Frequently Asked Questions

Minimum OS Requirements?

Mac: macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or later
PC: Windows 10 v1703 (build 15063) or later

How to Install?

The software is being distributed via App Store or Microsoft Store.
The best way to download and install the app is to use the OS built-in "Store" app (such as "App Store" on macOS or "Microsoft Store" on Windows 10+). A registered user account with Apple or Microsoft will be required to start with.

Although a transaction can be finished outside of the "Store" app, e.g.: via a Web browser, the actuall download/install has to be completed by using the OS built-in "Store" app. So, it is recommanded to do all the procedures by using the "Store" app. Do not try to download the app via a Web browser.

Why App Store?

Yes, App Store is frustrating.
For buyers, the registration procedure is overly cumbersome. For sellers，considerable amount of sales will be cut off, not to mention the restrictive rules for getting app approved there. Fortunately, there are also non-negligible benefits. App Store resolves many common problems of software distribution for both sellers and buyers, as enumerated below:
- Centralized and regulated marketplace
- Trusted/secured payment
- License management/transfer/sharing/revoking
- User account, invoice/receipt and tax
- Auto update of purchased apps
- Anti-virus
- Anti-piracy
- App search
- Download hosting & bandwidth, 24x7 availability world-wide

It's all about software distribution model. In the past, the Creditcard/PayPal and activation-key is used to be the traditional way which requires each software developer to pay administrative effort/overhead behind the scenes. The new MS/Apple Store eliminated the overhead, which allows small developers to focus more on development work without being often distracted by the retail hassles. Otherwise, if each software developer has to set up its own solution for providing the aforementioned services, the developer will be much distracted from developing/improving apps, until being saturated as a full-time sales. And the app's final price will be considerably higher due to the additional distribution overhead which has no contribution to the app's functionality & quality. Thus, the buyers may end up paying more for less, and the transaction may not necessarily be easier as it might seem -- imaging the concern of giving credit card to a stranger, filling in forms with personal information, manually typing in the received license key and dealing with activation errors email/phone...etc.

The decision may sound fancy/ridiculous at first, but the motivation behind it is a realistic compromise rather than a hipster idea.

Related questions: Side-Load Possible? Repurchase or renew?

Side-Loading Possible?

Unfortunately, installing the app on a computer without going through the App/MS Store (aka: side-loading) is not supported because apps designed for App/MS Store are "sandboxed" by its technical root, which is not suitable for being distributed via the traditional way. Either Apple or Microsoft are enforcing sandbox technologies on their latest operating systems (macOS or Windows), which requires App/MS Store as the centralized software distributer. Developers are encouraged to adopt the new sandbox technologies for being more "future proof" into the new ecosystem, at a cost of losing backward compatibility with the traditional package based installation.

Related questions: Why App Store?

Too Expensive?

Yes, this is surely not a life-changing app that everybody needs everyday. But it still requires comparable amount of time, efforts and knowledge to develop because niche needs are not negligible needs. It makes total sense for those individuals who have been needing such a specialized tool for years, or the opposite for others.

Some niche needs haven't been addressed for decades due to technical challenges or foreseeable negative ROI. But if someone is willing to commit, would it worth being recognized?

Related questions: Too Cheap? Repurchase or renew?

Too Cheap?

Well, inexpensive ≠ inferior quality. The app is not an impromptu product, an academic demo or an experimental prototype. It is nothing lack of deep thoughts, algorithmic research, software engineering and originality. However, it is certainly not flawless and may contain bugs -- like with any other software products including those high-profile apps. Perhaps, it is a poor product in terms of profitability. But the birth of the app would not happen if it was solely driven by commercial motivation.

Related questions: Too Expensive? Repurchase or renew?

For Win8/7/Vista/XP?

Unfortunately, this app is based on the new sandbox technology which is not backward compatible with Win8/7/Vista/XP.

Related questions: Why App Store? Side-Load Possible?

For Linux?

Unfortunately, there is no plan to make a native app for Linux. However, the PC version of the app may work in VirtualBox on Linux. But Wine is not supported.

Trial/demo version?

No,but with apologies. This requirement itself is natural, logical and fair, but can not be realized right away because staged license management costs too much overhead. It is not as simple as it looks like. Once the app opts in the new ecosystem, it follows the Citizenship Code there and wishes the system becomes more sophisticated and flexible in serving customers in future.

Related questions: Why App Store? Side-Load Possible?

Plugin Version?

For those who wish to integrate the same codec into DAW based workflow, a VST plugin is available. It is an optional software component for the existing users of the full desktop application and requires the desktop application installed on the same computer in order to be activated and working properly. The plugin comes with the exact same DSP codec engine as used in the full desktop application but without the fine-tuning tools so to focus on one thing per plugin. It is intended to give the existing desktop application users an additional option to use the same codec in the DAW environment. However, due to the diversity of today's DAW hosts, the plugin is being offered as a complimentary (free) and experimental prototype without guarantee. Please do not go to acquire the desktop application only for using the VST plugin.

Bad/No Effect

Calibration, calibration and calibration! This app operates as an external compander (aka: outboard compander). By default, a typical outboard compander won't perform its best out of the box without calibration, regardless of being analog hardware or digital software. This app is no exception. However, it comes with calibration tools and embedded guidance to assist the user to calibrate and fine-tune it in order to easily fit into each specific audio workflow.

Please also note that the codec along with the fine-tuning tools are special audio filters that may change the amplituds of certain frequency compnonts, which require the input audio to have enough headroom reserved. If the peak level of the input audio is already near digital saturation (0 dBFS), there will be no headroom for the codec to work (boost certain signal components as needed) or digital hard clip may occur. When processing serious audio materials, please watch the meter and make sure that the peak not reaching the 0dBFS ceiling, or otherwise, the input audio's amplitude needs to be reduced before processing.

Other Type of NR Codecs?

Dolby-A/SR/S are likely the next ones. But unfortunately, Dolby Labs seems to be quite protective in disclosing technical details to the public. So far, reverse-engineering Dolby-A seems to be possible. But S and SR are extremely opaque and hard to reproduce in software duo to luck of technical documentations.

Supported File Formats?

It varies from system to system because the app employs the current system's audio file I/O programming interface for read/write audio files, which may not support all existing audio formats but may have reasonable coverage of the major popular formats, as briefly summaries below:

WAV, FLAC, AIFF: up to 96k/24bit.
MP3, AAC, M4A: up to 48k/VBR.

Please note that file extension may not always tell the actual format and sub-format in a given audio file. If the app has difficulty to open a given audio file with one of the aforementioned extensions, it may need help from other DAW app to temporarily convert to an acceptable format. Let this app focus on what it's specialized and good at.

Batch Processor?

This feature was missing but starting middle of 2019, the app is able to batch process a group of files, with the following notes:
- The process will overwrite the existing files, so, copy before processing.
- No recursive traverse through subfolder tree for limiting accidental damage.
- All files in a given group will be processed by the same codec with the same parameters.

Repurchase or renew?

No, no periodical repurchase or renewal will be required after the initial purchase. The software is distributed with perpetual license (no time limit). According to the current Store policy (both MS and Apple), it can be re-installed on the same computer, or, installed on limited number of different computers — under the same account used for making the initial purchase, there will be no repeated charge. After installation, the app works offline — no network connection is required to keep it working.

However, the app is exclusively licensed by either MS Store or Apple Store, where app authors are not given a method to share or transfer licenses between the two separate ecosystems — although the the author wished so. As a result, a license acquired on Windows will not be transferable/extendable to macOS, or vice versa. Really sorry about that.

No Sound or Crash?

The most likely cause is incompatibility of some (older) sound driver(s). An easy way to tell the case is to check if the sound card/device needs a factory provided software driver to work properly, especially if the factory provided software driver was made for older OS versions than current OS (even if it appears to work on the current OS). If so, a good way to further test the case is to temporarily replace the sound card/device with a another newer one that can automatically work on the current OS without needing a proprietary software drivers, or with a software driver designed for the current OS. For example, if it is an external USB sound device, try again with the built-in sound card if available, or vice-versa.

Technically, App/MS Stores are not only a new business model but also a new technical platform. Apps designed for the App/MS Stores are fundamentally different from the traditional apps. They are required to adopt the new generation of sandbox technology on each platform (macOS or Windows respectively) for being more "future proof" into the new ecosystem, at a cost of sacrificing backward compatibility with the traditional technologies. For some older sound cards/devices which have to rely on proprietary (factory provided) software drivers to work properly, if the software drivers already existed before the birth of the new sandbox technology, it may not be fully compatible with the new technology. In this case, apps based on the traditional technologies may continue to work without problem, whereas, apps based on the new sandbox technology may demonstrate problem, although all the apps are installed and tested on the same system.

So, one solution is to check if the sound card/device manufacture has published an updated software driver for the newer OS. If not, another solution is try to temporarily uninstall the old proprietary software driver and see if the new OS can recognize the sound card/device as a plug-and-play device and automatically install a built-in native driver for it. If so, using the OS built-in driver instead of the (older) factory-provided driver may have better chance to resolve the problem. However, please note that even the sound card/device can work with a built-in driver this way, it may lose some control or special features. It's a matter of trade-off after all.

Finally, the app assumes that the sound card should at least support the standard stereo mode by default. If the sound card is a PRO advanced card, or a theatre/game enhanced card with multi-channel setup, the user may be required to manually configure the channel layout in order to map multiple channels to the standard L/R stereo channels.

Related questions: Why App Store? Side-Load Possible?

How to keep updated?

After installing the app, updates will be managed by the MS/App Store. With the auto-update feature enabled, the app will be kept up-to-date automatically whenever a new update is released. If auto-updates are disabled, a red marker will appear on the app's icon, prompting the user to update the app manually using the MS/App Store app.

Related questions:Why App Store? Side-Load Possible?

Please check my order

Always glad to assist, but please note that the MS/App Store operates differently from other online stores (like eBay). In this case, app authors do not have control over customer orders, and their information and transactions are not visible to the app authors. To check orders, it's recommended that customers use the MS/App Store, or reach out to Microsoft or Apple customer service for assistance.

Contact: anaxwaves@gmail.com