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Design Reference
The art and science of system design has grown to include a substantial amount of information. This guide attempts to cover the topics most likely to be considered when designing systems in MAPP 3D with Meyer Sound products. It is intended as a general guide, a place to start. Information will be added to this section over time.
Sound systems usually include compromises, some of them made during the system design process. Budget, coverage needs, maximum SPL, size, weight, rigging locations and limitations, user expectation, and more, all play into choices made when creating a design. Deciding how many of those real compromises to include in the original design is up to you, the designer. It may be worth creating an ideal design and then incorporating logical compromises in another version of the design. This approach offers the opportunity for discussion of both designs with decision makers later in the process and for a different set of compromises to be made to the ideal design based on new information.
We are happy to help answer application-specific questions. Contact us at: www.meyersound.com/contact, and select Technical Support.
General Concepts:
- Pick the best loudspeaker model for the design, put it in the right location, and point it the right direction.
- Provide homogeneous coverage for all audience locations. Don’t provide coverage where there is no audience.
SPL Evaluation
Use different test signals available to evaluate system maximum SPL capabilities in Measurement View tab, Headroom tab. Pink Noise, B-Noise, and M-noise are available. Use B-Noise to evaluate maximum output for speech content, M-Noise for music evaluation.
Adjust the Generator Level to increase the output until loudspeaker(s) in design reach maximum output (listed under microphone selection in Headroom tab).
Delay Integration
Delay Integration adjusts the phase response of loudspeakers to be the same across loudspeaker model families. If the loudspeaker models of a system all belong to the same family, Delay Integration is not needed. When a system includes loudspeaker models from different families, using Delay Integration is the first step to complete when optimizing the system.
The Phase Curves (PC) are labeled by the frequency value where the resulting phase response of the loudspeaker model shifts by 180 degrees. PC selection is made in the Processor Settings tab on each output channel.
Select the loudspeaker model and PC value. Select the lowest PC value available for all models of loudspeakers that are used in a system.
Line Arrays
Line array directivity is controlled by two functions: amplitude steering and phase steering.
High frequency vertical directivity is very directional, becoming more narrow as frequency rises (intentionally to avoid comb filtering). This directivity is accomplished using manifolds and horns. The inter-element splay angles significantly affect the coverage of an array.
High frequency horizontal directivity is also very directional but fixed, all frequencies reproduced; ideally, will have the same horizontal coverage angle, constant directivity.
Low frequency vertical directivity is affected by the length of the array, trim height, and grid angle. The inter-element splay angles have little effect.
What’s Next?
Please see Evaluation-Pressure Plots next.