Karaoke Scene's Karaoke Forums
http://karaokescenemagazine.com/forums/

Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC
http://karaokescenemagazine.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39446
Page 2 of 6

Author:  silverhairedbee [ Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

mrmarog wrote:
Danny, you don't understand how you get a virus. Most are invited by the user by going to risky, unknown sites. If you only go to sites that you know are safe, then get rid of your antivirus. if you spent a lot of time in porn sites, looking for free stuff and file sharing you better have one. :wink:


Being the original poster of this thread:

Using Antivirus on your karaoke machine deserves it's own thread. For my own two cents and being a professional computer repairer
for over 17 years I would say there is greater risk from an Anti Virus program causing problems on your computer than catching a virus
on a PC used only for Karaoke and downloading songs from a known website. But this is just my personal opinion and not God's law.

However I would love to hear some opinion on using a PC graphic for tailoring the sound of your backing tracks.

Thanks for any replies in advance,
Robbie

Author:  Hanginon [ Sat Mar 16, 2019 7:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Many on Windows have been screaming for years for a high quality, GLOBAL, real-time EQ. That's what Equalizer APO is -
https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/

PC Equalizer is a nice, easy to use 10 or 20 band GUI for it, with a lot of useful presets -
https://sourceforge.net/projects/pc-equalizer/

It also supports 64 bit VST plugins, and it is totally FREE!!

@silverhairedbee - Yes, I've tried it, and it works great. However, it's another thing then running in the background of your PC.

I shoot for, and demand, 100% reliability when doing gigs, whether regular DJ'ing or KJ'ing, so I removed it, along with Virus Protection, etc., on my dedicated gig laptop, to minimize cpu load, and still rely on outboard hardware (DJ controller or mixer) for EQ.

My dedicated gig laptop has an Intel Core i5 with a clean Windows 7 64 bit install - IMHO the best version of Windows ever created. Unlike Windows 10, I can actually turn my laptop off for a few weeks, and then turn it on without worrying about it throwing up!

Author:  Lonman [ Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

silverhairedbee wrote:
mrmarog wrote:
Danny, you don't understand how you get a virus. Most are invited by the user by going to risky, unknown sites. If you only go to sites that you know are safe, then get rid of your antivirus. if you spent a lot of time in porn sites, looking for free stuff and file sharing you better have one. :wink:


Being the original poster of this thread:

Using Antivirus on your karaoke machine deserves it's own thread. For my own two cents and being a professional computer repairer
for over 17 years I would say there is greater risk from an Anti Virus program causing problems on your computer than catching a virus
on a PC used only for Karaoke and downloading songs from a known website. But this is just my personal opinion and not God's law.

However I would love to hear some opinion on using a PC graphic for tailoring the sound of your backing tracks.

Thanks for any replies in advance,
Robbie
like I said, give Breakaway a shot. 30 day free, you probably will find you wont need an EQ on the music any longer

Author:  Alan B [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Lonman wrote:
like I said, give Breakaway a shot. 30 day free, you probably will find you wont need an EQ on the music any longer

So, are you saying you won't need to use the EQ controls (High, Mid, Low) on your mixer if you use Breakaway?

Author:  DannyG2006 [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Alan B wrote:
Lonman wrote:
like I said, give Breakaway a shot. 30 day free, you probably will find you wont need an EQ on the music any longer

So, are you saying you won't need to use the EQ controls (High, Mid, Low) on your mixer if you use Breakaway?

On the backing music you won't.

Author:  Alan B [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 9:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

DannyG2006 wrote:
Alan B wrote:
Lonman wrote:
like I said, give Breakaway a shot. 30 day free, you probably will find you wont need an EQ on the music any longer

So, are you saying you won't need to use the EQ controls (High, Mid, Low) on your mixer if you use Breakaway?

On the backing music you won't.

The processed sound from Breakaway almost sounds similar to a BBE Sonic Maximizer.

Author:  Alan B [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 9:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Here's my evaluation of Breakaway...

It's a piece of sh*t and a scam..

I thought I'd try it out (again) on my home computer (that I built) that has excellent sound. With that said, when using the Bypass switch on Breakaway to compare before and after sound, the bypassed sound was lower and sounded very muffled. The highs were gone and so was the bass. Kind of like you had pillows in front of the speakers.

(Now, right there I knew something was not right since I've always gotten loud crystal clear sound with good bass from my home PC.)

But once the Bypass switch was off, the sound was much better. Highs and lows were restored and the volume was louder. While it sounded better, the overall sound was not as good as my Soundblaster sound card.

Now, skeptics have complained about BBE doing the same thing with altering the before sound so it would sound bad so you would favor the processed sound and think that it was actually making a difference.

I am so glad that I didn't install this POS on my laptop and decided to try it out on my home PC.

Yes, I'll stick to manually using the EQ controls on my mixer. And as far as normalizing the audio, CompuHost already does that. Breakaway is a total joke.

Note to Breakaway:

If you're going to use the Bypass button to compare before and after sound, you should not manipulate the before sound so that it sounds really bad. When I first tried it, I knew something was wrong since my sound always was great.

Author:  DannyG2006 [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 9:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Alan B wrote:
Here's my evaluation of Breakaway...

It's a piece of sh*t and a scam..

I thought I'd try it out (again) on my home computer (that I built) that has excellent sound. With that said, when using the Bypass switch on Breakaway to compare before and after sound, the bypassed sound was lower and sounded very muffled. The highs were gone and so was the bass. Kind of like you had pillows in front of the speakers.

(Now, right there I knew something was not right since I've always gotten loud crystal clear sound with good bass from my home PC.)

But once the Bypass switch was off, the sound was much better. Highs and lows were restored and the volume was louder. While it sounded better, the overall sound was not as good as my Soundblaster sound card.

Now, skeptics have complained about BBE doing the same thing with altering the before sound so it would sound bad so you would favor the processed sound and think that it was actually making a difference.

I am so glad that I didn't install this POS on my laptop and decided to try it out on my home PC.

Yes, I'll stick to manually using the EQ controls on my mixer. And as far as normalizing the audio, CompuHost already does that. Breakaway is a total joke.

Only on the karaoke. What's played through the filler player is uneffected. Breakaway normalizes all music.

Author:  Alan B [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

DannyG2006 wrote:
Alan B wrote:
Here's my evaluation of Breakaway...

It's a piece of sh*t and a scam..

I thought I'd try it out (again) on my home computer (that I built) that has excellent sound. With that said, when using the Bypass switch on Breakaway to compare before and after sound, the bypassed sound was lower and sounded very muffled. The highs were gone and so was the bass. Kind of like you had pillows in front of the speakers.

(Now, right there I knew something was not right since I've always gotten loud crystal clear sound with good bass from my home PC.)

But once the Bypass switch was off, the sound was much better. Highs and lows were restored and the volume was louder. While it sounded better, the overall sound was not as good as my Soundblaster sound card.

Now, skeptics have complained about BBE doing the same thing with altering the before sound so it would sound bad so you would favor the processed sound and think that it was actually making a difference.

I am so glad that I didn't install this POS on my laptop and decided to try it out on my home PC.

Yes, I'll stick to manually using the EQ controls on my mixer. And as far as normalizing the audio, CompuHost already does that. Breakaway is a total joke.

Only on the karaoke. What's played through the filler player is uneffected. Breakaway normalizes all music.

Danny, my whole point is Breakaway is a scam. Don't buy into it. They manipulate the "Before" sound to sound really bad so that you think that the program is doing a good job of processing the sound. Sorry, I'm not buying it.

Author:  mrmarog [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 10:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Alan, You either love or hate something! There is no in between. I am the original poster of Breakaway on July 11, 2008. At that time there were a lot of skeptics (like you), but most, if not all, changed their minds. Lon was even skeptical back then.

I would not want to do a show without it! Why? Because it frees me up to concentrate on the singer, and not the music. It really is that simple. About the only knob I adjust on my board music wise is the "bass". On a few songs I might have to make a small bump up or down, but there are zero surprise bursts, no matter what manufacturer.

Relax and have an open mind. You just installed it

Author:  Alan B [ Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

mrmarog wrote:
Alan, You either love or hate something!

Well then, I hate it. Why? Because it uses trickery to manipulate the "Before" signal into sounding worse than it is in order for you to think that the program is really doing an amazing job of enhancing the sound. Very deceitful.

If you like using it and are happy with the results it provides for you, then great. But I'm not going to support a company who sells products based on deception.

Author:  Lonman [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Whatever...

Author:  Lonman [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Alan B wrote:
Lonman wrote:
like I said, give Breakaway a shot. 30 day free, you probably will find you wont need an EQ on the music any longer

So, are you saying you won't need to use the EQ controls (High, Mid, Low) on your mixer if you use Breakaway?
nope I never said that. I said probably wouldn't need the eq software the OP was inquiring about. But you already pop poo it, but highly doubt you even tried it.

Author:  Alan B [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Lonman wrote:
Alan B wrote:
Lonman wrote:
like I said, give Breakaway a shot. 30 day free, you probably will find you wont need an EQ on the music any longer

So, are you saying you won't need to use the EQ controls (High, Mid, Low) on your mixer if you use Breakaway?
nope I never said that. I said probably wouldn't need the eq software the OP was inquiring about. But you already pop poo it, but highly doubt you even tried it.

Yes, I did try it. Twice now. Now I remember why I uninstalled it the first time.

Look, if you guys like it and don't care about being scammed, fine. But let me just state that I have a SoundBlaster Z Series sound card on my computer. It includes a software suite called Pro Studio which allows you to enhance your sound. One of the options is called CrystalVoice, which basically does the same thing that Breakaway does. The only difference is that when comparing the before and after sound on the Soundblaster, it doesn't manipulate the before sound to make it worse than it actually it is. You're listening to the "true" before sound.

Sorry, but Breakaway is a joke and a scam.

Author:  Lonman [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Because i've done my tests too and find it works quite well for the money (which is pocket change for most), do not feel ripped off in the least and been using it close to 10 years now on 6 machines. You don't hear the difference then that makes me question half of your other assertations you make. I keep using my 'scam' and will recommend it to everyone. Luckily you aren't on the more active forums to poo poo it. Many others actually do hear the difference, especially in the multiband compression and expanding.

Author:  Alan B [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Lonman wrote:
Luckily you aren't on the more active forums to poo poo it. Many others actually do hear the difference, especially in the multiband compression and expanding.

I never said that I didn't here a difference. Actually, the processed sound is pretty good. I'm just complaining about how they manipulate the "unprocessed" sound to make it sound worse than it really is. BBE is said to do the same thing but I've always liked the way the processed audio sounded.

Author:  Lonman [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

I could care less about the 'unprocessed' sound lmao - and yes I agree in the BBE case, but this isn't that. The BBE is nothing but a glorified bass/treble control, this actually DOES more in the processing process. WOW, you just said the processed sound sounds pretty good. You hate it because of the 'unprocessed' sound - got it! :roll:

Author:  dvdgdry [ Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

I use Breakaway and like the differing regular settings and the ability to actually alter those settings. Like MrMarog, it frees me up and he is right about tweaking bass only occasionally a tad bit. It's a wonderful addition to my laptop/show and my home/PC. I've recommended it to another KJ and he loves it, also.

There are times, though, in a song like during an instrumental break that I'll kick up the volume and bring it back down when the vocal verses are presented again.

Author:  Paradigm Karaoke [ Thu Mar 21, 2019 3:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

similar...
my biggest problems with Breakaway (while the sound was very nice and forward) were
1) quiet parts were amplified to levels that soft singing was lost or the loud parts were too low.
one example, Sound of Silence
the beginning part with backing vocals was EXTREMELY loud since the music and singing was quiet, so i had to bring it down to sound the right volume and mix with the singer. then as more instruments came in...Breakaway turned down the volume and the "Garfunkel" voice got quieter as well, so now i had to bring the singer down to compensate.
similar problem with anything the has acoustic guitar alone for parts, Alone Again by Dokken for example.

2) the start is always at full volume. if a song starts with a kick drum or horns....holy popcorn batman...the whole bar is deaf and yelling at me.

Author:  Alan B [ Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Using Software Graphic Equaliser on PC

Paradigm Karaoke wrote:
similar...
my biggest problems with Breakaway (while the sound was very nice and forward) were
1) quiet parts were amplified to levels that soft singing was lost or the loud parts were too low.
one example, Sound of Silence
the beginning part with backing vocals was EXTREMELY loud since the music and singing was quiet, so i had to bring it down to sound the right volume and mix with the singer. then as more instruments came in...Breakaway turned down the volume and the "Garfunkel" voice got quieter as well, so now i had to bring the singer down to compensate.
similar problem with anything the has acoustic guitar alone for parts, Alone Again by Dokken for example.

2) the start is always at full volume. if a song starts with a kick drum or horns....holy popcorn batman...the whole bar is deaf and yelling at me.

First of all... if you guys are using these State-Of-The-Art speakers that you claim to be (EV, QSC, Bose, etc), which produces such fantastic sound, then why do you even need to use Breakaway?

Secondly, IMO, a BBE Sonic Maximizer produces a much nicer sound than Breakaway. Whether of not you want to call it a glorified tone control, it's still sounds good.

Thirdly, it's always better to use hardware to manipulate the sound than software which can take up resources, compatibility issues and the problems that Paradigm speaks of.

I have no issues using the EQ controls on my mixer to improve the sound when needed. And I'm always getting compliments on sound... and all without using Breakaway.

It seems that so many of you use and recommend things that are nothing more junk and certainly not needed to achieve good sound. Good sound starts from a good quality speaker. If you feel you need the help of software to make it sound really good than maybe it's time for better speakers.

I wish people would stop playing follow the leader.

Page 2 of 6 All times are UTC - 8 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
https://www.phpbb.com/