QQ SpecWeb Helper App

[HomerJAU]

Minor update posted today. The INI Helper screen showed a label for ArcTan 'Rear Width', corrected to 'Front Width'

 

[DKA]

As I've been playing some severe catchup, which even includes forgetting how to use some of the method whose development I helped with (!!!), I didn't get to this SPECHelper until today.

You have my deepest appreciation for helping out the cause here. As I slowly get back to even some semblance of half-speed, this is so good to see. Thank you.

 

[HomerJAU]

DKA's post (thanks DKA I've heard a few of your great upmixes! - I hope you get back on the bike!) reminded me to post that I'm going to be doing a bit more work on QQ SpecWeb Helper this week, so please post any requests for changes/additions to Helper here.

I'm thinking of creating a log of each file processed by Helper/SpecWeb and storing your INI (SpecWeb settings) used for each song/conversion, then giving you an option to resuse previous settings in future.

The other changes are to support additional settings/processing for next SpecWeb release.

 

[HomerJAU]

Helper 1.3 is now available (see first post for updated download link):

Changes:
Support for SpecWeb 1.3
Bug fixes

New INI dialog:

 

[RobJam]

Thanks for the update !!!

 

[RobJam]

Y'know DKA, trying to track down some of your old upmixes is what brought me to this forum Thanks

 

[JanBakker]

Helper 1.3 is now available (see first post for updated download link):

Changes:
Support for SpecWeb 1.3
Bug fixes

New INI dialog:

View attachment 25609

I tried to install it but the installer told me it couldn't download the application because files are missing.

Edit: I copied the QQSpecWebHelper.application file that was in the Application Files\QQSpecWebHelper_1_3_0_0 folder to the same folder as the setup.exe was in and now it seems to work.

 

[HomerJAU]

You need to download the zip file not run setup.exe from the browser. Google drive tries to be clever and shows what's inside the zip file in your browser. After downloading the zip, unzip and run setup.exe from Windows explorer/ file system.

 

[JanBakker]

You need to download the zip file not run setup.exe from the browser. Google drive tries to be clever and shows what's inside the zip file in your browser. After downloading the zip, unzip and run setup.exe from Windows explorer/ file system.

I did. And this is how the extracted zip file folder looked like when I couldn't install:



And this when I got it working by copying the QQSpecWebHelper.application file in that folder:



FWIW the folder from Helper 1.2 Release looked like the second picture, that's how I got the idea.

 

[HomerJAU]

I did. And this is how the extracted zip file folder looked like when I couldn't install:

And this when I got it working by copying the QQSpecWebHelper.application file in that folder:

Thanks Jan! I have missed a file in the 1.3 zip. I will update shortly.

 

[HomerJAU]

Helper 1.3 updated to include a missing file stopping installation.

 

[JanBakker]

Thanks Jan! I have missed a file in the 1.3 zip. I will update shortly.

OK, thanks for your reply. Like I said I got it working, thanks for creating this helpful app.

 

[HomerJAU]

I started work on creating a new SpecWeb Helper Logging feature of all user conversions done in Helper which will record:

• Song/File name (and Artist/Title if tagged)
• Date/Time of conversion
• SpecWeb version used
• SpecWeb INI settings used
• Helper Version used

If you do 5 conversions of a single song it records all 5 in the log with each date/time, and the INI Settings used for each

A view to enable users to select any two previous conversions and to highlight INI settings differences
A view to enable users to reuse any previous song/file's INI settings on any new conversion (any song/file)
Sort and Filter the log view

Not sure if this feature is of interest to Helper users, but I'd appreciate any feedback before I decide to go ahead and finish it.

Is this something you would use?
Should any new Logging feature include additional functionality not described above?

THX
Garry

 

[JanBakker]

I started work on creating a new SpecWeb Helper Logging feature of all user conversions done in Helper which will record:

• Song/File name (and Artist/Title if tagged)
• Date/Time of conversion
• SpecWeb version used
• SpecWeb INI settings used
• Helper Version used

If you do 5 conversions of a single song it records all 5 in the log with each date/time, and the INI Settings used for each

A view to enable users to select any two previous conversions and to highlight INI settings differences
A view to enable users to reuse any previous song/file's INI settings on any new conversion (any song/file)
Sort and Filter the log view

Not sure if this feature is of interest to Helper users, but I'd appreciate any feedback before I decide to go ahead and finish it.

Is this something you would use?
Should any new Logging feature include additional functionality not described above?

THX
Garry

I'm still using the default settings :xp: but that might change in the near future. I guess I would use the logging feature then.

 

[himey]

I had really good results with the standard settings on Pink Floyd - The Final Cut!

The drums in the rears sound very full and discrete. It really opens up the mix and every song just works well using this method. Same with Zappa - Hot Rats and Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar.

Relics had a few duds but 80% of it was a nice improvement. Rolling Stones - Her Majesty Satanic Request had a few songs turn out great but most put the main vocals in the rears only which didn't sound right. Radio KAOS turned out great as did Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts.

 

[Snood]

Knew there was something Snood was forgetting

Well Snood now running Windows 10 and forgot about Specweb and Helper.......After 3 different attempts at installing, it kept installing specweb without the Desktop icons and when it finally came up it could not find the execute file. So i uninstalled it and reinstalled and it came up..........

The Specweb helper does not have an exact named .exc file so I tried the QQSpechelperwhateveritscalled filed and made a shortcut and it finally worked. Altho my first try it stopped and i had to retry 2 songs. The 1st song was fine but the second was all scratching noises. Re did it one song at a time and it was koo.......Snood can live with that. @:

Dunno why mid transfer a meter like thing pops up.....I just exit it all let it do its thing

I did a couple Dave Stewart & The Spiritual Cowboys songs. Jack Talking and Fashion Bomb both worked and sounded goooood

Question/s is are the default settings in helper on with the oversampling on and the have no idea what play device -1 means etc.

So yeah it certainly wasn't a care free install on both acoounts but it is working :banana::banana:

Let Snood know if there are any settings me needs to Change.

Thank You Zee and Homer :snoodhug:

 

[himey]

Knew there was something Snood was forgetting

Well Snood now running Windows 10 and forgot about Specweb and Helper.......After 3 different attempts at installing, it kept installing specweb without the Desktop icons and when it finally came up it could not find the execute file. So i uninstalled it and reinstalled and it came up..........

The Specweb helper does not have an exact named .exc file so I tried the QQSpechelperwhateveritscalled filed and made a shortcut and it finally worked. Altho my first try it stopped and i had to retry 2 songs. The 1st song was fine but the second was all scratching noises. Re did it one song at a time and it was koo.......Snood can live with that. @:

Dunno why mid transfer a meter like thing pops up.....I just exit it all let it do its thing

I did a couple Dave Stewart & The Spiritual Cowboys songs. Jack Talking and Fashion Bomb both worked and sounded goooood

Question/s is are the default settings in helper on with the oversampling on and the have no idea what play device -1 means etc.

So yeah it certainly wasn't a care free install on both acoounts but it is working :banana::banana:

Let Snood know if there are any settings me needs to Change.

Thank You Zee and Homer :snoodhug:

I have been using the SpecWeb built into Audiomuxer with zero problems on Windows 8. All settings default.

Try the new Roger Waters album. Lots of stuff moves to the rears and nothing sounds wonky.

 

[jimfisheye]

Just noticed the Roger Waters comment. I can tell you that removing all mono content from the Waters album and putting the remaining stereo content in the rear speakers works really well.

 

[himey]

Just noticed the Roger Waters comment. I can tell you that removing all mono content from the Waters album and putting the remaining stereo content in the rear speakers works really well.

The CD is a bit loud but still works great with the SpecWeb method. I wish I could StumbleUpon a great vinyl rip and repeat the method. My turntable is OK but not up to the standards of some of the rips out there. Bird in a Gale is so good...

 

[jimfisheye]

The CD is a bit loud but still works great with the SpecWeb method. I wish I could StumbleUpon a great vinyl rip and repeat the method. My turntable is OK but not up to the standards of some of the rips out there. Bird in a Gale is so good...

The 24/48 download version is volume war loud same as the CD. They haven't released a true HD master that hasn't been heavily limited and boosted. Not all that hi-fi of a mix to begin with either. I know the vinyl version hasn't been boosted like that. I didn't pick it up. I'm not so interested in digital masters cut to vinyl. I just want to buy the digital master. The vinyl rips range from this one trading at 24/192 that has significant saturation that makes it sibilant and inferior to the squashed digital master to rips that sound like AM radio.

I can't say what SpecWeb does. Any surround upmix is something I would want to do myself. Autopilot doesn't compute for me. Not knocking the app. It looks like maybe some useful things and I should check it out.

I used the 24/48 release to make an upmix. Stereo in front. Stereo mix with all mono content removed in the rears. Isolated mono voice tightly snipped out and faded just a touch in the center channel to pull out the vocal.

Use your favorite DAW tools to do that.