miniDSP UMIK-1 USB Measurement Calibrated Microphone

[TKoP]

MiniDSP USB Microphone

I have a Behringer ECM8000 measurement microphone I bought several years ago. I also bought and external sound card for laptop so i could do testing using TrueRTA. Now, several years later, my laptop no longer supports the external soundcard i used to have. Looking at buying a new one and I came across this. Which seems like it would be cheaper and less problematic than getting that soundcard. However, i don't know if they're as good as they say. Anyone know?
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[Flint]

They are quite good, and each one has its own calibration file to compensate for its imperfections.

 

[TKoP]

They are quite good, and each one has its own calibration file to compensate for its imperfections.

Thanks. Quick follow up question I should have posed in the first email -- any reason I should go for the external soundcard option vs just buying the MiniDSP mic?

And are there any other similar options? I didn't find any in my limited-by-work search, but still don't think there is a good alternative out there.

 

[Flint]

If you only have the USB Mic, then no other electrical measurements can be taken. For instance, if you have an active DSP based crossover, you might want to measure a speaker with no crossover, that speaker with the crossover, and the electrical function of the crossover itself. I have also been known to use a resistor network to measure the electrical output of amplifiers with an external sound card. Basically, any measurements you want to make which require capturing the electrical signal of a device requires some sort of line input you can trust to be accurate. For instance, you may wonder if your Alexa is boosting the bass when playing music - well, you could measure that.

 

[TKoP]

It's safe to safe ALL of that kind of testing would be above my pay grade. I'd barely grasp a regular speaker graph. When you get into that waterfall stuff, i start to get a little fuzzy. So, I think for what I need, USB mic is the best alternative.

Thanks.

 

[Flint]

It's safe to safe ALL of that kind of testing would be above my pay grade. I'd barely grasp a regular speaker graph. When you get into that waterfall stuff, i start to get a little fuzzy. So, I think for what I need, USB mic is the best alternative.

Thanks.

The best part about it is that you merely plug it in, ensure it is the default input device, and run your measurement software. It helps to apply the correct file to the software, which isn't hard to do.

Ever since I got my OmniMic, it has become my primary measurement tool mostly because of the speed and ease of setup and use. I can get more accurate and detailed results with my professional software using my sound interface and my Earthworks top end measurement mic, but it take up to an hour to setup, calibrate, and get started. With the OmniMic I can start making reliable measurements in about 10 minutes.