svconline.com: Let’s begin with a hypothetical question: Is a single loudspeaker better than an array of loudspeakers? If we can level the playing field by making the single speaker an exact match in power capability and coverage pattern, the decision is clearly in favor of the solo speaker. All other things being equal, we are far better off with a single source of sound instead of the complications and irregularities arising from multiple arrivals from a speaker array. Wouldn’t the ultimate speaker be a single device with enough power and coverage to fill a stadium? It doesn’t seem so.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Array, or not to array? That is the question
svconline.com: Let’s begin with a hypothetical question: Is a single loudspeaker better than an array of loudspeakers? If we can level the playing field by making the single speaker an exact match in power capability and coverage pattern, the decision is clearly in favor of the solo speaker. All other things being equal, we are far better off with a single source of sound instead of the complications and irregularities arising from multiple arrivals from a speaker array. Wouldn’t the ultimate speaker be a single device with enough power and coverage to fill a stadium? It doesn’t seem so.
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I was very interested to learn in Production Audio that you don't gain much in terms of total SPL when adding more speakers to a system. What I got out of this article was that what you do gain in using a line array is a more uniform frequency coverage over a given area. The comments this article makes about the misleading nature of speaker statistics were hilarious- though, unfortunately, not surprising. With any tool that we use, whether it's a speaker or a power saw, it's good to determine the real performance capabilities of the tool. The same goes for line arrays. I get the feeling that there are many situations in which the financial cost of using a line array is not worth the small gain in SPL and coverage. This article was informative, but a little wordy. I'd love to see more examples of practical applications of these concepts.
I was super excited when I saw the headline of this article. This is something that I have wondered for years. It seems like the smartest guys in the room love the line array but they also use Macs. I was hoping that this article would shed some light on this issue. Unfortunately, it did not. I tried very hard but it lost me half way through page two. I am still not convinced that this is just an audio fad. (Like the Walkman). We are getting a new line array out our church and perhaps THEN I will be able to discern the difference. Until then I will be have to trust the good people at Meyer Sound or Erik Larson.
I'd like to point out that this article isn't really about 'line arrays', but rather about arrays in general, especially coupled and uncoupled point source arrays.
Bob's key point here is starting with a target coverage area and then figuring out different ways to cover it from different loudspeaker configurations, e.g., we could cover the 80˚ area with one 80˚ loudspeaker or with two 40˚ loudspeakers if we splay them appropriately.
He also talks a lot about how these coverage patterns vary greatly with frequency. This added layer of complexity/compromise is why I tend to lead toward more constant Q boxes when designing uncoupled arrays.
Bob and I spent some time a couple years ago making an excel calculator to accurately predict uncoupled array splay and spacing variables, more about that at his site here: http://bobmccarthy.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/uncoupled-array-design-beginnings-and-endings/
This debate really does not affect many of the small venues in anything but theory. Sure you can get more control and more fidelity with certain technology and with arrays but does it pay for the price difference between a single speaker and an array? As with many problems in theatre it comes down to a cost benefit analysis. Does switching to an array system buy you enough and will it be installed and tweaked to give you superior sound quality with little or no hassle? Sometimes simple is just the way to go.
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