[LAD] [LAU] mudita24 1.02 -- improved envy24control mixer/router for ice1712-based sound-cards

[Niels Mayer]

... in summary... that's the reason why I thought the current 0 to
-48dB ranges adequate, especially given that you can't hear -48dB
unless you've got a really quiet computer/room ( :-( ) or a really
loud soundsystem and a willingness to subject your ears to damaging
volume levels just so you can perceive individual signal sources down
at -48dB. Given the kind of mixer the ice1712's is -- -purposed mostly
for zero-latency monitoring or creating a performer-headphone-mix --
focusing on better controllability of levels at the top end and not
worrying about mixing-in below -48dB seemed like a good compromise.

Tim's suggestion of going down to -60dB is a good one simply from the
point of view of providing a comfortable emulation of the ranges seen
in a real mixer. Faking the -60 to -48dB levels on the meters as a
large "signal present" indicator -- that illuminates whenever the HW
input level goes from 0 to 1.... (i.e. -48.1dB as indicated on current
meters).

Of course, a real mixer can also add gain rather than just
attenuation, and doesn't force you to go to a different page to set
the trim or microphone/preamp gain levels....

One idea is that the available remaining ADC gain on the inputs could
actually be directly represented -- for the "Monitor Inputs" panel --
by dynamic markings on the sliders that can represent the available
ADC gain. So for example, if the user sets the "Analog Volumes" back
to 0dB gain on the ADC's, then switches back to "Monitor Inputs": the
gain sliders "top end" will be dynamically reset  allowing up to ~ +18
dB gain as provided by most implementations.  Normally, the user would
have a "custom" set of gain settings, including potentially
consumer/pro settings, or device specific settings, and the "Monitor
Inputs" sliders would allow a "delta" about the baseline settings of
ADC gain set in "Analog Volumes."

 With such a setup, at least for "Monitor Inputs" one would  not lose
resolution as you decrease the gain in the digital mixer -- you could
actually alter the gains on the ADC's towards attenuation as well.
With all digital mixer sliders attenuating down to -60dB, the
attenuation could be handled entirely by the gain-controllable ADC
preamp (which goes down to ~ -63dB). All while leaving the digital
attenuation level at 0.0dB.

This combined approach to levels in "Monitor Inputs" -- that you're
actually controlling ADC gain even though not in "Analog Volumes"
panel,  might eliminate the need to add meters to the "Analog Volumes"
panel -- leave that panel as-is with the current labels showing
accumulated peak levels.

What to do with the extra space above the meter for the positive ADC
gain on the sliders? -- similar to the "fake" area for -60 to -48dB,
make a large area that turns red when the digital peak reads 0.0dB
(instead of the dinky little red line at the top currently indicated).
If it fits, perhaps even place the dBFS label into that area, and have
it turn red by switching background color instead of foreground color
as it does currently.

-- Niels
http://nielsmayer.com