Hi All,
I have six horn speakers that I am planning to use to provide public address for a community fair on a rectangular field that is roughly 200m x 100m.
I don't do this very often (I'm just helping out with some PA gear my father left me, I'm not a professional) and I was wondering if anyone has a view on which of these two arrangements might be better:
(A) a central arrangement where six speakers are at roughly 60 degrees to each other and the sound radiates out from the centre;
(B) three speakers in each of two corners on one side of the field, directed inwards to cover the field.
(Please see attachment that contains an approximate diagram of these arrangements.)
Part of this clearly depends on where various stalls and things are, but setting that aside for a moment I am leaning towards (B) rather than (A), with the public address based in the middle of the long side in the between the speaker groups in the corners. I think this is likely to be less 'deafening' for everyone near the centre of the field, although it will need a bit more cable run.
I'd value any opinions, recommendations or thoughts on additional considerations, please?
Many thanks,
Andy.
I have six horn speakers that I am planning to use to provide public address for a community fair on a rectangular field that is roughly 200m x 100m.
I don't do this very often (I'm just helping out with some PA gear my father left me, I'm not a professional) and I was wondering if anyone has a view on which of these two arrangements might be better:
(A) a central arrangement where six speakers are at roughly 60 degrees to each other and the sound radiates out from the centre;
(B) three speakers in each of two corners on one side of the field, directed inwards to cover the field.
(Please see attachment that contains an approximate diagram of these arrangements.)
Part of this clearly depends on where various stalls and things are, but setting that aside for a moment I am leaning towards (B) rather than (A), with the public address based in the middle of the long side in the between the speaker groups in the corners. I think this is likely to be less 'deafening' for everyone near the centre of the field, although it will need a bit more cable run.
I'd value any opinions, recommendations or thoughts on additional considerations, please?
Many thanks,
Andy.
Attachments
Use layout B, but up high enough to clear everyone's heads, and pointed slightly downward.
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Wow, that was quick rayma; thank you! Clearly you agree with my current preference, but would you mind explaining your thinking a little more, please? And yes, the speakers will be on a stand and raised above people's heads.
Many thanks,
Andy.
Many thanks,
Andy.
A is ideal with the array up as high as possible, this doesn't mean just above head level it's got to be 40-50ft up. The second best option and easiest to setup would be a smaller array with 180deg coverage at the midpoint of one of the long sides, the control equipment could be placed right at the base of the tower so cable runs are at a minimum. And again the stand has to be just as tall, if you can't get this array way up in the air it will not work as intended.. it will be way too loud up close or not nearly loud enough at the far ends.
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Uniform coverage is the ideal, and that will do reasonably well. The speakers will be rather
directional and should be pointed slightly downward with the middle one toward the center
of the opposite side. How high can you raise them up?
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I can only really get them up to around 2.5m with the stands that I have, so above head height but not by very much.
Thanks Conanski. I certainly can't get to that height - it will be only about 2.5m (8 feet) up - which I should have mentioned in my original post, as this is just a one-day event that I am setting up and I don't have the equipment to get that high. That therefore seems to rule out (A) as people milling around the centre will get an earful of my poor choice of music and various lost property announcements! Your idea of a single, smaller array at the mid-point of the of the long sides was not one that I had considered, thank you.
It's a community fair, any chance you can get a fire dept ladder truck to come out or somebody with one of those extendable fork lifts?
If you can't get any more than 8ft elevation then you will have to abandon the single point source model or just accept that those at the far ends won't hear anything. Use a distributed model instead with the horns deployed at equal intervals along one of the long sides, and run them at a much lower SPL.
If you can't get any more than 8ft elevation then you will have to abandon the single point source model or just accept that those at the far ends won't hear anything. Use a distributed model instead with the horns deployed at equal intervals along one of the long sides, and run them at a much lower SPL.