next phase of my project, speaker/room correction: yet again, newbie questions.

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Im almost finieshed building my system (alpair 7 fullrangers, and dual subwoofers, running from minidsp 2x4 HD)

There is tons of very complex documentation and tutorials floating around for the various bits of software, for use with my minidsp2x4HD.. i will of course have to dive in and get my head round it all to get some decent results.

however one thing ive found lacking, is an overview of which pieces of software one should use, and in which order for an overall process.

i am planning to use REW for autoeq and Multi Sub Optimiser for my twin subs. im limited in the location my subs can go in, and my room is pretty acoustically terrible (stone walls, tiled floor, barrel vaulted 5m high cieling, room treatment not really an option)

First tests in the practically ideal locations, approximately under each wall-mounted main fullranger) give me almost no bass in a wide area at the centre of the room (covering all seating positions) and a nauseating boominess in all the corners ( including where my Girlfriend's work desk is located. )

obviously this is no good. i will be doing some tests with REW and my Umik mike to try and find some better positions. the only work ive done with the minidsp so far is to set up crossovers and high pass filters for the subs.

my newbie questions are as follows:
*should i REW auto-eq the speakers and subs outside away from room effects first, before trying to place and correct them in my awful room?

ive seen this suggested, but it seems any corrections would be overwritten by new measurements in-room anyway, so maybe pointless ?

* should i auto eq the main fullrangers (in room) *before* doing the multisub optimiser to correct the subs and integrate with the mains?

*in some guides it advises to aim for a flat response in-room, and in others, it states to avoid correcting for room modes etc.. this confuses me. surely i wish to get a flat response in the end?

* how does Rephase fit in here? would i use it as a last step after REW and MSO to fix any phase issues? or would it mess with the MSO corrections?

as it is, using REW and MSO only, my fancy FIR filters are sitting there doing nothing.

i have about a million other questions, but i suspect once i know a good, solid overall workflow, the rest can be discovered in the relative tutorials and help files.

many thanks, Robin.
 
Last edited:
Administrator
Joined 2004
Paid Member
Can you post a diagram of where things are currently placed? It sounds like you need to move things around in order to find the right spot for the subwoofers in particular.

It may be that you may need more of them. (Geddes has recommended this approach in difficult rooms)

You may need to get creative with room treatments that don't look like such - plants, artificial or real, room dividers, books in book cases, wall hangings, etc. Look at alternative placements for furniture and speakers.

My listening room is multi-purpose and cluttered, currently using old BSS Varicurve parametric room equalizers but am looking at the MiniDSP SHD as a modern replacement for those equalizers. The SHD uses DIRAC which is intended to help with the sort of issues you describe.
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.