Hey, everyone. My name is Erin and I operate an independent drive unit/speaker testing website at Erin's Audio Corner.
I recently made a video discussing how to DIY your own Moving Microphone Measurement (MMM) setup to use with an RTA system to EQ your stereo system's response and thought some of you may find it useful or a jumping off point to share your own ideas. This is my second video and I'm learning. It isn't perfect (I need better garage lighting and a better mic) but it's the journey, right?...
Some background:
Due to the reflective nature of car and home stereos it is often recommended users take multiple RTA measurements of their system in the "head space" (where they sit and listen). To do this you are left with two options: 1) Place the mic at different locations, measure and then average all the results together. However, this can be time-consuming and not very repeatable. 2) Sit in the listening position and hold the microphone in front of you while moving the mic around the head area. This is complicated by your own body's influence (even your hand can change the result). This is especially detrimental if you are trying to use a "target curve" because, other than headphones, I've never seen a target curve that included elements of the human body; never mind the fact they would vary from person to person.
Therefore, I am providing a low-cost alternative: an oscillating fan to move the microphone. In REW I just let it capture the response in real-time as the mic moves. While not perfect, this helps remedy the above two issues of time and in-accuracy and will be an improvement over the typical methods we use. I am definitely not the first person to do something like this and I'm not pretending to be. And ideally this would be a 3-axis measurement that could grab the response of the entire head area (X, Y, and Z). But, that alternative would require more money and a good deal more time to build and code it up with arduino or the like. The method I've provided is at least a step in the right direction and aimed to get people started with little money and with things they can source locally.
Before throwing negativity my way, make sure to watch the entire video for some tips on things I learned when building mine. I tried to answer all questions in advance so don't tell on yourself by asking something until you've watched.
I hope this little video helps you all in some way. And if nothing else, encourages you guys to get up and take this to another level that you can share with the rest of us.
YouTube
I recently made a video discussing how to DIY your own Moving Microphone Measurement (MMM) setup to use with an RTA system to EQ your stereo system's response and thought some of you may find it useful or a jumping off point to share your own ideas. This is my second video and I'm learning. It isn't perfect (I need better garage lighting and a better mic) but it's the journey, right?...
Some background:
Due to the reflective nature of car and home stereos it is often recommended users take multiple RTA measurements of their system in the "head space" (where they sit and listen). To do this you are left with two options: 1) Place the mic at different locations, measure and then average all the results together. However, this can be time-consuming and not very repeatable. 2) Sit in the listening position and hold the microphone in front of you while moving the mic around the head area. This is complicated by your own body's influence (even your hand can change the result). This is especially detrimental if you are trying to use a "target curve" because, other than headphones, I've never seen a target curve that included elements of the human body; never mind the fact they would vary from person to person.
Therefore, I am providing a low-cost alternative: an oscillating fan to move the microphone. In REW I just let it capture the response in real-time as the mic moves. While not perfect, this helps remedy the above two issues of time and in-accuracy and will be an improvement over the typical methods we use. I am definitely not the first person to do something like this and I'm not pretending to be. And ideally this would be a 3-axis measurement that could grab the response of the entire head area (X, Y, and Z). But, that alternative would require more money and a good deal more time to build and code it up with arduino or the like. The method I've provided is at least a step in the right direction and aimed to get people started with little money and with things they can source locally.
Before throwing negativity my way, make sure to watch the entire video for some tips on things I learned when building mine. I tried to answer all questions in advance so don't tell on yourself by asking something until you've watched.
I hope this little video helps you all in some way. And if nothing else, encourages you guys to get up and take this to another level that you can share with the rest of us.
YouTube
Attachments
Cool idea.
Hopefully the motor on that fan is balanced enough that it will not produce vibrations on the mic stick which could produce abberations in the measurement, meaning wiggling in the mic.
Otherwise well done!
Hopefully the motor on that fan is balanced enough that it will not produce vibrations on the mic stick which could produce abberations in the measurement, meaning wiggling in the mic.
Otherwise well done!
Glad you guys found it at least interesting. 🙂
Looks like the youtube link is not working correctly in the OP and I cannot edit it to fix it, so here it is again:
How-To: Build your own RTA Moving Mic Measurement (MMM) stand for $25!
Looks like the youtube link is not working correctly in the OP and I cannot edit it to fix it, so here it is again:
How-To: Build your own RTA Moving Mic Measurement (MMM) stand for $25!