The Sound Lab is Meyer Sound's technology base on the Web. Here you'll have access to articles and papers that help explain the technology, research and design issues surrounding sound reinforcement and reproduction. In the Talk Shop with John section, John Meyer offers his view of the company's products and aspects of its goals and direction. The Research & Development section delves into Meyer Sound's proprietary components, design elements and techniques. Q&A provides important data about Meyer's technology and processes.
 | Whether debunking or verifying new and long-held theories, the following reports promote a higher degree of understanding and awareness of the business of sound reproduction. |
The Case for Widely Variable Acoustics (PDF) (August 2010) Active acoustics can be employed to provide a wide range of reverberation time change for multi-purpose facilities. This paper presents a survey of preferred acoustical ranges presented for speech, reproduced sound, reinforced music, and acoustic music genres. Examples of venues that utilize active acoustics to widen their performance palette will include a worship space, performing art center, and experimental music studio. Their acoustic performance will be compared with archetypal acoustic music venues. The potential for new types of performances that are enabled by active acoustics will be discussed. |
Active Acoustic Systems for the Control of Room Acoustics (PDF) (August 2010) While active systems have historically been developed with the goal of enhancing either the stage or audience sound, they must generally provide the same control of sound as passive acoustic design. This paper discusses the principles of active acoustic systems and how they are used to achieve the required range of control. A survey of current commercial systems is given and some implications for the future of live performance are explored. |
Electroacoustic Architecture: Is it Green? (PDF) (April 2010) Electroacoustic Architecture systems offer a means of changing the acoustic properties of a room electronically. They are an alternative to physically variable acoustics, where acoustic properties are changed by retractable curtains and doors opening to reverberant chambers, etc. This paper will address the question of whether Electro Acoustic systems are a Green alternative to Physically Variable acoustics. |
No-excuses Audio/Video Networking: the Technology Behind AVnu (PDF) (August 2009) Recent work by IEEE 802 working groups will allow vendors to build a standards-based “time sensitive” network with the appropriate quality of service for professional A/V use, in a cost effective fashion. This new set of standards, currently being developed by the IEEE 802.1 Audio Video Bridging (AVB) Task Group, provides major enhancements for 802-based networks. This paper outlines the advantages of new-generation 802.1 AVB protocols and gives an introduction to those new protocols and capabilities. |
AVB for Professional A/V Use (PDF) (July 2009) Over the last decade, the high end of the Professional Audio/Video market has embraced Ethernet more and more as the predominant means for distribution in large-scale systems such as sporting facilities, convention centers, and concert halls. Due to the proprietary solutions employed, broader market applications have not been served. The recent work of the IEEE 802.1 Audio/Video Bridging Task Group offers a compelling draft standards-based solution that will broaden the professional use of networked A/V into smaller installations, studios, and additional live sound applications. This whitepaper outlines the technology and benefits for the Professional A/V market. |
Making Sense of Amplifier Power Ratings (April 2005) This paper will try to bring some clear and solid information into the discussion in the hopes that users may gain a better understanding of power amplifiers, making them better able to evaluate products. Perhaps the most common term in need of examination is “peak watts,” a popular way of expressing amplifier power. |
Can Line Arrays Form Cylindrical Waves? A Line Array Theory Q&A (February 2005) The common misconception regarding line arrays is that they enable sound waves to combine, forming a single "cylindrical wave" with special propagation characteristics. Under linear acoustic theory, however, this is impossible. The claim is not science but a marketing ploy. |
The Design and Performance of the REM Ribbon Emulation Manifold Waveguide (February 2004) On December 30, 2003, Meyer Sound was awarded a patent for the REM ribbon emulation manifold waveguide, an innovative design at the heart of Meyer Sound's line array and curvilinear array loudspeakers. The REM waveguide’s main advantages over other designs - lower distortion and tighter pattern control - are achieved due to its short length and exponentially increasing waveguide channels. |
Cavities between MILO 120 Loudspeakers and the Effect of the MILO 120-I Insert on Acoustical Response (2004) This research is a continuation of our exploration into the effects of the trapezoidal “cavity” (“Do Cavities Between Arrayed Loudspeakers Affect Frequency Response?”) created when trapezoidal (and rectangular) loudspeakers are splayed at large angles. We revisit those original experiments using improved computational tools and take a look at the cavity between MILO 120 high-power expanded coverage curvilinear array loudspeakers and the results of using the MILO 120-I insert to fill the void. |
| User-Defined Equalization Curves with the LD-3 Compensating Line Driver (2003) Utilizing multiple-variable atmospheric loss equations and pre-calculated Meyer Sound MAPP Online stored values, the LD-3 compensating line driver deploys digitally-controlled analog filters that combine the wide dynamic range of advanced analog filters with the precise repeatability and computer connectivity of digital control, while exhibiting no latency. |
MAPP Online Low Frequency Polar Data Acquisition (August 2003) Below 100 Hz, the data collected in Meyer Sound's anechoic chamber has not been sufficiently accurate to give good results in MAPP Online. This paper explains how the use of a technique called Boundary Elements now allows Meyer sound to simulate the polar response of our loudspeakers below 100 Hz. |
| Speech Intelligibility Papers (July 2003) Speech communication systems are subject to more stringent requirements than music systems. These pages discuss speech intelligibility in sound reinforcement - what it is, what affects it and how it is measured. |
Comparison of the Directional Point Source Model and BEM Model for Arrayed Loudspeakers (PDF) (2003) There are many approximations to the Acoustic wave equation which can be evaluated numerically which are more and less accurate at modeling different acoustical phenomena and which are more or less computationally expensive. This paper compares the Directional Point Source model and the Boundary Element Method (BEM) for modeling arrayed loudspeakers. |
| DSP Beam Steering with Modern Line Arrays (December 2002) This technical report demonstrates the differences between physically steering loudspeakers and beam steering loudspeakers and identifies the main problems: the 11-octave wide range of human hearing, the near impossibility of steering the sound produced from specialty waveguides, and the unintuitive back lobes and the cone of sound. |
| Verification of MAPP Online's Accuracy (2002) To verify the accuracy of Meyer Sound's MAPP Online, Meyer Sound research and development personnel used the program to model the frequency response of an M2D Compact Curvilinear Array loudspeaker system as measured from a specified physical position in a known concert hall. The staggerng results are presented in this paper. |
| What Is a Curvilinear Array Pioneered by Meyer Sound in the early 1980s, curved horizontal arrays formed with trapezoidal enclosures have been an industry standard for decades. Recently, the sound reinforcement profession has exhibited considerable interest in new implementations of the line array concept. This technical report elaborates on the positive aspects of this trend. |
Do Array Cavities Affect Frequency Response? Research at Meyer Sound provides information on how loudspeaker arrays interact and also serves as a "proof of performance" for MAPP Online, the company's multipurpose acoustical prediction program. |
 | From high-drivers to powered subwoofers, John Meyer takes you inside the thinking process that drove these projects. |
| About the MILO HP-4/MILO power amplifier The development of the MILO high-power curvilinear loudspeaker provided an amplification challenge. Read about how Meyer Sound’s engineers rose to the occasion… |
| How to Better the Best - The Development of Meyer Sound's High Drivers The company has invested heavily in the development of an in-house manufacturing facility for high-frequency devices. Here are the reasons why... |
| More of the Same, Much More - Development of the Powered UPA Series This article reveals the thought processes behind the creation of the Self-Powered UltraSeries loudspeakers. |
| Development of the CQ's The interesting story of the conceptualization of the CQ loudspeaker systems. |
| Powered Subwoofers Insights into the unique properties of Meyer Sound's powered subwoofers. |
 | Meyer Sound's core philosophy is that the goal of any sound reinforcement system is to please, motivate or direct an audience of any size, in any environment. To achieve this end, Meyer Sound has created products or utilized concepts that, in their design or application, are regarded as outside the norm. |
Meyer Sound's Anechoic Chamber In November 1994, Meyer Sound began the design and construction of an anechoic chamber — an essential tool that enables the design of loudspeaker systems that perform precisely as specified in critical sound reinforcement applications. |
Patents Gallery Meyer Sound's list of industry firsts includes trapezoidal cabinets, dedicated loudspeaker processors, self-powered loudspeakers, source-independent system measurement, parabolic long-throw transducers, cardiod low-frequency control and high-resolution measurement. |
Technological Developments The company's commitment to research and development has produced a number of true advances in the approach to sound reinforcement and reproduction. |
Demystifying the Amplifier When Meyer Sound set out to design amplifiers for self-powered loudspeakers, its engineering staff recognized that high-quality sound was only the starting point of the overall system requirements. |
 | Our technical support, engineering, sales and service departments are often asked to provide more in-depth data about our technology and processes. Here is a selection of interesting questions. Responses are edited by John Meye |
