This is the instruction page for the KJA Consulting Pink Noise CD.

Instructions:

Step 1: LOWER THE VOLUME ON YOUR SYSTEM TO AVOID SUDDEN LOUD SOUNDS. The first tone on this CD is a 0dbfs 1khz tone. This is the loudest possible level a CD can produce. This level should be considered the upper ceiling (maximum) output your system can produced.

Step 2: Set your systems equalizer settings to zero and bypass the EQ ( if possible ). Turn off all 'tone' boosters such as 'loudness', 'presence', 'stereo enhancement' and any other tone affecting control your system may offer.

Step 3: Adjust MAX levels. (skip this step if your system cannot adjust inputs/output levels)

Play the 1k test tone 0dbfs (track 2) to adjust in input and output levels to devices ( if you can ). This tone *may* clip on some systems. If you have any VU meters in your system now is the time to set these to *just* below clipping or the red part of your system's metering ( not the SPL meter). This image shows the CD player's left and right channel through a mixing console. The left input is adjusted too hot as is the left output channel ( the RED clipping led's are lit ).

Step 4: Adjust -14dbfs ( 0db analog ) levels.

Play track 3. Your system's meters *should* display 0db. You may need to tweak just a bit due to system non-linearity. -14dbfs is the equivalent to 0db on an analog style meter. LED meters on outboard gear generally display in analog format like the mixer in this photo:

Step 5:  zeroing and balancing.

Enable the system's equalizer which should still be adjusted flat (zero). Play track 23 ( 1khz pink noise ). Adjust the room volume loud enough that it overcomes any ventilation, refrigerators, etc. but not so loud you have to shout. Turn on the Radio Shack SPL meter. Set as follows: Scale 80 / C weighting / slow response. Pan your stereo or home theater so the sound comes from only one speaker. In some home theater systems you can't separate rear left/right - that's ok - treat them as a single speaker.

For our example I'll assume you've panned your system to the LEFT FRONT SPEAKER. Place the SPL meter between the speakers, in the approximate location you'll be listening from, and point it directly at the LEFT FRONT SPEAKER. It's important that the meter be equidistant from the speakers for this portion of the test. The SPL meter will act as your 'ears' to help you obtain an accurate adjustment. With the 1khz pink noise (track 25) playing adjust the volume so the meter reads 0db as shown. You'll find that subtle changes will cause the meter's needle to change position. Try walking near the meter, in front of the meter, behind the meter, and other locations in the room including any open doors. You'll see that the sound pressure level changes according to room conditions. These changes are typically +/- 3 db so don't go crazy trying to get exact 0 - it's too elusive - but you will find a happy medium.

Repeat the process but this time play the pink noise from and point the spl meter to the RIGHT FRONT SPEAKER. DO NOT adjust the main volume. Since the EQ is flat and the SPL meter is in the primary listening location you'll now need to adjust the volume of the RIGHT FRONT SPEAKER in order to achieve zero db. In some cases you may not have a separate left/right volume control and may need to use the equalizer to do this. At this point if the right speaker 1khz pink noise is much louder/softer than the left speaker ( more than 8 db ) it's time to check the system for other problems like cabling or a defective amp/preamp. This could also be caused by not being centered or the speakers pointing in different directions.

Assuming the RIGHT FRONT SPEAKER shows a reading close to zero you can now adjust the 1 khz slider on your equalizer for the right side to produce a 0db reading on the SPL meter. In most cases this adjustment, if any, should be minor. If not see troubleshooting.

Step 6: Continuing with the other frequencies.

From this point on you will not adjust the main volume control - just the equalizer adjustments. Select tracks on the CD that correspond to your equalizer's sliders. Play each track and adjust the sliders until you read 0db for that frequency. IE: select track 29 to adjust your 4khz slider.

Repeat the process for both/all speakers one at a time. When complete your room will reproduce sounds more closely to the original recording and sound much smoother.

Special considerations / tips / tricks:

You'll want this printable tracklist handy along with this SPL Meter Readings Chart. Before making ANY adjustments it's a good idea to record the current readings using your SPL meter. This makes it easy to compare the before and after results.

It's a good idea to go back after your adjustment and just take readings as a sanity check as adjustments to one band may affect the others. This is common in equalizers with less bands to adjust. For instance adjusting the 4k slider can affect the 2k sound level and vice-versa.

The Radio Shack SPL meter is only accurate from 32hz to 10khz +/- 3db. Some tracks are provided on this CD that are out of the range of the Radio Shack SPL meter but may be useful for other types of meters or spectrum analyzers.

Frequencies below 100hz and above 8khz are often affected heavily by the room shape and size and, in many cases, not accurately reproduced by speakers, amps, and media players properly. If you find that you must boost a particular low or high band too far to achieve a zero db reading then back off and consider these areas unadjustable. If using a Radio Shack SPL meter the 'safe' zones begin a 62hz up to 8khz. Beyond that it's a good estimate to set the extreme settings of your EQ to that of the previous frequency ( ie: adjust the 8khz to +4 db - do the same for the 16khz slider OR slightly less. )

In the case of a parametric equalizer you may wish to play all the tracks and write down the results and then make adjustments corresponding with your results.

Many consumer speakers exhibit large frequency deficit  and surpluses. It's not uncommon to have to adjust the 2k-4k range down as far as -10db or more. Also it's a very trendy practice to boost the low end in some speaker designs.

1/3 Octave Pink Noise CD TRACKLIST Test tracks are 2 minutes in length. Each track has a spoken cue indication the track content for ease of use. 1: Spoken Introduction 2: 1khz test tone 0dbfs 3: 1khz test tone -14dbfs 4: Full Spectrum Pink Noise 5: Narrative Comments 6: 20 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 7: 25 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 8: 32 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 9: 40 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 10: 50 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 11: 62 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 12: 80 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 13: 100 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 14: 125 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 15: 160 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 16: 200 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 17: 250 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 18: 315 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 19: 400 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 20: 500 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 21: 630 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 22: 800 hz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 23: 1 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 24: 1.3 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 25: 1.6 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 26: 2 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 27: 2.5 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 28: 3.2 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 29: 4 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 30: 5 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 31: 6.4 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 32: 8 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 33: 10 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 34: 13 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise 35: 16 khz 3rd Octave Pink Noise