[kinku]

Any suggestions on building a room correction system using REW? Wondering what are the options other than buying tools mentioned on REW site?

[JohnR]

A calibrated EMM-6 from cross spectrum labs is $75 and an ART Dual Pre (no personal experience but I've read that others have used them with success) is $79, total $154 plus postage.

  http://www.cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_dayton.html
  http://www.amazon.com/Art-USBDualPrePS-ART-USB-Dual/dp/B002KEAT78

Personally I would spend a little more on the USB interface and get something like a Focusrite 2i2 which is $119:

  http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA

For even lower total price, there are the USB mics from PE (UMM-6) and miniDSP (UMIK-1). I believe Herb from CSL offers (or is about to offer) calibrated versions of both, apparently around $90. The USB mics are less flexible than having a separate mic and interface, drawbacks being:

* Their sensitivity is low, so you need to have pretty good acoustic levels and even then the measurement programs may complain that the level is too low
* The electronics tend to be noisy so again you need to keep measurement levels up
* They only run at one sample rate, so you may in some odd cases run into measurement program in/compatibility, and you'll never be able to run them at higher rates
* You can't do timing measurements which require a separate loopback connection
* You can't calibrate the frequency response of the electronics

These are mostly minor issues. But added up, they are significant (I think - YMMV). It's a bit like buying power tools (I use this analogy since I'm currently going through this very exercise for the purpose of house repairs...). You could buy a couple of cheap cordless tools for a job, use them, and in the process figure out what they don't do well and then finally realize that to do the job right you are going to have to buy the good tools! Would have been cheaper to get the good ones in the first place....

  http://www.cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_dayton.html
  http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA

[Nyal Mellor]

OT I know but I should mention there is also the 'everything in a box' measurement rigs from XTZ (the Room Analyzer II) and Dayton Audio (the OmniMic). For some people this is a better proposition as the learning curve is a little less steep than with REW and generally there are less compatibility issues that may cause pops, ticks and the like.

[kinku]

How about Praxis? How much it costs?

[JohnR]

How about Praxis? How much it costs?

From their site, you have to email them to find out. Probably not cheap, then, but you can try the free version.

However I'm a bit confused, as the title of your thread says "low cost" so why do you now want to pay just for software? Not saying that's a bad idea, but it's hard to offer suggestions if the rules change

No personal experience with the all-in-one packages but here's a plug for Nyal: http://store.acousticfrontiers.com/Acoustic-Measurement/XTZ-Room-Analyzer-II-Standard.html

Here's the OmniMic: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=390-790

I've read there may be some limitations compared to REW but then again, REW is not always that intuitive either. Maybe if you posted more info on what you're trying to accomplish then more advice would be forthcoming...?

[kinku]

Thanks John. My plans are to use an equalizer to adjust for the room modes. So I do not want to pay a lot because it should be of few time uses only. I also want to get something closer to perfect. So considering different options. I am ready to REW since I could not find anything better.But the setup for hardware is little complicated to grasp.
What are the minimum hardware requirements for REW?Just a sound card with preamp with phantom power supply and  and test microphone is all that needed?
Will it work with DEQ2496? The REW site only provides selected Behringer models as compatible through USB-MIDI interface?

[JohnR]

I think you'll find that once you have the capability you will continue to find uses for it.

What are the minimum hardware requirements for REW?Just a sound card with preamp with phantom power supply and  and test microphone is all that needed?

I gave specific recommendations above... You will also need cables and a mic stand. Here's a picture of everything except the mic and stand:



More info: http://www.hifizine.com/2012/12/focusrite-scarlett-2i2/

Will it work with DEQ2496? The REW site only provides selected Behringer models as compatible through USB-MIDI interface?

No idea, sorry.

 

[kinku]

thank you John