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Dirac Live
Low or poor signal-to-noise ratio
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Follow these steps to improve signal-to-noise ratio
Click on the step by step guide below to see how to troubleshoot signal to nose issues.
1
Increase the master output of your receiver
In order to improve the SNR, first try to increase the master output of your receiver. Mic gain might be needed too, but be careful as this will increase the noise floor. Please experiment.
The big red ellipses shows the sweep signal and the smaller ring is showing the noise floor. The sweep signal should be at least be 3 times higher than the noise floor. Always also make sure the subwoofer signal is a little bit stronger, since Dirac adapts to the weakest signal (normally the sub).
2
Check your cables
Test to see if there's an issue with the USB port of the mic or of the cables. Change the mic or audio cables and see if that solves the problem.
3
Check if the program is running smoothly
Make sure the computer is not running any other heavy tasks while using Dirac Live.
Try another computer.
Try another computer network.
4
Reduce noise interference
Turn off or remove all equipment and machinery that could be causing excessive noise in your space, including air conditioners, driers, refrigerators, and pets, as well as close all windows or doors.
5
Adjust measurements
Try Decreasing microphone gain relative to master output.
* Note: It is important to find a balance between the two. Master output should never be high enough to cause discomfort, nor should microphone gain be high enough to cause SNR problems.
Inspect the graph after a successful measurement to ensure that there is not unexpectedly high response at a particularly low frequency. This may be caused by background humming or noise (like from a refrigerator).
Make sure, during Volume Calibration, that all your speakers are accounted for. If additional speakers appear that are not connected to your system, then trace the signal path and make sure your Dirac-enabled device is not erroneously reporting a speaker that doesn't exist.
* Example: In the case of a home AVR, make sure that all speakers are recognized by the device firmware. Enable only the exact amount of subwoofers and surround speakers. If your system reports too many speakers, Dirac will try to calibrate for a speaker that cannot produce a signal, thereby generating a SNR issue.
6
Update Dirac Live Software
Update the Dirac Live software to its latest version, which features better SNR calculation.
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