Education

Sound Reinforcement is one area of the audio industry where there is the potential to have complete control over the sound quality right through the signal chain to the end user's ear. Unlike those working in the recording, broadcast, or Multimedia fields, who must throw up their hands and say "who knows what the end user will be listening on"; the sound reinforcement industry can determine the final quality of the sound. Why, then, is live sound so often embarrassing when it should be edifying?

When I worked in a concert venue, we did everything we could to make the experience surpass anything that any audience member could experience at home. It was successful much of the time. However, so many circumstances can work against you. There is the variability of the sound sources, from inconsiderate musicians to uncontrollable leakage, and the unrealistic expectations of the audience (The trumpets are too loud! I'm sorry madam, but we are not amplifying the trumpets, the instrument actually is that loud.) Occasionally problems could have been corrected with more time (read bigger budget), or different technology (read: bigger budget) but sometimes they were just learning experiences.

Unfortunately, I find that many of the problems I hear when attending a live concert or simply listening to a reinforced talker are based on a simple lack of understanding of the technology or the way it should be used. It may be that the loudspeaker system does not provide adequate coverage to achieve good quality sound where I am seated. It may be that the system operator has little empathy for any musician that doesn't sound like their favorite band, therefore forcing the system operator to attempt to "fix" the sound. Then there is the system that produces tonal qualities unlike any natural sound source on this planet. Of course, there is also the operator who was taught that sheer volume could overcome any other deficiency in the sound system, performer, or audience.

This is not an incurable situation, on the whole, and it can be solved with efforts in two areas, Education and Technology, (in that order). It has been difficult to find a serious program for learning the basics of sound reinforcement without simply learning the techniques (good and bad) of someone already in the business. A very few colleges and universities have programs with some aspects of live sound on the agenda. Even fewer institutions offer training in the area of installed sound systems. Synergetic Audio Concepts (Syn-Aud-Con) is a bright light in this dark region of the audio business. Don and Carolyn Davis pioneered a course of study to design and build practical sound systems that can produce high quality sound reinforcement in a predictable way. This wasn't simply a classroom and textbook effort, but went on to build a large network of audio practitioners who regularly meet (at conventions, workshops and via the internet) to discuss and debate the methods and technology of the day. Syn-Aud-Con continues to provide this forum for information and training through the efforts of Pat and Brenda Brown (http://www.synaudcon.com) who carry on this important task with the support of the, now retired, Davis'. Although Syn-Aud-Con has been focussed on the installed or engineered sound system, they also offer considerable information to the live sound industry (the same physical laws apply), including the co-sponsorship with Pro Sound News of the Live Sound Workshop, each January, in Orange, CA.

The second area that can improve the quality of sound reinforcement systems is technology. This is not simply the replacement of last year's product with this year's product. It is the search for the Right Solution. The lack of new technology is not necessarily the constraint on the sound quality in a venue, it is the application of the technology. However, new technology can offer a significant improvement in the quality of sound, simply because it provides useful functionality that was previously beyond the venue's budget. A good example of this is the drop in the cost of high-quality signal delays. If correctly configured within a sound system, the signal delay can provide a theatre audience with a sense that they are hearing the direct sound from the performer, without a sound system.

Perhaps, ego is the major obstacle to the creation of universally excellent sound systems. Except for large-scale concert sound systems that seek to impress the audience with their powerful presence, the ideal sound system is transparent to the listener. The sound appears to come directly from the performer or talker, regardless of the audience size or configuration. Unfortunately, in this case, few people even notice the quality of the sound or the excellence of the audio production. If we are to be noticed as an industry, it is almost always by our failures rather than our successes. If we are to grow as an industry, then it will be by raising the expectations of the people who pay to listen to our sound reinforcement systems.

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