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Which measurement microphone to choose for measuring and calibrating rooms?

Jozze

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Hi! I have been doing some research on some measurement mics and have been interested in 4:
dbx RTA-M
Behringer ECM
8000 Dayton emm-6
Presonus PRM 1

My question is: Which one is the best for measuring rooms (home studios mainly) and calibrating studio monitors?
 

bluefuzz

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MiniDSP UMIK-1 + REW is probably the most popular option but they are probably all good enough for room correction.
 

ddlooping

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Welcome to the forum, @Jozze :)

Another one that seems to be used to good effect is the UMIK-1...

Edit : ninjaed :D
 

DVDdoug

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They should all come with a calibration curve so maybe choose the manufacturer that you trust the most for an accurate calibration.

A USB measurement/calibration mic has a calibrated level so you can use it for SPL measurements (without additional calibration with your preamp/interface). The potential downside to a digital output is that you don't get adjustable (analog) gain.
 

TabCam

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Saw this just today but it depends...
... Umik-1 is ideal for use with laptop and compatible devices and just room correction. No need for calibration with the included calibration files.
... PreSonus PRM1 needs a phantom power supply//preamplifier/interface and calibration every time depending on the interface and if you make your own calibration file. It is quite lineair +/- 1 dB.
 

Snarfie

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Using a Superlux ECM999 did comparison measurments with UMIK an a Lygdorf RoomPerfect Microphone . Did not hear any difference in result. Graphs looks very similar.
 

Matthias McCready

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Most cheap measurement mics, sub $100 are the same exact microphone just rebranded.

It is my understanding, from attending a Smaart class, that roughly all measurement microphones utilize the same capsule, however they are different grades of it. The really inconsistent ones go to the cheap brands, while microphones that cost thousands each come from the batches that have passed several grading tests. ie if you are spending $2k a mic they will be fairly consistent microphone to microphone. If you spend less than $100 one might be extremely flat, the next may not be, it is anyone's guess.

In particular measurement mics that are under roughly $500 tend to be inaccurate above about 6K, again not all but many.

However this does not matter if your microphone has a calibration file. My measurement mic of choice is usually a Rational Acoustics RTA-420, with a calibration file ($150).

With the caveat that a microphones frequency response will deviate over time for for $150 that you have an incredibly flat microphone.

As someone who uses measurement mics in the field for work, I really like a $150 vs a $2,000 one as if someone drops it or runs it over with lift (it has been known to happen), I do far less crying in the aftermath. :facepalm:;)
 
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