Sound Reinforcement Products for Line Array Positioning

Setting the Stage for Safety

2011-11-03T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) is an industry-wide program that has brought together an unprecedented group of industry organizations, businesses and individuals to create a program of rigorous assessments for professional technicians.
Under the auspices of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA), ETCP is being developed with the following organizations: Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology (CITT), InfoComm International, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM), The League of American Theatres and Producers, Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), and United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).
The ETCP Certification Council membership also includes the following enterainment business leaders: BASE Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil / MGM MIRAGE, Live Nation, and PRG.
Personnel certification is the voluntary process by which a nongovernmental organization grants recognition to an individual who has demonstrated certain abilities, skills and knowledge. ETCP encompasses the creation of exams based upon identified bodies of knowledge, the conducting of those examinations, the awarding of certifications, and re-certifying individuals.
ETCP focuses on disciplines that directly affect the health and safety of crews, performers, and audiences. Two key areas were identified for initial development - electrical skills and rigging skills, and there are currently three certifications: Rigger – Arena, Rigger – Theatre, and Entertainment Electrician.

Additional info: http://www.usitt.org/ USITT -- the association of design, production, and technology professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry

Inclinometer et al: Rieker Inc Introduces New Wireless Remote Inclinometer Package at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011

2011-03-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

Inclinometer et al: Rieker Inc Introduces New Wireless Remote Inclinometer Package at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011

Inclinometer et al: Seasons Greetings From Rieker

2010-12-08T09:49:00.000-05:00

Seasons Greetings from all of us at Rieker Inc!

Click to view our Christmas Card!

Wireless Solution’s Goes the Distance - long-distance lighting control

2010-08-09T14:16:00.002-05:00

Wireless Solution’s Goes the Distance for Grand Opening of Marina Bay Sands Resort & Casino
posted August 4, 2010, rentalandstaging.com

MARINA BAY WATERFRONT, SINGAPORE--When Showtec Communications Pte provided equipment for the extensive lighting effects for the grand opening of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Resort & Casino in June, W-DMX technology from Wireless Solution Sweden AB went the distance to supply long-distance lighting control.

Wireless Solution’s W-DMX has been hailed as the number one product for interference-free wireless DMX technology. The perfect solution for applications where running DMX cable is impractical, W-DMX uses Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) to avoid interference.

Fourteen W-DMX Wireless DMX Universes of BlackBox Transmitters and Receivers Systems coordinated without interference with an outdoor parabolic 21db dish to transmit signals for all the lighting controls used in the gala grand opening ceremony for the Marina Bay Sands Resort & Casino, the world’s most expensive standalone casino property.

Showtec worked closely for more than six months with Laser Vision, which engaged lighting designer Colin Baldwin, to plan the entire project. “Preparation and simulated lighting effects testing were conducted in an unfinished building,” notes Henry Ang, Showtec’s founder, “so access to various locations (at the resort and casino) was a challenge.”

Given these conditions, W-DMX had to link long distances: The lighting controls and consoles for the grand opening were positioned about 1.5-2 kilometers across Marina Bay from the new resort and casino in a suite in the Fullerton Hotel. “We chose W-DMX as an assured mode of transmission for all control signals from that location to Marina Bay Sands,” says Ang. “The W-DMX system was very reliable and powerful yet simple to configure and use.”

Among the equipment supplied by Showtec for the grand opening were 14 DTS XR3000s, 18 DTS Arc 1200s, 10 Alpha One 7Ks, eight Syncrolite 7Ks, 10 Syncrolite 5Ks, a Strong 10K Britelight and six Anolis Arc Pad Xtremes. A full-size grandMA 2 served as the lighting controller.

Online Survey: Line Array Alignment Tool - Remote Angle Display

2009-08-20T08:31:00.006-05:00

Hello my friends and colleagues,

In an effort to improve our RAD Remote Angle Display System for Line Array alignment we are looking for your expert sound reinforcement industry input. This quick 8 question survey should take less than 10 minutes but will provide us invaluable information on what you want and what you need.

Click to begin

Thank you in advance for participating in this very short survey/suggestion box. Please contact us with any questions or if you would like additional information.

Sincerely,

Skip Gosnell
Rieker Inc
610-500-2000
sgosnell@riekerinc.com

On The Road With The Boss; The System & Crew For Bruce Springsteen’s Latest Tour

2009-08-11T14:41:00.004-05:00

On The Road With The Boss; The System & Crew For Bruce Springsteen’s Latest Tour Appearing in Europe and North America, the system approach is virtually identical on both sides of the Atlantic

Jul. 23, 2009, by Jeff MacKay

A closer look at the JBL VerTec line arrays flown in force for the current tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Closer View, Line Arrays, Credit: Roy Timm

Touring in support of the new album,“Working On A Dream,” Bruce Springsteen and the venerable E Street Band are once again utilizing the services and systems provided by Audio Analysts. With North American dates throughout the spring and late summer and European dates in between, the approach is virtually identical on both sides of the Atlantic.

Front of House Engineer John Cooper worked with Albert Lecesse, Co-Owner and President of Engineering for Audio Analysts, in putting together the main system for the tour. “Albert and I are constantly in discussions about how best to proceed with the PA touring plan,” explained Cooper.

“We opted for JBL VerTec because it’s versatile – a customizable PA solution to tour with.” Cooper mixes on a Digidesign Profile digital console, which he chooses over anything he’s tried. “I’m fortunate to be able to use whatever I want to use. At this point, the Profile has proven to be very reliable.”

Front of House System Engineer Brett Dicus details that the VerTec Series line arrays are powered by Crown I-Tech and I-Tech HD Series amplifiers under the control and monitoring of Harman HiQnet System Architect technology.

“In any given show,” he elaborates, “We have 10 hangs of PA, primarily using the VT4889 and VT4880 for the main hangs and then VT4888 for the additional outfill/delay and rear hangs, with VT4887 for frontfill surrounding the stage.”

The VerTec line arrays are easy for the crew to set up, taking approximately six hours to get fully into place. “Our setup in the field is also made very easy by the system design by Albert and Audio Analysts. The packaging, the cabling, and the prep is a very important part of the system,” Dicus adds.

read full article

Sound Technician Preps for Gig of a Lifetime in D.C.

2009-01-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

Sound Technician From Missoula Preps for Gig of a Lifetime in D.C.
Ben Blocker would like to have a word with whoever decided to put Barack Obama's inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial and the inauguration itself at the U.S. Capitol. “The concert was from the memorial, so all the speakers pointed away from the memorial,” Blocker said Monday from Washington, D.C. “The inauguration is coming from the Capitol steps, so we had to turn all our speakers to face the other direction.” That's two lines of 14 speaker towers, spaced across three miles of the Capital Mall. But that's all in a week's - or a day's - work for Blocker and his colleagues with Clair Global, the company in charge of sound at Obama's presidential swearing-in. Read more

Obama Inagural is Dream Job for Baltimore Sound Company
Something didn't sound quite right, and to Bob Goldstein that qualified as a disaster. Goldstein, 59, had been stepping over wires and plotting out loudspeaker delays for two weeks, from the Capitol to the Potomac River two miles away. Big jobs are nothing new to Goldstein, owner of Baltimore-based Maryland Sound. But this one - the inauguration of Barack Obama - could be the largest gathering of humans ever amplified. Read more

Obama Inagural is Dream Job

2009-01-26T12:21:00.000-05:00

Martin Audio To Establish Dedicated Asian Office

2008-09-08T07:59:00.001-05:00

Martin Audio is pleased to announce that Patrick Lau has joined the company with responsibility for setting up a dedicated Asian office based in Hong Kong.

Patrick previously worked for DCH, the Martin Audio distributor for Hong Kong and China, and has been instrumental in spearheading the huge growth in sales, and generally expanding the company’s profile in the territory.

Said joint managing director, David Bissett-Powell, “Martin Audio felt the timing was absolutely right to reinforce our commitment to the Asian market by providing easy access to local support.

“Having worked with the product for several years, and being located in Hong Kong, Patrick was the ideal candidate to serve the region in a timely and efficient manner.”

Martin Audio...www.martin-audio.com

Bringing Sound Science to Every Corner of the World

2008-09-05T07:57:00.001-05:00

Meyer Sound’s Education Program: Bringing Sound Science to Every Corner of the World

BERKLEY, CA--Since the first “SIM School” held in 1984, Meyer Sound has continually expanded its education program into an effort that now stages an ongoing series of science-based professional seminars on six continents. In 2007 alone, Meyer Sound conducted a total of 79 seminars worldwide, and in 2008, that number is expected to increase to more than 126 seminars in 29 countries. The award-winning company even went so far as to build a 57-seat theatre at its headquarters for hosting seminars.

The long-standing initiative stems from the company’s notion that its purpose was not simply to manufacture the highest quality loudspeakers and audio products, but also to educate audio professionals in the principles that guide their best use.

As the reach and scale of Meyer Sound’s seminars has grown, so has its scope. Today, the course offerings cover line array technology, the use of acoustical prediction, sound system design, mixing, programming of the powerful Matrix3 audio show control system, and, of course, source independent measurement.

Far from cursory overviews or thinly veiled sales presentations, the seminars, which vary in length from a single day to a solid week, are comprehensive, in-depth examinations that deliver understandable explanations of theory, then show how it is put to practical use in the field.

The program’s strong expansion in the last five years has spurred corresponding growth in Meyer Sound’s team of educators and an increase in “on-the-ground” tactics to ensure the seminars are accessible to customers and audio professionals all over the world.

In the U.S., David “Mac” Johnson joined the company’s education staff at the firm’s Berkeley, CA headquarters, while Steve Cochran anchors the program in the Eastern U.S., operating out of the company’s Nashville, TN offices.

The already burgeoning European arm of the Meyer Sound seminar series also received additional focus recently, with educational programs manager Gavin Canaan relocating to Europe in 2007 to gain more immediate access to the region, and the creation of a dedicated training space at Meyer Sound Germany’s new offices in Montabaur.

A look at the calendar of upcoming events shows a constant flurry of international activity; it’s a lot of people doing a lot of teaching in a whole lot of places. But Meyer Sound’s commitment to education is not limited to seminars: the company supports trade groups like USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology), and Broadway Sound Master Classes, as well as funding the John and Helen Meyer Scholarship program in Spain.

Meyer Sound...www.meyersound.com

Inclinometer for JBL Line Array

2008-08-14T13:55:00.003-05:00

Cool Shows Pics from - Alford Media Line Array Solutions -
These are photos from an arena show using there new system
along with shots of there custom gear. More pictures will be
online as they use the system in unique and interesting environments.

(photo on left and right) Alford Audio Engineers, Project Managers
and Freelancers participate in a JBL VerTec certification course
here in our Dallas office run by Raul Gonzalez of JBL.

(Photo on left) The line array "caterpillar" is easily lifted into place
after assembly and angle adjustment using chain motors. (photo on
right) The rigging is safe, simple and efficient. Note the digital
inclinometer (red cable attached) in the center of the array bar.

(photo on left) Proper angle adjustment is literally a snap using
settings derived from the calculator software. Locking pins hold each
side of the speaker in the proper position. (photo on right) Castor
boards snap on to the "face" of each speaker element for safe and
easy transportation. The boards are easily removed as the system
is raised into position.

(photo on left) Audio Engineers Thad Edwards, Randy Robert and
Kevin Betts prepare to raise a finished array column during training.
(photo on right) The JBL VerTec VT4889 System in an arena application.

Copyright © 1995-2003 Alford Media Services. All Rights Reserved.

Rieker RDI Series

2008-07-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

Available as a display or remote sensor package, Rieker's RDI Series digital inclinometers improve the vehicle operator's ability to detect dangerous roll-over situations before equipment damage or injury can occur. (These can also be used for line array remote alignment!)

read more | digg story

Line Array Set up and Stage Prep by MSI Japan!

2008-05-14T08:31:00.000-05:00

...here is a very good example of VDOSC line array set up and installation, the system is well planned, using various sound reinforcement aids to angle the line arrays for perfect sound within the venue...

Excellent mechanical design allows a V-DOSC system to be quickly set up and dismantled. Completely configured while on the ground, an operator with two assistants can assemble an array, fly it, and be ready for operation within 20 minutes.

Photo 1	MSI Japan CV engineer checking if any changes of the plan that needs to be made.
Photo 3	Double checking on safety.
Photo 4	Setting up V-Dosc on the truss.
Photo 5/6	Putting V-Dosc speakers together step by step.

Photo 6	V-Dosc engineer checking on the angles of the speakers.
Photo 7	Checking angles of the speakers from the audience sightlines.

click here for the web site and additional information

Cheers!
Chili

Optimizing Speaker Performance

2008-04-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

Optimizing Speaker Performance in Your Studio

Register now for this informative live webinar

The focus of the webinar will be how to set up a speaker system and listening position in any given room in order to optimize the system performance. The PowerPoint presentation will contain slides demonstrating the frequency and phase response of speakers placed properly and improperly in a room. It will contain instruction as to how to set up and position a subwoofer properly and how to integrate that subwoofer with the main speaker system for stereo systems as well as 5.1 systems. Subwoofer calibration standards will also be discussed.

There will be instruction as to what types of acoustic treatments to put into a room and how to determine where those treatments will best serve the listener. Slide examples will be shown exhibiting proper and improper use of acoustic treatments. Basic concepts of room design will be covered.

There will be a discussion of equalization techniques and what type of equalizer should be used in the studio. There may be some discussion about self tuning equalization systems. Proper measurement tools in order to do equalization will also be discussed

All of the above topics will include discussions on how to avoid making common mistakes. The PowerPoint slides will consist primarily of frequency response charts with a few talking points in between. There will be no video. The presentation time will be between 40 minutes and one hour.

Mastering AV Testing Equipment

2008-01-30T10:55:00.000-05:00

Mastering AV Testing Equipment
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 -- 2:00 PM ET | 11:00 AM PT

Register now for this informative live webcast

In the standards-challenged world of Pro AV the importance of testing is often poorly understood and underused. Bennett Liles will upgrade everyone's skillset on test instruments used in maintaining a large networked deployment of digital projectors in the heavy-use academic environment. See how test pattern generators, audio test signals and network analyzers can avoid nasty opening day surprises and continuing trouble calls while insuring quality installation and integration and optimizing the performance of installed products.

Who should attend:

Entry level and veteran integrators and installers
Consultants
Academic institution AV Technicians
End users who need to understand why testing is an important part of the installation workflow

This online educational session, hosted by Sound & Video Contractor is completely free!

Register today for this informative live webcast

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have orchestrated a whole new R&B revival...

2007-12-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: Hit in Your Soul

Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Bill Murphy

On the corner of Central Avenue and Troutman Street in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, a busted-up van with its doors flung wide open is cranking Boogie Down Production's “The Bridge Is Over,” the jagged drum machine beats spilling out like shards into the oppressive summer heat. It's an off-kilter, 20-year throwback to hip-hop's heyday, but meanwhile, just down the street, a tight-knit group of talented players is dialing back the clock even further — to a time when sweet soul music ruled the airwaves.

Walking into Daptone Studios is pretty much like walking into any other row house in this rough-and-tumble neighborhood. But what makes this particular house so unique is the full-blown recording studio on the ground floor, a second studio and rehearsal space (with enormous Stocktronics plate reverb) in the basement and the Daptone Records label offices upstairs. House producer, songwriter, bassist and Daptone co-founder Gabriel “Bosco Mann” Roth has carefully stocked the studio with a treasure trove of vintage tape machines and analog gear, all in a sincere and dedicated effort to capture a sound that he feels has been lost from most recordings today.

“If you listen to Stax or some of the Motown records, or even Beatles records,” he explains, his signature dark shades glinting in the late-afternoon light, “they all have this real sense of space to them. I think one of the biggest things is once you pull the drums and the bass out of the middle of a record, it just suddenly opens up that space. Those are the records that make sense to me.”

Roth puts his production ideas to the test on 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone, 2007), the third release from the label's flagship act, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. For those not yet in the know, a quick breakdown: the Daps, part of a loose indie collective of musicians that includes Antibalas, the Budos Band, the Sugarman Three and various other groups on the sweat-inducing Brooklyn soul-funk-afrobeat scene, have quickly become a musical lightning rod. As of late, they've attracted the attention of such luminaries as Kanye West (who has sampled the group's wares), The Roots' Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson (who invited the Daptone Horns to work on a monumental new album with Al Green), Amy Winehouse (as her touring band and on her album Back to Black), Mark Ronson (on his second solo album, Version) and surely more to come.

Meanwhile, lead singer Sharon Jones has taken off in her own right. Not only did Lou Reed recruit her to join him on his recent “Berlin” tour, but Jones is also slated to appear later this year in the Denzel Washington-directed film, The Great Debaters. Charismatic and high-energy to the core, Jones gets to show yet another side of her multifaceted range on 100 Days, reaching down for some of the Southern gospel roots that inspired her as a child.

“Keeping all those spirits alive — that's what a lot of gospel is about,” Jones gushes, citing Sam Cooke and Otis Redding as some of her earliest influences, and sounding musical even when she's just talking on the phone. “You have to listen to these old songs to keep them in your heart. And so I guess by doing that, we've made other people want to bring back that sound and that spirit. Keeping that spirit alive — I think that's what we're doing at Daptone, you know?”

L-ACOUSTICS Earns Its Wings With Red Bull

2007-11-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

L-ACOUSTICS was on hand for the Red Bull Air Race World Series in San Diego, CA.

SAN DIEGO, CA--High-end aerobatic planes weren't the only things that took to the skies at downtown San Diego's Big Bay for the second-to-last stop of the 2007 Red Bull Air Race World Series. Numerous L-ACOUSTICS line source array elements were also flying in precise formation at five different locations along the north and south peninsulas of Embarcadero Marina Park delivering highly intelligible audio reinforcement throughout the event.

Hayward, California-based Sound On Stage was contracted as the exclusive sound reinforcement provider for the race. According to general manager George Edwards, "The benefit of using L-ACOUSTICS line arrays and various boxes in this particular application is two-fold. First is its proven ability to cover wide and long distances, and second is the absolute clarity of the spoken word. This is a unique event. There is no stage; it's not about entertainment. The whole thing is about taking the announcer's voice from one microphone and distributing it cleanly to a hundred thousand people or more."

Getting that single microphone's message out loud and clear was a combined total of 16 L-ACOUSTICS ARCS, 28 dV-DOSC and six V-DOSC line source array elements, plus four high-power dV-SUB and 14 SB218 subwoofers, all spread out between five SR positions. When asked if he was pleased with the results, Edwards commented simply, "At the end of the day, we wouldn't use anything else."

MixRevolution.com Buzzes Out of Beta

2007-11-15T10:21:00.000-05:00

Nov 14, 2007 3:04 PM,

After one year in beta mode, MixRevolution.com has already created a buzz with more than 1,600 DJs as members, with the goal of creating a central online community for DJs of every genre of music. The collective's aim is to allow DJs to interact directly and collaborate with one another, while gaining more exposure to the outside world.

MixRevolution.com covers artist interviews, DJ interviews, product reviews, event coverage and other interests of the DJ lifestyle. The site, founded by Aaron Eng (aka DJ Crazy ASE), already counts among its members the likes of Grandmaster Roc Raida, DJ Rhettmatic, DJ Honda, DJ Irie, DJ Mea and Mike Rizzo.

Check it out online at www.mixrevolution.com.

2007 PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media Inc.

Alford Media Line Array Solutions - JBL VerTec System

2007-07-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

After more than a year of comparing these premier speaker manufacturers’ products, as well as evaluating the opportunities to serve our clients with line array, we decided to add a JBL VerTec line array speaker system to our inventory.

Alford's VerTec speaker elements are easily identified by their custom logo covers. Why did you choose the JBL VerTec? Alford Media has used VerTec in real show situations six times since February. The results have been remarkable…the tracks sound the way you produced them, and as we sound guys like to say, “the lavs are in your face.” In all cases, engineers and clients alike were astonished at the ease of use and the quality of the product. We also recognized the tremendous customer support offered by JBL. Alford Media’s choice of VerTec over other line array offerings was clear-cut. We took delivery of our first twenty-four VT4889s in early August.

What is the JBL VerTec Line Array? JBL VerTec, short for Vertical Technology, is the culmination of over two years of extensive R&D by some of the world’s finest acoustical, mechanical, and show-savvy audio engineers. JBL has long been recognized as the leader in speaker component manufacturing. Not a bad thing when you set out to design, build and market a world class line array speaker system. The charge of the design team at JBL was taking classical line array theory and scale it up to create a large, high powered array. They would need to fully understand line array behavior and develop VerTec and its components from the ground up. JBL was not just trying to be a player in the line array market, but the leader in the field. The time they put into research paid off with the VT4889 array element and the JBL line array calculator.

JBL's line array calculator. The VT4889 uses numerous patented new components such as the high frequency Waveformer™, the Radiation Boundary Integrator™ or RBI™, advanced enclosure design and a rigid pin lock rigging system. It is a tri-amped box utilizing three new drivers designed and built specifically for the VerTec product. Each VT4889 contains two 600 watt 15” light weight woofers, four 300 watt 8” midrange drivers and three 75 watt high frequency compression drivers with beryllium diaphragms.

The JBL line array calculator is the software tool that enables the field engineer to design the system for the event. Most line array manufacturers have a software tool to assist in system design. We have found JBL’s line array calculator to be extremely accurate and a must have tool. The correct pitch of the array bar, as well as the precise angles between the speaker boxes, is critical to the functionality of the array. This is why the calculator is integral to proper system design. By inputting the venue measurements, trim heights and box count, the engineer, in advance of the install, can manipulate the angles and box placement for maximum coverage and optimum frequency response. After extensive field testing, long distance listening, measuring and competitive comparisons, JBL rolled the initial VerTec products out in 2000. The VT4889 is the tried and true flagship of the JBL VerTec product line.

How does Alford handle amplification, processing and power distribution? To this great product, we added Our custom amplifier/processor rack. QSC PowerLight amplifiers and industry standard XTA DP226 DSPs for control. All elements were incorporated into Alford’s proven four box modular design. The end result was a great system with all of the power of a touring rock-and-roll rig along with the assets of a corporate event system.

Our VerTec amplifier/processing racks each consist of three QSC PL6.0’s, one QSC PL236 for a total of over 17,000 watts per rack. Each rack has its own XTA DP226 processor to accommodate the modular design and allow more zone control than typical single processed systems. DP226’s have full front panel controls and can be linked and controlled via RS485 from a remote location, such as front of house. Amplifier output connectivity is routed through nineteen-conductor multi-cable with socopex style connectors that break out to NL8 connectors at the speaker cabinet. The racks are wired for three-phase power for proper AC load balance. We have added new 200 amp AC distribution systems to our inventory to supply the three-phase AC for the VerTec and provide the remainder of the single-phase needs of the show.

The "hook down" rigging system. What does it take to rig the system? Our system also includes digital inclinometers for every array bar. This allows the pitch of the bar, which is critical to the success of the array, to be determined from the ground. The inclinometer sensors are attached to the array frames. The output of the sensors are routed to the reader on the ground via the speaker multi-cable allowing the engineer or rigger to properly set the pitch with chain motors.

The VerTec rigging concept is safe and efficient. In this JBL design, all rigging parts are attached to the cabinet…no loose pieces and no angling contraptions to misplace. It is the most practical design we have seen either in conventional or line array applications. Our array frames are pre-packed in pairs, complete with the inclinometers, shackles, deck chains and spansets. Everything needed for “hook down” rigging is in the pack.

RENTAL & STAGING ROADSHOW kicks off July 25 in New York!

2007-07-24T12:01:00.000-05:00

The First Rental & Staging Roadshow will take place July 25, 2007 at Altman Rentals in Yonkers, NY -- just one train stop outside of Manhattan.

The Rental & Staging Roadshow includes two consecutive tracks: one on business, featuring in-depth management seminars by Tom Stimson, and one on technical issues in staging, which will be presented by InfoComm.

In addition to the sessions, there will also be manufacturer demos, exhibits, lunch and cocktail networking sessions, and much more.

Admission is free, but space is limited. Register now!

For directions to Altman Rentals, click here.

CTS Audio Deploys Massive New JBL Vertec Compact VT4887A Line Array System for "Women of Faith" Tour

2007-07-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Marking one of the world's first deployments of JBL Professional's new VerTecVT4887A compact line array loudspeakers, CTS Audio of Nashville is providing the live sound reinforcement system for the current Women of Faith - Amazing Freedom 2007 tour.

During its 10-year existence, the Women of Faith tour has drawn more than 2.5 million attendees, featuring numerous guest speakers from around the world. Each year, more than 20 cities throughout the United States and Canada host this event, which draws sell-out crowds in arenas including the American Airlines Center in Dallas, the United Center in Chicago and the Honda Center in Anaheim. This year's tour kicked off March 15 at the Alamodome in San Antonio and continues until December 1.

CTS Audio has been handling this project for the past eight years. For 2007, CTS wanted to provide a new sound reinforcement solution to upgrade the audio and ensure that each attendee hears every subtle nuance of these in-the-round presentations. This new speaker system comprises eight line arrays containing a total of 120 VerTec VT4887A compact line array elements along with 32 VT4881ADP-AN powered arrayable subwoofers, equipped with JBL DrivePack technology. "We typically deploy eight hangs in four quadrants in the center of the room, with an upper truss and lower truss and video screens situated between the trusses," explained Ed Crippen, senior consultant, CTS Audio. "We have three one-ton motors that support the entire PA system fly grid including the amp racks and we are deploying the subwoofers in a unique forward-steered array."

The VerTec VT4887A full range high directivity line array element provides audio professionals with a broad, flexible range of sound reinforcement solutions. The VT4887A has extended low frequency response to 55 Hz through use of JBL's new 2268J-1 8" woofer. A unique new integrated port/handle assembly aids in low frequency extension. The model also incorporates a newly-optimized mid/high frequency network and a new high frequency element, JBL's 2408H. Frequency range is 55 Hz-22 kHz.

In employing the new VT4887A line array system, CTS Audio has found a reliable solution for the Women of Faith program, which relies largely on spoken word with occasional live music performances. "The JBL system is extremely easy to tune and we have only had to tweak the EQ slightly here and there, depending upon how reverberant the arena is," Crippen added. "With previous systems we were doing much more drastic equalization on every speaker zone."

Additionally, four half-ton motors attach under the main PA fly grid to provide adjustable tilts for the main line array hangs. "The challenge is providing enough horizontal and vertical coverage for the entire seating area while working around the four, large video screens. Some audience members are literally seated behind the tilted arrays," Crippen added. "To solve this, we place JBL's small new VRX928 portable line array modules into the lower lighting truss. These are positioned slightly behind the main PA quadrants and provide front fill for the closer seats. They keep up with the rest of the system and provide great vocal articulation."

"The recent purchase of this large VERTEC VT4887A line array system gives CTS Audio added flexibility for challenging live sound applications such as Women of Faith," said David Scheirman, vice president, Tour Sound, JBL Professional. "This is one of the largest touring systems anywhere that's based upon compact line array elements, and we are pleased that Carl Taylor and his team at CTS Audio have turned to loudspeaker system products from JBL for this prestigious North American tour."

www.jbl.com

Listen: Making Sense of Sound

2007-06-05T15:46:00.000-05:00

Listen: Making Sense of Sound
The San Francisco Exploratorium's Listen: Making Sense of Sound runs through December 31, 2007. The 5,000-square-foot exhibition features more than 55 interactive exhibits, 40 of which are new. For a detailed overview of the exhibition, go to www.exploratorium.edu/listen/index.php.

New Sound Reinforcement Products.

2007-05-30T11:34:00.001-05:00

AUDIO-TECHNICA 3000 SERIES Audio-Technica (www.audio-technica.com) has enhanced its 3000 Series UHF true-diversity wireless systems with Automatic Frequency Scanning, which automatically determines and sets the best available open frequency. Particularly useful when using multiple wireless systems, AFS avoids interference...

read more | digg story

L-Acoustics dV-DOSC Brings New Life to LDS

2007-05-08T12:13:00.003-05:00

Capable of seating an audience of more than 21,000, all of whom have an unobstructed view of the pulpit, Salt Lake City’s LDS Conference Center is a breathtaking achievement in architectural and acoustical design. Thanks to a recent installation of an L-ACOUSTICS dV-DOSC loudspeaker system, the auditorium’s sound reinforcement system is now finally every bit on par with the room’s grandeur.

First opened by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in the spring of 2000, the 1.4 million-square-foot Conference Center is home to the semi-annual LDS General Conference, which packs in a full house and is broadcast worldwide out to 12 million people. Furthermore, each Sunday the Center hosts a performance by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir – a weekly rite that, now in its 77th year, ranks as the longest-running network broadcast in world (albeit initially only on radio). The Center is also available as a rental venue for high quality concerts, ceremonies and meetings. According to LDS Sound Engineer Trent Walker, “We get quite the gamut of performers who come through this room. In addition to LDS events there are approximately 25 other shows per year, including the National Rotary and World Barbershop conventions, concerts such as a recent performance by The Oak Ridge Boys with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to benefit Feed the Children, and a variety of guest soloists who perform with the choir every week.” With such prestigious events being held on a regular basis, it is crucial that not only are the choir and orchestra heard in a high enough fidelity that is worthy of the musicianship, but also that the spoken word be heard clearly and evenly at every seat. The sound system that was originally installed in 2000 was never adequate for the room and Salt Lake City-based Poll Sound, led by General Manager and Lead Sound System Designer Deward Timothy, was tasked with creating a new system that would do the room justice. It should come as no surprise that there were many challenges to overcome in an acoustic environment that is large enough to hold a Boeing 747. The room has a rounded back wall, so making adjustments to the system to minimize reflections was no easy feat. The left and right PA speaker positions are 120 feet apart – the width of the stage – making it difficult to create an image. Another issue was the existing structure, Timothy explains, “When the building was originally designed, they (LDS) didn’t want the arrays showing, so they created cavities for them to go into. These cavities would require some pretty serious modifications to fit the new equipment, including a fair amount of new steel for support, as well as modifications to the grilles so they could be as far forward as possible.”

The first step in the process was to make a computer model of the room. L-ACOUSTICS was able to take Poll Sound’s existing EASE model and convert it into its powerful SOUNDVISION modeling software. L-ACOUSTICS Vice President of Sales and Marketing Paul Freudenberg explains the next steps: “We modeled a couple of different loudspeaker approaches and evaluated them for performance in terms of coverage and sound pressure level. As part of this process, we’re also able to find out how physically large a sound system and speaker array will be, as well as the weights – statistics that will be helpful for engineering purposes. For instance, if we find that a system that will be too heavy for the rigging point, we are able to be proactive and change our initial approach or consult with engineering for an alternative.” SOUNDVISION has a fan in Deward Timothy, “It’s head and shoulders above any others that I’ve used in modeling line arrays. In the past, we’ve used different models and found that you may or may not end up with what they predicted, but never with L-ACOUSTICS. It’s very precise.”

After running the models, the choice to go with the dV-DOSC system was an easy and natural one for Poll Sound, which had previously installed a dV-DOSC rig in the 905-seat theater in the same building. “We really like the way the dV-DOSC sounds; the bass is full and warm, the line arrays do exactly what they should, and they just sound good. That’s the reason our client likes them, and, at this point when they have a high profile project, they automatically think of L-ACOUSTICS,” says Timothy. Walker echoes his sentiments, “The dV-DOSC line array solved a lot of problems for us in a room this size. The natural sound it has provided has really been the answer we were looking for.”

The front-of-house system is set up to be an LCR system with 18 dV-DOSC cabinets flown per side and six dV-SUB for extended low-frequency reinforcement. The foldback system for the choir and orchestra runs 16 discreet mixes, and monitors deployed are combination of L-ACOUSTICS MTD112b and MTD108a enclosures.

When it was time for tuning, Timothy was very pleased with what he found, “We loaded the L-ACOUSTICS preset file for our processor and, to be perfectly frank, we didn’t change it in the least. We did some minor tuning after the fact, but their factory preset was almost right on.” Freudenberg elaborates, “As part of our standard process we provide a set of factory produced presets for DSP processing – crossover points, delay points, EQ points and so on. Nothing is left to chance. When we follow our process, these presets help achieve the same sound performance in every environment. It takes sound system design out of voodoo territory and transforms it into something more structured.”

The first show in the main hall with the new dV-DOSC system was the American Forces Radio and Television Service’s Christmas broadcast to the troops, which featured contemporary Christian artist Sandi Patti performing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra. Trent Walker noticed the difference immediately, “The goal was to ensure that we had coverage and that what is heard is the purity of the music, not the speakers. We are now getting a stereo image in a large portion of the room and that has made a huge difference for our audience. We were thrilled and so excited that we went with the dV-DOSC.”

Freudenberg credits the success of this massive project to a great team effort and the process, which is the L-ACOUSTICS installed sound approach, “The combination of an expert installation company and the knowledge of a highly skilled mixer made the difference on this project. This is also the perfect example of a large-scale sound system being successfully deployed using our proven process – site visit, prediction, evaluation and installation. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment.”

www.pollsound.com
www.l-acoustics.com

Photo credits - Kyle Gibson.

Loud Technologies acquires Martin Audio

2007-05-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

Apr 28, 2007 8:00 AM

Long-time UK speaker company Martin Audio is joining EAW and Mackie as part of Loud Technologies.

Loud Technologies, which already owns the EAW and Mackie speaker lines, has announced its agreement to purchase Martin Audio of the UK. The agreement involved Loud's purchase of all of Martin's outstanding capital stock. Estimates of the total value of the deal, which is subject to adjustment for third-party debt and net working capital at the time of closing, range from $33 to $35 million dollars.

David Bissett-Powell, managing director of Martin Audio commented, "Ours is one of the few mature industries that has no dominant player. It seems apparent, however, that to be a small independent is becoming tougher on the world stage. We recognize the need for multiple disciplines and by becoming part of Loud, we immediately have access to further resources, both technical and financial, to assist our team in reaching their goals."

Jamie Engen, CEO of Loud, said that Martin Audio would remain an independent brand within the group, and that synergies would arise that would mutually benefit both the clients and the expanded group.

For more information, visit www.martin-audio.com.

Safety Tips for Lift Equipment: New policies for suspended scaffolding

2007-04-24T08:22:00.000-05:00

Safety Tips for Lift Equipment: New policies for suspended scaffolding

Touring on the Road: Elation Announces 2007 Roadshow Schedule

2007-04-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

Touring on the Road: Elation Announces 2007 Roadshow Schedule

M-AUDIO OFFERS FREE COPY OF TORQ TO X-SESSION PRO USERS

2007-03-16T09:48:00.000-05:00

REMIX Magazine, Mar 14, 2007 9:59 AM

M-Audio has announced that all X-Session Pro owners are now eligible to receive a free copy of Torq LE, a light version of the Torq DJ software.

Customers who have an X-Session Pro can visit the X-Session Pro page on the M-Audio Website, register and download the software for free. To get started, click here.

For more information about M-Audio, visit www.m-audio.com.

Martin Audio Acquired By Loud Technologies

2007-03-08T17:34:00.000-05:00

From rentalandstaging.com

News
Martin Audio Acquired By Loud Technologies
By
Mar 7, 2007

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--LOUD Technologies of the USA has entered into an agreement to purchase the entire share capital of Martin Audio Limited of the UK.

David Bissett-Powell, managing director of Martin Audio commented, "We are excited about becoming part of the LOUD Group of Companies. Our worldwide distribution partners have also become a strong part of this team and in order to utilize these talents and benefits to their maximum potential we need to have access to a wider base of technologies and for this reason have been looking at potential partners for some time. Ours is one of the few mature industries that has no dominant player. Even the largest has only a single digit percentage of the business so there is still a lot to play for. It seems apparent, however, that to be a small independent is becoming tougher on the world stage."

Jamie Engen, CEO of LOUD said "We are delighted to have David and his team become part of the LOUD Group. The management at Martin Audio has a proven track record of success in developing premium and innovative products along with an excellent International Distribution network." For more information visit www.loudtechinc.com and www.martin-audio.com.

Too Powerful to Demonstrate

2007-02-27T09:03:00.001-05:00

Danley Sound Labs, arguably the sound reinforcement industry's most innovative designer, will demonstrate their entire line of full-range loudspeakers and subwoofers to potential customers and curious loudspeaker enthusiasts at the NSCA Expo 2007 in Orlando, Florida in March.

Danley's behemoth 40-driver, 40-kilowatt self-powered, 8'x 8'x 20' Matterhorn subwoofer, which drops two full octaves lower than any subwoofer on the market and thumps listeners with output capability of 105dB at 250 meters will be on display inside the convention center for the duration of the Expo. Due to structural concerns within the center, the Matterhorn's full power cannot be demonstrated. Two of the new Danley full range SH-25s were to be used with the Matterhorn. This combination conservatively has 30dB more broadband dynamic range available than the compact disc!

The new Danley SH-25 full-range loudspeakers, which represent the industry's first speaker that is simultaneously arrayable in both the horizontal and vertical planes will be demo'd along with the new TH-50 subwoofer at NSCA. The TH-50 subwoofer provides essentially flat response to 20Hz with a sensitivity of 95dB 1w/1m and power handling of 1,500 watts. In yet another Danley first, this truly compact subwoofer is the only subwoofer on the market that provides concert level output down to 20Hz in a single enclosure.

Danley Sound Labs will be have continuous demonstrations of their sub 30Hz performance subwoofers, including TH-112, TH-215, and the DTS 20, as well as their full-range counterparts, in demonstration room W307A.

Danley Sound Labs is the only loudspeaker manufacturer to use patent-pending synergy-horn and tapped-horn technologies, which ingeniously apply acoustical principles to circumvent compromises that the rest of the industry had long-ago decided were unavoidable. As a result, Danley designs deliver flat frequency responses, extended low-end from extremely compact enclosures, and tight, seamlessly arrayable pattern control which are unrivaled in the industry, even at breathtaking SPLs. On paper, Danley's products boast specifications, all conservatively measured, that make conventionally-designed speakers look like someone's middle school science fair project. In person, Danley's products sound uniquely transparent and rich, with well-defined dispersal patterns that have almost tangible edges.

"We're excited to share our product line with everyone at NSCA," commented Tom Danley, director of engineering at Danley Sound Labs. "You can look at technical specifications until the cows come home, but in our business, hearing is believing. Our ongoing NSCA demonstrations will provide an opportunity for people to judge for themselves the benefits of our patent-pending technologies."

Tom Danley is one of the most innovative loudspeaker designers in the industry today and is recognized worldwide as a pioneer for "outside the box" thinking in professional audio technology. His legendary designs have been utilized in projects ranging from ground zero bombing simulation, jet engine active noise cancellation, and sonic boom generators to critical listening mastering studios, high-end home theatre, and houses of worship around the world.

Danley Sound Labs www.danleysoundlabs.com

Meyer Sound Helps Transform Historic Paramount Theatre

2007-02-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

Feb 14, 2007 12:55 PM

Located on Broadway in downtown Oakland, CA, the Paramount Theatre is a slice of living history that also embodies the end of an era. Back in the Golden Age of film when Hollywood studios owned every major theatre and completely controlled film distribution, ornate and impressive theatres like the Paramount were the order of the day. However, the Great Depression changed that, and the Paramount—with its magnificent, 2,992-seat, Art Deco design—was the last studio-owned movie palace built in the nation. Over the years, the theatre changed hands several times as both the downtown film market and the building itself slowly decayed, and in 1970, the doors were shut for good. Or at least until 1972, when the Oakland Symphony (now the Oakland East Bay Symphony) purchased it and restored it to its original grandeur, reopening it as a performing arts center. Shortly thereafter, it was declared a National Historic Landmark, and ownership was transferred to the city.

Flash forward to today, and the Paramount is one of the Bay Area’s prime spots for high-profile concerts, lectures, theatre, and film—recent entertainment has run the gamut from B.B. King to the Oakland East Bay Symphony to a series of lectures by legendary film figures such as Robert Redford and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.

But while the acts booked have been strictly A-list, one recurrent complaint has dogged the theatre in recent years: mediocre sound. “Over time, people were complaining more and more about the sound quality," says theatre operations manager Jeff Ewald. "They were making the automatic assumption that it was our equipment or sound engineer that was the problem, which it wasn’t. We would tell them that bands were bringing in their own sound equipment and people, and that they didn’t always mix their sound ideally for the building, but they didn’t want to hear that. So we decided to get a system of such quality that everyone would want to rent it.” When the time came to find the ideal system supplier, the Paramount crew needed to go less than four miles up the road to a local legend of concert and live audio, Berkeley-based Meyer Sound .

Brand reputation and experience were definitely big factors in recommending the company. “A lot of the top acts fly MILO® rigs,” Ewald explains. “The Meyer and MILO reputations are of a very high quality level that’s instantly recognizable in the industry, like the Bentley name in the auto world. We've watched Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Sting, and other very high-end acts bring MILO in here over the years, and it’s good stuff.”

Even if the Paramount installed a high-quality system large enough to cover the acts with the most extensive system needs, many of the bigger bands build their shows around their own systems, making them unlikely to want to use the Paramount's system instead. This sent the Paramount back to the drawing board.

"We rethought the general idea of the system and decided it should be something that could supplement the setups of large touring acts, and operate as a standalone system for smaller acts," Ewald explains. "Then we figured out the things we would need to start covering those type of shows.” The plan was helped by the fact that many top acts were bringing in MILO systems themselves, and the consistency and self-powering of Meyer Sound loudspeakers meant that the Paramount's system integrated smoothly and easily with the incoming systems.

Given the age and overall floor plan of the building, though, installation of a new system would be no cakewalk, so the Paramount team retained Lewitz and Associates to help design and tune the system. “The whole design, installation, and fine-tuning took about six months, on and off. We started with a Meyer demo in this building for the theatre staff, and from there it slowly took shape,” says Robert Lester, Lewitz’s principal sound system designer for the project. “When we started designing the system, we had no electronic drawings to work with, just older drawings in poor shape that we had to try to salvage and get information from, so that was an issue.” Lester and crew used MAPP Online Pro™ acoustical prediction software in combination with other design techniques, and created a three-dimensional model of the theatre to help plot loudspeaker positioning.

Building shape was also an issue, as Lester details. “The theatre poses some problems because of the balcony design and shape," he says. "It’s extremely deep, so, from the position of the center speaker cluster, you don’t have a line of sight to most of the area under the balcony, and if you compensate by hanging the speakers lower, you can’t reach the top of the balcony, so it’s tricky.”

Ewald concurs, saying, “To get sound into the balcony with a single cluster, you really have to spread the sound out very, very fast and wide, because it’s not a tremendous distance, only about 60 feet from the first row of the balcony to the cluster."

"That was the initial factor which led us to Meyer in the first place: the fact that they have a 120° MILO box (the MILO 120 high-power expanded coverage curvilinear array loudspeaker)," Lester chimes in. "Plus the MILOs just sound great.”

Lester recommended installing the system as a “portable permanent” setup, to better accommodate the Paramount’s needs, which often change nightly. The center cluster consists of one M3D-Sub directional subwoofer flown over three MILO cabinets and one MILO 120 unit. Identical left and right arrays of one M3D-Sub subwoofer and three MILO cabinets flank the sides of the building. The arrays are swapped between a “wide” configuration for spoken word presentations, concert support, and theatre; a “cinema” configuration for films; and a simplified “graduation” setup. A Galileo loudspeaker management system keeps the system in tune no matter what the application.

Mark Roos of San Francisco-based BBI Engineering headed up the installation. "We very much enjoyed the Galileo," says Roos. "It was the first time we used it and we found the user interface to be very well-designed. Tuning went smoothly with it." Roos also voices his appreciation for the help provided by Meyer Sound's technical support staff. "We were very pleased with the support we got from Meyer throughout the project. The factory support was a big enhancement to our work."

Achieving this balance between applications wasn’t easy. Says Lester, “It definitely was a tuning challenge. First and foremost, they needed high-quality speech intelligibility, but their number two priority was music reinforcement. If it sounded great with music, but there were 50-100 seats where you couldn’t understand spoken word, that wouldn’t work. We had to spend a lot of time walking around, isolating individual boxes, and using our ears in order to find the perfect compromise.”

Despite those obstacles, the system went up in record time. “After power was in, which took about a month, the sound system was up in about two weeks. We started at the end of July, and it was in and running for our first show of the season (Redford's appearance) on September 5, so it was quite quick,” says Ewald.

The simplicity and ease of setup provided by a self-powered system was also a huge factor in the system choice, according to Ewald. “We do a lot of lightly-produced shows, as well as high school graduations, which have no money for production. Consequently, we don’t run a lot of staff during these events, and a system like this gives us a lot of advantages. The idea that you roll the speakers out, plug them in, and you’re good to go was a huge positive when considering our options. We knew that the system would often need to be rolled out and installed in a very short period of time by only two people, and with just two lines of support for each speaker—signal and power—it makes it much easier to install it on a compressed timeline, especially for graduations.”

Thus far, thumbs have been raised all around at the system's performance. “Feedback has been basically a standing ovation," says Ewald enthusiastically. "Everyone who’s been around it has loved it. It’s kind of like with microwave ovens, where people now ask ‘what did we do prior to this?’ Now we can say to shows that have brought their own sound in the past, ‘You know, we’ve got this Meyer MILO system specifically tuned to the theatre,’ and we’re finding already that many of them say what we have is better than anything they would bring with them. Also, we really think we’ll be capturing a lot more events with this, between the smaller concerts, comedy shows, spoken word events, corporate gigs, and so forth.”

The Paramount Theatre is currently celebrating its 75th birthday. Its season runs from September to late June each year.

Harman Pro Group AV Roadshow in New York

2007-02-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

Showcases AV and business music solution and techniques for retail and hospitality venues

The Harman Pro Group, a leading professional audio and infotainment company whose technologies are used at the most ambitious and prestigious music, sports, broadcast, movie and recording events, will host a special “Audio For Commercial Venues” Seminar in the New York metro area on February 12th and 13th.

The free, half-day event, which is part of a national road show, will provide contractors and integrators in the hospitality and retail market with a comprehensive overview of the commercial AV market including business music content and technology, techniques, product showcases and case studies including the following elements:

* Scalable Sound Systems for Restaurants, Retail Stores, Business Music Systems and other Commercial Applications
* New Commercial Market Product Offerings From dbx, Crown and JBL Professional
* "Tools to Help You Choose Products That Achieve Desired Performance in the Most Economical Manner"
* Questions & Answers With The Pros

The seminar takes place at Crown Plaza Hotel, Two Harmon Plaza, Secaucus, NJ. For more information and registration, please visit www.hproroadshow.com. All presenters will be experienced Harman Pro Group application engineers. Breaks in the presentation schedule will allow restaurant and retail professionals to interact one-on-one with the factory product pros and get your specific questions answered! In addition to the product demonstrations and real-world information. Harman will have its Soundcraft truck and Crown truck onsite and available for specific one-on-one sessions covering the latest mixing console and amplifier technologies.

The morning session begins at 8:30AM and concludes at noon. The afternoon session begins promptly at 1:00PM and concludes at 4:30PM. Guests are welcome to join Harman Pro Group staff and presenters for lunch.

SLS Debuts RLA/4 (LS7500) Full-Range, Bi-Amped True Line Source Array Module

2007-02-05T09:08:00.001-05:00

January 30, 2007

(Click for a close-up)

SLS Loudspeakers recently introduced its RLA/4 (LS7500) full-range, bi-amped true line source array module at Winter NAMM 2007. The RLA/4 was developed for a wide range of applications from permanent sound reinforcement installations in churches, auditoriums, arenas and performing arts centers, to a professional portable PA system with the highest performance characteristics expected from an SLS product.

"Although the RLA/4 is compact in size, it meets SPL line array performance requirements for a wide variety of venues," says Tom Harrison, director of engineering for SLS. "Its high frequency section features a high performance PRD500 planar ribbon transducer designed and manufactured by SLS. The unique design and properties of the planar ribbon driver allows precise acoustical coupling of the array and hence, full utilization of line source (cylindrical waves) benefits."

The low frequency section uses two high-powered 6.5" drivers utilizing a demodulation ring magnet system providing a third less harmonic distortion and reducing inductance modulation by 50 percent. This provides an open and clear sound despite loud listening levels. Additionally, the low frequency drivers feature a die-cast basket with a patented Intercooler system.

The system offers 90-degree wide symmetrical horizontal coverage and offers SLS' free LASS prediction software that visually shows the ideal setup locations for even, predictable sound coverage of any room. Each RLA/4 module is designed for bi-amplification. All array rigging is included on the cabinet that is made from sturdy 13-ply Baltic Birch and includes splay options from 1 to 10 degrees between boxes.

For more information, visit their web site at www.slsloudspeakers.com.

MuxLab Balun connects YPbPr/RGB video, hi-fi analog using Cat5 copper cable

2007-01-24T10:29:00.001-05:00

The Component Video/Analog Audio Balun from MuxLab.

From Broadcast Engineering: Posted Jan 24, 2007 8:00 AM

MuxLab recently unveiled its Component Video/Analog Audio Balun. Developed for commercial AV integrators and custom home installers, the AV Balun allows one full YPbPr/RGB video channel plus one mono hi-fi analog audio channel to be connected via Cat5 copper twisted pair cable in a point-to-point configuration for neater and more efficient cabling.

The Balun supports video formats 480i/p, as well as HD 720p and 1080i/p, thereby allowing Cat5 UTP to be used with satellite receivers, cable boxes and other HDTV sources. The product supports an additional analog audio connection for commercial and residential AV systems and features a modular RJ45 connector for ease of installation.

For more information, visit www.muxlab.com/products/products.html.

Inclinometer et al: Accelerometer et al: High Technology: iPHONE from Apple!

2007-01-10T09:47:00.001-05:00

Inclinometer et al: Accelerometer et al: High Technology: iPHONE from Apple!

Inclinometer et al: Troubleshooting a Relay

2006-11-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

Inclinometer et al: Troubleshooting a Relay

Inclinometer et al

2006-11-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

Inclinometer et al

Touring on the Road: Meyer Sound Installs First Constellation System

2006-11-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

Touring on the Road: Meyer Sound Installs First Constellation System

2006-11-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

Touring on the Road: Meyer Sound Installs First Constellation System

Touring on the Road: MACHINE HEAD Frontman Discusses New Album, Upcoming Touring Plans

2006-11-10T10:34:00.001-05:00

Touring on the Road: MACHINE HEAD Frontman Discusses New Album, Upcoming Touring Plans

How to Aim Loudspeakers

2006-07-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

Cheat Sheet: How to Aim Loudspeakers (from Pro AV web site for AV Professionals)

High-quality professional loudspeakers can provide excellent pattern control, and modern software tools can accurately predict coverage based on specific hanging and aiming details. Here’s what you need to know to implement loudspeaker aiming in the field.

Loudspeakers aren’t like flashlights, and sound doesn’t behave like light.

COMING SOON: ELECTRONIC AIMING
New technology on the horizon will create practical aiming methods that require less guesswork and no actual physical aiming. Using columns of multiple DSP controlled drivers and software, users can vary the vertical coverage pattern from 15 to 120 degrees, as well as aim the pattern ±30 degrees.

AIMING SINGLE LOUDSPEAKERS
The coverage pattern is a rough approximation of the geometry of the area of expected coverage. Because loudspeakers have varying degrees of pattern control, there can be significant energy “outside” the pattern. This problem is further complicated by erratic polar response; all frequencies aren’t necessarily produced with equal energy within the pattern. The best way to aim an individual loudspeaker is to align a laser aiming device on-axis, and aim it at the center of your listening area.

AIMING ARRAYS
When more than one loudspeaker is used near another one, you can expand coverage, but there will be interaction effects. Most loudspeaker manufacturers now provide proprietary calculators to model arrays to minimize interaction effects and maximize coverage. Once optimal parameters are determined, the physical data (array height, angles between cabinets, and angles of the entire array) is given to the installers to implement in the venue, using various tools.

Using Array Calculators
The typical process for using an array calculator is:
1. Determine the rigging points for the array.
2. Determine where the vertical coverage starts and ends (the front rows to the rear of the venue).
3. Take physical venue measurements using a laser range finder and a clinometer.
4. Plug this data into the calculator software.
5. Adjust the software parameters (array height, array angle, inter-box angles, and number of loudspeakers) until a desirable solution is found for both SPL and coverage.

Line Array Calculators
Adamson, www.adamsonproaudio.com, Adamson SHOOTER

Alcons Audio, www.alconsaudio.com, Alcons Ribbon Calculator (ARC)

d&b audiotechnik, www.dbaudio.com, Q-Calc

Duran Audio, www.duran-audio.com, DDA

Eastern Acoustic Works, www.eaw.com, KF730 Wizard, KF760 Wizard

Electro-Voice, www.electrovoice.com, Line Array Prediction Software

JBL Professional, www.jblpro.com, Line Array Calculator

L-Acoustics, www.l-acoustics.com, Soundvision and Array 2004

Martin Audio, www.martin-audio.com, Viewpoint

McCauley, www.linearray.com, McCauley Line Array Calculator

Meyer Sound, www.meyersound.com, MD3 Placement Calculator, Array Calculator

Nexo, www.nexo-sa.com, GeoSoft

Renkus-Heinz, www.renkus-heinz.com, Aimware

SLS, www.slsloudspeakers.com, Line Array Software Simulator (LASS)

Worx Audio, www.worxaudio.com, EASE Focus

TOOLS
Integral Angles — Most professional loudspeakers intended for arrays have built-in angle indicators in the hanging hardware for cabinet-to-cabinet spacing.

Laser Level — Align the device on-axis and attach it to the loudspeaker to show where its coverage hits the audience. (Lists for approximately $70, www.pdpinc.net.)

Pitch and Slope Locator — This device measures angles and altitude. (It lists for about $8.50, www.johnsonlevel.com.)

Clinometer — This tool measures altitude. (It lists for approximately $189, www.suunto.com.)

Range Finder — This device measures distance. (It lists for about $270, www.bushnell.com.)

Laser Vertex Hypsometer — This tool measures distance, height, or angles. (It lists for about $2,395, www.haglof.se.)

Digital Inclinometer with Remote Readout — This device remotely provides angle information. (Prices start at $436, www.riekerinc.com.)

Sources: dB Sound, EAW, Electro-Voice, Renkus-Heinz, Rieker Inc.

Updated Remote Angle Display (RAD2)

2006-03-23T11:36:00.000-05:00

The Remote Angle Display (RAD or RAS) was specially designed for speaker positioning. Most of our customers have a number of speakers that they need to level but typically only want one display box. We can supply the display as a single line display reading one sensor at a time (RAS) or a dual line display to measure two sensors at the same time (RAD). For example, most V-Dosc users are purchasing the RAD2 dual line display with the REL feature being programmed to read Top - Bottom, please let us know what system you are using.

A RAD or RAS system includes the display box along with a number of matched sensors; typically 1, 2, or 4 sensors. Both the sensor unit and the display box use standard type audio XLR cord plug connectors for easy connection. We normally do not supply the interface cables, most customers make their own cables to meet their required length. We can supply cables if necessary, however, we have found that customers who are in the speaker and lighting industry already have an abundance of XLR cable and can get it much cheaper than we can. In most cases, the sensors are permanently mounted on the speakers with cables running down to the floor. The cable connector is then plugged into the display box as needed.

We have two choices on sensor ranges - either ±30° (60° total range) or ±70° (140° total range). The display can be calibrated to anywhere within the total range of the sensors specified. For example, we have a number of customers selecting the ±70° sensor and having them scaled to read +50° to -90°. (Typical V-Dosc application.)

The RAD2 Remote Angle Display with dual line LCD allowing 2 remote sensors to be read at the same time.

The RAS2 Remote Angle Display with single line LCD allowing 1 remote sensor to be read at a time.

Sensor option A: an inclinometer sensor is mounted into Nema 4 box for extra protection, cable strain relief, and easier, more flexible mounting. Includes male XLR built into box. Can be configured to lay flat on top of the speaker box or on a flat vertical surface. It can be mounted with screws for a permanent installation or with gaff tape or heavy Velcro for easy removal for transportation and storage – please specify mounting position. Mounting feet are available.

Sensor option B: CS9. Solid Zinc housing, small footprint, sturdy and extra rugged for a more permanently mounted position. Very nice if you are using multiple line arrays and a RAD system together, not necessary to recalibrate each setup - once screwed into proper position, hang the speakers, plug in to display – mounts on a flat vertical surface.

Relative Zero (REL) Button:
Standard on all display models: The REL button allows the user to set a new zero position after the RDI is mounted. Press the REL button and release and the display will read REL ON * for 1 sec then 0.00° *. The ( * ) indicates the measurement is not referenced to the true calibrated 0, but a referenced zero. The MIN/MAX angles are now referenced to the new referenced zero. Press the REL button again and the display will read REL OFF for 1 second then return to the true calibrated zero. The MIN/MAX angles are now again referenced to the true calibrated zero.

Relative Diff (REL) Button: (available on RAD displays only)
This is programmed to give the difference between the TOP and BOTTOM sensors. The RAD2 with ±70º sensors scaled to -50/+90º, is a typical VDOSC configuration but the REL button is reprogrammed for SENSOR 1/SENSOR 2: SENSOR 1 would be placed on top of the speaker array = TOP LINE OF DISPLAY = TOP CONNECTOR on side of box; SENSOR 2 will be placed on the bottom of the speaker array = BOTTOM LINE OF DISPLAY = BOTTOM CONNECTOR on side of box.

The 2006 NAMM Show

2005-12-20T12:20:00.001-05:00

January 19th through 22nd, 2006
Aneheim Convention Center

Ask the guys hanging the line arrays about the Rieker RAD2 Remote Angle Display!

OSA International on Vertec Line Arrays

2005-12-16T12:11:00.001-05:00

News post from On Stage Audio International

How to Evaluate a Line Array System in the Field

2005-12-12T12:41:00.001-05:00

from Alcons Audio web site

With the current hype around “line-array”, it has almost become a magic word. A lot, if not most currently available line-arrays (even from the “big names”!) claim to be a “line-array” but in fact aren't.

The relative short experience (”learning curve”) that most users have with this type of sound system, gives plenty of room for badly engineered line-arrays, before they realize there are very significant quality differences ”. But the effects are very audible; Lack of HF throw (a result of lobing), spikes/lobes, frequency / angle dependent dispersion, excessive high-mid response in front and low gain before feedback, are some of the effects that usually occur with a poorly designed array system.

Below we've given some indicators of the engineering quality of a line-array.

Important features of a good engineered line-array are;

- even, consistent coverage of all frequencies from front to rear of the room. Changing response in MF/HF represents bad coupling in the vertical plane (so not according to line-array criteria).

» Check by walking away from the array (near-field) to the end of the area (far-field).

- “throw”, The ability of a system to actually bring critical info rmation to the end of the listening area; The main design reason for line-arrays! Most line-arrays do not have this at all!!

» Check by standing at the farthest point in the room and listen if the sound is “in the face”. The throw can also be heard when walking away from the array; At some point you loose the intelligibility of the sound, that's the limit of the throw of the system.
Note that “intelligibility” is something completely different than “SPL”..

- even, consistent coverage in the horizontal plane; The audible coverage of HF determines the real actual dispersion of a system.

» Check by walking left to right in front of the array. Sound should be “in the face” and intelligible from the farthest dispersion angle of the system. After that, the sound should “roll-off” with similar frequency response. Most systems in practice do not meet their figures on paper!

- absolutely no HF sound directly under the array; Any MF/HF sound under the array represents bad coupling in the vertical plane. What you hear is actually a huge “side-lobe” (with a vertical array, side-lobes are under and above the array; Whereas with a horizontal array, these lobes are really on the side of the array). The same amount of energy that is being fired downwards (under the array, problems with feedback!) is also being fired upwards, against the ceiling (problems with reflection!).

» Check by standing under the array and listen. The MF/HF sound should come to the listener ONLY though reflection from the room (and not from the array).

These pragmatic criteria are audible and excellent references for a quick evaluation of a line-array system.

MIX Online Review: RAD2 Remote Angle Display

2005-09-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

As seen in MIXonline.com (Professional Audio and Music Production Magazine, January 2004)and Sound & Video Contractor Magazine (September, 2003 issue)

The RAD2 Remote Angle Display with dual sensors, the latest addition to Rieker’s RDI Series of digital inclinometers, was specifically designed for speaker and speaker array positioning. This battery-powered digital LCD box can be matched with a number of Rieker sensors, which can then be used interchangeably with the display box to coordinate multiple remote speaker locations.

“Our customers in sound system installation or audio/video contracting typically have a number of speakers that they need to level and only want one display box to configure the array,” said senior engineer Joann Coates. “We can supply the LCD as a single-line display reading one sensor at a time [RAS] or a dual-line display to measure two sensors at the same time [RAD].” Both sensor and display box use standard-type audio XLR cord plug connectors for connection. In most cases, the sensors are permanently mounted on the speakers with cables running down to the floor. The cable connector is then plugged into the display box as needed.

The sensor ranges come in either ±30° (60° total range) or ±70° (140° total range). The display can be calibrated to anywhere within the total range of the sensors specified. Skip Gosnell, the marketing director for Rieker, said, “We have a number of V-DOSC or similar line array installers, for example, who are purchasing the RAD2 dual-line display with the REL feature being programmed to read top–bottom and selecting the ±70° sensors and having them scaled to read +50° to -90°.”

The REL button (relative zero) allows the operator to temporarily zero the digital readout to obtain relative angle changes. The Min/Max function provides the smallest and largest angle that the device has sensed since it was last reset. The optional Relative Difference function can be programmed to give the difference between the top and bottom sensors.

For more information, visit www.riekerinc.com/E-Inclinometers/RDIpdfs/RAD2W.pdf. For more sound reinforcement products, visit http://mixonline.com/livesound/products/

INCLINOMETER (in•cli•nom•e•ter)

2005-09-27T13:17:00.000-05:00

the definition of...

An Inclinometer (or Clinometer) is an instrument for measuring angles of slope (or tilt), elevation or inclination of an object with respect to gravity. Also known as a tilt sensor, tilt indicator, slope meter, slope gauge, gradient meter, gradiometer, level gauge & level meter.

INCLINOMETER (in•cli•nom•e•ter)
Pronunciation: "in-kli-'nä-me-ter
n.
1. An instrument used to determine the angle of the earth's magnetic field in respect to the horizontal plane.
2. An instrument for showing the inclination of an aircraft or ship relative to the horizontal.
3. An instrument for showing a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal
4. An instrument used by surveyors in order to measure an angle of inclination or elevation [syn: clinometer]
Sound Reinforcement: To check a level as compared with a horizontal plane, or to measure surface inclination or tilt of line array. To assist in setup and alignment for proper sound quality.
Transportation: For measuring the rolling and pitching of a ship or the banking of a road curve.
Mining: A. An instrument for measuring the inclination or slope, as of the ground,

Syn:clinometer b. Any of various instruments for measuring the departure of an object from vertical; a driftmeter.

Sensor
Noun
1. Any device that receives a signal or stimulus (as motion or inclination, etc.) and responds to it.

How does an inclinometer work?: Part 1

2005-09-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

An inclinometer (also known as a tilt indicator or level indicator) are mechanical or electronic tools that measure the inclination of a surface relative to the earth's surface (gravity). Levels vary from simple mechanical devices to complex electronic sensors that digitally readout angular level values (as does the RAD2 Remote Angle Display). Mechanical levels use a bubble or ball in a vial (typically curved)-filled with a damping fluid, or a pendulum to indicate level.

Electronic or digital inclinometers put out an electronic signal proportional to the angle of lift, relative to level (or horizon). Internally, the inclinometer consists of a tilt sensor and signal-conditioning electronics. These normally reside in one enclosure with either a cable or connector.

Tilt sensors and inclinometers generate an artificial horizon and measure angular tilt with respect to this horizon. They are used in cameras, aircraft flight controls, automobile security systems, and special switches - or any application that requires a tilt or angle measurement. Important specifications to consider when searching for tilt sensors and inclinometers are the tilt angle range and number of axes. The tilt angle range is the range of desired linear output measured in degrees. The number of axes the inclinometer and tilt sensor measure on is another important specification.

Common sensor technologies for tilt sensors and inclinometers are accelerometer, capacitive, electrolytic, gas bubble in liquid, mercury, and pendulum.

Rieker's RAD2 system uses liquid capacitive inclinometer sensors. Since this type of technology has no moving parts (nothing to break) and has a natural built-in shock and vibration resistance, the sensors are extremely durable for rough environments.

Understanding Line Array Systems: Part 2

2005-09-16T09:47:00.000-05:00

By John Murray

...Understanding Line Arrays> continued...

ISOPHASIC APERTURES

Isophasic aperture is my current favorite high-tech term. It describes the phase characteristic of the slot that loads the horn bell of some line array box HF sections. The perfect line array driver, particularly for very short wavelengths, is a ribbon driver like those used by SLS Loudspeakers. Compression drivers are more rugged and capable of higher output levels than a ribbon driver, but they do not have a linear phase signal at the mouth of a horn.

Ideally, the signal at both the top and bottom of the driver’s horn mouth would arrive in-phase with the signal at the center of the horn mouth to mimic the ribbon driver’s characteristic. Since the center of the horn is closer to the driver’s diaphragm than the top and bottom, the more central paths to the horn from the driver must delay the signal to arrive in phase with the longer paths to the top and bottom of the horn. There are two ways to accomplish this.

The first is to make the path length progressively longer towards the center of the horn via a phase-plug type of device. This technique was employed in the old JBL “slot tweeter” super-tweeter and was adapted by Heil in the V-DOSC system for wavelengths at 1000 Hz and up. Other line array manufacturers have employed similar devices.

The other method is to use variable density foam, which slows the speed of sound through the more dense foam medium towards the center of the horn. Electro-Voice and McCauley use this technique to provide an isophasic horn section in their line array offerings.

Perhaps the most interesting technique for an isophasic device is the patented mid-high frequency aperture by Adamson. It employs the longer path length method, and utilizes directional vanes to prevent excess vertical dispersion as well. This approach is used for both the highand mid-frequency sections of their line array systems. The mid-frequency energy exits via two vertical slots on either side of the high-frequency exit slot. The paths of the mid-frequencies curve around the HF chamber housing. All slots are isophasic.

With the slots of the MF section on each side of the HF slot, diffractional problems of each slot on the other could be very problematic. However, Brock Adamson came up with a unique solution: overlapping the crossover points between the mids and highs. This provides in-phase pressure fronts from the other slots to prevent diffractional interference in the frequency range where it would be a problem.

FREQUENCY TAPERING

The term “tapering” is also commonly called “shading.” They are essentially interchangeable. One of the first tricks used to take advantage of the line array effect was frequency tapering. My earliest exposure to this technique was the Electro-Voice LR-4B column speaker. For low/mids, it used 6-inch by 9-inch cone drivers that had lowpass filters at successively lower frequencies for speakers placed farther out to the ends of the column. This resulted in a longer column at longer wavelengths and a shorter column at shorter wavelengths, producing a similar dispersion pattern and critical distance for all frequencies, which in turns provides a more balanced frequency response at all listening distances.

AMPLITUDE SHAPING

Another tapering/shading technique is amplitude shading. This is used in many current line array products to accomplish front fill coverage where the bottom hook of a J-Array covers the extreme near-field listeners. This technique is simply lowering the volume of the loudspeakers covering the nearfield seating with respect to the longthrow loudspeakers higher in the array.

DIVERGENCE SHADING

Some line array systems offer more than one choice for vertical dispersion of the individual box elements in the array. They do this as a solution to cover the near-field and extreme nearfield seating in most venues. EAW has gone one step further by offering two different models, matching the vertical dispersion and output level so that the drivers produce equal mouth SPL throughout the array. They avoid any amplitude shading for the drivers covering the closer listeners by increasing the coverage angle of those box elements. Why is it important to avoid amplitude shading?

According to David Gunness, EAW director of research and development, whenever two wave fronts with different pressures are combined, there will be a discontinuity at the juncture of the two. This discontinuity will be audible as though it were a separate, non-coherent source (delayed loudspeaker). The result is transient smear and uneven frequency response. Divergence shading provides a wave front whose curvature varies, but whose pressure magnitude does not. Therefore there is no introduced time smear to the signal.

HORIZONTALLY SYMMETRIC ARRAYS

The majority of available line array systems are horizontally symmetric. Ideally, each band pass is a 1/2 wavelength wide strip that runs the entire length of the array. The advantage is that it avoids horizontal lobbing at the crossover-frequency band. It also requires symmetric pairs of inner mid and outer LF drivers flanking the HF sophistic ribbon.

The drawback to this approach is that for the mid-drivers to be within 1/2 wavelength of each other, they must be incorporated into the bell of the HF horn. The normal 90-degree angle causes reflections between the MF drivers and the discontinuous horn walls cause HF problems as well.

HORIZONTALLY ASYMMETRIC ARRAYS

EV, Meyer (on their smaller system), and NEXO have opted for an asymmetric design. This approach avoided the mid-frequencies in the horn bell problem and contends with the horizontal lobbing at crossover problem inherent in asymmetric designs. Choose your poison.

CARDIOID AND HYPERCARDIOID LF SECTIONS

Line arrays have great directional control in the vertical axis. Subwoofer systems, by nature of the very long wavelengths involved, do not have any directional control unless arrayed. Even then, because of the omni-directional nature of each element in the array, there is no front-to-back directionality. This causes muddiness on stage and low-frequency feedback problems. Enter cardioid and hypercardioid low-frequency sections.

Cardioid and hypercardioid loudspeaker systems are similar to microphones, just in reverse. In the case of loudspeakers, two transducers, separated by an exact distance within the enclosure, with delay on the rear driver, create the directional radiation pattern. The cardioids type has maximum level cancellation straight back at 180 degrees behind them and the hypercardioid have maximum level cancellation at about 120 degrees off-axis. As examples, Meyer employs cardioid low-frequency sections while NEXO employs the hypercardioid.

FIR-BASED VS. IIR-BASED DSP FILTERING

IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filters in a DSP processor act just like analog crossover and equalization filters. Their amplitude and phase characteristics are in a fixed relationship. So much boost or cut produces an exact corresponding change to the phase response.

FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filters are able to manipulate phase independently of amplitude and correct for distance-related cancellations between drivers if each driver is under individual DSP control. Some systems, like Intellivox, employ separate DSP processing and amplification for each driver in the array. These types of systems will define the next big step forward in loudspeaker technology.

GET LUCKY?

So, the next time you want to impress the ladies at the local hall, tell ‘em “We’re gonna hang a logarithmicspaced, articulated spiral array in a horizontally asymmetric configuration employing frequency tapering and divergence shading, which will include isophasic high-frequency and mid-frequency apertures, hyper-cardioid low-frequency transducer sections, is controlled by finite-impulse response filtering digital signal processing, and works well with a psychoacoustic infector.” You might just get lucky…

Live Sound Technical Editor John Murray is a 26-year industry veteran working for EV, Midas, MediaMatrix and TOA. John has presented two AES papers, chaired three Syn-Aud-Con workshops and is a member of the TEF Advisory Committee and ICIA adjunct faculty. If you have a question you’d like to ask John, e-mail him at jmurray@livesoundint.com .

Understanding Line Array Systems: Part 1

2005-09-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

By John Murray

...this is a great article by John Murray/ProSoundWeb that provides a great overview of the different types of line arrays...

Behind the buzz, there are a lot of factors at work in line arrays. An explanation and comparison of current models.

At last count, I found at least 19 companies offering line array loudspeaker systems that are more than simple column designs. Rather than discussing over a dozen different product types, I thought we might approach the subject by defining the technological terms of line arrays. This way, we get a better grasp of the issues involved with line array systems and will be able to discern both the similarities of, and unique differences between, the products being supplied by manufacturers today.

This discussion can’t be contained in just a few paragraphs, so we must start with the more basic issues of line arrays and then follow with more esoteric topics that build on these basics.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Line arrays have been around for over a half of a century as column speakers, and other than those made by Rudy Bozak here in the US, most were voice-range only. Their application was generally for highly reverberant spaces, where a narrow vertical dispersion avoided exciting the reverberant field, provided a higher Q (narrower dispersion pattern) and, as a result, improved intelligibility of the spoken word.

Never losing popularity in Europe as they did in America, it’s no wonder that L-Acoustics V-DOSC loudspeakers from France were the first to show the concert sound world that more level and smoother frequency response can come from fewer drivers in a line array. After everyone realized that for a given listening area, the drivers have no destructive interference in the horizontal plane and combine mostly inphase in the vertical plane, the race was on.

CYLINDRICAL WAVEFORM

Basically, a line of sources will create a wavefront of sound pressure that is loosely cylindrical in nature at a particular range of wavelengths (frequencies). Its idealized shape is actually more like a section of a cake, and the wavefront surface area, as it expands only in the horizontal plane, doubles in area for every doubling of distance. This equates to a 3dB SPL loss of level for every doubling of distance.

SPHERICAL WAVEFORM

An idealized point source, imperfectly represented by a loudspeaker or nonlinear cluster of loudspeakers, radiates in a spherical waveform rather than cylindrical. This wavefront expands to four times the area with each doubling of distance, which equates to a 6dB SPL loss for every doubling of distance. This is commonly known as the inverse-square law, and it applies to all point-source radiant energy. Hence the big advantage for a line array is that for a given number of transducers, the resulting long throw level can be much greater than for a non-line array, or point-source, loudspeaker system.

INTERFERENCE PATTERN

This is the term applied to the dispersion pattern, or response balloon of a line array. It simply means that when you stack a bunch of loudspeakers, the vertical dispersion angle decreases because the individual drivers are outof- phase with each other at positions off-axis in the vertical plane. The taller the stack is, the narrower the vertical dispersion will be and the higher the sensitivity will be on-axis. In the horizontal plane, an array of like drivers will have the same polar pattern as a single driver. Some believe that the horizontal pattern is wider than for a single driver, but they are mistaken, likely fooled by the fact that the level is louder off to the side due to the higher sensitivity of multiple drivers. However, the actual polar pattern remains the same as for a single driver.

ARRAY LENGTH

In addition to the narrowing vertical coverage angles, the array length also determines what wavelengths will be affected by this narrowing of dispersion. The longer the array, the lower in frequency (longer in wavelength) the pattern control will occur.

CRITICAL DISTANCE

There is a limit to the 3dB per doubling loss, and it’s at this point where the array is far enough away to appear to be more of a point source and its level begins to attenuate according to the inverse-square law at 6dB per doubling of distance. The transition between these two regions is known as the critical distance for the line array. The region closer than critical distance, and the region beyond it, is termed as the Fresnel and Fraunhofer regions, respectively, so named by Christian Heil of L-Acoustics. Unless you’re a true math dweeb, near-field region and far-field region roll off the tongue a bit easier.

The critical distance for a given line array length varies inversely with wavelength (frequency). This was also discussed in depth in the last issue. Shorter wavelengths (higher frequencies) have much farther critical distances than longer wavelengths (lower frequencies). In theory this means, at greater distances, a line array will maintain more high-frequency content than low. However, air attenuation of the highs will counteract this characteristic.

ARTICULATED ARRAYS

Articulated is the ten dollar term for curved. This describes the very-popular J-Array shape that most manufacturers currently offer, save one. To date, the Duran Audio Intellivox system is the only line array that covers from extreme near-field to far-field seating with a straight-line dead-hang approach. (Talking about articulated arrays with your clients is what gets your day rate increased and your job title changed from “sound tech” to “audio engineer.”)

SPIRAL ARRAYS

This is also a term for curved arrays of a particular type. Spiral arrays describe a curve that is increasing in the rotational angle from one end to the other, just as the common J-Array does from top to bottom.

ARITHMETIC SPIRAL ARRAYS

Mark Ureda, consultant to JBL, mathematically determined that spiral arrays that increase their angle of curvature in even increments perform better. For example, at the top of a line array, the splay between cabinets is 0 degrees. Going down the array, the element boxes are successively splayed at 1 degree, 2 degrees, 3 degrees, etc. Or it could go in increments of 2 degrees (i.e.: 2 degrees, 4 degrees, 6 degrees, etc.). These are arithmetically increasing spiral arrays.

LOBES

Lobes describe all the acoustical energy that emanates from a loudspeaker or group of loudspeakers. The specified coverage angle of a horn is its main lobe. Spurious lobes are those that emanate out in a non-useful direction from the source.

STEERING LOBES

Much ado has been made about lobe steering. Visions come to mind of FOH guys moving loudspeaker coverage around with a joystick. Lobe steering is generally done by incrementally delaying drivers in a line array. This can only be done when the sources, (the drivers), are about 1/2 wavelength apart for a given frequency, and only in the direction of the line array’s axis. For typical live sound HF drivers with a 9-inch diameter, this means that they cannot be positioned close enough together to steer anything above 750 Hz. However, using adaptive apertures to mimic a long line of smaller sources enables some steering at shorter wavelengths.

SIDE LOBES

Side lobes are artifacts of line arrays. They are called side lobes but actually emanate from the ends of the array, at the top and bottom, as a typical line array is viewed in use. They are caused by the individual elements being in-phase at a particular angle and wavelength at some off-axis position from the array’s main lobe. It is possible to eliminate side lobes, but there are limits and consequences to side-lobe elimination in line arrays.

GRADIENT SIDE LOBES

This is a synonymous term for side lobes. Gradient describes how these lobes occur at particular angles or grades with respect to the line array’s orientation. Professional progress terminology tip: use gradient side lobes rather than side lobes in your technospeak. Chicks dig it.

DRIVER SPACING

Another of the fundamental parameters of line arrays is the spacing between individual elements. The accepted limit is that for good line array behavior, the sources should be no more than 1/2 wavelength apart for a given frequency. This means that loudspeakers reproducing longer wavelengths can be spaced farther apart without any deterioration in performance. But since 1/2 wavelength at 15 kHz is just under one-half of an inch, HF devices can never be close enough. One manufacturer maintains that because of this, line arrays do not really work at very high frequencies. However, I disagree, because even at very short wavelengths, the 3dB loss per doubling of distance still holds true, and this is what defines the line array effect. (In my humble opinion.) What does result from driver spacing of more than 1/2 wavelength is more pronounced gradient side lobing.

LOGARITHMIC DRIVER SPACING

Duran’s Intellivox Series line array loudspeakers employ the logarithmic driver spacing technique. This provides denser driver spacing at short wavelengths and economizes on the number of drivers needed for longer wavelengths by spacing them in larger and larger logarithmic increments.

Live Sound Technical Editor John Murray is a 26-year industry veteran working for EV, Midas, MediaMatrix and TOA. John has presented two AES papers, chaired three Syn-Aud-Con workshops and is a member of the TEF Advisory Committee and ICIA adjunct faculty. If you have a question you’d like to ask John, e-mail him at jmurray@livesoundint.com .

Speaker Positioning: Part 2

2005-09-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Speaker Positioning (part 2): One thing that will affect the sound from your line arrays is overall position when hanging: size and space in relation to the venue, the surrounding stage objects, and what if anything is blocking the sound. Experimenting with positioning offers near limitless possibilities for tweaking your sound, however, unless your paid by the hour (and have a day or more) this may be a bit consuming.

Hanging speakers in a real world space is not brain surgery, however it does require a bit of planning and some knowledge of basic geometry. Sound engineers typically need a basic floorplan, distances from the stage the sound will be traveling, and where various objects are likely to block the sound. Not all line arrays use the same sound producing technologies, however, it helps to think of invisible cones of sound emanating from the speakers themselves - the angle of every speaker in the line array will be pointing along an individual axis based on the overall angle the line array is hung. Anything coming in contact with that cone before and after it reaches the audience is going to affect the sound. Things likely to come in contact with that cone of sound include walls, floors, seats, and columns (or structural supports). Try to keep anything from blocking sound before it reaches the seating area. Obvious problems might include a part of the stage in front of a speaker, even if it is below the speaker it will affect the ability to move the air in front of it.

Speaker positioning basics:

* Experiment and then experiment some more with positioning - it will start becoming second nature - however with setup time being critical, use tools of the trade: certain line array manufacturers supply software making it easy to calculate speaker position to a given venue size; a tool to remotely monitor the angle of the line array during install certainly speeds this up - see the RAD2 line array; a laser distance finder of sorts.
* Sound path: Don’t let objects block the path of sound before it reaches the audience.
* Interior dampening/reflective material: Every space is different when it comes to acoustic properties, which will affect the sound quality. Learn as much as you can about the interplay between acoustically dampening and reflective materials and how it works. A venue with lots of reflective materials such as paneling and glass will lead to overly bright sound and can contribute to signal cancellations. Conversely it is possible to go overboard with acoustic dampening too, and muffle or drown certain sounds or voices.

What is a Line Array?

2005-09-12T03:15:00.000-05:00

What is a Line Array?

A line array is a group of radiating elements arrayed in a straight line, closely spaced and operating with equal amplitude and in phase. Described by Olson in his 1957 classic text, Acoustical Engineering, line arrays are useful in applications where sound must be projected over long distances. This is because line arrays afford very directional vertical coverage and thus project sound effectively.

Again, proper alignment is the key to getting the best sound from any line array.

Speaker Placement

2005-09-07T09:41:00.001-05:00

Speaker Placement Basics (101)

Most of you sound engineers are probably beyond this entry level tip but somebody out there has to start somewhere...

Each venue or club space is different acoustically. In general, you want to aim the Main Speakers at the audience. If you point them toward the stage (and microphones) it leads to feedback problems. If you point them at the ceiling it wastes power and muddies the sound. In a small setting, you might position the main speakers 5 feet off to either side, or possibly just use one speaker. In larger settings, you might set speakers on each side of the stage, anywhere from 10–30 feet away. Ideally you should raise the main speakers several feet over the level of the audience’s heads. In some settings it helps to angle the speakers slightly downward, so the sound goes directly into the audience instead of bouncing around off the ceiling and back walls. Putting speakers against a back wall or in corners increases bass response. Sometimes more bass occurs than is desired. In this case, you need to experiment, listen, and adjust the angle of the speakers.

Monitor Speakers should be close to the performer and aimed up toward his ears. These speakers are often wedge shaped. These speakers should not be too load because this leads to feedback problems and muddies the sound. It often helps to turn down the bass in the monitors too.

Avoiding Feedback
The best way to avoid feedback is by doing a thorough sound check ahead of time. Proper microphone selection and set up are essential. If howling/hum begins during a concert: turn down the master volume at once. Set the speakers further away from microphones, use better microphones and/or set them closer to singers/instruments so you don’t have to turn up the gain as much. Use mixer EQ section and graphic equalizers to reduce the problem frequencies during the sound check. If feedback is still a recurrent problem, you may need an auto feedback control unit and you will have to adjust the angle of the speakers.

The Rieker RAD2 Remote Angle Display significantly increases the efficiency of hanging speakers (line arrays), adjusting the angle, and decreasing the amount of time it takes to set up the sound system - for that precise fine tuning!

For more information, visit:

RAD2 - Remote Angle Display Inclinometers

2005-08-31T12:17:00.000-05:00

The RAD2 Remote Angle Display with dual sensors, the latest addition to Rieker’s RDI Series of digital inclinometers, was specifically designed for speaker and speaker array positioning. This battery-powered digital LCD box can be matched with a number of Rieker sensors, which can then be used interchangeably with the display box to coordinate multiple remote speaker locations.

“Our customers in sound system installation or audio/video contracting typically have a number of speakers that they need to level and only want one display box to configure the array,” said senior engineer Joann Coates. “We can supply the LCD as a single-line display reading one sensor at a time [RAS] or a dual-line display to measure two sensors at the same time [RAD].” Both sensor and display box use standard-type audio XLR cord plug connectors for connection. In most cases, the sensors are permanently mounted on the speakers with cables running down to the floor. The cable connector is then plugged into the display box as needed.

The sensor ranges come in either ±30° (60° total range) or ±70° (140° total range). The display can be calibrated to anywhere within the total range of the sensors specified. Skip Gosnell, the marketing director for Rieker, said, “We have a number of V-DOSC or similar line array installers, for example, who are purchasing the RAD2 dual-line display with the REL feature being programmed to read top–bottom and selecting the ±70° sensors and having them scaled to read +50° to -90°.”

The REL button (relative zero) allows the operator to temporarily zero the digital readout to obtain relative angle changes. The Min/Max function provides the smallest and largest angle that the device has sensed since it was last reset. The optional Relative Difference function can be programmed to give the difference between the top and bottom sensors.

For more information, visit www.riekerinc.com/E-Inclinometers/RDIpdfs/RAD2W.pdf. For more sound reinforcement products, visit mixonline.com/live_sound_products/index.htm.

Forum for Sound Engineers

2005-08-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

We have decided to start this BLOG as a source of information and feedback for sound engineers involved with line arrays. Rieker Electronics Inc. manufactures the RAD2 Remote Angle Display digital inclinometers, designed for speaker and speaker line array positioning. The RAD2 system allows the sound engineer - during installation of line arrays - to maximize the position of the array to provide the best sound for a given space.

Our customers in sound system installation or audio/video contracting typically have a number of speakers or line arrays that they need to level. In the past this was done by visually sighting the display, testing the sound, repositioning the array, testing the sound...until the engineer was satisfied how the music sounded in the particular venue.

Sound system manufacturers have been producing better and more precise sound quality speakers over the past few years. And in order to provide (or take advantage of) the sound quality, a line array's position generally relies on set angles for each speaker in the array. The angle is based on the distance the sound must travel in the space of the venue. Whether using the speaker brand's software or a sheet of paper to calculate the best position of the line array, the engineer still needs to know the angle of the frame or bumber it is being hung on to start the process. That's where we come in...

The RAD2 display box with remote sensors significantly increase the efficiency of hanging concert speakers, while decreasing the amount of time it takes to set up the sound system.

We can supply the LCD as a single-line display reading one sensor at a time [RAS] or a dual-line display to measure two sensors at the same time [RAD]. The sensors can be permantly or temporarily mounted on the speakers with cables running down to the floor. The cable connector is then plugged into the display box as needed.

In this BLOG we hope to address issues facing sound technicians and sound engineers as they prepare concert halls, clubs, stadiums, etc. for the best sound quality. We welcome your comments and questions.

For more information, visit www.riekerinc.com/E-Inclinometers/RDIpdfs/RAD2W.pdf