CF mutes, but does not unmutes

[Louk]

Hi,

When I was testing my new setup, I ran into many problems and 3 of them I want to describe here:

1. When CF is stopped (with the power button in the main menu), CF mutes the master audio channel. When you start CF, there is no startup sound (main channel still muted) and when the main menu is displayed, the main audio channel is unmuted, but CF switches to ATT mode (ATT button is blue).

2. When you press the voice command button, CF mutes the microphone channel after it recognized a command or after a certain time out. It also switches off the microphone's boost option or the Automatic Gain Control option. But when you push the button again, CF does NOT unmute the microphone and does not enables the boost or AGC option. So, before you can give it another speech command, you have to unmute the microphone and enable the boost option manually.

Since a week I use a TerraTek SoundSystem Aureon Dual USB external soundcard. This thing has no mic boost but a Automatic Gain Control (AGC). The last option is not always reset by CF after a speach command.

3. When I receive a phone call, CF does unmute the microphone and works fine (with a 2 second delay ), but only once: The next time you receive a call, CF unmutes the microphone, but nothing is heared on the other side. Then I let the computer go into hibernate mode, woke it up and tested again: Mic was working, but only the first call.

Note: I have the reset audio hardware option disabled. When I anable it, CF flushes the play lists until you restart CF (see other thread).

Maybe, the two problems are related. That is why I put them together in a single thread.

Drive on...
Louk.

[Scott]

1. do you have wav device set somewhere as playback device? sounds like thats what this is. if you do, it shoulldnt be...

2. The issue is with soundcards that expose mute properties on the record devices, which most soundcards do not. Are you running the latest version 2.1.1331?

3. strange, havent heard anything like that in a while. possibly the upcoming bluetooth update will fix this sys specific issue.

[Louk]

Originally Posted by Scott

1. do you have wav device set somewhere as playback device? sounds like thats what this is. if you do, it shouldn't be...

2. The issue is with sound cards that expose mute properties on the record devices, which most sound cards do not. Are you running the latest version 2.1.1331?

3. strange, haven't heard anything like that in a while. possibly the upcoming bluetooth update will fix this sys specific issue.

1. No, not that I can find one

2. Yes, I'm using V2.1.1331.1

I've included a zip file with all the user config files from ducuments and settings\louk\local data\application data\centrafuse (removed personal data). Here you can find all my personal settings. Also interesting are the error.log files in the main directory and the bluetooth directory.

BTW, I've installed a new sound card: The PureAudio USB BA with the Andrea array mic and I'm testing this a this moment. The results are similar to the situation with the Terratek sound card or the internal sound card.


Drive on ...
Louk.

[jamesd]

The second problem described in the first post is similar to the problem I am having Pust to talk button mutes microphone

Also I cannot get the sound from my phone through the car speakers or the PC mic to work with the phone. The phone connects, dials numbers, and displays the battery/signal status ok through centafuse. Which is also similar syptoms to the other problems in this thread

Cheers

James

[Louk]

Hi,

In addition to item 2, I found another weird thing:

• Start situation Main Menu, music paused, mike unmuted (manual)
• press voice command button and said "Mixer"
• CF responds by opening the mixer page
• press return button
• CF displays the main menu page
• Press voice command button and said nothing (does not matter what you say, because the mike says muted)
• Nothing happens (the voice command button says blue)
• After a while (time out) the voice command buffer returns to white and the music starts playing!

I've tried this also with other commands (like "Phone"): All the same results. Except when you say nothing the first time, then it does not start to play after the second time out.

It seems to me, that this is related to not unmuting the microphone channel.

Drive on ...
Louk.

[Louk]

Hi,

Now I received the HQCT-e, another problem occurred although its in the same chapter: When switching from Play list to Radio the WAVE channel is muted. I manually unmuted it and switched back from Radio to Play list and guess what happened? Wright, the WAVE channel was muted again

Note: The channel muted is the channel you selected in the radio module configuration. I changed the audio input for playback from WAVE to SW synth, so the WAVE channel is not muted anymore. But the SW synth. channel still is.

Additional Info: This only happens when you use the MENU drop down menu in the Onyx WS day skin!!! When you use normal navigation true the CF menus, the channels are not muted!

Additional Info: The previous info is not consistent: In additional tests CF did also mute the selected channel for the radio!

I'm still trying to figure out how I should configure the HQCT. When I go into the advanced configuration menu for the radio module. There are 2 audio options there: A record line input device and a audio input for playback (I'm not sure about the correct English titles, because I translated them from Dutch to English myself).

The first one only gives me the choice for my PureAudo microphone input channel: When I select this, a very nasty echo starts singing around and the computer becomes very slow and then comes to a complete stop. So after removing the PureAudio device and rebooting the system, I changed it back to NONE. I think I leave it this way for the time being.

In the second line (3rd from the top), I have to make a choice between, Master, WAVE, SW-synth, CD-player or Microphone (all on the Andrea PureAudio USB-SA). This is strange, because there are no physical connectors on my USB stick to connect my HQCT to; so I assume these are pseudo devices. But whatever option I try, no sound is picked up from my HQCT

I also tried to connect the HQCT in the way the manufacturer advices in the diagram they bundled with the HQCT: Connect the audio output of the CarPC to the AUX input of the HQCT and connect front and rear outputs of the HQCT to your amplifier.

This is not my first choice however, because I want the sound of the radio mixed with the output of my navigation software. Like I do now with music playback.

For the moment, I would settle with this option if it would work. But it does not (again).

When I select the radio after playing music from the play list, The WAVE channel is muted (seems OK in this situation) and the HQCT puts the radio sound to the front and rear outputs. Then, when selecting the play list again, the radio stops playing, but there is no sound from the CarPC. In fact the WAVE channel is still muted and when I first unmute the WAVE channel, it is muted again when I switch from radio to play list. When I unmute the WAVE channel, the music is directed to the line output of the sound card, but the HQCT does not switch to the AUX input. When I do this manually (with Luc's program). The music is send to the HQCT outputs, but the volume is way to low. (again). This may be caused by CF, overwriting the HQCT's master volume with the value -30. There is no way to change this value in the configuration (would be nice), but when you change the parameter volume in the HQCT_SYC.INI file from -30 to 0 and restart CF, it's original value of -30 is restored.

Then about TMC? TMC is a part of RDS, so why can't CF provide an interface to the navigation software e.g. through a pseudo serial port?

In short:

• There is another unmute problem of the WAVE channel
• How do I get the output of the HQCT into the CarPC (is the sound transported over the USB (HID) interface or should there by a physical audio connection between the CarPC and the HQCT?
• What should I select as the record line input device?
• What should I select as the audio input for playback?
• Shouldn't CF put the HQCT from RADIO into CD-PLAYER mode and visa versa when switching between the play list and the radio?
• The volume of the HQCT is not configurable and if changed manual, it seems to be overwritten by a hard coded value
• Can TMC data be routed to the navigation software (Sygic Drive XP in my case)?

Drive on ...
Louk.

[Reagan]

Your answered questions inline:

• There is another unmute problem of the WAVE channel

Try using the setting "USE PRE AS MASTER"

• How do I get the output of the HQCT into the CarPC (is the sound transported over the USB (HID) interface or should there by a physical audio connection between the CarPC and the HQCT?

Sound is not transferred over USB in this device, USB is used for control. The sound is transferred through all the (RCA) Red/White stereo output jacks, you just need a 1/8" minijack to RCA converter cable.

• What should I select as the record line input device?

Select Line Volume on your main sound device

• What should I select as the audio input for playback?

Again, select Line Volume on your main sound device

• Shouldn't CF put the HQCT from RADIO into CD-PLAYER mode and visa versa when switching between the play list and the radio?

Yes, the audio channels should be muting when switching b/t media and radio, when configured properly.

• The volume of the HQCT is not configurable and if changed manual, it seems to be overwritten by a hard coded value

There is a config file you can adjust in LocalAppData under this folder: Local Settings\Application Data\Centrafuse\RadioModules\HQCT

• Can TMC data be routed to the navigation software (Sygic Drive XP in my case)

Not with the current implementation as its all handled inside Destinator.

[Louk]

Hi Reagan,

Thanks for your response.

I did some testing with your suggestions in mind. But first my remarks on your answers:

Originally Posted by Reagan

Your answered questions inline:

• There is another unmute problem of the WAVE channel

Try using the setting "USE PRE AS MASTER"

Tried this before: made no difference to all my muting problems.

Originally Posted by Reagan

• How do I get the output of the HQCT into the CarPC (is the sound transported over the USB (HID) interface or should there by a physical audio connection between the CarPC and the HQCT?

Sound is not transferred over USB in this device, USB is used for control. The sound is transferred through all the (RCA) Red/White stereo output jacks, you just need a 1/8" minijack to RCA converter cable.

That was what I was afraid off; so I have to connect the HQCT-e to the line input of the on board sound card.

Originally Posted by Reagan

• What should I select as the record line input device?

Select Line Volume on your main sound device

This was not an option because I disabled the on-board sound card to make my PureAudio sound card to work with the BT phone.

Now I have it enabled again and selected it's line input.

Originally Posted by Reagan

• What should I select as the audio input for playback?

Again, select Line Volume on your main sound device

This is not an option (no line input available) here. I selected the CD-player of the on board sound card. This seems to work and now I can adjust the radio volume with the CD-player fader.

Originally Posted by Reagan

• Shouldn't CF put the HQCT from RADIO into CD-PLAYER mode and visa versa when switching between the play list and the radio?

Yes, the audio channels should be muting when switching b/t media and radio, when configured properly.

But it does not!

That is in the situation where the on board sound card is disabled. Now I enabled it, no channels are muted or volumes changed, but it switched between playing media and radio as it should

Originally Posted by Reagan

• The volume of the HQCT is not configurable and if changed manual, it seems to be overwritten by a hard coded value

There is a config file you can adjust in LocalAppData under this folder: Local Settings\Application Data\Centrafuse\RadioModules\HQCT

Shame on me: missed that one.

Originally Posted by Reagan

• Can TMC data be routed to the navigation software (Sygic Drive XP in my case)

Not with the current implementation as its all handled inside Destinator.

I'm afraid I have to disagree on this one: In the configuration for Destinator, you have to select a com port for TMC, but there is no com port fed by the HQCT. But I understand there is hope.

In conclusion:

I enabled the on board sound card again and connected the HQCT to the line input of this sound card. And after some additional configuration settings, it seemed to work . I was very surprised, because in previous tests, I had problems using two sound cards (the on board for inputs only, and the PureAudio for mike input and line out).

The radio in combination with media and navigation (Sygic Drive) seems to work now as far as I can test it.

I have however still some troubles with Sygic adjusting the volume of the radio or media, but I will address this in the appropriate threads later.

Now I'm back where a was some weeks ago: The mike is not working with the BT phone. That is, that was yesterday: Just tested it after a wake-up from hibernation and made at least two phone calls with a working mike !!!!

So, this still leaves the following mute problems:

• The mike is not unmuted before a voice command (post #1 in this thread).
• The master channel is muted when CF is stopped with the exit button (post #1 in this thread).
• The strange behavior when a voice command is timed out (post #5 in this thread)

Additional info: When the voice command button is activated, not the mike input channel, but the mike playback channel is unmuted! After the time out period is expired, the mike playback channel is muted again.

[Louk]

Hi,

After a lot of testing and experimenting I came to the following configuration:

• Installed the CF 2.2 BlueSoleil update.
• On board sound card
  • Line-in used to connect the HQCT-e
  • Line-out connected to the AMP
• PurAudio USB SA Sound Adapter
  • Mike (Andrea SoundMAX Superbeam)
  • Line-out not used

The mute master volume problem is gone.

The mike is still not unmuted before a voice command.

The mike not working after the first or second call after a wake up from hibernate (have to put it to hibernate and back to get it working again). I jumped to fast while writing the previous post: Sometimes it works two times in a row, but seldom more

The delay is a lot less, but still there.

The BlueSoleil software seems to try to cancel noise: It takes a lot of CPU power, but it does not filter all the noise (PureAudio does a better job here and uses even more CPU).

I wonder if there is a way to disable the BlueSoleil NC and leave it to the PureAudio SA?

[Reagan]

I didn't think that BlueSoleil had Noise Cancellation yet? What version of BlueSoleil are you running?