Getting Started with Smaart® v7: Basic Setup and Measurement

This guide is an introduction to the basic measurement and operational concepts

embodied in Rational Acoustics’ Smaart® v7. While in no way an exhaustive study,
this document serves as a starting point for users to familiarize themselves with the
fundamentals of Smaart’s single‐ and dual‐channel capabilities, and provide
instruction in the configuration and operation of basic measurement setups.

Regardless of past measurement experience with previous versions of Smaart, or

other analysis systems, users should take the time to familiarize themselves with
the process of Configuring Smaart v7 for Measurement detailed in this document.
Unlike previous versions which assumed a simple two‐channel I/O, Smaart v7 can
interface with multiple I/O devices simultaneously, each with multiple input and
output channels. Accordingly, Smaart v7 makes no assumptions about a user’s
measurement requirements and upon first run, begins its operation un‐configured.
As in previous versions however, following initial setup, Smaart retains its
measurement configuration for subsequent sessions.

Please note: in the case of the free/public demo version of the software, the Smaart
measurement configuration is not retained from session to session, and must be
rebuilt for each new session. Consider it practice.

This guide assumes a reader with a basic understanding of professional audio

equipment and engineering practices. It concludes with a list of recommended
additional sources of information where users can further their understanding of
these concepts.

Rational Acoustics LLC is not responsible for damage to your

equipment resulting from improper use of this product. Be sure that
you understand and observe proper input and output levels,
impedances and wiring conventions of all system components before
attempting any of the measurements described in this document.

© 2009 Rational Acoustics LLC. All rights reserved.

Rational Acoustics and Smaart are registered trademarks of Rational Acoustics LLC.
Table of Contents

GETTING STARTED WITH SMAART® V7: BASIC SETUP AND MEASUREMENT ................1

Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 2

Getting Started: Loading and Licensing the Software ................................................................................ 3

Recommended Computer Hardware ............................................................................................................................. 3
Registering the Software ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Fundamental Concepts ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Single‐Channel vs. Dual‐Channel Measurements...................................................................................................... 4
Time and Frequency Domain Analysis.......................................................................................................................... 5
FFTs .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Smaart v7’s Object‐Oriented Program Architecture ............................................................................................... 7

Configuring Smaart v7 for Measurements ..................................................................................................... 7

Configuring Audio I/O Devices ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Configuring Measurement Groups .................................................................................................................................. 9

The Smaart v7 GUI (Graphical User Interface) .......................................................................................... 11

Operation Modes...................................................................................................................................................................11
GUI Overviews........................................................................................................................................................................11
Navigation................................................................................................................................................................................13

Spectrum Measurements .................................................................................................................................. 14

Spectrum Controls................................................................................................................................................................14
RTA..............................................................................................................................................................................................15
Spectrograph ..........................................................................................................................................................................15
Application Examples .........................................................................................................................................................16

Transfer Function Measurements ................................................................................................................. 19

Magnitude ................................................................................................................................................................................19
Phase ..........................................................................................................................................................................................20
Coherence ................................................................................................................................................................................20
Transfer Function Controls ..............................................................................................................................................21
Live IR ........................................................................................................................................................................................22
Delay Locator / Delay Tracking......................................................................................................................................22
Application Example: Setting an Equalizer for a Loudspeaker.........................................................................23

Impulse Response Measurements ................................................................................................................. 25

Impulse Response Controls..............................................................................................................................................25
Log/Lin/ETC Views .............................................................................................................................................................27
Frequency Domain View....................................................................................................................................................27
IR Mode Spectrograph ........................................................................................................................................................28

Appendices ............................................................................................................................................................ 28
Hot Keys....................................................................................................................................................................................29
Self‐Help: Where to go for Answers..............................................................................................................................30
Recommended Reading .....................................................................................................................................................30
Getting Started: Loading and Licensing the Software
To install Smaart v7 on a computer, the user runs the Windows installer (for
Windows OS’s) or drags the software application bundle into your applications
folder (Mac OS’s).

Recommended Computer Hardware

While Smaart v7 will operate on a wide range of computer hardware configurations,
we recommend the following minimum computer configuration for new
installations:
Windows®
Operating System: Microsoft XP, Vista or Windows 7 (32 & 64 ‐ bit)
CPU: 2 GHz Dual‐Core Intel Processor or faster (or compatible)
RAM: 2 GB or greater
Video: Graphics processor with 128 M dedicated video RAM, minimum 1024 x 600 pixel display
Sound Hardware: Audio Hardware with OS compatible ASIO, Wav/WDM drivers.

Macintosh
Operating System: Mac OSX 10.5 or 10.6 (Leopard and Snow Leopard)
CPU: 2 GHz Dual‐Core Intel Processor or faster (or compatible)
RAM: 2 GB or greater
Video: Graphics processor with 128 M dedicated video RAM, minimum 1024 x 600 pixel display
Sound Hardware: Audio Hardware with OS compatible CoreAudio drivers.

Registering the Software

Following initial installation, on first run of the software, the user is presented with
an activation screen containing that computer’s 10‐digit “Machine ID” and is asked
for an “Activation Code” to authorize this installation. This Machine ID is a unique
code for that identifies that computer. Likewise, the Activation Code is a unique code
that will only work for the computer with that Machine ID (much the same as
SmaartLive v5’s PIC).

If the installation is on a computer that is connected to the internet, the user can
choose the “Activate Online Now” option to acquire the necessary code and activate
the installation. Otherwise, the user should make note of the Machine ID and access
Smaart’s licensing system at http://my.RationalAcoustics.com via another computer
to acquire the necessary code to activate this installation.

In either case, the user must enter their Smaart v7 license number (20 alpha‐
numeric characters: XXXXX‐XXXXX‐XXXXX‐XXXXX), and the password for the user
account to which the license is registered. If the Smaart v7 License has not yet been
registered to a user account, the user must first either create a new account and
password, or choose an existing account to register it to (i.e. your Smaart6 license
account.) Each license of Smaart v7 allows for two installations of the software.
Users may purchase additional installations for any license by contacting Rational
Acoustics or authorized representative.
 Note: Smaart software is licensed to a single “user” – defined as either
a single person or company. All software installations for a given
license must be performed upon computers owned by that user.

Fundamental Concepts
Depending upon the application, operating Smaart effectively requires a working
understanding of wide range of system measurement concepts and professional
audio engineering practices. While it is outside the scope of this document to cover
them all, this section highlights a few critical concepts that will significantly assist in
understanding Smaart v7’s operation and its application.

This document includes an appendices which has a list of recommended additional

sources of information where users can further their understanding of these
concepts.

Single‐Channel vs. Dual‐Channel Measurements

In its essence, Smaart performs two distinct types of measurement: single‐channel
(signal analysis) and dual‐channel (response analysis).

Single channel measurements examine a signal at single point in a system, and could
best be described as signal analysis measurements. These operations quantify
aspects like signal level and frequency content, and appear in Smaart as Spectrum
(RTA and Spectrograph) and SPL measurements. With single‐channel, the user
acquires a signal via an electrical probe (signal split) or an acoustical probe
(microphone), and examines the content of that signal directly. Single‐channel
methods provide an absolute measurement, and help to answer an engineer’s
questions like “how much 1 kHz energy is in that signal?” “what is that frequency?”
or “what is the SPL at this place in the venue?”.

Dual‐channel measurements compare two signals in order to examine the

relationship between them. In Smaart’s implementations, we compare the input
signal of a system (reference) to its corresponding output signal (measurement) to
examine what the system is doing to the signals that pass through it. These could
best be described as system response measurements, and in Smaart, we rely on
dual‐channel methods to measure both a system’s frequency response (transfer
function) and impulse response. Dual‐channel methods provide a relative
measurement (input vs. output), and help to answer questions like “what is the
crossover frequency in our system” “how much boost/cut?” or “when is the energy
from my main speaker arriving at the mic?”

Both types of measurement, single‐ and dual‐channel, are extremely powerful tools
for the audio engineer who understands their individual strengths and weaknesses
– who understand what they are measuring, and just as importantly, what they are
not. Far too often, bad decisions when using an analyzer are the result of engineers
confusing/conflating these measurement types.

In Smaart v7, the measurement process begins with the “group” configuration
process where we dictate what single‐channel (Spectrum) and dual‐channel
(Response) measurements we wish to use.

Time and Frequency Domain Analysis

A basic understanding of the relative strengths and differences between Time and
Frequency Domain analysis is critical to leveraging the measurement power
presented in Smaart. As problem solving engineers, the ability to examine a
measurement from multiple perspectives (domains) is extremely useful in the
process of analyzing a signal or system response. Each of Smaart v7’s primary
modes of operation (Real‐Time and Impulse Analysis) include both Time and
Frequency Domain measurement views.

Time Domain analysis refers examining our signals and system response over time.
A time domain plot (amplitude vs. time) of a signal provides a view of the wave form
– a critical view for sound editors. A time domain view of a system response
(impulse response) shows the signal delay through the system, and whether any
late arriving multiples of the signal (reflections / reverberence) are present.

Frequency Domain analysis refers to examing our signals and system responses
over frequency. A frequency domain plot (amplitude vs frequency) of a signal
provides a view of its spectrum – an extremely helpful view when identifying tonal
content or looking for feedback. A frequency domain view of system response
(transfer function or frequency response) provides an excellent look at the tonal
response of a system as well as its time/phase response by frequency.

In the figure below, an excellent example of the power of utilizing both time and
frequency domain views for examining system response is clearly displayed. The
Frequency Response measurement depicts a response with a series of linearly
spaced dips and peaks in its magnitude trace (lower trace). However that ripple is
the symptom ‐ the cause of this ripple can be clearly seen in the Time Domain view
of the system response – an obvious second arrival in the impulse response is the
source of the comb filter ripple seen in frequency domain.
 Figure 1: The Fourier Transform ­ moving signals between the time and frequency domains. Upper
example shows the conversion between a time signal (voice sample) and its spectrum; lower example is
the conversion between an impulse response and a frequency response (transfer Function).

FFTs
Smaart uses Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) and Inverse Fourier Transforms (IFTs)
to translate data between Time domain and Frequency domain views. In effect, an
FFT takes a section of a Time domain waveform and provides the frequency content
of that selected piece of signal. While a rigorous understanding of this mathematical
processes is not required to operate Smaart, it is useful to appreciate the inversely
proportional relationship between data in the two domains, where Frequency
Resolution = 1 / Time Constant (FR=1/TC). In other words, to increase the
resolution of spectrum data, one must use larger time slices of the input signal.

Of particular note here is Smaart v7’s default FFT setting for Transfer Function
measurements, MTW (Multi‐Time Window.) Instead of using one FFT of a single
fixed length, MTW uses multiple FFTs of decreasing length with increasing
frequency. This efficient process provides transfer function data with a consistent
resolution of greater than 48th octave above 60 Hz with a coherence function that is
increasingly sensitive to late reflective data in the higher frequencies. The figure
below shows a comparison of the same transfer function measurement made with
MTW vs. a single 16k FFT settings. Notice that MTW FFT has better resolution in the
LF while the 16k trace has excess resolution in the HF.
 Figure 2: Transfer Functions ­ MTW vs. Single 16k FFT

For more information on this subject, an in‐depth treatment of FFTs can be found in
the SmaartLive® TechNote “FFT Fundamentals.”

Smaart v7’s Object‐Oriented Program Architecture

One of the most powerful aspects of the new Smaart v7 platform is its object‐
oriented program architecture. Effectively, the program is built of many individual
code modules that are run as independent, inter‐related programs (objects).
Data acquisition is handled by the input module(s), single‐channel and dual‐channel
measurements are handled by individual spectrum and response objects, and the
graphing and GUI (graphic user interface) are their own separate objects as well.

This architecture creates a measurement environment that easily scalable to a

user’s individual requirements. In effect, you can run as many simultaneous single‐
channel (spectrum) and dual‐channel (response) measurements as your PC and
audio I/O (Input / Output) hardware will allow.

This also means that Smaart’s measurement plots are separate objects from the data
they graph. The immediate benefit of this relationship is the user’s ability to change
display parameters (smoothing, banding, spectrograph range, coherence blanking,
trace color) on the fly without having to recalculate/re‐measure the data for the
new display parameters.

Configuring Smaart v7 for Measurements

The measurement process with Smaart v7 begins with the configuration of single‐
channel (spectrum) and dual‐channel (response) measurements. This section
details the process and functions involved in configuring the software for
measurement.

Unlike previous versions of the software which assumed a simple two‐channel I/O,
Smaart v7 can interface with multiple I/O devices, each with multiple input and
output channels. Accordingly, Smaart v7 makes no assumptions about a user’s I/O
capabilities and measurement requirements, and so upon first run, begins its initial
operation un‐configured. As in previous versions however, following initial setup,
Smaart retains its measurement configuration for subsequent sessions.

Note: in the case of the free/public demo version of the software,

Smaart’s measurement configuration is not retained from session to
session, and must be rebuilt for each new session.

Smaart v7 is able to acquire input signals from any devices with .wav, CoreAudio, or
ASIO drivers that are recognizable by the computer’s Operating System (OS). In fact,
it can grab multiple signals from multiple sources simultaneously. (Note: only one
ASIO source can be accessed at a time)

When Smaart v7 starts, the user is presented

with this splash screen. While this is
displayed, Smaart checks to see what I/O
devices are available to your OS. It is here
that Smaart builds its list of input devices,
and once a device has been discovered, it
will continue to show up for configuration in
subsequent runs – even if it is not connected
at later start ups.

Note: While an I/O device may show up in Smaart’s list of configurable

devices, it must be connected to your computer at the time of startup
to be accessible during program run time.

Configuring Audio I/O Devices

While this configuration is not required to use devices in creating and performing
measurements, I/O device(s) can be “configured” by the user in the I/O Options
dialog. This configuration comprises adjusting the device’s sample rate, bit depth,
and assigning the device and its channels “friendly names” ‐ names that help users
identify signals and devices as they configure their individual measurements.

The “Audio I/O” Options Dialogue is accessed via the “Options

Menu” or by using the hot key command [Opt + A] (“Hot Keys” are
Smaart’s built‐in, keyboard‐based commands).

Figure 3: Options Menu

 Options: Audio I/O dialog

• User selects device from the drop‐down

list (populated at start‐up).

• User can assign “friendly names” to the

device and individual channels.

Note: Remember to press [enter] after

typing friendly names, or they will not be
retained.

Figure 4: Options ­ Audio I/O

Configuring Measurement Groups

To perform measurements with Smaart v7, a user must construct their
measurement configuration. Remember, instead of a fixed measurement topology,
Smaart v7’s object‐oriented architecture allows a user to configure as many single‐
channel (Spectrum) and dual‐channel (Response) measurement objects as they
wish from the Audio I/O channels available. Moreover, these measurements can be
run either individually or simultaneously, depending upon the user’s requirements.

In order to structure and manage our configuration, we organize our

measurements into Spectrum and Response “Groups.” This is
accomplished in the “Group Manager” Options Dialog which is accessed
either via “Options Menu”, by using the hot key command [Opt + G], or Figure 5: Group
by clicking on the Group Manager button located in the measurement Manager Button
controls area of the user interface.

From the Group Manager

Dialog, a user defines their
measurement objects and
organizes them into groups.

The left side of this dialog is

dedicated to a “tree view” of
the measurement
configuration. Here one
views/creates/copies/deletes
Spectrum and Response
groups and views the
Figure 6: The Group Manager Dialog ­ a powerful interface for
configuring, controlling and adapting our measurement system.
individual measurements assigned to each.

This tree also acts as the navigation/selector for the “Group Tab View” on the left
side of this screen.

Once a group has been created, a user can select it from the tree and add a
measurement to the group by clicking on the “New Input” (Spectrum) or “New Pair”
(Response) button.

Figure 7: Input Button ­ creates a new

single­channel measurement. Figure 8: New Pair ­ creates a new dual­
channel measurement object.
When configuring a new single‐channel
measurement within a Spectrum group, the user selects the desired I/O device and
input channel. When configuring a new dual‐channel measurement within a
Response group, the user selects the desired I/O device and a “measurement” and a
“reference” channel for that object. In both cases, the drop‐down menus will show
“friendly names” for the device and input channels that were configured for that
device.

Note: Meas. And Ref channels for a Response measurement must be

selected from the same I/O device.

From the “Tab View” section of the Group

Manager dialog, a user can organize each
measurement group; adjust the order that
each appears in on the main UI, change the
selected input signals, set/change the
name and color for each trace, and
configure live “Average” measurements
(using the “New Average” button.) Live
Averages are measurements which are
calculated from averages of other active Figure 9: Group Tab View section of the Group
Manager dialog showing live average setup
measurements in that group.

Each measurement object configured in the Group Manager Dialog is basically a

complete Smaart measurement engine in itself ‐ each with its own definable set of
measurement parameters. Consequently, each object in the group has its own “Tab”
in this view where users can address those individual measurement parameters if
required. The global and individual control of measurement parameters from within
the Group Manager shall be covered in more detail for each type of measurement
later in this document.

Note: While it is relatively easy to configure and simultaneously run

multiple response measurements, it is HIGHLY recommended that new
(and even experienced) users start with simple configurations and
build up slowly as they get used to managing multiple simultaneous
measurements.

The Smaart v7 GUI (Graphical User Interface)

This section provides a basic tour of the Smaart v7 user interface and reviews its
primary navigational tools and concepts. As the feature set and functionality of v7
expands, this will always be an area of continual enhancement, however, the
standard layouts, navigation tools and paradigms detailed here will still persist.

Operation Modes
Smaart operates in two distinct measurement modes: Real‐Time and Impulse
Response. While both modes have the ability to actively measure and display
frequency domain and time domain data, the fundamental distinction between these
modes is their operational focus. Real‐Time mode is designed as an environment for
efficiently measuring and capturing spectrum and response measurements – often
in multiples – specifically optimized for in‐situ system alignment and mix
engineering work. Impulse Response mode is designed to provide a robust and
intuitive set of tools for measuring and examining the acoustical response of
systems and environments. Smaart v7’s Impulse Response mode has been
significantly expanded from past versions (and will continue to expand) to include
much of the functionality from the Smaart AcousticTools software package.
GUI Overviews
The general layout of the GUI for Real‐Time and Impulse Response modes:
 Figure 10: The Smaart v7 Interface ­ Real­Time Mode

Figure 11: The Smaart v7 User Interface ­ Impulse Analysis Mode

Each mode contains a “Control Strip” on the right side of the interface, and the Real‐
Time mode includes a Data Storage area on its left side. The majority of each mode’s
GUI however is dedicated to the plot area. The uppermost portion of this section is
devoted to a cursor read out that displays the coordinates of the mouse cursor in
amplitude, frequency or time units, depending on the chart type, when the mouse
cursor is positioned over any of the main data plots.
Navigation
There are three basic elements in navigating, controlling and configuring Smaart v7:
GUI via mouse controls, menus/option dialogs, and hotkeys. In most cases, there are
multiple ways of controlling the same function – this is particularly important for
use cases where one method is preferable over another (e.g. a user operating on a
tablet computer where keyboard control are not convenient.) A complete, current
listing of the hotkey functions is always available in the software’s help files.

That said, Smaart v7’s GUI is built for mouse‐based control as its primary interaction
mode – either through buttons and data fields in the control strip and data areas, or
through “click and drag” controls in the data plot areas. Many of the various
controls for each mode will be covered in the specific sections of this document that
deal with the specific measurement types. Here however, we will cover the controls
that deal specifically with measurement and mode selection, and view control.

Measurement Selection:
In the data windows for both modes, the user can select the
measurement/plot type that is displayed in each window by
selecting a drop‐down menu from the plot type label in the
upper left corner of the plot.
Figure 12: Plot Type Selection for
Window Layout Selection: Real­Time Mode Data Windows

Layout selector buttons in the control strip set the number

of data windows (1 or 2) and in the case of Transfer
Function displays, toggle display of the optional live
impulse response (Live IR) display. When operating Figure 13: Window Layout Buttons
with a split display, one of the two main charts is for Real­Time Mode
considered the active, or selected chart. The color of
the margins surrounding the plot indicates which of the two is currently selected.

Note: The Control Strip and Data Storage areas in the Real Time Mode
always correspond with the active data window measurement type.

Directly above the Window Layout buttons in the Real‐Time

Mode are two buttons that recall standard, pre‐set
measurement views. The “Spectrum” button displays a single Figure 14: Pre­Set Views
plot window with “RTA” as the chosen data type. The “Transfer”
buttons switches to a two‐window display with Phase displayed in the upper
window and Magnitude in the lower.
Mode Selection:
Users can toggle between measurement modes using either the Mode buttons in the
control strip, via the “Mode” menu, or by using the [I] and [R] hot keys.

Zooming:
Users can zoom in any of the data windows by using a “rubber band” zoom by either
holding [command] + (left button) clicking and dragging, or (right button) clicking
and dragging a zoom area on the plot. Hot keys are also available for zoom
commands.

Note: Clicking on the X (horizontal) or Y (vertical) axis of any data plot

will reset its zoom ranges to default.

Spectrum Measurements
Smaart’s single‐channel Spectrum measurements allow a user to examine the
spectral content of audio signals throughout their system. These measurements are
extremely useful in many applications, including the location of feedback
frequencies in sound reinforcement, noise and sound exposure measurements,
cinema system optimization, as well as general signal monitoring tasks.

Data from Smaart’s Spectrum measurements are viewable as a standard RTA (Real
Time Analyzer) plots, or graphed over time in a three‐dimensional (level vs.
frequency vs. time) Spectrograph plot.

Spectrum Controls
Once configured,
individual Spectrum
measurements appear as
elements in the Spectrum
control strip. Here, the
user can choose which
measurements to actively
run , monitor the input
level of the signal, and
show/hide the trace.

Figure 15: Spectrum Control Strip

Global Spectrum
Settings:
By default, all Spectrum objects use the same global, user‐configurable
measurement and display parameters (FFT, Averaging, Weighting and Scale). The
global Scale and Averaging settings can be adjusted directly from the Spectrum
Control Strip, while all global settings can be addressed in the Group Manager
dialog.

Moreover, Averaging and

Weighting can set separately for
each measurement (if desired)
in the individual
Figure 16: Global Spectrum Settings from Group Manager
measurement’s tab in the
Group Manager controls.

RTA
The real‐time analyzer, or RTA, is a familiar tool to audio professionals. By adjusting
the scale and averaging, a user is able refine their measurement’s resolution and
responsiveness to fit the task at hand.

Figure 17: Spectrum RTA ­ Scale and Averaging Adjust

Spectrograph
While the RTA has historically been, by far, the most commonly used view of a
Spectrum for professional audio engineers, another way of displaying this data is
extremely illuminating and has been commonly applied for years in the fields of
voice recognition, vibration analysis and underwater acoustics (on submarines).
Smaart’s Spectrograph display (or Spectrogram, as it is more generally known) is a
plot of a signal’s spectrum over time. This hybrid display graphs a continuous series
of Spectrum measurements with frequency on one axis, time on another, and level
indicated by the trace color. In Smaart, this graph is fundamentally governed by
setting the threshold level at which data begins to appear on the graph. When a
frequency band in the spectrum is over the lower threshold, it shows up on the plot,
starting with a dark blue color at lower levels, and transitioning through green,
yellow, orange and red with higher level – eventually showing up as white if the
level reaches or exceeds the upper threshold.

The key to creating a useful

spectrograph is in setting the
dynamic range for the display – in
setting the thresholds for
showing / hiding the spectral
data. Set the range too wide and
the display loses definition, and
important features may get lost.
Set it too narrow or the lower
threshold too high and data might
get missed altogether.

One of the powerful new features

in Smaart v7 is the Threshold
Figure 18: Spectrograph Thresholds
Adjustment Handles that are
available on the left axis of RTA and
Spectrograph plots. With these controls, a user can adjust spectrograph thresholds
dynamically – without having to reacquire the data.

Moreover, Smaart v7’s

spectrograph retains a history of
the last “x” slices (spectrum
measurements), and a user can
scroll the display back through
older data in the history if it has Figure 19: Spectrograph Settings in Spectrum Options
passed off of the display. A user
can access and adjust the size of this history file, as well as the display width for
each slice, in the Spectrum Options dialog.

Note: Smaart only graphs data from the “active” spectrum

measurement – even if multiple single­channel measurements are
running simultaneously.

Application Examples
What follows are two examples of spectrum measurements used in common, “real
world” applications. The first uses both RTA and Spectrograph for examining
frequency content – specifically, in identifying feedback frequencies. The second
uses the spectrograph to examine interaction patterns (comb filtering) that are
caused by direct sound interacting reflections with near boundaries.

Feedback Identification:
In this example, a vocal microphone is routed through a simple sound system. For
our Spectrum measurement we acquire the output signal of the mixing console.

The vocal mic gain is

raised until we get
feedback.

Figure 20: System Configuration for Monitoring Feedback

The feedback tone can

be identified as a
vertical bar at 1.24 kHz
in the RTA display.
However, because
there is also other
signal going through
the system at the same
time as the feedback, it
is easier to distinguish
the vertical line of the
constant feedback tone
in the Spectrograph
plot.

Figure 21: Feedback Displayed in RTA and Spectrograph Plots

Examining Interaction Patterns with Spectrograph:
The following is a simple technique that uses the Spectrograph for examining
coverage and interaction patterns in loudspeaker systems. Simply put, the user

Figure 23: System Configuration for Interaction Study

excites the system with pink noise – which should produce a relatively constant
level/color at all frequencies on a spectrograph plot – and then moves the
measurement mic through the listening environment. Level variations from
interactions, like the audible comb filtering caused by reflections, can be seen as
interaction patterns on the spectrograph plot of the mic signal. Adjusting the
dynamic range helps to better highlight the interaction patterns.

Figure 22: Comb Filter Interaction Patterns Viewed in the Spectrograph Plot
Transfer Function Measurements
Transfer Function is a dual‐channel measurement that determines a system’s
frequency response by comparing its input signal (reference) to its output signal
(measurement). This measurement shows the difference between those two signals
in both magnitude and phase and represents the processing behavior of the system
as a function of frequency.

Smaart’s Transfer Function measurement allows a user to examine the frequency

response of various components of their sound system, both electrical (EQ’s, mixers,
processors) and electro‐acoustical (loudspeakers, their environment and their drive
electronics). These measurements are extremely useful in many applications,
including loudspeaker design, equipment evaluation, equalization and system
optimization.

Data from Smaart’s Transfer Function measurements are viewable as four separate
traces, on three separate plots/windows: magnitude response and coherence (same
window), phase, and live IR (time domain plot).

Note: A stored Transfer Function measurement comprises the

Magnitude, Phase and Coherence traces – Live IR is not captured.

Magnitude
The Magnitude window shows both the Magnitude portion of the transfer function
(frequency response), and the Coherence trace (see below). In the magnitude plot,
gain and loss show up as deviation from the center 0 dB
line.

The user can click and drag a magnitude trace up and down to move it vertically on
the plot.

Phase
The Phase plot displays the Phase portion of the Transfer Function measurement.
This plot shows the difference (in degrees) between the reference and measurement
signals, and provides an indication of overall relative timing by frequency, phase
shift due to filtering and system polarity. The phase plot is “circular” through 360o –
the top of the plot (180o) is the same place as the bottom of the plot (‐180o). The
phase trace below shows a continuous trace that leaves the bottom of the plot and
continues on from the top.

The user can click and drag a phase trace vertically to change the position of the 0o
point. Regardless of the position of 0o, the phase trace always displays a range of
360o in its standard, “wrapped” display format.
Coherence
The Coherence trace displays the stability of the Transfer Function data over the
given series of measurements/averages, and is expressed as a percentage from 0
(bad coh. – inconsistent data) to 100% (highly consistent data.) If the Transfer
Function’s averager is set to “instantaneous”, Coherence is not calculated.
The Coherence trace is plotted using the upper ½ of the Magnitude window.

There are three general causes of reduced coherence. First, a problem with the
measurement system – most commonly, not having the measurement delay set
properly (see below). Second, environmental noise causing measurement
contamination – loss of signal‐to‐noise. And third, excess reverberance / drop of
Direct‐to‐Reverb ratio in the measurement system. On an ongoing basis, the
Coherence trace provides an excellent indication of system intelligibility, and is a
good source of feedback on system/measurement quality.

Smaart utilizes a blanking function that will hide Transfer Function data from the
plot at frequencies where Coherence is below a set blanking threshold. The user can
set this in Transfer Function options, or use the adjustment handle on the
magnitude plot (next to the coherence scale in the upper right).

Transfer Function Controls

Like Spectrum, all Transfer function measurements by default use
the same “Global TF Settings” for FFT, Averaging, Smoothing, etc, ‐
unless they are set to ignore those settings in the measurement’s
individual tab in the Group Manager.

Averaging:
Averaging a measurement stabilizes the measurement and helps reject uncorrelated
noise. The Smaart v7 uses a standard FIFO (First In, First Out) for the lower levels of
averaging (2, 4, 8, 16) and then switches to accumulators above that (1 sec, 2 sec,
etc). These accumulators provide significant improvements in stability over past
larger FIFO’s and are preferred for acoustic measurements.

Smoothing
Smaart v7 includes new “Fractional Octave” smoothing algorithms for reducing the
ripple in TF traces and aiding in viewing the general trends of the data curves.

Live IR
The Transfer Function can be viewed as a “Live IR”. This display shows the Impulse
Response in a linear scale, time domain
view with the TF measurement delay
time located at the center of the screen.
Live IR settings can be adjusted in the
Transfer Function Options dialog .

Delay Locator / Delay Tracking

Transfer Function is calculated by comparing the signal on input to a system to it’s
corresponding output signal. Most times, there is some delay through the system,
often the result of latency in the processing, signal delay and acoustic propagation
time. Each transfer function object has a measurement
delay that can be used to delay the input/reference
signal to its output/measurement signal. Accordingly,
Smaart has a built‐in “Delay Locator” function that
performs an impulse response measurement, and
returns the time associated with the tallest peak – normally the delay time
associated with the arrival of the direct sound. For each measurement object, this
function can be called with the “Find” button in its individual measurement control.

Alternatively, the user can choose to have an individual measurement object

continuously track the measurement delay (using the same basic function as Live
IR) by pressing the “Track” button or indicator light located in the measurement’s
individual control.

Note: The “Track“ function does consume some processor resources, so

if your measurement delay is not changing (the mic or speaker is not
actively moving,) it is probably best to turn track off once the
measurement delay has been acquired.

Application Example: Setting an Equalizer for a Loudspeaker

In this example, an engineer measures the Transfer Function of a loudspeaker, and
then adjusts an equalizer to “flatten” its overall response. Here, the user has a multi‐
channel I/O, so measurements of the Equalizer (Mix Out compared to EQ Out) and
complete loudspeaker system (Mix Out compared to Microphone) can be performed
simultaneously. This example could also be accomplished performing those
measurements individually/sequentially. This example uses the following
hardware
configuration.
This configuration produces the following initial measurements.

Next we capture the loudspeaker response trace, adjust the EQ and view the results
in the active “Mic One” measurement of the total system. Note that the EQ
measurement has been set to graph inverted, so we can lay the EQ directly over the
stored response trace. This helps with refining filter width and frequency.
Impulse Response Measurements
Impulse Response mode is designed to provide a robust and intuitive set of tools for
measuring and examining the acoustical response of systems and environments.
Smaart v7’s Impulse Response mode has been significantly expanded from past
versions (and will continue to expand) to include much of the functionality from the
Smaart AcousticTools software package.

In this mode, we can also analyze previous IR measurements (or other time‐domain
information) that have been stored in standard .wav or .aiff (MAC) audio file format

Impulse Response Controls

In IR Mode, a user can perform an Impulse Response measurement by choosing any
Response Measurement they currently have configured, setting the measurement
parameters (primarily FFT size/ TC), acquiring signals and pressing start.
Alternatively, the user can choose to load a stored file via the “File” menu.

Once the user has captured or loaded an impulse response measurement, they can
use the viewing tools below to analyze it.

At the top of the IR mode GUI is a window displaying the entire impulse response in
linear view. This “Nav” window is used for selecting the time domain zoom for the
lower data windows. As in Real‐Time mode, right Click and drag to choose your
zoom window, and click on the data axis to clear the zoom.

Note: When measuring an impulse response, it is very important that

you have a strong reference signal (give the measurement a good
“view” of the signal you are looking for), and make sure your TC is set
to at least five times (5x) the length of the total system response
(including reverberant decay) you are measuring.
Log/Lin/ETC
Views

Frequency Domain
View
IR Mode Spectrograph
Appendices
Hot Keys
Measurement Controls
[O] Selected Measurement On/Off
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [O] All On (run all live measurements of selected type)
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [Alt] +[O] All Off (stop all llive measurements of selected type)
[V] Reseed Averages
Delay Controls
[D] Track Delay (toggles Delay Tracking for selected Transfer Function measurement)
[Cmd/Ctrl] +[D] All Track (turn on Delay Tracking for all active Transfer Function measurements)
[L] Find Delay (for selected Transfer Function measurement)
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [L] Find All Delays (find delays for all active Transfer Function measurements)
[,<] Increment Delay (for selected Transfer Function measurement)
[.>] Decrement Delay (for selected Transfer Function measurement)
Data Storage and File Operations
[Space] Capture Trace (captures the front trace on the selected graph into the selected storage slot
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [F] Capture and File Trace (creates a permanent file on disk while capturing)
[Cmd/Ctrl] +[S] Save to File (.wav or .srf/trf depending on the operating mode)
[Del] Clear Selected Storage Slot
Display Controls
[I] IR Analysis Mode
[R] Real-Time Mode
[S] Spectrum
[T] Transfer Function
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [I] Live IR (Show/Hide)
[Y] Clear Y Offset (Selected)
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [Y] Clear Y Offset (All)
[Z] Cycle Z Order (Forward)
[Shift] + [Z] Cycle Z Order (Back)
[+] Zoom In Y
[–] Zoom Out Y
[Cmd/Ctrl] +[+] Zoom In X/Y
[Cmd/Ctrl] +[–] Zoom Out X/Y
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [Alt] +[+] Zoom In X
[Cmd/Ctrl] + [Alt] +[–] Zoom Out X
[Up Arrow] Scroll Up*
[Down Arrow] Scroll Down*
[Left Arrow] Pan Left
[Right Arrow] Pan Right

*Or roll "roll" the (wrapped) Phase display.

[Cmd/Ctrl] means press the [Ctrl] key on a Windows computer or the [Cmd] key (sometimes
called the Apple Key or "flower" key) on a Macintosh computer. The Alt key on a Windows system
maps to the Option key on

Self‐Help: Where to go for Answers

Ultimately, the user, as engineer and operator, is responsible for answering their
own specific application questions. In order to assist in this process, Rational
Acoustics suggests the following sources:

1. Use the HELP FILES in the software – a lot of very helpful information
about Smaart’s functions and features is there, and it is fully searchable.
2. The Smaart user forums at RationalAcoustics.com
3. Smaart Training sessions
4. Previously published Smaart and SmaartLive Manuals and Technical
Notes – these can be found on the Rational Acoustics web site at:
http://www.rationalacoustics.com/pages/New_Documentarium
5. The “Recommended Reading” sources cited in the last section of this
document.
6. Or even contact Rational Acoustics directly via email (preferred) or
phone.

Training session information and contact information for Rational Acoustics and
authorized representatives can be found at http://rationalacoustics.com.

Recommended Reading
D. Davis, C. Davis: Sound System Engineering, 2nd edition. Carmel, IN: SAMS. 1994.

M. Mehta, J. Johnson, C. Rocafort: Architectural Acoustics: Principles and Design.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 1999.

American National Standard: Specification for Sound Level Meters, ANSI S1.4‐1983.
New York, NY: Acoustical Society of America. 1983.

R. Cabot, B. Hofer, R. Metzler: Standard Handbook of Video and Television

Engineering: Chapter 13.3: “Nonlinear Audio Distortion”, 4th edition.
McGraw‐Hill Professional. 2003.

OSHA Standard: Occupational Noise Exposure, OSHA 1910.95. Washington, DC:

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. 1996.
 Criteria for a Recommended Standard Occupational Noise Exposure, Revised Criteria
1996, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 96. Atlanta, GA: National Institute for
Occupational Safety & Health. 1996.

Motion­Pictures ­ B­Chain Electroacoustic Response ­ Dubbing Theaters, Review

Rooms and Indoor Theaters, SMPTE 202M‐1998. White Plains, NY: Society of
Motion Picture and Television Engineers. 1998.

If you have an interest in furthering your knowledge of the engineering concepts behind
FFT‐based measurement, you may find the following texts useful:

A. Oppenheim, A. Willsky, S. Nawab: Signals and Systems, 2nd edition. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall Inc. 1997.

A. Oppenheim, R. Schafer, J. Buck: Discrete­Time Signal Processing, 2nd edition. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Inc. 1999.