Getting Started¶

Installation¶

cftscal is a standard Python package, installable via pip:

python -m pip install cftscal

This registers a cfts-cal command in your environment. — see Calibration Concepts for why cftscal itself has no hardware I/O of its own).

Launching cftscal¶

In a console:

cfts-cal

By default, a workspace tab only shows up if cftscal detects the matching hardware channel. If a workspace you expect doesn't show up, see Workspace Settings below — both for how hardware detection is configured, and for how to load a workspace anyway without its hardware present.

Workspace Settings¶

Before calibrating anything, cftscal needs to know:

Data folder — where calibration results get saved. Defaults to ~/Documents/cftscal, but you can point it anywhere (e.g. a shared lab drive).
Hardware — which acquisition backend to use (a dedicated sound card, an NI-DAQ system, etc.). This determines which input/output channels are available to every other plugin.
Audio device & sample rate (sound card hardware only) — the specific device and sampling rate to record/play at. Pick a sample rate your hardware and microphones actually support; if you're not sure, the dropdown only lists rates cftscal has confirmed the selected device supports.
Always load these plugins — force specific workspace tabs to show up in view-only mode, even without their hardware detected. Useful for reviewing or exporting existing calibrations on a computer that doesn't have the relevant hardware (e.g. a laptop with no sound card). Takes effect immediately on Save, no restart needed.

The general pattern¶

Every calibration workspace in cftscal (microphone, speaker, starship, input recording, ...) follows the same basic layout:

A Settings panel (usually top-left) — pick an input/output channel, a target folder, a sensor/device label, and any other parameters, then click a button to run the calibration or recording.
A plot area showing the result of the currently selected calibration from the list below.
A list/tree of everything previously recorded for this workspace, organized into folders (by default, one per device — see Calibration Concepts for why you might reorganize this). Right-click an entry for actions like exporting or deleting it.

Actually running a calibration launches a separate window (psi, the underlying acquisition engine). cftscal ships a sensible starting dock-panel layout and preference set for most calibration types, so this window is usually already arranged reasonably the first time you see it. If you want to change it, rearrange the panels and use that window's own Configuration > Layout > Set default menu (and similarly for Configuration > Preferences) — your own saved arrangement always takes precedence from then on and is never overwritten by cftscal.

Once you're oriented, move on to the Plugins:

Measurement Microphone Calibration — usually the first thing you do in a session.
Input Recording — for recording and reviewing any signal from one or more channels at once, with flexible filtering and calibrated WAV export.
Speaker Calibration and Generic Microphone Calibration — calibrate a speaker or a non-precision microphone against your measurement microphone.
Starship Calibration and Starship Check — calibrate a starship, then periodically verify it's still behaving once it's in use.
Input Amplifier Calibration — verify a standalone signal preamp's actual gain.
IR Sensor Calibration — a diagnostic recording tool for IR emitter/detector pairs.

If you'd rather know what's happening underneath, the Reference section has the equations (Calibration Math), the spectrum-estimation details (Signal Analysis), and the rig-design arithmetic (Hardware Design).