Meyer MAPP Online
Beta Testing Commences

Meyer Sound has announced that its MAPP Online project is entering the beta test phase.

MAPP Online is an advanced new tool for sound system designers. Running on a server computer at Meyer Sound headquarters and accessible over the World Wide Web from any Java-enabled web browser, MAPP allows sound designers to specify a multiple-loudspeaker array system and see a highly accurate prediction of its directional characteristics, including frequency response at any point in space.

MAPP (Multipurpose Acoustical Prediction Program) is a computer-based electroacoustic modeling program that allows system designers to predict the performance of loudspeaker systems with extremely high accuracy (3 dB maximum tolerance) and conduct research into the interaction between multiple loudspeakers and their surrounding environments.

MAPP has been in development at Meyer Sound for more than four years, and it is used daily as an in-house tool for both the company's own R&D efforts and for assisting customers in optimizing systems that use Meyer Sound products. A well-known application of the MAPP program was the design of a new center cluster for the sound reinforcement system at New York's Carnegie Hall.

The key factor in Meyer Sound’s decision to develop a way to access MAPP via the Internet is the program's sheer power and complexity. MAPP uses high-resolution (1/24-octave / 1 degree) and complex (containing phase measurements) loudspeaker data - versus the restrictive and less accurate low-resolution (1-octave / 10 degrees), decades-old standard of the professional audio industry.

Meyer Sound notes that recently introduced medium-resolution (1/3-octave / 5 degrees) measurements are not nearly sufficient for accurate predictions because they do not include phase. To date, no modeling program other than MAPP can incorporate phase data in its predictions.

The MAPP Online beta program will run for two months. Participants are expected to provide valuable feedback that will help refine the utility and user experience of the program. Audio professionals who wish to join in the beta testing may contact Meyer Sound directly by email at mapponline@meyersound.com.