I have read the help files for REW setup and am confused about which method to use for sound card compensation. I currently have the loopback setup in place (right channel meter input--left channel looped, etc.). The following quote from the help file suggests that everything is accounted for automatically by the program due to the loopback setup.
The other input and output channels do not need to be used. The response of the soundcard itself can be compensated for by taking a reference measurement with the output connected directly to the input and configuring REW to subtract that measured response from subsequent room measurements. However, it is also possible to use a loopback connection from the soundcard's left output and left input to have REW automatically compensate for the soundcard's response when it makes a measurement. If you wish to do this you may need an additional RCA phono plug coupler to make the loopback connection. An advantage of using the left channel loopback is that it provides REW with a timing reference and the delay through the system being measured can be calculated, which can be useful for getting speaker delay settings correct in multi-channel systems. A disadvantage is that there is a small reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio of the calculated impulse response, although this is so small as to be of no consequence for acoustic measurements. Whether REW uses the left channel as a reference is controlled by a check box in the Soundcard Settings.
My question is, for my setup do I need to do any compensation measuring? If not, should I just skip the measurement steps in the soundcard setup?
I apologize for not being able to get past the first few steps but I do not want to proceed under a false sense of security.
Thank you in advance for any help.
falcon40
The other input and output channels do not need to be used. The response of the soundcard itself can be compensated for by taking a reference measurement with the output connected directly to the input and configuring REW to subtract that measured response from subsequent room measurements. However, it is also possible to use a loopback connection from the soundcard's left output and left input to have REW automatically compensate for the soundcard's response when it makes a measurement. If you wish to do this you may need an additional RCA phono plug coupler to make the loopback connection. An advantage of using the left channel loopback is that it provides REW with a timing reference and the delay through the system being measured can be calculated, which can be useful for getting speaker delay settings correct in multi-channel systems. A disadvantage is that there is a small reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio of the calculated impulse response, although this is so small as to be of no consequence for acoustic measurements. Whether REW uses the left channel as a reference is controlled by a check box in the Soundcard Settings.
My question is, for my setup do I need to do any compensation measuring? If not, should I just skip the measurement steps in the soundcard setup?
I apologize for not being able to get past the first few steps but I do not want to proceed under a false sense of security.
Thank you in advance for any help.
falcon40
