M E R I D I A N C O N F I G U R A T I O N P R O G R A M G U I D E
Meridian Configuration Program Guide
ii Preface Copyright and acknowledgements Sales and service in the UK Sales and service in the USA Meridian Audio Ltd Meridian America Inc Latham Road 8055 Troon Circle Huntingdon Suite C Cambridgeshire Austell PE29 6YE GA30168-7849 England USA Tel +44 (0)1480 445678 Tel +1 (404) 344 7111 Fax +44 (0)1480 445686 Fax +1 (404) 346 7111 World Wide Web – http://www.meridian-audio.com/ This guide was produced by Human-Computer Interface Ltd, http://www.interface.co.
iii Contents Contents Getting started 1 Room Correction Explains how to install the Meridian Configuration Program, Explains how to run the Meridian Room Correction program and gives a general overview of its key features. and create profiles for use with a digital surround controller.
iv Contents
1 Getting started Getting started This chapter explains how to install the Meridian Configuration Program, and gives a general overview of its key features. Overview single configuration file representing the settings of each product in The Meridian Configuration Program is a Windows application that in the controller of the system for future reference.
2 Getting started Benefits of using the Meridian Configuration Program Meridian Control Window Configuring your system with the Meridian Configuration Program Control Window utility, a separate PC application that allows you offers several important benefits.
3 Getting started The Products page The following illustration shows the key features of the Products page, which lets you specify how your system is interconnected: Toolbar Breadcrumb Trail Information Bar Tabs to add new products Resource Bar Sources Speakers Controller
4 Getting started Installing the Meridian Configuration Program Requirements To use the Meridian Configuration Program you need: • A computer running Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT 4, ME, or XP. • 10Mbytes of free disk space. The Meridian Configuration Program communicates with the products you are setting up via a serial cable. The computer you are using needs to have a nine-pin serial port available, or you can use a USB/serial adaptor.
5 Quick tour Quick tour This section gives complete step-by-step instructions for creating a complete configuration for a typical simple system. Even if this does not correspond to your own system we recommend you follow the tutorial to give you a quick tour of the Meridian Configuration Program. At each stage the Quick tour shows information in grey tinted boxes about the more advanced features of the program, and the additional options for configuring 800 Series products.
6 Quick tour Starting a configuration To start creating a configuration from the Welcome page: • Click the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail: The Products page will then be displayed. This allows you to define the products in your system and indicate how they are connected together. Getting help For more detailed information about the Meridian Configuration Program see the on-line help. To display the help: • On the Help menu, click Configuration Program Help.
7 Products: Adding a controller Quick tour The controller is defined as the product that selects sources and The Products page will then show a block representing the controls the volume for the system; it is the digital surround G68ADV Digital Surround Controller: controller, preamplifier, or combination product. In this example it is a G68 Digital Surround Controller. • Click the insert a controller link in the Information Bar.
8 Quick tour Advanced tips Adding products by dragging them from the Resource Bar The most flexible way of adding products is to drag an appropriate icon from the Resource Bar (to the left of the Products page) onto the Products page: For example, to delete a product: • Right-click the product, then click Delete on the context menu. Note: If you delete the controller you will need to restart the configuration from scratch.
9 Quick tour Changing the value of a property • Click the value of the property. • Choose an option from the drop-down list: Configuring 800 Series products Adding an 800 Series controller If you are adding an 800 Series controller a dialogue box will allow you to specify one of the product’s standard card configurations.
10 Quick tour The following dialogue box allows you to specify the card type and, Initially this shows a graphic of the card positions: when appropriate, the position of the jumper identifying the card: Removing a card • Right-click one of the outputs on the card, then click Remove Card on the context menu. Displaying the properties of a card To show a list of the cards: • Right-click one of the outputs on the card, then click the Properties item on the context menu.
11 Products: Inserting a source Quick tour The next step is to add the sources in your system. For this Quick The Meridian Configuration Program will use a set of connections tour we will assume a satellite receiver is required. which match the back panel screening of the controller to make wiring up straightforward • Click the insert a source link in the Information Bar. • Click the Finish button to make the recommended connections.
12 Quick tour Advanced tips Showing a list of the recommended connections • Click the Details… button in the Connection Wizard dialogue box.
13 Quick tour • Choose the MSR+ key from the MSR+ key drop-down list: • Drag between the output on the source and the input on the controller that you want to connect: When you release the mouse button the cable will be connected: Showing and hiding connections You can choose whether or not source connections are displayed If the connectors are incompatible a stop cursor will be displayed: by clicking the View or Hide Source Connections button in the toolbar: Displaying information about the style o
14 Quick tour Making a multichannel connection Adding or removing inputs or outputs If you are connecting a product with multichannel outputs, such With non-Meridian sources you can add new inputs or outputs, as a G98DH DVD Player, to a digital surround controller with or remove inputs or outputs, to reflect the connectors provided by multichannel inputs, the Meridian Configuration Program can your source.
15 Products: Adding speakers The next step is to add the speakers in your system. Quick tour • Click the insert a speaker link again and select DSP5500HC from the Type drop-down list to add a centre speaker: • Click the insert a speaker link in the Information Bar. The Insert Speaker dialogue box allows you to select which type of speaker you want to add, and the positions in which to add it. • Select DSP8000 from the Type drop-down list.
16 Quick tour • Click the Yes button. Finally insert a subwoofer into the layout: • Click G57 on the Amplifier type drop-down list, and click the OK button to add the amplifier: • Click the insert a speaker link in the Information Bar and select Subwoofer from the Type drop-down list: The G57 will automatically be connected up to the appropriate analogue output on the digital surround controller: You can proceed to add any other speakers in your layout in a similar way.
17 Quick tour Advanced tips Adding a speaker by dragging it from the Resource Bar The Speaker connections and Controller connections pages will appear in the Breadcrumb Trail after the Soft keys page: • Drag an icon from the Speakers tab of the Resource Bar (to the left of the Products page): Displaying or changing the speaker properties • Drop it onto the appropriate speaker position.
18 Quick tour Soft keys The Soft keys page allows you to customise the soft keys for each of the G Series products in the system, starting with the controller. In this example the only applicable product is the G68ADV. An initial recommended layout is provided for each product; for example, for a G68 this provides soft keys for each of the sources in the system, plus a DSP key in the rightmost position. • Click the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail to proceed to the next page.
19 Quick tour Advanced tips Changing the soft key layout • Drag a soft key, or pair of keys, from the left-hand pane onto the Renaming a source • Right-click a soft key corresponding to a source, then click Rename Source… on the context menu: set of soft keys you want to edit: All occurrences of the source in the soft key sets will be changed.
20 Quick tour Bass management The Bass management page specifies how bass is handled in the system for each of the three speaker layouts. The settings are • Click the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail to proceed to the next page. automatically set to recommended values and can be ignored for a simple configuration. Advanced tips Meridian digital surround controllers allow you to define three different speaker layouts for use with different types of material: Music, Logic, and 5.1 Movie.
21 Quick tour If there is one subwoofer in the layout, and you have specified the The LFE low pass filter option sets the low-pass filter for the LFE front speakers as Small, the subwoofer will be used for the bass channel, for the Music and 5.1 Movie speaker layouts. and LFE. If the front speakers are Large and the centre speaker is Small, the Front subwoofer option allows you to choose from • Click the Reset button to reset the crossover and low-pass filter to recommended values in all layouts.
22 Quick tour Speaker distances The Speaker distances page gathers information about the relative positions of the full-range speakers in your system, and the distance of each speaker from the listening position. First choose the units you would like to work in. • On the View menu, click Metric or Imperial. • Measure the distance to each speaker in the specified units. • Drag the speakers until they are in the correct positions, with the correct distance shown on each speaker icon.
23 Speaker calibration Quick tour The Speaker calibration page allows you to calibrate the The Meridian Configuration Program stores the settings you speakers attached to your controller while listening to the product.
24 Quick tour Advanced tips Specifying the serial port • Click the Options… button on the Pre-calibration store page to display the Comms Port tab on the Options dialogue box: • Select the port you want to use from the drop-down list and click the OK button. A warning triangle will be displayed against the port number if it is already in use by another program.
25 Room correction The Room correction page runs the Meridian Room Correction procedure. This is optional and you can skip this stage by clicking the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail: For information about running the Room Correction procedure see the chapter Room Correction, page 31. • Click the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail to proceed to the next page.
26 Quick tour DSP presets The DSP presets page shows a list of the DSP presets available to For a simple configuration you can skip this page. the digital surround controller, and allows you to edit the properties of each preset. You can also edit the preset mappings, to change the default DSP preset selected for each source and each audio • Click the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail to proceed to the next page. format.
27 Quick tour Changing the preset mapping The Preset Mapping pane shows the default DSP preset selected for each source and each audio format.
28 Quick tour Tuner presets For each product in your system that includes a radio tuner, a Tuner presets page allows you to define the legend displayed on the front panel display for each tuner preset, and the waveband, frequency, and audio mode it selects: • Click the checkbox in the Number column to enable the corresponding tuner preset, and edit the Legend, Frequency, and Audio Mode as required.
29 Store settings This page stores the settings to the controller: • Connect the serial cable. For more information see To connect the serial cable, page 23. • Click the Start button to store the settings. When the store has completed: • Click the Next link in the Breadcrumb Trail.
30 Quick tour Finish The Finish page confirms that you have successfully completed the configuration of your system. Save a copy of your configuration Although a copy of the configuration document is saved in the controller for your system, it is recommended that you also save a copy of the final configuration document on your PC, with an appropriate name, so that you can refer to it again at a later date, if necessary.
31 Room correction Room Correction The G68 and 861 digital surround controllers incorporate room correction, which takes advantage of advanced digital signal processing techniques to compensate for room artefacts, including resonances and reflections, to give a significant improvement in the sound. This chapter explains how to use Meridian Room Correction to create profiles for use with the digital surround controller.
32 Room correction a test signal is presented to each loudspeaker and measured at the Unless your listening room has been specially designed for acoustic microphone to determine how the room response affects the sound performance, you will almost certainly hear distinct benefits after from each speaker. This stage of the procedure takes about one incorporating room correction into your digital surround controller, minute per speaker, and can be left to run unattended.
33 Room Auto Build correction This section explains how to create a basic room correction using To set up the room correction options default settings. The first step is to specify options for the room correction procedure. The room should be as you would normally use it for listening. Close/open doors, close/open curtains, and position your screen and furniture as they would normally be for listening.
34 Room correction • If you are using a G68 Digital Surround Controller connect the SPL meter or microphone to the analogue input A8 (L). The Room correction page shows information about each test and a progress bar indicates the percentage completed: • If you are using an 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller connect the SPL meter or microphone to the analogue input you specified in the Options dialogue box.
35 Room correction Each preset will be assigned the profile designed for the layout used with the preset. The wizard creates profiles called Mus, Log, and Mov for the Music, Logic, and 5.1 Movie speaker layouts respectively. If two or more layouts share the same settings, the profile name will include all the layouts it applies to; for example, MusLog or MusLogMov. What next? You have now completed the Auto Build procedure, which creates a recommended set of room correction profiles.
36 Room correction Viewing and repeating measurements The Measurements tab shows a list of the measurement sets you have created. Each measurement set shows the channels measured for each of the speaker layouts set up in the digital surround controller configuration: You can also create additional measurement sets; for example to cater for different furniture layouts. For each measurement you can view the effect of applying different profiles. • Select the profile from the Profile drop-down list.
37 Room correction You can then set different Profile settings for each plot: Shows the response of the room to a series of short sine wave pulses of frequencies between 0 and 250Hz. It shows how the response decays over time at each of those frequencies. The ideal waterfall plot would have a smooth profile and decay evenly to a low level within 0.5 to 0.8 seconds. Peaks or dips in the waterfall plot indicate resonances or absorption at the corresponding frequency.
38 Room correction Low frequency response In the Waterfall Plot the values displayed correspond to Time = 0. To change the axes • Click the Axes… button to display the axis parameters. The Data Range section on each tab shows the range of the data measured by the Room Correction procedure.
39 Room correction The following dialogue box allows you to select which channels To create multiple measurements you want to repeat: You can create additional measurement sets to take account of different configurations of the room, such as with curtains open or closed. • Right-click the Measurements tab, then click New on the context menu.
40 Room correction Viewing profiles The Profiles tab shows a list of the profiles that have been • Click the OK button to continue.
41 Room Editing filters correction After building the filters for a profile you can edit the filters The columns give the Centre Frequency (Hz), Gain (dB), Filter numerically or graphically to adjust their parameters, or change the Bandwidth (Hz), Room Mode Bandwidth (Hz), Equalized Bandwidth response of each filter. (Hz), RT60 (s), Target RT60 (s), and Channel: Note: This should only be attempted by users with an understanding of filter design.
42 Room correction To view the filters graphically The currently selected filter is displayed with a red vertical bar • Select Graphical: at the filter centre frequency, and a rectangle indicating the bandwidth and gain of the filter. You can edit each parameter of the filter interactively as described in the following sections.
43 Room correction Bandwidth • Drag one of the sides of the filter, or press c< or c>: To add a filter • Click the Add button on the Numeric or Graphical tab: • Edit the parameters of the filter as described above. To delete a filter • Select the filter you want to delete in the Filters list, or on the Graphical tab.
44 Room correction Changing settings at a later date This section describes how to change the room correction or To change other settings if you have the original MSL file configuration settings of the digital surround controller at a later • Run the Meridian Configuration Program and open the original date, subsequent to storing the original version. Note: You can only edit or add to existing profiles if you have the MSL file.
45 Room correction measurements and profiles and store these to the digital surround controller, the old profiles will be overwritten. • Change the settings as required and store the new settings to the digital surround controller. For more information about changing configuration settings using the Meridian Configuration Program refer to the Installation Guide for your product.
46 Room correction Troubleshooting This section gives suggested solutions to typical problems that may occur when using Meridian Room Correction. If problems • Check that the SPL meter is switched on and set to the 90dB band, or the band which includes 90dB, and with C weighting. still persist after working through the following steps please send an email to support@meridian.co.uk with a zip file containing If the loudspeakers measured less than 75dB SPL during the your MSL file.
47 Room correction Repeated measurements due to poor SNR SPL meter is set on a low band Measurements are retried until the SNR is acceptable or the The following graph shows an impulse response obtained when a maximum number of retries has been completed. The maximum Radio Shack SPL meter was set on the 60dB band.
48 Room correction Loudspeaker is running in a non-linear range Hum in the system The effects of a loudspeaker running in a non-linear range is most The effect of hum on the measurement is most easily observed in easily observed in the impulse response. The tail of the response the waterfall plot. The continuing signal at 50Hz and 150Hz in the has small spikes, as shown in the plot below, where it should be waterfall plot shown below indicates a mains hum loop: zero.
49 Control Window Control Window The Meridian Control Window emulates an MSR+ to allow you to control a Meridian product from a PC via a serial or USB cable. Running the Meridian Control Window The Meridian Control Window will be displayed: • Click Start, point to Programs, Meridian, then click Control Window: This provides the following tabs: Tab Description MSR+ Emulates an MSR+ Controller. MSR Emulates an MSR Controller.
50 Control Window Emulating an MSR+ or MSR To send a command to the product A tooltip shows the description of the key followed by the key’s • Click the corresponding button on the Control Window. command: The bar above the buttons shows the response from the product, corresponding to the front panel display. To enter a function key Either: • Click the Fn button followed by the button you want to enter. Or: • Right-click the button or click the button while holding down c.
51 Control Using the Command tab The Command tab lists all the available commands under four Window • Enter the argument from the keyboard: headings: Source, General, Function + MSR keys, and Preset: • Click the Send button, or press R, to enter the command. To display the commands • Click the + button to the left of one of the headings to show the commands under that heading. • Double-click the command you want to send. To send a command with arguments • Click the command in the Command list.
52 Control Window
53 Index A F Auto Build room correction 33 fetching settings from a product 8 filters, editing 41 B Bass management page 20 H Breadcrumb trail 5 help, on-line 6 C I calibration, speaker 23 impulse response 37 cards, 800 series Information bar 5 adding 9 inputs, adding or removing 14 displaying properties 10 installation 4 removing 10 configuration saving 30 starting 6 L low-frequency response 38 connections drag and drop 13 M making automatically 11 measurements making manually 12
54 Index sources P printing connections 17 adding 11 products, displaying properties 8 adding inputs or outputs 14 Products page 3, 6 changing MSR+ key 12 properties, displaying or changing 8 printing connections 17 properties 8 removing inputs or outputs 14 Q renaming 12 quick tour 5 reviewing connections 17 speakers R adding 15 requirements 4 calibrating 23 Room Correction 31 defining distances 22 Auto Build 33 printing connections 17 changing settings 44 properties 17 reviewing con
