Open Sound Meter Fundamentals | Sound System Tuning Software Walkthrough For Beginners

[@ZacharyRumleyLLC]

I've circled back to this video numerous times in the last 12 months. Life saver and seriously so educational. Thank you!

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You got it!

[@opensoundmeter]

Thanks for the review! 21:03 frd is for FIR designer

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You're very welcome! Thanks for clarifying that. I know you had it in the manual, the name just escaped me.

[@gravyblue]

I've downloaded. I will donate if it works for me.

[@agropecuarialacopa3817]

How can i donate from Venezuela?

[@akosiniroh]

thanks for this! finally a cheap alternative vs to the well known softwares

[@ants9574]

Thanks for this video! I am using OSM to basically run a Dual FFT system to impulse/phase and time align my Home Theater system after EQ’ing my subs/speakers. Any tips or specific videos of yours I should check out?

[@RodrigoPiccoli]

Just find your channel and I'm diving deep on all these videos! Super helpful content with quality information. Thank you so much for doing this. Peace!

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You're very welcome!

[@casey_wav7075]

One of the best pro audio channel on KZbin no doubt

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thank you so much!

[@eliziebethale]

Play all Gospels music now

[@eliziebethale]

Play all Gospels music now

[@Reefgc]

Thanks for this excellent video! I managed to use REW and my interface input gain to set up spl measurement for live shows. I got it within 1db from a known good meter. But when I use numeric spl measurement in OSM, the values are way off! 20+ db too loud. Any ideas? Do I require a reference channel for that?

[@nektardymski6025]

Hello! Thank you for the great tutorial. May I ask what is the reaper skin you're using?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

I think it's just the default Dark v5.0 skin?

[@djcorewrecked]

Great video as always! Can you perform a measurement as a practical lesson with Open Sound Meter? Im looking to learn how to align subs to mids, and mids to highs

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You got it.

[@djcorewrecked]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio thats awesome! Im about to build my analyzer rig. I built a subwoofer and a midtop. Aligning them is my next step. Ive heard mids to highs can be tricky

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@djcorewrecked I'd get the EVO 8 from audient as the interface.

[@djcorewrecked]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio im currently shopping for a budget one now. Was looking at the Behringer one you previously recommend. Ill check this one out:)

[@djcorewrecked]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio I cant seem to find any videos where alignment is done with Open Sound Meter. It would be super helpful!

[@dusanskulavik1878]

How and what kind of signal you put to OSM (I woul like to measure phase)?

[@abecoulter8550]

with your survival spread sheet, is it offered in metric for the rest of the world?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Yes, there's a tab for metric and imperial.

[@gabeangelomusic]

So once you have the measurement would you be tuning the room with EQ after that? Or is there another way to do it?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Using EQ to balance tonality is one of many tools in the toolbox to align a system. I first focus on selecting the right speaker, optimal aim and placement, level setting each source, time aligning each source at the appropriate locations, THEN reach for EQ to get the tonality I want.

[@mikelongmire]

Hi Michael, another great video...always concise, articulate, never boring & often thought provoking & mostly re-affirming. However...I'm not here to blow smoke...that's the job of the bloke that sits behind me ;-) What I'd like to learn today...is...what is the name of the Reaper theme you're using? Very neat. BTW, I use Flux Pure Analyser mostly. As an often visiting mixer I'm usually verifying a system that has been set by others, Flux is then (during checks & show), more useful to me as a mixer with it's stereo reference capability with excellent balance/freq/intensity (nebula) and phase metering...great for running of the monitor buss ant tracking phase relationships within stereo busses etc...and it's so pretty;_)) Once again, many thanks for the work you put into your vids...it's appreciated by many.

[@kulamaganti6689]

do we have to calibrate the mics before we measure?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Nope!

[@mixinglane]

Would it be possible using a Umik-1 or -2 USB-C measuring microphone for SPL measurements (interested since latest version has leq measurements). Thanks.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

As long as you're not running any crazy loud measurements that would distort the mic you'll be in good shape.

[@mixinglane]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio Thank you. Intention is to use it for venue EQ measurement (pink noise) at sound check before gig and SPL measurements during the gig. In The Netherlands: Leq= 103 dB(A) over 15 minuten but some countries have Leq= 99 dB(A) over 15. 126 is quite loud tbh. Intend to do that with a Umik-1 or -2 USB-C measuring microphone on an iPad.

[@garydixon2332]

Thanks for pointing me to this software. I have had some problems with it though and wondered if anyone has had the same. The first time I ran it everything worked fine, I had it going throughout a conference I was working on and played about with the settings to become familiar with it. Every time after that it opened with a frozen screen and I have to use Task Manager to close it down. It did this for around 3 days and then suddenly it opened normally again but when I ticked the Measurement box it froze again. It did this twice and now only opens with the same frozen screen again. I've emailed Pavel; who is being really patient and helpful but it's not solved yet, am I alone in this? I suspect Windows updates have changed some thing but the work, not work, work again, not work again is very odd!

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Hey, Gary. I'm glad you've found the software helpful, but sorry to hear it's been buggy. I have yet to use OSM on a Windows machine, so I'm not the best person to help here : /.

[@garydixon2332]

Thanks for replying Michael, I can’t believe I’ve got the only machine on the planet that won’t run OSM, maybe someone else in this community has had the same problem. If not, and if I ever get it sorted out, I’ll post the solution here for anyone else in the future who experiences the same issue.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@garydixon2332 Please report back when you do! Sorry it's been giving you trouble.

[@MatthewMcclatchie123]

Will you do one on smaart ?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

In the future, yes.

[@elizabethmhale8272]

Open sounds now my phone now

[@matthewpiatt]

Super helpful overview, thanks! I use REW often, but just added OSM to my kit based on your recommendation and have found it extremely useful for a variety of tasks in the field. I am very grateful for your channel and Pavel's software!

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Glad you're digging the software! Yes, OSM is a wonderful tool to have in your arsenal.

[@humbertopuga4501]

Hi! un the input reference menu appears a "loop" option, can I use this if I don't have a physical cable from output to input (reference cable). I just have a 1 input interface ( apogee One ); and can you make a video of how to align subs and mids using OSM, regards

[@opensoundmeter]

Yes, you can. This is exactly the case to use Loop channel

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

I forgot to cover that in the video. Thanks for chiming in here, Pavel.

[@jijobabyjose8261]

You always provide exactly what I wanted, the Best Pro Audio Channel in KZbin!!! Keep going Michael 👍

[@grantcalderon1880]

Do you have a video explaining the routing in the DAW? Thanks!

[@MatthewProAudio.11]

Can you play pink noise directly on the software open sound meter

[@nicksigman3266]

Yes you can, generator is above the measurement mic on right side.

[@nicksigman3266]

He shows it off around 13 minutes in

[@yumirmuljadi4573]

Hi Michael, i have problem with my Open Sound Meter. Everytime i try to engage the app it says "Can't start the measurement. Device is not supported or busy." Have you ever encountered this issue before? Any way to fix this? Thanks before.

[@JeffreyBaconBacon]

Thank you for this comprehensive discussion of Open Sound Meter. I recently used a sound analyzer and an automotive stethoscope to find and document a bad capacitor in a receiver, and, since, I have become fascinated with the utility of sound analysis for electronics troubleshooting. Your video inspired me to learn more about it before investing in equipment for audio analysis for integrated circuit troubleshooting. I am curious, what hardware, as a beginner, would you recommend to learn the basic skills together with Open Sound for probing (contact) electrical and mechanical components?

[@Diorro]

Hi, great video. I wonder if you have any other where you explain the criteria to use the data, and what kind of solutions or choices you make based on the data. I'm trying to tune my home-studio room that I know sucks accoustically, but after the measure, I'm not entirely sure what to read and what exactly are my room problems.

[@FreeKeenan]

Michael, I tried downloading o s m with no luck. Doesn't say it supports win 11 pro. Says Windows from windows 7. The other problem I won't do PayPal I had a very bad experience! Says he takes a card but Russian only? Any remedies? I was hoping to get started 😪

[@MrRes1cue]

So I am having problems getting the visible Spike to show up with impulse response. I have followed your directions to a T with the setup and using a TRX 1/4 patch cable for the loopback and have even verified the open sound meter settings are the same. I am using a Presonos XLR mic into a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen. The estimated delay does show up in measurement but when I click the sync button absolutely nothing like what appears in your videos on the impulse tracing appears at the 0ms position in mine, no spikes just flat line. Not sure what I am doing wrong here. Marco..............

[@FreeKeenan]

Sir Michael Curtis Does open sound meter support windows 11 pro? It doesn't say. I tried downloading but blank files. I wonder if you have to donate first? Let me know.

[@TheLiryco]

My magnitude lines are not shown they are blurred out

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Lower your coherence blanking threshold.

[@stnkeyez1672]

How would one route the reference signal through an input channel on a Midas pro 2? Seems to be my only road block at the moment. Feel like I’ve tried everything. Lol

[@3488282303]

I can't figure out how to apply a calibration file for a calibrated microphone

[@MykeHawke-r9r]

Thank you

[@lucappelman8558]

Really great tutorial for Open Sound Meter and measuring the sound in a room in general. Never really had to do this up untill now, but this gives a lot of insight to all the different data types and graphs. Just the right amount of information with enough technical details!

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thanks a ton, Luc.

[@andreasevermin2331]

Are you using different measurements to be able to add calibration file on only the Microphone so that you don't get the calibration on the reference channel?

[@jackgrewe]

Hi, thanks for a great video Michael. After having used this software on two different PC's and with two different interfaces (SSL 2+ and QL1 over Dante virtual sound card) I've been experiencing the SPL meter buggy and unreliable. After having calibrated two different measurement mics to the same calibrator 94db(A) and comparing it side to side with a standard SPL meter, as well as REW's SPL meter that's being fed the same measurement source (over dante) and calibrated with the same calibrator, Open Sound Meter still doesn't measure quite the same (all A weighted). REW and the SPL meter are, however, showing the same measurements. The "Fast" setting in Open Sound Meter is somewhat closer to the REW and hand held SPL meter, while the "Slow" setting won't drop below a certain dB value - usually around 80dB but it varies a bit after each re-calibration. Looking at the gain indicator bar to the right it also seems as if the measurement channel has a constant feed coming from somewhere, the meter displaying a constant solid 30-45% full bar. As said - I've tried this on two different PC's through two different interfaces and using different microphones and the issue remains. Is this something that you've experienced as well, or could it somehow be something that I'm missing?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Hey, Jack. Thanks for the thorough research and letting me know about these issues with OSM. I personally haven't used the SPL feature yet - I've been getting to know SMAART v9 in recent weeks. I'll have to check this out for myself on my rig and report. Sorry the feature isn't working as expected!

[@jackgrewe]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio Cool, thanks - it would be great to know if you experience similar issues. If you do I'll send a bug report to OSM because it would be nice to get clarity on. With an issue like this it makes me less confident in the other functions as well. What if there is, for example, some internal feedback loop happening in the software's SPL meter - maybe this issue is also affecting the other functions without the users awareness of it, distorting the measurements? Anyway, it's a free software so one shouldn't give it to much heat I suppose. Thanks again for doing your work! Doing more mixing than system tuning SMAART is personally a bit to hefty of an investment for me atm, but it would be great to see a comparison video between SMAART and OSM just to know if it actually might be worth to save up the money for it in a future.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@jackgrewe I'd be curious to see what Pavel says about the issue. You're right, that's not a great bug to have on a new feature, but things happen. I've personally had no issues from a data standpoint with any of the transfer function related measurements. It'd be fun to capture measurements in both OSM and SMAART from the same mic position and compare the data.

[@jackgrewe]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio A little update regarding the RTA issue: I sent a bug report to Pavel and got a kind responded stating that they are already aware of the issue and it's on the to do list to be fixed. A OSM and SMAART comparison would be great. Possibly also a comparison of what features one software has that the other does not?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@jackgrewe I'm glad Pavel is on it! I'll definitely keep that comparison video in the hopper.

[@timkanter8383]

is there a way to calculate the delay between 2 different speakers like you can in Smaart?

[@kaptuang7284]

Can you make video for sound tuning using REW software please?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

I honestly haven't used REW in 4-5 years, but I can brush up on it. Does it do something specific that OSM can't do?

[@kaptuang7284]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio sorry I don’t know but it have a lot features last year they updated .

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@kaptuang7284 I'll check it out!

[@Ryding_data]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio I wonder about one thing, and that is that OSM also have the sine sweep option, but it seems it repeats in playback in differ to REW where I can set one sweep and then get a graph. Is there any way I can have a similar behavior in OSM, or how can I use the sweep function in the OSM in another way?

[@opensoundmeter]

@@Ryding_data For this moment Open Sound Meter is for real time measurements only, REW for impulse response (offline) measurements. In the future we are expecting to have impulse response measurements too in Open Sound Meter.

[@anthonyanzalone]

Hey Michael, have you found any way to get OSM to open in dark mode? -- no matter what I do it always starts in the white mode.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

I think it defaults to light mode at the moment. Shoot Pavel an email and do a feature request!

[@tkouns1608]

Windows 11 Defender gave me a warning when I tried to run the install file? Anyone had any security issues with this freeware? Is it safe to install and run?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

It's been safe on my Mac, for sure.

[@walhallyus]

Hey! Can you guide me how you can SPL calibrate a RTA mic with open sound meter? I struggle to understand how to ste the gain on my interface to get acurate SPL meter

[@walhallyus]

up!!

[@Reefgc]

I am also having some trouble with this, did you manage to solve it? @@walhallyus

[@QuicksilverSG]

TL;DW: You have to memorize command keys to use this app?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Most of the commands you would use you can also go to File --> then that command.

[@craigbowman272]

Very Nice... Thank you!

[@MatthewProAudio.11]

can do one on smaart ?

[@gabbajon5654]

how did you open the .gll file in osm i cant get it to work

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You have to open the .gll file in GLL Viewer, then export it out as .csv. Then open the CSV file.

[@Hakon_]

Great video👍👍

[@kantorpolusi3210]

please tell me the link of the software Mr,

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

opensoundmeter.com/

[@MediaCubeCleveland]

Any opinion on the dbx RTA-M? Is it pin 3 hot?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Yes, it is pin 3 hot, but is still a great mic for measurement. It's not made to handle super high SPL, though.

[@MediaCubeCleveland]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio Thanks. I know that dbx doesn’t have a calibration file. Are the ones floating around the internet reliable?

[@gustersongusterson4120]

Great video! Subbed.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thank you so much!

[@ericchang7759]

Michael, really appreciate your videos. It's been a great start for me to get into more complex system design. I did have a possible video suggestion. I am thinking in a church context, what kind of room design would give great sound as first priority for a church sanctuary. Some parameters...500, 750 and 1000 person room, high ceilings, seating configuration is whatever works best and room shape. First priority is for spoken voice, but also for a good live music environment (what would different room possibilities look like). Also, room design that minimizes room treatments, and would provide the most cost effective solution (my assumption is that sound design with treatments add cost very quickly, so minimize as much as possible). In other words, what room shape, equipment choice and room treatment provides best bang for buck? I know this is a hairy question, but interested if you might address this?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

That's a great idea, Eric. I'll give you the short answer here: The ideal room shape is a gentle fan (between 120-160°) and rises in elevation as it goes towards the back. This follows the natural "fan" shape a speaker would have, and the rising elevation helps offset the distance ratio from front to back. If budget is REALLY an issue, sometimes you can get away with a single flown mains speaker and a single flown sub. It would compliment the fan room shape. As far as room treatment goes, there's unfortunately no magic shape that will make you have to buy less room treatment. No matter the shape or size, room treatment will be needed. A smaller room will require less, with less high ceilings. But then you can't get your speakers as high. Bottom line, room treatment that's any shallower than 4" thick, doesn't do much at all. 6" is even better, with a 6" air gap behind them. Acoustics Insider is a great KZbin Channel to learn more about that.

[@MrWillihelmdueck]

I have heard that parallel walls should be avoided to reduce the reverb of a room. What do you think about that?

[@laszloturi9633]

I think you got some viruses↓↓↓

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Got them cleared out. Thank you!

[@antwanfilikian128]

Thank You for the great Videos you make to help people withe same Interests. I use DBX PA+ with my sound system and it works Great no Feedback Very clean and crisp with very low musical Bottom end. And it eliminates the use of lots of cables for compressor EQ Subsonic filters crossovers and more. and what I like About the DBX Speaker Management system is No matter where you stand in my room it sounds the same with very little Noticeable Deference and the Room is 36x84 .

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

I'm glad you're getting great results with it!