Spectrograph, RTA....or something of the likes

[Brina]

Ok guys,

Hoping you can help me out here.

Because I'm a VERY visually oriented person I'm looking for something that can show me..visually changes when I adjust frequencies on an eq....

wanna be able to see how things change as I move them...

So I was wondering if anybody knew where I could get something like that free...yeah I'm cheap...but I imagine there has got to be some free programs or plugin's that will accomplish this.  I've googled, and can't seem to find what I'm looking for...

any thoughts?
Brina

[NickT]

Here Ya go B

http://www.voxengo.com/product/SPAN/

Nick

[Brina]

Hey thanks Nick!!!!!!!

I think this will work just fine.

Brina

[dogbizkits]

Another use for this kind of tool is for getting the EQ deficiencies of your room sorted out when setting up your monitors, Brina. The hardware you'd need to do this would be just slightly different - i.e., in the way of a "flat" measuring microphone. This is usually placed at the listeners mixing position during setup. However, that doesn't mean the music will sound "right" for the whole room when you move away from that spot because of the old Fletcher-Munson "effect". With a programmable EQ you can analyse the room sound in different listening positions and adjust the EQ then store the settings. If you ever plan to do this, use a reference CD to setup the room sound. This CD would generally contain material that's well recorded, well produced - and not genre specific.... it may even contain classical music segments and non-musical sounds sounds too. All in all Real Time Analysers (sometimes referred to as FFT analysers) are nice tools that lets you see the sound as well as hear it - so in my book it's as valuable as a phase scope.

Rab 

[Cary]

What you're talking about is room nodes.  Fletcher-Munson effect is the principle of how the ears frequency response differs with loudness.

[dogbizkits]

Not exactly. We mustn't forget that sound level diminishes by the square of the distance from the sound source - which then contributes to the "perceived" loudness of particular frequencies at different distances. Fletcher-Munson effect does actualy apply, but the studies by Robinson and Dadson would also apply too. Without labouring the point, judging pure tones of two different frequencies of the same loudness is difficult and the curves produced are average results from many test subjects - whereas room nodes are resonances of particular frequencies which dependant on the shape (or design) of the room.

[Cary]

This is my last post on the issue.  I'm not going to continue to argue (debate) because we already lost the readers who would benefit.  I just saw that you're passing along information which I feel is completely misleading.

1.  Trying to solve acoustic deficiencies with eq is flat out wrong.  Yes, you can go ahead and do it.  You can write a book with a stone tablet and a chisel too.

2.  If you speak to anyone who knows anything about tuning a control room, they are not going to spill the words, Fletcher-Munson.  Fletcher Munson is a perceived effect.  It's ones perception of what they hear.  The curve was created based on listener tests.  Fletcher-Munson curve is more the reason why you want to mix at levels between 75db and 85db.

3.  Room nodes are measurable.  When you're in a TYPICAL bedroom studio, and you walk a few feet to a different position, and you notice the bass is suddenly really loud, it's ROOM NODES, not Fletcher Munson effect.

[Brina]

 wow

Didn't mean to start a debate, I was just looking for something that I could watch change as I listened.....a connection between sight and hearing...

Its how I learn things.....<shrugs>

Honestly room nodes, Fletcher-Munson....wayyy more than I needed to know at this point.....not that Im not now looking into what I need to do to set up my monitors right....or as adequately as my recording situation will allow.......but thanks for sharing...I guess

Brina

[NickT]

Brina -

I think the best use of this tool is to let you see and hear what is going on with different instruments as you EQ. You can compare the frequency of a kick drum and bass guitar, find the dominating freqs and harmonics, and "carve out" room in the instrument so you can hear them both without masking.

Say the thud of a kick is at 100 and the beef of the bass is at 80. I would lower the kick eq at 80 and the bass eq at 100 so they didn't get "muddy" or mask one another.

So now you have three things to look at. Viewing what your eq is doing in the room as an analyzer set at 85 db for the F-M effect at the listening position, analyzing the room as you move about for "Standing Waves" Or "Nodes" and comparing tracks for masking eq freqs.

I have learned a lot from both Cary and Rab as I never went to school or took courses. That is what is great about this site, we have many different view points to choose from as we learn the craft of mixing music.

Thanks,

NickT