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[Iain.Macdonald]

I just started working on a show in a theater that's equipped with a Vertec line array. Everything sounds amazing if you're sitting in the center but if you sit 90 degrees or more off axis to the outer side of either array, there is a not-so-pleasant tone to some of the mix. There's much more midrange and it sounds a little bit phased out. Is this normal for line arrays or is it an indication that something is wrong? Any ideas on how to fix it? I Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!   

EDIT: I MISTAKENLY WROTE 90 DEGREES BUT I MEANT 45 DEGREES.

Hi,

You might well have a problem. But you haven't given us enough information. What model of Vertec, how many elements in the array, any front fills, what area is it covering, radio mics. Does this problem occur with a CD or when the performers are miced up.  Pictures would be helpful. Vertecs have a reasonable horizontal coverage. They have a symmetric mid and high, so the pattern is not distorted to one side, like some others. You might have a routing problem on the console.

Iain.

[Iain.Macdonald]

All loudspeaker systems involve compromise. Line arrays utilize a phenomenon to usefully steer and combine on axis response to effectively throw more sound power into a narrower space. Since this is a zero sum game, the output must suffer off axis. A great deal of engineering goes into making the on axis response as smooth as possible, off axis you are, outside the target region for quality output.

This ultimately comes down how these systems are applied for the situation. If you need a wider response pattern, perhaps you don't need to use line arrays.

One common misperception is that line arrays are better overall. They are different, and better for some specific applications when properly applied.

JR

Err no!

Not unless it's flown/stacked like the pic below. Then we are all in trouble!

Iain.

[Jason Phair]

As others have said, can't say much without seeing  the installation and the room it's installed with.  I assume we're speaking about a center cluster here?  If you're 45 degrees off-axis, how close is that to the walls, and how much bounce are you getting off of them?  Is the array so short that the midrange you're speaking of doesn't have much in the way of directivity?

I just started working on a show in a theater that's equipped with a Vertec line array. Everything sounds amazing if you're sitting in the center but if you sit 90 degrees or more off axis to the outer side of either array, there is a not-so-pleasant tone to some of the mix. There's much more midrange and it sounds a little bit phased out. Is this normal for line arrays or is it an indication that something is wrong? Any ideas on how to fix it? I Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!   

EDIT: I MISTAKENLY WROTE 90 DEGREES BUT I MEANT 45 DEGREES.

[Jeff Bankston]

Err no!

Not unless it's flown/stacked like the pic below. Then we are all in trouble!

Iain.
[/quote] i asked a JBL tech about using line arrays positioned like in the foto. the tech said NO ! line arrays arnt designed to be used on there side like this. he said the dispersion would be awful. so my guess is this speaker setup is going to sound awful. is that correct ?

[Jason Phair]

Err no!

Not unless it's flown/stacked like the pic below. Then we are all in trouble!

Iain.
 i asked a JBL tech about using line arrays positioned like in the foto. the tech said NO ! line arrays arnt designed to be used on there side like this. he said the dispersion would be awful. so my guess is this speaker setup is going to sound awful. is that correct ?

It is correct, but only because there are two rows.  You can do one horizontal row in certain applications just fine.

[Arthur Skudra]

i asked a JBL tech about using line arrays positioned like in the foto. the tech said NO ! line arrays arnt designed to be used on there side like this. he said the dispersion would be awful. so my guess is this speaker setup is going to sound awful. is that correct ?

Looking closely at the picture, it seems that there is a row of line array on top of a row of subs, but I could be mistaken.  Whether such an arrangement works well with JBL is doubtful, given how narrow the vertical coverage is of each element, can you imagine all the interaction going on between boxes???   

However Nexo Geo series has been doing horizontal and vertical arrays using the same loudspeaker line array elements for many years, and doing so remarkably well, mainly because of the speaker's design.  It really depends on the design of the loudspeaker itself whether it will work well or not.

[Jason Phair]

Looking closely at the picture, it seems that there is a row of line array on top of a row of subs, but I could be mistaken.  Whether such an arrangement works well with JBL is doubtful, given how narrow the vertical coverage is of each element, can you imagine all the interaction going on between boxes???   

However Nexo Geo series has been doing horizontal and vertical arrays using the same loudspeaker line array elements for many years, and doing so remarkably well, mainly because of the speaker's design.  It really depends on the design of the loudspeaker itself whether it will work well or not.

Better eyes than me, Arthur...those are 4880s below it! 

[Sndguy (Joel Ashcraft)]

It seems they are doing the same with their sidefill setup, too.   Where is this photo from???

[Tom Hester]

It seems they are doing the same with their sidefill setup, too.   Where is this photo from???

Looking at the backline, Lenny Kravitz?

[Andrew Welker]

Looking closely at the picture, it seems that there is a row of line array on top of a row of subs, but I could be mistaken.  Whether such an arrangement works well with JBL is doubtful, given how narrow the vertical coverage is of each element, can you imagine all the interaction going on between boxes???   

Wouldn't you get that same interaction by flying the boxes in their traditional configuration side by side as is often done? All this configuration does is transfer the line array effect from the vertical to the horizontal. There are going to be some effects because of the horizontal (vertical in this picture) dispersion of the box causing early reflections from the floor, but that may not necessarily be bad. You might also hear more of the inter-box interactions that cause the line array effect, but those effects are there when the array is flown in a normal configuration.

[ProSoundWeb Community]