Room acoustic tuning basics
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I have had a fair number of enquiries already regarding this largely misunderstood subject so here are some tips;
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Firstly do not just buy some treatment or other based on sales talk, cost or published 'performance' figures as it's effect will be undetermined in your room without using measuring equipment.
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There are software programs available which allow full measurement of your room. This is a highly important starting point and essential to obtaining meaningful results otherwise you will be stumbling around in the dark.
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One particular package I can recommend is Room EQ Wizard which is available as a free download from their website.
This, coupled with a suitable calibrated microphone (I use MiniDSP UMIK 1 but there are others available), will allow you to properly measure your unique room responses and determine the effects of any treatment.
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If you venture to try this, take a frequency sweep measurement at the room corners and the listening position then generate a 'waterfall graph' for each. This is very easy to do in Room EQ Wizard.
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In basic terms it shows the room frequency response (or distortion) at the given microphone position when sound is produced and the varying decay rates at different frequencies thereafter.
These look like a series of 'hills' and tell you where the decay is poor ie the room resonances or modes.
The major hills are concentrated in the bass area from ~20hz to ~100hz or so and vary greatly from one room to the next in distribution, size and shape.
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The low frequency room modes determine dynamic contrast and clarity of your audio set up very much affecting midrange and high frequency perception as well as bass definition.
This, I would say, is the primary concern of any room tuning process. Midrange and high frequency anomalies can be dealt with after if necessary and are generally much easier to tame.
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If you are so inclined to do the measuring yourself (and use REW) I am more than happy to take a look at the mdat files it produces from the sweeps and proffer some sound advice.
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Alternatively I can offer a room measuring service, cost of which will depend on distance.
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This would also present the opportunity for me to demonstrate the benefits of the cbmac device and/or dsp tuned distributed subwoofers if so desired, see Other services for more on this subject.
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Email me with your location and a brief desciption of your room layout and size for further information and costings.
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almost 5db reduction in spl at the primary room mode from a single device
primary room mode at 43hz accounts for spl peak
a very expensive system totally ruined by poor room acoustics..
almost 5db reduction in spl at the primary room mode from a single device
Click on image to open..
The new cbmac design
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This is in the latter stages of development.
It will stand about 90cm high and has removable cloth grilles which can be colour coded along with the wood uprights and top panel.
Any comments welcome..