Phil Starr Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 To be honest they are a cumbersome tool when RTA is so widely available on all sorts of gear. I've a very basic model and the readings are consistent given that the biggest problem is external noises. The frequency response is also limited so accuracy at the frequency extremes is compromised. Mine came with a calibration curve of sorts but not specific to my actual meter. I used to make measurements with 1/3 octave filtered noise and it was useful if laborious. It might be worth looking at some freeware like REW https://www.roomeqwizard.com/ you can start off using the mic and pre in the meter and then move on to a proper calibrated mic as the need and cash arises Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 A class 2 calibrated meter costs reasonable amount of money, but a class 1 that includes periodic calibration sure is overkill at home. An RMS DMM has limited frequency response, so there will be lots of work to try to measure anything reasonable. RTA on the other hand may cost anything from tens of pounds to sky-high extremes. Buy an old Behringer 8024 Ultra-curve. Sure it is cheap and has tiny, but not an impossible display in it. Print that manual, you'll gonna need it. Measuring mics also cost anything from £50 to £5000. Your needs are covered with a £50 mic that has no calibration certificate. Why? Because I doubt the possibility to use an anechoic chamber. Horizontal and vertical placements are crucial - 1 meter is the basic measuring distance. Anything else should be normalized to that one meter's distance. Logarithms are your friend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 LOL! I was thinking of buying a cheapy for £10-£15 off eBay! It's just for curiosity to make my subjective comparisons less vague. I'm very familiar with issues of measurement as well as the differences between accuracy and precision.. and also how easy it is for people to waste their time making measurements with spurious precision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Here you are, there are loads of things to read but this shows the basics of using a cheapo meter with REW https://www.roomeqwizard.com/REWhelp.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 You can get a Real Time Analyzer app for your phone. It may not be laboratory grade, but it will enable you to make comparisons between different cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said: You can get a Real Time Analyzer app for your phone. It may not be laboratory grade, but it will enable you to make comparisons between different cabs. Yup and its also possible to buy (Bill knows this already) external calibrated reference microphones for smart phones too. Selecting an app that allows insertion of the calibration file included with the device results in a super little set up that is, going by test reviews, accurate enough for this application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Thanks for the tips... I'm a bit reluctant to follow through now as it looks like a rabbit hole I could disappear down that probably isn't actually going to improve my playing or sound.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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