dammit, i got it. finally. and then it disappeared.
it's hard to know what is exactly the right set up, because i'm dealing with relatively subtle shifts. there's been a few times where's it's not been clear. but, when it is clear, it's crystal clear.
i broke everything, to the point that i had to install the m-audio card to get the audio subsystem back up. i then restarted the computer with the plug and play service disabled, then turned it on when the computer came up. there was about four minutes of beautiful clarity. and, then something turned on and it clicked back out.
i didn't have process explorer open. when i tried to recreate the scenario, i couldn't. which suggests to me that whatever it was that clicked in wrote something to the registry, and i'll have to rebreak it again to get back to where it was.
i think that points to the wmi as the most likely culprit.
i'm still testing. but that's the closest i've been yet. something is loading on startup in windows that's doing this.
i'm testing on a system that doesn't have my script implemented because i want to isolate what the fuck. but it may be the case that such a process would have a different result on a fully installed system because whatever's clicking in may not be able to reinstall itself.
again: i vaguely remember playing with this before.
actually, you know what i can do is turn the boot log on and isolate one by one...
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
ok, so it seems like i'm making good progress on the bust-it-and-reconstruct-it approach. and, i have a vague memory of doing this about a year ago. these vague memories. sometimes, it would be nice if life had a rewind feature so i could go back and see.
i'm on the brink of convincing myself this is stable and good. next step will be seeing what happens when i get the m-audio drivers in. i just need to let the ram clear and do a fresh start-up...
i'm on the brink of convincing myself this is stable and good. next step will be seeing what happens when i get the m-audio drivers in. i just need to let the ram clear and do a fresh start-up...
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
thoughts on the latest spencer krug recording
i've listened to a few tracks off this record, and i'll admit that i grasp why a pop audience would react positively to it - it sounds fancy. i'm not being an ass on purpose (although i probably couldn't prevent myself), but it's the basic idea. it gives you the opportunity to put down the garbage you normally listen to and feel sophisticated and upper class for an hour. and, maybe it might act as somewhat of a gateway.
but, it's just so terribly contrived. the cadences. the crescendos. it's blatant cliche, and clearly consciously designed to maximize itself as such. and, on top of that, he plays the instrument like a blunt poke in the eye - most of the record sounds like a player piano. not a sequencer. you can program dynamics into a sequencer. this is just straight artillery fire.
the guy has demonstrated potential. and his refusal to do what he's expected is definitely refreshing. but, i'm sorry to say that this is some of the deadest piano music that i've heard.
but, it's just so terribly contrived. the cadences. the crescendos. it's blatant cliche, and clearly consciously designed to maximize itself as such. and, on top of that, he plays the instrument like a blunt poke in the eye - most of the record sounds like a player piano. not a sequencer. you can program dynamics into a sequencer. this is just straight artillery fire.
the guy has demonstrated potential. and his refusal to do what he's expected is definitely refreshing. but, i'm sorry to say that this is some of the deadest piano music that i've heard.
thoughts on the new pinkish black single
the last one took a bit to click, but it eventually did, and this is likewise a bit disorienting. you have to give this band full marks for a subtle evolution. but it comes with the caveat that they're getting harder to follow because they seem to be getting poppier and poppier.
this is moving slowly into something like spencer krug territory.
(that one record he did, organ music - not vibraphone music like i hoped, is actually uncharacteristically interesting. it's a saturated space, with a lot of mediocrity, but nothing hits you in the gut like a good, dark, smart synth pop song.)
this is moving slowly into something like spencer krug territory.
(that one record he did, organ music - not vibraphone music like i hoped, is actually uncharacteristically interesting. it's a saturated space, with a lot of mediocrity, but nothing hits you in the gut like a good, dark, smart synth pop song.)
nope. soundblaster is doing the same damned thing with no further drivers installed.
it's a windows problem. i knew it was a windows problem from the start. and i can fix it for a bit, but it never sticks.
i need to get groceries. but, i'm going to have to start breaking some stuff when i wake up. it's gotta be installing broken.
it may be that i have to break everything immediately and then install it all on top of that.
it's a windows problem. i knew it was a windows problem from the start. and i can fix it for a bit, but it never sticks.
i need to get groceries. but, i'm going to have to start breaking some stuff when i wake up. it's gotta be installing broken.
it may be that i have to break everything immediately and then install it all on top of that.
*sigh*. that got me nowhere. it's back to the bleeding on the m-audio card.
i'm going to take a step back and test with the soundblaster on an m-audio non-install, because i don't think it's doing this. if i can convince myself of this, i'll try leap-frogging the m-audio install and testing directly with the mixer.
i don't actually use the m-audio card for recording. i put it in the system years ago as a playback card, meant for more living room type applications. if the setup is stable without it, it's not worth fighting with it - i'll just take it out.
i'm going to take a step back and test with the soundblaster on an m-audio non-install, because i don't think it's doing this. if i can convince myself of this, i'll try leap-frogging the m-audio install and testing directly with the mixer.
i don't actually use the m-audio card for recording. i put it in the system years ago as a playback card, meant for more living room type applications. if the setup is stable without it, it's not worth fighting with it - i'll just take it out.
on 800th thought, i'm getting the same outcome from the m-audio card on immediate install, without even turning the mixer on, suggesting the conflict is probably with the soundblaster. and, listening to some stuff i've done over the last year indicates it's definitely not the setup i've been using.
so, i'm back to checking things on and off, one at a time. at least i have a reduced set of options, this time.
so, i'm back to checking things on and off, one at a time. at least i have a reduced set of options, this time.
yeah, this driver conflict is persistent. and, to be entirely honest, i don't really have the will to resolve it - i just want it to be stable so i can get back to actually making stuff.
hopefully the following plan is workable. i'll have to test it...
1) restrict the wdm to the m-audio card. that is, do not install the wdm drivers for the alesis device.
2) only use asio to interact with the alesis device.
i think that this will avoid conflicts. and, if i can determine that the outs are essentially interchangeable, it won't matter much.
after i've tested this a bit, i'm also going to see if i can find an asio media player. foobar ought to work, but i can't find an xp-period component.
both devices can connect over asio. i don't think there's a conflict over asio, it seems to be specifically in the kmixer. but i guess we'll see.
hopefully the following plan is workable. i'll have to test it...
1) restrict the wdm to the m-audio card. that is, do not install the wdm drivers for the alesis device.
2) only use asio to interact with the alesis device.
i think that this will avoid conflicts. and, if i can determine that the outs are essentially interchangeable, it won't matter much.
after i've tested this a bit, i'm also going to see if i can find an asio media player. foobar ought to work, but i can't find an xp-period component.
both devices can connect over asio. i don't think there's a conflict over asio, it seems to be specifically in the kmixer. but i guess we'll see.
Monday, August 24, 2015
actually, i think i can answer that. it was fine until i reinstalled the mixer drivers, then the pci card went back to the same flat sound - and consistency remained across the cards. so, it's a driver conflict. but, then i fixed it by running the registry part of the driver install.
i'm spinning myself around in circles. if i leave the registry part of the driver install on, i get the clock fades. if i don't, i get a driver conflict. i'm going to have to hone in on that and just take out specific parts - probably just the clock driver.
mild levels of testing are still necessary, but i think this is it.
i'm spinning myself around in circles. if i leave the registry part of the driver install on, i get the clock fades. if i don't, i get a driver conflict. i'm going to have to hone in on that and just take out specific parts - probably just the clock driver.
mild levels of testing are still necessary, but i think this is it.
....and, then it clicked.
i'm getting the same dead tone out of both cards.
so, if i was mixing on the mixer, and i listened to it through the pci card, it would sound the same. and i'd never know.
so, out of desperation, i busted the wdm by uninstalling it, moving the driver, restarting and reinstalling.
this actually worked.
i'll have to test it a bunch more. but i think that's it: i need to bust the underlying windows architecture flat out and reinstall it.
why that might be is a different question....
i'm getting the same dead tone out of both cards.
so, if i was mixing on the mixer, and i listened to it through the pci card, it would sound the same. and i'd never know.
so, out of desperation, i busted the wdm by uninstalling it, moving the driver, restarting and reinstalling.
this actually worked.
i'll have to test it a bunch more. but i think that's it: i need to bust the underlying windows architecture flat out and reinstall it.
why that might be is a different question....
it doesn't seem to be actually recognizing the device as the same device when i turn it off and on, and further experiments have just brought me back to randomness: sometimes i get the high filter, sometimes i don't. it's not the flash that's actually doing anything, or the driver reinstall. it's just turning the device off and on. it keeps adding a new unique streaming device in: sad 12, 13, 14, 15....
i think i kind of have to get that right, first. none of the other devices are doing this.
it suggests in the documentation that i should turn the device on before the machine. i never have. but, i'm going to see if it make a difference in recognizing the device as the same device or not.
i think i kind of have to get that right, first. none of the other devices are doing this.
it suggests in the documentation that i should turn the device on before the machine. i never have. but, i'm going to see if it make a difference in recognizing the device as the same device or not.
it's not actually connected to the streaming proxy service, it just seemed to be. it must have been something else running under there.
i'm at somewhat of an impasse again. the flash is fixing it, which again seems to reduce it to a driver issue.
i'm running out of patience. i'm going to see if i can stabilize it on this install. if i can't, i'm going to do a final install and just flash on every use. i'm really sick of this, take no enjoyment in it and want to get back to what i was doing.
i'm at somewhat of an impasse again. the flash is fixing it, which again seems to reduce it to a driver issue.
i'm running out of patience. i'm going to see if i can stabilize it on this install. if i can't, i'm going to do a final install and just flash on every use. i'm really sick of this, take no enjoyment in it and want to get back to what i was doing.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
my understanding of the situation is continuing to evolve. i've isolated the proper components, it's just a question of getting them in the right order.
the reinstall with the registry run removed eliminated all bleeding, but brought me back to the point where the highs are turning off and on. but, i've learned that this is not random, as i previously thought. rather, it's connected to the streaming proxy service - the broken clock.
when this service is launched, i get the full spectrum. when it's not, i get reduced highs. and, when it turns off [as it does], i get those annoying cut-outs.
but, the service doesn't launch through foobar - it only launches through cubase. again, this is explanatory, as i was noticing that cubase sounds differently than foobar. the service will sometimes stay on after i close cubase, at which point the foobar out will keep the highs - until it stops, when the highs drop. further, whether it launches with cubase or not is sporadic.
the firmware flash is no longer modifying the output, which indicates that the issue was in fact in the registry. but, it's also made it more difficult to get back to the sweet spot. the flash doesn't always work.
i strongly suspect that the point i'm at right now was the starting point; the sound is acceptable, and probably defines the differences i was noticing previously between the different hardware, and just thought was hardware dependent. it's relatively mild. but, now that i know it's not clean, i have to fix it.
the basic problem seems to be that the service is no longer connected to the devices.
but, i know that if i connect the service to the devices via the registry run on the install then i get fading.
i'm also noticing that the other card in the machine is maintaining consistency with the weak highs. in the past, i may have misinterpreted this - i may have taken the consistency as indicating both cards were working, and then concluded the output was solid, when in fact there seems to be a root problem that is affecting both cards.
there's two things i can try.
the first is that i can try a reinstall without breaking that first aspect of the clock. as mentioned before, it's only that first part that i'm certain i was reinstalling and only the first that windows is recognizing post-break. the other two, i'm just blurry about. i'll have to check to see what i get out of that - and i can do partial installs for this purpose.
if that creates the same basic issue, the next step is to put that part back in the registry run on the driver install.
if that brings me back to the bleeding, i can try and take out the entire clock break.
so, that means i'm now going beyond trying to get back to where i was and trying to fix a problem that was there the whole time but that i never noticed.
i don't think it will be much longer. i'm pretty sure i've got my head around this, now - i'm no longer taking guesses. the guesses have isolated the issue, and now i'm zeroing in on it.
the reinstall with the registry run removed eliminated all bleeding, but brought me back to the point where the highs are turning off and on. but, i've learned that this is not random, as i previously thought. rather, it's connected to the streaming proxy service - the broken clock.
when this service is launched, i get the full spectrum. when it's not, i get reduced highs. and, when it turns off [as it does], i get those annoying cut-outs.
but, the service doesn't launch through foobar - it only launches through cubase. again, this is explanatory, as i was noticing that cubase sounds differently than foobar. the service will sometimes stay on after i close cubase, at which point the foobar out will keep the highs - until it stops, when the highs drop. further, whether it launches with cubase or not is sporadic.
the firmware flash is no longer modifying the output, which indicates that the issue was in fact in the registry. but, it's also made it more difficult to get back to the sweet spot. the flash doesn't always work.
i strongly suspect that the point i'm at right now was the starting point; the sound is acceptable, and probably defines the differences i was noticing previously between the different hardware, and just thought was hardware dependent. it's relatively mild. but, now that i know it's not clean, i have to fix it.
the basic problem seems to be that the service is no longer connected to the devices.
but, i know that if i connect the service to the devices via the registry run on the install then i get fading.
i'm also noticing that the other card in the machine is maintaining consistency with the weak highs. in the past, i may have misinterpreted this - i may have taken the consistency as indicating both cards were working, and then concluded the output was solid, when in fact there seems to be a root problem that is affecting both cards.
there's two things i can try.
the first is that i can try a reinstall without breaking that first aspect of the clock. as mentioned before, it's only that first part that i'm certain i was reinstalling and only the first that windows is recognizing post-break. the other two, i'm just blurry about. i'll have to check to see what i get out of that - and i can do partial installs for this purpose.
if that creates the same basic issue, the next step is to put that part back in the registry run on the driver install.
if that brings me back to the bleeding, i can try and take out the entire clock break.
so, that means i'm now going beyond trying to get back to where i was and trying to fix a problem that was there the whole time but that i never noticed.
i don't think it will be much longer. i'm pretty sure i've got my head around this, now - i'm no longer taking guesses. the guesses have isolated the issue, and now i'm zeroing in on it.
i tested the issue by flashing the device and leaving it on for a reboot. if it was a firmware corruption, it should have come up clean on the reboot - because the device stayed on. but, it didn't. so, it's an error that's happening when windows recognizes the device. and, because it's not happening on the flash, it has to be the result of some kind of corrupt registry setting - because everything else would be the same, whether it's rebooting itself on the flash or being read as a device by windows.
when i do the reinstall, i'm going to try and clean as much out of the registry as i can get out of it - and i do think i can probably get this to work. but the class installer uses long strings of numbers that are difficult to track down.
i can't explain why this wasn't happening previously - except that it maybe was, and i didn't notice. which is another layer to keep in mind as i'm reanalyzing material.
the other thing is that i have a vague recollection of deleting the filters on the install a while back. so, those filters might have been gone for quite a while. i can't clearly remember. that's something i can script, and should so i don't forget.
the driver reinstall helped substantially, but it still seems a little distorted, so i'm going to reinstall a final time - i feel i have to to be sure i've actually hit the root of the problem. but i think i'm starting to finally get my head around what actually happened.
1) i think i cleared out the registry on the last reinstall, some time ago - whenever it was. spring of 2014, maybe.
2) then at some point in may i put that file back (streamci.dll).
3) on a driver reinstall (these are done from time to time, to deal with funny plugins), that screwed up the registry.
4) when i deleted the clock before, it didn't matter - because i wasn't really using it for this device. but, the combination of the driver install and the undeletion of the clock created a conflict. i suspect i should be able to reinstall the clock after i stop the drivers from entering that information into the registry.
the root cause of all of this, then, seems to be the driver install with the streamci.dll in place. i suppose i may have exaggerated something with that codec install, but it wasn't the actual crux of the problem.
when i do the reinstall, i'm going to try and clean as much out of the registry as i can get out of it - and i do think i can probably get this to work. but the class installer uses long strings of numbers that are difficult to track down.
i can't explain why this wasn't happening previously - except that it maybe was, and i didn't notice. which is another layer to keep in mind as i'm reanalyzing material.
the other thing is that i have a vague recollection of deleting the filters on the install a while back. so, those filters might have been gone for quite a while. i can't clearly remember. that's something i can script, and should so i don't forget.
the driver reinstall helped substantially, but it still seems a little distorted, so i'm going to reinstall a final time - i feel i have to to be sure i've actually hit the root of the problem. but i think i'm starting to finally get my head around what actually happened.
1) i think i cleared out the registry on the last reinstall, some time ago - whenever it was. spring of 2014, maybe.
2) then at some point in may i put that file back (streamci.dll).
3) on a driver reinstall (these are done from time to time, to deal with funny plugins), that screwed up the registry.
4) when i deleted the clock before, it didn't matter - because i wasn't really using it for this device. but, the combination of the driver install and the undeletion of the clock created a conflict. i suspect i should be able to reinstall the clock after i stop the drivers from entering that information into the registry.
the root cause of all of this, then, seems to be the driver install with the streamci.dll in place. i suppose i may have exaggerated something with that codec install, but it wasn't the actual crux of the problem.
it's continuing to behave poorly, but it really has to be a registry issue. i'm going to try a driver reinstall, but if that doesn't work i'll have to back up and do it again - this time inserting a wipe before the reboot, to prevent the install from completing.
on a clean sweep install with everything the way it was saved a few weeks ago, which means that the streaming proxy bit & clock are broken, it no longer bleeds. it's stable on the out. but, the out is missing a layer at the high end. it sounds like less an eq dive and more like a straight low pass, but i'm suspecting it's more along the lines of that a part of the stream is broken. it's pretty high - around 10 Khz or so. and, if you'll recall, this was the basic problem i noticed in the first place, which had me mixing higher than i wanted.
but, here's an interesting fact: i've pointed out before that a firmware flash resolves the issue. and, that's what is continuing to happen, but only until i reboot the device. it's quite strange.
in theory, i could just flash the firmware every time i turn the device on. but, that's kind of scary. if the power goes out when it's flashing, i could brick the device. and, if the issue is that the firmware is instantly corrupting, i want to think about replacing it.
on a clean sweep install with everything the way it was saved a few weeks ago, which means that the streaming proxy bit & clock are broken, it no longer bleeds. it's stable on the out. but, the out is missing a layer at the high end. it sounds like less an eq dive and more like a straight low pass, but i'm suspecting it's more along the lines of that a part of the stream is broken. it's pretty high - around 10 Khz or so. and, if you'll recall, this was the basic problem i noticed in the first place, which had me mixing higher than i wanted.
but, here's an interesting fact: i've pointed out before that a firmware flash resolves the issue. and, that's what is continuing to happen, but only until i reboot the device. it's quite strange.
in theory, i could just flash the firmware every time i turn the device on. but, that's kind of scary. if the power goes out when it's flashing, i could brick the device. and, if the issue is that the firmware is instantly corrupting, i want to think about replacing it.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
this is a track i mixed with the highs faded out, and it sounds extremely tinny to compensate.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/im-sure-your-mom-is-probably-a-very-nice-person
the exaggerated painfully tinny distortion is a consequence of having the volume cut at that frequency.
as mentioned previously: i'm absolutely certain that i've updated those streaming drivers before. and, when they're installed, the audio has a thicker sound that is preferable. but, it's the only thing left to test.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/im-sure-your-mom-is-probably-a-very-nice-person
the exaggerated painfully tinny distortion is a consequence of having the volume cut at that frequency.
as mentioned previously: i'm absolutely certain that i've updated those streaming drivers before. and, when they're installed, the audio has a thicker sound that is preferable. but, it's the only thing left to test.
no. it ended up fading again...
i'm down to my last reinstall. i'm going to not reinstall the clock at all this time. if this doesn't work, i'll be forced to conclude i have broken hardware.
i'll at least now have time to save up. i'll have to think carefully about whether or not i decide i want to mix on the m-audio card in the mean time.
well...the last, final check will need to be an install on a vanilla xp. but, it would make no sense to think that would work. it's just a final confirmation.
the fade ultimately sounds like some kind of limiter that kicks in around 5000 hz, and makes the end result sound very compressed. i can't mix around this.
i'm down to my last reinstall. i'm going to not reinstall the clock at all this time. if this doesn't work, i'll be forced to conclude i have broken hardware.
i'll at least now have time to save up. i'll have to think carefully about whether or not i decide i want to mix on the m-audio card in the mean time.
well...the last, final check will need to be an install on a vanilla xp. but, it would make no sense to think that would work. it's just a final confirmation.
the fade ultimately sounds like some kind of limiter that kicks in around 5000 hz, and makes the end result sound very compressed. i can't mix around this.
things are back to "normal", now. i'm just not sure that's for the best, quite yet.
returning back to the initial script actually created the following flow:
1) install windows - with streamci.dll & the clock in place
2) install the m-audio drivers & other basic drivers. reboot.
3) install tons of software & the mixer & line6 drivers. reboot.
4) on the reboot, streamci is run as a dll. then the script runs: which deletes streamci.dll and breaks the clock.
when it came back up, something familiar happened that i hadn't seen in a while: it took a very long time to load cubase. i can see now that this is a consequence of breaking the clock. but, only the streaming server needed to be reinstalled. the other two appear to be unused by any of the cards. i was certain about that one, and less certain about the other two.
my hypothesis is that what i want to happen is for the drivers to install properly, and then i want to break the clock and reinstall it in such a way that the drivers aren't directly connected to it. that would make sense if i was essentially getting a conflict between the clock in the mixer and the clock in software. i don't want these synced. i think that breaking it and reinstalling it essentially unsyncs them.
so, it's stable. i'm quite confident that this is the setup that i've had over the last year and a bit - that is, this is workable and i'm not worried about it breaking.
but in the course of playing with a hundred things, i think i managed to make it sound a little better. and, now i'm wondering if i can't find a way to get back there.
what i'm going to want to do is test it against other cards. what i want is not the "best" sounding output but the most accurate sounding output. the bass sounds great, and the highs are stable but they seem a little weaker than they were at points, previously. but, is it the case that i was exaggerating the highs (and just like that better) or is the case that i'm still a little flat?
obviously, i can't expect everything to sound identical. but, the laptop is still the flattest source, and the best comparison i have.
should i be convinced that the tracks are clean, i can get back to mixing. if i'm not convinced, i'll have to take a look at possible approaches to aligning the output on the card. and then lock that down into the script.
the laptop is not quite able to produce the same bottom end, but i am legitimately happy with these mixes. it'd be really nice if i could just move on already. soon, hopefully....
returning back to the initial script actually created the following flow:
1) install windows - with streamci.dll & the clock in place
2) install the m-audio drivers & other basic drivers. reboot.
3) install tons of software & the mixer & line6 drivers. reboot.
4) on the reboot, streamci is run as a dll. then the script runs: which deletes streamci.dll and breaks the clock.
when it came back up, something familiar happened that i hadn't seen in a while: it took a very long time to load cubase. i can see now that this is a consequence of breaking the clock. but, only the streaming server needed to be reinstalled. the other two appear to be unused by any of the cards. i was certain about that one, and less certain about the other two.
my hypothesis is that what i want to happen is for the drivers to install properly, and then i want to break the clock and reinstall it in such a way that the drivers aren't directly connected to it. that would make sense if i was essentially getting a conflict between the clock in the mixer and the clock in software. i don't want these synced. i think that breaking it and reinstalling it essentially unsyncs them.
so, it's stable. i'm quite confident that this is the setup that i've had over the last year and a bit - that is, this is workable and i'm not worried about it breaking.
but in the course of playing with a hundred things, i think i managed to make it sound a little better. and, now i'm wondering if i can't find a way to get back there.
what i'm going to want to do is test it against other cards. what i want is not the "best" sounding output but the most accurate sounding output. the bass sounds great, and the highs are stable but they seem a little weaker than they were at points, previously. but, is it the case that i was exaggerating the highs (and just like that better) or is the case that i'm still a little flat?
obviously, i can't expect everything to sound identical. but, the laptop is still the flattest source, and the best comparison i have.
should i be convinced that the tracks are clean, i can get back to mixing. if i'm not convinced, i'll have to take a look at possible approaches to aligning the output on the card. and then lock that down into the script.
the laptop is not quite able to produce the same bottom end, but i am legitimately happy with these mixes. it'd be really nice if i could just move on already. soon, hopefully....
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