Poweramp Equalizer does not work

[Aragorn]

I'm a long time user of Poweramp Player. Recently tried the Equalizer app to be able to equalize sound from other apps but can't make it do anything to the sound. I turned off Equalizer built-in into Poweramp Player. Tried turning DVC and Absolute Volume in Developer Options off and on multiple times in both the Equalizer app and the Player. The Equalizer app doesn't see of my other players. Finally it started to see the VLC player but still the Equalizer doesn't do anything. 

How do I make it work? 

Android 11, Galaxy S10 plus SM-G975U1, non-rooted. 

[Aragorn]

Anyone, please? 

[andrewilley]

Have you done this:

Andre

[Aragorn]

No. Before I try that procedure, please let me ask you: 

1. Does PA EQ work with all audio player apps? Fie instance, YouTube videos played from a browser such as Bromite? 

2. Also, does it remember individual EQ profiles for each bluetooth device and can it be set to shut down the EQ (or flatten) when BT is disconnected? 

3. Can PA EQ avoid being killed by power management if set so? Another app I'm using goes to sleep no matter what... 

4. And lastly, can using ADB to allow PA permissions cause any other effects in the phone? 

 

[andrewilley]

PA EQ works with any apps that are designed to allow their output to be manipulated by external processes - however many do not allow for this. The ADB DUMP procedure allows for even apps which don't support this facility to still be manipulated.

Yes, EQ profiles can be set up and saved for different BT devices.

It is a good idea to set both PA and the EQ app to not allow Android to optimise their power usage for better battery performance, as otherwise their performance can be affected when the device goes to sleep.

The ADB process has no other effect on the phone, it purely assigns extra permissions to the PA EQ app.

Andre

[Aragorn]

I haven't had time to try the ADB yet but I want to know if "Disable Absolute Volume" in Developer Settings should be toggled ON (disabled)? 

[andrewilley]

@Aragorn Depends on whether you are using bluetooth or not.

Andre

[Aragorn]

I do use Bluetooth. Should "Disable Absolute Volume" in Developer Settings be toggled ON (disabled)? 

[andrewilley]

@Aragorn  If you are using Bluetooth AND you want to use DVC too, please go into Developer Options and turn on the toggle switch labelled "Disable Absolute Volume".

Andre

[Aragorn]

And what does DVC do exactly? Improves quality of the Equalizer? Does it require much more CPU power/battery? 

[andrewilley]

DVC bypasses a lot of the processing added by manufacturers, and allows more direct access to the audio firmware/hardware. It does not require extra power as far as know (maybe less?) although other things like high-res audio processing do consume a little bit more power. If your ears can't hear a difference in real-world listening though, it's a moot point.

Andre

[Aragorn]

Thanks. I followed your tutorial on ADB and now all apps I tried do work with PAEQ, EXCEPT the Poweramp Player. Is there a setting in Poweramp Player that must be disabled?

Edited May 28, 2021 by Aragorn

[Aragorn]

I restarted the phone and now PAEQ doesn't work anymore...

Player Tracking is still enabled.

When I apply the equalizer, it doesn't process audio from any app.
Also, at any point of my testing today, PAEQ wasn't turning the EQ when the Bluetooth device is connected, even though I set the preset to run only with this BT device. 

 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Aragorn

[andrewilley]

7 hours ago, Aragorn said:

Is there a setting in Poweramp Player that must be disabled?

You can enable MusicFX in the main PA app (activate the button via Poweramp Settings > Advance Tweaks, then you can enable or disable it in second tab of the the EQ screen in Poweramp). However it's not a good idea to run two equalisers at the same time, and definitely not a good idea to set them both to use DVC (they will clash).

Andre

[Aragorn]

Thank you. Seems working now. But there are 2 minor problems. 

1. Sound, played through PA-EQ into Bluetooth headset cuts out beginning of the sound, maybe 500ms. So when a short notification plays, only a tail of it is heard. When music is playing from a freshly opened app, beginning of a song (500ms or so) cuts out, but when next song of the same player plays - everything is fine. Does PA-EQ need time to engage? Is there a way around it? 

2. One of my BT headsets doesn't appear as an option when saving a profile in PA-EQ. One device is actually connected, but a previously connected device is shown when saving a preset in PA-EQ.

In the attached picture, LBT-PAR500 is connected, but two if the previously connected SOUNDPEATS Q35 are shown. 

Also when I try to overwrite a preset with the same BT device, it shows that BT device twice. What does that mean? Should the duplicate checkbox be checked? 

[Aragorn]

Any idea? 

[Aragorn]

I watched some more. Looks like it chooses wrong bluetooth presets. Looks like it selects last used BT preset whenever bluetooth is activated. Am I doing anything wrong? 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Aragorn

[andrewilley]

3 hours ago, Aragorn said:

 Looks like it selects last used BT preset whenever bluetooth is activated. Am I doing anything wrong? 

Don't tick the 'Bluetooth' selector box, as that means the preset is meant for all Bluetooth devices. Instead, just tick the single box for the individual device when you save the Preset.

Andre

[Aragorn]

Hi. After following your tutorial on how to make Poweramp Equalizer work in this thread by changing phone system settings, there's a big synchronization issue: audio lags significantly in any video watched on my phone in any player. Is there a way to toggle a setting to enable/disable Poweramp EQ so that I could watch videos even without EQ, but at least they would be in sync? 

[andrewilley]

@Aragorn Just disable that particular player app from the Known Players list in PA EQ Settings.

You might be able to reduce the latency a bit by changing block size settings, but not to zero.

Andre

[Aragorn]

Thank you! That was easy. 

[FFELIPES]

Hi. I've been using the Poweramp Equalizer app applied with all ADB permissions so it fully recognizes and equalizes every source of audio on my phone (including non-player apps). And it works pretty well until I shut the screen off. Whenever the screen's off, even having all applications involved not restricted by battery restrictions for background function, it still begins to consistently cut the audio at some point. I've tried every option regarding battery restrictions available on the phone settings and still haven't had any success trying to solve this problem. 

My phone is a Samsung A23 with Android 13, One UI 5.1 and I'm using the latest version of the Poweramp Equalizer which is the 960-963 build.

Does anyone here have any idea of how I could solve this problem with the audio cutting when the screen goes off? It only happens with the equalizer running.

Thank you in advance!