Setting proper Target level within EQ module

[Badbruno]

Well I new to the software ..

So I’ve learned that if I continue to lower the Target Level REW Adds filters far into the higher frequencies 6khz —->> 15khz. This is great because it provides filter recommendations to adjust my system to get closer at hitting my house curve.

By using “Set Target Level” REW calculates where to set the level but the filters don’t reach into the higher Freq.

But I end up with the newly EQed system at low levels ~ 10 dB or better down.
Ultimately id
Like to convert these into FIR settings but later down the road.

can someone share who’s you all do this

thanks
Badbruno

 

[John Mulcahy]

You may need some more downward tilt in your target curve to better reflect your acoustic environment, there are controls to adjust that.

 

[Badbruno]

Well I’m new to using the software ..

I’ve learned that if I continue to lower the Target Level, manually, REW adds filters that are higher in frequency —->> 15khz. This is great because it provides filters which address the low amplitude high Freq response and so what better results toward the house curve. But it lowers the overall response. What are the suggested values to use for individual max boost and overall max boost? I’m using 12db and 6 dB respectively.

How does REW “Set Target Level” calculate the level ? By using this approach it has resulted in no filters in the high freq bands resulting in greater than + 10db errors in actual vs the house curve, (using the Harmon curve).

John your recommendation is asking to change the house curve to meet the response. Why use REW EQ module than is it only for low mid freq problems?

 

[John Mulcahy]

House curves are easily misunderstood, while they may represent a response shape that people like (on average) that does not mean that changing an in-room measured response to match them is a good thing, specifically not above a few hundred Hz. The upper end of a speaker's in-room response depend on the speaker's polar response and the absorption characteristics of the room. Neither can be helped by EQ. EQ above the low frequency range may be applicable to a speaker's anechoic response if it has features that are consistent across much of its polar response, but that isn't often the case. Beyond that EQ is indeed best suited to low frequencies or content-dependent tonal adjustments.

 

[Badbruno]

Thanks for the background insights


What are the suggested values to use for individual max boost and overall max boost? I’m using 12db and 6 dB respectively.

How does REW “Set Target Level” calculate the level ?

 

[Badbruno]

Will changing to FIR filters and Implementatlon improve the acoustic response, ultimately improve the listening room response

 

[John Mulcahy]

Individual max boost can be high, the overall is more important. The risk with allowing overall boost is that dips in the response tend to be very location-dependent, so while the result may look better at the measurement point any boosting within it may create elevated parts of the response at even slightly different positions, which subjectively may be more objectionable than the dips.

Set target level finds the best fit to the target shape for a one-octave smoothed version of the measurement over a frequency range that depends on the target type, for a full range target that is from 200 Hz to 2 kHz.

It doesn't matter what kind of filtering is used, EQ has its limitations. At higher frequencies perception is mostly driven by the direct signal from the speaker, any EQ that attempts to change the overall room response (which is mainly driven by the off-axis response of the speaker) will correspondingly change the direct response, if the speaker had a good direct response to start with that will make it worse. EQ cannot alter the polar behaviour of the speaker, so how that direct response relates to the off-axis response cannot be changed by EQ.

 

[FargateOne]

I have a question since the night of time about the relative value of the target level for each speaker response.
Is the target level must be the same for each speaker?.
For instance, if the calculate target level for the sub response is 77dB and is 80dB for the fronts, what do I choose for the filters to match the target for the sub and the speaker?
For me it seems logical to choose the same target level for all the 5 satellites speakers and the sub. If I put different level to different speaker, it will mess it all, no?

 

[John Mulcahy]

The target level is set to suit assigning EQ filters. Setting relative levels of the channels should be done after applying EQ.