Sound Design Live

Build Your Career As A Sound Engineer

Merlijn’s Subwoofer Alignment Method Will Make You Feel like a Jedi Master

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In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with the senior technical support and education specialist at Meyer Sound, Merlijn van Veen. We discuss subwoofer alignment, subwoofer spacing, and M-noise.

I ask:

  • In Subwoofer Alignment: The foolproof relative / absolute method you describe a process of comparing two sources in the near-field when they are side-by-side and measurement conditions are favorable, creating an alignment preset, and then deploying that in the far-field with complementary delay to correct for any distance offset caused by moving the speakers apart relative to the listening position. Unfortunately, most of us attend a seminar where we learn how to align two sources and it seems pretty straight forward. Then we get into the field and the whole thing falls apart. Why can it be so challenging to get actionable data in the field and how did you came to develop the relative/absolute method?
  • You published a series of articles on your site called Mind the Gap, in which you share the performance improvements in directional subwoofer arrays caused by adding an air gap between enclosures. You end the articles with this: “the challenge becomes to determine the minimum required gap size for improved rejection without a noticeable increase in lobing.” Do you have an update for us on this subject and any further information on the minimum gap size?
  • Could you give us a run down of the settings you use in your audio analyzer? smoothing, graph limits, averaging, etc.
  • What is M-noise? Do I need to start using it as my test signal in Smaart?
  • From FB
    • Dave Gammon: If he had hair…. would he have a mullet or ponytail…
    • Swapnil Wakodikar: Accessible software for all which provides stimulation of Line array and subwoofer configuration.
    • Ockert Marais: If you could only teach a single lesson about sound system optimisation for your entire life, What would it be?
    • Thorsten Bunz: Did having your own education site and writing articles help you get the job at meyer? How did it change your career?
sound-design-live-touring-foh-sound-engineer-job-Merlijn_van_Veen

If you ask a violin player to describe their violin, you’re going to get an 8-hour lecture because he knows his instrument intimately. He knows everything there is to know about that instrument because that’s how he makes his money. Ask an engineer to describe the phase response of the loudspeakers that he works with regularly and chances are you will hear crickets.

Merlijn van Veen

Notes

  1. All music in this episode by Derrick Bryant.
  2. Meyer Sound, MAPP XT, M-Noise
  3. Merlijn’s starting audio analyzer settings: 1/48oct resolution, ±30dB with 10dB divisions, MTW FFT resolution, Complex magnitude average type, 16 FIFO or 1sec average
  4. SC0403-A task group
  5. Sound system Design and Optimization: and em Español.
  6. Quotes
    1. It’s notoriously hard to absorb long wavelengths.
    2. If you have really unfavorable conditions, even using a gratuitous amount of smoothing, typically, will not rid you of those fake wraparounds.
    3. If you ask a violin player to describe their violin, you’re going to get an 8-hour lecture because he knows his instrument intimately. He knows everything there is to know about that instrument because that’s how he makes his money. Ask an engineer to describe the phase response of the loudspeakers that he works with regularly and chances are you will hear crickets.
    4. I don’t consider ripple a bad thing. It’s arguably the most important metric that there is in interpreting an analyzer because it gives you an understanding of the degree of interaction and direct to reverberant ratio.
    5. It’s not about wrong or right. If you know what you are doing, anything goes. If you want your analyzer to become an ally, then the analyzer should render the sound as crappy as it sounds, not paint a picture from a data sheet.
    6. It makes no difference which signal we use when it comes to obtaining a transfer function. M-noise does not change my calibration practice.
    7. Calibration is the process of making it sound the same everywhere. Voicing is the process of “How should the sound system ultimately sound?”.
    8. In the absence of a viable alternative, I think MAPP is still the ultimate sandbox to experiment with these things while looking at data that you will run into in the real world.
    9. Vince Lombardi: Excellence is achieved by the mastery of the fundamentals.

Audio Calculators for Sound System Tuning

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[Originally publish by Merlijn van Veen here.]

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In this episode of the Sound Design Live podcast I talk to Bob McCarthy, Mauricio Ramirez, Merlijn Van Veen and Daniel Lundberg about the best audio calculators for sound system design and optimization in the categories of desert island, design work, field work, and education.

Download the Audio Calculators Toolbox

Show notes:

  1. All music in this episode by DJ More SA.
  2. Bob McCarthy is currently head of the System Design and Optimization department at Meyer Sound.
  3. Mauricio Ramirez is currently senior seminar instructor at Meyer Sound.
  4. Merlijn Van Veen is an independent seminar instructor, designer, and tech.
  5. Daniel Lundberg is currently Head of Sound with the national tour of American in Paris.
  6. TSDCA: Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association

 

This Is Why You Are Over EQing

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In this episode of Sound Design Live, I speak with sound consultant and educator Merlijn van Veen while attending his Calibration and Design Techniques for Modern Sound Systems workshop at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. We talk about the way that audio analyzers used in sound system tuning can easily be abused for micromanagement and over EQing, my learnings from the workshop, and your questions on line array vs point source. I ask:

  • What manly songs can I play at soundcheck to make sure everyone knows what a big deal I am?
  • What’s one of the best decisions you made to get more of the work that you really love?
  • What is one concept or idea you wish everyone understood better before attending your workshops?
  • What is the main benefit or transformation you’ve observed for your students?
  • What are some of the biggest mistakes you see people make when they are new to sound system optimization?
  • Describe a loudspeaker crime scene investigation, and how can we try it at home.
  • True or false:
    • A doubling of distance results in a halving of sound pressure level.
    • A doubling of distance results in a 6 dB reduction in SPL.
    • A doubling of distance sounds twice as quiet.
  • What’s in your work bag?
  • Ajax or PSV?
  • Why is the stereo image so much better with point source systems comparing to line array systems?
  • Why are so many people using line array system, when single source system is better, cheaper, and easier to set up?

sound-design-live-touring-foh-sound-engineer-job-Merlijn_van_VeenThe modern line array speaker is 25 years old. It’s been around just as long as the point source, maybe even longer. It’s just another tool. Don’t obsess about it.

Notes

  1. All music in this episode by Young Link.
  2. Check Merlijn’s FB page for the most up-to-date information on seminars.
  3. My first interview with Merlijn – Understandable Misunderstandings
  4. Merlijn’s calculators, including Subwoofer Array Designer.
  5. Crime scene investigation:
    • Measure On-axis
    • Move off-axis (while keeping the delay locator unchanged so that you are equidistant) until you observe 6 dB of angular attenuation.
  6. Merlijn’s box of toys: Genelec Acoustic Tape, iSEMcon EMX7150, piston calibrator, protractor, laser range finder, Ampro humidistat hydrometer, transformer-based DI to handle up to 200V.
  7. The popularity of line array loudspeakers: less real estate, better range ratio.
  8. Quotes
    1. The FOH position is self-calibrating. If you don’t like what you hear, your brain will instruct your hands to start pushing buttons until you like what you hear. But there’s no guarantee that what you perceive in that square foot is the same art that the rest of the audience is perceiving.
    2. As much as I like to do art, ultimately, it’s a physics class.
    3. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. -Seneca
    4. Acknowledging that there is room for improvement is half the battle.
    5. You have this X-ray photo of your sound system, and it’s very tempting to start addressing every minor deviation. I did this in the beginning. It sets the table for micromanagement.
    6. Every new technological development, by definition, in the beginning, is used too often and in the wrong way. -George Lucas.
    7. If what we hear does not correlate with what we measure, we lose confidence in the measurement platform. And then most people will rely on their ears. But if you can connect the two, then you gain confidence in the things you are doing and you will feel more secure in approaching a new situation.
    8. The modern line array speaker is 25 years old. It’s been around just as long as the point source, maybe even longer. It’s just another tool. Don’t obsess about it.
    9. What I like about point source [speakers] is that afterward, I suffer less from listening fatigue.

sound-design-live-podcast-episode-98-this-is-why-you-are-over-eqing-merlijn-van-veen-crime-scene-1

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sound-design-live-podcast-episode-98-this-is-why-you-are-over-eqing-merlijn-van-veen-main-sub-alignment

sound-design-live-podcast-episode-98-this-is-why-you-are-over-eqing-merlijn-van-veen-nathan-lively

 

Growth Hack 2016: 13-Day Career Building Challenge

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sound-design-live-pro-audio-growth-hack-career-challenge-2016Are you ready to blast into 2016 with new energy and ideas?

Start the year off right with this 13-day career building challenge. Commit to professional growth this year as a sound engineer and as an entrepreneur.

You’ll receive a short lesson and action step each day from such industry leaders as Bob McCarthy, Darryn de la Soul, Dave Swallow, Merlijn Van Veen, Moldover, Larry Crane, Josh Srago, Ken “Pooch” Van Druten, Björgvin Benediktsson, Harry Mack, and Steve Knots.

SynAudCon “How Sound Systems Work” online training REVIEW

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Bottom line: “How Sound Systems Work” is a solid introductory course that is well worth the $200 price tag.

At first I thought “too expensive”, but then I compared the cost to my first semester at the Sonic Arts Center, which is basically what’s covered in this course. Let’s see, $200 vs $4,000? Now it makes more sense.

Here’s the intro video:

Things I liked

The human hearing system is quite easy to fool. -Pat Brown

I’m a big fan of step-by-step courses, so this is perfect for me. Also, most of the lessons are videos, which is good for me since I am a better audio learner who tends to skim long passages of text. Written summaries of the videos are also provided for folks who learn through reading, but I found I didn’t need those.

I like that Brown separates the art and science of audio.

The art of audio takes place in the mixing console. Not in the post-mixer signal processing. – Pat Brown

I also picked up some facts I never knew:

  • Most of the applied electrical power is lost as heat. – Pat Brown
  • Tone control and technical filters are other ways to say channel EQ and system EQ.
  • The 3:1 rule for isolating mikes to reduce phase issues.

I failed the first quiz and immediately thought, “Shut up Pat Brown, you don’t know anything!” After going over the answers I realized that a lot of this course is getting familiar with its particular vocabulary. For example, Brown uses high Q and low Q where Bob McCarthy would use first, second, and third order.

A majority of the time I felt like what was being presented was connected with the practical work I do and I could put it to use right away.

If a lot of these topics are new to you, the forum will be very valuable. I was confused by the explanation of dB usage, so I posted a question and Brown got back to me pretty quickly.

The section on common system problems is really valuable. Brown’s advice for dealing with microphone feedback is right on the money. I was happy to hear him say never to defeat the electrical ground on a piece of audio equipment. You would be surprised at how often I still see people use an AC ground lift unnecessarily.

I appreciated his advice on speaker aim for isolation and to avoid overlap when combining elements. That is one of the most common mistakes in sound system deployment.

Things I didn’t like

Never attempt to design a loudspeaker array.

What? Designing an array is fun! And it can be as easy as combining two matched subwoofers for low-frequency control. It’s also necessary. On many events I work on, I arrive to a pile of speakers on the floor. I then have to figure out how to combine them to best fit the room and the event.

One disappointing feature of this program is that you do not have lifetime access to it. Although I appreciate that a time constraint provides motivation to get it done, I would love to be able to review it again after six months or a year.

Make sure you listen to the section on precedence effect in video clip 2 of the final lesson. This is a frequently-misunderstood idea in system tuning and is not served by a rule of thumb. Afterward, make sure you listen to Sound System Design for Small Venues with Bob McCarthy at 20:54.

Things I got excited about

I’m comfortable with the inverse square law, but the inverse distance law was a completely new idea for me. I wrote to Merlijn Van Veem to make sure Brown wasn’t trying to pull a fast one on me. Here’s what Merlijn said:

The inverse distance law (aka inverse square law) is about loss rates and is often expressed in SPL level drop per doubling of distance. Normally, SPL level drop is 6dB per doubling of distance for point sources that produce a spherical wavefront. Line arrays produce cylindrical waveforms up to a certain distance, which is frequency-dependent. Beyond that point, they revert back to point source behavior. The lows fall back first, then the mids, and finally the highs. But factor in absorption by air, which acts like a HF loss rate accelerator, and effectively, only the mids adhere to cylindrical behavior. Cylindrical wavefronts drop at only 3 dB per doubling distance. This is why poorly-tuned line arrays sound harsh, like the proverbial ice pick in the forehead. Because the lows and highs can’t keep up with the mids.

Got it.

Final thoughts

This would be a great place to start if you are new to live sound. I think you will be left with more questions, but it is a great jumping off point to help you identify what you need to learn next.