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Monday, June 17, 2013Lost In Translation: Is New Sound Good Sound?
SIeve Olszewski 06/17 09:16 AM,While cleaning out some of my numerous files I came across an old article about the Grateful Dead. No, not the one about them laying down a 24-track tape bias bed of ambient desert noise on the multi-track machine before actually recording music, but rather, the one about using a square-wave impulse generator and a triggered oscilloscope to physically “time align” a multi-stage loudspeaker stack. Very hip at the time, especially being pre-mainstream of FFT, TEF, Smaart, digital delays, and… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Opinion • Analog • AV • Digital • Measurement • Processor • Signal • Software -
Tuesday, June 11, 2013Dealing With Systems For Multi-Function Performance Rooms & Spaces
Paul Stark 06/11 07:42 AM,Editor’s Note: This story was extracted from from RE/P, Vol 5, Number 1, which originally ran in Jan/Feb 1974. While somewhat dated in regard to specific technological advances, this text is still full of solid, relevant information. “Multi-Function” is a phrase we have invented to describe the spectrum of challenges, problems and responsibilities sound people are continually exposed to while working to achieve the best possible audio environment in club-type establishments. The obvious grammatical redundancy of the phrase is intended… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • AV • Consoles • Installation • Loudspeaker • Microphone • Sound Reinforcement • System -
Thursday, June 06, 2013How Do You Set Sound System Gain Structure?
Chuck McGregor 06/06 06:01 PM,Realistically, audio signals at or near the noise floor of a system are not useful because the signal will not be significantly louder than the noise. Therefore, some minimum usable level must be assumed below which the electronic noise is considered objectionable. A signal to noise ratio of 20 dB is considered minimally acceptable for good intelligibility. For a high quality system 30 dB would be a better figure to use. Using this value, the range from this minimum signal… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Amplifier • AV • Consoles • Education • Mixer • Processor • Sound Reinforcement • System -
Wednesday, June 05, 2013Blazing New Trails: Starin Develops A New Way To Serve The AV Marketplace
Keith Clark 06/05 02:43 PM,“We have a little bit of a different business model than everyone else,” says Jim Starin, talking about the company he founded in 1988 that has grown from a fledgling Midwest-based regional sales rep firm to playing a significant role in the success of a “who’s who” of manufacturers, as well as the thousands of professional designers, installers and dealers who utilize their products across North America. The original rep firm was called “Starin Marketing,” a moniker now simply adapted… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • AV • Business • Manufacturer -
Tuesday, June 04, 2013Why Power Matters: Beyond Amplifiers To The Big Picture
Pat Brown 06/04 05:37 PM,For professional audio people, the word “power” usually conjures up visions of racks of amplifiers are used to drive the loudspeakers in a sound system. But the amplifier and other system components must have a stable power source from which to operate. Thus the issue of power distribution, all the way from Hoover Dam to your sound system, is vital. Some of the principles of audio signal distribution in sound systems are borrowed directly from utility companies, and so much… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Amplifier • AV • Measurement • Power • Signal -
Monday, June 03, 201380 Years On & Counting: Progress In “Getting It Right” With Speech Reinforcement
Alan Hardiman 06/03 02:41 PM,This past April 27 marked the 80th anniversary of a historic milestone in the history of audio. On that date in 1933, the Philadelphia Orchestra, under deputy conductor Alexander Smallens, was picked up by three microphones at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia – left, center, and right of the orchestra stage – and the audio transmitted over wire lines to Constitution Hall in Washington, where it was replayed over three loudspeakers placed in similar positions to an audience of… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • AV • Digital • Line Array • Loudspeaker • Processor • Signal • Sound Reinforcement -
Friday, May 31, 2013Dirty AC Power? Where To Lay The Blame For System Noise Problems
Bill Whitlock 05/31 12:56 PM,The idea that “dirty” power causes audio system noise problems has a nearly irresistible intuitive appeal - and there are dozens of companies ready to cash in on this widespread but mistaken belief. For example, here is a quote from a well-known manufacturer of power conditioning products: “Today’s residential systems contractors face unprecedented challenges where high resolution, trouble-free operation is required. From inducing AC ground loops, video hum bars, static bursts, damage from AC line surges and variable audio and… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • Analog • AV • Installation • Interconnect • Measurement • Power • Signal -
Tuesday, May 28, 2013Time Can Be On Your Side With Sound System Alignment
Tom Young 05/28 10:47 AM,When traveling to different time zones, we need to correct our time-keeping tools in order to align our activities to the local standard time. Very simple. Likewise in sound reinforcement systems, we often encounter multiple sources of misalignment, albeit in much smaller time increments. The importance of these misalignments is often subject to debate, but with the advent of a wide variety of very good digital processing products, correcting such anomalies is no longer out of reach for most of… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • AV • Education • Installation • Line Array • Loudspeaker • Measurement • Processor • Sound Reinforcement • Technician -
Friday, May 24, 2013Making It Meaningful: Practical Applications Of Loudspeaker Analysis
Ken DeLoria 05/24 11:20 AM,Over the years many have debated the relative merits of “looking at screen traces” on an analyzer versus using human hearing to determine how a loudspeaker, or an entire system, actually performs. While both practices are of course valid, it’s extremely difficult for the human ear to detect, characterize, and correct small deviations in frequency and phase response, and even harder to characterize driver distortion in a meaningful manner. Likewise, the ear is often stymied when attempting to typify transient… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • AV • Digital • Loudspeaker • Measurement • Signal • System -
Thursday, May 23, 2013Chat From The Past: System Designer Craig Janssen On Measurement, Loudspeaker Design & More
PSW Staff 05/23 06:31 PM,Enjoy this lively PSW live chat session with noted sound system designer Craig Janssen of Acoustic Dimensions. It provides an interesting look at what was happening in the world of system design a decade ago, and much of what Craig addresses is timeless, regardless of specific gear. Moderator: Greetings Craig! And welcome, everyone, to the chat. Let’s get started. Charles: What analysis packages do you use for designing and tuning systems and why? Craig: For designing we use a number… View this story
Filed in: AV • Feature • Blog • Study Hall • AV • Loudspeaker • Measurement • Sound Reinforcement • Subwoofer
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