ECM8000

[cowboydan]

Hello All.
I need to get my room straightend out. I had the program before and used a ECM8000 from behringer. How can I get this microphone cal file or be able to use this microphone in REW.
Thanks in advance.
Danny

 

[sm52]

It doesn't have a serial number, so the cal file missing. Can be used without cal file. Or measure the response with another calibrated microphone, then yours, then subtract one from the other. And save as a calibration file. Or buy a Sonarworks microphone, for example. There is a cal file for it.

 

[DanDan]

The Behringer HF response varies wildly from one mic to the next. So use it for LF measurement up to say 4K and don't trust the rest.

 

[Tgorle]

ECM 8000 Calibration file... this one has been floating around for a long time. You can use it "as-is", or rename it as a .cal or .mic depending on your use.

 

[sm52]

ECM 8000 Calibration file

You should not advise what can be harmful. The cowboydan microphone will most likely require a different correction than your microphone. So instead of fixing, he might end up with a curvature.

 

[Tgorle]

You should not advise what can be harmful. The cowboydan microphone will most likely require a different correction than your microphone. So instead of fixing, he might end up with a curvature.

This ECM calibration file has been around a long time because it came from the manufacturer. I use it myself because I'm not interested in spending more than the mic costs for a custom analysis that may only imperceptibly deviate somewhere within the 20-20K frequency spectrum. Perhaps you should load it into REW and view its curve for yourself before implying there could possibly be anything harmful involved. There are House Curve files and "standard slopes" recommended by various equipment manufacturers as well as audiophiles that all vary far more than this mic calibration file, imparting a far more dramatic impact on the frequency spectrum of any given set of measurements.

Here is the ECM 8000 mic calibration (dash) alongside my soundcard (dots) above.... The soundcard is an RME HDSPe MADI w/Micstasy converters (about $7000)
Now, considering the fact that if you employ a typical Room Curve (like the image below, which is very modest compared to the Harmon or Dirac), you'll be boosting at least a few dB below 200 and fading at least a -5dB ramp from about 1K to 20K... The accuracy of your mic positioning and measurement skills will have far more to do with your results than any mic calibration differences between various Behringer ECM 8000 mics. Enjoy.

 

[Focus Fidelity]

Hello All.
I need to get my room straightend out. I had the program before and used a ECM8000 from behringer. How can I get this microphone cal file or be able to use this microphone in REW.
Thanks in advance.
Danny

Hi, the ECM8000 doesn't have the best reputation for quality see here https://cross-spectrum.com/measurement/calibrated_behringer.html

I would suggest buying a new mic with known good calibration.

 

[John Mulcahy]

Microphone responses can be quite variable.

 

[sm52]

Tgorle
You are reasoning correctly. But you are missing something. The sound card calibration in the screenshot and your microphone correction file have nothing to do with the cowboydan microphone errors. It is clear that the magnitude of these errors is not too large to worry about it too much. But if, say, at 20361.5 Hz your microphone needs -4.01 dB and -18 degrees of phase correction, then the cowboydan microphone may need +2 dB and -5 degrees of phase at that frequency. The same is with the rest of the frequencies. So why need a correction file on your mic that will distort the cowboydan mic readings? If no one has made this file at the factory for a specific microphone, it is best not to use a file from another microphone. Microphones are never alike. Serious manufacturers calibrate each microphone; these microphones have a serial number. Each microphone has a separate correction file.