[Pampero]

Originally Posted by Rex Anderson

These days, with test gear like SMAART and TEF, you need a course in acoustics to learn how to use the equipment and interpret the data.

I have the Mobile Fidelity Alan Parson's Test CD https://www.discogs.com/Alan-Parsons...elease/3082207 that is very useful too.

I was the rep for Crown's test instruments (Clay Barclay's BADAP and later, the TEF package) for a period of time when my company represented Crown. Without a doubt one is going to need training and experience to get the most out of TEF.

I knew Don Pearson (a great guy, he is missed) and of course Sam Berkow (of SIA) when SMAART was first introduced but I can't say I'm remotely expert in using the the latest iterations of SMAART and have not kept pace with the latest updates and changes. However, FFTs and their associated programs are now available at a fraction of the cost of the original TEF. I reckon SMAART was the package that made practical on site measurement/acoustic diagnostic capabilities available to a wide group of users but you still have to be pretty committed to get the full benefits.

That's why I recommended Audio Tools as it provides a good starting point and decent capability for most of us hacks. It does require the additional commitment to a decent measurement microphone if one wants to really make the most of it, but for the cost of the basic program (20 bucks) you get most of what you need without breaking the bank. If you want real accuracy, you will need to add that microphone but that's a one time buy. It's amazing to me how reasonable such sophisticated capabilities are today when you consider how much a decent third octave analyzer cost just a generation ago.