Guide Guide to make music livelier in Foobar2K!

Requirements

• Foobar 2000
• Foobar Dolby DSP plugin
• Good pair of speakers or earphones
• Dolby dll v 1.0.0 or above

Step1: Download Foobar 2000 from foobar2000.org if you haven't done so.

Next download the Dolby Headphone Wrapper (foo_dsp_dolbyhp) DSP plugin from here.

You need a Dolby Headphone engine DLL (typically DOLBYHPH.DLL)
Search google for the dll if you cannot find it in your system.
It is available as a free download on many dll sites. You can use any version above version 1.0.0.1

Step2: After downloading the files
1- Extract the "foo_dsp_dolbyhp.dll" the dsp to the foobar components folder.
2- Copy the dolby dll file "DolbyHph.dll" to the foobar folder.
3- Run Foobar2K.
4- Navigate to File > Preferences
5- Click on Playback > DSP Manager

Step3:
The DSP's should be added in the below mentioned order to get the depth & ambience effect.

1- From the right hand side under "Available DSPs" select the "Convert Stereo to 4 channels" and move it to the "Active DSPs" list using the "<=" button.

2- Similarly do this for Dolby Headphone dsp and move it to the "Active DSPs" list using the "<=" button. Move this dsp below the first active dsp.

3- Select the equalizer dsp and move it below the dolby dsp. (this is optional)

4- Move the Advance Limiter dsp below the equalizer dsp.

If all went right your DSP Manager window should look like the screengrab below. Do not close the DS Manager window yet.

Step4: Configurations:
To configure the dsp select the dsp and click on the "Configure Selected" button besides the Active Dsp's title.

A- Dolby DSP config.
1-Set the location of the file by clicking on the "..." button and browsing to the file you copied in to foobar2k folder.
2- If the file is a valid dolby reference file then proceed to next step.
3- Set the Room Model to DH1 - Reference room.
4- Set amplification from 50% to 100%. I set it to 100%.
5- Click OK.

It should look like this:

B- Equalizer Settings (optional)
You can load your favourite equalizer settings or can use the settings I used.

0
0
-3
-3
-3
-3
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
-3
-3
-3
-3
-3

Just copy this to notepad (make sure each number is on a new line) and save this as "dolbyeq.feq"
Select the "Save as Type" to All Files and then save.

That's it. You can close the DSP manager window, load up your favourite songs and begin listening to them. :hap2:

I'm not sure what the reaction of the folks reading this would be so put off writing this for some time. Finally felt like sharing this with everyone, so I have written about it.

This is the first time I'm writing something like this and I'm sure it could have been better if I explained what the advanced limiter use was etc...

Last but not the least, Audiophiles should do this at their own risk and not blame me if they dont like the sound. :ashamed:

Disclaimer: The sound output you get will vary from speaker to speaker.
I used the SoundMagic PL-20 in-ear earphones for this and the music sounded really very good. Bass was too good, mids and treble were almost balanced. If you have bad speakers they wont sound good, but good speakers might sound better.

Criticism welcome. :cool2:

Edit:
See reference 1 for what the Dolby DSP does.

Dolby® Headphone technology works by creating an acoustic illusion: it makes you think you are hearing a five-speaker home theater system, when in fact you are listening over ordinary stereo headphones.
Dolby Headphone technology provides several advantages over earlier attempts to provide surround sound via headphones.

First of all, Dolby Headphone technology simulates the sound of speakers that are clearly and unambiguously located outside the listener's head. With conventional headphone listening, audio images are perceived as inside the head. This is because there are none of the cues that acoustics impart to the sound of loudspeakers in a room. Dolby Headphone technology, however, simulates the complex acoustics of a listening room where sounds reflect off various surfaces, effectively convincing listeners that the sound is originating from multiple speakers around them. Moreover, it can simulate a variety of rooms with different acoustics.

Secondly, Dolby Headphone technology is universal to all listeners. Due to a significant breakthrough in signal-processing technology, the system does not require custom HRTF settings to accommodate the differences between individuals, making it simple to implement and operate.

A third advantage is relative simplicity, allowing Dolby Headphone technology to be included in consumer products with no loss of quality. It can be implemented via a wide range of digital signal-processing (DSP) chips, opening the potential for implementation wherever headphones are used.

A fourth advantage of Dolby Headphone technology is that even though it provides all the benefits of a highly detailed finite-impulse response (FIR) filter, it does so with virtually no latency. This ensures video programs (stereo or multichannel) can maintain sync between sound and picture.

Finally, no special headphones are required. The process works well with everything from inexpensive airline headsets to high-end electrostatics. Although higher quality headphones give a higher quality experience. Lake studied headphone performance intensively and developed testing and optional compensation methods for optimal performance on all types of equipment.

see reference 3 for more on Dolby dll.

Edit 2: Post title edited to better reflect content.

 

[blr_p]

The rationale for using this DSP is missing.

What is this "dolby DSP" and why should i care.

Why would one want to use this if their source is lossless or lossy ?

 

[SunnyBoi]

I avoid DSPs.

The below guide is what i'd do to improve music. Get FLACs and lossless of all your favourite songs after you apply greenie's guide.

http://www.techenclave.com/guides-and-tutorials/improve-your-music-playback-79449.html