CATT
links:
[www.catt.se] [
]
Surround links:
| Topic | Links |
| Companies: | [Lake Technology] |
| Magazines | [Surround Professional Magazine] |
| File formats | [Microsoft Extended WAV format] |
| Ambisonic | [ambisonic.net] [Ambisonic FAQ] [Surround Sound FAQ] |
| Resources | [Surround
Sound Terminology]
[AC-3 (ATSC) Standard] [DVD demystified FAQ] |
| DTS | [DTS online] [DTS Software decoder to CD] |
| Film sound | [Film Sound Design (FAQ, links)] |
Surround-related
events:
[ www.catt.se/suite_music
] An FIReverb mp3 audio demonstration (outdated by now but
illustrates principles)
The page contains, or will contain:
| Abbreviations used | Meaning |
| the Suite | The FIReverb Suite (as a whole) |
| PV | PureVerb |
| MV | MultiVolver (Classic, VST and WCP) |
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| The FIReverb Suite.EXE | 6th Ed., full installation 16-DEC-2019 Self-extracting installation, |
Due to changes for Windows Vista and up, first uninstall your current Installation (save any created files in PV_HALLS, PV_MICS and MV_SPKRS and put them back in the corresponding 6th edition foldes. Note: requires a license to run in non-demo mode, see FAQ. |
| I have a stand-alone FIReverb license, and have upgraded the Suite, but now it runs only in demo mode. Why? | |
|
Answer:
|
1) You have installed a version of the Suite that has
a release date later than your expiry date for free updates, see
Help|About in either PV or MV or 2) You have not placed the FIReverb.DAT license-file in the folder where the Suite was installed. Note: from 4th Edition this file must be placed in the CATTDATA folder. |
|
Solution:
|
1) Renew your license for
another 12 months of free updates. or 2) Move the license file to the Suite folder. |
| I have a CATT-Acoustic prediction license and have installed the Suite in my current CATT folder but it runs only in demo mode. Why? | |
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Answer:
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The Suite requires a full auralization or a stand-alone license. |
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Solution:
|
To use the Suite with a prediction license requires either purchase of the stand-alone FIReverb license or an upgrade of your CATT-Acoustic license to the full version. |
| I have a full CATT-Acoustic license but it runs only in demo mode. Why? | |
|
Answer:
|
1) The Suite runs under a full auralization
license but you have installed a version of the Suite that has
a release-date later than the expiry date for your free updates. An installed
version of the Suite will not stop running after the expiry
date is passed but any installed later versions will run only in demo
mode. or 2) You have not installed the Suite was to your CATT folder. |
|
Solution:
|
1) Renew your CATT-Acoustic license (6 or 12
months upgrades available) or 2) Uninstall the Suite and install it to the CATT folder. |
| Why doesn't the Suite support any 24-or 32-bit file formats and 88.2 and 96 kHz sample rates but only 16-bit 44.1/48 kHz WAVs? | |
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Answer:
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2nd edition and above does. |
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Solution:
|
The 2nd edition of the Suite has support for 24 and 32-bit WAV-files using 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz samplerates. If you need other formats (a 24-bit, 32-bit or floating point format that has some spread) feel free to forward the required info to for future inclusion in the Suite. MV is with the 2nd edition rewritten using a plug-in like architecture to have a completelly general convolver that does not need to know (much) about the in and output formats as long as there are format-handling modules that know the formats. |
| I have read that MV can do Ambisonic decode for up to 8 speakers but I can't find any information on how to actually do it. | |
|
Answer:
|
2nd and above edition can do it. The help-file contains a
special Ambisonic tutorial. |
| How can I listen to my 5-channel reverb once created by MV as WAV-files? | |
|
Answer:
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Some ways are:
**) Note that not all DVD-players can play a CD-R but it is also not necessary since a normal CD player can be used. |
| Why does a PV response seem to contain more high frequencies than a measured one? | |
|
Answer:
|
All measured real room responses have to use a loudspeaker of some kind. All loudspeakers have a Directivity Index (DI) that increases with frequency (say from 0 to 15 dB for 125 Hz to 16 kHz but each loudspeaker is unique). If a PV response is created with omni direcitivity (DI = 0) it will contain more high frequencies. This is not an error, it is just that no one has ever heard a reponse measured with a true omni loudspeaker. |
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Solution:
|
Use a DI at least as the Singer preset. However, in some cases the high frequency content from an omni source may actually be desired! Note that with "real" room responses it is actually the loudspeaker + the room that is measured and not just the room. The 2nd edition has more info and reminders about the DI in the help-file and in the Tutorial including some explaining figures. |
| Why can't the MV WAV-player play 24- and 32-bit files? | |
|
Answer:
|
The WAV-plyer uses Windows the MCI (Multimedia Control
Interface) layer and it does typically not support > 16-bit WAV and
> 2 channles unless they
are in WAVE-EX format. 4th edition optionally creates te WAVE-EX format. |
|
Solution:
|
Use WAVE-EX or play 24-and 32-bit files from a WAV-file editor. WAV-file editors use a lower level audio control and are not affected by MCI limitations. |
Create your
own Speaker Rig Layouts in MATLAB
For those that may want to create their own decoding matrices
for the Ambisonic decoder in MV (but
that don't want to add all values by hand...) a utility
is available that can write a Speaker Rig Layout
(.SRL) file directly from a MATLAB script (should
work with >= v4 of MATLAB). An SRL-file contains
all speaker coordinates, the decoding matrix and some other
minor info like a layout name. This is the
function description (as given by help saveSRL in MATLAB):
function saveSRL(file, name, desc, nspk, pos, mtrx)
file : filename including path and .SRL
name : name of layout (e.g. 'surroundx')
desc : description (e.g. 'my favorite decode')
nspk : how many speakers actually used (<=
8)
pos : speaker coordinates (always 8x3
even if nspk < 8)
mtrx : decoding matrix (always 8x4 even if nspk
< 8)
---
version 1.0a, 06-Aug-2001
Copyright (c) CATT 2001
Things to note are
that the pos and mtrx matrices always must have
the max number of speakers
even if just e.g. 4 are used and that only 2D layouts can
be saved. Here is the short m-file for download:
saveSRL.m (use right button and
Save As, direct click may just display it).
Do not e-mail
any large SIM- or WAV- or PLT-files until after consulting with CATT.
In most cases a problem has to be repeated to be solved
and that can often be done
from the PVB/VLV. If large files have to be sent always
ZIP them before sending.