I’m a technology fanatic. I love checking out A/V technologies. Looking at pictures of huge line arrays and big lighting rigs is a favorite pastime. I’m sure many of you would agree. Some co-workers make fun of me for constantly reading equipment manuals, and I’m sure my wife also has a few opinions on the topic.
I hate to break this to you, but people like me (us) are in the minority. The vast majority of people want technology to be invisible to them. They won’t even notice a sound system unless it’s too loud, or distorted, or they can’t hear someone speaking. On a typical Sunday, if no one comes to the FOH booth to say something about the sound, that’s usually an indication to me that the sound was good. The point is, we sometimes have to consider the fact that any technology that seamlessly blends into our environment is often the best type of technology.
Point and Shoot and…
A traditional loudspeaker requires a point-and-shoot type approach. We aim the loudspeaker where we want the sound to go. This is often problematic from a rigging perspective. For example, if you wanted to wall-mount a loudspeaker above ear level, say 15 feet in the air, and then aim it downwards, you’d typically use some sort of U-shaped yoke mount to enable this. Alternatively, you might suspend the speaker from the ceiling, pulling the rear of the cabinet up a little higher than the front to get a downward tilt into your listening area. These techniques have worked well for many years and are something to which we’ve grown accustomed.
However, in the last decade there has been an explosion of new products that allow sophisticated DSP algorithms to digitally steer sound where we need it to go. Years ago, I attended an EAW demonstration of a column array loudspeaker where they used DSP presets to change the steering position of audio from one side of the room to the other. The demonstration was astonishing and changed the way I thought about loudspeaker placement and aiming.
Here, There and Everywhere
Column array loudspeakers are primarily marketed towards airports, shopping malls, restaurants, retail and houses of worship; and many column arrays are optimized for speech. That is to say, a column array probably isn’t going to replace the main P.A. in your 2,000-seat sanctuary, but they do provide several advantages over traditional point-and-shoot type loudspeakers in other parts of your facility. First and foremost, the vertical coverage of a column array is variable. The degree of variability depends on the make and model, but can often range from just a few degrees to 50 degrees or higher. Many of you are familiar with the benefits of vertical pattern control, which allows us to tailor our coverage to the listening area, placing sound onto our listeners and keeping it off of reflective surfaces. This improves clarity and intelligibility by reducing reverberation in our listening area.
Once you’ve determined the necessary vertical coverage pattern, that vertical pattern can be steered up or down depending on your needs. The amount of vertical steering depends on the particular loudspeaker, but imagine being able to mount such a speaker 15 or 20 feet in the air and then using DSP to steer the output down to the listeners. Not only does this improve aesthetics, but makes it a lot harder for someone to pull the speaker off the wall and run away with it (not that anyone would ever want to do such a thing).
Some column arrays also have the ability to split their vertical coverage into two distinct beams. This will usually depend on the number of drivers in the array and how they are powered and processed, but this beam splitting could allow you to steer one beam into a balcony and one beam onto a floor, while avoiding the balcony facade altogether.
That “Other” Benefit
Finally, one of the most attractive benefits of column arrays is how tightly they can be integrated into the aesthetics of a room. The flat nature of a column array allows for flush mounting against walls or on columns, facilitating a low profile installation. If you look at the available options on the market today from companies like Meyer Sound, Renkus-Heinz, EAW and JBL, you’ll find column arrays that have as little as six inches of overall depth. Coupled with a mounting bracket, these speakers may protrude as little as eight inches from the mounting surface. With such a low profile, these speakers can be integrated into virtually any aesthetic environment. Several manufacturers also offer custom color options, further blending the loudspeaker into your unique architecture. Also, don’t make the mistake of assuming that a column loudspeaker must be mounted against a wall. There are many flexible mounting options on the market that will allow you to use one in a floor-standing or even a pole-mounted configuration.
Are you intrigued by column speakers but don’t think you have an application for them? Fortunately, this technology has started to make its way into larger format, touring-level sound systems in the past few years. Several manufacturers are offering large-format line arrays that tailor their coverage to a venue’s listening area solely using DSP. The future is bright for digitally steerable array technology, so expect to see many more systems with these capabilities in the next few years.
Vince Lepore is the technical director at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando and teaches live production at Full Sail University. Contact him at vlepore (at) fohonline.com.
