Room Measurement Tutorial for Dummies Part 1

[john61ct]

Aren't there more modern HowTo's and learning resources for noobs linked to elsewhere, to supplement this guide?

Surely not one single source will ever cover everything wry such a huge and complex topic

 

[GS430man]

Jeff Mery has an excellent YouTube series about REW for Mac, and the associated program MSO. Worth a watch if you are starting out.

 

[dped90]

The "Make A Measurement" screen looks different because the screenshots in the original post are from an older version of REW. Your screenshot looks okay. It appears to be setup to do two repetitions of the sine sweep, and the output is set to the Right channel only (which you may want, I don't know -- best to measure L+R if you really want to know what's going on with the bass in your room).

When I run the Check Levels test I get : Level Low -97.7dbFS 23db SPL. Windows internal mic level set to 50 but REW's mic input and Ref input leveIs are ~ -93dbFS. I tried varying REW's RMS level from -12 to -6dbFS and again hit Check Levels but same reading. Does this mean my system's live recording headroom level is too low above the noise floor? What to do next?

 

[Keith_W]

When I run the Check Levels test I get : Level Low -97.7dbFS 23db SPL. Windows internal mic level set to 50 but REW's mic input and Ref input leveIs are ~ -93dbFS. I tried varying REW's RMS level from -12 to -6dbFS and again hit Check Levels but same reading. Does this mean my system's live recording headroom level is too low above the noise floor? What to do next?

It means that REW does not "see" your mic.

1. Can you hear the pink noise?
2. Does the metering indicator move at all when you play pink noise?
3. Have you set the input correctly? You want "EXCL: Umik-1". The "EXCL" is important! Don't set it to "default input".

 

[dped90]

Can hear the pink noise. Output level looks "pinned". Both the input and input Ref definitely move, though don't recall how high. It's on my laptop ten miles away.

3. Have you set the input correctly? You want "EXCL: Umik-1". The "EXCL" is important! Don't set it to "default input".

??? I'm a rock bottom beginner REW dummy who's still on page one. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...om-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-1.4/ So, still using my Windows laptop's internal mic. As you can see, Amir hasn't even mentioned the external mic input.

 

[Keith_W]

Your laptop's internal mic is not suitable for taking measurements of any kind. The only use for it is to confirm that REW works. I suggest you try different inputs until you find the correct input. For example, this is my laptop set up to take measurements from its internal mic:

As mentioned, DO NOT ATTEMPT to take measurements with the internal mic. Those measurements will be utterly meaningless. Get a UMIK1 or UMIK2 as soon as you can.

 

[dped90]

As mentioned, DO NOT ATTEMPT to take measurements with the internal mic. Those measurements will be utterly meaningless. Get a UMIK1 or UMIK2 as soon as you can.

I would have if Amir said to get one on that page. Which of those mics to get, cost aside?

 

[MouseOnMars]

Either one is fine.

 

[dped90]

Recommended mic boom stand?

 

[digitalfrost]

IMHO nothing beats König & Meyer stands. They are expensive but they just work and keep working. And if something breaks, you can get every replacement part for cheap. I had a 20$ china stand before and it didn't last long despite me barely using because some plastic broke. Once you start looking for it you will see the K&M logo on stands on almost every stage.

Microphone stands with boom

The K&M product range includes music stands, instrument stands, seats, benches, standing aids, keyboard stands, microphone stands, speaker stands, light stands, multimedia accessories and more.

www.k-m.de

I have the 210/9

 

[Keith_W]

Hmm, I have a $50 Chinese cheapo stand. It's not particularly sturdy. But at least it hasn't broken ... that's all I ask of it.