auto compensating volume?

Don't know if this has been discussed before, but since the Empeg has a microphone input would it be possible to use this to monitor the ambient sound level in the car and adjust the relative volume accordingly?

This would be especcialy useful to those of us with rather loud convertible sports cars.

Thanks,
Jeff

One of Rjlov's original goals with the Voladj kernel was to do something like that. Hasn't been implemented yet.

In the meantime, give Mark Lord's "hijack" kernel a try, which includes the voladj code. Hmm, maybe Mark can be persuaded to do something with it?

What do you do about the obvious problem?

10 Someone opens a window.
20 Wind makes the noise level in the car go up.
30 The empeg turns the volume up.
40 Louder music makes the noise level in the car go up.
50 GOTO 30

Not to mention what happens when a song ends: as it fades out, the ambient noise level goes down so the volume goes down... all songs start out quiet.

I like the speed-sensitive idea of linking into OBD II.

You have an arm with which to reach over and spin the dial on the empeg or other head unit though, right? Just checking.

Bruno

Put the microphone OUTSIDE the cabin. Then when someone else comes along blasting their own music, your system will automatically get louder.

Obviously anything to monitor "noise" is going to have to compare the ambient sample to the data being played and cancel that portion out.

Bruno

In reply to:

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Obviously anything to monitor "noise" is going to have to compare the ambient sample to the data being played and cancel that portion out.

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I thought of that later, but wouldn't that require a lot of CPU power?

Clearly if the empeg itself knows how loud it is playing the music, then it can cancel that part of the "volume detection" from the mike. Kind of like standing in a quiet room and screaming. You know that it is *still* a quiet room because your brain can ignore your vocal cords. If you are screaming in a loud room, then your brain knows it is a loud room as well.

Calvin

Some head unit, like Pioneer or JVC ones, has the 'Cruise' function that makes the volume go higher when the ambient noise go higher (someone opens a window, engine roaring, you screaming... ) and lower it when e.g. you stop at a traffic light.

So it's a feasible thing...

The 98 Camaro Convert I had featured a "SCV" function. I *think* it was Speed-Controlled-Volume, I never had the manual

It was great, the faster I went, the louder the stereo got to compensate for the windnoise.

Or is that, "The louder the music played, the faster I drove." (i noticed that one time - I would turn up the volume, and the driver would speed up, and vice versa - consistantly)

Could we hook it up to the windshield wipers also - so there is more delay at stoplights and less at 55mph?