TOPIC:

naiku wrote:

1 - is it possible to lower the entire target curve at once? Rather than dragging down each point. I have a target with many points, clicking each and dragging then down while trying to maintain the curve is difficult.

Don't know if that is possible with the UI. But you can edit the target curve file with a text editor.

How do you operate Dirac? Do you have a laptop inside your car? I use a rather big laptop and holding it causes problems and it also may effect measurements. Maybe a wireless mouse and setting the laptop outside (connected to a big screen tv ) is the answer...

Laptop inside the car, mines also fairly large (15" and a few years old) and I've had those same thoughts about measurements as I sort of prop the laptop on my legs and the steering wheel.

I might try putting a blanket on the hood, then set the laptop on there and use a wireless mouse. Or even use a tablet in the car running TeamViewer to control the laptop and see the screen a little easier if it's too difficult to read on the hood.

naiku wrote:

I'm lacking a little width than what I'm used to, but willing to bet I can get that back with different microphone locations.

If possible, also try with fewer Dirac channels like my setup pictured earlier.

That's something I plan to do later today, will be neat to compare the different tunes.

denver8me4dinner wrote:

cmapes wrote:

I'm loving the feedback. I have yet to buy the DL plugin but it's on the list. I'm not sure that you have any inclination for a 2-seat preset, but I'm curious how effective sofa mode is at creating a 2-seat tune. Heck, I'm also curious if auditorium mode can do an acceptable 4-seat tune. If no one else tries it I'll end up figuring it out myself eventually.

Yeah it works fair to fair, the 1st measurement is the timing reference no matter what, put the mic in middle of car and nobody gets a sweet spot.

The sofa features will make the response good for both seats just not imaging. Having very low path length differences.

So how to do that is put the mic in middle of car and far back for 1st measurement, (like right behind the front seats far back) than do the rest of the sofa than put a 2nd order all pass filter with a Q of 1 at 250hz after Dirac measurement and both listeners have to lean into the middle to get a imaging

I’m quoting myself because I didn’t make sense so I need to clarify

To make a two seat tune with poor path length differences. ;

Run Dirac with sofa with mic in middle of car
Run the measurements as shown in sofa around the front seats and set target with a pretty steep slope rolling off the highs

Than add a 2nd order All pass filter using minidsp spreadsheet.
Set all pass to 250hz with a Q=1 ( +\- 20cycles) and apply it to the passenger side speakers only or driver side only (whichever promotes better imaging)

It is obviously much easier and needs far less processing if path length differences are reduced by placing speakers in kick panels or somewhere where the differences are minimized in coverage area trying to keep a path length of less than 6” or so.

Ran another sweep today using 5 channels, first microphone position chest height just in front of me, others in a fairly large square around the drivers seat. Vocals are just to the right of center up on the dash, sounds good overall though, but I can see he needing to increase amplifier gains slightly to account for the volume loss in eradicating the larger dips I get.

I'm thinking of next trying a sweep with 7 channels...
Left tweeter
Right tweeter
Left mid and midbass
Right mid and midbass
Left rear
Right rear
Subwoofer

My mid and midbass are located fairly close to one another, midbass bottom front of the door, mid in the kick panel, while the tweeter is located at the top front of the door panel. I think it might help Dirac set the delays using this method and maybe give an even better sound, and heck, it's so quick to try it I won't lose anything if it's not good.

naiku wrote:

Ran another sweep today using 5 channels, first microphone position chest height just in front of me, others in a fairly large square around the drivers seat. Vocals are just to the right of center up on the dash.

I'm thinking of next trying a sweep with 7 channels...
Left tweeter
Right tweeter
Left mid and midbass
Right mid and midbass
Left rear
Right rear
Subwoofer

My mid and midbass are located fairly close to one another, midbass bottom front of the door, mid in the kick panel, while the tweeter is located at the top front of the door panel. I think it might help Dirac set the delays using this method, and heck, it's so quick to try it I won't lose anything if it's not good.

What do you consider center stage?
Is it middle of car or right in front of you.
It should be in middle of car (between the speakers)

Here’s an article from the A2TB book that explains it really good. It’s worth a read.

Middle of car, center of dash, not directly in front of me. So, by vocals being just to the right, I mean just to the right of dash center.

naiku wrote:

Middle of car, center of dash, not directly in front of me. So, by vocals being just to the right, I mean just to the right of dash center.

Okay so just so we’re all on the same page (no pun intended)

So than your forward left measurements are too close to speakers, now try and move them back towards you making the box smaller on the left side measurements, start with about 3” and listen. Start small , just pull the bottom left measurement closer to you first (if speakers are in door)

That should move the stage over to the left just a tad...
I

naiku wrote:

Ran another sweep today using 5 channels, first microphone position chest height just in front of me, others in a fairly large square around the drivers seat.

I think you should put the mic tip at your nose heigth and also adjust seat backrest a little backwards. So that the first measurement is exactly where your head normally is.
Today I'll finally try to make more measurements, I think I'll do them outside the car but put a pillow and my coat to the drivers seat. That should take off some reflections from the leather seats.

Did some Dirac measurements. Software is still a bugfest. Weird things with Dirac software, plugin's Dirac and subwoofer displays and also with one rear channel. Have to recheck and start few support tickets...

TimoJ wrote:

I think you should put the mic tip at your nose heigth and also adjust seat backrest a little backwards. So that the first measurement is exactly where your head normally is.

I have taken measurements at that spot as well, I'm just sort of experimenting at the moment to be fair.

TimoJ wrote:

Did some Dirac measurements. Software is still a bugfest. Weird things with Dirac software, plugin's Dirac and subwoofer displays and also with one rear channel. Have to recheck and start few support tickets...

Can you let me know some more detail about the issues? Mine appears to be working fine (although I'm no expert, so may just not be noticing certain things). Maybe I can replicate the problems or confirm if I'm seeing the same behaviour.

naiku wrote:

Can you let me know some more detail about the issues?

Wrote to support about these things listed below. Only got ticket for one of them, not sure if others were marked as spam...
Rear channel issue is weird, sounds like one channel is inverted. I'll have to check my wiring and battery test the polarity. Those have always been just for rear fill.

1. With the C-DSP8x12DL v1.4a plugin open and you adjust sub level with the wired remove (press 1 and 2 simultaneously and then 4), the plugin shows the sub level correctly. But when you return to the normal wired remote setting and adjust volume with the wired remote, sub level display jumps to 0, still sub remains at that level where you set it earlier.

2. At start the plugin usually fails to display if Dirac is on or off. It just shows Dirac off but still Dirac is on. When you press the Dirac button, there is a very brief audio pause and then the Dirac indicator is active.

3. Dirac DLCT reports too low level at the start of almost all measurements. But signal levels were earlier correctly adjusted. If I close the error box and press again the Start button, the test runs without errors. But at the next measurement point the same thing happens again etc...

I've experienced number 3, exactly the same thing. Oddly it doesn't do it all the time, but it does do it more often than not.

I'll see if I can replicate 1 and 2 later and let you know my findings.


Edit: Had the same behaviour on number 1, but it might have always done that, I almost never use that remote so no idea how long it's acted that way.

Number 2, if Dirac is on when I exit DLCT it's on when I open the plug in

New plugin and firmware is released, fixing those bugs I wrote about.

But support said that the Dirac level warning is not a bug and that the level actually is too low, this effects accuracy of the measurements. And it's by design that the system still allows you to make the measurement.