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Subject : ON SETTING ADRO posted by azureblue on Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:49 am |
| ADRO is an improvement over standards multiband compressors and limiters, but it has its faults, as it is constructed, Listed: 1- ADRO response time is way too slow. 2 - The "Ducking" issue, where the volume level is reduced way too much when a loud sound is heard. 3- A brutal, nonadjustable limiter. How to fix it. Well, the right way for it to be fixed is for ADRO to be properly programmed (the gust of the software itself), but there's little chance of that happening, so here is a sort of workaround. This will be broken down into the three categories- begin by picking one channel (program / memory) on your aids, that you do not use much. This way, if you don't like what you did, you can simply go to another channel: 1- ADRO response time is way too slow. Go into the software, find and open the "features" tab, and change the adaptive gain time from 9 to 3. I also reduce all noise reduction to off or minimum- I have Feedback manager off, Low level noise reduction off and NR level to Med. Note that this may make your aids feed back. If it does, get a little neosporin type ointment and smear on the case of the aid- keep it away from the tip. This will help seal the aid. If your aid still feeds back, it may be through the vent. You can try sealing the vent, but this becomes a whole other issue. If you want to seal the vent just temporarily seal it with a pliable gum. This will increase the bass response and will change the sound of the aids, so, if you do this, be careful. I don't like VCs on the ADRO- they are digital, not analog and they effectively control the position of the MOL curve. I have my VCs defeated, but, if you like to have active them, reduce the range of them in the VC Range tab. Dave, you mentioned a distortion when your turn up the volume, and this is the source of it- over driving the high end of the aids with the VC up too much. 2 - The "Ducking" issue, where the volume level is reduced way too much when a loud sound is heard. The heart of the matter. In my original post, I mislabeled the curves. My Bad. Before you begin, make sure you have your settings for you aids stored, in case you need to backstep. Move the green curve, the ComF, up to the MOL, until it is 7 or 8 steps away from it. I have 7 steps for the low end and 8 for the high end, but most people won't hear the difference is day to day life. You will notice that the soft sounds will get a bit louder. 3- A brutal, nonadjustable limiter. This is the MOL curve. The MOL will need to be raised up until the limiter is no longer intruding on the sound. BE CAREFUL! You can make the aids too loud. What I do is to pick a few sound sources to set by- I drop a heavy fork into a steel sink, I shut a solid core door, and I drop a peice of firewood onto a concrete floor. Most of you work will be in the low and mids, from 1.5K and under. I raise the individual EQ bands until I can just barely hear the limiter work. At first, it may seem loud to you, so be careful until you have finished the adjustment process. Roughly, here is how I adjust the sound of my aids: Begin by checking the maximum gain (blue line) ONLY line in the software. The software has three group controls- I suggest playing with them before you adjust the individual EQ bands, so you can focus better on what the problems are. I sit at a piano, and play it one note at a time, and adjust the blue curve- MaxG, until the piano sounds real to me. Then I listen to the TV. I have a TV with a hi fi sound system, so don't be careful if your TV has tinny speakers. Note that voice volume is mostly at 500 hz. Depending on whether or not you have a sealed vent, you may have to juggle 500 and 250 (bass) until you get the low end right. I am not happy about how ADRO handles the range from 3K to 6K- they seem to have a hole or a resonance around 4.5K that results in a grainy sort of trebly distortion, and 4K is really the only way to handle it, but 4K also is the "S" sounds. Once I have gotten the TV, music, and conversation to sounding OK at soft to normal volumes, then I go around the house slamming doors and dropping fork, pans, etc., into the steel sink. Usually, at this point you will find that you have issues at 1K 750 and 500. Don't worry too much about the high end yet, until you get the low end close, because too much low end will mask the treble. Once you get the low and mids close, then the treble will be a lot easier to adjust. I have a good sound system in my car, so I go out to the car and crank the volume up and listen to music. I de-check the MaxG and check both the ComF and MOL, and adjust them together, as one. A home stereo system will work as well, but a car system will produce enough volume inside the car, to push the aids to their max, and make the MOL work all the time. Again, work with the group controls, one step at a time, to help isolate the problems, and again, watch the volume- don't let it get too loud and hurt your ears. After I get the MOL / ComF set, the MaxG will need to be tweaked, but now you should be able to hear how the interaction between the paired MOL / ComF and the MaxG works. What I got, roughly speaking, was a smooth rising curve for the MaxG, and a sort of flat with a dip at 750 and 1K, and a rise at 3K, for the grouped MOL / ComF. The usual disclaimers, YMMV, etc. and warnings to be careful with the volume. Everyone that wants to give this a go, please report in with what your experiences are. I will try to check in but I am busy this week, so it will be spotty.. Caveat- because I have a severe loss, my settings may not work for you, so I won't be responsible if you get off the track, but you can always back step and start over. It took me maybe ten rounds before I got my aids dialed in, so be patient |
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