SPL Measurement software questions

Goldenboy · 6th February 2007, 06:54 PM

I painfully taught myself how to use Speaker Workshop to do measurements the last time I built a speaker (an Orion type dipole), and now the time is coming to build my next project, and I'll have to sharpen my skills again on measuring/gating etc. I want to improve this very necessary step however, so:

I have a few questions that I would like to ask.

1) I'm considering switching to ARTA, after playing with the demo. Even though I haven't done any actual measurements in it yet, it seems so much more user friendly, and quick. ARTA manual suggest using the Fourier Stepped-sign technique as opposed to MLS, has anyone tried this method? Does any one know the proper method to set this up? ARTA doesn't seem to use a reference input channel like Speakerworkshop, does that effect its measurement accuracy? Has anyone compared measurement accurracy of SWS vs ARTA? I plan to do this, but wondered what others have found.

p.s. I just want to know which software package is better for measuring spl response, as I'm using a digital XO.

2) I've been using my onboard audio (SoundMax Integrated Audio) to do all measurements so far in SWS, I want to know if its really worth getting an external card. For those that have tried both onboard and add-on cards for measuring, what benefits did you see. And what is a good budget priced card that works well with ARTA?

Thank you for all your help!

sek · 7th February 2007, 02:01 AM

Hi,

I can't comment on ARTA/STEPS, but the FAQ section answers many of your questions.

A better audio interface usually improves linearity of the microphone recordings, so low bass and ultrasonic measurements could get more accurate.

One thing that sometimes happens with onboard sound codecs is DC and/or turn-on glitch that could affect measurement accuracy. You would have to compare for yourself to find out wether this improves for you.

Also, better microphone preamps usually make better use of better microphones.

Cheers.

PS: I use an ECM8000 on an M-Audio Fast Track Pro and use Speaker Workshop (Windows) and Fuzzmeasure (Mac).

6th February 2007, 06:54 PM	#1
Goldenboy diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Golden	SPL Measurement software questions I painfully taught myself how to use Speaker Workshop to do measurements the last time I built a speaker (an Orion type dipole), and now the time is coming to build my next project, and I'll have to sharpen my skills again on measuring/gating etc. I want to improve this very necessary step however, so: I have a few questions that I would like to ask. 1) I'm considering switching to ARTA, after playing with the demo. Even though I haven't done any actual measurements in it yet, it seems so much more user friendly, and quick. ARTA manual suggest using the Fourier Stepped-sign technique as opposed to MLS, has anyone tried this method? Does any one know the proper method to set this up? ARTA doesn't seem to use a reference input channel like Speakerworkshop, does that effect its measurement accuracy? Has anyone compared measurement accurracy of SWS vs ARTA? I plan to do this, but wondered what others have found. p.s. I just want to know which software package is better for measuring spl response, as I'm using a digital XO. 2) I've been using my onboard audio (SoundMax Integrated Audio) to do all measurements so far in SWS, I want to know if its really worth getting an external card. For those that have tried both onboard and add-on cards for measuring, what benefits did you see. And what is a good budget priced card that works well with ARTA? Thank you for all your help!

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7th February 2007, 02:01 AM	#2
sek diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Berlin	Hi, I can't comment on ARTA/STEPS, but the FAQ section answers many of your questions. A better audio interface usually improves linearity of the microphone recordings, so low bass and ultrasonic measurements could get more accurate. One thing that sometimes happens with onboard sound codecs is DC and/or turn-on glitch that could affect measurement accuracy. You would have to compare for yourself to find out wether this improves for you. Also, better microphone preamps usually make better use of better microphones. Cheers. PS: I use an ECM8000 on an M-Audio Fast Track Pro and use Speaker Workshop (Windows) and Fuzzmeasure (Mac).

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