The Space Between: Measuring The Impact Of Flying Subwoofers Behind Main Arrays

ProSoundWeb: Flying subwoofers directly behind a flown full-range array is now a well-established approach in large-scale live sound reinforcement. Some people, when learning of the technique, inquire as to whether any of the output from the subwoofers is blocked by the mains. The typical answer is that the subwoofers emit low frequencies with long wavelengths (50 Hz = 22.5 ft/6.8 m) that can simply bend around the main hang and continue on their way, rather than being occluded. I realized during a recent iteration of this explanation that I had never tested it myself, and as far as I could remember, had never seen any data in support of this explanation.