Easy non-computer guy way to check for AGC.

[gabe]

Hi all. I had planned to play around with Dirac some today before going to work having forgotten that the wife is off for presidents day. No test tones for me. I opened Dirac and was looking around and stumbled on an easy way to check/ verify AGC is off. If you open Dirac with your mic plugged in, use the XMC1, select mic, etc. to get to the levels screen you will be at the point of adjusting the mic gain. Just look at the level of your background noise but do not move anything. Now right click on the little speaker image down in the lower right and select recording devices. My mic appears at the top of the list. If you left click on that, properties appears in the lower right. If you click on that you will se a box that has custom and levels tabs at the top. Custom is where the dreaded AGC lives, uncheck it. Next to custom is the levels tab. Click on that and crank up the volume all the way. OK your way out of all that then look at your background noise without making any changes in Dirac.  On my setup my background noise went from +6 or so with AGC on to about -20 with AGC off. That means I can leave the mic gain all the way up for measurements and Dirac will not try to make up the difference between what it expects and what it sees during measurements. I realize this all may seem elementary to the more computer literate in the group, but I thought the ability to see the affect of AGC in real time as well as what this non-computer guy feels is an easy well get rid of AGC would be helpful to some in the group.

[KeithL]

Excellent summary.

I should also note, for the not-so-computer-literate, that not all combinations of sound card and computer will have the AGC option.
(So, if you can't find it in the normal places, your computer may simply not have it to begin with - which is just fine for us.)

Feb 19, 2018 10:50:21 GMT -5 gabe said:

Hi all. I had planned to play around with Dirac some today before going to work having forgotten that the wife is off for presidents day. No test tones for me. I opened Dirac and was looking around and stumbled on an easy way to check/ verify AGC is off. If you open Dirac with your mic plugged in, use the XMC1, select mic, etc. to get to the levels screen you will be at the point of adjusting the mic gain. Just look at the level of your background noise but do not move anything. Now right click on the little speaker image down in the lower right and select recording devices. My mic appears at the top of the list. If you left click on that, properties appears in the lower right. If you click on that you will se a box that has custom and levels tabs at the top. Custom is where the dreaded AGC lives, uncheck it. Next to custom is the levels tab. Click on that and crank up the volume all the way. OK your way out of all that then look at your background noise without making any changes in Dirac.  On my setup my background noise went from +6 or so with AGC on to about -20 with AGC off. That means I can leave the mic gain all the way up for measurements and Dirac will not try to make up the difference between what it expects and what it sees during measurements. I realize this all may seem elementary to the more computer literate in the group, but I thought the ability to see the affect of AGC in real time as well as what this non-computer guy feels is an easy well get rid of AGC would be helpful to some in the group.

[audiogeek]

Great tip... thanks!