EMU 1820m Help? - Don't Think Calibration is Correct?

[Kenryan]

Hi. I'm new here and new to the concept of audio testing. Can anyone help me see if I did the soundcard calibration right or wrong? I have an EMU 1820m, the main input of which uses the break-out box called the Audio Dock. There are two inputs on the front that are "mic/line" jacks. After hours of trying to get input AND output signals using REW and trying to follow the directions, I THINK I managed to do it right. But my graph is DEFINTELY wrong.

Here is where I think I went wrong (if it is wrong). In REW Settings, I set Output Device and Output to "ESP Wave (D400)," and "SPEAKER." For Input Device and Input, I set "ESP Wave (D400)" and "Default Input." But the test signal did not register in REW Settings on EITHER the input or output meters, though I heard the signal which was registering (audibly and visibly) on the EMU Patchmix's "Wave 1/2" input. Then when I inserted a send to "Host Wave L/R" on the main mix channel of Patchmix, both meters in REW registered signal at about -9 db. BTW, when I altered the slider in Patchmix on the Wave 1/2 input, the level changes registered on the "input" meter in REW, but the "output" stayed at -9 db.

The big problem here (which I'm sure has an easy solution) is that the actual physical input for the "soundcard" is either the auio dock's mic/line inputs on the front of the dock, or one of the line inputs on the back of the dock (1L 1R, 2L, 2R, etc.). None of these show up in REW's possible choices ofr soundcard I/O. Only "ESP Wave (D400)" is available from within REW to choose the EMU. The way to "duplex" (which is how I do my multi-track recording) this set-up is simply to insert a send on the main mixer channel of the Patchmix software to "Host Wave L/R". This was also the only way I could get REW to show me input and output signal on its meters. But is this a valid calibration? If so, I must've gone wrong somewhere else to arrive at the graph I posted.

I have the Radio Shack digital SPL meter on a mic stand at the listening position at ear-level. I ran the level calibaration from the speakers (Alesis Monitor Ones) until the SPL meter read 75 db. So I'm hoping someone can tell me where I went wrong.

I appreciate any help. Thanks!

Ken

[brucek]

Your main attention has to be in establishing a way of identifying a single line-out jack and a single line-in jack that REW recognizes and that you can short together with a loopback and create a soundcard calibration file.

You'll want to turn off all effects and record monitoring.

Can you simply jumper 1L-out to 1L-in and select those two ports with REW and get a correct response in the soundcard calibration routine?

brucek

[Kenryan]

Brucek,

I tried that. The problem is that REW only has the one choice available for the EMU (E-DSP Wave). When I jumper the 1L input to the 1L output, I hear the signal, and see it in the patchmix software (mixer software that comes with EMU), but it is coming in on the Wave 1/2 input, which sources from the EMU 1010 PCI card in the computer. REW Settings meters show nothing on either input or output. The only physical I/Os on the 1010 card are s/pdif coax and s/pdif optical. Jumpering those didn't work either.

If I post the results of the calibration the way I did it before, can you tell if it looks correct?

Thanks.

Ken

[Kenryan]

Can I just get a quick opinion about whether this looks right. I had to do some jumping through hoops to get the I/O right for my EMU 1820m. Thanks.

Ken

Here it is (hopefuly):

[brucek]

Kenryan, I merged your two posts to avoid confusion and keep the thread consistency..

brucek

[JohnM]

Looks pretty good, but the card has quite an extended low frequency response so to get an accurate calibration response (and an accurate loopback measurement) you will need to use a longer Impulse Response window so that all of the response is included, that will remove the wiggles you are getting at the bottom end.

[Kenryan]

brucek wrote:

Kenryan, I merged your two posts to avoid confusion and keep the thread consistency..

brucek

Thanks Brucek

Ken

[brucek]

So, which output and input connectors did you use to finally make it work?

brucek

[Kenryan]

Brucek,

I still don't know what is going wrong. I used the Patchmix software to make it work. I inserted a Send in the main mix channel to "Host Wave L/R." That at least gave me the input and output signals in the REW Settings meters. But something is going wrong on the actual "Measure" phase. I keep getting the same result whether my SPL meter is plugged in or not! So obviously, REW is not measuring my room at all, but still measuring the response from inside the box somehow. I'll mess with it again tomorrow and see if I can make it work.

Thanks for your help!

Ken

[brucek]

but still measuring the response from inside the box somehow.

That's the clear indication that you have 'record monitoring' turned on. This is a standard soundcard application feature (that has a multitude of names) that allows a user to hear what they are recording. It must be off to use REW.

brucek

[Kenryan]

Brucek,

I'm at my wits' end. I can't find the "record monitoring" option you speak of in the EMU software. REW is also giving me the same result whether I have the SPL meter plugged into the EMU or not. I can only surmise that my input and output settings need to be changed somehow. GRRRR. Is there nowbody out there with this soundcard who has been through this already?

Ken

[nnnpooh]

I am using EMU 1820 and here is my method, although probably not the most efficient way. I worked for me.

- In Patchmix, I start with a "Wave 1/2" strip with output to the speakers
- Then I connect cables from the speakers to the physical input on the breakout box. Here I use 1L/1R inputs.
- In "Dock In 1L/1R" strip in Patchmix (channel that accept the physical input), insert a sent to Host ASIO. Here I use "ASIO In 5/6 Host." I also need to mute the "Dock In 1L/1R" to prevent feedback loop.
-In Patchmix, again, create a new strip. In the "New Mixer Strip" window, select, "Host Source", and choose new ASIO OUT. Here I am using ASIO OUT 29/30. Then, mute the newly created strip again to prevent feedback.
-In any sequencers, (here, I use Sonar), create an audio track to receive signal from the send from the physical input strip in Patchmix. In my case, it would be to receive signal from "ASIO In 5/6 Host." The output of the audio track will be to the ASIO OUT strip that you just created. In my case, it would be "ASIO OUT 29/30." Also, don't forget to select "Record Enable" and "Echo on" on the audio track in your sequencer so that the sequencer feeds the input signal to the output source.
-In my "ASIO OUT 29/30" strip in Patchmix, I insert another sent to "Wave L/R."

I think the signal goes like this

Wave (REW) -> Speaker Outputs -> Dock 1L/1R inputs -> Send (ASIO In 5/6 Host) -> Sonar Input -> Sonar Output -> Return (ASIO Out 29/30) -> Wave L/R


Here is my calibration graph.




If I didn't get this right, I aplologize for the wrong information.