Great info on porous absorption from John Brandt
Studio Acoustic Panels. Acoustic info from Mr Brandt
Acoustics
Tips for better room acoustic measurements
OUR WORK | MASTERING | DOLBY ATMOS | F.A.Q | CONTACT Tips for better room acoustic measurements Hello I am Des Grey, I provide a dedicated no compromise mastering service. From stereo to immersive and everything in-between. The technical quality is not very important for the first measurements of your room. The insights you get from the new diagrams such as the impulse response and the waterfall diagram or spectrogram are very interesting and informative in any case! In this respect, every measurement is better than no measurement! In my blog article on measuring room modes, I briefly outlined the first steps and settings with REW (Room EQ Wizard) so that you can take the first measurement of your own room as easily as possible – in case you haven’t done any such measurements yet. As soon as the measurement setup is complete and you have taken your first measurements, the quality can easily be improved with a few simple tricks. The most important parameter is the signal-to-noise ratio. Many room acoustic properties such as the reverberation time consider the level to drop by 60dB. And of course, this can only be clearly shown if our measurement data also have such a dynamic range. The following comparison of a spectrogram and the associated impulse response illustrates the difference between a technically bad (left) and a good (right) measurement: We are particularly interested in the frequency-dependent decay behavior in the bass range. It is important to recognize where room modes reverberate and where they should be treated acoustically. If the background noise is too high, we can only recognize tendencies, but find it difficult to make a clear decision about the next steps. Both spectograms show a 60dB decay. In the example on the left, at -60dB the limit of the noise floor is already reached and the contours of the room modes are not clearly recognizable. In the example on the right, we see from the impulse response that the background noise only begins below -80dB compared to the peak. The 60dB decay is clearly defined in the spectogram. If good measurement data are not available, a level drop of only 30dB or 40dB can of course be analysed and the contours become sharp again. But occasionally you may want to hit the full 60dB. And that’s not that difficult! THE TEST SETUP For the example diagrams, I put the measurement signal on my left speaker and set the microphone to my normal listening position. Since the outside noise changes constantly, I have created my own background noise. There was a constant pink noise on the right speaker all the time. I also lowered the measurement signal significantly for most measurements. While I would normally measure at -20dB or -25dB (which would result in about 80-85dB SPL with my active speakers), I deliberately worsened it at -50dB today. The measurement signal is barely audible, but is almost lost in the background noise. So what to do if the acoustic situation is not optimal, but we still want to take good measurements? Here are a few suggestions: 1. INCREASE THE VOLUME OF THE MEASUREMENT SIGNAL I think it’s self-explanatory that we should turn up our measurement signal to some extent when it comes to measuring room acoustic parameters. Because this is the simplest and most important point and is therefore at the top of the list! This is not very relevant for the frequency response of a loudspeaker and the measurement of the EQ, because we usually focus on direct sound. If, on the other hand, we want to look at the drop in the level by 60dB in the spectrogram and are happy if we then have a few dB extra before the background noise, then it should be clear that it is difficult for us to record all information with a gentle “conversation volume”. Of course there are limits to the volume: we don’t want to damage the loudspeaker or bring it into the area where it distorts. On the other hand, we may have to sit very close to the loudspeaker during the measurement and do not want to endanger our hearing. Or we have sensitive roommates, pets or neighbors. Of course, we shouldn’t strain all that. Because later we have a few more tricks on how to make our 60dB waste visible, even if we don’t get it completely acoustically in this first step. Ultimately, however, no method is as simple and quick as increasing the volume. Depending on your equipment, there are several places where you can increase the level. On the one hand, directly on the (active) loudspeaker or on the amplifier or receiver. Or you can turn up the output on the audio interface or increase the level of the measurement signal in the measurement software. In the end, your measurement signal should be heard quite loudly and more than clearly differentiate itself from the ambient noise in your room. A little tip: You do not have to be present during the measurement! If it gets too loud for you, use the delay function in REW with, for example, 20-30 seconds lead time. So you can comfortably leave the room, close the door and go for a coffee in the meantime while the measurement is running. You are most likely to see the effect of increasing the volume in the impulse response. You actually increase the peak at the beginning of the pulse by increasing the volume. REW, however, usefully normalizes the first pulse to 0dB, so it looks as if we are reducing the noise in the room. If, as in my test setup, the measurement signal is hardly louder than the ambient noise, the first pulse only rises by a good 20dB from the background noise. This is not optimal even for a simple frequency response from direct sound. The noise is too high for room acoustic analysis. I increased the level of the measurement signal in REW in 10dB steps. One … Read more
Limp Bag Bass Traps
OUR WORK | MASTERING | DOLBY ATMOS | F.A.Q | CONTACT Limp Bag Bass Traps Hello I am Des Grey, I provide a dedicated no compromise mastering service. From stereo to immersive and everything in-between. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=2ABPS8Cv9ZQ&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desgreymastering.co.za%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo&themeRefresh=1 LATEST CREDITS Mastering STEREO MASTERING | STEM MASTERING | APPLE DIGITAL MASTERS | IMMERSIVE AUDIO I master as you advocate, it is my pleasure to assist you in presenting your music in the most compelling way possible. My primary objective is to extract the essence of your work and shape it into a form that resonates deeply with your audience. When you enlist my services, you can trust that my discerning ear, refined taste, and unique perspective will blend seamlessly with your vision. I use customised tools, including tubes and transformers to ensure all the necessary vibe while remaining true to the heart and soul of your mix. My rates include all edits and revisions until you are completely satisfied. By working together, we can create something that not only competes but endures the ever-evolving music industry. Book Mastering Ayanda Jiya Artist Thank you so much ! You did a thing ! Truly appreciate it. Charles Webster G.O.A.T Thanks so much for your great work…sounds really nice. Rick Wade Dj | Producer Appreciate your work. Great Master !!! Cornelius SA DJ | Producer Sounds Great. Your mastering is on point. Solid The Gifted MPC | Rapper I love your work and appreciate the time and effort you put into polishing the tracks. Ntokozo Ngongoma Artist Des Grey is the best by far… all my best selling projects are done by him… high efficiency and easy to work with. Big ups man.. Phat Pro DJ | Rapper Des Grey never disappoints🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽. Delivers on time and is so easy to work with Nk Da Dj Artist Amazing work brother. Mr. G Producer Shewww! Thank you so much I love it ! Will be sending you more stuff soon I have found my engineer ! Nelo HD Producer | Dj | Label Owner I received the files, they sound perfect! Thank you for your outstanding service. Dj Sekza DJ | Producer Wow !!! What a master. Thank you bro. Ernie Colville Producer It sounds amazing. Thank you so much. Sand Isle Dj| Producer Thank you for your beautiful work. Loading SA You are the best ! What you did on my Ep is something else :))) Reeves Music Artist Thank you so much Des, I love this ! Kazeli Artist Perfect !!! This just Perfect ! Thank you so much. Dj Sekza Artist | Dj Happy with the master ! You really dont disappoint :))) Lution Producer | Artist Des Des Des Des!!!this is it man!!!!!!! This is what I’ve been longing to hear… super super master man!!!! The track sounds so amazing … perfect 😩😩😩😩😩🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 SABMAG + TEDD Producer + Dj We are all happy with the master. No need to change anything 🙂 Chris Sen Producer | Mixing Engineer | Dj Im really happy Des, ive been forced to use many self claimed mastering engineers and you are on another level. I will be sending you more work. Master Mello King of Soulful House Thank you for taking it to the next level Equipped for Atmos FEATURING A 7.1.4 MONITORING SYSTEM DRIVEN BY A METRIC HALO INTERFACE I offer a full array of ATMOS Services with our 7.1.4 calibrated reference room. Much like a stereo master, Dolby Atmos Mastering focuses on the final touches to ensure a competitive sound that translates and meets the approval specifications by Dolby, DSPs, and, if applicable, your record label. We appreciate its a new creative format, often posing many questions, but I am here to support you through every single aspect. From how best to prep your ADM files, stems and how to audition and review content efficiently to name a few. If you have completed your Dolby Atmos mixes on headphones or in an acoustic environment that is not ideal, we are here to help you. Book Atmos LATEST RELEASE DOLBY ATMOS CORNELIUS SA & DEE CEE FT VILLA YAFASO Listen Now F.A.Q Do you special rates for indie artists ? Reduced rates are available for self-financed artists (without a label or distribution). Drop us a message at +27 84 720 2668 to discuss your next project. It would be our pleasure to contribute to your art. What are your rates ? Reduced rates are available for record labels, studios, mixing engineers, and self-financed artists (without a label or distribution). Drop us a message at +27 84 720 2668 to discuss your next project. It would be our pleasure to contribute to your art. Stereo Mastering Rates: – R850 or $75 for 1 track.– R750 or $65 per track for 2-5 tracks.– R700 or $50 per track for 6-10 tracks.– R600 or $45 per track for 11+ tracks. Additional Services:– Attended Sessions: Mastering rate + 20%.– Stem Mastering: Unlimited Stems @ R1500 / $150 per track.– Subscription Mastering: Unlimited mastering designed for labels at a reduced rate. Our handy online booking system is the fastest way to get your music booked into the studio. It utilizes a secure payment gateway from Payfast. We can also accept a variety of payment options including PayPal, Engineers Platform, Mastercard/Visa, and EFT. Immersive Rates Immersive Mastering @ R950 | $100 per track. || You provide the ADM BWF file (Atmos mix) + Stereo Mix for reference. Immersive “Stem” Mastering @ R2000 | $250 per track. || You provide the stems + Stereo Mix and we create an immersive master Immersive Mixing @ R5000 | $500 per track || Unlimited Tracks. Additional Services All Immersive options include a binaural stereo master. It is important to release both stereo and Dolby Atmos masters, as this way the listener has a choice of which format to listen to based on which device they are listening with. What is the turnaround time for mastering? It averages from 24 hours for a single to 7 days … Read more
