Image: Meyer Sound
Line array audio systems are everywhere in church sound reinforcement today. Modern line array implementations offer full-range, high-quality sound; plenty of power (frequently integrated with speaker enclosures) to reach concert levels for modern worship services; and probably most notably, the ability to direct sound for better coverage over longer distances than typical point-source systems.
For larger spaces, the long reach of concert curvilinear, or J-style, arrays can reduce the need for acoustic treatment and delay systems. And for smaller spaces, compact designs and compact column arrays can deliver great sound while blending seamlessly with the architecture.
As each line array manufacturer seems to have its own take on how to build the best line array solutions, it has become harder for even some audio professionals to ascertain the differences between systems and how those advantages might be of benefit to a church project.
Here is what a few of the top line array innovators told us about their approaches to line array technology.
Benefits of Concentric Rings – CODA Audio
Headquartered in Germany, CODA Audio has produced a range of line array systems that cover a variety of applications. For medium to large venues, the ViRAY systems offer exceptional clarity at high SPLs. Similarly, the larger AiRAY system covers everything up to arena and stadium applications. A major factor with all CODA Audio arrays is that they use the company’s own DDP (Dual Diaphragm Planar) wave drivers and proprietary Coupler, a sensor-controlled subwoofer technology.
Each CODA DDP driver is a two-way coaxial system with two concentric ring diaphragms instead of domes, where all pieces of the diaphragm are very close to the voice coil. Higher frequencies are produced from one diaphragm, while for the lows, both diaphragms are working in phase. And because there are two diaphragms on the ring (one inside the voice coil, one outside), it’s actually larger than a typical dome. A large waveguide for the DDP drivers offers superior acoustical loading down to 350 Hz, along with great horizontal pattern control in the mids and highs.
CODA subwoofers employ the company’s Coupler technology to specifically overcome the unpredictable non-linear distortion inherently produced by typical subwoofer designs. Coupler technology basically sums all the energy from the transducers into a large mutual horn that occupies the entire front of the cabinet. The result is that there is no phase destruction, so a more coherent and uniform wavefront, power response, and directivity over a wide frequency range.
Controlling Directivity of Broadband Frequencies – d&b audiotechnik
Manufacturer d&b audiotechnik’s ArrayCalc simulation software V8 is a powerful design tool to help calculate and optimize the sonic performance of a d&b line array over an entire listening area. From there, optional software, called ArrayProcessing, can be further utilized to enhance performance across a spectrum of frequencies, ensuring that every member of the audience hears the same performance with the same tonal balance. What makes d&b’s optimization unique, according to Marc Lopez vice president of marketing for the Americas, is starting with a very well-controlled loudspeaker and adding ArrayProcessing to adjust for level distribution and tonal balance over distance.
“The benefits of directivity are found in all of d&b’s array loudspeakers,” says Lopez. “With the new SL-Series, this directivity is controlled down to the lowest frequency range on the full-range cabinets (54Hz for KSL systems, 45Hz for GSL systems). In addition to better sound for the audience, this makes for a startling change for performers on stage who are no longer hit by a barrage of noise from the rear of the loudspeakers. And it also saves monitor engineers from having to carve out frequencies so that their mixes cut through the noise and not feed back.
Lopez also points to d&b’s ability to create a cardioid mode response using just a single amp channel, where other manufacturers typically need two channels or multiple subwoofers. “Using a single amp channel saves on both costs and space,” he says. “The result is minimal sub emissions at the rear of the cabinet and that, again, makes for less noise on stage for the monitor engineer and performers to deal with.”Both of these advantages of d&b are in line with the company’s philosophy to provide the tools to easily create an extremely consistent and transparent sound system, letting system designers and sound engineers focus more on the art of the mix rather than worrying about the consistency or coverage of the PA.
Leveraging a Higher Crossover – K-array
With global headquarters in Florence, Italy, K-array has produced a line of smartly designed, weather-resistant installed speakers for hidden ambiance and retail spaces, as well as versatile portable systems. To these, K-array has added a concert series of impressive array speakers. “Our approach from our smallest offering to our largest concert system follows a cohesive approach,” says Ken Blecher, K-array’s director of business development, “but with a unique difference.”
According to Blecher, the profound design decision of using higher crossover frequency (around 120hz) in K-array systems changes the game by keeping more low-end energy out of the enclosures. “Accommodating higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths,” he says, “makes for systems with better coherence in phase with less points of interference. In addition to quicker transient response and requiring only minimal box for resonance, any interference from lower frequencies and rear energy [is] significantly reduced.”
While designs with a higher crossover frequency offer significant benefits in size (the most powerful K-array concert speakers are only nine inches deep) and weight, the most significant benefit of K-array’s concept is that the compact design allows sound to exit instantaneously without resonance, generating a significant amount of sound pressure in the low and low-mid range. This results in a better impulse response with maximum sound clarity and definition. “The positive attributes of this system design are tremendous,” Blecher says.
K-array’s Firenze Series comprises the company’s powerful, top-of-the-line touring systems. In addition to unique response characteristics, Electronic Beam Steering (EBS) capabilities allow audio engineers to digitally direct sound by precisely and independently controlling each element of the array. The series is fully controlled by onboard DSPs for detailed beam steering and maximum operational flexibility. Additionally, the diminutive design of K-array components minimizes the clusters’ overall size, and this allows more freedom in where speakers can be flown, resulting in wave fronts that have the desired curvature to fit the venue.
Designing by Guiding Waves – L-Acoustics
In the early 1990s, French company L-Acoustics unleashed its V-DOSC line array design for live sound, radically new concert systems that provided practical proof of what previous theories suggested: For a given listening area, a properly configured array of drivers has no destructive interference in the horizontal plane and combine mostly inphase in the vertical plane. The end result is that, unlike the spherical coverage pattern of point-source systems where the level begins to attenuate according to the inverse-square law (6 dB per doubling of distance), the more cylindrical pattern created by a properly designed array of drivers travels more directly with dramatically less loss--just 3 dB per doubling of distance. More directivity and more distance represent huge advantages for sound system designers and huge benefits to audiences. Once line arrays arrived, concerts would never be the same.
L-Acoustics Kiva II
Today, the company’s line array offerings span large venues with its K1 and K2 systems, down to medium and smaller formats with Kara and Kiva II systems.
L-Acoustics line array designs employ the company’s DOSC wave guide specifically designed for variable curvature arrays in order to deliver sound with a truly coherent wave front. “In order to achieve effective and predictable vertical directivity,” says Josh Maichele, the company’s house of worship specialist, “it is crucial that we have every source element producing audio at equal amplitude and time. That is exactly what the DOSC wave guide does for every line source element, even before optimization via presets and electronics. This is the key feature that sets us apart in the line array market.”
In addition to vertical directivity, L-Acoustics is one of the only manufacturers to offer horizontal directivity, using Panflex, a unique horizontal steering technology that combines mechanically adjustable fins with DSP algorithms. By combining Wavefront Sculpture Technology (WST) and Panflex, L-Acoustics exclusively addresses the control of directivity in both vertical and horizontal planes.
“Having great speaker enclosures is a good start, but combining that with strong tools for optimization makes any system even better,” notes Maichele. “Putting the best tools in the hands of knowledgeable sound designers ensures that they get the best out of their L-Acoustics systems in every situation.”
Optimizing Sound – Martin Audio
According to Jason Baird, research and development director for Martin Audio, his company follows a different approach to building systems with arrays. “Traditional line array technology tends to focus on three aspects,” he says, “a system driven with the same input signal to each cabinet, directivity adjusted by splay angles alone, and waveguides that work on the basis that sound exiting the cabinet will arrive at the audience with consistent coverage and tone. When it doesn’t, that can lead to lots of trial and error trying to get anywhere close to optimum performance.” Instead of following the crowd, Martin has taken a different path, pioneering what they term “Optimized” or “Processed” line arrays that combine a proprietary mathematical model, a powerful software platform (DISPLAY), DSP processing and hardware innovations.
“Martin Audio’s proprietary mathematical model enables us to model the directivity of an acoustic source, as well as the effect of its cabinet,” says Baird. “More importantly, it considers the other physical objects around it, such as the neighboring speakers in the line array.”
From there, the company’s software determines both the best array shape (splay angles) to meet a particular goal and further optimizes arrays by utilizing the digital signal processing (DSP) abilities of an individual acoustic driver or in blocks of cabinets. In addition to manipulating the magnitude and phase of audio signals, Martin’s FIR-based DSP processing can substantially reduce sound to a particular problem zone. They appropriately named this feature “Hard Avoid.” While Baird concedes that other manufacturers have their own forms of optimization and processing, he believes that none are as accurate or deliver the same amount of control as Martin Audio’s solution.
In addition to mathematical design and software controls, both Martin Audio’s WPL and MLA arrays utilize the company’s trademark horn-loading technology across all frequency bands. Baird cites many advantages in the lower and mid frequencies, but remarks about unique differences in higher frequencies enabled by Martin Audio’s midrange horn design. “Large-format compression drivers used in other line arrays typically cross-over an octave lower, resulting in increased distortion and harsh sound just where the ear is at its most sensitive.” Martin array enclosures also feature patented, kite-shaped wedges in the throat of each horn that flatten the curvature of the wavefront so that the high-frequency section operates as a true line array.
Quality in All Elements – Meyer Sound
A quick look into the rich history of Meyer Sound Laboratories will tell you that its products are based on the company’s history of hard research in both component design and acoustics. Since John and Helen Meyer established Meyer Sound in 1979, the company has been associated with research partners at the University of California, Berkeley and Institute of Advanced Music Studies in Montreux, Switzerland, a proponent of the idea of building high-quality sound reinforcement systems for classical music.
Meyer’s leading research has led to the issuance of dozens of patents and industry recognition, but most important for the company’s customers has been its devotion to live sound and the professional sound reinforcement community. Meyer systems are found in Broadway theaters, major symphony halls around the world, and have been the pick of many top touring concert acts. And while this alone would set Meyer’s array designs apart for use in houses of worship, according to John Monitto, the company’s director of business development, there is more.
“As important as the ongoing research to improve Meyer products is,” says Monitto, “what really sets Meyer apart is a constant concern for the highest quality of manufacturing and system components.” As an example, he offers that each driver deployed in Meyer systems is hand built and rigorously tested to ensure that the component itself is low in distortion and consistent in frequency response. Meyer also designs its electronics to produce high peak-to-average power handling that protects systems from becoming non-linear as they operate from low to full power. “We want our systems to produce the same low distortion and accurate sound-to-source signal at all power levels,” notes Monitto.
Like other major line array manufacturers, Meyer provides options to fit venues of all sizes, like the larger Leo system, Lyon and Leopard offerings. Meyer Sound’s most compact system of the line is the ultra-compact Lina, which offers houses of worship the same hand-built quality and attention to detail as Meyer’s concert systems.
Steering Sound – Renkus-Heinz
Some people are surprised to learn that compact column arrays that use the same basic concepts as larger concert line arrays are not a new development. In fact, column arrays have been around for over half a century and, while early implementations were mostly limited to reproducing the vocal range and leveraged in highly reverberant spaces, modern column array designs, like Renkus-Heinz’s Iconyx Gen5, are compact, powerful, full-range systems.
The Iconyx hardware design, along with supporting software, gives audio designers the ability to do precise beam steering. This ability to precisely steer sound takes the considerable benefits of array columns to the next level, putting sound more precisely where it belongs: on the audience and away from walls and ceilings. Renkus-Heinz aptly refers to its extensive line of Iconyx digitally steerable line arrays as “adaptable, articulate, and invisible.”
Jim Mobley, technical sales manager for Renkus-Heinz, points to the benefits of the Iconyx design that makes the entire length of the column a continuous high-frequency array. “Unlike arrays with separate high-frequency sections,” notes Mobley, “the continuous design of the Iconyx column arrays can provide much greater directivity, seamless vertical coverage, and a freely movable beam center that results in much greater installation flexibility.”
In addition, Mobley reports that there are benefits to a system designed for beam steering that locates infinite impulse response (FIR) filters directly upstream from the individual amplifier channels. “This not only allows multiple beams in multiple directions using the entire height of the array for every beam,” he says, “but offers the additional benefits of having multiple beams on multiple, freely moveable centers, as well as providing audio designers with ample beam shaping options and the ability to vary aiming by opening angle gain and high-pass on individual beams. That’s unique.”
In summary
Armed with some basic knowledge about what line arrays are and how they work, you are better equipped to understand how some of the top manufacturers of line array systems explain their advantages and what makes them unique from one another.
Of course, which design will work best for a given house of worship depends on many factors, and your experience as an integrator or audio systems designer is vitally important to your church clients. Under your guidance, they may find that this technology is just the thing to take their worship audio to the next level.
