Specifications

EAW Smaart 6 Operation Manual Analysis Modes and Display Types

Click the IR Analysis button to open the Impulse Response window. Impulse Response

mode collects and stores a limited amount of data and then offers two display types: Time

and Frequency. Clicking the IR Analysis button does not override the selected View.

Figure 3-2 Impulse Response Window

3.1 Spectrum Measurements

Real-time spectral analysis is an excellent tool for feedback hunting, ear training, and

monitoring a program material’s frequency content. RTAs are also still commonly used

to equalize cinema systems but dual-port FFT analyzers, like Smaart, have gradually

replaced RTAs as the tool of choice for tuning most larger sound systems, particularly

sound reinforcement systems. A dual-FFT analyzer can measure all three dimensions

of sound (frequency, energy, and time) whereas an RTA cannot reveal the critical factors

of timing and phase. A good RTA is still a very useful tool and Smaart 6 provides a

powerful, flexible implementation for real-time spectral analysis.

3.1.1 RTA

The RTA displays the amount of energy present in various frequency ranges across the

audible spectrum, typically in fractional octave bands. The RTA display functions as a

dual-channel, FFT-based real-time spectrum analyzer. This display plots the spectrum

(magnitude on the y-axis vs. frequency on the x-axis) of the signals arriving on the selected

reference and measurement inputs. The colors of the two live data sets on the RTA display

correspond to those used in the input level meters.