Designing quality audio for worship is a complex job. To accurately design any acoustical system, experienced audio designers must account for a multitude of factors. These are not limited to the characteristics of modern loudspeakers and amplification systems, speaker location and orientation, the coverage of listening areas, and the properties of the space in which their systems must perform. Then there are the additional complexities presented by audio systems designed for worship that must provide both high speech intelligibility and top audio quality standards for a variety of musical ensembles and styles.
A major benefit of using modeling software is that designers and their clients can see predictions of how the room will sound—and make adjustments without cost or delay—well before the system is installed or even ordered.
In recent years, traditional computational methods for audio system design have given way to software options for many church audio designers. David Seaford, a design and installation expert at XL Mediaworks in Columbia, S.C., notes that product knowledge, knowing your customer, and experience are still key to successful designs for worship, but including software modeling in the audio system design process can significantly accelerate common audio design tasks. And it can reduce the likelihood of errors. For Seaford, it’s just one part of the process, though. “I like to learn about the worship style and expectations of the church first,” he says. “That helps me to know what direction to take with the software. I still need to know my product lines and what the products can do.” Seaford relies on d&b ArrayCalc software simulations to confirm his design expectations and tweak his line array designs.
Producing audio designs in software also reduces the need to produce costly and time-consuming system demonstrations that may represent only approximations of the performance of an installed system. “You are really better off showing the customer reports from designs that you’ve proven in software,” Seaford says, “rather than just setting up some boxes on the stage that won’t be located correctly in the room and won't create an accurate impression of how the final installation will sound.” In addition to being a good sales tool, reviewing the results of an accurate acoustic simulation increases the understanding of a design for both engineers and clients, leading to better informed decisions and higher-quality results.
Goals for worship audio
Audio software offerings range from basic programs that can accurately predict audio coverage and performance in two dimensions to more complex offerings that add a third dimension to simulations. The third dimension allows the model to consider the interaction of sound signals with any structures and materials found in a performance space. These reflections and their resulting interactions with sound are physics problems that acousticians and designers must consider as a part of a good audio system design. Here is where software shines. And, the more complete the model, the more accurate the simulation will be.As in the real world, changing a single element, angle, or source location within the virtual space of a model can impact an audio design for better or worse.
When designing in software, a few mouse clicks can make a simple or dramatic change in the model and present the results immediately. As a result, a major benefit of using software is that designers and their clients can see predictions of how the room will sound—and make adjustments without cost or delay—well before the system is installed or even ordered. Making interactive changes in a software model helps engineers reach more accurate designs and significantly minimizes adjustments at install time.In his audio design projects, Keith Reardigan, vice president for technology and standards and the senior systems architect at Technical Services Audio Visual in Athens, Ga., works closely with architects and contractors consulting on the audio designs for houses of worship.
The d&b ArrayCalc simulation software is the simulation tool for d&b line arrays, columns and point-source loudspeakers, as well as subwoofers.
“The worship market poses interesting challenges for the audio designer,” he says. “We frequently meet with clients who need both high intelligibility for the spoken word and good sound for music. Those are two distinctly different acoustic profiles for a space—what is good for one isn’t necessarily good for the other.” Reardigan uses many of the features of Bose Modeler to help him model systems to get the best result for his clients. “We use the multi-dimensional features of the software to inform the design team if the room requires acoustically rated finish materials, shaping considerations, or other physical space considerations,” he says. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter what audio system you put into a room—if you haven’t properly addressed the acoustics, outcomes can suffer. A good model can help inform us about these situations in the design phase when they can be more easily corrected.”
In addition to achieving proper coverage of seating areas and frequency response and other typical design considerations, Reardigan looks closely at the Speech Transmission Index (STI) and RT60 analysis provided by Modeler, and adjusts his designs to achieve the best balance of speech intelligibility and musicality. Past basic audio design features, PDF reports that graphically display accurate predictions of real-world acoustics can be exported from software applications and passed to a sales team to inform clients on system performance and then to system technicians to ensure proper installation. Some software even provides help for pre-production and on-site setup.
For instance, Enhanced Acoustic Simulator for Engineers (EASE) Focus seamlessly integrates the AFMG FIRmaker Technology that offers a communication interface for data transfer to various DSP platforms. EASE also provides a plug-in architecture for rigging safety calculations that provides an opportunity for manufacturers to offer additional calculations beyond just acoustical performance.
Audio design software usage
Acoustic simulation software has been advanced by both audio experts and the loudspeaker manufacturers themselves. While the major loudspeaker manufacturers offer their own audio mapping and design software applications, one of the most popular choices of designers is the comprehensive approach found in the EASE Focus software suite from AFMG Technologies.
EASE provides a set of standard tools for all aspects of professional audio practice with several software modules. It is often described as “open” software designed to work with line arrays or loudspeakers from a host of manufacturers (over 60). Components are described to the application using a system definition or profile created and supplied by AFMG-licensed loudspeaker manufacturers which contain the mechanical, electronic, and acoustic properties of line arrays, configurable loudspeakers and columns, typical point sources, and subwoofer arrays. The definitions are stored in in a library of EASE GLL files (profiles) compiled with the EASE SpeakerLab software.
With Modeler software from Bose, sound designers can see the acoustical impact of obstructions and reflections. Modeler designs can be listened to using the Auditioner playback system III, allowing designers to hear the system performance and use that to help iterate their designs and evaluate the tradeoffs. Clients can actually hear how the proposed system will sound before it is installed.
In addition to EASE, most major speaker manufacturers provide at least their proprietary software to integrators to download and use at no charge. Danley Sound Lab’s Direct, Meyer Sound’s MAPP XT, d&b’s ArrayCalc are examples of software that is proprietary in nature providing that manufacturer’s specific products, sample configurations, and design strategies. Bose Modeler provides many advanced design and auditioning features specific to Bose products, but also provides the ability to load and design other manufacturer’s product profiles which makes for interesting comparisons.
Where some designers see benefits of having an EASE library of sound sources to visually compare products, Seaford at XL Mediaworks sees advantages of employing a proprietary tool. “Using a manufacturer’s design tool,” he says, “you are in a better position to get help if you have issues or need guidance.” That connection to manufacturers is critically important to the many integrators who work with the manufacturer to vet, tweak, or collaborate on their designs.
While audio design software handles a great deal of complexity, it’s not hard for audio professionals to start developing useful simulations with just basic computer graphics experience. “If you have operated a graphic drawing program and have a handle on basic audio concepts,” Reardigan offers, “that’s enough to get you going.” On new construction projects, Reardigan often imports room floor plans from the architect’s CAD files. Getting an accurate acoustic model in the early phases of a project allows him to advise construction teams on design and materials choices that can impact sound, as well as finding and reserving optimal speaker locations.
In addition, Reardigan also utilized the advanced features of Bose Modeler to audition sound and can place himself, as well as his clients, in selected listening areas to show how the finished product will sound. “These are great predictive tools,” he says. “I had some doubts initially, but I’ve compared the simulations to sound in the actual seats and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Using the software, you keep learning, and the more you know, the more accurate the results will be.”
How Does Audio Design Software Work?
By Andy McDonough
While each audio system designer’s process will be their own, all modeling programs fundamentally work the same way. Here are the basic steps: Select a room sample as a starting place or enter the dimensions of a new venue and define audience areas. Areas can be placed at different heights or be in an inclining plane. Most software allows designers to define vertical cutting planes to provide sectional views for extended evaluation.Add sound sources from the element library. Sound sources can be placed precisely in the space and parameters—such as gain, polarity, delay, and a virtual EQ—can be tweaked.
Sound coverage on the audience zones and sections is calculated and displayed allowing the designer to investigate the interaction between separate sound sources or relocate elements in the space. Mappings reveal the influence of polarity, phase, and propagation delay of the selected systems on the defined audience areas. Adjust settings or placement and recalculate to maximize SPL and minimize any negative effects found in the space.Once the design is complete, export PDF reports that graphically display accurate predictions of real-world acoustics for use by a sales team and technicians to aid in installation and commissioning.
