Introduction; Installation; System Requirements - Martin Audio MLA MINI Advanced User's Manual

MLA MINI
DISPLAY 2.2

INTRODUCTION

Display 2.2 is the application that is used in conjunction with Vu-Net and a Martin Audio
Multicellular System, either MLA, MLA Compact, MLA Mini or a combination of any of these
systems to generate the inter-cabinet angles and the DSP optimisation parameters which can
then be quickly and easily uploaded to the hardware over the U-Net system network or in the
case of MLA Mini directly using a USB connection. It also shows accurate analysis of the system
response in the venue.
The application has an entirely straightforward, logical workflow; in fact it does not allow jumping
to advance stages of the design, it is necessary to complete each stage in a logical order.
Display 2.2 uses numerical optimisation to arrive at the resulting cabinet angles and DSP
coefficients. Taking the cabinet angles as an example, to explain the process in slightly crude
manner this means that it tries a great many combinations of possible angles, checks the result
using the computer model of the array response and compares it to the desired response. It
continues to check through a huge number of possible combinations until it arrives at the
closest match to what has been asked of it. In the case of the cabinet angles, it has the facility
to "polish" the array which means it does a second pass having arrived at a set of angles to fine
tune the array angles. This process although highly complex, actually only takes a few minutes,
certainly no longer than a conventional line-array prediction application. Having specified the
cabinet angles the array can be rigged and whilst that is being done the second stage of the
optimisation process is done. This also uses numerical optimisation but this time addresses
the EQ, FIR, gain and phase parameters available in the DSP, going through the hundreds of
thousands of possible combinations possible until the output is as close as possible to the
desired response. With a large array and complex venue this could take up to ten minutes to
complete however this will be far quicker than the time it takes to rig all arrays so in no way
slows down the show build-up. To actually try every possible combination of DSP would take
months even on the most powerful computer- there are millions of possible combinations and
that is where the unique digital algorithm comes into play, examining batches of results to see
if certain parameter changes are taking you closer or further from your desired performance
characteristics. It will reject a series of parameter changes that are heading towards a "dead
end" and instead will focus on those which get you closer to the desired result, gradually honing
all parameters until it reaches a result which is a close as possible to the specifications that the
technician has requested. This method allows phenomenal accuracy in a highly realistic and
practical length of time. The accuracy of the resulting design hinges on the computer model
which predicts how the array will perform for a given set of cabinet angles and DSP coefficients.
The computer model devised for Display 2.2 is one of the most sophisticated and accurate ever
devised for an audio system and is capable of achieving results to closer than 1dB of actual
measured parameters.
A Display design can easily be done prior to arriving at the venue in the comfort of your office. If
you have drawings of the space and details of the flying position and the trim height of the arrays
you can complete the rigging and DSP design which makes set-up on site extremely quick and
efficient. It is possible to try several different DSP optimisations with priority given to a variety
of performance characteristics. These can be uploaded to the array and stored in snapshots to
be recalled in a few seconds.

INSTALLATION

MLA and MLA Compact touring system owners will have a Tablet PC as part of their system
package which will be pre-loaded with all necessary software including the latest version of
Vu-Net. For owners of Installed systems, MLA Mini or trained M-Techs, Display 2.2 can be
downloaded from the Martin Audio ftp website, please contact your local distributor or Martin
Audio Technical Support for more details

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Display2.2 requires a Windows PC running either Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or
MLA Mini Display 2.2 V1.0
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