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MAPP 3D is latest evolution of Meyer Sound’s Multi Acoustic Prediction Program that launched over 20 years. The newest edition of the free loudspeaker system design and prediction tool adds 3D modeling and prediction to the already powerful legacy of design tools. We gave an introduction to the software in a previous blog, but we wanted to share some of our favorite tips and features to improve workflow.

Our project managers and sales engineers regularly use the proven and essential tools in MAPP 3D as part of our “Better Audio by Design” philosophy of creating custom tailored solutions for every project. Whether deciding the necessary height and down-angle for point-source speakers in small ballrooms, or complex outdoor multi-zone systems, the tools in MAPP 3D are scalable for any design.

One major advantage of the MAPP 3D workflow is the availability of all of the necessary design tools on a single screen. The Model View tab gives you quick access to several virtual camera angles, and the Object and Processor settings are just a click away to modify loudspeakers, microphones, and other objects in your design. Lastly, the Measurement View displays broadband response and maximum acoustic output, including transfer functions based on room and processing interactions.

Here are some of our tips to get the most out of your MAPP 3D user experience.

1) Import your drawings

While MAPP 3D includes a pallet of tools to create three dimensional drawings, it also has the ability to import existing 3D drawings into the software, allowing significant time and cost savings for building complex venues within the software. MAPP 3D supports the importing 2D and 3D AutoCAD (DXF) and 3D Sketchup (SKP) files. While importing SKP files is fairly straightforward, Meyer Sound does have some suggestions for preparing DXF files before importing (read more about them here).

Once in MAPP 3D, users can turn layers on and off from your imported venue. At this point, prediction planes will still need to be assigned, but tools like “snapping” allow for easy addition of prediction plane geometry directly to the imported files.

A bonus tip is to always verify the scale of the model after it has been imported by using the Distance Tape Measure tool. Accuracy of the venue model is essential when designing a sound system for a given space.

2) Download updated speaker data

Meyer Sound has worked to meticulously catalog their loudspeaker data, and each 3D loudspeaker performance is based on more than 65,000 three-dimensional measurement points taken in 1/48th octave resolution in Meyer’s own anechoic chamber in Berkeley, California. All of that data is available for download through the HELP > CHECK FOR UPDATES menu.

It is worth noting that the initial installation of the MAPP 3D software only includes a limited pool of loudspeakers to add to a design, and this is the menu where users will choose additional speakers to download to your computer. Meyer Sound has continued to update the available loudspeaker data, including support for legacy models and additional array configurations for select point source boxes.

3) Take full advantage of the Measurement View

While viewing 3D pressure plots of prediction planes can give some general information of coverage, including hot and dark zones of a loudspeaker system design, MAPP 3D’s Measurement View lets users dive much deeper. After placing virtual “microphones” within the venue, users can evaluate broadband response and maximum acoustic output in this tab. Pioneered by Meyer Sound, SIM (Source Independent Measurement) is a technique for real-time acoustical analysis, and this virtual SIM system is built right into the MAPP 3D to help users optimize processor settings during the design phase.

The default view displays four charts and includes transfer functions for four measurements: result amplitude (between processor input and microphone), result phase (between processor input and microphone), room and processor amplitude (between the processor input and microphone and between processor output and microphone displaced on the same plot), and the IFFT (signal generator and microphone difference).

Additionally, the Headroom tab gives a peek into SPL predictions at each microphone location and the available headroom predictions for individual loudspeakers. This helps designers avoid over-designing systems and can lead to greater cost efficiencies.

4) Sync your GALAXY device

Meyer Sound’s series of Galileo GALAXY networked audio processors provide precision control of loudspeaker management parameters including EQ, delay, and matrix mixing. MAPP 3D now offers full workflow integration with GALAXY system processors, enabling users to load resultant EQ and filter settings derived from predictions directly into multiple GALAXY processors.

Once the software and processors are synced, settings can be pushed in either direction. This means users can tie predictions and system tuning together in the same workflow, simplifying the need for additional software. Paired with the ability to make virtual SIM predictions, much of the loudspeaker optimization can be handled offline.

Conclusion

MAPP 3D is a great tool for all levels of loudspeaker system design. If you would like to learn more, join us for our MAPP 3D Webinar on Tuesday, March 30th (sign-up here). Meyer Sound also has a great resource of help topics available at mapp-3d-help.meyersound.com/

Our loudspeaker system Design & Alignment team have decades of experience and can help design the perfect loudspeaker system for your next rental, live event, or permanent installation. Email align-design@tcfurlong.com today with questions.

Immersive audio (also called 3D audio, 360° sound, spatial sound, among others) is one of the fastest growing areas of innovation and experimentation in the live sound industry. Just about every major loudspeaker manufacturer has made forays into developing immersive audio technologies; as those solutions become more affordable and widely available, we’ll see them implemented in venues of all shapes and sizes. But what exactly is immersive audio? How does it differ from traditional loudspeaker systems? In this article, we’ll give an overview of this emerging technology.

When most of us read “immersive audio,” the first connection we make is likely to surround sound. Just about everyone has heard a surround sound system, whether at a movie theater or in their own home. While a traditional X.1 surround sound system allows a mix engineer to pan sounds around the audience in the horizontal plane, an immersive audio system with the proper loudspeaker deployment allows the engineer to position tracks in the vertical plane as well, allowing for ‘3D’ audio that the listener perceives as coming from any number of points around them in physical space.

It’s also important to note that immersive audio systems don’t have to be used strictly in surround-style deployments; traditional Left/Right or LCR loudspeaker hangs can also benefit from immersive audio technology. In live performance applications where a realistic soundscape is desired, immersive audio systems allow you to localize sound sources more precisely than typical stereo panning and delay. When done properly, the audience will perceive the sound as coming directly from the performer on stage, effectively masking the fact that any sound reinforcement is happening at all.

How are these results achieved? As with most emerging technologies, the terminology used to describe immersive audio systems can vary pretty wildly between manufacturers. However, the phrase “object-based mixing” is a common thread across most platforms. In object-based mixing, an engineer can place a sound “object” (which could be an individual audio track or a stem of multiple tracks) within a virtual 3D environment represented within the chosen software. A system processor then runs the information from the software through a complex digital matrix to ensure the right level of each audio source is sent to each loudspeaker with the correct delay times. In turn, the listener will perceive the sound source as coming from a specific point in space around them.

While most immersive audio systems require the use of a special system processor that’s purpose-built for immersive applications, strides have recently been made to allow for immersive audio mixing using existing platforms. Meyer Sound’s new Spacemap Go software utilizes the processing power of their existing Galileo GALAXY processors. This means that the hundreds of venues around the world that already utilize the GALAXY platform for system processing now have access to immersive audio mixing with Spacemap Go via a completely free update. “Spacemap Go now gives users an affordable, scalable, and flexible path into immersive audio without compromising the features needed in a live production environment. This new tool works with any loudspeaker arrangement for any live audio application, including live mixing,” according to Meyer Technical Support Specialist Josh Dorn-Fehrmann.

The possible applications of immersive audio technology extend to all corners of the live sound world. In theatrical performances, where small loudspeakers might previously have been hidden in scenery, sound effects can now be pinpointed anywhere on the stage. A classical musician can perform a solo that the whole audience can hear clearly, without realizing that a loudspeaker system is in use at all. In pop music performances, the sounds of instruments and effects can swirl around and over the audience in ways that weren’t previously possible. “Immersive audio provides a much broader canvas and tools for the mixer to use. There is a learning curve when coming from a stereo/mono world. We have to rethink and relearn,” says Dorn-Fehrmann. “It is up to the immersive system manufacturers to make this transition as comfortable and elegant as possible.”

As immersive audio systems become more widespread, and as manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with these systems, audiences will experience the work of their favorite artists in brand new ways. This modern day frontier of live sound technology will continue to be an exciting space for innovation in years to come.

Are you interested in the possibilities an immersive audio system would bring to your venue? Our loudspeaker system Design & Alignment team have decades of experience, and can work with all major loudspeaker manufacturers to design the perfect system for your space. Email align-design@tcfurlong.com today with questions.

Proper gain staging (or gain structure) is a critical skill for any audio engineer to develop, and arguably the single most important determining factor in the overall quality of a mix. Proper gain staging can lead to a mix that is clear, free of extraneous noise, appropriately loud, and with plenty of headroom. When gain staging is not done properly, the result can be a mix that is full of noticeable noises and hiss, not loud enough, or, perhaps worst of all, characterized by unpleasant distortion or clipping.

Gain management is of heightened importance in the era of digital audio. In the days of all-analog signal flows, overloading an individual gain stage would often be seen as a beneficial effect, imparting “warmth,” “punch,” or “fullness” on a signal. Unfortunately, the effects of digital distortion are far less pleasant on the ear, and care should be taken to avoid clipping in a digital signal chain.

A gain stage is any point in a signal chain at which the level of the signal can be altered. In this article, we’ll discuss gain staging from the perspective of using a digital console for live sound mixing, but many of the principles here are equally applicable to mixing in a DAW, or on an analog console.

#1: A Clean Signal At The Source Is Key

We’ve all heard some variation of the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” in reference to properly capturing audio at the source. This is especially important advice when it comes to gain staging. For example, if a lavalier or headset mic is improperly positioned to pick up a speaker’s voice, it may be necessary to crank up the gain on that channel, unnecessarily raising the noise floor. A vintage electric bass guitar’s pickups might have a weak output, necessitating the use of an active DI to bring the signal to an appropriate level for your mixer’s input. Similarly, some dynamic mics are known for their low output levels, and can sometimes benefit from the use of an additional phantom-powered ‘clean’ preamp. You’ll notice that the last two examples involve the addition of extra gain stages, which brings us to our next tip…

#2: Your Mixer’s Preamp Is Not The Only Gain Stage

At first glance, you might think there’s only one gain stage to worry about in the signal flow of any one channel: the knob labeled ‘GAIN,’ right? Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. Thinking back to our previous tip, there are often multiple gain stages to consider in a signal chain before it even reaches the input of your mixer. In addition to the examples given above, wireless mic receivers usually have gain control, and it’s important to set the gain properly to deliver a strong signal to the mixer without distortion.

Gain structuring considerations don’t stop once a signal passes through your mixer’s head amp. While we don’t think of it as such, the channel EQ is a gain stage that deserves consideration. Whether you’re making additive EQ changes (i.e. boosting the gain of certain frequencies) or subtractive changes (i.e. cutting the gain of certain frequencies), you’re impacting the overall gain of the channel. Dynamics processors (compressors, gates, expanders, etc.) by their very definition have a huge impact on gain, and in fact most have a ‘makeup gain’ control – that is, yet another gain stage to take into account.

Finally, we come to plugins. While the use of hardware inserts in live sound applications becomes rarer by the day, the use of software plugins has exploded in recent years. Many digital console manufacturers have gotten into the plugin game themselves, offering plugin bundles for purchase alongside their hardware, or bundling them in for free with their consoles. The digital nature of plugins means they are often overlooked as a gain stage, but they have the same impacts on your signal as the analog hardware they are often designed to emulate. It’s important to take into account all of the gain stages a signal will pass through, to maximize headroom and minimize noise and distortion.

#3: Think About Optimal Fader Placement

To the untrained eye, a fader on a console looks like a tool that makes linear adjustments. In other words, no matter where the fader is positioned, moving it by one centimeter should have an equal impact on the signal level. Of course, we know that’s not the case; faders operate logarithmically. To put it into the simplest terms possible, faders are more sensitive to adjustments the closer they are to their ‘0’ or ‘Unity’ point. Thus, in order to have the most precise control over your mix, you should aim to structure your gain so that you end up mixing with all your channel faders near unity. Some engineers will even set all their faders at unity during sound check, and adjust levels with their gain controls to ensure maximum control when it comes to showtime. This practice isn’t strictly necessary, or even recommended by most, but it goes to show that optimal fader placement is worth taking into account.

#4: Leave More Headroom Than You Think You Need

‘Headroom’ is the difference in dB between the normal operating level of your channel or mix, and the point at which the signal clips. It’s tempting to decrease your available headroom and squeeze the maximum signal level possible out of your mix, but keep in mind that sudden, unexpected signal peaks are a fact of life in live sound mixing, for a variety of reasons. It’s better to have a slightly quieter signal overall, in exchange for avoiding the ugly sounds of digital distortion.

There’s more to think about in gain staging than first meets the eye, but by following a few simple principles, you can make the most of your gear by achieving optimum levels and maximum headroom with minimal distortion and noise.

TC Furlong Inc.’s engineers have the experience to make your next live event sound great. If you need top notch gear and technicians for your next event, get in touch with one of our Project Managers at 847-367-9588.

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