[enricoclaudio]

Due to the recent increase of interest from Mac users and some current Windows users for REW for macOS, I decided to share my experience and some basic steeps that would lead you to properly setup your MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini or iMac to run REW. To be honest, there is not too much to be said if you are a Mac user like me but if you are a Windows user thinking on switching to Mac ecosystem or wants to experience REW for macOS, then this guide can help you through the configuration process.

1.- Hardware:

If you are planning on purchasing a Mac computer on the used market to only run REW, make sure you check the “Vintage and Obsolete” Apple list before making any purchase. Apple does not bring support to any hardware after they are part of that list. Meaning, the latest macOS won’t run properly on those models.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624

Personally, I would recommend any 13” or 15” MacBook Pro Retina from 2013 to 2015 as those have HDMI output and USB ports so docking hubs or adapters are not necessary. Same if you have a Mac mini as they have HDMI out and USB ports. If you have a MacBook or MacBook Air, then you would need a Thunderbolt 2 or USB–C hub (depending on the year model) that converts the Thunderbolt 2 or USB-C port to HDMI and USB ports. Same apply for any MacBook Pro 2016 or newer as they only have Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. For those models, a hub would be necessary.

For Macs with Thunderbolt 1 or 2 port, you can get this adapter to convert the Thunderbolt port to HDMI out:

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Mini-DisplayPort-Thunderbolt-Adapter/dp/B00NH13K8S/ref=sxin_2_pb?keywords=thunderbolt+2+to+hdmi&pd_rd_i=B00NH13K8S&pd_rd_r=509c30a6-58dd-4eb5-a449-7ed935bbef22&pd_rd_w=kO7e9&pd_rd_wg=40aCC&pf_rd_p=9ef0c97a-254b-445c-822b-c948e2d94ddd&pf_rd_r=32WZ54X6MYXSG71GYS5E&qid=1561412777&s=electronics

Most Macs with Thunderbolt 1 or 2 port, have at least one USB 2.0 or 3.0 port that you can use to connect your UMIK-1 mic. In case your Mac has not USB port, but it has Thunderbolt 1 or 2, then get this hub:

https://www.amazon.com/gofanco-DisplayPort-Thunderbolt-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B0716JB81J/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=thunderbolt+2+hub&qid=1561412868&s=electronics&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1

For Macs with Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C ports only, these include MacBook Pro late-2016 with Touch Bar, you can get this hub:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PRJJNGF/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07PRJJNGF&pd_rd_w=K9sKE&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=pIEyd&pf_rd_r=Y12GA6M2YS052PXV40DR&pd_rd_r=c90ad84c-96c7-11e9-8864-c1ee86d5769a

If you have an iMac from mid-2011 to late-2015, then you would need a Thunderbolt 2 to HDMI adapter like the one posted before as iMacs don’t have HDMI out. If your iMac is from 2017 and up, then you would need a Thunderbolt 3/USB-C to HDMI adapter like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Warrky-Gold-Plated-Thunderbolt-Compatible/dp/B07HVQQPYK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=thunderbolt+3+to+hdmi&qid=1561413744&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Some Macs before 2010 have DisplayPort which looks the same as Thunderbolt 1 port. These Macs with DisplayPort do not carry audio over HDMI so they won’t work with REW.

Sometimes you can find very good deals buying a Refurbished Apple Mac directly from the Apple Online Store. Check this link if you are looking for Refurbished or on Clearance Apple Macs:

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac


2.- REW for macOS Version and additional drivers/software:

If your Mac is running 10.8.3 OS X Mountain Lion to 10.13 macOS High Sierra, then download REW for macOS 5.19 latest version. You can download it directly from here:

https://www.roomeqwizard.com/installers/REW_macos_5_19.dmg

If your Mac is running 10.14 macOS Mojave, then download REW for macOS 5.20 from AV Nirvana Forum. You have to sign up on AV Nirvana in order to be able to download REW V5.20.

https://www.avnirvana.com/resources/categories/rew-room-eq-wizard-beta-downloads.1/

REW for macOS does not need any drivers or additional software. The proper version of REW for macOS is all you need in terms of software to get REW running in your Mac.


3.- Setting Up your Mac and “Audio Midi Setup”:

The beautiful thing about REW for macOS is that it’s truly Plug and Play. After you download the proper REW for macOS version and finish the installation, basically that is all you need to do in terms of software installation. As a safe protocol, after the installation of REW for macOS is done, I would recommend checking a few things before start measuring with REW.

For this tutorial, I'm using a 13" MacBook Pro Retina mid-2014 running macOS 10.14.5 Mojave (latest macOS update)

3.1.- Plug your miniDSP UMIK-1 mic in the USB port of your Mac and connect the Mac HDMI out with a HDMI cable into your receiver or processor designated HDMI input. If you are a Mac user, you will know if your Mac recognizes the receiver/pre pro and UMIK-1 mic. If you are a Windows user and you have not enough experience with macOS ecosystem, then go to System Preferences as showed in this window:

You can access System Preferences by clicking on the System Preferences icon on the "Dock" or clicking on the Apple Logo at the top left of your screen, second option on the drop down menu below "About This Mac".

Now click on "Sound" (speaker icon) and you will see a window like this:

Sound Output window:

Sound Input window:

Go back to System Preferences main menu and click on Displays (screen icon) and you will see a window like this (make sure Mirroring is OFF checking "Use As Separate Display"):

Again, make sure “Mirror Built-IN Retina Display” is unchecked unless you want to see on your TV or projector screen what is happening when taking measurements. The problem with checking “Mirror....” is that if your projector or TV is 4K, then your Retina Display Mac will change from Retina Recommended resolution to native 4K resolution and the text on your Mac screen will look super small.

You can also press "Gather Windows" so you can change resolution or other settings in your TV or projector.

3.2.- Go to Applications/Utilities/Audio Midi Setup.

If your receiver and mic were recognized by your Mac, on the left side of the screen you will see an HDMI device, in my case I have a Denon AVR-X6500H. On Macs without HDMI port, you will see DisplayPort device instead of HDMI device. You will also see your UMIK-1 mic as an available input device.

You would see a window with Input and Output devices. It is very important to check that the sample rate match for both, input and output. The UMIK-1 mic has a fixed sample rate of 48.0KHz so for the output you have to select from the drop down menu "8 channels - 16 bit integer 48.0KHz" or "8 channels - 24 bit integer 48KHz". The UMIK-1 mic is 24 bit/48KHz but selecting the Output as 16 bit/48KHz works the same. The critical factor is the Sample Rate, not the Bit Depth.

Here is the Input window:

Go back to the Output window and press "Configure Speakers", you will see a window like this if 2 ch is selected as default:

From the Speaker "Configuration" drop down menu, select your appropriated speaker setup, in my case is "7.1 Rear Surround" and "Geometric"

After selected, press "Apply" and you are done with Audio Midi Setup configuration.

 

[enricoclaudio]

4.- Setting up REW for macOS Preferences.

Now that we have the Mac recognizing the receiver/processor and the UMIK-1 mic and it's totally configured audio and video wise for REW, we need to configure REW Preferences accordingly.

As of today, the latest version or REW for macOS Mojave is 5.20 Beta 13 and that is the version I'm using for this tutorial.

After REW for macOS is installed, as soon you open it, it should detect your UMIK-1 mic and it's going to ask you if you want to use it as a measurement device. A window like this will pop up:

Then it will ask for the UMIK-1 calibration file:

Look on your Mac for your calibration file and select it. Make sure it's stored in your local SSD or HDD and not on a USB memory stick:

Now that the UMIK-1 is selected, go to REW Preferences to configure OUTPUT and INPUT devices. In this window you can see that the rate is 48KHz, which match with what we selected previously on Audio Midi Setup. For the OUPUT DEVICE select HDMI if your Mac has HDMI port or DisplayPort if you are using an external hub or Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter.

For the OUTPUT select SPEAKER:

If you open the SPEAKER drop down menu, you will see your 7.1 speakers available if you have a 7.1 speaker setup. They will show up labeled by name and not by numbers like they do on REW for Windows.

For "Timing Reference Output" you can use any speaker you want, not the subwoofer (LFE). Most people uses one of the Surround speakers. I always use Main Left (L). Always use the same speaker for all measurements as this is very important at the time of checking Impulse Response overlays.

For the INPUT DEVICE, select UMIK-1 mic from the drop down menu:

This next steep is very important. For the INPUT, you have to select MICROPHONE and NOT Default Input. If you select Default Input, even if in your Mac Preferences Audio settings UMIK-1 is selected as Default Input, the readings from the UMIK-1 mic will be off by about 40dB. This bug only affects Macs running macOS 10.14 Mojave and REW 5.20.

As a last checking steep, go to Preferences "Mic/Meter" and make sure you calibration file shows up:

At this point you are ready to take measurements with your REW for macOS gig. Open Measure window and you will see the window where you can select the speaker you want to measure, the frequency range, and all the common settings we have been using in other versions of REW.

I hope this tutorial help others Mac users or Windows users that want to experience REW for macOS. Please, feel free to post your comments and suggestions to improve this tutorial.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Reserved 2

 

[pixphipau]

Thanks for this, super helpful! Question i have a 5.1.4 atmos setup how would i configure that?

 

[dinamigym]

Enrico, you are the man! Thanks a ton! Very helpful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[enricoclaudio]

Thanks for this, super helpful! Question i have a 5.1.4 atmos setup how would i configure that?

Set the Speaker Configuration as 5.1. You can’t measure ATMOS speakers with REW. You can measure up to 7.1 with REW (8 channels).

 

[imureh]

This should me made into a sticky! Way to go bro! You will make me buy a Mac now just for this....

 

[confinoj]

Thanks. I switched from using REW on windows to Mac a couple years ago and found a similar experience. It was so much easier to set up I thought I was missing something. The only thing I have found is that I have to keep master volume a bit lower than in windows as my umik clips easier. Anyone else find this? Should I decrease the input gain on mic?

 

[enricoclaudio]

Thanks. I switched from using REW on windows to Mac a couple years ago and found a similar experience. It was so much easier to set up I thought I was missing something. The only thing I have found is that I have to keep master volume a bit lower than in windows as my umik clips easier. Anyone else find this? Should I decrease the input gain on mic?

To be honest? I have never used REW on Windows so cannot tell but I have the input gain set at -12dB on REW and Master Volume on my Denon X6500H and Emotiva XMC-1 around -25dB, sometimes up to -22dB.

 

[H Stevens]

I started here when I began:

https://www.minidsp.com/applications/acoustic-measurements/umik-1-hdmi-on-mac

Thanks for taking the time Enrico putting this together, it will help a lot of people.

 

[Nalleh]

Awsome guide Enrico I have used Mac for years, but started with Windows, and that was a nightmare every time.
Mac is flawless

 

[JohnPM]

Nicely done. I've added a link to this thread on the REW website.

 

[enricoclaudio]

Nicely done. I've added a link to this thread on the REW website.

John, thank you so much for all the time you have invested over the years developing REW and continue to improve it. Your work is invaluable for the whole audio community. My guide is just a small contribution. You are the real deal

Thanks again, my friend!!!

 

[anjunadeep]

I've ordered a MiniDSP and UMIK-1 and want to try REW this weekend. This tutorial is going to be amazingly helpful, thank you.

I'm a little confused on the process, I'm picturing scenarios like this:

SCENARIO 1:
1. Turn off Audyssey (or any other processing)
2. Run REW and collect measurements
3. Run Audyssey
4. Run REW again to see what Audyssey did

SCENARIO 2:
1. Turn off Audyssey (or any other processing)
2. Run REW and collect measurements
3. Make corrections in MiniDSP
4. Run REW again to see how you did

SCENARIO 3:
1. Run REW and collect measurements
2. Adjust phase on one subwoofer
3. See if things got better

Do I have this roughly right?

 

[enricoclaudio]

I've ordered a MiniDSP and UMIK-1 and want to try REW this weekend. This tutorial is going to be amazingly helpful, thank you.

I'm a little confused on the process, I'm picturing scenarios like this:

SCENARIO 1:
1. Turn off Audyssey (or any other processing)
2. Run REW and collect measurements
3. Run Audyssey
4. Run REW again to see what Audyssey did

SCENARIO 2:
1. Turn off Audyssey (or any other processing)
2. Run REW and collect measurements
3. Make corrections in MiniDSP
4. Run REW again to see how you did

SCENARIO 3:
1. Run REW and collect measurements
2. Adjust phase on one subwoofer
3. See if things got better

Do I have this roughly right?

Here is the way I do and the way I do recommend to do it:

1.- Turn OFF Audyssey and take measurements.
2.- Run REW auto filters, import into miniDSP and take measurements. Usually REW takes about 2 to 4 filters depending on how bad the room response is.
3.- Fine tune the response with remaining miniDSP PEQs manually to flat the response.
4.- Run Audyssey 8 points and take measurements with REW to check the response.

Doing this way, my response went from this:

To this:

 

[anjunadeep]

Here is the way I do and the way I do recommend to do it:

1.- Turn OFF Audyssey and take measurements.
2.- Run REW auto filters, import into miniDSP and take measurements. Usually REW takes about 2 to 4 filters depending on how bad the room response is.
3.- Fine tune the response with remaining miniDSP PEQs manually to flat the response.
4.- Run Audyssey 8 points and take measurements with REW to check the response.

Doing this way, my response went from this:

To this:

Ah okay, so Audyssey will still correct later, but since you already flattened things in LFE it will be much less of an adjustment done by Audyssey down there? I imagine when you fine tune you just do cuts with maybe some couple dB boosts here and there depending where it is? Is REW smart enough not to try to boost a null?

I'm running ported subwoofers, I'm pretty sure Audyssey tries to boost them below their port tuning. Should I high pass a few Hz below the port tuning?

 

[enricoclaudio]

Ah okay, so Audyssey will still correct later, but since you already flattened things in LFE it will be much less of an adjustment done by Audyssey down there? I imagine when you fine tune you just do cuts with maybe some couple dB boosts here and there depending where it is? Is REW smart enough not to try to boost a null?

I'm running ported subwoofers, I'm pretty sure Audyssey tries to boost them below their port tuning. Should I high pass a few Hz below the port tuning?

REW auto filters does not boost, only cut. I do boost using manual PEQs. Usually no more than 6dB is recommend for boosting a null but I have done up to 12dB without any issues. Of course, all this depends on how much subwoofer headroom you have which is also room size dependent.

 

[meak81]

I'm new to REW and am about to try and take some measurements. Now to be sure, all I need is my Macbook with REW installed, and my miniDSP umik-1 correct?

 

[anjunadeep]

I'm new to REW and am about to try and take some measurements. Now to be sure, all I need is my Macbook with REW installed, and my miniDSP umik-1 correct?

I'm in the same shoes, just starting with this and gathering the parts, so don't take my word as definitive but this is what I've got coming from what I could gather reading other threads:
-MiniDSP
-UMIK-1
-Laptop with HDMI: I'm going to be using my old MacBook Pro 15" that has an HDMI output, my newer MBPr 13" has just USB-C and that would require an adapter.
-HDMI Cable: You'll need to get an HDMI cable that you can run from your laptop to your receiver, so I just grabbed something long off Amazon (even the cheap ones support 18Gbps, but I don't know that it is needed).
-Mic Stand: The UMIK-1 comes with a small tripod, but I ordered a larger cheap mic stand off Amazon.

I'm not sure how long the USB cable is to the microphone, but I haven't seen complaints where an extender would be needed. I'm thinking that we set our microphone up in position, then have the laptop a few seats away, then run a long HDMI cable to the receiver.

Again, I'm in the same place you are, so I'll probably know more in a week or two.

 

[enricoclaudio]

I'm in the same shoes, just starting with this and gathering the parts, so don't take my word as definitive but this is what I've got coming from what I could gather reading other threads:
-MiniDSP
-UMIK-1
-Laptop with HDMI: I'm going to be using my old MacBook Pro 15" that has an HDMI output, my newer MBPr 13" has just USB-C and that would require an adapter.
-HDMI Cable: You'll need to get an HDMI cable that you can run from your laptop to your receiver, so I just grabbed something long off Amazon (even the cheap ones support 18Gbps, but I don't know that it is needed).
-Mic Stand: The UMIK-1 comes with a small tripod, but I ordered a larger cheap mic stand off Amazon.

I'm not sure how long the USB cable is to the microphone, but I haven't seen complaints where an extender would be needed. I'm thinking that we set our microphone up in position, then have the laptop a few seats away, then run a long HDMI cable to the receiver.

Again, I'm in the same place you are, so I'll probably know more in a week or two.

This is correct!!!

I have a 15-Feet USB 2.0 A to Mini-B from Monoprice and it works perfectly. Mostly, any HDMI cable works as you will be passing 1080p/8ch audio. The USB cable that comes with the UMIK-1 mic is only 6ft long. A mic stand with boom is also needed and if you can get a butterfly clip for the mic, much better.

1.- USB Cable:

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-15-Feet-Mini-B-Ferrite-105450/dp/B002KL8N6A/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+mini+to+usb+2.0+cable+15+ft&qid=1565789236&s=gateway&sr=8-3

2.- Mic Stand:

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-MS7701B-Tripod-Microphone-Stand/dp/B000978D58/ref=sr_1_15?crid=3EIR08T83Y8LB&keywords=mic+stand&qid=1565789561&s=gateway&sprefix=Mic+sta,aps,155&sr=8-15

3.- Mic Clip:

https://www.amazon.com/Hercules-MH100B-QUIK-N-EZ-Microphone-CLIP/dp/B000FCCMGI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=16MKERWAMDDFP&keywords=hercules+mic+clip&qid=1565789612&s=gateway&sprefix=Hercules+mic+,aps,151&sr=8-2

If you want to use the mic stand with Audyssey mic, which I strongly recommend, then get this adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/CM01-Camera-Digital-Recorder-Adapter/dp/B001GWCC4I/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=on+stage+camera+adapter&qid=1565789762&s=gateway&sr=8-1