Room-acoustics software?

Portable PA
1

We have been asked to play in this gymnasium. I KNOW its going be a problem as I went there today and the acoustics are bad! All I want to do is work out the best place to put the L1’s, and if I can deaden the sound in the hall, somewhat. I found some software here at roomeqwizard.com, which is free but VERY daunting to learn. Do Bose know if there is anything (software) that I can punch in the room dimensions and get best positions for the speakers?

2

Hi ozzysteve,

Sorry for the late response. No easy acoustics software that we’re aware of. Pack that space with as many bodies as possible and perform amazingly!

Thanks,
MattS-at-Bose

3

Hi Matt, since I asked that question last month, I have done a lot of digging on the subject. There is quite a lot of paid and free software to help with “speaker placement”.

On this website:
http://www.mh-audio.nl/speakerplacing.asp
there are diagrams and formulas on how and where to set up your speakers in a rectangular room.

4

Hi Steve,

Here are a couple of things I would consider
- As a line array system, the L1 is much better at handling reflective rooms than traditional speakers. This is because the L1 won’t really send sound upwards, which means less energy being sent to the high ceilings and reflecting around. As Matt said above, having some people in there will absorb some of the energy and you may not need to worry about anything more.

- The diagram you posted is a good starting point, but I would note that there is a reason the author put those specific ratios. The ratios are for reducing the excitement of room modes, which are really less of a problem in large rooms. That diagram is aimed at smaller listening rooms. Room modes absolutely exist in all rooms but are less of an audible problem the bigger the room is.


With that said, start with that diagram. You’re probably going to want the L1s close to the center of the room, while still remaining 15-20 feet apart from each other. (The farther they are from the sidewalls, the less sound will hit the side walls and cause reflections.)