The Future of Sound Reinforcement(?)

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The Future of Sound Reinforcement(?)

• Prof. David G. Meyer
• School of Electrical Computer Engineering

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Outline

• Sound Reinforcement System Design Goals
• Factors Which Complicate Sound Reinforcement
  System Design
• Proven Ways to Design Sound Reinforcement Systems
• New Developments
• Summary / Conclusions

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Sound Reinforcement System Design Goals

• evenness of coverage
• intelligibility (articulation loss of consonants)
• ratio of direct sound field to reverberant sound
  field
• gain before feedback
• SPL at furthest listening position
• frequency range/response
• smoothness of frequency response curve
• locality of reference
• headroom

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Factors Which Complicate Sound System Design

• reverberation / echo
• early / late arrivals
• room surfaces (absorption)
• room geometry
• seating characteristics
• variable fill
• empty room ? full room

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Proven Ways to Design Sound Reinforcement Systems

• central cluster
• excellent coverage
• high intelligibility
• high gain before feedback
• smooth frequency response
• good locality of reference
• cluster needs to be large for long, narrow room
• potential for interference in driver overlap
  regions
• hard to hide architecturally
• ugly hanging mess

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Central Vertical Line Array
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Proven Ways to Design Sound Reinforcement Systems

• split source / point and shoot
• best if multi-channel
• high intelligibility
• potential solution for challenging room
  geometries
• generally more aesthetically pleasing (but not
  always)
• potential for creating large interference zone
• potential for loss of locality of reference
• potential for limited frequency range over which
  directional control is possible

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Split Source / Point and Shoot
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Proven Ways to Design Sound Reinforcement Systems

• distributed / delayed
• good solution for large, absorptive rooms with
  low ceilings
• potential solution for challenging room
  geometries
• potential solution for reinforcing distant
  zones
• requires digital delays / multiple amplifiers
  (expensive)
• potential for loss of locality of reference
• generally not well suited for rooms with high
  ceilings (or that are highly reverberant)

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Distributed / Delayed
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New Developments

• Before its time in 89
• Renkus-Heinz Iconyx
• Yamaha YSP-1
• Pioneer PDSP-1
• Sounds Good
• Patent 7130430

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Back to the problematic long, narrow room
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15 years later
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http//www.yamaha.com/yec/soundprojectors/
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http//www.pioneer.eu/eur/content/press/news_20021
010_PDSP1.html
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ECE 477 Digital Systems Senior Design Project ?
Spring 2007 SOUNDS GOOD / DS3 Digital Steerable
Sound System
Joe Land, Ben Fogle, James OCarroll, Elizabeth
Strehlow
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
USER INTERFACE UNIT
USER MENUS CONCEPT

• Digitally Steerable Sound System, allows for
  non-ideal placement of speakers
• Six Preset Equalization Modes
• Wireless Control Interface

PCB LAYOUT
ILLUSTRATION OF CONCEPT
LOUDSPEAKER UNIT
Top Copper
Bottom Copper
SIGNAL PATH
FRONT
BACK
Digijock(ette)-Strength Digital System DesignTM
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Back to the future?
2006
1981
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Summary / Conclusions

• there is no universal, one size fits all
  solution to sound reinforcement system design
• knowledge of physics (sound propagation, room
  acoustics), electrical engineering (amplifier
  technology, wireless microphones), and computer
  engineering (digital signal processing, network
  technology, system monitoring, automation/control)
  are all helpful in formulating an optimal
  solution
• there are some new, exciting possibilities!