Member
Joined 2003
You can apply the same method to create your own calibration from a known good mic as well. Simply take a measurement with each mic, keeping everything as equal as possible, normalize the amplitude around 0dB and subtract one from the other to generate a calibration. Recheck with both mics and you should find that they both produce surprisingly similar measurements.
Yes, and those with great mics can help us poor things to calibrate our cheap mics for a small fee
Member
Joined 2003
Line Audio OM1 is a good flat mic without calibration as you know, and I don't think the price is very much all things considered, though certainly above the bargain XREF20 and similar Emm-6.
So, after ten days of waiting and four e-mails sent to Sonarworks we can recognise case is closed. Support didn't respond.
When I was buying mic for measurements I wondered if Dayton can randomly generate correction files for their mics because it's big company and probably they need reduce cost of business. I thought Sonarworks is smaller so it's more trustworthy. But as you can see I was wrong. Calibration files from Sonarworks are useless and Dayton seems to be much more reliable company. Their calibration files "match to my ear experience" and I was surprised when measurements with mic pointed directly to speaker and with mic angled 90 degrees are almost identical when they are used with proper calibration file. Because of that I suspect they make real mic measurements.
If you buy cheapest Behringer ECM8000 without calibration and use it for speaker measurements then you get as reliable results as with XREF20 and attached calibration file. So it's not worth to pay extra money for XREF20.
If you have opportunity to lend Dayton mic then you can very easy make your own calibration file with ARTA software to any microphone without calibration file like Behringer ECM8000. I did it for my XREF20 using UMIK-1.
Below are calibration files for UMIK1 and my XREF20.
When I was buying mic for measurements I wondered if Dayton can randomly generate correction files for their mics because it's big company and probably they need reduce cost of business. I thought Sonarworks is smaller so it's more trustworthy. But as you can see I was wrong. Calibration files from Sonarworks are useless and Dayton seems to be much more reliable company. Their calibration files "match to my ear experience" and I was surprised when measurements with mic pointed directly to speaker and with mic angled 90 degrees are almost identical when they are used with proper calibration file. Because of that I suspect they make real mic measurements.
If you buy cheapest Behringer ECM8000 without calibration and use it for speaker measurements then you get as reliable results as with XREF20 and attached calibration file. So it's not worth to pay extra money for XREF20.
If you have opportunity to lend Dayton mic then you can very easy make your own calibration file with ARTA software to any microphone without calibration file like Behringer ECM8000. I did it for my XREF20 using UMIK-1.
Below are calibration files for UMIK1 and my XREF20.
Attachments
Member
Joined 2003
I don't know how much trust I'd put in Dayton calibrations. Maybe the Omnimic, but the Emm-6 are just random noise mostly. Garbage calibration. Go with a product that at least specifies some degree of accuracy.
Argh! When I was talking about Dayton I meant miniDSP. I don't know why I made mistake with UMIK-1 producer. Of course it's produced by MiniDSP. Sorry for my mistake.
But unfortunately UMIK-1 is USB mic and it cannot be used with ARTA in dual channel mode. For me it's good only as reference mic to make calibration file for classic XLR microphones.
But unfortunately UMIK-1 is USB mic and it cannot be used with ARTA in dual channel mode. For me it's good only as reference mic to make calibration file for classic XLR microphones.
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Member
Joined 2003
That's exactly what I use the UMIK-1 for, but I do so with a calibration file from Cross-Spectrum (..based on the ACO 7052E).
(..I'll also use it as a sound meter at 1 kHz with it's own calibration file.)
(..I'll also use it as a sound meter at 1 kHz with it's own calibration file.)
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If the graph on 1st graph is true and would repro when tested against another known microphone, then it could also be a matter how Sonarworks mounts the microphone when they calibrate it.
One would calibrate it against reference microphone... the correct way would be to
a) take a measurement with REF mic
b) remove REF mic
c) put the tested mic at precisely same location
But for speed and convenience one could also do it by
a) setting REF and tested mic side by side with tips almost touching
b) make the two measurements
The difference will be that in most part of the spectrum calibration would be correct, but somewhere >10kHz the response would probably rise inaccurately as now one had basically 2x 1/2'' diameter in the sound field instead of only 1mic diameter... and that will make a difference.
I have compared those two methods in past and this was about the difference to be expected.
One would calibrate it against reference microphone... the correct way would be to
a) take a measurement with REF mic
b) remove REF mic
c) put the tested mic at precisely same location
But for speed and convenience one could also do it by
a) setting REF and tested mic side by side with tips almost touching
b) make the two measurements
The difference will be that in most part of the spectrum calibration would be correct, but somewhere >10kHz the response would probably rise inaccurately as now one had basically 2x 1/2'' diameter in the sound field instead of only 1mic diameter... and that will make a difference.
I have compared those two methods in past and this was about the difference to be expected.
Small update. Support answered after about 192 hours on working days (not 72 as declared). And their reply:
"I can now confirm, that the microphone calibration is correct. The problem described can happen as you're only using a zero-degree file as the other one is locked.
We apologize for any inconvenience, but the problem seems to be with the data you have used, instead of the microphone or calibration profile. "
"I can now confirm, that the microphone calibration is correct. The problem described can happen as you're only using a zero-degree file as the other one is locked.
We apologize for any inconvenience, but the problem seems to be with the data you have used, instead of the microphone or calibration profile. "