Sound System Tuning Gear Buyer’s Guide 2023 | Best Value For Money Setups

►► Get my audio math survival spreadsheet found in my audio toolkit:

Needing to put together a tuning rig? Start here.

You want to buy quality gear without paying too much. Getting quality measurement data is everything, but there’s a point where you run into diminishing returns. I want you to get an incredible amount of value for your money but not pay a penny more than you have to get amazing results.

Today I show you field tested gear I personally use as well as some variations on these products depending on your specific budget and IO needs.

We’ll cover:

- Should you spring for the $1,200 Earthworks mic or will the $50 Behringer work?
- How fancy of an audio interface do you need?
- What version of SMAART should you start with?

00:00 - Intro
00:57 - Audio Interfaces
04:41 - Measurement Mics
07:39 - Cabling
08:37 - SPL Calibrator
10:22 - Disto
12:17 - SMAART Software Edition Selection
16:00 - Three Setups to buy - Beginner, Freelancer, Fly Rack

[Drinkieee]

Absolutely loving each one of your video Michael, Learned so much and barely even got to go in depth within your playlists, Thank you for your effort and dedication to upload those kinds of videos

[marcokleiner]

love your videos! thanks so much for putting your know-how out there. I've been a tech for more than 10 years now, and finally im learning how to properly tune a sound system. thanks a million for your work♥

[LucasWasson]

My evo 8 and rta 420 just arrived from Rational last week. glad to see i bought the right stuff.

[RBAudios]

I bought Mackie Onyx Producer 2.2 and Behringer ECM8000 Mic and that's my first invest to start learning

[johnschalk]

Great info on the Evo 8 phantom power limit with a USB-A to C cable. The RTA 420 has a low max SPL limit, I would not recommend it, and it's sold out at Rational. I use Behringer's ECM-8000. I like your laser measuring "tape." The cheap unit I bought at the local home store works, but it's a PITA to use. I decided on Smaart LE to save money. Smaart LE allows for unlimited measurement mics and engines, so it's a lot better than the old DI version. If I need to measure RT-60 times (impulse mode) I will use Room Eq Wizard (REW). By the way, I'm using my X32 Rack as my USB I/O device for multiple microphone setups, but it's clunky so I want to get an Evo 8. But now I need a new measurement computer with USB-C. The equipment journey never ends!

[marcokleiner]

for laser range finders I had good experiences with the products from Bosch (blue line), just as an alternative to the Leica, wich are kind of the Ferrari amongst laser rangefinders... I have been using my Bosch GLM80 (+/-200$) for 6Y+ works up to 80 meters, can measure inclines and has never let me down. For folks working outdoors a lot make sure you get one with a built in aiming camera, as I have often struggled to put the red dot on a black cabinet in the bright sun.

[k.s.]

Could you do a video about wireless measurement? Which transmitters / recievers can be used? ☺️

[jthunderbass]

I like my Evo8, but if I was doing the rackmount flyrig, I would actually do the Octapro for it.
The big Evo does look cool though.

[rddye]

How do you utilize Mics 3-4 during tuning? Where do you locate them and how do you balance their inputs?

[tobin_nathan]

Do you no longer recommend Open Sound Meter for basic measurement? I know Smaart is “worth it” as in you get a lot for a fair price, but for a side-hustle is OSM packed enough?

I’d love to see a side by side measurement video with the Dayton/iSemcon/Audix to see how much difference were really talking about. Again from the perspective of a guy with a side hustle. Ha.
Thanks for the vids!

[KGTv]

I’ve been binge watching your videos and find them very informative. Just like you did in this video, could you do a best PA setup for beginners. Or on a budget? I think it would be very helpful. I am doing the live sound at my towns summer festival. I was looking at what all gear I might need compared to my experience last year, but everything is quite pricey. It’s just hard to justify the hefty price tags if I’m only running sound a few times a year.

I went on Facebook marketplace and found a Harbinger setup for a great price. $1k for 2 12s, 2 15s, an 18inch sub, stands, cables and a Yamaha 16 channel analog mixer.

There was a lot I learned from last year, but one thing some of the band “managers” have been asking is what gear I have. I mentioned the speakers I had and his comment was, “oh, so you only have one sub”. To me, the sub seemed like it was enough for that venue. It’s outdoor with a truck bed that opens on the side. Probably 10-15ft deep and 30’ or so wide. The whole venue is maybe 200-300 people in that listening area at a given time. Maybe a 100x100ft parking lot. I was looking into adding another sub, but don’t want to buy into lower quality stuff, but also don’t want to pay upwards of $2k for a sub either. If I did it more frequently, I would be more open to spending that kind of money, but it’s hard to justify anything in the higher price ranges.

Sorry for the long rant, but I just thought it would be interesting to see what you would recommend for someone who is new/don’t do this often. Thanks in advance!

[MonsterBeatschennai]

How to setup with Evo 8 with 3 RTA mic any Guide send me link or doc

[hrmny_]

Is there any downside to using the virtual loopback?
Delay shouldn't really matter as long as you don't switch between the virtual and physical loopback so it's the same all the time?
The only downside I can think of would be that the audio interface's dac & adc response get added to the signal if you use the virtual loopback, but I think you can add a calibration for that?

[omegaudio]

Could you use a Behringer X-AIR 18 for an audio interface?

[nathanmalificiado]

Sir Michael i have a question when tuning a system should there be a flat response anywhere in the room?

[isaacsitiakalaabwenje]

I didn't get to understand the training video On the smaart software edition selection... could you please redo that part only

[curly_]

i know its unpopular to say it, but Smaart is to f... expensive

[SalvadorEguiarteDG]

Excellent info!!

What about the Behringer measurement mics? Are they worth it?

[-Sound]

Would you kindly do a video showing how to get the EVO8 loopback to work? I've had it since Rational started selling it and the loop feature basically doubles or triples the signal from the generator making for some very strange noises. I've not tried it yet on V9 SMAART.

[MonsterBeatschennai]

Loop back cable brand ? or link send me