Acousic Measurement

[BassAwdyO]

I was wondering what kind of hardware/software some of you used to do acoustic measurements like FR and SPL. DIY audio is basically my only hobby and I've been lacking in measurement devices(spare my own ear) to confirm that my projects end up near what I had designed them to be, and I'd like to take in room measurements. So I thought I'd start a thread and see what kind of things people here use and what they like/dislike about what they have, what would be good to get, cost effective etc... If anyone has experience with some of the stuff that's out there I'd really appreciate hearing what you have to say.

[bigmike216]

Speaker workshop is free

[rgrayton]

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=500-912

[bzdang]

Speakerworkshop requires more concentration than I can manage. There are many modest priced software packages available but I suggest that you try -

www.audiotester.de - software
+ a Behringer ECM8000 (or its APEX clone)
+ a microphone preamp (I have an APEX preamp)

The software is shareware so you can try it out, and you'll want the mic and preamp even if you choose to purchase other software.

Cheers
bzdang

[planet10]

I use FuzzMeasure for impedance curves & MLSSA FR measurements ... eagarly awaiting new modules in the family... real easy to use, and nothing i've seen comes close in terms of output quality.

dave

[simon5]

You can start by a basic radio shack SPL meter and a Excel Spreadsheet for SPL and FR.

That's what I'm getting for Christmas.

[BassAwdyO]

Thanks alot for the replys. I downloaded audiotester and it seems like pretty nice software. A good measurement mic will be my next purchase. One thing I noticed about the behringer that I dont like is that the FR only goes down to 15hz(according to the PDF spec sheet). I'd prefer something that could measure down to 10hz, though I'd settle for 15. What kind of preamp do I need? I have a superlux condenser mic and already have the phantom power, but no preamp.

[bzdang]

A preamp like this, from ebay or your local music p.a. dealer, any brand will do, they're inexpensive.

http://www.apexelectronics.com/produ...&show=Overview

You'll need an adapter for the unbalanced output [1/4" phone plug to rca female], and a cable to your soundcard input [stereo rca males to stereo 1/8" stereo mini], and a 15 ft mic cable.

[BassAwdyO]

Basically that preamp is just phantom power with a level controller on it from what it looks like to me. I have a phantom power module and a low - high impedence converter. The phantom power mod has 12 and 48 volt settings. The low-high impedence converter goes from balanced low to unbalanced 1/4" high impedence. Would this along with the mic be enough to get me started?

[JMB]

Speaker Workshop works quite well. It is true that there is a learning curve but I think that the manual that I put together with the help of others will not only abbreviate that learning curve considerably but it will also add some additional spreadsheets and embedded programs to assist with speaker design. SW can assist with both measurement and crossover design. You can download the manual at http://www.audiodiycentral.com. The speed and accuracy of the program was tested by John Kreskofsky and found to be equal to most of the commercial software available. It does require some time for calibration but I would think that assuring consistent calibration from measurement to measurement would be a desireable feature.

Good luck,

Jay

p.s. I use the ECM 8000 mic and the UB802 pre-amp mixer (both from Behringer and the two together cost under $75 US when I got them).