Sound System Design Software

[samsound]

Hi All,

Currently I am wanting to expand my skills in system design.

I would love to hear your opinions in what software you guys use for creating medium/complex plans and visualisations. Apart from vector works, autocad and sketch up, what other useful software is out there? And what do you love using?

Look forward to hearing your views,

Sam.

[azlan]

Most of the major manufacturers have some kind of prediction software, which can be used to model their products in a room (d&b arraycalc, l'acoustics soundvision, eaw resoution, martin audio display) There are also ease (a comprehensive and hugely detailed acoustic modeling package) and ease focus (a free 2d version of the software used extensively for modeling array behavior))

 

Edit: I personally use arraycalc a lot, as I use d&b systems almost all the time, and find it fairly simple to set up, even if it provides a lot less detail (rt60 etc) than a more powerful (and expensive) package like ease.

[samsound]

Thanks for the reply azlan.

 

 

Being at a younger age, I haven't had a huge amount of experience with specific manufacturers software.

 

The ease focus software however does look interesting but as being a mac user I cannot get the free 2D version.

 

I really want something which I can use to clearly show layouts of cables and equipment for taking to gigs, do you have any thoughts on this? Or is the main way of doing this using CAD or vector works.

 

Cheers,

 

Sam

[mac.calder]

Usually a combination of CAD or a program like OmniGraffle (on Mac) for schematics and excel for prep sheets in the smaller end of the scale. Once you get a bit larger, solutions like HireTrack and EasyJob are generally used for quoting and by extension prep sheets. CAD (Vectorworks is a CAD program) for floorplans, rigging plans and the like.