Akabak and Hornresp

[lightspeed]

Akabak and Hornresp
Hello Members,

I just joined the diyAudio forum today. I have long been a musician, studied music theory and acoustics, tuning theory and have a wood shop. I own a large PA system and would like to build smaller more manageable cabinets.

My current PA is wonderful and I enjoy it very much but the cabinets are large and require more than one person to move them. I'd like to build smaller more efficient cabinets. I own a few books on speaker building and I am familiar with some terms and speaker lingo but need to brush up a bit i.e Thiele/Small parameters etc. I have researched and found many web sites on the net that are helpful and I am currently studying. Looking to get started on learning and research.

Its the software end of the design and test process that is confusing. I have downloaded and installed both Akabak and Hornresp and would appreciate any advice or help in this field of study. Here are my questions please:

1) What exactly does Akabak and Horresp accomplish? I hear words like simulate and modeling. What exactly is to simulate and model? Please explain in simple English, what this software's function is.

2) Do I need to have already designed an enclosure first before using Akabak and Hornresp? In other words, should I download a speaker enclosure design software first and learn how to use it before moving on to Akabak and Hornresp?

3) Just curious what the steps are in designing, building and testing PA cabinets as well as Stereo Hi-fi speaker enclosures?

4) What speaker encolsure/design software do you recommend to start with?

I am aware of Eminence speaker design software but also curious if there is a basic low cost or free download out there (or even a trial version) that won't be too complicated to learn and enables me to -at least- get started. Ideally a design software that enables the user to design BOTH PA speaker cabinets (horns, reflex cabs etc.) and stereo hi-fi speaker enclosures as well.

Thank you for your kind patience and I look forward to helping others with the information presented to me.

[DrBoar]

1. intead of build measure and try out IRL you can do that in the computer program that is "modelling". Iterative trials and errors are much faster in the software than in real life, that is as long as the software is accurate.
2 No
3. I would say that the first step is determining what is the aim. That is what you need the loudspeaker to do.
There is no principal difference between HiFi and PA, in practial terms PA aim for higher output and directivity and give up bass bandwith for efficiency for a given box size

[CRESCENDO]

This explains almost all of your questins HERE. If you still have more questions afrer reading this, feel free to ask!

[phatChance]

Akabak is free and fairly complicated. If you are unfamiliar with the use of electronic circuits and differential equations I wouldn't bother.