JLP wdm-ks player

[wademcinnis]

Finally figured out how to use JLP and then some kind soul posts an instruction manual!

SBGK IS the most interesting computer audio tinkerer and is the heir and successor to cics. No way I would say goodbye to the excitement his work is generating.

This exploration is supposed to be fun while we learn what works and what doesn't. This thread makes it fun again.

I was hoping to be able to use the knowledge gained from the XP experience. But I realize it is time to say goodbye to XP and realize what worked before won't work again. Oh, well ...

[LowOrbit]

uploaded squeezelite-win.exe v21 - more optimisations, track update on browser disabled.

I prefer the sound of this version, takes a bit of harshness off and seems to add calmness and depth. Still a lot going on in squeezelite that wouldn't be present if just loading and playing the files from ram like MQn, but one step at a time.

pause wasn't working when running in debug, but seems to work now.

and if anyone saw the recent thread in CA where an expert on jitter was saying that the lack of jitter could be judged by toe tapping, well this version is getting my toes tapping.

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-ge ... dio-19231/

The only difference between v20 and v21 is that v21 has removed the progress bar update code from the portaudio callback routine, PA does warn about putting non essential code in the callback, more from the performance perspective than how it sounds. Whether there is a better place to put it I don't know, but interesting to hear what the effect of removing it is.

Gordon

Sounds good. Controls seem to work. Interestingly if you jab at the "non-working" progress bar it jumps to the tune to that point, then the progress bar works for a second then reverts to inert. However - it doesn't seem to play anything other than 16/44 tracks now. Before I had no issues with any sample rates, now 24/88 and 24/192 won't play.

The level of low level information in both v20 and this seems to exceed what I got from MQN. It's perhaps a bit "edgier", which might get tiring in some systems. I can understand why people might prefer MQN (which in its best guises was not "edgy" or harsh. But I still prefer JLP - not saying its better or I am right, but for me it works "better".

It will be interesting to se if it can be further improved without taking away any more of t he UI functionality. I can live without the progress bar, but don't want to forego basic selection and transport controls.

Mark

[sbgk]

uploaded squeezelite-win.exe v22 - more optimisations.

deleted a load more from the callback function, strangely this seems to have restored the progress bar, not sure if it is accurate. Should sound better, anyway.

[wademcinnis]

Sometimes it would be creeping along. Other selections it would be static.

I agree this is something that needs to go.

Thanks and take care,

[sbgk]

Sometimes it would be creeping along. Other selections it would be static.

I agree this is something that needs to go.

Thanks and take care,

don't know why it's started working again, delete code and add functionality, what next.

top page hits of the blog today are from Vietnam, Hi guys.

[nige2000]

For those who have a true 4 core processor, try the following as a startup batch for Squeezelite-win.exe:

Code: Select all

taskkill /fi "PID gt 0" /IM squeezelite-win.exe /F >nul

start C:\ProgramData\Squeezebox\Cache\InstalledPlugins\Plugins\LocalPlayer\Bin\squeezelite-win.exe -o "Speakers (Sonicweld Diverter HR2 Output) [Windows WDM-KS]" -a 2 -b 260:8000

c:\tasker.exe -all -x "squeezelite-win.exe|SqueezeSvr.exe" -p normal -a 0101

c:\tasker.exe -set -x squeezelite-win.exe -p realtime -a 0010

c:\tasker.exe -set -x SqueezeSvr.exe -p realtime -a 1000
pause

Tasker.exe is the program from taggart for setting affinity and priority, and I put that in C:\
Can be found here: viewtopic.php?p=51277#p51277

The start command will open a new command window for the Squeezelite-win.exe with no visual output, but it needs to be kept open!!!!

Change the "Speakers (Sonicweld Diverter HR2 Output) [Windows WDM-KS]" to your own output device and use your own prefered settings for -a and -b parameters.

What the 3 extra tasker.exe lines do is:
- set affinity for all programs except Squeezelite-win.exe and SqueezeSvr (the LMS server), to cores 0 and 2 and priority to normal.
- set affinity for the player Squeezelite-win.exe to core 1 and give it realtime priority.
- set affinity for SqueezeSvr to core 3 and also give it realtime priority.

So both the player Squeezelite-win and the LMS Server have their own core and run with realtime priority, while all others are on different cores and have lower priority.

Let me know what you think of it.

Cheers

Aleg

taskkill /fi "PID gt 0" /IM squeezelite-win.exe /F >nul

thits is throwing up an error message
whats it do?

otherwise good improvement

[sbgk]

taskkill /fi "PID gt 0" /IM squeezelite-win.exe /F >nul

thits is throwing up an error message
whats it do?

otherwise good improvement

lol, clue is in the name, tries to stop the squeezelite.exe process.

if you're starting from a batch file might as well use the -q setting for extra sonic excellence.

also heard that putting slimserver on a ram drive can inprove things, something else to try.

am impressed by v22, nice separation of instruments and bass slam.

[Aleg]

taskkill /fi "PID gt 0" /IM squeezelite-win.exe /F >nul

thits is throwing up an error message
whats it do?

otherwise good improvement

It gives an error with me as well.

It is supposed to kill all running squeezelite-win.exe instances that are still running at the moment you are starting a new one. I had it a few times with some left over ghost instances running.

I guess it is not working in my case because I used AudioPhil's optimiser that has removed some kind of service required for this operation.

I left in the description for others to benefit.

Good to hear you also notice an improvement.
How do you rate the improvement? What do you notice as differences?

@sgbk
What does the -q option actually do?
I had it in for a moment but got two tracks playing through each other when starting a new track with iPeng.


Cheers

Aleg

[sbgk]

@sgbk
What does the -q option actually do?
I had it in for a moment but got two tracks playing through each other when starting a new track with iPeng.


Cheers

Aleg

-q disconnects the squeezelite process from the console window and stops the input, output and error streams which allows the console to function. Suppose you might still have squeezelite enabled to start when slimserver starts if it was creating 2 instances of squeezelite, was thinking that if you are starting from a batch file then you could remove the plugin. Copy the files in the bin directory to your own squeezelite directory first.

If the squeezebox/squeezelite sounded as good as v22 then I would probably not have tried to search for a better solution. v22 really is excellent.

There are still people posting on various forums saying that the code can make no difference to the SQ.

eg

"Well-meaning automagic system "optimization" tools of any kind tend to create more problems than they solve. Besides, if you've got playback that already is free from stuttering and the like, there is no way it could get any better. Audio per se is in no way particularly taxing (heck, a 386 would output 16/44 audio via ISA DMA at rather negligible system load back in the day), it merely is a bit time-critical."

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pc-based ... ost3802887

thankyou mr grossklass

[sbgk]

However - it doesn't seem to play anything other than 16/44 tracks now. Before I had no issues with any sample rates, now 24/88 and 24/192 won't play.

The level of low level information in both v20 and this seems to exceed what I got from MQN. It's perhaps a bit "edgier", which might get tiring in some systems. I can understand why people might prefer MQN (which in its best guises was not "edgy" or harsh. But I still prefer JLP - not saying its better or I am right, but for me it works "better".

It will be interesting to se if it can be further improved without taking away any more of t he UI functionality. I can live without the progress bar, but don't want to forego basic selection and transport controls.

Mark

have just tested 24/88/96/176 and 192 and they all work with v22, at least.

think ks has a smoother delivery and as you said potential for more detail, wasapi has to wade through quite a bit of code to send it's data to the buffers which presumably ks doesn't have.

I use -a 1 -b 1000:2000000 -q and don't have issues with edgy sound, think the smaller buffer sizes that some people prefer can introduce noise of their own, but some people like that.