Tuning a Sound System
Professional sound systems are great; however, the quality differentiator that sets a clear broadcast at an event is as follows:
Professional Sound System -> Professional Setup & Tuning -> Professional Mixing
Sound Union is a company that prides itself on providing no less than 2 of the three links in the clear broadcast range and very often all 3.
Setting up and Tuning a professional sound system for a space brings audio fidelity up by reducing interactions between speakers to minimize variations across all possible listening positions. Our team has mastered the process and found techniques with our high-end audio processing equipment to optimize our sound systems to the nth degree.
The Process:
-
Verification
-
Placement
-
Aim
-
Volume & EQ
-
Crossover alignment
First, we verify the connection of each speaker to the appropriate channel for its position on the sound field.
Second, we measure placement so that at the center (on-axis), the distance is equal between both sides, or at an interval of length, the specific system cabinet and speaker have been rated for tuning by the manufacturer.
Third, since each speaker has an angle of sound dispersion, we aim the speakers for proper space coverage.
Fourth, we use a dual channel and a reference sound (pink noise) to measure the left and right speakers individually at their respective (off-axis) sides of the audience sound field. Once we have matched the loudness of all speakers, we closely match the loudnesses of each band in our multiband equalizer to accommodate any left and right differences in the sound absorption around each speaker.
Example: Audience Sound Stage
Fifth, we use the reference sound on both sides of the system to measure crossover alignment and frequency discrepancies. Since each unique space has its individual properties of sound absorptive and sound reflective surfaces or lack thereof, we look at the balance of ranges in the center (on-axis) of the audience sound field.
By examining the space this way, we can eliminate anomalies between the reference signal into the system and the reference signal coming out of the system:
-
Remove phase issues
-
Eliminate standing soundwaves that build up due to space dimensions
-
Adjust accentuated or reduced ranges due to the space’s unique qualities
Tuning multiple audience space events becomes more complex, although our team can adequately set up and tune multiple zones while accommodating partitioning techniques to keep all zones operating optimally.
Additionally, Sound Union starts and fine-tunes automatic feedback suppression units on relevant microphones at this point to further reduce the risk of sound spikes during the event.
Correctly deploying and tuning high-fidelity sound systems like this can be tedious, complicated, and time-consuming. However, it is simple for us with a little bit of information about the space from you before the event. Reach out to us asap and let us know about your event and space!
