Skip to content

Quickstart

Overview

This guide explains the flow from setting up MeasureLab to performing your first measurement.

Hardware Preparation (Loopback)

Before starting the measurement, let's prepare to confirm "whether the sound is being recorded correctly."

  1. Cable Connection: Connect the Output and Input of your audio interface directly with a cable to create a "loopback connection."
  2. Equipment Protection: To prevent loud noises from suddenly damaging your equipment, initially set the output volume (OUT) and input gain (IN) of the audio interface to "minimum (zero)."

Using this loopback connection first allows you to test whether the basic input and output between the PC and the audio interface are working properly, helping isolate the causes of configuration errors or equipment troubles.

Starting the Software

MeasureLab works on Windows and Linux. Please download the final Python v0.9.1 build for your OS from the Releases page.

Windows

  1. Download MeasureLab-<version>-windows-x64-setup.exe for Windows 10 / 11 (x64).
  2. Run the installer. It installs for the current user without administrator privileges, by default in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\MeasureLab.
  3. Open MeasureLab from the Start menu. A desktop shortcut is optional during installation.

To update, close MeasureLab and run the new installer. The installation folder is reused, and settings and calibration in %APPDATA%\MeasureLab are retained. Remove the application through Settings > Apps; user settings, calibration, and saved screenshots are retained.

The folder-based ZIP build (MeasureLab-<version>-windows-x64-onedir.zip) remains available. Extract the entire archive and run MeasureLab.exe. Older releases may only offer ZIP builds.

When switching from ZIP to the installer, existing settings in %APPDATA%\MeasureLab are reused. If the old ZIP folder contains a portable config.json, back it up and copy it to the new installation folder while MeasureLab is closed to preserve that configuration. Keep the old folder until you have checked settings, calibration and saved measurements; files saved beside the old executable are not moved automatically.

ASIO support is experimental and disabled by default. After installing the required ASIO driver separately, select Enable experimental ASIO support during installation if needed. The installer reuses this selection during updates. Manual switching scripts are also included in the installation folder; see README_ASIO.txt there.

The installer currently has no Windows Authenticode signature, so SmartScreen may display a warning. Release .sigstore.json bundles and SHA-256 checksums provide separate artifact verification; they do not replace Windows code signing.

Linux

  1. Download MeasureLab-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
  2. Grant execution permission to the file.
chmod +x MeasureLab-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
  1. Run it directly.
./MeasureLab-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

macOS

  1. Download MeasureLab-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg for Apple Silicon or MeasureLab-<version>-macos-x64.dmg for Intel Macs.
  2. Gatekeeper Bypass:
  3. On the first launch, you may see a message saying the application "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified."
  4. To open it, "Right-click (or Control + click) the app and select 'Open'."
  5. A confirmation dialog will appear. Click "Open" again to start the application.
  6. If the "Open" option still doesn't appear:
  7. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security. Scroll down to find the message stating "MeasureLab.app was blocked..." and click "Open Anyway".
  8. Alternatively, manually remove the quarantine flag via Terminal: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/MeasureLab.app (You can drag the app icon into the terminal window to paste its path).

First launch (FFT Optimization): On the first launch, preparation (WISDOM generation) is performed to speed up measurement calculations. The screen may appear to freeze for several tens of seconds, but it is not a malfunction. From the next time, the cache will be used, and it will start instantly.

UI Display Settings

In the Settings widget, you can change the UI language and color scheme to make it easier to use.

Language Settings

It may be in English by default. Select Japanese from the Languages combo box to switch the interface to Japanese.

Theme Settings

You can change the color scheme according to your environment and preference. Please select from the Themes combo box.

  • Dark: Dark mode that is easy on the eyes even in dark places (recommended).
  • Light: Bright display.
  • System: Follows the OS settings.

Sound Device Settings

After starting, first configure the audio input/output settings. Open the Settings widget (gear icon) from the left menu.

Windows

Select the audio interface you want to use from the device list.

  • ASIO: If there is a dedicated driver for the audio interface, selecting this is the most stable.
  • WASAPI: Recommended setting if there is no dedicated driver or when using standard Windows functions.
  • MME / DirectSound: Large latency, not very suitable for measurement.

Linux

When performing high-precision measurements in a Linux environment, we strongly recommend using JACK or PipeWire.

  1. Select the jack or pipewire device.
  2. Please turn the "Jack/Pipewire mode" checkbox ON.
  3. If you forget this, the measurement data may become intermittent, and accurate analysis may not be possible.

Recommendations for Input/Output and Sampling Settings

  • Input/Output Channels
    • Basically, leave it at the default and select Stereo (2ch).
  • Sampling Rate
    • This determines the "fineness" or resolution of the recorded sound. The larger the number, the higher the definition. As long as your PC specs allow, we recommend selecting a high rate (high-resolution setting) such as 192kHz.
  • Buffer Size / Buffer Optimization
    • This is the size of the buffer that temporarily stores audio data.
    • We strongly recommend setting it to "Long (STABLE or higher)".
    • Unlike music production or gaming, measurement prioritizes stable data processing over latency.

Using Dithering

When outputting at low bit depths (e.g., 16-bit) or measuring extremely low distortion (THD+N), enable Dithering in the Audio tab of the Settings. This converts quantization distortion into noise, improving the linearity of low-level signals.

First Measurement (Loopback Test)

After the settings are finished, let's actually output sound and look at the graph.

Step A: Output a Signal

  1. Open Signal Generator from the left menu.
  2. Set Frequency to 1000 Hz (1kHz).
  3. Press the Output button and gradually increase the interface volume.

Step B: View on Graph

  1. Open Spectrum Analyzer from the left menu.
  2. Increase the input gain of the interface and confirm that a "sharp peak at 1000Hz" appears on the screen.
  3. If the 1000Hz peak is displayed, it is operating normally.

No Audio Interface? (Virtual Mode)

If you don't have an audio interface or want to analyze existing audio files without any hardware, you can use the Virtual / Offline Mode.

  1. Go to Settings (gear icon) > Audio tab > Driver section.
  2. Check the Virtual / Offline Mode option.
  3. Use the Simulation Rate to set your desired sampling rate.
    • When analyzing high-quality audio files (e.g., 24-bit/192kHz), setting the Simulation Rate to match the file's rate ensures analysis without degradation from downsampling.

In this mode, you can load audio files into the Player widget or generate signals internally, and analyzed results will appear in the analyzer widgets just like real hardware.

Next Steps

Once you are familiar with the basic operations, proceed to more detailed guides.