Are your fill speakers phase compatible with your mains? Does it matter? L-Acoustics K2 + dV-DOSC Today I'm helping setup an L-Acoustics sound system at the convention center for an annual religious meeting. We've got K2 in the main array and dV-DOSC as delays. The A1 aligned the system using distance measurements. Normally, I'm a big fan of this method. That's what the 1:1 preset in SubAligner is for. But today, I have some doubts. These speakers are 15 years apart. The dV-DOSC came … [Read more...]
Adventures in Alignment #1
The only good reason for uncoupled subs. While teaching Sub School I came across an interesting fact: The only time I split my subwoofers up to cover the left and right side of the audience is when the width is greater than the depth. The beginning of forward aspect ratio (FAR) is 1:1, a square. If your audience is a square then you need a 180º speaker, or in this case, a sub array. I find this is pretty common, which is one of the reasons that the gradient array is so useful. I only … [Read more...]
Stop Blindly Recommending Linkwitz-Riley Filters
Linkwitz-Riley filters may sum well electrically, but not acoustically. For this reason I think their best function is as targets, but not a generic crossover filter design recommendation. For example: 👎 "Using LR24 filters will give you a flat acoustic frequency response through the crossover region." 👍 "Using LR24 targets will give you a flat acoustic frequency response through the crossover region." Then, choose whatever filters are appropriate to hit the … [Read more...]
Subwoofer Alignment at The Redmoor Cincinnati
Recently I had the opportunity to help my friend Nick work on the calibration of some new components at a great looking venue in Cincinnati called The Redmoor. We met on TeamViewer and recorded the entire thing so that it could serve as a combination of consultation and training. If you'd like my help on your project, you can schedule an appointment here. In this post I'll walk you through some of the EQ and crossover alignment steps we took. Pre-production First, gather materials. I … [Read more...]
Do subwoofers need time alignment?
It's really important to get the low end right at live events. Research has shown that 3/4 of what people consider to be high quality sound comes from the low frequency content.1 Subwoofers are a big part of that low frequency content, supporting and extending its capabilities. However, subwoofers also require careful setup and alignment to ensure optimal performance. If you’ve ever had trouble getting your low end right, then you might want to read this article. It will explain why … [Read more...]