# anyone have info on using a PC as your DSP?



## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

i remember seeing some stuff in the past about using some app with VST plugins that allow eq, crossover, time delay and more.

can anyone here shed more light on the subject or direct me to a better place to read up on it.

also, VST plugins are pretty universal right? work in multiple apps across multiple platforms?

i know most of the info will be PC based and most others will appreciate the PC info, but if you know of a app or set of apps that will do this kind of thing or allow vst plugins to be run in such a way in mac os, help a brother out.

also, at the moment i would be looking at this for home audio rather than a car enviorment.


----------



## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

Alot of work went into this

http://www.mp3car.com/wiki/index.php/Audio_Tuning_via_Software

The program called console is one of the main keys to make it work and the other is acutally being able to route the music stream into ASIO. That part becomes tricky and really causes headches when trying to get the whole process to work. So it kind of depends on the soundcard you plan on using.

Bad news is that Console doesn't appear to support MAC OS. 

I'm not really sure how MAC does ASIO so maybe the routing part isn't as tricky? I dunno???


----------



## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

interesting, ill have to look into vst shells on the mac, im sure they exist. just have to find somthing other than console to route all this stuff, sounds like the mac has a less bloated audio processing design, could be easier than on pc. for starters i will attempt to use just the standard stereo out and some simple eq vst plugin.


----------



## sqkev (Mar 7, 2005)

what exactly are you trying to do?

an active hifi setup? or drc? or maybe both?

If it's an active hifi setup, you'll need a soundcard with enough outputs with directwire ability, otherwise, a simple stereo card would do for a stereo application. I'm not too sure if the OSX support these cards, take a look around to see if it does.

THere are a few ways to do this in PC:

-All in one solution would probably be Thuneau's Frequency Allocator software, a 2 in 8 out software with crossovers, EQ and time alignment.

-The more complicated solution is, as mentioned, a host program that can handle vst and other plugins. Some plugins are free, while others can be really expensive.

-You can also use Convolver plugin for windows media player and use a DRC to generate filters for you. (free)


----------



## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

sqkev said:


> -You can also use Convolver plugin for windows media player and use a DRC to generate filters for you. (free)


windows media player on a Mac?


----------



## sqkev (Mar 7, 2005)

durwood said:


> windows media player on a Mac?





> THere are a few ways to do this in PC


----------



## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

doh!:blush: 

so PC > MAC for this?


----------



## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

sqkev, right now, i would like to play with stereo. but in the future i would entertain running an active setup, i know this would require a sound card of some sort. but for right now, mostly research for fully acticve and getting the most out of my simple stereo setup.

i welcome both pc and mac info as when the time comes it might be worth it to invest in a PC to go fully active.

it looks like there are some good apps for mac that deal with stereo, yet to find somthing for fully active.


----------



## sqkev (Mar 7, 2005)

For a stereo setup with passive speakers, the only thing that I can think of to improve is DRC. That is if your speakers are well designed in the first place. 
THere's also juicehifi audiolense that you can try. The software is easy to use and you can get started within half an hour. 

As far as pc vs. mac goes, you can get a decent pc setup for around $300. I bought an AM2 4400 cpu/mb combo for $100. Add an audiotrak soundcard for another $100, 1 gig of memory, some spare computer parts and you're good to go.


----------



## DonutHands (Jan 27, 2006)

drc, better eq abilities, until i get around to active at home.


----------

