Run a Full Test

1. Click on New Test on the upper left corner of the screen. Pick a template — “Acoustic Test” is the built-in one that comes with the software, but you can pick another one once you’ve added more templates.

  • Enter the Instrument Name - this is the name you give the specific instrument you’re testing (e.g. Chris’s Stradivarius)

  • Enter the Test Name - Once you click outside the Instrument Name, the software will automatically populate this field with your instrument name, and 1. You can choose to name it something else more descriptive of the test you’re carrying out.

  • (Optional) Enter Instrument Keywords - Click the “Keywords” button to see some suggestions. These keywords are like tags that describe your instrument, e.g. violin.

  • Make sure the device is set to OCTA-CAPTURE.

  • Choose a settings template.

*TIP: The default one is Acoustic Test. You can also use a template file that you’ve previously created, or create a new template from this window by changing values as desired and clicking “Save as a Template”

  • Make sure the Trigger is set to Hammer (force).

  • Once you’re done, click OK to start the test.

2. Start executing the experiment by letting the hammer hit the bridge. All 3 of the left-hand side plots on the test window should start filling up with each tap. Your screen might look like the one on the left.

3. The test should be complete once the number of taps recorded reaches the number of taps/position setting of the test. (The default is 5 taps per position, see the appendix, Recommended Experiment Procedures for further explanation of how the test is conducted)

Troubleshooting for running the test

    • “Double Bounce” appears at the top of the plot.

        • Don’t hit the bridge quite as hard or don’t pull the hammer back too much before releasing it.

4. Once you’re done with all the taps per position, you will be prompted with a dialog that says your position is complete. From here, you have 3 options:

    • Redo position: If you’re not satisfied with your data, you can redo the data collection for that position.

    • Pause button: This stops the data collection and takes you back to the data collection window. This is useful if you want to take a break from data collection, zoom into the data to make sure it’s been collected successfully, change settings, etc.

    • Save and move on: This saves your data and takes you back to the main screen or the next position, if you’ve set your preferences to collect more than one position data per run.

5. If you’ve clicked “Save and move on” you will be sent back to the main screen, and an autoload screen with different loading options will appear. You can select one of these options from the dropdown menu.

*TIP: A run contains typically 2 sets (H and V). Each set contains typically 12 positions. Each position contains typically 5 taps. You can refer to Recommended Experiment Procedures for an explanation of these numbers.

      • Entire Run (default) - Gives an average for all of the positions by averaging all the taps within each one. You can average either the magnitudes or the full complex numbers.

      • All Sets - Averages the position measurements to get a set measurement average.

      • All Positions - Averages the taps to get a position measurement average.

      • All Taps - Averages the set measurements to get a test measurement average.

      • Nothing - Doesn’t load any data into main screen but still saves it in the data folder you chose. ALL data (the raw signal coming from the mic and the hammer, the averages, etc.) is saved.