Pro Sound Web: Many audio field technicians are now in possession of measurement systems that can be used to assist the listening process in equalizing sound reinforcement systems. But, they’re often surprised to find that the measured system response correlates poorly with subjective impression of how the system sounds.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
AV: Why Measured System Response Doesn’t Match What’s Heard
Pro Sound Web: Many audio field technicians are now in possession of measurement systems that can be used to assist the listening process in equalizing sound reinforcement systems. But, they’re often surprised to find that the measured system response correlates poorly with subjective impression of how the system sounds.
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3 comments:
This article brings up a lot of good considerations when EQing an audio system in a space. It's always really cool to see what sort of frequency response a room or theatre space has by using an RTA. I've used a simple RTA as a plugin in the DAW I use for recording, and messed around with seeing how much different frequencies respond to the room in unique ways. The article touches on some good considerations for larges spaces, and I learned more about specifically how the sound changes based on where the measurement microphone is in relation to the sources being tested.
The RTA equipment is such a cool advancement and with the prices dropping on these units a lot more of the small theatres are using this for system equalization. These have been a great tool but it is becoming a crutch for many new sound designers. This technology makes it easier for new sound designers to half ass their training of their ears. I love to use RTA technology to automatically equalize the system and fix delays then come in and tweak from there manually. This article brings up great points about the placement and effective range of RTA mics in relation to speaker placements.
I think that the author made a lot of good points in this article and he wrote in a very accessible manor. He made a statement in the article which I felt was counter intuitive to his main points. He stated, “The goal of technical system equalization is to produce a “flat” horizontal line on this display.” This may not be the case. The author even alluded to that notion. He said, “…the system can sound good when it looks bad on the analyzer, and it can sound bad when it looks good on the analyzer.” Needless to say, all the analyzing technology in the world could produce a sub- standard sound. Some times what you need is a bearded guy with a leather vest.
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