Pro Sound Web: An understanding of the sound reinforcement system optimization process as described in my previous article (here) leads to what may be a startling conclusion: with relatively little effort, this technology could be leveraged immediately.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Live Sound: A Road Map Of Future Loudspeaker Optimization
Pro Sound Web: An understanding of the sound reinforcement system optimization process as described in my previous article (here) leads to what may be a startling conclusion: with relatively little effort, this technology could be leveraged immediately.
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This system of automated sound system optimization sounds like a dream come true. In a way, parts of it make it seem like sound design is becoming a little more similar to lighting design - not in a design sense, but in an application sense. For example, being able to select audio zones by audience location instead of by array position reminds me of programming fixtures into an X Y grid of the stage rather than using pan and tilt values. Even though making audio system control easier, more accurate and faster is a great technological advantage, I feel as though it takes away from the true art form of sound system design.
This reads like a love letter to Martin Audio, but there are several good points and hopefully Adam and the rest of the industry who has the manufacturers' ears can compel some progress. The problem with the audience-based solution as Martin has implemented it is that it locks the user out of specific control of the boxes for times when the user knows best (and the software is too simple to allow for all of the overrides a user might want, and when those are added the interface risks becoming prohibitively complex). Martin's solution also takes 2-3 minutes to calculate rigging position of the arrays and 15-20 minutes to recalculate the FIR filters for every channel; we do not have the computing power for this type of solution just yet.
There are also several manufacturers looking to create the single array that does not need any type of physical steering; it just goes where the computer tells it. RH has been very successful in this realm, but is using vanilla DSP that limits the optimization capabilities of the system and its lack of power and fidelity has it relegated almost exclusively to houses of worship.
It's unclear how many years ahead Adam is looking, but this industry moves pretty slowly.
As for Will's comment about taking away the 'art form of sound system design', that's the way evolution works. There was a time when Charles Boner would equalize sound systems by attacking problem frequencies with home-made electronics, literally wrapping copper wire to create transformers on a per-frequency basis - did the analog adjustable PEQ take away that art form? and did cheap DSP take away the art form of equalizing systems with severely limited processing resources? Perhaps. There will still need to be people who understand what the goals of this type of system are and how to use the tools that the industry provides to achieve those goals.
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