[LAU] Room acoustic sound analysis

[Lorenzo]

Dear Russel,

As a former Cakewalk user (the first version I used was a 1992 DOS one!) 
I know how you feel. I just posted my experience in managing to do a 
complete project (much different from the scenario you depict) entirely 
in linux... so let me first wish you all the best in pursuing you 
musical career/inspiration/mission!

To go into you question, I'm not much of an acoustics expert but I do 
have experience of bad recording environments, As a less scientific and 
more 'hand-crafted' solution I have seen that microphone/instrumen(s) 
placing may help a lot with experimentation and 'ear tests' when 
refurbishing the room is not an option (or the room is simply the one 
you get). I also guess that *light* effects and eq might help in 
post-production process. I work in a famous auditorium which is assumed 
to have been designed for good acoustics, but I hear very diverse, 
subjective opinions on the topic, so I guess there is no 'perfect 
ambient' for sound, although a good environment can help.

Just my two pennies anyway.

All the best,
Lorenzo

Russell Hanaghan wrote:
> Hello LAU,
>
> While I have not been active on this list in a long time, I have been 
> watching from the side stage and it's nice to see the string of various 
> information and experience still flowing thru the LAU community.
>
> I'll get to my questions as they relate to the subject title in a sec 
> but firstly, a little back ground on some significant changes I have 
> going on and how they may relate to the furthering of open source audio...
>
> I have left the corporate grind and world of regular income for purposes 
> of pursuing my all time passion. I have not a pot to piss in nor a 
> window to pitch it out of in terms of capitol and am largely doing it on 
> faith! My core products are fretted instrument and amplifier / music 
> related electronics repair, recording and demos, small PA system rentals 
> and also working as a musician for hire, primarily doing my solo thing. 
> In another post I will  speak to my dilemma of being unhappy using Sonar 
> 8 on Windows Vista and looking for some possible encouragement to 
> consider going totally open source!
>
>  I have rented a large warehouse type space (2600'sq) in the Nth Cali 
> foothills and within there are several spaces dedicated to the various 
> products I alluded to. The main room that we do live music in is a good 
> size, approx. 30'w x 40'l with 17' ceilings. It's predominantly drywall 
> and stud construction and also with a 17'x10' metal roll up door. It has 
> a concrete floor with industrial carpet covering it. I have just 
> described something of an acoustical nightmare, likely only topped by an 
> aircraft hangar with corrugated iron walls and roof! :) We have been 
> doing some live stuff thru a PA in this room and it's a sure fire way to 
> reveal how the room reacts. The room produces some high freq (2k - 5k) 
> boosts as well as some 150 to 400hz bumps. While I have implemented some 
> baffles to reduce live high freq bounce, these only serve to deaden the 
> room and not change tonal characteristics. How I go about changing the 
> mechanics of the room will be dictated largely by economics but in order 
> to assess this, I'm looking to to some spectrum analysis.
>
> Has anyone set up a laptop and microphone and open source apps and 
> performed this to some success? I need a tone generation source as well 
> as an analysis tool. It needs some bias adjustment for mic and sound 
> card inherent response I should think. That said, it does not need to be 
> a perfect tool. If I can get some form of reliable, self referenced 
> measurement, that would give me something more than the guess work I am 
> currently using from my head and my ears.
>
> TIA for your input and ideas.
>
> Russell
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