[Rclark]

 A precise, location trackable microphone with software that lets you walk all around the room with it while the system is playing. As you do this, the software creates a 3D image of the soundfield. Then once you have that I think you'd have the ultimate set-up tool.

[TrungT]

Get a Headphone.
 
 

[*Scotty*]

And listen to Ambiophonic recordings with them.
Here is a link to more information.
http://www.ambiophonics.org
Scotty

[*Scotty*]

Another link to Ambiophonics, this time without the headphones using your existing loudspeaker
system. http://www.ambio4you.com/ambiophonic-processors/ambio4you-systems
Scotty

[Rclark]

Get a Headphone.
 
 

lol. So you think it's a bad idea? I think once you have that soundfield image of the room you no longer have to consult guru's and voodoo chicken bones (masterset), and would be even better than the static-measurement-location systems we use now.

[Mitsuman]

Another link to Ambiophonics, this time without the headphones using your existing loudspeaker
system. http://www.ambio4you.com/ambiophonic-processors/ambio4you-systems
Scotty

So is there a microphone(s) built-in to the unit or what? It tells about all of the features, but doesn't say how it works. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

There have been long threads here with the fella that invented Ambiophonics.

Bob

EDIT: But what you're thinking sound neat.

[*Scotty*]

Mitsuman,here is a link to another page on the same website with more information about the processor
http://www.ambio4you.com/ambiophonic-processors/miniambio
 Rclark, the pattern of combfilter effects is so complex that it may not be possible to map it in three dimensions with the technology that is available at this time. It certainly could not be mapped accurately by a person moving about the room holding a microphone. The presence of your body holding the microphone alters the pattern that exists at that location as well as the listening position.
 If all you want is to achieve is the flattest frequency response possible at the listening position then all you have to do is buy a microphone and buy or download for free a measurement suite and start moving your loudspeakers around to optimize the frequency response.
 The alternative is to rely on dumb luck like I did and change your speakers toe-in,move them 4inches further into the room and swap the left speakers position for that of the right speakers position which put the tweeters on the outside instead of the inside and get these results at the listening position. 
Luck is a good thing!
Of course this single measurement still doesn't tell you if you have good imaging or tonal quality, you still have to listen to the system and make a judgment call about what sounds best and treat the room if necessary.
Scotty
 

[TrungT]

or http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/popup/tech_details/pop_stereo_every_spkrs.jsp

 

[Rclark]

I bet if you walked all around the room in different directions you could design software to extrapolate through any problems you mentioned Scotty, concerning holding a mic.  You could also place it on a very long boom, no?

It just seems like if someone ever comes up with it, it should be superior to single location measurements.

[Bob in St. Louis]

or http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/popup/tech_details/pop_stereo_every_spkrs.jsp

 

Gee....you can tell the marketing guys got a hold of the photo of the two channel picture. 

Rclark....Here's an idea for you:
You've seen the "Spectrothingy" tool that you can view temperature differences right? And you've seen the special spectrothingy that shows differences in light, right? Well how about a spectrothingy that measures sound? So you could see the sound waves on a screen.

Follow me?

Bob

[Mitsuman]

Mitsuman,here is a link to another page on the same website with more information about the processor
http://www.ambio4you.com/ambiophonic-processors/miniambio
 Rclark, the pattern of combfilter effects is so complex that it may not be possible to map it in three dimensions with the technology that is available at this time. It certainly could not be mapped accurately by a person moving about the room holding a microphone. The presence of your body holding the microphone alters the pattern that exists at that location as well as the listening position.
 If all you want is to achieve is the flattest frequency response possible at the listening position then all you have to do is buy a microphone and buy or download for free a measurement suite and start moving your loudspeakers around to optimize the frequency response.
 The alternative is to rely on dumb luck like I did and change your speakers toe-in,move them 4inches further into the room and swap the left speakers position for that of the right speakers position which put the tweeters on the outside instead of the inside and get these results at the listening position. 
Luck is a good thing!
Of course this single measurement still doesn't tell you if you have good imaging or tonal quality, you still have to listen to the system and make a judgment call about what sounds best and treat the room if necessary.
Scotty

Scotty, I've read and reread the information. Unless it is analyzing the sound coming out of my loudspeakers, I don't understand how it works. Sorry if my inner caveman is coming out here, but it gathers data via the RCA ouputs of your preamp? What am I missing here? 

[JohnR]

It uses a microphone. http://www.studiosixdigital.com/rta.html - "RTA ... uses either the built-in mic, the headset mic, or the Studio Six Digital iAudioInterface microphone." Play pink noise through the speakers (equal energy over bandwidth) to get the FR of the speakers/room.

[JohnR]

It just seems like if someone ever comes up with it, it should be superior to single location measurements.

Yes, but so is doing multiple measurements As a practical matter, all you need to do is a "constellation" of locations over your defined listening area. With some masking tape and a tape measure, it only takes a few seconds to redo each sweep.

[mintzar]

IK Multimedia ARC system does similar corrections. It takes up to 32 measurements in different places in the room then shows you the response results (and creates an EQ plugin to correct the response). My EQ response with it has been lackluster, but it does give you a good idea of what your speaker is doing in the room. Of course you could also use ARC, fuzzmeasure and fabfilter Pro-Q and do various tests and corrections that way. Compare listening position results to ARC results and correct from there using fabfilter.

It doesn't really tell you where to position your speakers, but it can help you adjust for where they are currently. It'll never replace a well treated room especially because DSP tends to have its own plusses and minuses, but it's an option.

Though perhaps this is a post setup tool rather than a setup tool. There are lots of rules of thumb regarding setup, it might be better to start with a commonly accepted benchmark, adjust it by ear, then correct it by RTA Mic. It'll be a while before there's a simple plug and play room setup solution like with Pre/pros and their room correction features.

[Mitsuman]

It uses a microphone. http://www.studiosixdigital.com/rta.html - "RTA ... uses either the built-in mic, the headset mic, or the Studio Six Digital iAudioInterface microphone." Play pink noise through the speakers (equal energy over bandwidth) to get the FR of the speakers/room.

So the microphone(s) are built-in to the Ambiophonic unit? I was going to say I didn't see any microphone inputs listed/apparent on the unit itself. What type of microphone is it? Sorry, I'm old school. 

[*Scotty*]

It should be mentioned that the RTA Lite app is a little dodgey when it comes to getting the exact same measurement twice. See my gallery for examples of this. I have uploaded three measurements made at the same location,ear level at the listening position, and I have three slightly different measurements. It looks like I would have a little better accuracy if I was able to take multiple measurements and then average the graphs. From what I can see this will show a more consistent trend to the response curve then just a snapshot in time.
Scotty

[JohnR]

So the microphone(s) are built-in to the Ambiophonic unit?

The Ambio unit has no microphone. Ambiophonics is a total sidetrack to this thread.

[*Scotty*]

Sorry Mitsuman my reference to ambiosonics WAS completely off topic and this DSP technology is aimed at generating a continuous 180 degree or a 360 degree sound field without headphones.
This is not a room measurement or correction technology used by itself. TACT did incorporate this crosstalk cancellation technology into it's processors but this was an added capability separate from their room correction processing.
Scotty

[richidoo]

A precise, location trackable microphone with software that lets you walk all around the room with it while the system is playing. As you do this, the software creates a 3D image of the soundfield. Then once you have that I think you'd have the ultimate set-up tool.

I have long thought about an idea similar to RClark's invention: a powered dolly that carries and moves the loudspeakers around, controlled by RClark's software. I never thought about moving the mic around too, but that would be even better. Then the computer can optimize the position of the speakers based on sample data from the mic, while remembering and ranking each iteration. I'd like to see the speakers and test mic moving around by themselves, playing 100dB test tones and pink noise, scaring pets and little children. Talk about high WAF!!

Having done masterSet a couple times, I also like the voodoo chicken bones description.