Re Home EQ Wizard
I have not used it to it yet to upload filters to BFD. Still waiting for one these to arrive:
http://www.audiotrak.net/xpmidi.htm

Have played with it some though and it works well and as advertised. Here is a discussion on a UK forum:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203681&page=1&pp=15

The author of the program will respond to emails and he has also posted here:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=231473

I’ve only spent brief amount of time playing with this program but so far it’s amazing and it’s free! For BFD users it looks like its going to save them a lot of time setting it up.

Good info Dundas.

Most people can also just get a $19 Midi cable which can be had at most computer or music stores.

They look like this:
http://www.calibex.com/M-Audio-M-Audio--...ARE-PRICES-html

Also, if you pick up the EMU404 it has midi in/out built in. Since the Midi Mate is $50 and the Soundcard is $99, you get better signal to noise for another $50..

This is the only soundcard for a laptop, with a midi port, that I've found:
web page

Thoughts?

The sound card does not need to have a midi port. The laptop just needs to be able to communicate with the BFD’s midi interface.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.mulcahy/roomeq/wizardhelp/help_en-GB/html/gettingstarted.html

I assume the RS232 to midi would be OK but I would email John Mulcahy to make sure.

Roger that on the midi port. I can just get a USB coonector for that.

The key for me is to be able to use my laptop, which doesn't have a real soundcard. So, I'd have to get a soundcard for it. This one seems promising....

This type II cardbus (Echo Indigo io) soundcard has a built in microphone preamp. Pretty cool.

Trikos, I thought earlier we were talking about using a microphone to do this with the FBD...now we're talking about using an SPL meter. Or is it just that one software program uses an SPL meter (Room EQ Wizard) while another program (True Audio RTA) uses a microphone? I think that's the case...
EDIT: I see now after reading TrueRTA's FAQ's. you can use just a SPL meter.
Which method would produce the best results with the FBD? Using a quality mic, such as Behrenger's own EMC 8000 and the TrueRTA software, or an SPL meter with the TrueRTA software?
Or, would it be by using that entirely free program, Room EQ Wizard and an SPL meter?
I guess the nice thing going with the TrueRTA, microphone, and the Indigo io PCMIA card is you would be equiped to do a lot more things, though more expensive in the end.

Either way, I'd still have to buy a sound card for my laptop, either PCMIA, USB or Firewire. And, I'd have to buy a SPL meter or a microphone. Oh, and the Behringer DSP1124P...and a USB to midi patch cord.
After buying all that, it wouldn't cost much more to just buy their Ultracurve . With that, you don't have to deal with using your PC, software, and patch cords. Though, you'd still need that microphone. It looks like it does a lot of other stuff too besides the DSP1124P functions, though I'm way too clueless at this point to know what else it could do for me. Perhaps someone with more than 2 functioning brain cells could elaborate on some of the other things you could do if one had that model? ?

Sorry for being a moron...
It's taking me awhile to grasp this...

Assid,

Setting up a solution with a mic/soundcard/rta is a "life time" solution to audio measurement. The alternate that Dundas came up with I see as more an one off FBD solution for say, tweaking your sub for your HT.

If you interests are in audio measurement for improving any speaker (or building them) than you need a good quality sound card (high signal/noise, etc) and at least 96khz sample rate to be able to properly sample 20khz signals. Plus a flat Mic, and software to generate and analyze signals.

Before picking up an external USB soundcard, do some research on who delivers the best "audiophile" solution at a resonable price. Also, sample rate is very important for higher frequencies.

If you just want to measure your sub, there is lots of solutions out there. I have heard some people have resonable luck with the Transit $99, but I have never used one: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Transit-main.html

The big difference between a SPL meter like the ones sold a Radio Shack and buy a quality measurement mic is the accuracy and sample rate you will be able to obtain with the mic solution. Some of the SPL meters do have a jack for connecting them to audio in, (I have one) but at lower freqencies are not that accurate.

Eric Wallin had done some work to try and improve the various Radio Shack SPL meters, but by the time you are done, you could have bought the EMC8000.. http://mysite.verizon.net/tammie_eric/audio/audio.html

Here is a link site for the major soundcard manufactures, but do your research before buying.. http://www.synthzone.com/sndcard.htm

Lastly, remember that the FBD is a perminent solution for your Sub, don't get caught up in buying something that is for sound measurement in that spot, unless don't mind disconnecting it from your HT every time you want to measure some sound. Thats what the rest of the equipment is for...

Good luck..

I would not suggest using the BFD for anything other than subwoofer equalization but for that purpose there nothing that can touch it at anywhere near the price. The problem is that using it properly is very labour intensive with lots of measuring and setting filters then measuring and setting filters, etc., etc.
What Room EQ Wizard appears to do is to automate everything (frequency sweep and measurement, analysis, filter setting creation) so that what used to take hours should take minutes.
The program also has a C-weighting compensation setting so that you do not have to modify your RS meter to get a flat response.

In case anyone is not aware of it here is a very good site on setting up the BFD:
http://www.snapbug.ws/bfd.htm

Thanks Dundas