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Solving common calibration issues

Not getting the results you were hoping for? These tips help you get the most out of your calibration.

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1 Inaccurate calibration

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If something feels off about the response, it’s possible that something went wrong during calibration. In that case, it’s best to redo the process. Common causes of calibration issues include:

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  • Calibration level too low.*
    If you barely felt vibrations during the calibration, it is likely that your calibration level was too low. This results in bad signal to noise ratio, and some large shakers might even stop moving at higher frequencies.

  • Calibration level too high.*
    Calibrating at an excessively high level can cause the lowest frequencies to be overemphasized in the measurement. This leads to excessive attenuation during correction and results in weak low-frequency reproduction. If you're using a shaker mounting plate under a seat leg, the shaker may start jumping during calibration, which can further distort the response at low frequencies.

  • Poor coupling of the sensor to the system.
    How you sit on the sensor significantly affects the signal it picks up—especially above 50 Hz. Try to transfer your weight through your ischial bones directly onto the sensor for best results.

  • Sensor placement:
    If your frequency response graph shows sharp notches that aren’t noticeable when using the sine generator, the measurement positions likely weren’t varied enough. Try adjusting the positions slightly and redo the calibration to smooth out the response.

 

*) There is no fixed calibration volume because shaker systems often have non-linear frequency responses that vary with playback volume. The amount of energy picked up by the sensor, especially in the shaker’s lowest and highest frequency ranges, is influenced by playback volume. For optimal results, you may need to experiment with different calibration levels. The figure below shows volume-matched frequency responses of a commonly used large shaker. The shaker was operated freely (no load attached) at five different volume levels, each spaced 3 dB apart.

Effect of input levels.png

New calibrations can be done by reattaching the sensor plug to ShakEQ and running the calibration again. Old measurements are overwritten when the calibration routine finishes.​

2 Adjust Auto EQ strength

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If redoing the calibration doesn’t help, you can try increasing or decreasing the effect of the filters assigned by the Automatic EQ:​

  • Press and hold CANCEL until you see "MENU" displayed on the screen.

  • Navigate the menu using WET/DRY until you see "CORR" (Correction). Press SAVE/OK to select it.

  • "CORR" lets you adjust the amount of equalization that was determined during the calibration. The values range from 150% to 0% in steps of 25%.

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3 Manual EQ

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Up to three manually assignable filters can be applied on top of the Auto EQ. Manual EQ is accessible through the Sine Generator feature.

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  • Press and hold CANCEL until you see "MENU" displayed on the screen.

  • Navigate the menu using WET/DRY until you see "GEN" (Sine Generator). Press SAVE to select.

  • Buttons 1,2 and 3 allow you to jump between user assigned frequencies in the Sine Generator. These slots can also be used to define user assigned filters.

  • Press and hold 1,2 or 3. This will open an EQ dialog with the corresponding number. Now you can create a custom filter.

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  • In EQ mode you have five controls:

    • GAIN adjusts how much the filter boosts or cuts in decibels. Note: to disable a filter, set its gain to zero.

    • LOW CUT adjusts the width of the band filter in Hz from it’s central frequency. For example a filter at 50 Hz with a width of 10 Hz has an effect roughly between 40 Hz to 60 Hz (+/- 10 Hz from the central frequency).

    • WET/DRY changes the filter’s frequency.
    • CANCEL can be used to undo any changes in the EQ mode. Another press will return you to Sine Generator mode.

    • SAVE stores the filter settings and returns you back to Sine Generator mode.

Once you’ve adjusted the EQ, use the Sine Generator to re-scan the frequency response and evaluate your results

4 Use ShakEQ Without Calibration

 

If you prefer, you can use ShakEQ without the Auto EQ and rely solely on the Manual EQ, or use no EQ at all.

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To disable Automatic EQ, you have two options:​

   1. Set CORR to 0%:

  • Disable correction via the menu by following the steps described earlier in this chapter (see: 2 Adjust Auto EQ strength).

   2. Reset the device and skip calibration:

  • Press and hold BYPASS until the screen displays “RST?”.

  • Press SAVE to confirm the reset, or CANCEL to abort.

Note: Resetting will also erase all saved profiles and Manual EQ settings.

5 Contact support  

 

If you're still experiencing issues after trying the suggested methods, feel free to contact our support team. We'll do our best to help you resolve the problem.

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