hi everyone!
it looks like i get the chance to build an ambisonic test rig out of six small line arrays early next year, to make a circular array of 18m diameter or an ellipsoidal one with 25-30ms long side. the actual dancefloor will be at least 5 m smaller, given that we have to use ground stacks which yield more uneven coverage than flown arrays. the idea is to check the feasibility of ambisonics for dj/club events and ultimately also rock concerts, or more generally: of using very large arrays where almost everybody is outside the strict sweet spot. the system will be driven in second order (which might turn out to be the weak spot), the idea is to give the dj/performer precise control of the panning for all the sounds s/he generates, to provide an extra degree of creative freedom in club music. unfortunately, the test run will have to be indoors, but ultimately, the goal is to find an opportunity to build such a rig for an open-air party, preferrably in third order, with flown arrays. i'm aware of the activities of the funktion one folks in the uk and have heard they are using ambisonics to great effect, but unfortunately i haven't had the chance to listen to one of their rigs yet. but i'd be very much interested in trading war stories and experience. now, a few questions: 1. are people with experience in practical ambisonics and/or live sound reinforcement on this list who might be interested to attend? if so, please get in touch. the test will probably be in hamburg/germany. 2. as to decoding, will it make sense to consider max rV decoding at all, given that we have to deal with huge timing differences outside the strict sweet spot, or is it better to deal to use max rE decoding over the full spectrum? if dual band is used at all, i guess the crossover frequency should be in the range of 40-50 hz? 3. can you think of interesting test cases or tweaks that should be tried during the test run? i will of course try to play some first-order natural recordings, but i'm not expecting much :) best, jörn -- Jörn Nettingsmeier Lortzingstr. 11, 45128 Essen, Tel. +49 177 7937487 Meister für Veranstaltungstechnik (Bühne/Studio), Elektrofachkraft Audio and event engineer - Ambisonic surround recordings http://stackingdwarves.net _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound