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SP395 SoundPro Audio Integrator  

Form7492 

Operation Manual 

 

72

Level/Frequency Meter Operation

 

1.

 

Apply left and/or right audio into the SP395’s inputs. 

 

 

2.

 

Select the Level Meter Test function.

  

 

3.

 

Select the desired display units.

 The same units are selected for both inputs. 

 

4.

 

Select the measuring range.

 It is advised to select auto-ranging or “A” in the top center 

toolbar so the SP395 can select the best range automatically. You may hear some artifacts 
of connecting a strong signal to an input of the meter when it has auto-ranged to 
maximum gain. Connecting a strong signal may cause the display to momentarily say 
“OVER” or “UNDER” and you may hear the signal bleed through to the internal speaker.  

 

Note: When the signal is improperly ranged or weak, the display reads “LOW” or “LOW Hz.” 

 
 
 
 

Signal Generator 

 
The SP395 contains a general-purpose, full-featured, crystal-controlled signal generator that 
creates test tones and standard noise waveforms. Most of the features of the signal generator are 
accessed from any function, using bottom toolbar. These include On/Off, level (in 0.5dB steps), 
waveform selection (including USB), and frequency. 
 
The Signal Generator function selection within the TechBench menu provides a bar graph 
indication of output level. It further provides a measured level of the actual output to the balance 
and unbalanced outputs. It lets you trim the output level + or – 1 dBu.  
 

Note: You can store default values for generator waveform type, frequency, and level, by using 
the Save Defaults function in the Setup & Calibration function. 

 
 

Generator Screen and description of fields.  

 

Summary of Contents for SP395

Page 1: ...egrator Form7492 Operation Manual http www sencore com mailto sales sencore com 1 800 736 2673 or 1 605 339 0100 SP395 SoundPro Audio Integrator Operation Manual Firmware version 1 32 3200 Sencore Dri...

Page 2: ...2 Always be sure that your equipment is in good working order Broken or frayed test leads or cables can be extremely dangerous and may expose you to high voltages 3 Remove test leads immediately foll...

Page 3: ...SP395 SoundPro Audio Integrator Form7492 Operation Manual iii SP395 SoundPro Audio Integrator Operation Manual Firmware version 1 32 3200 Sencore Drive Sioux Falls SD 57107...

Page 4: ...Input Jack 14 Battery 14 Installing Removing Battery 15 Battery Charging Battery Life 15 User Interface Control Knob 16 Menu Navigation 16 Menu Overview 17 Inputs Outputs 18 Audio Inputs 18 Audio Out...

Page 5: ...B Preamp Display Controls 92 USB Preamp Operation 93 USB Output Operation 94 Utility Function 95 Audio Scope 95 Save Settings 97 Setup Calibration 98 Setup Unlock Firmware 98 Setup General 99 SPL Cali...

Page 6: ...g features including Sound Level Meter or SPL Sound Pressure Level Measures loudness of ambient sound according to ANSI Type 1 A and C weighting networks and ANSI Class 1 octave and 1 3 octave band fi...

Page 7: ...crophone input and sensitive audio preamplifier with the audio monitoring headphones to form an audio stethoscope Weighted filters and octave or 1 3 octave band filters may be selected Level Freq Mete...

Page 8: ...le Tester Provides a cable attenuation test at 1 kHz and 20 kHz and a polarity test to identify defective or improperly wired cables USB Preamp Control Serves as a calibrated USB microphone preamp Use...

Page 9: ...ge 20 Hz to 22 kHz Real Time Analyzer RTA Plots sound energy levels vs octave band filtered spectrum ANSI compliant 1 3 octave digital filter based FIR Filters Full octave 1 3 octave frequency resolut...

Page 10: ...ests absolute speaker phase polarity by analyzing a proprietary waveform Shows polarity of mid frequency wavefront Range 0 100 ft speaker to SoundPro Cable Tester Tests XLR 1 4 and RCA audio cables ba...

Page 11: ...le frequency range Distortion Meter THD N Computes Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise Compares level of output harmonics and noise to single test frequency Test Frequencies 63 Hz 125 Hz 250 Hz 500 H...

Page 12: ...ves Displays Room Criteria rating PNC Curves Displays Preferred Noise Criteria rating STC NIC Measurement 1 24th octave Sound Transmission Class Noise Isolation Class measurement Multi Band Decay Modu...

Page 13: ...ral Environmental Input Impedances XLR and balanced inputs 40 kohms nominal RCA unbalanced inputs 20 kohms nominal Output Impedances XLR and balanced outputs 300 ohms nominal RCA unbalanced outputs 15...

Page 14: ...Rotate the control to move the screen cursor or increment through menu selections Momentarily pressing inward clicking the control knob makes a selection or change Right Side Panel Input Description 1...

Page 15: ...dio signals 3 Stereo Headphone Hdpn Output Jack inch headphone jack Provides stereo audio monitoring with headphone 4 RCA Phono Audio Output Jack Provides unbalanced audio output through female RCA ph...

Page 16: ...ble a 6 connection cable type A to type B connects the unit s USB connector to a USB port on a computer PC USB port supplied 13G124 Serial Interface Adapter Cable a 6 computer serial interface adapter...

Page 17: ...o transport unit includes extra storage capacity for supplied accessories supplied SP PMIC1 optional Precision Low Noise Microphone meets or exceeds ANSI Type 1 specifications optional SPSW TL optiona...

Page 18: ...h TechBench Phase Meter TechBench TechBench Crosstalk TechBench TechBench Audio Scope Utilities TechBench Impedance Sweep Speaker Noise Curves NCB RC PNC Noise Tools Noise Curves Transmission Loss RW...

Page 19: ...charge the internal battery Use only the Sencore supplied power adapter if possible Using an improper AC adapter can damage the unit and or improperly charge the battery Using an improper AC power ada...

Page 20: ...ed from the rear battery compartment Warning Observe proper polarity Do not plug the battery into the connector board the wrong way or the battery may be damaged Battery Charging Battery Life The batt...

Page 21: ...then turn the knob to change the value When the desired value is shown click the control knob again to unlock the control highlight Turning the knob then moves you to the next field All user selection...

Page 22: ...Audio Integrator These test features may be purchased as Software Additions to your instrument 1 Main Menu Opening menu screen listing eight categories of Audio Integrator tests 2 SPL Submenu Appears...

Page 23: ...the main menu This submenu provides a selection for USB Preamp Control 9 Utilities Submenu Appears when the Utilities selection is made in the main menu The Utilities Functions submenu provides user...

Page 24: ...n the 70 to 60 dBu range Audio Outputs The Audio Integrator provides 3 output jacks for connecting analog audio output to sound systems You may use either the XLR 1 4 TRS or RCA phono jack These jacks...

Page 25: ...ntrol setting establishes an overall amplification of the input signal and best signal to noise ratio The gain setting must be properly chosen for proper testing results You should select the range wh...

Page 26: ...he screen provide user selections which are common to many of the test functions Top Tool Bar The top toolbar provides a function identification field and is used to control the SP395 inputs You can m...

Page 27: ...y and internal generator control Headphone Speaker Monitor Control The five icons at the left end of the bottom toolbar control the monitor output 1 Monitor Output On Off The 1 0 icon turns the analog...

Page 28: ...ontrol the main output and signal generator are located on right end of the bottom toolbar Some fields control only the generator while others control features of the main output section 10 On Off The...

Page 29: ...ssure Weighting curves are added to SPL measurements to make SPL readings correspond to perceived loudness The SP395 s Sound Pressure Level function measures the loudness of the ambient sound level in...

Page 30: ...ly updated and displayed To reset the displayed value highlight and click on the Max field 6 Bar Graph SPL Indicates SPL measurement in bar graph presentation 7 Digital Readout Indicates SPL measureme...

Page 31: ...weighted filters are available These weighting networks make SPL readings correspond more closely to what our ears hear Ten ANSI Class 1 octave band filters 31 63 125 250 500 1k 2k 4k 8k 16 kHz and 3...

Page 32: ...ng through the length of the LEQ test Dosimeter The SP395 can be used as a Noise Dosimeter for noise surveys hearing conservation programs community noise studies machinery noise evaluations and occup...

Page 33: ...d as the dose that would be reported at the end of the Criterion Time Length if no more sound above the Threshold was measured 13 TWA Time Weighted Average The average sound level for the measured tim...

Page 34: ...iod The SP395 computes either the average or peak SPL for that period and draws a bar on the graph This continues until the total time for the test has expired As the function is running the LEQ is co...

Page 35: ...en desired when noise is being measured 3 Select Avg Average or Peak measurement Use Avg for most applications 4 Select the time Choose from 10seconds 1 5 10 or 15minutes or 1 8 or 24 hours Or select...

Page 36: ...ately twice per second with selectable signal averaging times from 1 to 60 seconds The filter based RTA responds much more quickly to changing sound levels than does the FFT Analyzer function below Th...

Page 37: ...s a mode that averages equally over time cumulative or peak hold mode A numeric value indicates an exponential decay mode with a time constant equal to the value Exponential decay averaging means that...

Page 38: ...ove the cursor RTA Operation 1 Position the microphone A measurement microphone is normally placed at the desired measurement location and pointed at the ceiling to be omni directional to all system l...

Page 39: ...lyzed exactly the same as a live graph by changing the octave band filter size graph amplitude range and using the cursor to read individual band frequencies and dB levels Memory data can also be tran...

Page 40: ...ol Fields 1 Test Function Identifies the test function FFT 2 This field is empty on the FFT screen No selection 3 Graph Resolution Click the dB number at the top of the left graph axis to change the v...

Page 41: ...rse highlighted vertical bar that you can position horizontally along the graph The center frequency of the selected band and the band s dB SPL level are displayed in the lower right portion of the gr...

Page 42: ...if a previous test screen is stored or if empty 2 Store to memory Click on the S Store icon to store the function data to the current memory number 3 Recall from memory Click on the R Recall icon to r...

Page 43: ...ime distance to check direct sound arrival time from a speaker identify early speaker reflections check PA speaker phasing or determine ITDG and at a long time distance to view the room energy decay r...

Page 44: ...r and the Measurement Cursor Select from the following RT10 RT20 RT30 RT40 RT50 and RT60 7 RT Time This field shows the desired RT10 60 time that is extrapolated from the points marked on the decay sl...

Page 45: ...memory number Use the memory number field to select a memory number When the memory number field is selected the type of memory stored or if empty appears on the bottom of the graph The memory type fo...

Page 46: ...1 Adjust the amplifier volume for a good display Increase the amplifier volume to obtain a high signal reading on the ETG graph without signal clipping or speaker distortion If the signal level picked...

Page 47: ...ation time is how long it takes for the sound pressure level to decay by a specified dB amount after the sound source is removed The ETG function allows you to determine RT times from RT10 to RT60 1 F...

Page 48: ...me or reverberation creates room ambiance the sense that the performance is taking place in either a large or small space A decay time that is too long causes echoes while a decay time that is too sho...

Page 49: ...ed readings 3 Weighting Any of 36 weighting filters are available including unweighted Flat A weighted C weighted ten ANSI Class 1 octave band filters 31 63 125 250 500 1k 2k 4k 8k 16 kHz or 30 ANSI C...

Page 50: ...r rooms require longer test intervals to allow the sound to build to maximum and the sound to decay 10 RT60 Time This field shows the calculated RT60 reverberation time The number is extrapolated from...

Page 51: ...decay by the Decay range amount The RT60 time field shows the extrapolated time for the sound to decay in the room if a full 60dB decay range were available 9 Stop To stop the analysis and freeze the...

Page 52: ...ny possible early sounds that are not part of the normal test allowing the test to provide more accurate measurements with transient noise spikes Turn the control knob to highlight the Speaker Distanc...

Page 53: ...umn of values shows the extrapolated time for the sound to decay 60 dB RT60 for each of the octave bands 11 Generator On Off This indicates whether the Generator is on or off The Generator is defeated...

Page 54: ...ch octave band The Decay Time column displays the actual time in milliseconds for the sound field to decay by the decay range amount The RT60 time column shows the extrapolated time for the sound to d...

Page 55: ...only the direct sound arriving at the microphone Without the band pass filter all sound reaching the microphone would be summed in the RMS detector and ambient noise or late arriving signals due to r...

Page 56: ...evel of each frequency in the swept sine wave after 100 mS of decay in the room To see the decay at any other time just add that time to Ts and run the sweep Say now that we run 10 sweeps each with a...

Page 57: ...B This field is not selectable 9 Space Equivalent Values in ft and mS Indicates S E B values computed from the Sweep Time and Filter Q selections Values describe a distance and or time in which refle...

Page 58: ...Q can result in fewer problems with comb filtering Space Equivalent Bandwidth It is useful to be able to control the distance beyond which TDA will reject input In some systems this is called time win...

Page 59: ...3 Graph Window This field selects the upper limit or maximum level of the graph establishing the vertical graph range 4 Vertical Scale dB Not selectable Indicates 40 dB range of measurement graph 5 T...

Page 60: ...w 60 dB or so increase the speaker volume and run the test again How to Use TDA to Measure Room Response 1 Connect the output Connect the output of the SP395 to an amplifier and speaker It is advisabl...

Page 61: ...g the sweeps to memory the measurement data is lost Recalling TDA Sweeps from Memories To recall a set of TDA sweeps from memory to view them on the SP395 select the first memory location in the serie...

Page 62: ...e band filters may be selected Speech Intelligibility ALCONS ALCONS is a speech intelligibility test Percent Articulation Loss of Consonants ALCONS is a speech intelligibility measure that is intended...

Page 63: ...reater than 50 dB you should attempt to decrease the ambient noise for best test results and better room acoustics Max Sets maximum room sound level using pink noise This is the maximum sound energy i...

Page 64: ...listener distance and RT60 results 14 RT60 Measurement Readout The RT60 calculated measurement of the room Indicates the extrapolated time for the sound to decay 60 dB RT60 in the measured octave band...

Page 65: ...lent 1 70 0 85 Excellent 1 30 0 90 Excellent 0 99 0 95 Excellent 0 76 1 00 Excellent Speech Intelligibility RASTI Rapid Speech Transmission Index RaSTI is one of several speech intelligibility testing...

Page 66: ...and the test is performed by the SP395 RASTI analyzing function After 10 seconds of analysis the results are shown on the screen and the RaSTI value is read directly See the table below the ALCONS fun...

Page 67: ...one Set up the SP395 microphone at the listener position Use a stand if possible 3 Level Using the SPL meter function set the level of the test signal as measured by the SP395 to the nominal listening...

Page 68: ...ty STI PA STIPA is a speech intelligibility measurement derived from the more extensive STI standard STI specifies 98 data points each an octave band of pink noise modulated by a slow sine wave envelo...

Page 69: ...easurement screen and control fields descriptions STIPA Test Screen and Control Fields 1 Test Function Identifies STIPA as the selected function and measurement screen 2 STIPA Test Value This is the S...

Page 70: ...at are weighted for the frequencies and sound pressure levels where our ears are most sensitive NC curves specify equal loudness levels of noise over the audio spectrum They are numbered for easy refe...

Page 71: ...eeding the standard noise curve Decreasing the room noise in this band improves the NC value 5 Select Octave Band Selects one of the nine octave bands used in the NC Curve tests for measurement 6 Octa...

Page 72: ...d leaking around the partition or whether the measurements are being taken in the field under minimal control characteristics Several standards apply here including ASTM 90 which talks about how to me...

Page 73: ...e partition 2 Apply Noise Source Generate a sufficient sound level pink noise in the room 3 Saving the source room RTA Select the RTA test function on the SP395 Setup for a 1 3 octave RTA Store the RT...

Page 74: ...screen 2 Measurement Filter Selects measurement filter applied to input from left channel Includes selection of A weighted C weighted octave or sub octave filters 3 Headphone On Off Turns on or off a...

Page 75: ...ithin the SP395 Keep this in mind to prevent potential confusion over measurement results For example if a 0 dBu electrical signal is plugged into the Sound Level Meter you may see results like 150 dB...

Page 76: ...frequency of both the right and left audio channel input simultaneously The frequency counter range is from 10 Hz to 32 kHz Level Frequency Meter test screen and field descriptions Level Freq Meter Di...

Page 77: ...speaker Note When the signal is improperly ranged or weak the display reads LOW or LOW Hz Signal Generator The SP395 contains a general purpose full featured crystal controlled signal generator that c...

Page 78: ...cts how the generator increments frequency selections octave 1 3 octave or full Signal Generator Operation 1 Connections Plug any SP295 balance or unbalanced audio output into the desired destination...

Page 79: ...to any ISO standard 1 3 octave frequency and the sweep time from 10 to 99 seconds Amplitude Sweep Display and Controls Amplitude Sweep test screen and description of control fields 1 Test Function Id...

Page 80: ...e entire graph up and down in 5dB steps and the bottom field changes the bottom dBu setting in effect changing the vertical dB range of the graph Together these fields give you the flexibility to set...

Page 81: ...r In the IMD test function the generator toolbar signal type and frequency selections are removed The signal type for the generator is selected automatically with the test type selected either DIN 250...

Page 82: ...or all distortion tests 12 Generator Waveform Selects generator output waveform The waveform type should be a sine wave for the THD N test This field does not appear in the IMD test as a special two t...

Page 83: ...or DIN IMD test 8kHz 250Hz 4 Input Select Selects either the right or left input for the distortion test 5 Distortion Meter Test Readout Indicates distortion test results in dB 6 Test Function Identi...

Page 84: ...8kHz 250Hz 2 Set up the Input Turn off the phantom power set the input gain auto gain may be used and connect the device output to the SP395 left input 3 Select Test Type Select the desired IMD test e...

Page 85: ...ons 1 Test Function Identifies Phase Meter as the current test function 2 Input Reference Select The Phase Meter always requires two sine wave inputs This field selects the input or the internal gener...

Page 86: ...ce Channel Selects the reference waveform in which the CrossTalk Meter calculates the level difference dB dB 2 Left Input Level uV Displays the measured input level on the left channel input 3 Right I...

Page 87: ...A single out of phase driver in a loudspeaker can degrade the performance of the entire audio system Determining proper polarity by listening to the speaker output is very difficult and inaccurate an...

Page 88: ...output into the amplifier and speaker Turn the level down at the amplifier 3 Generator On Off Turn on the generator to send the polarity signal to the speaker Make sure that only one speaker is playi...

Page 89: ...tion typically runs in the 1 5 range with low levels of room noise Use the Speaker Distortion test to check all speakers looking for differences between left and right speakers and differences between...

Page 90: ...2 Select the desired Test Frequency Test full range speakers at each frequency sub woofers at 63 and 125 Hz satellite bookshelf and PA speakers at 125 Hz and above 3 Set up the Input Turn off the phan...

Page 91: ...e specialty Impedance Test Cable Sencore 39G1171 This cable provides the proper connection from the inch mono balanced plug to clip connections which can be connected to a device or input to be tested...

Page 92: ...as an audio speaker to a single test frequency The Impedance Sweep test measures impedance as well but sweeps the applied test frequency through a user selected range The resulting impedance through t...

Page 93: ...uency steps as the Impedance Sweep test is performed Impedance Sweep Operation 1 Connect the special cable to device or system Use the specialty Impedance Test Cable Sencore 39G1171 Plug this connecto...

Page 94: ...al data values These memories can be transferred to the PC Mac using the Interface Utility provided on the SP395 software CD Real time Interface The Impedance Sweep when used with the TerraLink PC sof...

Page 95: ...ing of microphone cables patch cables or guitar cables If the cable is good and has the proper wired polarity the test readout indicates Passed and the internal speaker beeps momentarily If the cable...

Page 96: ...NBAL Note The output and input connectors on the SP395 side panels are clearly marked for the cable test Be sure to use the connectors that are labeled Cable Test 3 Start the test Highlight and click...

Page 97: ...ort connection It further provides receiving USB audio from a computer and routing it to the main output of the SP395 USB Preamp Display Control 1 USB Preamp Function Indicates USB Preamp display scre...

Page 98: ...B steps Select Utilities in main menu and select Tools in the submenu to permit USB Preamp Control on the SP395 5 Connect USB cable Plug a standard USB cable from the host PC to the Integrator Since t...

Page 99: ...ght end of the bottom toolbar change the generator waveform field to select the USB icon The left channel of the computer s USB audio output is now routed directly to the SP395 s main mono generator o...

Page 100: ...ation of the audio wave shape The Audio Scope auto triggers on repeating waveforms with a trigger level set to 1 256th of the selected scale The display is refreshed approximately every second The Aud...

Page 101: ...u L R Both inputs overlaid triggered on the left input Sum of left and right signals dBu 7 Scope Run Hold Click this field to turn the Audio Scope on and off Turning the scope off freezes the waveform...

Page 102: ...ntom power on off input gain auto ranging monitor section settings and the generator settings most function parameters including filter selections and modes Anytime you want to update the saved settin...

Page 103: ...enter into the SP395 Contact the Sencore sales department directly to purchase a firmware package Once a package is unlocked it will remain available on that Integrator When you receive the unlock co...

Page 104: ...his field indicates whether or not the SoundPro has been through the burn in process When a SoundPro is first powered up in manufacture it enters a burn in and self calibrate state Several constants a...

Page 105: ...ntil the value shown on the screen matches the calibrator output level 5 Exit function Exit the function to store the values into non volatile memory When you click on the to return to the menus the n...

Page 106: ...act information about your Audio Integrator It shows the serial number tech support phone number and web page address It displays the version number and date of the installed firmware The PC Interface...

Page 107: ...ility Transfer test results held in unit memory data to a PC Memory functions include the RTA SPL FFT Energy Time Graph Amplitude Sweep and Impedance Sweep tests Upgrader Software Download firmware re...

Page 108: ...as a version number example Version 1 32 4 11 05 To determine the firmware version select the Utilities in the main menu and PC Interface About in the submenu The SP395 firmware can be updated in the...

Page 109: ...tored in protected non volatile memory Barring physical damage or abuse it cannot be erased This means that even if a faulty program is somehow loaded into the SP395 the Monitor program will be safe a...

Page 110: ...rence level is set at 20 Pa pressure equal to the threshold of hearing at 1 kHz This places the upper threshold of pain near 135 dB SPL Unless otherwise noted SPL readings use this reference and omit...

Page 111: ...filters are added to the SPL measurement circuitry These filters or weighting networks as they are commonly called filter the measurements to correspond to the various sensitivities of our ears Three...

Page 112: ...ise levels at higher frequencies must be given more weight than levels at lower frequencies The result is a set of curves called Noise Criterion or NC curves The curves are arbitrarily numbered for ea...

Page 113: ...s no terminator line feed or CR for this data string The SP395 will immediately transmit 231 bytes of data for the requested memory number The data sent is as follows Xnnn repeat of requested memory n...

Page 114: ...ms etc Second extra field stores the octave band filter in effect no filter 0 static char pm ec14 31 1 static char pm ec15 63 2 static char pm ec16 125 3 static char pm ec17 250 4 static char pm ec18...

Page 115: ...one number of contact person description of problem and reason for return No return authorization is required 2 Completely enclose the unit inside a plastic bag to protect its finish and prevent forei...

Page 116: ...undPro Audio Integrator Form7492 Operation Manual 111 3200 Sencore Drive Sioux Falls SD 57107 Call 1 800 SENCORE 736 2673 Innovatively designed www sencore com with your time in mind Form7492 Printed...

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