1

When it comes to using an equalizer to treat a sound there is no substitute for trial and error and using
your ears. That said some useful notes to use as a reference will help you take a more educated approach
to calibrate your AVR. Let the judge be your ears!
Tweak and listen!
Suggestions:
1. Make sure the Mic. is positioned above the seats back rest regardless of ear height and make sure when
youryou
body
is auto
in thecal
proximity
between
the Mic. and speakers being calibrated.
run
that nothing
including
2. Prior to running any auto cal make sure your subwoofer or subwoofers are set at the 0 phase setting,
frequency
levelset
and
gain or
is set
at least +75 db before calibration. You can use the internal test
crossover
tothe
bypass
the to
maximum
tone generator in the set up menu and an SPL meter to do this before you run the calibration software.
This is important because if your sub gain is set too low MCACC may not be able to compensate for the
correct SPL level.
3. If when you begin MCACC you hear distortion during the calibration you most likely have a grounding
needs
to be
corrected before
proceed
issue
somewhere
in youryou
system.
Thiswith the calibration. The SC series receivers are very sensitive to
grounding issues.
4. Do not adjust calibrated subwoofer distances to the actual mechanical distance. MCACC set's the distance
frequency
interacts
with your
based information
on the way the
subwoofer
low room at the listening position so a distance of say 20 ft
when the actual distance is only 12 ft may be correct. Trust the MCACC setting with distance and SPL
level settings as it is very accurate.
5. You can re-set speaker size and crossover settings after MCACC calibration; this will not affect the rest of
rooms
ofparameters.
the actual speaker
theregardless
calibration
In mostsize a setting of small and 80 or 60 Hz will be the correct
setting if you have a capable subwoofer. AVR Settings:

All speakers set to small.

AVR crossover set to 80 Hz. (100 - 120 Hz if you are using very small speakers).
Subwoofer set to on/yes.
LFE + Mains set to off/no.
Dolby Dynamic Range Compression (DRC)or Midnight Mode circuit set to off/no.
LFE channel enabled.
LFE channel level, NOT attenuated. Full on.
THX modes (if you have one) off.
Subwoofer pre-out level range set to 0 (flat). (Some audiophiles recommend -5, but you can tweak
your
conditions,
yoursource,
listening tastes).
theseroom
levels
dependingand
on the
Subwoofer phase control, set to 0 then 180 using your AVR's test tones. Keep the setting that sounds
The
crossover knob on the sub-woofer; If you can't disable it all-together, set your sub-woofer
the loudest.
aren't
brick
but a "slope".
You're
applying two slopes (one in your AVR, one in the sub)
crossover
towall,
maximum
(120 Hz).
Crossovers

Small -or- Large Speakers:

Option 1: If you have a capable Sub, then you should let it handle all the low frequencies. In this case,
you need to set the speakers to SMALL and the Sub to YES.
Option 2: If your speakers handle low frequencies quite well, then you can leave them all to LARGE.
Now, if you want the Sub to output bass simultaneously with the other speakers as well, keep the
Sub setting as PLUS. In this case, the crossover will decide which frequencies get additionally sent
to the Sub to be output.
Option 3: If you don't want excess bass, and you want to use the Sub just for the LFE channel and for
nothing else, keep speakers as LARGE and change the Sub to YES.
Option 4: If your fronts are capable of handling full-range sound and your surrounds are not, then just
keep the fronts to LARGE and change the surrounds and center to SMALL and keep the Sub as YES. In
this case, the Sub will be sent the lower frequencies from the surround channels. Note that when you
playback stereo sources, the Sub will be inactive, since the fronts are being sent the full-range sound.
Option 5: Similar to Option 4, but having the Sub as PLUS instead of YES. In this case, the Sub will be
active and will be sent the lower frequencies from the front channels as well. So, the Sub will be active
even for stereo sources.
Which option is best for you? Only you can decide that, depending on the placement of your Sub,
capabilities of your speakers, and personal preference. I have my DefTec Mytho ST set to small @
80hz crossover with the Sub LFE going the both towers.
Sub EQ
- First calibrate your subwoofer with the AntiMode o
r any other Sub EQ.. - Then run the MCACC, while
leaving the SubEQ on.
This doc is a compilation of
J.Reyes research. more
information

2
Considerthat,whenusingtheSubEQfirst,youcreatesomethingthatwillbeseenbytheamplifier,asa(nearly)perfectsubwooferforyouroom
therefore,theMCACCwillhavenearlynothingtodoonthesubwooferchannel,exceptcorrectitslevel.

MCACCWorkFlow:

[]
1)SetReceivertoMCACCpreset1(M1).NowRunAutoMCACCwithMicinyoulisteningposition

[]
2)GointoManualSPSetupandchangetheSPsettingsifnecessary(crossoverto80Hzformeandspeakerstosmall)

[]
3)NowrerunAutoMCACCbutselectcustom,andthenselectKeepSPsettings.YouwillalsobegiventheoptionstohaveMCACCcalibrate
forsymmetry,allCHadjustandfrontalign.Youmaysaveeachcalibrationtoseparatepresetsorrunjustoneofthem,orruntwoofthem.Youwill
seetheseoptionsafteryouselectKeepSpsettings.

[]
4)NowyouhaveanAutoMCACCcalibration(s)savedtoM1(ortomultiplepresetsifyouchosemorethanoneEQcalibrationtypeinprevious
step:Symmetry,FrontAlign,andAllCHAdjust)(....note:youmustselectwhichpresetyouwantAutoMCACCtosavecalibrationdatatobefore
youentertheaudiosetupmenu.)NowgointoDataManagementDataCopyandcopyM1'sdatatoasmanyotherfreepresetsasyoulike.

[]
5)NowgointoManualMCACCEQProfessionalReverbMeasurementandgetareadingonthefrequencyresponsecharacteristicsofyour
room.BesuretoselectEQOFF(standingwavesnotcontrolledforviaMCACCfilters)intheReverbMeasurementmenubecauseyoudon'twantthe
standingwaveadjustments(EQon)tobefactoredintotheroomreverbmeasurements.Alsomakesureyouhaven'tmovedtheMic.

[]
6)Aftertesttonesaredone,gointoManualMCACCEQProfessionalReverbView,andyoucananalyzethefrequencyresponseof
individualchannelsatvariousfrequencies.Baseduponthatdata,youwouldselecttheappropriatecapturedelaytimeforMCACCtocapturedata
duringfortheupcomingEQcalibration.

ChangethattimeframeunderManualMCACCEQProfessionalAdvancedEQSetuptowhateveryoudecideistheappropriate
capturedelaytime....(Pioneerrecommends3050ms,buttheyencourageyoutoanalyzethedataunderreverbviewfirstandrefertothe
advancedMCACCsoftwaremanualforanalysispurposes).Note:Iused3050msformyroom..

[]
7)ChangetotheappropriateMCACCpresetbeforeyourunthenewadvancedEQcalibrationwiththenewcapturetime.Youchoosewhich
preset,butIwouldrecommendapresetthatisacarboncopyofanautoMCACCcalibrationsothatyoucandoanABcomparisonbetweenautoEQ
andadvancedEQ.GounderManualMCACCEQProfessionalAdvancedEQSetuptostarttheadvancedEQcalibration,andMCACCshould
makeamoreaccuratecalibrationsinceitwillnowcapturesonicinformationsoonerafterthespeakersoutputsound,andgetareadonwhatthe
frequencyresponseisofthespeakersthemselves,andnotthespeakersandallthereverbwhichaccumulatesastimepasses.(Defaultcapturetimeis
80160msandthuscollectsmorereverbandlesstruespeakerreading)

Nowyoushouldhaveanaccuratecalibration.Also,nowyoucaneasilycomparetheAutoMCACCEQeffectsthatarestoredinapresetwiththe
advancedEQeffectsinotherpresetswhilelisteningtocontentwithasimplebuttonpressontheremote.Youcouldalsojuicethebaseafewdbina
preset,andalsocomparerunningthebaseabithottoaflatcalibrationthatyouhaveinotherpresets.YoucouldrepeatthestepsaboveforFront
Alight,Symmetry,etc

AdvancedMCACCManual(SeeyourAVRBook)

IfIamwrongaboutsomething(whichispossible),letmeknow.Ididthissothatfolkslookingtogetthemostoutoftheirequipmentcouldbetterdo
that.ThewholeAutoMCACCthingcanbeabitconfusing,somaybeyoucanbenefitfrommyresearchandtinkering.

Note:AutoMCACCselectdelaycapturetimebaseduponyouroom,andIhavenoideahowitdoesthisorhowtoknowwhatitchoseasadelay
time.ThatiswhyIrecommendusingadvancedEQ.

ChartofRecommendedEqualizationFrequencies

FREQUENCY:

USES:

50Hz

1.Increasetoaddmorefullnesstolowestfrequencyinstrumentslike
foot,floortom,andthebass.
2.Reducetodecreasethe"boom"ofthebassandwillincrease
overtonesandtherecognitionofbasslineinthemix.Thisismost
oftenusedonloudbasslineslikerock.

100Hz

1.Increasetoaddaharderbasssoundtolowestfrequency
instruments.
2.Increasetoaddfullnesstoguitars,snare.
3.Increasetoaddwarmthtopianoandhorns.
ThisdocisacompilationofJ.Reyesresearch.
moreinformation

4.Reducetoremoveboomonguitars&increaseclarity.
200Hz

1.Increasetoaddfullnesstovocals.
2.Increasetoaddfullnesstosnareandguitar(hardersound).
3.Reducetodecreasemuddinessofvocalsormidrangeinstruments.
4.Reducetodecreasegongsoundofcymbals.

400Hz

1.Increasetoaddclaritytobasslinesespeciallywhenspeakersareat
lowvolume.
2.Reducetodecrease"cardboard"soundoflowerdrums(footand
toms).
3.Reducetodecreaseambianceoncymbals.

800Hz

1.Increaseforclarityand"punch"ofbass.
2.Reducetoremove"cheap"soundofguitars.

1.5KHz

1.Increasefor"clarity"and"pluck"ofbass.
2.Reducetoremovedullnessofguitars.

3KHz

1.Increaseformore"pluck"ofbass.
2.Increaseformoreattackofelectric/acousticguitar.
3.Increaseformoreattackonlowpianoparts.
4.Increaseformoreclarity/hardnessonvoice.
5.Reducetoincreasebreathy,softsoundonbackgroundvocals.
6.Reducetodisguiseoutoftunevocals/guitars.

5KHz

1.Increaseforvocalpresence.
2.Increaselowfrequencydrumattack(foot/toms).
3.Increaseformore"fingersound"onbass.
4.Increaseattackofpiano,acousticguitarandbrightnessonguitars
(especiallyrockguitars).
5.Reducetomakebackgroundpartsmoredistant.
6.Reducetosoften"thin"guitar.

7KHz

1.Increasetoaddattackonlowfrequencydrums(moremetallic
sound).
2.Increasetoaddattacktopercussioninstruments.
3.Increaseondullsinger.
4.Increaseformore"fingersound"onacousticbass.
5.Reducetodecrease"s"soundonsingers.
6.Increasetoaddsharpnesstosynthesizers,rockguitars,acoustic
guitarandpiano.

10KHz

1.Increasetobrightenvocals.
2.Increasefor"lightbrightness"inacousticguitarandpiano.
3.Increaseforhardnessoncymbals.
4.Reducetodecrease"s"soundonsingers.

15KHz

1.Increasetobrightenvocals(breathsound).
2.Increasetobrightencymbals,stringinstrumentsandflutes.
3.Increasetomakesampledsynthesizersoundmorereal.

ThisdocisacompilationofJ.Reyesresearch.
moreinformation

Sowhatisbass?Whatistreble?Oh,andwhataboutmidrange?Let'sbreakthemdownrighthere.
ThiswillhelpyouwithmanualEQ

ThisdocisacompilationofJ.Reyesresearch.
moreinformation

Thechartaboveshowstheapproximatefrequencyrangesofvariousmusicalinstrumentsandthehumanvoice.Theblackboxesrepresenttheir
fundamentalfrequenciesandtheyellowboxesrepresenttheirharmonicfrequencies.It'smucheasiertounderstandandenhancetheinstrumentsyou
wanttohearwhenyouknowwhatfrequenciestheycover.

Bass
(Approximately20hz140hz)
Thereislittlemusicalmaterialwithfundamentalfrequenciesbelow60hz.Whatisnormallyperceivedaslowbassmaterialisactuallyinthe
60hz140hzrange.Onlyafewinstrumentsactuallyreachthisrangesuchastheorgan,contrabassoonandstringbass.

The60hz90hzrangeiswherewenoticethegreatestperceptiblechangesin"bassresponse."Tryatesttoneandseejusthowwellyouhear20hzor
even32hz,comparedwiththesamevolumeof60hzor90hz.
MidBass
(Approximately140hz400hz)
Midbasshaslotsofinstrumentsincludedinitsfrequencyrange.Cello(myinstrument),Bassoon,FrenchHorn(FreedomHornthisyear)andyes
MaleVoiceareallhere.Thisiswheremost'bass'controlsreallymuckupyourmusic.Overemphasizingthemidbassrangegivesthemusica
muddy,or"boomy"quality.Ifthemidbassregionisunderemphasized,themusicsoundshollowandthin.

ThisdocisacompilationofJ.Reyesresearch.
moreinformation

Speakerdesignersoftenboostoutputinthisrangetoaffectthequalityor"presence"ofthemusic.Toomuchenergy,ontheotherhand,sounds
overbearinglyharshandstrident.Agoodbalancebetweenthisfrequencyrangeandthemidrangefrequenciesgivesthemostpleasingsound.

Midrange
(Approximately400hz2.6khz)
Sinceourearsaremostsensitivetomidrangefrequencies,midrangehasthegreatesteffectontheoverallsoundofyourstereosystem.Actuallythere
iscontroversyamongengineersandaudiophilesastowhattheproperbalanceshouldbeinthisrange.Somesettingsarebestsuitedtoparticular
typesofmusic.
The"proper"settingsaretheonesmostpleasingtoyouthelistener.Iwon'tlistinstrumentsherebecausevirtuallyallinstrumentshavefundamentals
foundhereinthemidrangewiththeexceptionofContraBassoons,BassTubaandaveryfewothers.
Theregionfromabout5.2khzuptoabout12khzisnormallyperceivedtobethehighfrequencyrange.(Thedreadedtreblecontrol.)Onlythepipe
organactuallycontributesanyfundamentalfrequenciesinthisspectrum(aswellasafewotherssuchastheflute),butthisiswheretheharmonics
reallyenhanceyourmusicalenjoyment.It'sthisrangethataffectsthebrillianceofmusic.Overemphasizingthesefrequenciesgivesanunpleasant,
UpperMidrange
harshandevenpiercingqualitytoyourmusic.
(Approximately2.6khz5.2khz)
Exceptforthepipeorganandpiano,notmanyinstrumentshavefundamentalfrequenciesthishigh.Well,Iguesstheviolindoestouchintothe
range.But,it'sreallyamazingjusthowlittlefundamentalfrequencymaterialactuallystartsabovewhatweconsidermidrange.

HighEnd
Thefinalregion,thesuperhighfrequencies,fromabout12khz20khz,actuallycontainsverylittlemusicalmaterialdespitealltheeditorialcoverage
(Approximately5.2khz20khzTwoRegions)
itreceives.However,manyverysoft2ndand3rdorderharmonicsdoreachintothisarea.

Plus,mostadultscanhearonlysubtledifferenceswhenadjustmentsaremadeinthe14khz20khzrange.It'simportanttorememberthatadults,
(mainlymen)simplycan'thearmuchabove1516,000hzaftertheageof50.So,thisareaprimarilyaddsalittlemoredimensiontoyoursound.

Supplements
:
REWRoomEQWizard
(EQCal.Soft),
BFDParametricEqualizer
(EQHW),SoundLevelMeter(SPL),
AntiMode8033
(SubEQ),
AdvanceMCACC
SerialConnector
,
AccucalHD
BassGuide
Tools
1. RadioShackSPLMeter.
2. 1/12OctaveSineWaveTestToneCD.
http://www.realtraps.com/testcd.htm
|
http://alanmaherdesigns.com/DIY.aspx
3. TapeMeasure.
4. FrequencyResponseGraphingSoftware(optional).
ThisdocisacompilationofJ.Reyesresearch.
moreinformation

7
REWManualgraphingspreadsheet
5. ATripodForMountingYourRSMeter.

ThisdocisacompilationofJ.Reyesresearch.
moreinformation