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In order to assess if a project can be simulated adequately based on the room´s characteristics it is important to know about the different calculation methods used within the different feature levels of EASE:

EASE JR

EASE JR - Product Offer Desciption

EASE JR is suited for projects that deal only with the sound system or that have well-controlled room acoustics that can be treated statistically. It requires the least amount of time and data to obtain answers about the performance of the sound system and the acoustic characteristics of the venue. 

Calculation method

To calculate reverberation time, EASE JR uses a statistical approach based on the Eyring equation. This method assumes that the sound field inside the room is diffuse. This type of sound field is common in rooms where the absorption is homogeneously distributed over the surfaces and where the geometry is approximately convex and does not propagate sound energy in specific directions or areas.

Typical use cases

• Planning and design of sound reinforcement systems for direct field coverage, delay alignment and spatial audio
• Acoustic design for rooms with controlled absorption and relatively simple shape
• Investigating the performance of the sound system in the room and related quantities like STI, Total SPL, or C50
• Verification and improvement of absorption based on a calculated or measured reverberation time
• Initial investigation of general room acoustic properties for more complex rooms
• Auralization of the direct sound to study the audible performance of the sound system at different listening positions

Typical rooms/venues

Indoor: rooms with relatively high, evenly distributed absorption and rather simple shape like multi-purpose rooms, lecture halls, convention halls, churches, certain kinds of classrooms and office spaces

Outdoor: concerts in rural locations, i.e., in the open field

For more advanced investigations and more complex project types, as well as complete auralizations, it is recommended to consider EASE Standard or EASE Pro.

EASE Standard

EASE Standard - Product Offer Description

EASE Standard is suited for projects where the room acoustics are still relatively controlled, but where early reflections are playing an important role, either beneficial or detrimental. It provides advanced acoustic assessment methods to direct and enhance first-order reflections as well as to analyze and resolve related acoustic obstacles. Users gain a more accurate picture not only of the performance of a loudspeaker system, but also of the general behavior of the sound in a room.

Calculation method

EASE Standard calculates the impulse response at specific locations in the room by using ray-tracing algorithms for the early part of the response and by adding a statistical tail for the late part. This approach is generally sufficient for rooms where one would not expect discrete reflections of significant energy in the later part of the impulse response. This method is recommended for rooms where the sound reflected by side walls, ceiling, or backwall into the audience has to be controlled. It applies to rooms with relatively complex geometries and possibly uneven distribution of absorption, which can lead to local differences in received early sound energy or audible echoes. The reverberation component of the room response, however, is assumed to be statistical.

Typical use cases

• Local analysis and visualization of reflections in the room, such as arrival, decay time, level, or frequency response, to examine echoes, distinct reflections, and focusing effects
• Designing sound systems in acoustically challenging venues 
• Detailed evaluation of quantities like STI, Total SPL, or C50 using mappings based on statistical assumptions extended by early reflections
• Optimizing the reflective behavior of ceiling structures and side walls as well as reflection angles of acoustic clouds and panels
• Creating instructive auralizations of echoes and early reflections

Typical rooms/venues

Indoor: rooms with potentially uneven distribution of absorption and relatively complex geometry like studios, class rooms, lecture halls, multi-purpose, ballrooms, theatres, other relatively dry entertainment venues, convention halls, malls, conference rooms
Outdoor: concerts in urban locations, especially considering building facades

For more advanced investigations and very complex project types, as well as precise auralization results, it is recommended to consider EASE Pro.

EASE Pro

EASE Pro - Product Offer Description

EASE Pro is the right choice for projects with challenging room acoustics, where not only early but also late reflections and reverberation cannot be described by statistical methods. With EASE Pro, the acoustic properties of the room and its interaction with the sound system via reflections and reverberation can be studied in depth. It provides the user with a high level of detailed analysis, resulting in a very realistic impression of the acoustic behavior of a room, even in the most challenging venues, which is also reflected in the binaural data it generates.

Calculation method

EASE Pro uses the advanced AURA raytracing module which is based on a 64-bit engine and supports multi-threading to calculate full-length room impulse responses with high particle density. It also takes into account the effect of sound scattering from structured surfaces and surface materials. EASE Pro is required for rooms with complex geometry, where absorption is not homogeneously distributed, and/or where parts of the model have high or low scattering - resulting in irregular decay of reverberation and several acoustically different areas within the room.

Typical use cases

• Analyzing the acoustic characteristics of rooms with large volumes, echo problems or long reverberation times
• Computing acoustic parameters according to the ISO 3382 standard such as T20, G, C50, LF, LFC
• Assessment of speech intelligibility (STI) in acoustically challenging spaces and/or when using line arrays and steerable columns
• Evaluation of loudspeaker system designs providing lateral and diffuse field energy for immersive room acoustics
• Fast overview of locations with detrimental echoes that affect the sound transmission quality
• Creating high-quality auralizations for a space or venue

Typical rooms/venues

Indoor: rooms with uneven distribution of absorption, complex geometry, large volume, and/or areas of high and low scattering like cathedrals, mosques, airports, railway stations, tunnels, stadiums, industrial buildings
Outdoor: train stations, larger public spaces with reflective surfaces

Feature Level Overview EASE JR, Standard, and Pro

Version Comparison EASE 5

The table below gives an overview of the feature sets of EASE Junior, EASE Standard and EASE Pro.

Please also see the following articles for more details:

• Which version of EASE should I buy - JR, Standard, or Pro?
• EASE 5 Feature Overview

 

Feature / Version	EASE JR	EASE Standard	EASE Pro
Importing drawings and 3D models - Import 3D and 2D DWG files from CAD tools such as AutoDesk AutoCAD software or Trimble SketchUp Pro - Load floor plans and section views in image file formats, such as JPG or PNG as reference for drawing - Import and export EASE 4 projects - Export geometry and loudspeaker cases to CAD tools via DWG files
Creating the 3D model - Integrated light-weight CAD editor for creating the 3D model - Insert and modify surfaces using snapping functions, constraints, relative coordinates, and projection from drawings - Use move, duplicate, extrude, mirror and numerous other advanced tools for model construction and modification - Adding or combining projects in EASE format or DWG format - Slices, orthogonal views, and geometrical analysis functions for verifying model consistency
Clear software structure and environment - Modern window management with docking functions and customized arrangements - Different model views and displays including wireframe, X-ray, solid rendering, as well as central and parallel perspective - Interactive mouse navigation for zooming, panning and rotating model views - Highlighting and hovering functions - Saving graphics to clipboard or file - Interactive tables for all room items supporting highlighting and selection functions as well as sorting, searching, filtering, and grouping
Extensive loudspeaker database - Extensive loudspeaker database covering the majority of the world’s renowned loudspeaker manufacturers  - Simulate more than 2500 products of more than 140 brands including line arrays and steerable columns - Database management including filter and search functions
Loudspeaker handling - Inserting, configuring and finetuning of loudspeakers and loudspeakers systems - Signal processing functions for loudspeakers, loudspeaker inputs, groups of loudspeakers and the whole sound system - Input configurations and predefined filters as provided by manufacturer - Copying loudspeaker configurations - Loudspeakers table can be viewed and exported
Configuration of line arrays and clusters - Detailed configurator window - Select frames and boxes, adjust splay angles and gain interactively - Tuning and schematic view for line arrays as well as tabular overview - Import configuration (XGLC) files
Material management - Extensive, reviewed database of materials for ceilings, walls, and floors - Database management including filter and search functions and data preview - Detailed information about room materials in tabular format including covered surface area - Interactive modification of materials within the scope of the project - Integrated material editor for creating new materials and adjusting existing materials in the database
Receivers - User-defined receiver locations as reference for mappings, response calculations, and auralization - Define audience areas as virtual calculation planes using the standard drawing toolset - Define listener seats for representative listening or measurement locations
Grouping - Multi-select of room items is available for all modification functions - Loudspeakers can be assigned to processing blocks according to necessary signal processing - Faces can be grouped by their materials - Selection sets can be used to group any selection of items and recall them for viewing and modification
Selection Sets - Create, modify and delete sets of selected items with user-defined names - Cross-highlight included items in other windows and vice versa - View properties of included items such as assigned speaker models and acoustic materials - Recall selection for all room modification functions - Select single items and subsets of items for further use
Calculation parameters - Supported frequency range: generally from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, Acousteer real-time mapping from 20 Hz to 20 kHz  - Calculation in bandwidths of 1/3rd octave, 1/1 octave, 3 octave, broadband or user-defined - SPL can be viewed Z-weighted and A-weighted, Acousteer real-time mapping also C-weighted - Power summation and complex summation options - Supported input signals: Pink noise, speech (IEC 60268-16:2020), music (EIA 426B), program (IEC 60268-1)
Advanced calculation parameters - Acousteer real-time mapping in 1/24 octave resolution
Mapping functions - Calculate mappings on faces, audience areas and listener seats - User-defined color scale - Isoline contour plots on audience areas and faces - Frequency response curves, distribution statistics - Result export as pictures and tables
Direct field mapping - Direct field mapping and coverage analysis using Acousteer real-time simulation or conventional - Arrival times and propagation delays - Loudspeaker coverage overlap - Initial Time Delay (ITD) Gap - Loudspeaker density mapping (3 dB, 6 dB, 10 dB)
Statistical room acoustics - Accessible statistical room acoustics based on Eyring - Import of measured reverberation times and background noise levels - Acoustic parameters view with detailed data on geometrical and acoustical room properties - 3D mapping on faces, audience areas and listener seats  - Total SPL and Sound Pressure Levels L7, L50, L80 - Speech Intelligibility STI, ALCons - D/R Ratio, Critical Distance, Clarity - Privacy Index and Articulation Index - S/N Ratio mapping
STI analysis and optimization - Apply changes to signal level and noise level after mapping calculations and update STI results without recalculation. - Automatic STI optimization function for determining best signal level at given S/N.
Localization - Horizontal angle mapping shows the direction of the localized sound source.
Mapping with reflections - Statistical mapping results extended by early specular reflections - Total SPL and Sound Pressure Levels L7, L50, L80 - Speech Intelligibility STI, ALCons - D/R Ratio, Critical Distance, Clarity - Local Decay Time
Reflection patterns - Visualize and analyze 3D reflection patterns - Verify loudspeaker aiming and reflector orientation  - Ray and particle displays - Save and recall result files
Reflection analysis - Analyze reflectograms regarding reflection arrival times, levels and directions - Select and visualize individual reflections in 3D - 3D Hedgehog displays for directional analysis
Measurement Probe - View and analyze response files and reflectograms created by ray-tracing calculations - Reflectogram, Impulse Response, ETC views - 3D Waterfall and 3D Hedgehog displays - Frequency response and sound pressure levels - Reverberation times - Speech Intelligibility results MTF, STI and ALCons - Clarity and Definition - Tail prediction methods for ray-tracing results with time cut-off
Full-length analysis with scattering (based on AURA module) - Advanced ray-tracing functions based on 64-bit and multi-threading including scattering effects - Accurate, full-length echograms and impulse responses - Acoustic result quantities according to ISO 3382 and IEC 60268-16 - Various control parameters
Full-length mapping - 3D mapping on faces, audience areas and listener seats  - Direct SPL, Total SPL - Clarity and Definition Measures (D, C50, C80) - Center Time, Sound Strength G - Reverberation Times EDT, T10, T20, T30 - Lateral Fraction LF and LFC - Speech Intelligibility results STI and ALCons - Echo Criteria for Music and Speech - Echogram and histogram displays - S/N Ratio mapping
Full-length response analysis - Detailed reflectograms and response files for analysis and auralization - Response (RSP) files for detailed analysis in Probe module - Binaural (BIR) files for auralization in EARS module - B-Format (WAV) files for auralization in Ambisonics setups
Full-length auralization (based on EARS module) - Perform auralizations based on direct sound, ray-tracing and full-length response calculations - Creation of BIR filter files using selected HRTFs - Display of BIR files as binaural impulse response or frequency response - Auralization using BIR files and dry signal input files (WAV) or from a live source (real-time convolution) - Stereo convolution and mixing