Time Selective Response Analysis using a Continuous Log Sweep (100 Things #92)

Did you know that SoundCheck was the first audio test system to implement Time Selective Response Analysis with the continuous log sweep stimulus (also known as a frequency log sweep, or Farina sweep) way back in 2001?  TSR analysis allows reflections to be windowed out, making it great for loudspeaker simulated free field measurements and room acoustics measurements. It’s also valuable as a smart trigger for robust open loop measurement testing. Watch this video for a quick overview.

Continuous Log Sweep with Time Selective Response Analysis

Learn more

Read on about stimulus and analysis capabilities in SoundCheck.

 

Learn more about Simulated Free Field Measurements

Short Video Demonstration of free field measurements without an anechoic chamber

Full-length Demonstration of free field measurements without an anechoic chamber

Article explaining simulated free field measurements (reprinted from Voice Coil Magazine)

The Original 1992 paper introducing the Simulated Free Field Measurement Technique

 

Learn more about room acoustics measurements using the Log Sweep Stimulus

Full-length Demonstration of Room Acoustics measurements

 

Video Script:

Did you know that SoundCheck was the first audio test system to implement a continuous log sweep stimulus? We introduced it back in 2001,  shortly after Angelo Farina’s landmark AES paper on the subject. Let’s take a look at how it works and how it’s used.

A continuous log sweep, sometimes known as a frequency Log sweep or Farina sweep,  is a continuous sine sweep with equal time and energy in every octave. Since it sweeps slower at low frequencies but speeds up as the frequency increases,  it’s a great choice for fast measurements. It differs from a conventional stepped sine stimulus, in that the continuous log sweep plays across all frequencies in the range with a defined sweep rate per decade, whereas the stepped sine sweep “steps” through different frequencies across the range.

Both stimuli can measure frequency response and harmonic distortion, but the analysis methods differ. A continuous log sweep uses a time selective response, or TSR analysis. This involves calculating an impulse response and applying a user-defined time window that can isolate or  remove any reflections caused by the test environment. A stepped sine requires a HarmonicTrak analysis. Only the continuous log sweep with TSR analysis can window out reflections, allowing a simulated free field measurement even when you are not in a fully anechoic environment.

Let’s take a look. In the TSR analysis step, we’ll enable this checkbox here to output an impulse response to the memory list so we can view it. It can be displayed either on a linear or logarithmic scale.  The window size at the top is where we define the start and stop points of the window that’s applied to the impulse response. We can look at this in SoundCheck to help us decide which points to use. Here, we can clearly see a large impulse that has been autodelayed to 0 seconds to show the direct sound from our sound source. And because we’re in a non anechoic environment, just a normal room, you can see reflections from the walls, floor, ceiling, table etcetera.  in the impulse response. We can adjust the window to remove them, and you can see the frequency response updates. 

This technique is very powerful, but like all techniques there are tradeoffs. So Log TSR analysis might not be the best option for all applications. The measurement resolution is affected by the window size – as the window size narrows,  the frequency resolution reduces, and you can see the effects on the frequency response. This is particularly noticeable at the lower frequencies where  the lack of resolution can make the data inaccurate if the window is too small. We need to be careful to configure the window size to capture the direct sound but be wide enough to get the greatest frequency resolution, without any reflections due to the test environment.

Time Selective Response Analysis offers significant benefits for several applications. We use it for the high frequency measurements in a loudspeaker simulated free field measurement, which we can then splice together with the low frequency Stepped Sine Sweep stimulus measurement. It’s also valuable for room acoustics, for example, for calculating RT60 and clarity measurements. And if you’re running open loop tests, our cross-correlation smart trigger uses a continuous log sweep to provide a way of triggering an open loop measurement that is extremely robust and far less susceptible to false triggers than other methods. 

To learn more about the applications of a continuous log sweep stimulus, check out the technical papers and demo videos on our website.