Review: Open Sound Meter - A truly free audio analyzer?

[@bradpierce]

Would be great to see another updated review on this one! thanks!

[@Rodman8500]

would be cool to see a review of this program as of now in 2023 with all the new additions .

[@nathanlively]

Great idea. I haven't looked at it in a while.

[@Conservator.]

Hi Nathan, Just want to complement you with your excellent video’s. I like the layout, large screen with a small Nathan in the corner ;) and of course the content has enough depth AND is easy to follow. Thanks!

[@johnschalk1271]

Hi Nathan, It's been a year since you posted this review, have you had time to revisit OSM to see if any of the issues you raised have been fixed? I ask, because I'm starting on my journey to understand audio measurements, and I'm trying to decide if I should stick with REW, which has tons of support but is single channel, or take the plunge with OSM.

[@johanneshofmann9192]

In my opinion it has gotten a lot better! The averaging ist much more stable bc now you can choose the averaging mode between fifo and LPF and LPF is really good. Cpu usage got alot better. The Range that you can view of the graphs is now really wide and enugh for my purposes. And you have got a alot of options for different graphs. For example Group Delay, Phase, Magnitude, Coherence. Etc As far as i have tried it yet i like it a lot. Its worth a shot!

[@EricFontaineJazz]

I'm trying out the latest development build and see that the dB range goes down to -140 instead of just -90.

[@BrianSimmons]

It's been two years since this video was released and things have definitely changed (like RITA is no longer free). Would you consider revisiting this software and giving your honest opinion? There are lots of us out here that don't need software like this for professional reasons (and therefore it is hard to justify paying for software), but are still interested in using it occasionally.

[@nathanlively]

Hey Brian, thanks for checking out the video. If you are looking for free, get REW. It's been around for a long time, is amazing, and is free. Alternatively, Open Sound Meter is also free and RCF just came out with their own free analyzer. Meanwhile, RiTA hasn't changed that much. It's still great. For most of us, the installation process is a bit complicated, though, so I probably won't do any other videos about it until they come out with the standalone version that doesn't require a MATLAB installation. If you are still interested in RiTA, though, they have been having training webinars. Check out their website.

[@brian_malota]

I’d be interested to hear your opinion on Smaart Tools for iPad. Seems to be pretty similar but was created by studio six digital and partnered with rational acoustics.

[@nathanlively]

Hey Brian, I haven't used it, unfortunately. I've plenty of good reviews from people who love it.

[@adebiyioluwagbenga5596]

Hi Nathan, you are doing a great work with all your videos. Please, I will like to ask about REW. Can it be used in live sound room tuning?

[@nathanlively]

Yes it can!

[@adebiyioluwagbenga5596]

Thanks Nat. I will do some more learning and give it a trial. This is good for volunteers like me who do not need to invest in SMAART and the likes before having a good sounding room

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

So, I've installed this again and it no longer crashes. But I'm using an USB mic and I can only get the RTA function to work, magnitude, phase and Impulse doesn't work, do I really need to use an audio interface to able to use those functions?

[@nathanlively]

Hey Corrado, as with all audio analyzers, if you want to view a transfer function, you'll need two channels. Some audio analyzers have a built-in loopback function. If OSM does not, you can still create an internal loop using apps like Loopback.

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

​@@nathanlively Thank you! I guess I'll have to buy an audio interface since I already have a spare ECM8000. Is the entry level Behringer UM2 ok for this task? I'm only doing this as a hobby and can't really invest much into this project unfortunately. I'm only used to REW and haven't really played with measurements in quite a while.

[@nathanlively]

If possible try not to buy anything. Use whatever you already own or can borrow from a friend. You need two channels for a transfer functions.

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

@@nathanlively At the moment I already have a Behringer ECM8000, but no audio interface. I also have an old Alpine Audissey mic (tested ruler flat, got it about 15 years ago), this is reliable but limited SPL and can't do dual channel measurement. I've been using REW for a long time with good results, but wanted to try transfer functions to compare to my REW setup.

[@peevonb7070]

Works great, thanks for the tip.

[@Mark-ej3oi]

If you use it for speakers' and room measurement then REW is the software for you

[@nathanlively]

REW is great!

[@FreeKeenan]

It was really good to me for my very first hands on training for a week and then It totally crashed on me yesterday. Unless this used evo 8 interface bit the dust? We'll see when I get a new interface tomorrow. I've tried everything in the book to get her back up and running, cables, different mic. Reinstalling. I'm now gambling on a system restore waiting as I type. Will let you know the results when completed. My money's on the Evo 😂😢😅 BTW I donated 9.99 EUR System restore did not solve the problem. New interface tomorrow and will update my comment. I finally got her back up and running. I uninstalled evo 8 software, deleted the installer, downloaded a fresh installer, installed reinstalled the Evo 8 software, updated it and wham bam the magic OSM has returned with all functions fully functional. 😊

[@nathanlively]

Hey Ricky, thanks for sharing your experience. Totally makes sense. When I'm under stress and in a hurry on a show and a piece of software isn't working, sometimes I'll just switch to another one and email support later. I guess it's good to know at least two ways to do anything. :)

[@FreeKeenan]

@@nathanlively I don't have another one! Can an interface short out and bite the dust?

[@paul6441]

Found it

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

I just tried this, installed it opened it once but it crashes every time I tried to run it after that.

[@opensoundmeter]

Hello. Could you send any details to me?

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

Павел Смокотнин What kind of details do you want? I already uninstalled the program.

[@opensoundmeter]

@@300ZCorradoVR6Z MacOs or Windows version? Have you changed the default audio device? What's your default audio device? Maybe you can send system crash report. All of it could be helpful to find out an issue and fix it.

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

Павел Смокотнин I’m on MacOS. I just tried it with the default audio device. When I have some time I’ll download and install this again.

[@300ZCorradoVR6Z]

​@@opensoundmeter So, I've installed this again and it no longer crashes. But I'm using an USB mic and I can only get the RTA function to work, magnitude, phase and Impulse doesn't work, do I really need to use an audio interface to able to use those functions?

[@lenercruzado5633]

Como puedo traducir en español

[@nathanlively]

You mean the subtitles for the video? Settings > Subtitles > English (auto generated) then Settings > Subtitles > Auto Translate

[@greatjojek]

This RiTA thing sounds like SCAM! First of all the link you've mentioned doesn't seem to be working - it redirects to adverts. When you look for it on internet there is some weird page where you can "buy it" for free. Once you input your information it will redirect you to google drive, where installation instructions say: you will receive email, once you accept it you must send whatsapp message to some Pepe guy. He will install the stuff and show you how everything works. In order to do that you must install TeamViewer or AnyDesk. Honestly? I am not letting ANYONE CONNECT TO MY COMPUTER REMOTELY. You are basically asking for disaster.

[@nathanlively]

Hey greatbadget, thanks for posting about your experience. I'll let Pepe know. Honestly I think some of it has to do with the language barrier. I had Pepe help me get up and running and it was super helpful. That being said, there are plenty of other options out there. Seems like RiTA might not be the best one for you. Take a look at REW or Open Sound Meter if you are looking for free.