Quickstart

This guide walks through a complete RUBAT Studio session — from launching the application to monitoring and recording ultrasonic data in the field.

The interface is organised into logical panels. Following them from top to bottom ensures a stable, repeatable workflow.

1. Device Panel — Select & Probe

Purpose: Select input/output hardware and configure sampling parameters.

Recommended workflow

Click ↺ Refresh to detect connected audio devices.
Select your Input Device (e.g., multi-channel USB interface).
Select your Output Device (optional; required for monitoring).
Choose:
- Sample rate (e.g., 192000 Hz for ultrasonic recording)
- Frame size (buffer)
- Bit depth (if available)

When a device is selected, RUBAT probes it and logs its capabilities.

✔ Successful probe → channel selection becomes available
✖ Probe failure → check hardware connection and supported sample rates

Important: Once you press START, device controls are locked to prevent mid-stream reconfiguration.

2. Channel Selection Panel

Purpose: Choose which channels to record and/or monitor.

Input channels are displayed in a scrollable grid.
Enable only the channels required for your experiment.
Output channel selection determines routing for monitoring.

For large devices (e.g., 64 channels), scrolling keeps the interface manageable.

3. Monitoring Panel — Passthrough & Heterodyne

Purpose: Control real-time listening.

RUBAT supports three monitoring states:

Off — No live output
Passthrough — Direct audible monitoring
Heterodyne — Ultrasonic → audible translation

Heterodyne processing runs in real time and does not affect the recorded WAV file.

Adjust:

Carrier frequency (e.g., 40–50 kHz)
Monitoring gain
Channel routing

4. Waveform View

Purpose: Inspect amplitude over time.

Two display modes are available:

Relative dB (default)
Calibrated dB SPL (if calibration factor provided)

Entering a calibration factor (Pa per digital unit) converts values to:

dB SPL re 20 µPa

This enables physically meaningful amplitude comparison across sessions and devices.

5. Spectrogram View

Purpose: Visualise frequency content in real time.

Use the spectrogram to:

Identify bat call structure
Evaluate signal-to-noise ratio
Confirm ultrasonic bandwidth capture

Energy is mapped for high field legibility.

6. Start Streaming

After configuration:

Press START
Devices open
Visuals activate
Monitoring begins (if enabled)

The status line confirms sampling rate and streaming state.

7. Recording Modes

RUBAT supports three recording modes:

A. Continuous

Best for long unattended sessions.
Recording begins immediately and continues until manually stopped.

B. Tap (Ring Buffer)

Captures what just happened.

Configure:

Pre-trigger window
Post-trigger window

Press Tap Record during streaming to save pre + post audio.

C. Auto

Threshold-triggered capture.

Set:

Detection threshold
Pre/Post duration
Required peak count

When threshold conditions are met, RUBAT saves a clip automatically.

Ideal for unattended bat activity monitoring.

8. Logging Panel

Every critical event is logged:

Device probes
Sample rate selection
Channel changes
Monitoring mode changes
Recording start/stop
Auto triggers

Logs allow full session reconstruction — essential for reproducible research.

Typical Field Workflow

Launch RUBAT
Refresh devices
Select input/output
Verify probe success
Choose channels
Press START
Enable monitoring (if required)
Record (Continuous / Tap / Auto)
Monitor logs
Press STOP before changing devices

Practical Advice

Always confirm sample rate compatibility.
Keep monitoring gain moderate.
Use calibration for publishable amplitude data.
Review logs before closing.

You are now ready to deploy RUBAT Studio confidently in laboratory or field environments.