Guidelines For Commissioning The System - Community ENTASYS Application Manual

DESIGN APPLICATION EXAMPLES
G U I D E L I N ES F O R C O M M I S S I O N I N G T H E SY S T E M
Commissioning is the process of optimizing the performance of the system after it has been installed. It includes several steps,
including verifying the proper operation of each system component and adjusting system gain and levels. ENTASYS systems
should be calibrated using the same rigorous methods careful installers regularly follow with particular attention to the
following:
Proper Aiming
Extreme care should be exercised to verify that the aiming of each loudspeaker array is correct. This is particularly critical for
devices with very vertical narrow beamwidth like ENTASYS. If the arrays are not aimed accurately, no amount of adjustment
to other aspects of the system will correct for this error.
There are two very effective methods for checking the aiming of an array. The first method, which is also well suited for initial
installation, involves placing a laser level perpendicular to the grille at the center of each full-range radiation beam. The
projection of the laser should be compared to the intended focal point in EASE Focus or at approximately the ear height of the
farthest listener. For applications requiring a split-beam array, the laser should also be repositioned at the center of each full-
range radiation beam and compared to the intended focal point in EASE Focus.
The second method is employed to verify actual coverage to the audience areas. Low-level band-limited pink noise
(approximately 2 - 8 kHz) should be played back while listening in the audience areas. By limiting the bandwidth of the signal to
only the frequencies which will generate the smallest opening angle, it becomes easy to audibly determine the sound's
directivity. In place of this pink noise signal, white noise may be used at low level.
Verify Coverage
It is also a good practice to measure the response of the sound system across the audience areas. The narrow vertical opening
angle of ENTASYS systems can result in a seated person moving outside of the main energy beam by simply standing up.
Placing measurement microphones at seated and standing heights of the closest and farthest listener positions can verify the
direct SPL and frequency response at these extreme audience positions.
Live Acoustical Measurements
The last step in system commissioning is system equalization or "voicing." Equalization is the process of adjusting the frequency
response of the system to optimize vocal intelligibility or musical sound quality (or both). It is advisable to make these
adjustments with the system's microphones in proper position and open.
When applying equalization to ENTASYS systems it is important to sample several different measurement locations during the
equalization process. Line array systems will exhibit varied frequency responses at different distances, as explained in the
Differences Between Line Arrays and Point Sources section (Pages18-19). Positioning multiple measurement microphones at
different distances in the audience area can provide for quick comparison of the response at these locations, as well as
calculating an overall average response to help determine the appropriate equalization settings for the system.
Good results can be achieved by beginning with the recommended equalization filter settings for ENTASYS shown in Table 3
on Page 34 - 35 (or check the Community website at www.communitypro.com for the latest recommended settings). Further
modifications to these settings may be made to provide the desired voicing for each system's specific application and
conditions. Use only small increments of equalization, and avoid boosting frequencies by more than about 3 dB.
Please contact Community's Technical Applications Group (TAG Team) at 610-876-3400 / 1-800-523-4934 or email
TAGTEAM@communitypro.com for usage outside of these parameters.
Note that for optimal performance ENTASYS should be used with a Digital Signal Processor that offers a variety of parametric
equalizer filters as well as high pass and low pass filter slopes and alignments in order to accomplish this task.
Community ENTASYS Application Guide - Page 53