What’s New?
See what’s been added to SoundCheck recently.
This is a summary of features that have been added since version 15. If you have an older version, there is even more! For further details on any of these features, or a complete chronological list of new features going back further in time, see SoundCheck New Features by Version.
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Faster Setup
Setup time for both R&D and large scale production deployments is significantly reduced with ‘Plug and play’ hardware, TEDS Support, automatic configuration updates, simpler sample rate management, and more.
‘Plug and play’ hardware automatically populates hardware parameters and creates input/output paths. Devices of the same type can be substituted without reconfiguration, and on opening SoundCheck, hardware tabs are automatically updated with the connected hardware. TEDS Support (with compatible Listen hardware) saves time configuring microphones and accelerometers. Improvements in sampling rate management and reading multichannel WAV files also reduce test configuration time.
Powerful Automation Options
Factory automation is significantly more powerful and simpler to configure with TCP/IP control.
This enables seamless integration with with large automated test frameworks controlled using Python, C#, Visual Basic, LabVIEW, etc. Sequences and virtual instruments can be opened or closed, and test configuration data can be passed directly into the memory list, enabling databases of test parameters to be managed outside of SoundCheck. This simplifies the number of sequences that a large organization needs to maintain, and reduces test configuration time.
Control More Hardware
SoundCheck software now controls more devices from Listen and other manufacturers.
More devices are now fully controlled by SoundCheck: AmpConnect 621 (our new all-in-one 6-in, 2-out, multichannel interface), Portland Tool & Die MEMS interfaces, the Outline ET250-3D Turntable, and multiple DC Connects. WASAPI driver support in Windows 10 enhances full multichannel support, allowing each individual channel to display separately in the hardware editor, rather than as channel pairs. Improved digital I/O simplifies use of sequences with different hardware devices.
Database Enhancements
A faster and more space-efficient database is valuable for customers generating large volumes of data. Data can also now be saved to MATLAB.
An optional enhanced database module is considerably faster and more space efficient, making it valuable for customers generating large volumes of data. SQL and Python tools (provided) enable data extraction for use in Business Intelligence (BI) systems. All data including memory list curves and Soundmap data can now be saved to MATLAB (either manually or automatically) for additional processing. CSV files can now be recalled in addition to TXT files.
User Interface Flexibility
User-customizable color pallets offer ultimate flexibility in defining colors for backgrounds, grids, cursors and graph lines.
SoundCheck’s new color pallets offer ultimate flexibility in defining colors for backgrounds, grids, cursors and graph lines. New default color palettes are included, and multiple, user-defined palettes can be saved, allowing different color sets for different applications.
Virtual Instruments
A new real time distortion analyzer, high resolution frequency counter and chart recorder have been added, as well as new options added to the multimeter.
A new multi-channel RTA, enables simultaneous viewing of multiple signal paths; spectrum settings are configured independently for each channel for complete measurement flexibility. A new high resolution frequency counter (optional) displays a precise frequency measurement. A new real time distortion analyzer (optional) provides continuous real time measurement of output distortion (THD and THD+N, THD and THD+N residual level and SINAD). Data from both the frequency counter and distortion analyzer can be saved to the memory list and used in sequences. A new strip chart recorder (optional) enables the multimeter, distortion analyzer and frequency counter to plot measurements over time. The multimeter has been upgraded with a new bandpass filter option and a new ‘Linear Repeating’ averaging mode.
Algorithms for Smart Devices
Algorithm enhancements offer benefits to anyone testing smart devices where open loop measurements, and microphone/microphone array measurements are required.
The new Auto Delay+ algorithm offers increased accuracy for open loop measurements, especially where the delay is longer than 1 second. This is particularly useful for measuring smart devices such as smart speakers, automotive audio, hearables, etc., where test signals are sent via the cloud. Two new triggering options, a frequency trigger using a pilot tone, and a Level & Cross-Correlation trigger using a chirp tone, offer robust triggering of acquisition from an external source. The optional RT60 Room Acoustics module enables measurement of the reverberation time (signal decay time) and clarity (ratio of early reverberations to late reverberations) of any room or space with calibrated signal paths.
New THD+N Algorithm
A new THD+N algorithm is significantly more accurate and faster than other audio test systems, and is AES-17 compliant.
A new THD+N analysis algorithm, using an extremely precise digital notch filter, is compliant with the AES17 standard, and more accurate and significantly faster than other audio test systems. High accuracy is achieved, even with short and/or low level test signals, through the use of a synthetic notch filter – an extremely precise digital notch filter. The algorithm also includes high and low pass filters for controlling the measurement bandwidth and for filtering noise in electronic measurements.
Test Optimization
Various additional features make it faster to optimize tests, reduce testing times, and accelerate the processing of test data
New access to gain controls in the acquisition step, with the option of auto-ranging simplifies optimizing the signal to noise ratio of tests making it quicker to optimize tests in the R&D lab before transferring them to production. Sweep Equalization for Minimized Transients smooth transition between steps for stepped sine amplitude and frequency sweeps. This results in shorter test times and is particularly useful for microphone testing where a source speaker needs to be equalized. A new Average Curve/Waveform post processing function is particularly useful for power averaging selected curves, averaging curves from different spatial positions (e.g. microphone arrays), and complex averaging of multiple measurements with background noise.
