Placement

[cluttercrutch]

Hi,

 

Got a gig in a couple of days and am using a PA that is in the venue. There are two speakers - each one has 2 x 15´s, bass ports and horn & tweeters above.

 

They are on the floor at the moment - and will suffice for the short set of jazz/swing numbers to be performed with backing tracks.

 

The venue is a "patio" where all the audience will be seated (200 - 300 punters). On first inspection, my worry I,s that where the speakers are placed at the moment - the people that will be sat closest will have their heads, directly at the level of the horns and tweeters - and will be pretty close to them (2 -3 metres).

 

I am wondering whether or not to raise them on to tables so the sound will travel slightly above the punters heads? is this wise??

 

Going to have another look later and try! I envisage I may have to lift the volume a bit as the venue is quite noisy later on and if I do so with the current placement I may annoy the five or six tables directly in front of them as I noticed the tweeters and horns do "poke" a bit.

 

Thanks in advance.....

[MarkBarl]

It is always best to have the HF driver above the level of peoples heads. If the speakers are too low, the HF gets soaked up by the punters and all you get at the back is an unintelligible mush. I would try to get the speakers elevated somehow, do take care though that this is done in a safe manner.

[ramdram]

Without teaching you to suck eggs, you might have a glance here:

 

http://www.astralsound.com/basics.htm

 

and in particular:

 

http://www.astralsound.com/speaker_position.htm

 

I essence the speakers (mids/tops) should be up high and aimed down and in, that is onto the audience. Naturally this is a "cover-all" solution and you would need to think about the actual placement of the bass units to suit your particular situation.

 

HTH

[mkfs9]

Yes lift them so the horns are well above head height. This will help the sound cover the crowd, and help those who will be seated nearest to them.

[i_broom_56]

I couldn't add any more than Ram dram. Gives a pretty good insight into the basics of placement. There are plenty of design packages available also that will help you in getting the best sound in your environment.

 

Ian