How Do You Test Your Mics?

[Dr_J]

Hi,

i just finished 2 G7, it was a long run, but now here we go.
Both Mics seem to work fine at the first glance.

But now I'm thinking how to test them a bit more analytical?
Well, of course without having a dead room full of measurements...
... just some good tests doing on the bench.

What are your first tests you do on a finished mic?


ROCK-ON!

 

[Sredna]

one-two, one-two.....    ;D

 

[RuudNL]

Compare it with a good microphone you know!

 

[Gus]

To do it right you need good test gear and a good room. 
FWIW this is one reason I have not built a new microphone for some time.  you can do a lot with the electronics with a scope and signal gen etc.  The next step can cost a lot and take up some room.
HOWEVER you need good (can be expensive) equipment and a room to do repeatable meaningful measurements on the complete system.

 

[Melodeath00]

I usually compare with another mic that I know is fine. I'll make sure the polarity response seems to react correctly, as well as compare noise and overall frequency response to another mic.

 

[ricardo]

If you want to go further and do proper frequency response measurements of microphones, read section 10.4.3 of the Clio manuals. http://www.audiomatica.com/wp/?page_id=51

This is the best explanation I've seen of quasi anechoic measurements I've seen ANYWHERE.  It will tell you what sort of room you need.

Using similar techniques, I can now do better measurements in my shed than I could do with a big anechoic in the previous Millenium.

Clio is excellent .. especially for Production Testing.  I don't know of any free stuff that will do proper mike measurement easily.

You'll also need a reference mike.  A cheap Behringer ECM8000 will do but get it calibrated by Kim Girardin.  There are other 'calibration' services on the net but some of them are awful.

 

[Dr_J]

Hi,

seems not to be an easy straight way question ...

Thanks RICARDO for the link, i'll check it out.

I'll see what next tests i'm going to do ... 
... but within the next years i think i'll not go for  a anechoic room  ;D

ROCK-ON!

 

[bernbrue]

Hi,
that´s how I did it.
http://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=47808.msg602344#msg602344
regards
Bernd

 

[joaquins]

A transfer response with a good speaker and a reference mic is a nice way to start, a reference mic could be the behringer ECM8000 that works really nice for non lab applications, the only consideration you should take to know the walls aren't affecting is the windowing, your window should end before the first reflection came to your mic, and a continuous measuring couldn't be done. You should use an impulse or a sweep for this. Fuzz Measure is a nice program for this but only for mac I think, I don't know an equivalent for PC. It shows you the freq-phase/amplitude plot, transistent response, freq/THD and more.

JS