About EASE 4.0
Some words of wisdom about EASE in general. Over the last years EASE has become one of the most powerful and accurate acoustic prediction programs in the world. It actually has become the industry standard for sound reinforcement modeling. EASE 3.0 has currently over 3000 users.
New User Interface
- EASEMain simplifies working with an explorer-like interface, by means of folders and icons all major functions can be accessed directly.
- All calculations are started from user-friendly wizard windows, showing all control parameters and options.
- Simplified Apply/Acquire.
- New path architecture developed, including project-specific loading and saving paths.
- Long file names now supported.
- New printing engine: EASE Page Designer replace Arrange.
- New licencing technology allows direct internet access to your licences. Just upload and download licences!
New Speaker Data
- EASE Speakerbase introduces complex data. Using the enhanced Import functions of the Speakerbase Module measured data can be converted directly from MLSSA Tim and Standard Wav Impulse Response Files as well as from TEF20.
- Balloon resolution: Angular resolution of 5 degrees and Frequency resolution of 1/3rd Octave.
- EASE 4.0 introduces Speaker DLL interface. DLL internal resolution can be as high as measured and stored independently from EASE balloon data.
- EASE 4.0 DLL interface allows for simulation of complex sound sources, like line arrays, where the far-field assumption cannot be applied. Distance - dependent behaviour is now possible to simulate.
- Limited use of calculated Clusters depending on far-field assumption now extended by near-field-corrected DLLs for more prediction accuracy.
- Mapping on virtual planes allows to investigate DLL directivity and distance behaviour.
- Loudspeaker properties include complex filters.
New Material Data
- EASE now supports the use of scattering coefficients (formerly called diffusion coefficients)
Extended Project Data
- Number of items (e.g. faces) only limited by hardware resources.
- New item type Object allows to group and modify items as whole. This makes moving, aiming and editing of loudspeaker arrays far easier. It also allows to save parts of the room geometry and re-load it for use in other projects.
- New extrusion and drawing functions.
Improved Import Functions
- DXF import and export functions completely re-built. Now it is possible to use ACAD colors as symbols for materials outside of EASE. It is also possible to import DXF 3D volume models.
New Room Visualization
- New EASE module Vision includes a high-resolution rendering engine. Effects like shadows, shading, transparency and reflection of light can be added.
- Textures can be defined to create pictures on the walls, transparent windows or floor tiles.
- Light Sources can be defined with special properties such as apertus angle, color of light and light intensity.
New Mapping Functions
- New measures such as Articulation Index and Privacy Index now supported.
- Mapping modules allow to save mappings to files. These can be re-loaded and viewed at any later point of time.
- Frequency Average functions allow to calculate Octave, 3-Octave and Broadband averages, as well as custom band averages.
New Acoustic Functions
- New EASE module Aura implements room-acoustic calculations. Based on CAESAR it has been jointly developed with the Aachen University. All measures according to ISO 3382 are supported and can be mapped. All calculations take scattering into account. Aura response calculation allows to auralize room responses without artificial tail.
- Enhanced raytracing algorithms are up to 20 times faster, especially optimized for large and complex enclosures. Maximum reflection order is no more limited.
- EASE Probe provides Impulse Response and ETC display. Also supported is STI, based on MTF calculation.
- Post-processing of results of standard raytracing impacts method has been extended by the new Predicted Tail features. It allows to obtain a complete impulse response predicted from the impact pulses.
- Local Decay Time calculation allows backward raytracing to compute local reverberation times.
- Reflection Mapping allows to also consider early reflections extending existing standard mapping functions.
New Auralisation Features
- Together with Lake, Australia, latency times of Real-Time convolution have been greatly reduced. Duplex Real-Time convolution possible without additional hardware.
- Enhanced EARS commands, such as Batch Processing or Convolve and Mix allow faster and automated post-processing of calculated impulse responses.
- Kemar Dummy HRTF added. HRTF balloons can be viewed also in a rendered view.
Extended OpenGL Interface
- EASE OpenGL files can be created from within any OpenGL module and saved to a file. This allows later viewing of mappings, balloons, drawings without a project. A standalone viewer allows use of these files on computers without EASE.
Upgrading to EASE 4.0
- EASE 4.0 is completely compatible with EASE 3.0 and capable of reading all EASE loudspeaker and project data files and of converting them into the new format.
- Current EASE 3.0 users will be able to upgrade to version 4.0 for a nominal upgrade charge.
- A Pentium-III-Processor with 500 MHz or more is recommended as a minimum. EASE is supplied on CD ROM and requires at least 128 MB of RAM plus 150 MB of hard disk space available (without the speaker database, which requires 100 MB additionally).