Syncheck 3, worth it?

[seanmccoy]

I have a Syncheck 2, and I don't think I would have been able to do the post work I've done over the past seven or eight years without it. Once it says you're right on, you're right on, and I find that confidence factor indispensable.

Originally Posted by Schottlandru

...I take it with me to every studio I freelance at. That and an spl meter...

Just curious—Syncheck includes an SPL meter that I've used for my 5.1 calibrations. Is there some reason you've found to need a separate meter?

[Danny Caccavo]

Originally Posted by Peter Cole

Syncheck 3 is only worth it if you are in the business of audio post. I rate it up there with pink noise and the 1K tone.

You mean "I rate it up there with non-Pro Tools generated pink noise and the 1K tone," right? ;-)

[finalmixaudio]

Thank you guys so much for all the info. I for sure will go ahead and buy it.

Thanks and take care.

[Schottlandru]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

I have a Syncheck 2...
Just curious—Syncheck includes an SPL meter that I've used for my 5.1 calibrations. Is there some reason you've found to need a separate meter?

Sean I haven't found anything on that feature on the v3. Do you happen to know more? :-/

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by Schottlandru

Sean I haven't found anything on that feature on the v3. Do you happen to know more? :-/

Hmm, no, I haven't looked into Syncheck 3. It would be a little strange for them to remove that feature, but one never knows. Might be worth a shout out to Pharoah to find out.

[Schottlandru]

I've emailed them...

[Postman]

I've responded to Schottlandru's email privately. The short answer is that SPL functionality is not included in Syncheck3. A couple of years ago while designing Syncheck3, I took an informal user survey and learned that, of those I contacted, none used the SPL feature and those that were aware of it still preferred to trust a separate SPL meter. So, after much reflection and examination of other factors, we did not carry the feature forward, choosing instead to focus on Syncheck's core values and ease of use.

I stand by our calibrated pink noise files that we developed (and still make available to all purchasers) to be highly accurate and give excellent results with any C-weighted SPL meter. Unfortunately, SyncheckII is the only one of our products that contained such a meter.

Richard Fairbanks
Pharoah Editorial, Inc.

[V5V]

Originally Posted by Postman

I stand by our calibrated pink noise files that we developed (and still make available to all purchasers) to be highly accurate and give excellent results with any C-weighted SPL meter.

So, just for giggles, let's pretend you were out shopping for an SPL meter today. All you're doing is matching monitors in a 5.1 rig so it's not like accuracy into fractions of a dB is a priority, but you did just buy a new Mac Pro so funds are tight.

What did you buy?

[Postman]

I have a feeling you are baiting me but here's my advice. If you're concerned only with relative level of each speaker and don't need to know absolute levels, and you are willing to accept the truth that you'll only be guessing about the sub speaker level, you can do it for nothing. Play full bandwidth and limited bandwidth pink noises through each speaker and make rms measurements using any omni microphone placed around the listening positions. No cost other than time. Full bandwidth noise will mostly reveal low frequency differences, limited bandwidth will mostly show midrange differences, once those agree your ears will reveal high frequency differences.

Or go on eBay and buy an old Radio Shack meter, repeat above process. No better or worse at matching speakers but more convenient than a separate microphone.

Now, to pull the thread further off topic, SPL meters are not particularly helpful when setting up a room other than for a casual check of overall speaker balance. Expecting to set an accurate sub/lfe channel using only an SPL is irrational. Real Time Analyzers with a calibrated microphone are better. Measurement software (reasonably cheap) with a calibrated microphone (the most expensive you can afford) is the best way to see what's happening as you tweak acoustics and speaker placements. Your ears can identify a lot but seeing and saving measurements over days and weeks of tweaking is very helpful.

If you're halfway serious about useful measurements, also get a microphone calibrator. All of the cheap SPL meters, in my experience, will show different readings on different days and/or with ambient temperature variations. A calibrator can help reduce those errors when you check a meter's calibration immediately before use.

Now, back to work.

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by Postman

All of the cheap SPL meters, in my experience, will show different readings on different days and/or with ambient temperature variations.

Would you include Syncheck 2 in the category of 'cheap SPL meters'?