br><br>The next new-feature release, 14.7.0, is scheduled for Novembe=
r '25,<br>and, in August, bug-fix releases to each of the 14.X release seri=
es.<br><br>All contributions, suggestions and reports of oddities are welco=
me.<br><br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; M<br><br><br><br>___________________________=
____________________<br>Sox-users mailing list<br>[email protected]=
ge.net<br>https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/sox-users<br>
    </div>
   </blockquote>
  </div> <span dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Congrat=
ulations, and thanks to the team and all contributors. It is a pleasure see=
ing the revival of that project. </span> <br> <br> <span dir=3D"ltr" style=
=3D"margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">The one feature it always lacked was go=
od noise reduction. At the time, Audacity was much better than Sox at remov=
ing mic and background (mostly) white noise. Maybe there is an issue tracke=
r where I might ask that for the next feature release? </span> <br> <br> <s=
pan dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Best regards, </sp=
an> <br> <span dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">- Sylva=
in Leroux </span> <br>
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