Rational Acoustics has announced the launch of the Noise Stick, a phantom-powered pink noise generator and the first acoustic test and measurement accessory product to be designed and distributed under the Rational Acoustics brand name.
The Noise Stick simply plugs into a phantom-powered microphone input and it generates well-behaved pink noise. Unplug it, and it stops – the Noise Stick requires no batteries and no configuration, and doesn’t need a power switch.
The Noise Stick is hand-built in the USA exclusively for Rational Acoustics by PMP Audio Works, incorporating hand matched transistors, 1-percent tolerance resistors and a Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) random number generator that provides a pseudorandom signal with excellent statistical properties and without any obvious, audible repeats.
The output of the Noise Stick’s random number generator drives a hand tuned filter bank that delivers a pink spectrum that is nominally flat within +/- 0.5 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz on a fractional-octave analyzer. The frequency response and output level for each unit is tested at both the beginning and end of the burn-in process to ensure that both criteria perform over time without variation.
The sleek, compact design is unobtrusive and fits easily into mic cases and gear bags, and the product housing is milled from a solid piece of aluminum rod to yield a thicker walled tube than we can be achieved by using standard tubing stock.
The entire unit is filled with epoxy after assembly to protect the electronics from shock and increase its crush strength. Prototype test units were found to work just fine after being dropped from two stories onto a concrete surface and run over by a car, although the company doesn’t recommend this level of testing by users (at least on purpose).
The Noise Stick is available for purchase at the Rational Acoustics web store (www.rationalacoustics.com/store/ ) immediately.
For more information:
Rational Acoustics Website