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Post by Hexspa on Mar 19, 2016 1:51:38 GMT
In your measurement microphone article realtraps.com/art_measuring.htm you mention measuring loudspeakers with the mic facing up. Is there any difference between measuring a loudspeaker (basically) and measuring room behavior at any given point - especially in terms of aiming the mic? Bonus question: is it worth getting a measurement mic calibrated or is it good enough to see the improvement in a room? I can see how calibration would help set odds and ends like crossover and other loudspeaker hardware options. |
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Post by Ethan Winer on Mar 19, 2016 17:23:35 GMT
Even a good omni microphone has a flatter response when aimed at the source. So where you aim it depends on what you want to measure. With better microphones that are flatter off-axis, it matters less. Pointing up is useful when balancing loudspeaker volumes. Otherwise, to measure response it's best to aim it directly at the speaker.
I have an good quality DPA measuring microphone so I didn't need to get it calibrated. But even if I had only a Behringer ECM8000 I probably wouldn't bother. Decent mics vary a few dB, versus rooms that vary 30-40 dB or more. So using a calibrated microphone is sort of like measuring your height to the 1/64th of an inch.
--Ethan
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Post by Hexspa on Mar 21, 2016 5:30:50 GMT
Even a good omni microphone has a flatter response when aimed at the source. So where you aim it depends on what you want to measure. With better microphones that are flatter off-axis, it matters less. Pointing up is useful when balancing loudspeaker volumes. Otherwise, to measure response it's best to aim it directly at the speaker. I have an good quality DPA measuring microphone so I didn't need to get it calibrated. But even if I had only a Behringer ECM8000 I probably wouldn't bother. Decent mics vary a few dB, versus rooms that vary 30-40 dB or more. So using a calibrated microphone is sort of like measuring your height to the 1/64th of an inch. --Ethan But with the standard being 6' tall every 1/64th counts!  But seriously you reiterate the point that brought me here: when the room sucks, everything is an improvement. ...something like that. You know what I mean, obviously. |
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Post by Ethan Winer on Mar 21, 2016 17:01:58 GMT
I always LOL at people who say they have a small / terrible room and ask if it's even worth treating it at all. That's like saying, "I haven't eaten in three days. Is it even worth eating half a sandwich?"  |
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Post by starandchlorisse on Mar 21, 2016 22:52:50 GMT
So for room frequency responce the mic should be pointing at the speaker(s)?
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Post by Ethan Winer on Mar 23, 2016 18:21:45 GMT
It depends. For measuring loudspeaker response you definitely want to point the microphone directly at the speaker. And for room response you probably also want to point it at the speaker. But for measuring reverb time you probably want to point it away from the speaker, and put it farther away from the listening position. --Ethan |
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Post by starandchlorisse on Mar 26, 2016 5:12:50 GMT
Ethan I assume that for testing the mixing spot for reverb - you should measure at the exact mixing position looking up?
And when testing the reverb of the room in general, not a specific place, you put it farther away from the listening position.
Correct?
Thanks
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Post by Ethan Winer on Mar 27, 2016 19:51:23 GMT
You're asking tough questions that I don't have good answers for. But I know who does know for sure: www.bksv.com/Library/Application%20NotesThere are a lot of variables, and I agree that measuring reverb is better done farther from the source. But small furnished rooms don't have true reverb, so that's not the best way to look at it. We mostly care about what happens at the listening position in front of loudspeakers, so that's the best place to measure such rooms. --Ethan |
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