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| DaJMasta:
Ah ok, it seems like some of the built in generators are specified as sine only, but not by any means all of them. Having the capability to do effectly "true arb" patterns by just playing an audio file seems like a good way to do it. If it's line level inputs, would you also want an external preamp for connecting a mic directly, or is the gain high enough and noise floor low enough on the inputs that they can interface directly with the mic (given phantom and AC coupled as needed)? |
| FrankBuss:
I used an Audio Precision SYS 2722 for years (not mine unfortunately, at a client). Don't know what you want to pay, you can get it used on eBay for $6000. It is worth the price. The software is easy to use. See the manual here for all the details. Can do FFT, too. It is heavy, but portable in the way you described it, only one big device, plus the required PC or laptop. You can enhance the software with own Basic scripts. Once I implemented a complete calibrate and test script for production for another high priced audio gear. It really has all you ever need, like balanced and unbalanced analog inputs / outputs (with phantom power) and digital in/outs (AES/EBU, up to 192 kHz sampling rate). In the software you can configure the outputs with signal generators and configure which inputs you want to measure and you can save setup configurations. Can output all kind of useful test signals, like sin, noise, arbitrary waveform (IIRC the length was a bit limited) or many different kind of pulses and bursts (useful for loudness measurement tests, or verifying peak meters). And very useful if you develop hardware or want to do in-depth tests: the analog features of the digital inputs, like jitter measurement, see e.g. this video: I don't like their software of the newer devices, like for the APx500. The GUI looks more polished, but in my opinion it is less flexible and less useful, because you can't organize all the measurements and generators in one easy to access configuration and I don't know if it is scriptable, too. |
| amirm:
--- Quote from: DaJMasta on January 05, 2017, 12:22:17 am ---If it's line level inputs, would you also want an external preamp for connecting a mic directly, or is the gain high enough and noise floor low enough on the inputs that they can interface directly with the mic (given phantom and AC coupled as needed)? --- End quote --- I am not a recording guy but I am pretty sure the mic will need a pre-amp to get up to the line level inputs. You can feed it lower level signal but then you lose a ton of your dynamic range. What will you be doing with the mic anyway? If it is for room measurements then that is an entirely different topic. There, I 100% recommend computer software and any microphone you can hook up to your computer. The weapon of choice is free software called Room EQ Wizard. It is a very sophisticated piece of software, outperforming many commercial ones. The down side is that despite what it calls itself, it is hard to learn to use. At least initially. To that end, I have written two tutorials to get people started: Part 1: http://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/room-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-1.4/ Part 2: http://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/room-measurement-tutorial-for-dummies-part-2.5/ I plan to finish the series by showing what to measure and what to do to improve room acoustics. It will include much of the research into psychoacoustics as opposed to simple cookbooks out there. Anyway, tell us more and we can give more relevant advice. :) |
| ruairi:
I'm racing out the door to the studio here but I would advise the O.P. to slow way down and walk before you can run. You are talking about some very high end test equipment but making very basic mistakes in your understanding of audio, electronics and measurements. I totally understand the idea of doing things right and getting the best but understanding the fundamentals and how things are done will help you make better choices when you buy higher end gear later. I use REW (free) and a Prism Lyra 1 interface for acoustics work and on the road electronic testing, on the bench I use a Prism dScope. You can go a long way with something like REW or audio tester and an interface for a couple of hundred dollars. Start learning the fundamentals - for example why we test with tones and not music, then buy gear as you know more about what you really need. Can you tell us more about your application? |
| DaJMasta:
Maybe the issue is that I have two applications: There's the testing application that involves the generator and the low noise floor and distortion, and the more primary real time FFT visualization with recording (of the FFT frames, I can get the audio however if needed). The idea was to try to get them both on the same instrument, since most of the testers which had enough visualization power to generate a Bode plot (not a Keithley 2015 or an HP 8903) also had a good FFT mode and the frontend to keep it nice and clean. I'm not trying to use music to test the performance of gear, but I've used AM and tone + harmonics modes on my current function generator for some audio stuff before and I'd like to have the capability (my current gen is only .075% THD in the audio band, so it wouldn't be suitable for use with these instruments). So I'm looking for, specifically: Good FFT mode (reasonably quick updates, lots of bins available for detailed analysis, wide dynamic range, real time visualization, recording of each frame) Ability to test studio grade gear for distortion, noise, and frequency response The rest is much less important, but if it's fascinating and it doesn't cost a ton more, I'd certainly like it. I don't plan on characterizing the acoustics of any halls, but it would be great if I could pick up an omnidirectional measurement mic and dabble. Measuring timing differences or harmonic differences between input signals would also be really cool to play with, but it would be just for that, I don't have a use for those features I know of. Something like setting up a mic and a speaker in a room and evaluating how performance changes with different furniture or mic/speaker placement is definitely an extra but would be fascinating. |
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