12 replies to this topic

[Ianxxx]

(adapted from member Dies post at http://www.infinitem...devices-t1645/)

For this you will need to install AU Lab from xcode tools (/Developer/Applications/Audio/AU Lab)
and also soundflower available from http://code.google.com/p/soundflower/

First install both pieces of software

Then set up an aggregate device using audio midi set up from applications utilities (there are other posts on how to do this)
in the multi speaker section make sure you include all the speakers that you want sound to come from.
When you have finished then add soundflower (16ch) to the aggregate device

Next open AU Lab


Add 2 output tracks if you have 5.1 system (so you have three in total leave output channels as stereo)
click next and add one input channel
click next and for output and input choose aggregate device and click done.
On the screen now present make sure you select buttons one two and three from audio one.
In system preferences/sound set audio device to soundflower (16ch)
Congratulations you should now have sound from all speakers. Save the file

You can set this to auto start using system preferences/acounts/login items
and if you don't want to minimize every time you boot open au file with textmate or similar scroll to the bottom of the file and change values for window frame like so

        <key>Window Frame</key>
        <string>{{1, 1}, {1, 1}}</string>
        <key>Window Max</key>
        <string>{2560, 1622}</string>
        <key>Window Min</key>
        <string>{1, 1}</string>
    </dict>
</dict>

Attached is my au lab file

Attached Files

•  Picture_3.png   160.42K   433 downloads
•  Picture_2.png   44.41K   317 downloads
•  Picture_1.png   68.3K   401 downloads
•  au.trak.zip   1.7K   174 downloads

[splintah]

hey

thanks

but will it still play 5.1 sound ?

[Jayden Silmore]

This really works great, listening to Metallica's S&M now in surround for tuning it Bass channel should be filtered with AULowPass though.

[Slither2008]

Thanks lanxxx!

In regards to 5.1 surround using an aggregate device, I noticed the volume control is disabled when you use an aggregate device.

This is just an idea to get the volume working.

1. Set up your aggregate device in the Audio/Midi Setup app so that it has all outputs and then add soundflower(16ch) to it.
2. In AULabs create a device with 3 inputs and 3 outputs.
3. Set the Input and Output to use the aggregated device you created earlier
4. Configure the the 3 inputs to take in 1 output. i.e Audio Input 1 has 1 selected, Audio Input 2 has 2 selected and Audio Input 3 has 3 selected.
5. Save the AU Lab file.
6. In System Preferences -> Sound ->OutputTab select the output device soundflower(16ch).
7. Play a file with 5.1 surround and confirm your speakers all have seperate output.
8. Check your volume and you should be able to adjust it now.
9. Configure your login script to auto start the AULab file just as lanxxx described.

It would be good to specify a hotkey to allow you to switch/load the different settings.  

i.e
Press CMD+something and then it loads the stereo output on all speakers AULab config.
Press CMD+somethingelse and it loads the 5.1 output on all speakers AULab config.

...just an idea.  What would be more clever is if you could somehow autoswitch depending on what type of audio you're playing.

[Slither2008]

Slither2008, on Aug 25 2009, 09:24 AM, said:

Thanks lanxxx!

In regards to 5.1 surround using an aggregate device, I noticed the volume control is disabled when you use an aggregate device.

This is just an idea to get the volume working.

1. Set up your aggregate device in the Audio/Midi Setup app so that it has all outputs and then add soundflower(16ch) to it.
2. In AULabs create a device with 3 inputs and 3 outputs.
3. Set the Input and Output to use the aggregated device you created earlier
4. Configure the the 3 inputs to take in 1 output. i.e Audio Input 1 has 1 selected, Audio Input 2 has 2 selected and Audio Input 3 has 3 selected.
5. Save the AU Lab file.
6. In System Preferences -> Sound ->OutputTab select the output device soundflower(16ch).
7. Play a file with 5.1 surround and confirm your speakers all have seperate output.
8. Check your volume and you should be able to adjust it now.
9. Configure your login script to auto start the AULab file just as lanxxx described.

It would be good to specify a hotkey to allow you to switch/load the different settings.  

i.e
Press CMD+something and then it loads the stereo output on all speakers AULab config.
Press CMD+somethingelse and it loads the 5.1 output on all speakers AULab config.

...just an idea.  What would be more clever is if you could somehow autoswitch depending on what type of audio you're playing.

So I tried my idea and it didn't work at first but I got it going perfect by doing this.  I had to create 3 aggregate devices and 3 AULab Audio Engines.  They all output through my SoundFlower output which has volume control.....sweet!!!


  
Configuring Aggregate Sound Devices (Audio/Midi Setup)
1. Create 3 aggregate devices CMD + SHIFT + "A" and name them "Speakers 1&2", "Speakers 3&4", "Speakers 5&6".

2. Select Speakers 1&2 under the properties bob and then click configure device.
3. Check the first Output device
4. Check the SoundFlower(16ch) Output device
5. Click Done
6. Click configure speakers
7. Select Stereo and check Stream 1 & 2 ONLY

8. Select Speakers 3&4 under the properties bob and then click configure device.
  9. Check the second output device
10. Check the SoundFlower(16ch) Output device
11. Click Done
  12. Click configure speakers
  13. Select Stereo and check Stream 1 & 2 ONLY

14. Select Speakers 5&6 under the properties bob and then click configure device.
  15. Check the third output device
16. Check the SoundFlower(16ch) Output device
  17. Click Done
18. Click configure speakers
  19. Select Stereo and check Stream 1 & 2 ONLY

20. Select SoundFlower(16ch) under the properties bob.
    21. Click configure speakers
   22. Select Multi-channel 5.1
23. Configure speakers 6, 3, 5, 4, 2, 1 going clockwise. ( You may need to play with this as each sound card is different).
24. Click Done

25. Select Default Output bob and change it to SoundFlower(16ch)


Configuring AULab Audio Engines
1. Create an AULab Document Configuration Association
2. Create 1 Output and 1 Input
3. Speaker 1&2 from the drop down list.
4. Set the Input speaker to 1&2 and the output speaker to 1&2
  
5. Create an AULab Document Configuration Association
  6. Create 1 Output and 1 Input
  7. Speaker 3&4 from the drop down list.
  8. Set the Input speaker to 1&2 and the output speaker to 3&4
  
9. Create an AULab Document Configuration Association
  10. Create 1 Output and 1 Input
  11. Speaker 5&6 from the drop down list.
  12. Set the Input speaker to 1&2 and the output speaker to 5&6
  

This only works when an audio source has 6 streams...i.e a movie with 6 audio channels etc.

[Epco]

Hello All! Thanks God I found you here guys!
ok, I have only big one question. Is it possible to listen/play a DTS DVD Audio Cuad. I have a Tchaicovsky DVD ripped and when i play on my mac I only can hear noise, My father in law played it on his pc and works good. I still didnt setup the AU Lab, will it be fix this issue?
Thanks,
Omar

[SovZX2]

After about 15 or 20 min of use, my audio gets really fuzzy and distorted until I restart Au Lab, any ideas?

[alol]

[quote]After about 15 or 20 min of use, my audio gets really fuzzy and distorted until I restart Au Lab, any ideas?/quote]
Same here, using the patcher AppleHDA.kext or even VoodooHDA.kext on the ALC888S. any help ?

[xarglaph]

alol, on Sep 22 2010, 10:11 AM, said:

Quote

After about 15 or 20 min of use, my audio gets really fuzzy and distorted until I restart Au Lab, any ideas?

Same here, using the patcher AppleHDA.kext or even VoodooHDA.kext on the ALC888S. any help ?

Same here, using manually-hacked voodoohda with alc892

Edit: Figured it out...
For each aggregate device, set the 'clock source' to SoundFlower instead of the 'line'

[alol]

xarglaph, on Oct 10 2010, 02:40 PM, said:

Same here, using the patcher AppleHDA.kext or even VoodooHDA.kext on the ALC888S. any help ?


Same here, using manually-hacked voodoohda with alc892

OK, here is solution for cracking/distorted sound when using multiple speaker through the AudioUnit Lab.
You have this aggregated device in which you do have the Soundflower (16ch) you should NOT resample that one in audio midi settings and you SHOULD set it as master clock device.
After that I do have hours and hours of music w/o distortion/cracks, (maybe after returning from sleeps it bit fuzzy but I think that is voodooHDA.kext and Sleep related problem.)

[xarglaph]

alol, on Oct 10 2010, 05:57 AM, said:

OK, here is solution for cracking/distorted sound when using multiple speaker through the AudioUnit Lab.
You have this aggregated device in which you do have the Soundflower (16ch) you should NOT resample that one in audio midi settings and you SHOULD set it as master clock device.
After that I do have hours and hours of music w/o distortion/cracks, (maybe after returning from sleeps it bit fuzzy but I think that is voodooHDA.kext and Sleep related problem.)

Oh thanks, I edited my post before I saw yours Yep -- this is the solution Thanks just the same

[Cerastez]

Can not select separate input & output in AU Labs

I have been trying to make this work but am failing miserably.  I think that there must be something simple that I have missed.  When I have AU Labs open, after making 3 outputs and 1 input, I try to set the input as "soundflower" and the output as "aggregate device," but it won't let me.  It always resets things so that the input and output are identical.

I did check out macgirl's post and she warns that "check that all of your outputs has the same frequency, if they don't have it they wont add outputs."  So in Audio MIDI Setup, I checked the properties of everything and they do all have a format of 48000hz.  

Please help.


Edit: Never mind I got it.  And if you are having problems getting this to work, I posted an excruciatingly detailed tutorial here.

[Cerastez]

alol, on Oct 10 2010, 04:57 AM, said:

OK, here is solution for cracking/distorted sound when using multiple speaker through the AudioUnit Lab.
You have this aggregated device in which you do have the Soundflower (16ch) you should NOT resample that one in audio midi settings and you SHOULD set it as master clock device.
After that I do have hours and hours of music w/o distortion/cracks, (maybe after returning from sleeps it bit fuzzy but I think that is voodooHDA.kext and Sleep related problem.)

But this is just a temporary fix.  Every time I turn on my computer, 15 minutes goes by and the audio develops a buzz.  I have to open Audio MIDI Setup and switch around the clock for the Aggregate Device.  Any setting works, its the switching around that does it.

Any ideas on a permanent fix?  And I am not using the voodooHDA.kext.