zac coupe Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 This idea was originally brought to my attention by Simon West. In light conversation about sound and technical jargon...you know how it goes. Any how to the point, I have got a 2 in 8 out omnidrive in my rack which I'm planning on hooking up to my tablet PC via wireless, (Ive got the wireless side sussed and I know what leads and blue tooth stuff I require) so that I can wander the room and change the eq settings, crossover points, delays etc. I have the BSS software to do this, and I am also looking into investing in smaart live as I had a go on it on my friends computer and liked it. What reference Mic and USB mixer would you recommend? This is an area I'm not to hot on and I'm fairly new to all this computer stuff. So what are my options?
griffter Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 Hi There, In answer to your question, You would need a flat omnidirectional condenser microphone for measurement purposes. If you are looking for the best then it would be a DPA 4007 or 4006 but this is somewhere in the region of £1000, The behringer ECM8000 one at £40 is quite a bargain as it is (give or take 2 or 3db) fairly flat. A middle ground would be the Audix TR40 at £120. The soundcard would need to be able to provide two analogue mic/line inputs and phantom power. Something like an Edirol UA1 is quite popular. It doesnt have to be anything too esoteric as the transfer function on a SMAART system compares the difference between two incoming signals so the soundcard is effectively cancelled out. I would strongly recommend anyone using analysis software to go on a Meyer SIMM or EAW Smaart course. The Meyer SIMM course was one of the most useful training sessions I have ever had and totally changed my approach to System Design/Lineup/EQ etc Hope this Helps Griff
paulglave Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 Whoaa there! Don't over complicate things just because you've got the tech to do it. Sounds to me like you're setting yourself up for an unnecessary headache. Most speaker manufacturers will have info on the correct settings for their boxes, or if you've bulit the boxes yourself you'll know the correct crossover/timing settings. Start there and if you're unhappy with the sound you're getting, tweak until you are. What I'm basically saying is, don't get bogged down in all the whistles and bells of the tech until you're at a stage when it makes your job easier. I've seen engineers set up very complex processing for a well installed rig in a 200 capacity venue. Reference mics all over the shop and computers connected to eq's, speaker management systems etc. They then fart around, pissing everybody off with pink noise for 2 hours and then have only 20 minutes to soundcheck the band. Resulting in a poor sound.
Simon Lewis Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 I would strongly recommend anyone using analysis software to go on a Meyer SIMM or EAW Smaart course. The Meyer SIMM course was one of the most useful training sessions I have ever had and totally changed my approach to System Design/Lineup/EQ etc Just on cue... EAW have announced a UK based Smaart training session... April 23rd at Bray Studio, London, plus practical sessions on the 24th. Cost is $300 (yes Dollars). See this site for more details.
Ben Langfeld Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 Am I the only one thinking "What? Bluetooth?"? I hope you mean WiFi...
zac coupe Posted April 11, 2007 Author Posted April 11, 2007 Why not use RS232 blue tooth? There maybe an obvious reason why not, but as I say I am new to all this wireless stuff.
Pete McCrea Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 Splash your cash on the training sessions from Meyer or EAW. The basic Meyer ones certainly give you a great grounding in the basics of sound. As someone fairly technically literate, it pulled my practical experience, GCSE, A Level Physics and Engineering wave theories together. The one thing I remember from the Meyer one was the ease with which Magu the course leader described the process of calculating where the frequencies would add and cancel. Then sticking the mic in place and showing it was there. It basically showed that using a mic in a fixed position could lead to you removeing the wrong frequencies. So use your ears, and learnt to trust them!
Ben Langfeld Posted April 11, 2007 Posted April 11, 2007 Why not use RS232 blue tooth? There maybe an obvious reason why not, but as I say I am new to all this wireless stuff. Range. Bluetooth isn't particularly reliable at great distances.
Joe Posted April 12, 2007 Posted April 12, 2007 Not only range, Bluetooth is only good for up to 10m, but also security - do a Google search for Bluejacking. I think for what you want to do, I.e wander round a venue tweaking, you require wireless connectivity, can be secured and much greater range and reliability. Joe
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