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An Introduction to Smaart v7
2
Initial View
On first run of Smaartv7,
we are presented with this view.
As in previous versions, we begin our session by
viewing an RTA measurement. This is Smaart’s way of
telling you, “First step - check your input signals.”
Seeing as this is our first run, we have no IO devices or
measurements configured yet . . .
So let’s begin there
3
Configuring Smaart v7
4
Configuring Inputs
Smaart v7 is able to acquire input signals from any
devices that have .wav, CoreAudio, or ASIO drivers
recognizable by our computer’s Operating System.
in fact
we can grab multiple signals from multiple sources
simultaneously
(Note: only one ASIO source can be accessed at a time)
5
Configuring Inputs
When Smaart v7 starts,
you are presented with this splash screen
6
Configuring Inputs
While you are being entertained with this lovely art,
Smaart is busy checking to see what Input devices are
available to your OS.
It is here that Smaart builds its list of input devices, and once a device has
been discovered, it will continue to show up for configuration in
subsequent runs – even if it is not connected at start up.
7
Configuring Inputs
While not absolutely necessary, we shall begin our
measurement configuration by setting up our IO
device(s). This includes:
Setting the device’s sample rate,
bit depth,
and
assigning the device and its channels “friendly names”
- names that will help us as we configure our individual
measurements
8
Smaart Menu Bar
Configuring Inputs
We configure our input device(s) from the
“Audio IO” Options Dialogue
We access this via the “Options Menu” or by using the
*hot key command [Opt + A]
* “Hot Keys” are Smaart’s built-in, keyboard-based commands
9
Options: Audio IO
Choose your input
device from the
“Device” drop-down list
Here you can assign
“friendly names” to your
device and its channels
Note: Remember to hit [enter]
when entering friendly names or
they won’t be kept.
10
Configuring Measurement Groups
Now that we have configured our Input device(s),
the next step is configuring our measurements.
Instead of a fixed measurement topology, Smaart v7’s
object-oriented code base allows us to configure as
many single-channel (Spectrum) and dual-channel
(Response) sessions/objects as we wish.
- and These measurements can be run either individually or
simultaneously, depending upon our requirements.
In order to structure and manage our measurement
configuration, we organize our measurements into
Spectrum and Response “Groups”.
11
Configuring Measurement Groups
Smaart Menu Bar
To configure our measurements,
we use the “Group Manager” Options Dialog
We access this dialog box via the “Options Menu”,
via the Group Manager button
or by using the hot key command [Opt + G]
or
12
Options: Group Manager
Our first view of the Group Manager dialog.
– No measurements configured –
13
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
The Group “tree view”
shows our complete
measurement
configuration.
This menu is used to
select the Group that is
being configured, and
to create/copy/delete
groups.
14
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
Choose “New Input” to
create a new Spectrum
measurement in this
Spectrum Group.
The Group Tab view
shows the entire
selected group, with
separate detail tabs for
each individual engine.
(Note: No measurements have
yet been configured for this
group, so the group tab is
empty.)
15
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
Give your Spectrum
measurement a Name
Choose “New Input” to
create a new Spectrum
measurement in this
Spectrum Group.
Choose the input device
Choose the Input Channel
from that device
(Note: Device and Name use
your Friendly Names if you set
them in device config.)
16
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
The new spectrum
measurement can now
be found in the Group
Tree
An individual spectrum
measurement tab has
been added to the
Group.
The Group Tab view
now shows the new
measurement.
(Note: The measurement is
assigned a color automatically.
You can change this assignment
by clicking on the color swatch
and selecting another.)
17
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
An individual spectrum
measurement tab has
been added to the
Group.
The new spectrum
measurement can now
be found in the Group
Tree
The Group Tab view
now shows the new
measurement.
(Note: The measurement is
assigned a color automatically.
You can change this assignment
by clicking on the color swatch
and selecting another.)
By repeating these steps, we can create as many
measurements as we need in this Group.
18
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
Give your Response
measurement a Name
Select a response group
in the tree view.
Choose the input device
Choose “New Pair” to
create a new
dual-channel Response
measurement in this
Response Group.
Choose the Meas. Channel
from that device
Choose the Ref. Channel
from that device
(Note: Both Meas. and Ref.
channels must be from the
same input device.)
And we can continue to Response Groups to
configure dual-channel measurements.
19
Options: Group Manager
Configuring Measurement Groups
An individual response
measurement tab has
been added to the
Group.
The new response
measurement can now
be found in the Group
Tree
The Group Tab view
now shows the new
measurement.
(Note: The measurement is
assigned a color automatically.
You can change this assignment
by clicking on the color swatch
and selecting another.)
20
Initial View
Upon clicking the “OK” button . . .
we are now back to our initial, starting view in
Smaart v7 – a single measurement window view of RTA
The big difference is now we have two
spectrum/single-channel measurements configured!
21
Configuring Smaart v7
We have now completed a simple, two channel
configuration for Smaart v7. This configuration
- with two spectrum and one response
measurement - parallels the standard two
channel configuration of previous versions of
Smaart.
We shall use this basic configuration for the
next few sections of this introduction
presentation.
22
Configuring Smaart v7
The Group Manager dialog is a powerful
interface for configuring and controlling our
measurement system, and we will revisit it
multiple times and explore it more deeply
throughout this presentation.
23
Basic Measurement Concepts
NOTE:
If you are not familiar with the basic
measurement concepts of single-channel
(spectrum) and dual-channel (transfer function
and impulse response) measurements as
realized in previous Smaart software versions,
we highly recommend you read the Smaart
Application Note:
“Getting Started with SmaartLive”
The fundamentals of our measurement have
not changed – Smaart v7 has just expanded
and refined how we make them.
24
A Quick Tour of the Interface
25
Plot Area
This is where the action is – this is where our
active and stored measurement data is displayed.
Like in version 6, you can choose what
type of measurement is shown in this
data window via the drop-down
selector in the top-left corner of this
window.
And as in version 6, clicking on either axis of
the data window will zoom the window to the
default ranges.
26
Plot Area – Click & Drag
Now you can actively click on, grab and move RTA and
Transfer Function traces using your mouse
in the v7 plot area!
On screen control handles!
Various threshold controls (Spectrograph,
Coherence Blanking) show up in, and can be
modified from, the data plot area – on the fly!
27
Cursor Readout
As in past versions, here you find
information about your cursor position.
28
Data Storage
Smaart v7 includes two sets of easily accessible
registers for the quick storage and retrieval our RTA
and Transfer Function (.ref ) data.
Capture using the standard [spacebar] hot key
command or via the capture button.
Load any Smaart data (v1 through v7!) that has been
stored in our standard .ref file format.
29
SPL Readout Area
Choose our input signal from any channel of any
available input device.
Set to full-scale readout
or calibrate for SPL and Leq measurement
Choose SPL settings for weighting and integration
30
Measurement View Control
Like earlier versions of Smaart, measurement view
buttons are used to determine what type of
measurement data is displayed
and how many widows are visible.
31
Measurement View Control
The “Spect” button
takes us to a default Spectrum view
with one plot window
showing RTA data
This is also Smaart’s start-up view
32
Measurement View Control
The Two-window View button
takes us from a one-window to a two-window view.
Pressing this while in “Spect” displays
RTA
over
SpectroGraph
33
Measurement View Control
The “Transfer” button takes us to a default
Transfer Function view, with two plot windows:
The Top Window displays TF Phase
The Bottom Window displays TF Magnitude
34
Measurement View Control
The “LiveIR” button opens the Live IR window when
viewing a response measurement
35
Measurement View Control
The “Impulse” button
takes us to Impulse Response Mode
And the “Real Time” button
In IR mode takes us back to Real Time Mode
This switch can also be triggered via the “Mode” Menu.
36
Signal Generator
This strip controls Smaart’s signal generator.
Pressing the button turns the generator on/off.
Clicking on the level field brings up the
generator control dialog
37
Measurement Controls
This area is where we select and control our
measurements.
The controls presented here vary depending upon
whether we are addressing Spectrum (single-channel)
or Transfer Function (dual-channel)
measurements
38
Measurement Controls
The top labels also act as buttons to access the
relevant Options dialogs
Global measurement controls
Measurement Group Select
Group Level Commands
Individual Measurements:
Hide/Show
Run
Sig Level
Delay
Delay Find
Track on/off
39
Spectrum Measurements
40
Spectrum Measurements
Clicking the “Run” button on our first
measurement starts it running.
Our meter shows
input signal level
41
Spectrum Measurements
RTA display
settings can be
adjusted in the
Spectrums
Options dialog
42
Spectrum Measurements
We can use the Global Spectrum controls
to vary Scale and Averaging
43
Spectrum Measurements
Full adjustment of all Global Spectrum
measurement parameters can be
accessed in the Group Manager
44
Spectrum Measurements
Clicking the “Run” button on our second
measurement starts it running as well.
The lighter background color
indicates that this is the “active”
measurement - it is displayed in
front of any other measurement
45
Spectrum Measurements
Clicking on the first measurement makes
it the “active” measurement and brings it
to the front.
The lighter background color
indicates that this is the “active”
measurement - it is displayed in
front of any other measurement
46
Spectrum Measurements
Clicking on its colored square hides a
measurement trace and an “X” is shown.
Even though a measurement’s trace
is hidden, it is still running – as
evidenced by its input meter.
47
Spectrum Measurements
You can re-name
your data by
highlighting its
name and typing a
new one.
To capture data from the active measurement,
click on a data Register slot
then capture using either the “Capture” button
or the [space bar] hot key.
48
Spectrum Measurements
RTA data trace
now hidden
Pressing the two-window button
now brings up a view with RTA in
the top window and Spectrograph
in the lower window.
49
Spectrum Measurements
Clicking the One-Window view button
and choosing “Spectrograph” in the
drop-down view selector gives us a full
window view of the Spectrograph
50
Spectrum Measurements
The Spectrograph view vertically displays a
series of spectrum measurements or “slices”.
Smaart v7 stores a slice history so we can scroll
back through data which has passed off the
screen. We can also control the number of
vertical “pixels per slice” to adjust the
measurement scroll speed.
We adjust both of these settings in the
Spectrum Options dialog.
51
Transfer Function Measurements
52
Transfer Function Measurements
The “Transfer” button takes us to a default
Transfer Function view, with two plot windows:
Top: TF Phase
Bottom: TF Magnitude
With noise going through our speaker system,
clicking the “Run” button on our measurement
starts it running.
53
Transfer Function Measurements
We have used the
signal generator as
our
source
First steps in our
Transfer Function (Frequency Response)
measurement process is
setting our input levels
and
setting our measurement delay
54
Transfer Function Measurements
To measure the delay, we can use
Smaart’s “Delay Finder” function
Click
to
accept the
measurement
55
Transfer Function Measurements
Increase Averaging to stabilize our measurement
and
Adjust Mag and Phase Trace Smoothing
to improve readability
*Remember, we can
adjust trace offset by
“clicking” directly on a
trace and “dragging” it
up and down.
Note: The
Coherence trace will
not be available until
we engage
averaging.
The Coherence
blanking threshold
control
56
Transfer Function Measurements
Note: Window is centered on
the current measurement
delay time.
Engaging Live IR shows us a linear view of the
Impulse response of the active TF measurement
57
Transfer Function Measurements
Smaart v7’s delay Track uses the Live IR function to
automatically and continuously measure and
adjust the measurement delay
Yellow Dot indicates
tracking is engaged
Click on the “Track” Button or
Yellow Dot to engage Tracking
58
Transfer Function Measurements
Full control of all Global Transfer Function
measurement parameters can be accessed in
the Group Manager
59
Transfer Function Measurements
TF display
and Live IR
measurement
settings can be
adjusted in the
TF Options
dialog
60
Impulse Response Mode
61
Impulse Response Mode
The primary purpose for this mode is to perform and
analyze Impulse Response Measurements
in both
Time Domain and Frequency Domain
In this mode, we can also analyze previous IR
measurements that have been stored
in standard .wav audio file format
62
Impulse Response Mode
To make a IR measurement we:
select a configured Response Measurement
set our measurement FFT size / TC
adjust our signal levels
hit Start
63
Impulse Response Mode
Our IR shows the entire measurement in Linear view
in our Top window.
This window serves as navigation and zoom control.
64
Impulse Response Mode
The Lower Window(s) are our zoom windows where
we can view all or part of our measurement is a
number of different ways.
We can control the number of zoom
windows with our standard
single/dual window buttons
and determine what our measurement
view for each is via our
drop-down view selector menus
65
Impulse Response Mode
This window is displaying a Log view of our Impulse
66
Impulse Response Mode
This window shows the bottom window zoom range
This window is displaying a
Linear (zoomed) view of our Impulse
67
Impulse Response Mode
For a more interesting IR,
we shall a previously stored IR
68
Impulse Response Mode
Here we have an IR from a much larger environment
69
Impulse Response Mode
We can filter the IR with either
Octave or 1/3 Octave filters
70
Impulse Response Mode
Now we choose the
view
This window we choose a
Smoothed to 1/24th Octave
This window we choose a
view
view
71
Impulse Response Mode
This window we choose a
view
The dynamic range controls for the
Spectrograph view appear on the Log IR
72
Impulse Response Mode
IR display
and
Spectrograph
measurement
settings can be
adjusted in the
IR Options dialog
73
Going Multi-Measurement
74
Going Multi-Measurement
We can expand our measurement system beyond 2 Channels
Mic 2
DSP
EQ
Delay
Level
Polarity
Routing
Source
System
Control
Mic 3
Mic 1
X-Over
(Spkr. Proc)
Amp
Speakers
Smaart Signal Gen Out
Computer Audio I/O
75
Why Measurement Groups?
The short answer is, it depends upon our measurement needs
and the complexity of our measurement system.
In the case of Spectrum Measurements, we could build a
Group for each input device that we use. This will allow us to
quickly check signal presence for our devices.
76
Why Measurement Groups?
Here we see the spectra of the five input
channels that we are using from our
device “PreSonus FireStudio”
Measurement
Group Select
77
Why Measurement Groups?
In the case of Response Measurements, we could build
Groups for each sub-system we plan to measure. This allows
us to better organize our measurement process as well as the
resulting data we capture.
78
Why Measurement Groups?
Our Group Names
indicate the subsystem
we shall be measuring
Our first three response measurements in this Group
are measurements of the Main Left speaker system
from three separate Mic positions:
Balcony, FOH and Roaming
Each measurement uses Console L Out as its Ref
79
Why Measurement Groups?
Since this “Left EQ” measurement is a purely
electronic measurement, we may want to
adjust some of our measurement parameters
for this response separate from the Global
settings.
To do this, we access its individual
measurement Tab.
Here we choose to fix the
averaging for this measurement to
“16” by un-checking the
“Use Global” box. We also fix the
Mag and Phase Smoothing to
“None”
The fourth Response measurement in
our Mains Left Group is a
measurement of our Left System EQ.
Here we use EQ Out L as our Meas and
Console L Out as our Ref
If want, we can also have the trace for
this measurement graph inverted
80
Why Measurement Groups?
We highlight our AVG response and then
choose the measurements from this group
that we wish to include in this live average
The fifth Response measurement in
our Mains Left Group is a live average
of our first three response
measurements which we have named
“ML Average”
To create this response measurement
we use the “New Average” button.
81
Multi-Channel Measurement
Here we have our five
Simultaneous Response
Measurements
82
Multi-Channel Mania
And here, we swap the
Phase display for RTA
83