What are the recommended audio interfaces and measurement microphones for use with Smaart?

Smaart will work with any audio I-O device that uses WAV/WDM (Windows), ASIO (Windows) or CoreAudio (macOS) device drivers. As long as there are standardized drivers compatible with the OS version you are running, it should work properly. It is up to the hardware manufacturer to ensure that the device is compatible with the most recent version of macOS or windows. Please make sure to check manufacturer websites prior to purchase.

Regardless of operating system, make sure that the audio interface has enough channels for your measurement configuration. If you have a complex interconnected system, we recommend researching Dante Virtual Soundcard (DVS).

Please note that we do not recommend connecting your audio interface to the computer through a USB extender or a multi-port hub. They have been known to cause issues with device connectivity within Smaart, which can causes measurements to fail or even the program to crash. Additionally, multi-port hubs can become overloaded when connecting a USB-powered audio device that also supplies phantom power (like the Audient EVO series or Focusrite Scarlett series).

Determining what measurement microphone to use will depend on the type of measurements you will be making, and your budget. If you plan to measure at high SPL (concert level), one of the most important things to consider is if the measurement microphone's maximum output voltage exceeds the audio interface's maximum input rating at minimum gain. Because of this, we recommend a Low Sensitivity measurement microphone. A great example would be the iSEMcon EMX-7150. 

For further information about ensuring your measurement microphone/interface combo won't clip, please click here. 

To make this even easier, we have added tags to our products on the Rational Acoustics Store to help determine the best product for your measurement rig. Click here for a description of each tag and what they mean. 

If you have any trouble determining the best products for your application, please submit a support ticket using the button in the upper right. We would be happy to make a recommendation. 

If you have any questions about how Windows WAVE drivers interact with Smaart, please see this video.