AVT Technology Workbook Create the Best Live Sound
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WorkbookMANAGER’S Delivering The Best Live Sound Experience for Indoor Spaces LEARNING OBJECTIVES p The Connection Between the Room, AVTechnology Manager’s Workbook Manager’s AVTechnology the Audio System, and the Audience | p Understanding the Audio Spectrum as Applied to the Intended Room Use p Designing the Audio System p Selecting Loudspeakers, Placement, and Understanding Pattern Control p Additional Audio Equipment Choices p Selecting the Correct Microphones for the Venue p Acoustical Treatment and Acoustical Replacement Systems DELIVERING THE BEST LIVE SOUND EXPERIENCE FOR INDOOR SPACES DELIVERING THE BEST LIVE SOUND EXPERIENCE FOR INDOOR SPACES Perspective s MANAGER’S Listen Up. Audio is as much of an art as it is a Workbook science. In the world of integrated audio sys- EDITORIAL tems, there is no “one-size-fits-all.” And yet, Margot Douaihy Editorial Director AV and IT managers are expected to magical- Cindy Davis Contributing Editor ly appear at a corporate theater, boardroom, SALES & MARKETING or college campus, clip mics Sue Horwitz Publisher on presenters, adjust goose- 323-933-9485 [email protected] necks, and ensure a solid ART & PRODUCTION Nicole Cobban sound performance. A good Senior Art Director technician needs to know Walter Makarucha Jr. Associate Art Director how sound systems work NEWBAY MEDIA Margot Douaihy, CORPORATE and understand parametric Steve Palm Editorial Director, President & CEO equalization in order to elimi- AV Technology magazine Anthony Savona nate unwanted ringing. Loud- VP of Content & Marketing NEWBAY AV/CONSUMER speaker system design, room ELECTRONICS GROUP Adam Goldstein acoustics, and the interplay among them are Executive VP/Group Publisher highly complex, but there are essentials ev- Published by NewBay Media L.L.C. ery manager must understand. Think of this 28 East 28th Street, 12th Floor New York, NY 10016 Workbook as your “sound reference” for dis- Tel: 212-378-0400 Web: nbmedia.com tributed audio applications, live sound best PRINTED IN THE USA practices, and every decibel in between. Thought Leader Sponsor The content in this Workbook is a collaborative effort between the editors of AV Technology magazine, its Thought Leader Sponsors, and editorial contributors. All contributed content has been edited and approved by AVT editors to ensure that it is first and foremost informative and educational, as well as provides inspiration. This is a marketing free zone. The content and images in this Workbook are owned by its authors and/or respective companies and may not be reprinted or reproduced in any way. avnetwork.com Delivering the Best Live Sound Experience for Indoor Spaces | AVTechnology Manager’s Workbook 2 MANAGER’S Content Workbook 2 Perspective 10 Selecting Loudspeakers, Placement, AV Technology magazine’s editorial director, Margot Douaihy’s take and Understanding Pattern Control on audio being as much of an art as it is a science. Whether designing an audio system for a boardroom, a lecture hall or corporate theater, understanding these key areas will help create the best experience for the audience. 4 Creating the Best Experience For audio designers, specifiers, installers and technicians on a mission to raise the bar from a “good experience” 15 Additional Audio Equipment Choices to the “best experience.” The availability of reasonably priced digital consoles, flexible output options, and the ability to transport audio over a network, are changing the way systems are being designed. 6 Understanding the Audio Spectrum as Applied to the Intended Room Use Each portion of the audio spectrum imparts its own challenges 16 Choosing the Right Microphones due to differences in wavelengths. Here are some basic guidelines for the Application to take into consideration. The overall performance of a sound system often depends on the polar patterns of the microphones used. Here are some guidelines to help when choosing microphones to optimize 8 Designing the Best Audio System intelligibility and avoid feedback. Exploring needs assessment through working with outside trades, to ensuring speech intelligibility; with a correctly designed audio or media system, the client’s needs are met effortlessly and without 20 Acoustical Treatment, frustration. and Replacement Systems We’ve got a “pop quiz” for you. Would you modify this space with additional treatment to achieve a 1.4s reverb time? Check it out. 21 Now, Create the Best Experience! We have some additional resources for you. Thought Leader JAY FULLMER Applications Expert for HARMAN Professional Solutions As a key interface to the contracting and consultant markets for HARMAN Profes- sional Solutions, Fullmer has extensive experience in audio system design for an enormous variety of designs and installations. As an experienced electro/acoustical system designer and problem solver, he supports the Installed Sound, Tour Sound, and Cinema Markets, and has been involved in product development as well. With more than 30 years in the audio industry he has held many positions, includ- ing system design and virtual modeling specialist, live audio production designer and engineer for theatrical, music, and corporate events, and system installer. Fullmer enjoys teaching training classes for HARMAN Professional Solutions, and is a past AES presenter. As a reformed semi-professional musician, he still finds time to play live music and thus retain a connection to what got him started in this field in the first place. avnetwork.com Delivering the Best Live Sound Experience for Indoor Spaces | AVTechnology Manager’s Workbook 3 Making the Connection p Creating the Best EXPERIENCE The audience experience for public spaces has been on an upwardly mobile path. The how and why can be debated, but the fact remains that the level of acceptability for what is considered “good audio” in public spaces has experienced an upward trajectory for several years. As designers, specifiers, in- stallers and technicians, we must also have a similar path … upward! Keeping up with current technologies demands that the rest of our “game” is solid. This workbook offers points for consideration as you deal with new challenges and the diverse variety of projects that present themselves to the AV professional. Moving upward from a Good Experience to the Best Experience is the goal. 4avnetwork.com AVTechnology Manager’s Workbook | Delivering the Best Live Sound ExperienceDelivering for theIndoor Best Spaces Live Sound Experience for Indoor Spaces | AVTechnology Manager’savnetwork.com Workbook 4 Making the Connection s is often said that history repeats itself, and as we look at several trends in new audio technologies, we can see glimmers of the past, but with a modern alignment. The It column loudspeaker from the 1960s, for instance, was prevalent in both houses of worship to a variety of multi-use spaces. That same basic geometry—slim, tall, and even considered handsome by some interior designers—has returned, but with electronic additions only imagined several decades ago. We now have the ability to not only control aspects, such as vertical directivity, and to steer the beam, but also to shape the beam to the audience plane and easily and accurately predict this behavior. Even with the advent of affordable signal processing and built-in feature sets that would leave our AV pioneers speechless, there are still situations that require mighty planning and a well thought out strategy. These scenarios can often be found at the intersection of old and new. As in a really old building, and a seemingly non-conforming space used by the client—and one that may not have even existed when the building in question was erected! Having designed dance club systems in historic bank buildings, aerobic spinning stu- dios in converted glass greenhouses, and high-impact contemporary church music systems in spaces that were designed for longer reverberation times— meant to enhanced choral and organ music—nothing should surprise us. But occasionally, The Laws of Physics as tested by a demanding client can do a pretty good job. The delicate balancing act of managing several key parameters is where we proceed, from: » The expectations of the client or end user have to be fully consid- ered, but first they have to fully reveal themselves. » The performance goals need to be clearly established prior to com- mencing with a design. » The budget guidelines have to be accounted for, even with a client initially stating that no fixed budget exists. With these three factors actively managed, we can proceed forth … avnetwork.com Delivering the Best Live Sound Experience for Indoor Spaces | AVTechnology Manager’s Workbook 5 Understanding the Audio Spectrum p Understanding the Audio Spectrum as Applied to the Intended Room Use ‘HIGH FIDELITY REQUIRED!’ OR ‘HOW MUCH FIDELITY REQUIRED?’ If we have a small lecture hall with the primary purpose of spoken can be added. For low frequency extension, plan on adding one 18- word to be delivered in an intelligible manner, we should concen- inch device for every 25,000 cubic feet as a baseline. The table below trate on the range from 125 Hz to 6 kHz. Many of the systems we illustrates several frequency ranges of instruments and vocals. would typically specify will meet that criterion with extended re- Audio wavelengths are measured in cycles per second, or hertz sponse above and below those figures. If audio playback with at- (Hz). So, for example, 440 Hz, the frequency of the A note above tached music tracks is required, additional low frequency elements middle C on a piano, equals 440 cycles per second. The audible The Audio Spectrum Vocals-Female* Vocals-Male* Violin Trombone 5-String Bass Kick Drum Snare Drum Cymbals *Vocal presence and consonant sibilance can be 7.5 kHz+ 20 Hz 50 Hz 100 Hz 200 Hz 500 Hz 1 kHz 2 kHz 5 kHz 10 kHz 20 kHz HIGHS SUB-BASS BASS UPPER-BASS LOWER MID RANGE MID RANGE UPPER MID RANGE (7.5k-20k) (20-40) (40-160) (160-350) (350-800) (800-2.5k) (2.5k-7.5k) Vocal consonants, drum Mostly felt.