Digital Domain owner Bob Katz reports that Metric Halo’s SpectraFoosignal analysis and metering software has been an “indispensabletool” in his work as a recording and mastering engineer.
Pictured: Katz at his studio, Digital Domain.
“I’ve used SpectraFoo for acoustic analysis of my room to align mysubwoofers,” says Katz, whose studio is based in the Orlando,Fla. area. “SpectraFoo generates a pulsed pink noise signal and,using its transfer function, can correlate the signal with what comesout of the loudspeakers and produce a near-anechoic measurement. I canalign the subwoofers by the time delay or do a simple RTA analysis.
“I can use SpectraFoo to look at the noise floor of my masteringsystem, see the shape of the dither in real-time and make sure thedither generator is operating properly, and even get an indication ofthe distortion in the system. I’ve used it to measure jitter as well asdistortion.”
Interestingly, Metric Halo’s SpectraFoo incorporates a meteringsystem invented by Katz, called K-System metering. K-System meteringoffers a standard, integrated approach to monitoring, levelingpractices, metering and metadata in order to bring objectivity backinto the perception of loudness. Mixing and mastering processes arestandardized through the K-System by aligning monitor calibrations withmetering calibrations, and making subjective loudness reflect differentprogram material and listening environments.
Visit Katz’s www.digido.com Website for information and technicalarticles on mastering and digital audio. For more information onSpectraFoo, visit www.mhlabs.com.
