ASIO Music Player Plugin

[Symphy]

Aberdino, thanx for doing the test. I already suspected problems there, but now we are sure. We have learned something more about bitperfect playback

About that log, don't worry about it. You get that because the built-in BASS player has already loaded those decoders. PureAudio (also uses BASS library) tries to load them again causing those errors. They will work fine though. In the next version the log will give "already loaded" messages.

Regards
Sieds

[Symphy]

Ok guys there's a new version available for download. http://www.team-mediaportal.com/file...cPlayerPlugin/

Here's what's new:

• Added support for Windows WaveOut devices.
• Multiple channel files (for example 6 channel WMA) can now be played over devices supporting enough channels.
• New configuration setting that can make PureAudio always use the maximum available buffer on the ASIO device, regardless of what is set at the device's configuration.
• Fixed problem with “No audio decoders were loaded” messages in log. The log will now show “Already loaded” messages if the built-in BASS player is enabled.

Remark: This new version is default set to use Window WaveOut. So after updating you have to go into the configuration and set it to ASIO.

Have fun,
Sieds

[AberDino]

Sieds, just to let you know that although I now get the 'already loaded' messages in the log, it still logs an error:

2007-09-23 18:33:04.344532 [ERROR][MPMain]: PureAudio: No audio decoders were loaded. Confirm decoders are present in \musicplayer\plugins\audio decoders folder.

For the rest it seems to working fine!

[sdf]

Hi!
The problem seems related to the sampling frequency (44100, but my Audigy wants 48000).
I remember that both in Foobar2000 and in Winamp I have first to resample (to 48000 or 96000), then use ASIO.

[Symphy]

Originally Posted by sdf

Hi!
The problem seems related to the sampling frequency (44100, but my Audigy wants 48000).
I remember that both in Foobar2000 and in Winamp I have first to resample (to 48000 or 96000), then use ASIO.

Hi sdf,
If you refer to the "No audio decoders were loaded" msg in the log reported by AberDino, that's not related to sampling rate, but it's just a wrong message, you can ignore it.

It's true that the plugin tries to initialize the ASIO device to 44100, if the source is so. if your ASIO device does not support that, you get another error.

If you want to use your Audigy for analog out, you're better off using standard WaveOut device. I believe there's absolutely no point in using ASIO if any such oversampling is done either by software or hardware. In fact the main reason for using ASIO is to prevent oversampling from happening.
Bitperfect playback over sp/dif of 44100 is inpossible anyway with an audigy, because it can only output 48000 as far as i know. Correct me if i'm wrong.

If anyone is interested, i could investigate the possiblility to have my plugin perform oversampling if 44100 is not supported. That should be possible with the BASS library. But in that case i'm really curious what goals you're trying to achieve.

Regards,
Sieds

[Aurora13]

Hi Symphy!

Firstly: great job with this plugin!

Secondly: I tried your plugin with my two soundcards:

RME Digi 96/16
Trends UD-10

Both are made for bit perfect, but with both the Bass plugin (with and without ASIO) and your plugin I get al little hickup before switching to the next song. Your plugin is the closest one, but it is still a hickup.

With foobar and ASIO I can play bitperfectly and gapless without problems.

What can I do to resolve this problem?

Greetings,
Aurora

[Symphy]

Originally Posted by Aurora13

Hi Symphy!
What can I do to resolve this problem?

Hi Aurora
There really should not be any hickup when switching songs using my plugin. That is, if your songs are ripped good as well. But if the switch between the same songs is ok in other sfw, that cannot be the problem.

Are you sure you had gapless mode enabled? You can toggle between normal and gapless by pressing the "g" key. The icon in My Music screen shows what mode is active.

Just to be sure: Are you sure the plugin was enabled and actually active when doing the tests?

Make sure the Playback-buffer setting in the plugin configuration is not set too low. This setting determines the amount of time MP gets to find and open the next track and glue it to the end of the previous one. Try setting it higher.

Another possibility might be your system being too slow to handle ASIO and MP. If MP has to switch from one song to another it makes your PC work hard for a moment and that might break ASIO playback. MP is a wonderfull piece of sfw, byt it is not low on resources.

If you cannot get it right, pls post some logfiles, that might make things clear.

Regards
Sieds

[Aurora13]

Originally Posted by Symphy

Are you sure you had gapless mode enabled? You can toggle between normal and gapless by pressing the "g" key. The icon in My Music screen shows what mode is active.

Yes it was in gapless mode, checked it with the icon and the "g" key.

Originally Posted by Symphy

Just to be sure: Are you sure the plugin was enabled and actually active when doing the tests?

Yes it is active for sure (your plugin sips with 20 sec interval, the bass plugin skips differently.

Originally Posted by Symphy

Make sure the Playback-buffer setting in the plugin configuration is not set too low. This setting determines the amount of time MP gets to find and open the next track and glue it to the end of the previous one. Try setting it higher.

It is set on 3000 miliseconds and I checked the box: "Always set max buffersize with ASIO"

Originally Posted by Symphy

Another possibility might be your system being too slow to handle ASIO and MP. If MP has to switch from one song to another it makes your PC work hard for a moment and that might break ASIO playback. MP is a wonderfull piece of sfw, byt it is not low on resources.

CPU resources are low even during the switching to the next song.

Originally Posted by Symphy

If you cannot get it right, pls post some logfiles, that might make things clear.

Extra info:
It gives a little hickup 1 or 2 seconds before the song ends. The switch from one song through another is prefectly fine.

Here are some logs:

2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: PlaylistPlayer: Play - \\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\09 - Avancada - Go! (DJ looney tune's remix).flac
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: add cmd:MediaPortal.TV.Recording.StopRadioCommand #1
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.Play(\\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\09 - Avancada - Go! (DJ looney tune's remix).flac)
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: PlayerFactory: Disabling DX9 exclusive mode
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: Main: DX exclusive mode: False
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: Main: Goto windowed mode: True
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][MPMain]: fonts.SetDevice()
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][6]: Commandtop radio
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][6]: Command:MediaPortal.TV.Recording.StopRadioCommand time:0 msec
2007-09-30 22:03:21.828125 [Info.][6]: Recorder: Card:Hauppauge PVR 250 idle
2007-09-30 22:03:21.906250 [Info.][11]: PureAudio: Using ASIO device ASIO4ALL v2
2007-09-30 22:03:22.062500 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.OnStarted() \\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\09 - Avancada - Go! (DJ looney tune's remix).flac media:Music
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.Process() player stopped...
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.OnEnded()
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][MPMain]: PlaylistPlayer: Play - \\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\10 - Bad habbit boys - Weekend.flac
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][MPMain]: add cmd:MediaPortal.TV.Recording.StopRadioCommand #1
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][6]: Commandtop radio
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][6]: Command:MediaPortal.TV.Recording.StopRadioCommand time:0 msec
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][6]: Recorder: Card:Hauppauge PVR 250 idle
2007-09-30 22:06:19.421875 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.Play(\\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\10 - Bad habbit boys - Weekend.flac)
2007-09-30 22:06:19.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: PlayerFactory: Disabling DX9 exclusive mode
2007-09-30 22:06:19.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: Main: DX exclusive mode: False
2007-09-30 22:06:19.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: Main: Goto windowed mode: True
2007-09-30 22:06:19.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: fonts.SetDevice()
2007-09-30 22:06:19.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.OnStarted() \\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\10 - Bad habbit boys - Weekend.flac media:Music
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.Process() player stopped...
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.OnEnded()
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][MPMain]: PlaylistPlayer: Play - \\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\11 - Southside spinners - Luvstruck 2000.flac
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][MPMain]: add cmd:MediaPortal.TV.Recording.StopRadioCommand #1
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][6]: Commandtop radio
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][6]: Command:MediaPortal.TV.Recording.StopRadioCommand time:0 msec
2007-09-30 22:09:20.406250 [Info.][6]: Recorder: Card:Hauppauge PVR 250 idle
2007-09-30 22:09:20.421875 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.Play(\\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\11 - Southside spinners - Luvstruck 2000.flac)
2007-09-30 22:09:20.781250 [Info.][MPMain]: PlayerFactory: Disabling DX9 exclusive mode
2007-09-30 22:09:20.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: Main: DX exclusive mode: False
2007-09-30 22:09:20.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: Main: Goto windowed mode: True
2007-09-30 22:09:20.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: fonts.SetDevice()
2007-09-30 22:09:20.796875 [Info.][MPMain]: g_Player.OnStarted() \\server2\Music\ID&T - Trance Energy\11 - Southside spinners - Luvstruck 2000.flac media:Music

Greets,
Aurora

[Symphy]

Aurora,

Could you set logginglevel to debug and try again? You'll get big logs but you can post them here as attachments.

From your description i get the impression that opening the new song in the background (which happens in the last few seconds of the current song) is actually stalling playback for a short while.

You can do the following tests:
1. Switch to standard waveout device and increase the "BASS buffer size" setting to its max.
2. I see you play over a network. Opening files that way take more resources. Copy (part of) the album to a local disk and play from there and see what happens.

If you can solve the hickup this way, i'd say your machine is just not fast enough for ASIO and MP. What kind of configuration is it btw?

Let me know what you find out.

Sieds

[grubi]

@Symphy

Just tried your plugin and it simply does what it says.
True Gapless playback and bitperfect audio output.

This really rocks.
Hopefully the goods will find their way into the official release branch.


Regards,
grubi.