The Emotiva Lounge - FAQ: How to use REW

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FAQ: How to use REW - a beginners class
« Thread Started on Jul 11, 2011, 10:28am »

Hi all,

So there have been some requests for a quick intro to using REW and it seems the finger is pointing in my direction.

I'm putting this in "processors" given a lot of how to set things up will have to do with crossovers, sounds cards, mics and EQ which is kind of in the electronic realm and not speaker or amp related.

I hope to get some time tomorrow to post some initial things, I will probably need to prepare some screen shots etc.

Feel free to PM me a reminder in case I forget.

Cheerio!

====================================

OK, as the thread has gone nuts, I'd better start actually writing something, so this will be a work in progress in post 1 I think - pics will have to happen later in the thread and I will post the number of the post next to what I am referring to.

Here goes:

Step 1:

Download the latest version of REW.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/downloads-area/19-downloads-page.html

(There are also beta versions you can find if you go through the discussion threads).

I would suggest playing with REW before spending the money on the gear, you can use your laptop's built-in mic or some $5 cheapo PC mic to get a feel for it.

Step 2:

Get yourself the right gear - a laptop or computer with a decent resolution screen (1280 x 800 as a minimum I would say) as it makes looking at the graphs much easier.

You will also need a microphone (ideally an individually calibrated one) and a way to get it's output into your computer.

I use a Dayton EMM-6 from Cross Spectrum Labs. Cheaper than some others of a similar type: http://www.cross-spectrum.com/

Email Herb, he's great to deal with.

I bought an M-Audio "buddy" from them too as the Mic pre-amp.

I really like the Behringer UAC202 as it has RCA/Phono connectors which is easier to cable than the 3.5mm jacks. The advantage of A USB device over built in sound is generally that it will not pick up (as much) noise from the computer internals. If you have a high-end sound sub-system in your computer, you can of course use it too.

There are also USB mics which may work, I had reasonable success with a Blue Mics "Yeti" despite the lack of a calibration, it seemed OK using the C-Weighting of REW, but for the same money you can get the proper calibrated kit I mentioned earlier.

A boom mic stand is a very good idea as well, it makes taking readings in multiple locations much easier.

Finally, an EQ device to actually do something with your results is nice to have, I like the MiniDSP products (http://www.miniDSP.com) s they are relatively inexpensive, small, use little power, very flexible and easy to use - they also work directly from REW and more goodness is planned.

Now that we have the essential hardware and software requirements out of the way, we can move on to Step 3 and get down to some nuts and bolt or brass tacks or where the rubber hits the road or some other cliché you might prefer.

To be continued ...

« Last Edit: Aug 10, 2011, 1:51am by hemster »