M4 Applications: Rent Com Inc: Audio Visual, Video, Projection, Presentation Rental AV Equipment

M4 Applications

Outdoor Stadiums

Inherent to stadium sound reinforcement systems are very long throw distances, often hundreds of feet. Projecting sound over these distances requires that the source generate a very large amount of acoustic power, since the spherically expanding wavefront will drop in level 6dB each time the distance from the source doubles (inverse-square law). In addition, the noise levels in stadiums can often exceed 90 dBA, driven by large crowds and noise from the event itself. This requires the sound reinforcement system to routinely provide levels of 100 dBA to all seats for speech communication. The M4 is ideally suited for such an application, since it can generate more acoustic power per watt than any device on the market. This fact, along with the M4's inherent high power handling, provides the designer with a tool to reach the masses. Used in conjunction with the proper waveguide, the M4 can not only provide adequate level, but has the high reliability necessary for such applications.

Arenas

When a sound system is used indoors, it must compete with high levels of noise from crowds, HVAC equipment, machinery, etc. The problem is compounded by energy storage from the room itself. The reverberation times of typical arenas are often 4-5 seconds in the 2 kHz octave-band, and even longer at lower frequencies. Throw distances often approach 150 feet, rivaling stadium systems. To overcome such environments, the best tools available to the system designer are pattern control and high efficiency. Pattern control allows the energy from the sound system to be confined to audience areas, reducing excessive excitation of the room itself. High efficiency means that the available amplifier power produces the maximum possible amount of acoustic power with the least amount of heat. The M4 driver, used with the proper pattern-control horn, provides the system designer with the best available specifications in both pattern control and efficiency. Control of these vital parameters can be more effective than room treatment in providing intelligible speech in such spaces.

Houses of Worship

Sound systems for worship spaces are faced with a different set of requirements than the previous examples. Typical spaces have very low ambient noise levels, making even moderate degrees of distortion audible. Since both speech and music are reproduced, the system must provide intelligibility while retaining the ability to sound musical, two often conflicting parameters. The system must be able to reproduce the subtleties of a violin or guitar, and yet have the available headroom and linearity to reproduce a clap of thunder for a musical production, or a mic inside a kickdrum. Pattern control extending into the mid-bass region is necessary for sufficient gain-before-feedback. The lack of it can mean excessive notch filtering and its audible by-products. No device on the market today addresses all of these needs like the M4. For this reason, the M4 has become a very popular device for church sound systems.

Touring Systems

Touring companies utilize the M4 for many reasons, one of which is that it provides the highest level of acoustic power per watt available today. When you consider that a 3dB increase in efficiency can mean halving the number of midrange amplifiers needed for a touring group, it becomes apparent that a device that can provide both fidelity and efficiency is what this market demands.

Voice Warning

Research has shown that the most effective emergency warning systems should be capable of reproducing both voice messages and warning signals. This means that robust midrange reproduction is what is required. Massive areas must be covered with sound, and reliability can mean life or death to those involved. The M4 has found widespread use in such applications, due to its efficiency and reliability.

Studio Monitors

From the earliest days of recording and playback technology, engineers have realized that the midrange is the key band for accurate music reproduction. It is in this region that the human ear/brain system is most sensitive to abrupt shifts in the phase of the acoustic signal. Critical monitoring applications require a device that can reproduce an entire decade, beginning at about 250Hz and extending to about 2200Hz, without the nonlinearities produced by crossovers and multiple devices. The M4 provides the accuracy that engineers demand, and has found a home in some of the top control rooms in the world.

Cinema Systems

The audio reproduction requirements of modern motion pictures are some of the most demanding in the sound reinforcement world today. Movies require exemplary voice reproduction in order to convey the dialog (and the plot) to the audience. In addition to level and bandpass, the phase response of the loudspeaker is critical to providing accurate localization of on-screen dialog and effects. The M4 does not require crossovers in the voice range (and their inherent phase nonlinearities) making it an excellent choice for cinemas. It also has the power handling and transient response needed for accurate reproduction of special effects.