Members Unalaska Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 My wife bought me an Ipad for our anniversary so I've been loading it up with various apps: 1 is called Analyzer and 1 is called Decible Meter Pro. Both are neat little apps that who knows how accurate they are (the internal mic isn't known for it's response), but using it in the 1/6th oct RTA mode it was kinda cool to ring out some wedges with. The SPL part I'm not sure about though. Another stage about 2 blocks away was using some nice EAW hornloaded coax tops (15+2"?, didn't see the model), 2 over 6x SB1000. It's possible some of the SB1000s were there litterally as physical support to get the tops up high enough. The FOH was 80' back, his SPL meter was averaging between 98 and 105 (not sure of rating). My stage, 1 stack per side, at about its loudest the ipad said 90dB 30ft back. I gotta call BS on this, I know 90dB, this had to be high 90's or 100+. Guess I need a real SPL meter. Anyone else have a thought on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 Compare the app's response curve with a known accurate RTA system, I have seen apps with a 10dB error which makes it worse than nothing at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fdew Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 Have a lookhttp://www.studiosixdigital.com/iphone_hardware/calibration.htmlhttp://www.studiosixdigital.com/audiotools/http://www.studiosixdigital.com/iaudiointerface/iphone_measurement_micropho.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 Have a lookhttp://www.studiosixdigital.com/iphone_hardware/calibration.htmlhttp://www.studiosixdigital.com/audiotools/http://www.studiosixdigital.com/iaudiointerface/iphone_measurement_micropho.html That's fine BUT if you don't have some real calibration tools it's nothing but a wild assed guess. Typical response is not even remotely the same as actual response and the tolerances of these mics can be as wide as +/-5dB which is totally useless for calibrating a sound system. It's a false sense of security which leads to poor outcomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fdew Posted June 16, 2012 Members Share Posted June 16, 2012 That's fine BUT if you don't have some real calibration tools it's nothing but a wild assed guess. Typical response is not even remotely the same as actual response and the tolerances of these mics can be as wide as +/-5dB which is totally useless for calibrating a sound system. It's a false sense of security which leads to poor outcomes. That is why you add the hardware in the 3rd link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 17, 2012 Members Share Posted June 17, 2012 That is why you add the hardware in the 3rd link Did you happen to notice the price of the mic/interface combination? $800. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dennis a Posted June 17, 2012 Members Share Posted June 17, 2012 That is why you add the hardware in the 3rd link If you get an iphone from one source, an app from another source and an external mic from yet a third source you will have to calibrate it. The good news is, the app has calibration capability but the bad news is the mic may not fit a standard calibrator. You may get lucky with an external mic but a built in mic is mission impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 17, 2012 Members Share Posted June 17, 2012 If you get an iphone from one source, an app from another source and an external mic from yet a third source you will have to calibrate it. The good news is, the app has calibration capability but the bad news is the mic may not fit a standard calibrator. You may get lucky with an external mic but a built in mic is mission impossible. Exactly, and there's cost to a calibrator, or you pay more for a calibrated mic and interface, etc. The more moving parts, the less convenient the App becomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twostone Posted June 17, 2012 Members Share Posted June 17, 2012 So Andy what's your thoughts on something like this ?[video=youtube;bf1d5lnx2qA] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted June 17, 2012 Members Share Posted June 17, 2012 So Andy what's your thoughts on something like this ? It's fine IF you have the calibration curve to the Behringer mic, and don't mind taping all the bits together. If the calibration is off, everthing you do with the device will be off inversely. My experience has been that these mics can be off as much as 5 or 6 dB, mostly at the top end but you don't know where and how the variability alters each mic's response. They are unlikely to be very uniform over a ranged of mic samples. For the intended customer... one that wants to look at pretty lites and bouncing displays more than one who needs accurate data, it might be fine. In fact, it's not likely that their intended customer has much of an idea what they are doing anyway so bad data won't make much of a difference in such a scenario anyway. BUT, if you want good data and if you take any pride in your work, you will want good tools, and just as important, you will want to understand exactly how to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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