Introduction Smaarting the sound system has turned into a bad word. It refers to a quick and easy sound system tuning procedure that can ruin your show. Here's how to Smaart® the sound system: Buy audio analyzer software. Don't practice at home. Take a single measurement of the combined system at FOH with 1/3oct smoothing. Insert 50 EQ filters to make the trace appear flat. Don't use your ears. Base all of your decisions on the graph. Download the Sound System Tuning … [Read more...]
6 Most Popular Training Videos on Sound System Tuning
With over 537,200 minutes of video views over the last 18 months across YouTube and Facebook, these are my six most popular videos on sound system tuning. #1 - 3 Simple Ways to Phase Align Main+Sub with SATlive Make the pictures match. Math (just a little!) Automatic (Delay Suggestion Tool) Make the pictures match. This is the method I used for years and is the most common, but it has two problems: 1) It's slow and 2) It's not easy to tell if a polarity inversion is … [Read more...]
How Jamie Anderson Saves Time in System Tuning with Smaart® Check Points
Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play or Stitcher. Support Sound Design Live on Patreon. In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with Jamie Anderson from Rational Acoustics about how he is able to work faster with Smaart using strategic check points in his sound system tuning process to avoid time consuming errors. Anderson also explains why Smaart is not a silver bullet, the history and future of auto EQ, and why Germans don't laugh at his jokes. I ask: How did … [Read more...]
Mixing Monitors for Tears for Fears
Subscribe on iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play or Stitcher. Support Sound Design Live on Patreon. In this episode of Sound Design Live, I speak with the the Director of Audio at IMS Technology Services, Chris Leonard. We discuss mixing monitors for Tears for Fears, setting up the sound system for the presidential inauguration, and Dante troubleshooting tips. I ask: How did you get your job at Maryland Sound? Walk me through the sound system at your last gig at the Minneapolis … [Read more...]
How to build your own audio analyzer (like Smaart®) for FREE
You don't need to spend $4K+ to run your own audio analyzer like Smaart, SATlive, SysTune, or RiTA. You can do it for free or cheap with components you already own. The most important thing is to start practicing as soon as possible, not to build the best rig in the world. Watch the entire video series: Get Started with Sound System Tuning … [Read more...]