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February 17, 2007 - 10:53am
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DEQX and TACT Room Correction
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You don't have to spend that much money.
Get an FBQ-2496 from Behringer (doesn't take digital in) or the DEQ2496 (has a DAC) and buy a SW program called RAL(RTA) and use your PC with a mic you supply. I have used this set up in 3 rooms now and it works great. All of this could cost Under $250. Use the RAL to set up the best you can then use the DSP to make corrections. Not as effective as room treatment (doesn't deal with time) and oriented to basically the sweet spot but it's great - and far cheaper and less obtrusive than room treatment. The only negative effect is a slight amount of noise - but I have to crank the volume and go near the speaker to hear it.
Thanks. If this works you are right I am saving quite a packet.
You mentioned that you are using RAL software. Does the software control the DEQ parametric eq? Or is the RAL just showing you the feedback response of the room and then you use the DEQ offline to make changes and go back and use the RAL to look at resulting new respones?
Can you listen to the changes as you make them on the DEQ?
Finally, what is your sense for how well it corrects higher frequencies?
Thanks
Electronic "correction" doesn't work at mid and high frequencies, and it doesn't even work very well at bass frequencies. The only way to reduce excess ambience and echoes is with absorption.
Room acoustics problems are so incredibly localized that it's not even possible to correct for both ears at the same time. You might be interested in THIS report I added recently on my company's web site.
--Ethan
Thanks Ethan. Interesting article. I am concerned about these devices not being able to help much in the higher frequencies. The DEQX guys are quite forthright about this in their whitepaper on room correction.
My problem is that pretty much two sides of my room are glass (only 4-5 feet from my speakers on one side) and I cannot (not allowed to) use drapes on my windows. Do you know of any transparent/semi transparent screen type window shade material that can help with higher frequencies? I was envisioning a see through white screen that could neatly pull up and dissappear at the top of the window.
And well you should be.
> My problem is that pretty much two sides of my room are glass (only 4-5 feet from my speakers on one side) and I cannot (not allowed to) use drapes on my windows. <
Let me know if that changes.
Seriously, if you have a room with bad acoustics and you can't do what's needed (add absorption), then you're stuck with bad acoustics.
> I was envisioning a see through white screen that could neatly pull up and dissappear at the top of the window. <
There's no magic bullet. Thin materials cannot absorb a useful amount. This is physics.
--Ethan
A Behringer DEQ2496 and a Behringer ECM6000 microphone will do a good job equalizing your rooms frequency response. It will not do anything for reverberation times. The DEQ2496 has its own pink noise source and will adjust its EQ automatically. I have also verified this with my PC running Realtime RTA spectrum analyzer.
RAL is just an RTA with sound generator. Ethan is correct. DSP is not correct everything. For humps below 300hz it can be every helpful - especially for the sweet spot.