Got my sirius! [question inside]

[Distopia]

Finally I'm a MP customer too!
My seller was still out of procyon unit, so I decided to get a sirius, to keep me busy in the meanwhile and to start learning about these devices.

What can I say?
I'm really, really impressed by the sirius.
It's a really good device. Neat, precise, solid, and the new ganzframe are quite amazing.
(at first I was a little bit concerned about the old ledbulb glasses, but these new are great).

Btw I have a bounce of "first questions"
Actually I use BWGen. I don't have NP2.
What's the best setting for audiostrobe in sirius?
I can set different type of waveform and dutycycle.

So, question1:
There is a specific setting that fits sirius need in decoding AS?

question2:
If I put white noise in the track on "full volume" (always with BWGen) the leds are always on.
They start to blink only if I drop the volume drastically, meaning at a level I'm not able to heard sound anymore.
If I set white noise on "half volume" everything works fine.

Has this thing a solution?
Full volume white noise is quite useful for dissociative purposes.

question3: the most important.
In manual mode sirius has the "alternate mode".
It's exactly what I need, but I need to drive the alternate mode via Audiostrobe.
Some one can tell me how?
If in BWG I set a phase of 180 I don't get a perfect alternate mode.
The symmetrical led turns on some millseconds before the complementary switchs off.

It's a problem of BWGen or Sirius that lacks in timing?

Btw, I find sirius a really good device.
It does exactly what is important, flickering lights and sound.
I'm wondering If I really need some other devices... considering that sirius can do all the fundamental stuff!.

Anyway
Thanks for the assistance.

[CraigT]

Congrats on your acquisition! The Sirius is a great little box!

Q1. The Sirius is a relatively standard AS compatible decoder - nothing special required.

Q2. Audiostrobe uses a 19.2kHz signal to control the lights. Unfiltered white noise includes 19.2kHz, and hence will quite correctly trigger an AS decoder.

Q3. Sorry, not that familiar with BWGen, but have noticed no timing issues with the Sirius with NP2 or MWS.

Audiostrobe is not a very robust standard, using a high frequency audio signal in amongst all the other audio as it does. Maintaining suitable relative levels between content and AS, keeping other high frequency sounds (such as noise) out of the way, etc. There's quite a few circumstances where the lights will light when not expected, and fail to do so when they should, with most combinations of hardware and software - always plenty of room for experimentation, and sometimes things just won't happen the way you'd like them to. The Sirius is unlikely to be "the problem" in such cases.

"Need" other devices - probably not, but if you're even remotely like me, you'll end up with them anyway

Cheers,
Craig

[Distopia]

Sorry for the late, I'm away for work!
Btw glad to read you Craig

Originally Posted by CraigT

Congrats on your acquisition! The Sirius is a great little box!
Q1. The Sirius is a relatively standard AS compatible decoder - nothing special required.

I see that with sin wave the flashing is bad, but I notice no differences with other setting so I thought could be a "proper and better configuration"

Q2. Audiostrobe uses a 19.2kHz signal to control the lights. Unfiltered white noise includes 19.2kHz, and hence will quite correctly trigger an AS decoder.

This was my first hyp.
But I'm not at my desk and I'v not my analysis suite to check the audio output... then I thought that maybe I was wrong just because is not smart to build a software for audiostrobe decoding with an options that interferes with audiostrobe signal...
I mean, an high band filter on white noise when visual are on is not so hard to implement

Q3. Sorry, not that familiar with BWGen, but have noticed no timing issues with the Sirius with NP2 or MWS.

I'v downloaded NP2 trial (you got me ) but I really don't see where set the phase alternation in the flashing.
Can you point me out?
I'd like to have a simple 180° phase alternation on a visual frequency track.

"Need" other devices - probably not, but if you're even remotely like me, you'll end up with them anyway

We are definitively similar
But I'v a set of rules to keep my "compulsive curiosity" on the leash.
Rule N° 2: don't buy a new device unless the previous one shows significant impairments.
This rule save a lot of money to me.. but I have to admit that it doesn't work when a new device seem to do something new. An this happens quite often unfortunately!

Always thanks for your assistance!

[CraigT]

Not sure what you mean by the flashing being bad with sine wave - adjusting the audio level will have a noticeable effect on the pulse duration as more or less of the sine wave activates the lights.

NP2 alternating flashing - session editor, add two audiostrobe tracks, right click options on each track, set one balance hard left, the other hard right, starting phase on one to zero, the other to 180, and there you go.

MindWorkstation has the facility for bandpass filtering on any content track, and also allows selective modulation of frequency bands - much fun to be had! I routinely use filtered and unfiltered noise to trigger lights instead of the usual audiostrobe tracks.

Excellent rule - does "bored with it now" qualify as a "significant impariment?

Cheers,
Craig

[Distopia]

Originally Posted by CraigT

Not sure what you mean by the flashing being bad with sine wave - adjusting the audio level will have a noticeable effect on the pulse duration as more or less of the sine wave activates the lights.

With a sine wave I've to drastically drop down the volume to have a proper flashing.
I was barely able to hear the tones.
But this is not really a problem because, with other waves form, the sirius works perfectly. It was just curiosity.

NP2 alternating flashing - session editor, add two audiostrobe tracks, right click options on each track, set one balance hard left, the other hard right, starting phase on one to zero, the other to 180, and there you go.

Nice and neat.
Wondering:
With a set of 10Hz I will have every side flashing at 10Hz.
Meaning a "cumulative alternate stimulation" of 20Hz.
To have a cumulative flashing frequency of 10 Hz I'v to set the single tracks to 5Hz, Am I right?
This technical details can mess up a session

Btw the flashing is neat and proper. NP2 seems better than BWgen.
When I'll came back from Iceland I think I'll send something to your blog competition

MindWorkstation has the facility for bandpass filtering on any content track, and also allows selective modulation of frequency bands - much fun to be had! I routinely use filtered and unfiltered noise to trigger lights instead of the usual audiostrobe tracks.

Do you have mindworkstation too?
You are definitively on another level.
The enterprise version is on my wish list since I start thinking about avs devices...

Excellent rule - does "bored with it now" qualify as a "significant impariment?

You know it does...

Anyway.
As usually, thanks!

[CraigT]

There was a discussion about left/right flashing on the forum here a while back, and I presented my final opinion on my blog... here.

I have all the Transparent software and I provide volunteer support on their forum. I'm trying to build up an AVS business - still finding the right angle, but it seems to be heading down the hardware/software development and support/consultancy tracks, which please me greatly, because selling stuff isn't really my favourite pastime.

Iceland! I want to go to Iceland. My wife and I developped a fondness for all things Icelandic after meeting a couple who bred Icelandic horses here in NZ.

Cheers,
Craig

[Distopia]

Here I'm back

Originally Posted by CraigT

There was a discussion about left/right flashing on the forum here a while back, and I presented my final opinion on my blog... here.

Your blog post is correct, as usually.
Emilateral nerve crossing is something people never keep on mind, while working with alternate phase stimuli.
I read the forum and, even if I can't test properly, I agree.
Seem sirius doubles the frequency...

I have all the Transparent software and I provide volunteer support on their forum. I'm trying to build up an AVS business - still finding the right angle, but it seems to be heading down the hardware/software development and support/consultancy tracks, which please me greatly, because selling stuff isn't really my favourite pastime.

Now I understand your passion, your devices and software collection...
You are above the hobbies
Anyway, I'm writing something for your blog competition.
Hope to finish in the next 36hours, I should be in time, even if on the line

Iceland! I want to go to Iceland. My wife and I developped a fondness for all things Icelandic after meeting a couple who bred Icelandic horses here in NZ.

Hurry up then!
Iceland is melting... middle December: no snow and always over 4C°.
It's colder here in Italy

Bye

[CraigT]

The upshot of all the left-eye/right-eye thing is that I rarely use it for anything other than visual effect. Even with open-eye glasses specificially designed to illuminate the visual fields independently there's still way too much "crosstalk" for me to be convinced of its usefulness. An alternative - a small light in each peripheral field, not illuminating, but visible as a change - has possibilities.

That's so sad about Iceland. I wonder what's really going on. It's just as well the sheep float!

I look forward to reading your writings

Cheers,
Craig

[Distopia]

Originally Posted by CraigT

The upshot of all the left-eye/right-eye thing is that I rarely use it for anything other than visual effect. Even with open-eye glasses specificially designed to illuminate the visual fields independently there's still way too much "crosstalk" for me to be convinced of its usefulness. An alternative - a small light in each peripheral field, not illuminating, but visible as a change - has possibilities.

I'm working to a LCD shutter glasses with a double half lens over each eye.
I think it could do the job. But I'm still quite far from a prototype.

I look forward to reading your writings

Just sent

Bye