ProAudio Review - December 2008 - (Page 52)

live review by Frank Wells Sencore SoundPro SP495 The SP495 provides a comprehensive range of tools for well-equipped sound consultants and select FOH engineers. ber of control elements on the test screens and the flexibility of the unit (for some functions, like the fullrange generator frequency control, the interface would benefit from an increased parameter step size based on dialing speed). The bottom-panel sports combo 1/4-inch/XLR ins and an SD memory card slot, the toppanel analog and S/PDIF/TOSlink digital outputs and bidirectional USB I/O. I confess to reverting to the extensive manual (provided in PDF on disc) after a short time of familiarization — getting the most out of the SP495’s capabilities and flexibility demands a more intimate knowledge of the device. With the SP495 in tow, I met up with SR pro Ben Williams at a church where he recently finished a sound system overhaul. The SoundCore base software gives a range of, well, core functionality that we ran through first, beginning with simple SPL measurement (a range of 25-105 dBA SPL measurable with the supplied ANSI Type 2 microphone — an optional Type 1 microphone extends the range to 146 dBA). Though sound level is a simple test, the Sound Level Measurement screen serves to familiarize the user with a lot of SP495’s flexible controls — speed of averaging/ response, automatic or manual mic pre gain, flat, A- or C-weighting, theater X-curve, relative measurement and peak hold, bargraph and direct numeric read out, speaker/headphone monitoring of input/output or USB I/O signals and generator level and signal controls (on/off, Pink/White noise, USB, sine Sencore’s SoundPro series, the successor to the TerraSonde Audio Toolbox family of test instruments, offers self-contained, multifunction test capability for audio measurement. Sencore’s SoundPro series, the successor to the TerraSonde Audio Toolbox family of test instruments, offers self-contained, multi-function test capability for audio measurement. The SoundPro SP495 Audio Consultant provides a full swath of core and optional test functionality focused on acoustic and audio analysis. The standards-compliant test capabilities of the SP495, while applicable to, say, an FOH engineer, the “Consultant” part of its name also suggests where the test set is most likely to find its broadest embrace — with audio consultants working in installed sound, including house of worship, corporate, home theater, theme park, public address, distributed sound, and industrial sound analysis. The SP495 is a 5 1/2” x 12 1/2” x 2 1/4” device (a portion of the length being an integral handle), weighing a bit over 2 1/4 lbs. It comes with a “line lump” DC power supply but can also operate from an internal (user replaceable) Li-Ion battery pack for as much as 5 1/2 hours (on a 6-hour full charge), depending on application. It also comes with a test microphone and padded soft case. Core Functionality I have dabbled with the SP495’s predecessors, so it was easy to figure out how get basic functions running. The front panel of the metal case is uncluttered, with just a rotary dial encoder and a backlit color LCD screen. Spinning the dial and clicking it selects menu items and parameters for adjustment for all SP495 functions. You’ll spin the dial a lot, based on the num- Frank Wells, formerly a radio broadcast and recording studio technician, is the editor of Pro Sound News and the editorial director of Pro Audio Review. 52 ProAudioReview | December 2008 www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - December 2008

ProAudio Review - December 2008 Contents Technically Speaking New Studio Products Opinion: Mastering Matters Review: BIAS Peak Pro XT 6 Review: Zaxcom Fusion ENG Mixer and Multitrack Recorder Review: Sound Devices 788T 8-Track Digital Audio Recorder Review: Universal Audio UAD-2 Solo DSP Accelerator Review: Chandler Limited Germanium Compressor Review: RME ADI-8 QS A/D-D/A Converter Feature: Converters and Clocks: Engineers on Their Choices New Live Products Opinion: From the Road Review: Yamaha IM8 Series Mixing Consoles Review: NTI Digirator DR2 Digital Audio Signal Generator Review: Sencore SoundPro SP495 Audio Consultant Test Set Single Slice

ProAudio Review - December 2008

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