How do I test my room before and after?

[girvan]

Hi,
I'm going to treat my small recording room. Can you link me to software or techniques to test the room before I add treatment to detect problems. I've searched and found no solid answers.

Here is a link to my previous post concerning the room. I am just going to treat it and not try to gain isolation. THE LINK
Thanks
Scott.

[Ethan Winer]

Scott,

> Can you link me to software or techniques to test the room before I add treatment to detect problems. <

I use the ETF software:

www.etfacoustic.com

There's also the free Room EQ Wizard:

www.hometheatershack.com/roomeq/

And if you have a Mac there's FuzzMeasure:

http://www.supermegaultragroovy.com/...s/FuzzMeasure/

Click HERE to see the article I wrote for my company's web site explaining how I use ETF. The same principles apply to the other programs too.

--Ethan

[girvan]

Thanks Ethan (awesome cello composition/video btw).

$150 US is a bit high for me right now. I saw that you had a Sonar file that walked up through freqs. I sure I could set that up in CEP. (I don't have Sonar yet but I'm thinking about moving to it)

Could I simply record a synth sound walking up through octaves or use generated tones in CEP? The resulting recording of those tones should provide a visual of the perceived volumes of different freqencies in my room and then after treatment.

Realistically though, I can test, treat and test but in a 11x12 room I feel that my best bet is to simply treat everything (broadband DIY corner traps, ceiling cloud, first reflection traps) and test in order to know problems in the room when I come to mix (to make my mix tranportable.)

By all means correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks
Scott.

[Ethan Winer]

Scott,

> $150 US is a bit high for me right now. <

So download the free Room EQ Wizard. It's a very capable program!

> Realistically though, I can test, treat and test but in a 11x12 room I feel that my best bet is to simply treat everything <

Exactly. There's no need to even measure at all because regardless of the results the solution is identical.

> (broadband DIY corner traps, ceiling cloud, first reflection traps) <

You got it.

The only reason I have test tones on the RealTraps site is so people can see how bad their room's LF response really is. Most people have no idea how bad their room is. They've been conditioned by magazine writers and other "experts" that what matters most is using a 96 or 192 KHz sample rate so they can be flat to within 1/4 dB to frequencies far beyond what even a dog can hear. All the while ignoring 30+ dB spans below 300 Hz which is audible.

Speaking of rants against magazine stupidity, did anyone here happen to get the new 2007 Electronic Musician Buyer's Guide? They have 21 different categories of must-have gear, but not one word about acoustics or bass traps or other treatment. Morons.

--Ethan

[girvan]

Thanks Ethan. I appreciate your advice.

I saw that guide and didn't buy it. I used to buy those mags. They are good at one thing - preventing people from making music. I find they leave you feeling totally inadaquate because you don't have the lastest and greatest and without it you can't make music. So instead of using what gear we have, learning it's features and figuring out how mic placement can make a difference, we get trapped into gear lust, that's all. The marketing machine rages on.

[ThaArtist]

So can we just use our own dynamic microphone or do we need a special microphone as in the links you posted Ethan?

Or would a condensor mic be more suitable for measuring?

[Ethan Winer]

> So can we just use our own dynamic microphone or do we need a special microphone as in the links you posted Ethan? <

It depends on what frequencies you want to test. Most dynamic microphones are not very accurate about 5 KHz or so. Also, for best results you should use an omni microphone. A lot of people use the $50 Radio Shack SPL meter. That's quite accurate up to about 800 Hz, which is the range most people are concerned with.

--Ethan

[ThaArtist]

ok coo... thanks!

[Acoustech]

Hate to intervene,,,,,
Test tones.....?
What test tone's ...exactly are you speaking of...?
Are these tone's one would use to calibrate analog machines..
Test tone's with no harmonics ...are these the test tone's you are speaking of..for evaluating acoustical criteria....?.......Ethan.





Acousech

[RICK FITZPATRICK]

Speaking of rants against magazine stupidity, did anyone here happen to get the new 2007 Electronic Musician Buyer's Guide? They have 21 different categories of must-have gear, but not one word about acoustics or bass traps or other treatment. Morons.

But Ethan, acoustical "treatment" is not "electronic"....

[Ethan Winer]

> What test tone's ...exactly are you speaking of...? <

Look here and here:

www.realtraps.com/test-cd.htm
www.realtraps.com/art_etf.htm

--Ethan

[Ethan Winer]

Rick,

> But Ethan, acoustical "treatment" is not "electronic".... <

No shit.

Besides home and pro recording engineers, I deal with many audiophiles and home theater people. Every day I speak with people who have wasted, er, invested, $20K or more on a bunch of overpriced gear and loudspeakers, and they listen in an untreated room. Not only did they spend their money on all the wrong stuff, they don't even know what they're missing. I just got off the phone with a guy like that. He has a large room packed to the gills with overpriced audiophile junk, and no acoustic treatment. He kept asking me, incredulously, if adding room treatment would really make an improvement. He must have an inkling since he called me. But geez...

--Ethan