Signal / Tone Generator in DP 8?

[Shooshie]

Hahahhaa, I'm not really here to bash DP, I was just wonder "where" it was. I was thinking a "slate" plug would be a common thing someplace.

Can you name the White and Pink noise generators you use?


- ALLEN

To start with, every Mac user has a white noise generator in AudioMIDI Setup.

The others I'll name Crescent, Socket, Monkey, and Torque. You should be familiar with them.

Shooshie

[cuttime]

There is also a noise generator in MW EQ.

[billf]

Try the Calibration plugin, under the MOTU menu when selecting a plugin.

[ramadev]

I have 1kHz, 10kHz and 100Hz sine wave test tones on my desktop from an old audio test CD. I simply copied the aiff files from the disc into a folder, and if I ever need them I drag them into the project I'm working on. I also created a project with them called "Tones."

[darrell]

Tone plug is pretty cool... http://www.tangible-technology.com/gtc/TonePlug.html

As you may know, it is a Cannon-type tone generator (noise plug generates pink noise, duh) that plugs into your D/A interface, mixer, etc (but only one channel at a time.

[ghobish]

All the various noise generators, synths, white noise stuff etc. might be OK for incidental stuff but sometimes there is no substitute for actual calibrated test tones like you might see from a dedicated audio generator on a real world test bench. I've been using Katsura's "Audio Test" for years to generate such tones (sine, square, white, pink, brown, mono, stereo, steady-state, sweeps) either as real time audio or to generate soundfiles for use in DAW hosts.

For 5 bucks at the App Store, it's a tool anyone who calls themselves an "engineer" really should have.

http://www.katsurashareware.com/pgs/audiotest.html

[mikehalloran]

Thanks for the link!

I was hoping someone would remember this. I tried it long ago and liked it but couldn't remember the name. Pretty much does what most would want it to do.

For $4.99? Pulled the trigger.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Cool! Thanks Gary!

[waitsongs]

+1 Thanks Gary, what a great tool! I've been using some homemade straight test tones for years, but recently needed sweeps and pink noise, so this will fit that bill perfectly.

[Shooshie]

That's a VERY good tone generator. Better than any I've used. I had a decent one back in OS9, but I don't remember what it was. Not nearly this well-done, though. Those that I've happened upon since then have had far fewer variables than this.

I like that you can change the sample rate and resolution without changing that of the audio interface, and I'm wondering if you can learn anything by switching them to odd ratios, to see what kind of reinforcement/cancellation it may produce. I've tried some, but I can't tell yet whether it's actually maintaining that ratio.

Also nice is the fade-in/fade-out to avoid the annoying pop so common with these kinds of tone generators. When you're at the limit of your hearing, a pop can completely mask the difference between the tone and silence. Since I have pretty bad tinnitus, the only way I can tell the difference at the cusp of my hearing range is to hear the tone sneak in and sneak out.

They pretty much thought of everything. I think I'd have made the pitch slider fundamentally different from the volume fader. Once, I moved the volume fader up, thinking I had the pitch. If I'd raised it by more than a tiny bit, it could have blown my headphones, not to mention my ears. It's easy to tell them apart, but when you're going back and forth constantly you just might space out and grab the wrong one, as I did.

Very useful! Extensively conceived!

Shooshie

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I have pretty bad tinnitus as well. It's funny I don't notice it unless someone mentions the word. Also funny how it seems to have little if any impact on hearing sensitivity. Ok, back to Gary's cool thing. Beeeeeeeeep!

[mikehalloran]

I have pretty bad tinnitus as well. It's funny I don't notice it unless someone mentions the word. Also funny how it seems to have little if any impact on hearing sensitivity. Ok, back to Gary's cool thing. Beeeeeeeeep!

Yes, I'm a survivor of too many loud club gigs and tinnitus is a constant companion. Mine is made worse by the pharmaceuticals my doctors believe are prolonging my life. I can hear "through" it –– my doctors don't understand this.

The first thing I did after purchase yesterday was to re-check my top end. 13kHz, no problem. 15k, I know when it's there or not though I can't say I really hear it anymore. 17k... uh... is this thing working? I see the meters move...

Same results through my Equator D5s as my Sony 'phones. I did find it time to retire one of my headphone sets. Dad also needs a new subwoofer and now I have proof!

[philbrown]

Thanks for the info in this thread.
I was wondering what specific uses a tone generator might have and
Subwoofer calibration.
I can better adjust the crossover point and subwoofer level of my monitors.
That 100-200 range is always tricky for me.

Besides checking your hearing, specifically what else do you guys use these for?

[James Steele]

Doesn't AudioEase have something called "Make A Test Tone"? It's not an actual signal generator, but I think it allows you to create an audio file test tone? One could make that file into a clipping and have it ready in any project. Not necessarily ideal, but it might work?

[mikehalloran]

Thanks for the info in this thread.
I was wondering what specific uses a tone generator might have and
Subwoofer calibration.
I can better adjust the crossover point and subwoofer level of my monitors.
That 100-200 range is always tricky for me.

Besides checking your hearing, specifically what else do you guys use these for?

This article is a good place to start. It also has a links to downloadable test tones (not necessary with a good tone generator app).

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=95710

Those of us who go back to analog have other uses for a good tone generator app. I still have my old battery powered Teac for testing preamps, mixers and analog tape machines. I do some restoration and find them useful for calibrating Dolby B and dbx decoders.