# Designer Lite app



## kadijk (Jan 23, 2011)

Wondering if anyone has any experience using Designer Lite from the Home Theater Assistant series? It's a free iPhone app, which allows room measurement input and then spits out some options for seat placement, screen size and speaker placement. I know it might be simplifying what can or should be a precise calculation including many more variables, however I'm wondering if it's helpful to create a starting point. It also calculated some room mode freq into a chart, which I was interested in but have no idea how to use the info. 
Anyone tried it? It's free. Maybe check it out and give some feedback( I know I sound like I'm plugging the app but I'm only curious to know if it's a useful tool- love free tools and info)


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

Is it safe to assume that you don't have an iPad or an iPhone?


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## kadijk (Jan 23, 2011)

I do have an iPhone. Just dont know how to evaluate the mode info that the app calculates.


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## mtbdudex (Jan 2, 2008)

I just played with it during lunch, for free gives some starting points for further discussion.
At first I thought it actually took acoustic measurements and used those somehow, but you enter your room L x W x H and it gives your high level overview.

Here is what it does:

a) enter dim's ; I used my HT actuals , my HT layout shown for ref below:

















b) give seat recommenations based on basic "acoustic modeling", my seats are same as "c", 10' from screen, I selected that (also have 2nd row seating)
















c) three tabs, 1st is speaker layout based on room/seating position
















d) 2nd tab, screen size, it selected 102" diag 16:9 screen, which is what I have...my screen is also 130" diag 2.35:1 via a-lens.
















e) 3rd tab, room modes. Useful to know as starting point, but so many assumptions go into this calc vs real world you really need to measure the room modes yourself. As starting point, it's fine, but need to measure/confirm real world.
















In summary, a decent starting point.


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## kadijk (Jan 23, 2011)

I like the starting point it gives, agreed. But the chart it spits out with the room modes...I guess my question is mostly about how to read or interpret that info. 1st, 2nd etc. harmonics...how does that info meld with the room size and layout and how do I use that info to adjust anything. Maybe I need to read a sticky or a book on room modes to understand?


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## mtbdudex (Jan 2, 2008)

kadijk said:


> I like the starting point it gives, agreed. But the chart it spits out with the room modes...I guess my question is mostly about how to read or interpret that info. 1st, 2nd etc. harmonics...how does that info meld with the room size and layout and how do I use that info to adjust anything. Maybe I need to read a sticky or a book on room modes to understand?


Ethan Winer has a nice write up here.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html#modecalc

For visualization, try this
http://www.mcsquared.com/modecalc.htm

Simply, you can do a couple of things with the information:
1) place seating based on the modes
2) place multiple subwoofers based on the info to help address some of the ones that are in your MLP/seating zone (I've not done this)
3) plan acoustic treatments to address them ; broadband bass traps to address room modes overall (I've done this), and/or membrane bass traps to address specific room modes at specific locations (possible my next step)


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## kadijk (Jan 23, 2011)

Thank you. What a great article. I appreciate your help.


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