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Author Topic: Calculate needs given SPL  (Read 8167 times)

Scott Carneval

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Re: Calculate needs given SPL
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2011, 10:44:58 AM »

The space does everything, from dances to athletic camps to talent shows.  I would like to avoid carting over equipment for every event.  So the applications I want to consider are dances and athletic camps.  I can bring over more equipment as needed for talent shows.  What kind of questions do I need to ask the person with the money?  What kind of inspections do I need to make?  I'm only 1 person, so I can't do everything.

There really isn't a 'one system fits all' approach that will work here.  Dances will require a different approach than athletic events, which will require a different approach than live performances (talent shows).  For athletic events you will likely want the announcements to be projected from center court, as that will be the point of the audiences attention.  For live performances you will want the sound to come from the stage, with a strong attention to vocal intelligibility.  For dances, you'll likely want the sound to come from the stage, but you will also need extended low frequency response.  It's feasible to design a solution that will work for live performances and dances, but it's unlikely that the same system will work for athletic events. 
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Brad Weber

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Re: Calculate needs given SPL
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2011, 02:39:12 PM »

It's feasible to design a solution that will work for live performances and dances, but it's unlikely that the same system will work for athletic events.
I have done it and had to also add in supporting commencements, pep rallies and chapel services, but it took creating multiple coverage zones, using multiple matrix DSP presets and using higher quality speakers throughout, neither a simple nor inexpensive option.  Most people are not willing to make that investment and end up sticking with portable/rental for the live performance type events.
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Billy Wood

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Re: Calculate needs given SPL
« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2012, 10:24:08 PM »

I was contacted about putting in a sound system in a couple of gyms and a lobby at an university rec center.  I know that I would like to achieve a certain SPL, around 95dB.  I know the size of the space and I can look at the specs on speakers to determine sensitivity.  How do I go about finding how many speakers/wattage I will need for this project?  I can handle the math if someone can point me to a formula.

As a beginning installer nothing helps more than the tools the manufactures give you.  Most the data they give you are hard numbers to weed out the obvious exclusions.  After that most data is presented in EASE files.  You can build anything you desire and see how it works.  It will be very time consuming at first if you have never used EASE.  If a manufacture does not have EASE data on that product it is more than likely not something you will want to install and put your name on it.  If you are just starting out you can use Google Sketch-up 7 and earlier or AutoCAD to make your room and then import it into EASE.  You can find EASE here: http://www.renkus-heinz.com/ease/

It is the industry standard for installed sound.  Any installer that is worth his merit has EASE.


Billy Wood
www.avprogroup.com
The Woodlands, TX
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Billy Wood
www.avprogroup.com
The Woodlands, TX

Brad Weber

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Re: Calculate needs given SPL
« Reply #13 on: January 03, 2012, 09:25:37 AM »

It is the industry standard for installed sound.  Any installer that is worth his merit has EASE.
Since EASE is a design tool that might be better stated as any designer rather than installer and you might also want to add other alternatives such as CATT-Acoustic and Odeon, both of which use Common Loudspeaker Format or .clf files.  However, the usual cautions here that having such program and even using them is not necessarily the same as using them properly.  These programs offer quite a bit of flexibility in how you can calculate and present the results, which is very useful when properly applied but that intentionally or unintentionally misapplied can give misleading results.

It is unfortunate how many times I've seen parties trying to sell a particular solution provide EASE predictions where the calculation and presentation parameters appear to have been manipulated to make their proposed solution look good.  Whether that was intentional or the result of a lack of knowledge on the part of the person doing the work, neither is very reassuring.


Clark, to your original question, determining the on-axis overall level, or at least a conservative value for it, is pretty simple.  However, that is not addressing aspects of the system performance such as frequency response, coverage and intelligibility.  That also does not address practical factors related to both the system performance and installation.  Or code compliance, Owner Standards compliance, etc.  All of these, and possibly other factors, are elements in an typical installed system design and there is no single calculation to address them all.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2012, 09:32:30 AM by Brad Weber »
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Calculate needs given SPL
« Reply #13 on: January 03, 2012, 09:25:37 AM »


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