figure 1One of the more prevailing questions after "Where to time align the subs?" is typically "Where to time align a center sub?".
When we introduce physical displacement between loudspeakers in multiple dimensions, we end up creating triangular pyramids with sides of different lengths between the loudspeakers and listeners.
These path differences create additional time offsets which make it even more challenging to remain time aligned for as many spectators as possible.
by Nathan Lively of Sound Design LiveIn this episode of the Sound Design Live podcast I talk to Bob McCarthy, Mauricio Ramírez, Merlijn Van Veen and Daniel Lundberg about the best audio calculators for sound system design and optimization in the categories of desert island, design work, field work, and education.
"When a loudspeaker is reproducing sound with a wavelength considerably larger than the size of its enclosure, we all know that it should be essentially omnidirectional and send out sound waves spherically."
John Vanderkooy
(BEng, PhD – Distinguished Professor Emeritus)
And yet, when we walk around a subwoofer we can clearly hear that it's directional. So what's going on? The devil is in the details.
figure 1A lot of people feel that condenser microphones are more sensitive than dynamic microphones and therefore pick up “everything” e.g. stage wash and noise.
Sensitivity however, is nothing but a constant conversion rate from pressure to voltage and more important, it is distance independent. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the reason for picking up “everything”.