Soundvision: Array Physics Quick Reference Guide 8 of 8

Reference: SV-PHYSICS-01. Not a workflow — a handful of physical facts worth keeping in the back of your mind so a clean-looking SPL map doesn't fool you into more confidence than the physics actually supports.

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Elements Are Never Laser Pointers

Every individual element in a line array is omnidirectional on its own. The waveguide and the coupling between neighboring elements is what produces the resulting polar pattern — treating a box as a directional "beam" is a convenient mental shortcut, not what's physically happening. As a sanity check, mute down to a single element: it can often cover an entire small venue with very little real level variation at low frequencies — directional control mostly shows up as frequency rises, not as a fixed property of the box. A published nominal coverage angle describes the rated spread, even when the box is aimed straight ahead — the actual measured level variance within that angle at a real distance can still be significant (several dB), so treat the spec sheet number as a generalization to verify, not a guarantee.

Overlap Sharpens the Pattern

Rising element quantity, combined with more overlap and each element's own coverage angle falling, is what increases uniformity and sharpens the pattern's edges — it's the combination that matters, not quantity alone. More elements narrows a low-frequency pattern, but not smoothly — expect the response to alternate between control and a momentary loss of control as you cross phase-cancellation nulls at specific frequencies, especially on subwoofer arrays.

Read Multiple Frequencies, Not One Average

A broadband/averaged SPL map can hide narrowband problems — a layout that looks stable overall can have a real null or hot spot a third of an octave away from wherever you happened to check. Step through several individual center frequencies across your actual operating range before trusting a design, particularly for subs where phase relationships are the whole story. Use step mode at 6dB rather than a smooth gradient when judging a coverage map — the coarser view is usually a more honest read of what will actually be audible as a distinct level difference in the room.

Corners & Boundaries Multiply

A reflection landing directly in a hard corner can gain roughly 9dB from boundary reinforcement alone — in the worst case, louder there than the main PA is at the audience. Always check corners explicitly if one sits near the array's rear or sides.

The Model Isn't the Room

A couple of meters of difference between the "best" spot on the chart and where you'd actually stand usually isn't worth fighting for — use the model to catch the big, obviously-wrong decisions, then verify for real on site with a measurement mic.

Source: adapted from a purchased L-Acoustics Soundvision video tutorial series. Rewritten and condensed into a quick-reference workflow in Ryan's own words from the source material.