User manual MERIDIAN AUDIO MCONFIG

[. . . ] Meridian Configuration Program Guide ii Preface Copyright and acknowledgements Sales and service in the UK Meridian Audio Ltd Stonehill Stukeley Meadows Cambridgeshire PE29 6EX England Tel +44 (0)1480 445678 Fax +44 (0)1480 445686 Developed in the UK by Meridian Audio Ltd, http://www. meridian-audio. com/ Copyright © 2003 Meridian Audio Ltd Boothroyd|Stuart Meridian, Meridian, Meridian Digital Theatre, Meridian Lossless Packing, MHR, MHR Smart Link, the MHR logo, and MLP are registered trademarks of Meridian Audio Ltd. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Part no: MCP/1 Sales and service in the USA Meridian America Inc 3800 Camp Creek Parkway Building 2400 Suite 122 Atlanta GA 30331 USA Tel +1 (404) 344 7111 Fax +1 (404) 346 7111 This guide was produced by Human-Computer Interface Ltd, http://www. interface. co. uk/ iii Contents Getting started Explains how to install the Meridian Configuration Program, and gives a general overview of it key features Overview Installing the Meridian Configuration Program 1 4 Contents 1 Room Correction Explains how to run the Meridian Room Correction program Introduction Auto set up Viewing and repeating measurements Creating multiple profiles Editing filters Changing settings at a later date Troubleshooting 29 29 31 36 41 44 46 48 and create profiles for use with the digital surround controller. Quick tour Provides information to create a complete configuration for a simple system, and information about the more advanced features of the Meridian Configuration Program. Running the Configuration Program Products: Adding a controller Products: Inserting a source Products: Adding speakers Soft keys Bass management Speaker distances Pre-calibration store Post-calibration fetch Speaker properties Room Correction store Preset properties Preset mapping Store settings Finish 5 5 7 10 14 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Index 53 iv Contents 1 Getting started Getting started This chapter explains how to install the Meridian Configuration Program, and gives a general overview of its key features. Overview The Meridian Configuration Program is a Windows application that lets you design the configuration of your G Series system to suit both your own personal preferences and the particular configuration of other equipment in your system. [. . . ] Usually a standard sound pressure level meter will be used as a microphone; this can be the same one used for setting the speaker levels using the Calibration procedure. After an 30 Room correction initial short test sequence, designed to check that the microphone is set up correctly, a series of test signals are presented to each loudspeaker and measured at the microphone to determine how the room response affects the sound from each speaker. This phase of the procedure takes about one minute per speaker, and can be left to run unattended. Unless your listening room has been specially designed for acoustic Finally after a complete set of measurements has been made for each channel and speaker layout, the program calculates a set of filters for each channel, and stores these to the digital surround controller. A copy of the measurements, together with the calculated filters in each profile, is also stored on the PC so they can be accessed at a later date if required. All the room correction settings and measurements will be saved in a folder named after the MSL file. For example if your MSL file is called G68_theatre. msl then all of the room correction settings and measurements will be in a folder called G68_theatre. mrd. You can find more information about the theory behind Meridian Room Correction on the Meridian Web Site at: http://www. meridian-audio. com/p_rc. htm performance, you will almost certainly hear distinct benefits after incorporating room correction into your digital surround controller, and if the room has major resonances or imbalances the difference should be quite dramatic. Other problems that can be corrected by room correction are imbalances between the speakers due to positioning constraints. For example, in an L-shaped room one loudspeaker may need to be close to the wall whereas its partner is in an open area, giving rise to an imbalanced sound field. Examples Most domestic rooms tend to be rectangular, or at the very least have one pair of parallel facing walls, and unfortunately these are the ideal conditions for low frequency resonances within the room. The wavelength of low frequency sounds is relatively large, so even bookcases and curtains act as an almost perfect mirror for low frequencies. Frequencies close to the resonant frequency, determined by the distance between the two reflective surfaces, will sound louder and take longer to decay than other frequencies. In practice this means that when listening to music some notes will sound louder, giving a roughness or unevenness to the sound. 31 Room Auto set up This section explains how to create a basic room correction using default settings. The Room Correction program is run from within the Meridian Configuration Program, and adds the room correction profiles to the current configuration file. Close/ open doors, close/open curtains, and position your screen and furniture as they would normally be for listening. To run the Room Correction program · Click the Store button on the Room Correction store page. After successfully storing the configuration to the surround controller the MRC set up wizard will be displayed: · Leave the input sensitivity at the default value. · Connect the SPL meter or microphone to the analogue input A8 (L), switch on the SPL meter and position it at the listening position. When using an SPL meter the C weighting must be used, and the 90dB range is recommended, unless the loudspeakers measured less than 75dB SPL during the calibration in which case the 80dB range is recommended. The next page allows you to set up the input for microphone or Sound Pressure Level meter: correction · Click the Next button to continue. 32 Room correction · Click the Test mic button to run a test to check that the microphone is connected correctly: The MRC set up wizard will then indicate whether the test was successful: The following dialogue box will count down to the test: If the test did not complete successfully check the SPL meter or microphone connections and the input card and connector settings and try again. For more information about problems with the microphone test see Troubleshooting, page 48. · Click the Next button to continue. A signal will then be played through the main left loudspeaker. [. . . ] sound check the connections from the digital surround controller to the left loudspeaker. Switch the digital surround controller off and then on again, select Calibrate as described in the G68 Digital Surround Controller Installation Guide, and check that the left speaker plays the calibrate signal. 49 Room correction · The lead from the SPL meter is intact. · The SPL meter is switched on and set to the 90dB band, or the band which includes 90dB, and with C weighting. · Check that the lead from the SPL meter is connected to the input If the loudspeakers measured less than 75dB SPL during the calibration phase it may be better to use the 80dB range. [. . . ]