Target Traces: Garbage or Gospel?

►► Get my target traces found in my audio toolkit:
www.producedbymkc.com/audioto...
Are target traces garbage or gospel? Is a predetermined tonal target all you need to get your systems sounding great?
Although they can’t make a bad rig sound amazing, using the right tools to align your system throughout an audience to a target curve definitely helps you get more consistent results.
We'll answer:
- What target traces I use to help me tonally balance my systems
- Why EQ should be the last tool you use when getting your system to bend to a target trace
- How to download and set up the target traces I use in SMAART and OSM
00:00 - Intro
01:26 - What do target traces and target curves help us do as sound system engineers?
04:22 - Target Traces vs Target Curves
05:54 - How do import and use target traces in SMAART and Open Sound Meter?
07:47 - What target traces I use on every show and why
11:22 - How do you align your system's tonal balance to a target curve?
15:30 - Where do you place your measurement microphone for EQ'ing for your target trace?
17:17 - Trace-book.org - Another fantastic data driven resource
19:06 - Closing, Caveats, and What to do AFTER you align your system to a target trace

[@andrewmennavideo]

This goes without saying but the audio of your videos is the most clean and crisp I’ve ever heard on KZbin. Insane.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You're a sweetheart, Mr. Menna : )

[@joergfreihe8184]

great teacher. i follow all the nerds like merlin, nathan etc, but you make it easy to understand. yesterday i start with osm my first target curve measurement in a rehearsal room with old renkus heinz frs152 and boom. fiddeling with some room modes and use the dsp in the inuke6000dsp for target curve. still need a lot of practice. thanks michael.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thanks, Joerg! The target trace I'm using most often now is one from Michael Lawrence. It's available here, along with some others. - drive.google.com/open?id=1wLFuF0yMybNNJE1NM2KD65b66SdNF_IV&authuser=michael%40producedbymkc.com&usp=drive_fs

[@javiramallo]

Hi. Thanks for your to share your knowlenge.. Could you suggest a target trace for system optimization of a Home Studio with a 2.1 speaker setup? Thank you in advance! Javier.

[@livemixpriyan]

Hello Michael, thanks for the great video. I just wanted to download your Festival Target Trace. But it is not there under the given Link. Can you please upload it? Thanks a lot in advance

[@digital.wrangler]

@MichaelCurtisAudio Incredible stuff, man! Thank you a lot! Please go on with such videos, they are helping to make system tuning process more conscious and less 'guesswork'-y.

[@garyjenkins9169]

@MichaelCurtisAudio The HDL6a has a large rise in the high end output. Do you find yourself EQing that out?

[@FreeKeenan]

Wow it worked! I just downloaded then imported your steady +9 .text. Just waiting on the Evo 8 to arrive. Can't wait to see this stuff in action. I just hope I can get the hang of it to align subs with mains and a nice warm tuning.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Glad to hear that! Make sure and check out the MLawrence target trace as well.

[@FreeKeenan]

@Michael Curtis and you can't seem to simulate those target curves in open sound meter manually. Can't wait for my Evo 8 to arrive so I can dive in. I just need a speaker source. Is it possible to practice on my laptop's computer speakers 2.1? How do I route the source? 2.5mm male jack that plugs in to the laptop 💻

[@FreeKeenan]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio Is there a link to download MLawrence target curves? I sure couldn't find a thing?!

[@nunojorgenjstudio7954]

Trying to wrap my head around all this. Great content.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thanks a ton! I plan on updating this video by the end of the year. The methodology is the same, but I use Michael Lawrence's target traces for music most of the time.

[@eddiegutierrezjr6226]

Get Lucky is a FANTASTIC track to use

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Isn't it great? Hard to beat Daft Punk, Mick Guzauski, and Bob Ludwig teaming up!

[@adi.sax.ardelean]

Hello! Is there a goal you need to reach when tuning the system with pink noise or white noise? do I have to flatten or simply respect the slope that pink noise shows, ie louder in the area below the bass and easier in the area of ​​the high ones? thank you

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Are you using a two-channel analyzer? Or a single channel RTA? How and what you're measuring will tell you the goal : )

[@adi.sax.ardelean]

I only use one microphone! when I say target I mean a certain standard! do I have to reach a certain standard or is the answer simply flat? I apologize but I translate with google and once in a while he translates what he wants

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@adi.sax.ardelean No worries! Can you describe to me the workflow with your single microphone? Are you getting a transfer function? Or are you just looking at a single channel RTA?

[@g.porter2633]

What would you do for bluegrass or Orchestral? +9?

[@peevonb7070]

Great stuff man! Awesome

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thank you so much!

[@vitaminzeth3742]

Hey Michael, LOve your stuff. I was wondering, after i got the tool kit, we only get the festival and the Steady +9 - Is it possible to also request the +6?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Here's a new link with all my target traces. I'm mainly using the MLawrence one or my mkc_corporate trace these days: drive.google.com/open?id=1wLFuF0yMybNNJE1NM2KD65b66SdNF_IV&authuser=michael%40producedbymkc.com&usp=drive_fs

[@vitaminzeth3742]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio Thanks so much Michael! I would also like to ask a question to elaborate further about tuning without EQ> IF i positioned the speakers, did the time delays and such and fiddled with DSP avoiding any EQ - is there anything else i could do besides room tuning before i start stabbing away with an EQ? And is there a way to get my measurements with OSM out into a readable file format for EQ's like Fabfilter or in my daw to make correction curves to combat their frequencies?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@vitaminzeth3742 I'd say you have all the right steps done in the right order, then yes EQ would be your last tool to optimize things further. I love that you're thinking about placement and alignment first! No, there's currently not a way to export the .osm or .txt file and have it register as settings within a DAW based EQ. BUT - what you could do is route two outputs from your DAW into OSM and run a magnitude transfer - the first one your measurement input, the second your reference input and feed a pink noise generator into both. But a fab filter EQ on the measurement channel, then click "invert", then get your magnitude TF curve to match your speaker (which will be the reverse settings on your EQ).

[@vitaminzeth3742]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio I will definetly have to try this one out Michael. Albeit open mics, I'm taking those opportunities to tune and practice for any corporate gigs or live band shows I do. I've really regretted not stumbling on your content sooner Because everything that you have posted has answered so many questions about what else could be missing from my setup. After setting everything up and just going straight for the EQ I've always wondered why none of my moves ever really made that big of a difference. But I had a feeling it had to be due to cancelations and peaks and troughs with the sound signal. And now that I know of very very powerful and free tools to practice and learn how to deal with these issues I am forever grateful.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@vitaminzeth3742 You are very welcome. Keep learning!

[@curly_]

Thanks Michael , i am working now with your Target traces , its intresting to have them. But i cant find your Steady Traces in txt format in your dropbox :(

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

drive.google.com/open?id=1wLFuF0yMybNNJE1NM2KD65b66SdNF_IV&usp=drive_fs

[@OmegaDerrick]

Target trace txt files don’t load in the iOS version of open sound meter. Someone help 😩😩😩

[@larshinkel7542]

Would you use something like These curves for a Home Cinema System 🤔

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

This is a common curve for cinema - www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=17555

[@danielvenancio7810]

Hey Michael Which one would be a good curve for a medium sized church.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

.trf for Smaart - drive.google.com/open?id=1FXzJ7Vq1d4yU3AOeIE7LMIGKbOgPzNW5&usp=drive_fs .txt for OSM - drive.google.com/open?id=1FZmZHB6WWq7kN3ZKFZxIZfOOpOFJIE_x&usp=drive_fs

[@soundman1402]

I'm unable to import the trace into Smaart LE. It says the text file is in the wrong format. When trying to import a binary trace file, it wants a format other than .trf. What do I need to change to import a target trace in to Smaart LE?

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Are you trying to import it into the "Target Curves" feature within Smaart? Or import it in transfer function view as another trace?

[@soundman1402]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio I tried going to File > Import and selecting the trace text file. I got a text mic calibration file for my measurement mic and that imported fine.

[@mr81quangnguyen]

Hello. how can i enable target in smart v9 thanks

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

You need to import the .trf file. The one I use now is here (which is different from the ones I shared in this video) - drive.google.com/open?id=1FXzJ7Vq1d4yU3AOeIE7LMIGKbOgPzNW5&usp=drive_fs

[@livemixpriyan]

Hey Michael, i posted a comment requesting "Festival Target Trace" about 3 weeks back. Could you plz get back to it? Thanks!!

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

It's in here, but renamed L-Acoustics: drive.google.com/open?id=1wLFuF0yMybNNJE1NM2KD65b66SdNF_IV&usp=drive_fs