Equilizer setting, ... is there a test tone available? Options

[Jebus]

I would like to adjust my system's EQ for proper line-level sound (ie remove any coloring from speaker and room dynamics)

I have a sound pressure level meter, but does anyone have a test tone (preferably .wav format) that i could use to adjust? Do I need to worry about the preceived loudness curve?

Or, if there is any easier way, pray tell!

This post has been edited by Jebus: Apr 18 2004, 23:57

[MuMart]

Why not use the tone://freq feature of foobar2000 or xmms ?

AFAIK you should set up to use a constant SPL over all frequencies.

[tboehrer]

Normally, you'd pump white noise through, and use a spectrum analyzer to see how your speakers and room degrade frequency response.

For example, you can use Audacity to produce a white noise sample. I suspect other audio editing tools can produce white noise too.

Of course... you'd still need the spectrum analyzer...

[Jebus]

i see, that makes sense. what do spectrum analysers run for these days? Is there a radio shack special?

[lucpes]

Normally, you'd pump white noise through, and use a spectrum analyzer to see how your speakers and room degrade frequency response.

For example, you can use Audacity to produce a white noise sample.  I suspect other audio editing tools can produce white noise too.

Of course... you'd still need the spectrum analyzer...

Make that pink noise, white noise does not fit this task.

[sven_Bent]

Make that pink noise, white noise does not fit this task.

going OT

Whats the difference betwewen white and pink noise ?

[Jurg98]

Check out this link for info about the different types of "coloured" noise:

Coloured noise

[Pio2001]

White noise is what you need with software spectrum analyzers. Its spectrum is flat.
Pink noise is what you need with an analog hardware analyzer. Its spectrum decreses by 3 db each octave. It is displayed flat in an audio analyzer, while a white noise is displayed increasing by 3 db each octave, because audio analyzers sum up all the power present in each band, and each band is larger than the previous one, while FFT routines used to program software analyzers work natively with bands of equal width.

With a digital hardware analyzer, well, some tests should be done first to see how it behaves. I wouldn't even trust the technical support word about it.

I asked the same question to my speaker dealer. He told me that in order to adjust the equalization of a system, one needs a calibrated microphone, the cheapest ones costing 500 €.

If your spl meter is just a device made to measure the sound level in working environment, in a street, at home, etc, you can be sure that its frequency response will be very far from hifi, and it is useless for equalization.