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Frequency Testing


Diceman83
02-14-2005, 11:35 PM
I was wondering if there are test tracks avaliable to test the frequency response of a sound system avaliable for free anywhere. I'd like to have tracks that are single tones of basic frequencies, and a couple that gradually increases the frequency from like 10 Hz to 25 kHz or so. I know that they exist somewhere, I'd just like to find something free. I had some of these a few years ago when I first had my computer speakers, but I can't find them anymore. What do people usually use when tuning their systems? My HU has a 7 band equalizer, which is pretty good for a lower end model like mine, so I'll be able to do a little without an external equalizer for now.

I'd also like to know what programs people use for analyzing the data coming from a mic in the car. Does it require special mics and computers, or can I use my walmart special computer mic and my laptop to do a spectrum analysis?

Thanks!

AndonD454
02-14-2005, 11:44 PM
i think the realmofexcursion site has some sweeps, sine waves and songs.. not sure where else to fine em though

sr20de4evr
02-14-2005, 11:52 PM
for tones:
http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/areynol1/hosting/test_tones.zip

for rta (real time analyzing) you need a special mic and special software. The mics typically range from $80 to several hundred dollars, and there are a few free programs out there that you can use to analyze the results, but I'm not sure what they are. You would also want to use white or pink noise with that, not test tones.

Diceman83
02-15-2005, 12:01 AM
Thanks sr20 and Andon! Ok, noob question... what's pink noise? I'm guessing white noise is mix of harmonic frequencies or something.

sr20de4evr
02-15-2005, 12:12 AM
White noise can be thought of as 20,000 sine waves playing simultaneously, all at the same magnitude (one at each frequency in the audio spectrum). It sounds similar to when you turn an FM radio to a station that doesn't exist, or switch your tv to a channel that doesn't exist.

Pink noise is similar, except instead of each frequency playing at the same magnitude, each octave/decade/insert-other-logarithmically-scaled-step is playing at the same magnitude. It sounds similar to the sound of the ocean on a beach when it's calm.

Since with audio, each increase in "pitch" that we hear isn't a step of some set number, it's a percentage increase. Like for example, the difference between 50 and 100hz is MUCH MUCH bigger than the difference between 10,050 and 10,100hz. Even though in both cases it's a 50hz difference, the 50 to 100 jump is an entire octave increase and it sounds like a big difference to us, while the 10,050 to 10,100 jump probably wouldn't even be audible. Since with white noise each frequency is being played at the same magnitude, that means the range between 10k and 20k is being played at the same level as the range between 20 and 10k, even though 10k to 20k is only one octave and 20 to 10k is about 12 octaves. As a result it sounds very high pitched, since most of the sound is in the treble region. Pink noise sounds much smoother and more balanced since 50-100hz is being played at the same level as 100-200, and 200-400, and 10k-20k.

Both would work equally well for RTA purposes, the one you pick just depends on the mic and software that you use.

You can download them both online, though pink noise can be pretty hard to find. I think that you can also make pink noise if you run white noise through a 6dB/oct lowpass filter, but don't quote me on that.

CBFryman
02-15-2005, 04:26 PM
there are 18,980 frequincies, thank you...
for individual sine waves?
Siggenny is a program that i have. its free. but for some reason when you try to turn a frequincy into a WMV or MP3 it cuts the frequincy by a whole octave and adds harmonics 1-2 octaves up. ie
20Hz makes
10Hz with 40-80Hz harmonics.

sr20de4evr
02-15-2005, 04:38 PM
there are 18,980 frequincies, thank you...

well, actually there are an infinite number of frequencies in that range, and white noise extends beyond 20 and 20k anyway, so yeah

CBFryman
02-15-2005, 04:40 PM
ok whole number frequincies

bumpinstang77
02-15-2005, 09:59 PM
umm no b/c frequency is more then just sound VERY high frequencies are light all the way up to like ultra violet rays...... and correct me if I'm wrong but isn't radiation a frequecy.

Diceman83
02-15-2005, 10:26 PM
Um, you can't create light by making a speaker move back and forth really fast. Yes, light travels in a wave, and therefore has a frequency, but wavelength is what we use to measure light colors. The difference is that sound waves are a compression wave traveling through a medium (air), and any electromagnetic radiation (light, x-rays, infrared) is a particle moving in a wave pattern. Ok, enough of a physics lesson for today.

ngsm13
02-15-2005, 10:31 PM
Um, you can't create light by making a speaker move back and forth really fast. Yes, light travels in a wave, and therefore has a frequency, but wavelength is what we use to measure light colors. The difference is that sound waves are a compression wave traveling through a medium (air), and any electromagnetic radiation (light, x-rays, infrared) is a particle moving in a wave pattern. Ok, enough of a physics lesson for today.

Ha ha, just about to school Mike on that...he needs to study up in his physics class for EE.

And I honestly would say AN ORIGINAL CD copy is the best thing for pink noise. It shouldn't be a compressed file (i.e. mp3) I have it on my Bass Mekanik Power Tools 2.0 (2 cd Set). It's an amazing set, great for tuning, burping, all things. Look into, it's nice to have a REAL original CD quality hard copy. peace

NG

bumpinstang77
02-16-2005, 01:39 AM
its still a frequency dammit..... just a uber high one

CBFryman
02-16-2005, 09:54 AM
Audiable Frequincies. you also have inrasonic and supersonic frequincies by in car audio they dont matter. and the ecletromagnetic spectrum has nothing to do with audio... at extremely high ambient pressues we could make 100kHz but what would it matter? our eardrums cant even vibrate that fast... let alone the prussures needed to do that wouldnt be very comferatable....and it would take a long time to make your body equalize...

bumpinstang77
02-16-2005, 11:14 AM
well SHIT DAMN

Diceman83
02-16-2005, 08:05 PM
In the special case of electromagnetic waves moving through a vacuum, then v = c, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum, and this expression becomes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/math/f5d381a811a0772c1fea5ccc4962092a.png
NOTE: When waves travel from one medium to another, their frequency remains more or less the same - only their wavelength changes.

Speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second and the wavelength of blue light is about 470 x 10^9 meters. The math puts it at 6.378 x 10^14 Hz. So yes, light has a very high frequency, but it's easier to deal with the wavelength because we can measure it.

bumpinstang77
02-16-2005, 10:04 PM
goddamn physisicsitstisssitttssss

Diceman83
02-16-2005, 10:13 PM
hahahaa... you like to talk about the stuff you know about (car stuff, audio, etc).... but I know a bit about physics, so I'll talk about that. :)

bumpinstang77
02-16-2005, 11:07 PM
and then that damn slaeen fucker was all talkin about that damn car performance bullshit like DAMN go to the other threads that's like a foreign language to me.....

Diceman83
02-16-2005, 11:23 PM
lol... I hear ya. I didn't know what half the contractions and acronyms he was using referred to. Plus he was acting all high and mighty, which was annoying.

bumpinstang77
02-17-2005, 11:29 AM
I got a fifty barell carb hooked up to my 30psi booster turbo chrager with big 40 shot NOS kit in he back She's pushin about 575 at the wheels WELL SHIT DAMN YEEEFUCKINHAWWWW

balls_to_the_wall
02-17-2005, 11:34 AM
Well bumpin, that is an interesting vehicle that you have ^^^^^^^ lol

ngsm13
02-17-2005, 12:13 PM
Well bumpin, that is an interesting vehicle that you have ^^^^^^^ lol

Yeah, he put that all in his muskrat...i mean...mustang :)

NG

balls_to_the_wall
02-17-2005, 02:52 PM
hmm....50barrel carb on a elecronic fuel injected engine?...that sounds like something someone in our high school would say....lol

bumpinstang77
02-17-2005, 07:30 PM
Hey noah get off the stang okay??? bitch.... and yea I'm not a complete idiot I know that carberators are the other way to get fuel in the fuel injectors I was just sayin what it all sounded like to me....P.S. 30 PSI would kill the fuck outa my engine.

balls_to_the_wall
02-17-2005, 09:31 PM
I agree with you, 30psi turbo injection would fuck your engine, course 30psi would screw just about any engine out there....damn that would have low compression.......and I know exactly what you mean on that was how it sounded to you about the engines, building the lower end, weiland blowers, and all the good shit that makes a car go fast as hell. It seems like that for me most of the time when you guys go off about audio stuff, im like ...... Say WHAT?!?!?!?
I was just kinda wondering outloud on the 50brl carb on a EFI engine, and going off on a dif tangent in my mind. And I assumed that you knew what EFI and Carbs were, If you know this much about audio, you know at least some about engines.

P.S. There is someone in my highschool who does not know shit about engines but yet talks like he does, and just plain lies about the mods done to his car. Example, racing supension on a car that has factory supension?...hmm....a shift kit, (hmm those things are in the transmission housing, but his wasent?...damn thats interesting)...things like that

-Peace

bumpinstang77
02-18-2005, 01:37 PM
dude
I was JOKING
I don't know what the hell all thisn ISHT means!

CBFryman
02-18-2005, 01:54 PM
I have stupid HS friends. a friend of mine told me he had a throttle body spacer on his carburated engine... i was like there are spacers for carburators but they are not called throttle body spacers beause throttle body spacers to just that .... space out the throttle body often having a swirl to make fule atomize quicker and more efficently. he then told me he had a throttle body on his carburated engine. i told him you may have a carburator that acts as a throttle body, but you odnt have a throttle body and a carburator.
he also thinks he has 200hp coming out of a CRX with a non V-Tec b18 and nothing done to it except for painted valve covers, intake, and jerry rigged exaust, and a breather valve he got form walmart.... oh well, i dont argue with him because he thinks 8 "Extreme" 12's in a sealed box with a single JL 500.1 will be louder than my one XXX18 in a ported box with 3000w... he says these "Extreme" woofers he are getting are from JL. like JL's lower than W1/W0 line.... the W0's are already pretty crappy speakers for around $100 and i thought they where JL's lowest line....why would JL need to make an even lower line of woofers? well we will see...

Mannyb18b
02-18-2005, 02:03 PM
throttle body spacers rnt designed to swirl air. There there to, for example, adapt a 70mm throttle body thats universal to a plenum not specifically designed for that throttle body, or if sum idiot wants to put a 70mm throttle body on there 60mm plenum

balls_to_the_wall
02-19-2005, 08:17 AM
Wow, CB. I kow some people like that

bjboertje
03-08-2005, 09:16 AM
it's still a frequency, maybe not audible, but some speakers can reproduce unaudible frequencies. Like the dog whistle, it is unaudilble to us but is still sound and is way over 20,000 hz

bumpinstang77
03-08-2005, 01:26 PM
This thread was dead a long time ago!!!!!!!!!

CBFryman
03-08-2005, 03:18 PM
someone with a pioneer head unit and stock speakers is gonna come in here and tell us stuff we already know? oh its on Bo'....
lol
still an old thread ;)

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