All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Section 5 Application Guide Wavefront W8L Series Line Arrays W8L Longbow, W8LC & W8LM with Advice on subwoofer and front-fill alignment Click blue text then scroll down for separate spreadsheets for W8LD, W8LCD & W8LMD down- fill controller settings & note s . 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Specifications, outline drawings and performance plots 5.3 Line array behaviour 5.4 How many do I need? 5.5 ViewPoint™ and System control 5.6 Horizontal considerations 5.7 Subwoofers and Front Fills 5.
Wavefront W8L Series Line Arrays 5.1 Introduction Martin Audio W8L Series line arrays are next generation line array systems which combine innovative loudspeaker design techniques with line array technology to produce a family of very powerful line arrays with extended frequency response, smooth coverage and maximum dynamic impact.
with a range of Martin Audio sub woofers including the W8LS direct radiating subwoofer system or Martin Audio WLX and WMX Hybrid tm subwoofer systems. See section 5.7 for further details on the WLX.
W8L Longbow rear rigging Caution: W8L Series systems should be rigged and flown by professional riggers or trained personnel under professional riggers' supervision. Flying professional loudspeaker systems is not a job for amateurs! See the appropriate Flying System User Manual for further details. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
5.2 W8L Longbow, W8LC & W8LM single enclosure specs (For further details, down-fill specs etc., go to www.martin-audio.com) Specification Type Frequency Resp (±3dB) Hor Coverage (-6dB) (-10dB) Vert Coverage (-6dB) Driver complement Rated Power W8L Longbow Full-range 3-way line array element 35Hz-18KHz 90deg 120deg 7.5deg LF: 1 x 15” Hybrid tm horn- loaded cone drivers W8LC Compact 3-way line array element 60Hz-18KHz 90deg 120deg 7.
MF: 135dB cont., 141dB peak. MF: 129dB cont., 135dB peak. HF: 125dB cont., 131 dB peak. HF: 142dB cont. 148dB peak. HF: 129dB cont. 135dB peak. Passive 124dB cont. 130dB peak. LF: 8 ohms LF: 8 ohms MF: 8 ohms MF: 8 ohms HF: 8 ohms HF: 8 ohms LF to MF: 220Hz active, Passive 12 ohms LF to MF: LF to MF: 300Hz active, 300Hz passive, MF to HF 2.7KHz active MF to HF 3KHz active Nominal Impedance Crossover Connectors 2 x Neutrik NL8 or PAcon sockets (Input & Link) Vertical trapezoid 3.
W8L Longbow & W8LS outline dimensions (W8LS shown) All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
W8LC outline dimensions All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
W8LM outline dimensions All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
WLX outline dimensions All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Horizontal polar responses (Vertical response are 7.5deg line functions for W8L, W8LC & W8LM and 20deg line function for W8LD, W8LCD & W8LMD) For further W8LD details, go to www.martin-audio.com All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
For further W8LCD details, go to www.martin-audio.com All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
For further W8LMD details, go to www.martin-audio.com All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
5.3 Line array behaviour Although the vertical coverage of a single point source may be wide, when arrayed in a straight line, multiple, acoustically small sources vector sum to form a tighter vertical coverage pattern that narrows with increasing cluster height and frequency following the classic law for multiple source line arrays. * = speed of sound (m/s).Varies with temp. Arcsin = "the angle whose sin is…" Nd = the total height of the column in meters All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
Stacked general purpose horns vs low curvature line array elements Note that individual elements have to be closely spaced to develop the benefits of a line array. Stacking traditional, vertically formatted multi-driver cabinets (with, typically, an LF driver near the bottom of the cabinet and an HF driver or horn near the top) simply doesn’t work.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Attenuation characteristic with distance - a simplified explanation If we consider a vertical line of cabinets with closely spaced elements, the listener will hear the vector sum of more and more cabinets as he moves further away from a straight line array. 6-cabinet line array showing very simplified 7.5deg mid-HF coverage As the listener moves from left to right in the illustration above, he will hear mainly cabinet 5, then 4+5, then 4+5+6 and so on.
Unfortunately, the line array effect can also be limited by other factors: Real-world arrays tend to be acoustically small at low frequencies – restricting the low attenuation region to just a few metres Air absorption can cause excess attenuation of high frequencies and can be a significant factor over medium to long distances as it has a linear dB characteristic with distance (i.e.
Coverage stop A J-shaped array will provide irregular coverage in the near-field and mid- field audience areas due to imperfect summation of the very straight line top section and the spherical lower section. Irregular coverage from a J-shaped Array (including down-fills) – DISPLAY™ simulation All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Irregular coverage from an over-curved array (including down-fills) – DISPLAY™ simulation An over-curved array will tend to cause weak coverage in the far-field. It is possible to create a remarkably flat level response with distance using the appropriate combination of progressive curvature, le vel control and equalisation. 14xW8LM+2xW8LMD set for almost flat level response – DISPLAY™ simulation All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Whilst the above response may look good on a plot, the response in the near-field is a bit ragged and subjective experience dictates that a slight decrease in level with distance is desirable. A system with, say, +4dB at the front smoothly decreasing to -4dB at the back will sound more natural as long as background noise is not problematic. The following progressive cur vature array has a more natural coverage characteristic.
5.4 How many do I need? There are four major factors to be taken into account when determining what model of line array to use and how many: Will I need delays? This is very imp ortant – see section 5.9 Spectral balance – the minimum column length required for spectral balance over the complete audience distance – or just beyond the first delays Maximum spl – the number and model required to achieve maximum spl Horizontal coverage – see section 5.
The 4-cabinet system low mid projection is less efficient than its upper mid projection because too few cabinets have been used for the line to be effective at low frequencies. The smaller system would project clean vocals but it would sound thin – lacking warmth and authority. The 12-cabinet system 200Hz, 600Hz and 6KHz responses are closer together (and, obviously, at a higher amplitude).
Quantity W8L Longbow (no subs) W8LC (no subs) W8LM (no subs) Cabinets arrayed with 2° or less intercabinet splay Throw (in meters) for spectral balance (8KHz loss equalisable) Throw (in meters) for spectral balance (8KHz loss equalisable) Throw (in meters) for spectral balance (8KHz loss equalisable) 4 25 18 12 6 40 29 18 8 60 40 25 10 80 58 32 12 100* 70 41 14 130** 88 50 16 155** 105* 60 * Assumes relative humidity 40% or higher at 25°C * * Assumes relative humidity 50%
16xW8L or Longbow per side arena system Upper 12 cabinets at 1 & 2° for 100m throw Array detail for above All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
5.4.2 Maximum far-field on-axis SPL Calculations Simplified maximum far- field on-axis spl estimates for a single column may be made using the following simple arithmetic and look-up tables . . .
Quantity (splayed at 1°) Longbow W8LC W8LM Max dB spl Max dB spl Max dB spl cont. Pk cont. pk cont. pk 1 142 148 129 135 125 131 2 148 154 135 141 131 137 4 153 159 140 146 136 142 6 156 162 143 149 139 145 8 158 164 145 151 141 147 Effective source spl (referred to 1m) – at 1° splay - vs model & quantity Quantity (splayed at 2°) Longbow W8LC W8LM Max dB spl Max dB spl Max dB spl cont. pk cont. pk cont.
Stereo Approximation The above figures are for a single column. Centre- field maximum spl may increase by approximately 3dB at mid frequencies for stereo systems and may approach a 6dB increase at low frequencies. Horizontal off-axis attenuation Off-axis figures will be less than single column on-axis figures at mid and high frequencies as follows: Horizontal off-axis attenuation -3dB -6dB -10dB W8L or Longbow (± off-axis angle) 22.5° 45° 60° W8LC (± off-axis angle) 22.
5.5.14 Manual array editing 5.5.15 Array page 5.5.16 Processor page 5.5.17 Saving a design 5.5.18 Loading a design 5.5.19 Printing ViewPoint 5.5.20 Exiting the programme 5.5.22 Designing for venues with deep balconies ViewPoint (Version 3.0 or later) 5.5.1 Introduction ViewPoint software will automatically calculate the splay angles of a W8L Series array and will indicate the optimum controller (processor) preset and amplifier patch information once venue and array data has been entered.
5.5.2 Installing ViewPoint ViewPoint is supplied in a zip folder which contains a setup executable file ViewPoint 3.0*.exe. For example: Double-click on this and follow the on-screen prompts. 5.5.3 Using ViewPoint Once you have installed ViewPoint, it will be visible as a shortcut in All Programs via your Windows Start button. A single click on the viewpoint v3.0* tab will open the following page: All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
W8L/Longbow (Full-range line array) W8LD (W8L/Longbow width down-fill) W8LS (W8L/Longbow width direct radiating, ported subwoofer) W8LC (Compact line array) W8LCD (W8LC width down- fill) WLX (W8C width Hybrid™ sub woofer) W8LM (Mini line array) W8LMD (W8LM width down- fill) WMX (W8LM width Hybrid™ subwoofer) Plus various flown and stacked combinations of the above. Contact viewpointsupport@martin-audio.com regularly for the latest version of Viewpoint™ 5.5.
Plane 1, plane 2 & plane 3 decisions Overlayed ViewPoint screen (front fills not shown) There are 3 methods for entering venue Dimensions. 5.5.4.1 Direct If you have venue plans, enter the height, length and elevation for up to three planes. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Length refers to the horizontal length of that plane Height refers to the height of the rear of the plane. Plane 1 height can be negative or positive. For planes two and three Elev refers to the elevation (height) of the front of the plane. For plane three Distance relates to the actual distance from the front of the array to the start of the third plane. For all planes selecting Seated or Standing places ear level at 1.4 or 1 .8m above the respective plane. 5.5.4.
5.5. 4.3 Single Point Survey This option enables you to enter all plane data from a single reference point directly under the intended flying point or above the stack position. We recommend that you use a tripod to mount your laser distance measurement device and your inclinometer since the data entered is very sensitive to small errors. Click on and a tool will appear that details the diagonal length and angle for each plane beginning and end.
5.5.5 Coverage start and stop Specify the horizontal coverage distances from the front of the array. Coverage start and stop are shown as vertical grey bars on the view of the venue. 5.5.6 Array Type The choice of loudspeaker type depends on the application. See W8L Series Applications Guide section 5.4. If a mixed system is selected a further section to the right allows you to define the quantity of the lower cabinets. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
5.5.7 Array Fixing Select either Fly or Stack in the Fixing section to determines how the array is supported. In Fly mode the grid is suspended and cabinets are attached beneath Stack mode the grid forms a base and cabinets are placed on top. Ground Stack Bars are fixed between the grid and the rear splay holes of the lowest cabinet to set the overall system tilt. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
5.5.8 Designing a flown array Minimum trim height This is the low limit for the array and is defined as the smallest allowable distance from the lowest point of the array to the ground below. You should set the minimum allowable trim height by sight line considerations. Work this out from venue information gathered from venue and stage set information. Make sure the array does not restrict the audience view from 1. 8m above the highest audience plane to 2m above the highest upstage artist position.
Example Venue view – inefficient design Array too high and, therefore, too curved for efficient cabinet-to-cabinet summation Array too curved for efficient cabinet-to-cabinet summation All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Lower curvature - for efficient cabinet-to-cabinet summation Lower curvature for efficient cabinet-to-cabinet summation Caution – don’t forget the side seats ! Always be aware of side seat coverage. A low, straight array provides great imaging and throw but may fail to cover high side seats. If in doubt, keep the grid height near the height of the highest seats. DISPLAY™ - Martin Audio’s 3-D prediction programme - can be an invaluable decision making tool in these circumstances All material © 2007.
Number of cabinets The default value is 10 cabinets and this is a good starting point for most situations. Click the Design button to see coverage, array length and splay angles. You may wish to edit the number of cabinets to see how coverage, array length and splay angles are affected. Note: the software will attempt to cover as wide an area as set by the coverage start and stop values. If the coverage (Start to Stop) cannot be met with the number of cabinets selected, a screen message will appear.
Set Stage Height to the vertical distance from the first plane to the floor of the stage. The Add Subs button allows the stack to be mounted on popular Martin Audio subwoofers – with the sub woofers either on the stage or stacked directly on the floor. Note: If Stage Height is below the ear level of the first plane the n the ear height becomes equal to the stage height. 5.5.10 Venue name Enter the name of the venue. Previously saved venue names will appear here. 5.5.
A. The auto calculation routine will tend to aim the top cabinet slightly beyond the coverage stop distance to give maximum vector summation at the furthest listening position. This is phys ics at work and is not a shortcoming of the W8 Series line arrays. One benefit of this overshoot is that it can act as a hedge against coverage shortfalls caused by temperature and wind gradients bending the projected sound downwards. See section 5.8 for further information about temperature and wind gradients.
A. The rays shown on ViewPoint can be a little misleading because a series of rays arriving at a shallow angle will appear to be widely spaced. Many users equate this with the sun’s rays which weaken as the sun sets. In fact, the setting sun’s power weakens due to greater absorption of shorter wavelengths through the earth’s curved atmosphere not because the rays are arriving at a shallow angle.
W8LS side arrays Matching a W8LS side array to the curvature of the main W8L Longbow system is easy. Simply copy the array shape exactly. WLX side arrays If you specify a WLX side array it should be designed to match the curvature of the main array. Matching adjacent WLX and W8LC array shapes is difficult (as they are different shapes and sizes) so ViewPoint does it for you. Enter the number of WLXs you wish to use in the number box to the right of the Match WLX button, then click the Match WLX button.
5.5.14 Manual array editing (experts only) Should you wish to ignore ViewPoint’s accurate coverage advice, continue with great caution, as follows: Click on the Manual button (in Venue view) to manually edit splay angles and the array tilt angle. 1) Position the cross-hair over the dark blue squares at the end of each ray until the box turns red. 2) Use the left and right mouse buttons to increase or decrease the array tilt (top cabinet only) or inter-cabinet splay angles of the cabinets below.
3) Use the mouse buttons as described to change the angle. This is useful when the blue squares at the end of the uppermost rays lie outside the displayable area. Note that the ray colours relate to Planes 1, 2 and 3. Occasionally, when a venue involves three planes or the second plane is a balcony which is above the level of the first plane, the auto calculation routine will indicate black ray(s) not pointing at the audience. This occurs when rays hit a vertical surface such as a balcony front.
Note that the top front edge of the upper cabinet is the distance reference point. This is indicated as a blue vertical line on the Array view which indicates the datum point from which coverage Start/Stop distances are measured. Pick Points and Cabinet Positions Two grid pick points (front & rear) are shown for flown arrays. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
The cabinet grid position can be selected as either Front or Rear depending on the amount of system tilt required. The rear positions makes more down-tilt (+ve angle) available and the front position makes more up-tilt (- ve angle) available. Lifting Bar Option A Lifting Bar option is available for W8LC, WLX and W8LM flown arrays. When Lifting Bar is selected, further options become available. The lifting bar can be placed in the Rear or Front position and can be lifted at either one or two points.
If the required lifting point is too far back, make sure the lifting bar is in the rear position and that the cabinet is mounted at the front of the grid before trying an alternative height. Similarly, if the required lifting point is too far forward, make sure the lifting bar is in the front position and the cabinet is mounted at the rear of the grid before trying an alternative height.
Load Indicators Depending on the grid configuration the 'Rear Pick Load' and 'Front Pick Load' are displayed as well as total mass. These loads as well as the forces between cabinets are checked after each change of the array or grid. Should either of the pick loads become less than zero or the inter-cabinet forces become too high then a mechanical warning window will appear. 5.5.15.2 Stacked arrays All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
When designing ground-stacked arrays, inspect the array view and check that the center of gravity is in a safe place. Stack stability Red stability limits are indicated within the grid on the Array page – circled on the right below. If the centre of gravity crosses this red region the force required to push or pull the array over is less than that shown in the box beside the array view and a mechanical warning is raised. Please note: This assumes that no sliding takes place.
5.5.16 Processor page The Processor page shows a controller-to-amplifier patch table and indicates which controller settings to use for the design. The system patch is very important because it controls the level of band-zoning applied to the array. Please ensure that your system patch and controller preset selection is correct by following ViewPoint’s recommendations and by following the patch information in the appropriate Quick Start Guide towards the end of this document.
to the top. To avoid the confusion of two numbering standards, we use the traditional top-down number standard for the individual cabinets and a bottom- up lettering standard for bandzoning groups. See the SPEAKER O/P GROUP column. Group A is at the bottom of the array and drives the bottom two loudspeakers 15 & 16. W8L Series impedances and grouping W8L Longbow and W8LC line array section impedances are all 8 ohms and usually driven in pairs so that each power amplifier channel sees a 4 ohm load.
A typical large scale system will have its LF sections driven in unison, its MF split into upper (far-field) and lower (near- field) zones and its HF split into upper (far- field), middle (mid- field) and lower (near-field) zones. See section 5.9 for more on Band Zoning plus sections 5.10 (W8L or Longbow), 5.11 (W8LC) or 5.12 (W8LM) for rack info.
The normal Windows Save As dialogue box will pop up. If you have already entered a venue name, this will be used as the default filename. Create a new folder or select an existing destination and click Save. 5.5.18. Loading a venue or array design from disk Select the Venue page and click on Load. The normal Windows Open dialogue box will pop up. Browse the Look in drop down menu to select the required .ven file and highlight it. Click Open. 5.5.
ViewPoint will automatically select portrait or landscape printing as required. Note: If you have Adobe Acrobat software, selecting Acrobat PDF Writer will enable you to produce an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file suitable for emailing to PC and Mac users alike. We have found PDF Writer to be more reliable than Distiller at all resolutions. Printing venue and array information Select the Venue page and click Print.
5.5.20 Closing the program Select Exit or click on the X symbol in the top right hand corner of the window. You will be prompted to save your work or click Cancel to exit without saving. 5.5.21 ViewPoint Support Martin Audio Limited is, first and foremost, a loudspeaker manufacturer and we provide software on that basis - to help Martin Audio users get the best performance from our products. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
ViewPoint software has been designed for use with selected Martin Audio W8L Series Line Array products only. It is based on accurate W8L Series loudspeaker measurements and is no t applicable to other manufacturers’ products. We do not claim to cater for every conceivable W8L Series combination or application but welcome your suggestions that may help improve future products and software. Request updates or report any operational issues or suggestions by email to: viewpointsupport@martin-audio.
Procedure Although a single array (per side) will be used we can split the array into upper and lower sections – each having its own progressive curvature. Lower (floor) section 1) Design a system to cover the floor-under-balcony area only - using 5 W8LCs in Auto mode. Set the coverage start & stop to cater for the floor coverage required.
Upper (balcony) section 2) Open a 2nd ViewPoint window and design a system to cover the balcony area only - using the other 5 W8LCs in Auto mode.
Completing the venue and adding the arrays 3) Now take the first (floor only) ViewPoint set-up and add the balcony data from the second one to make a complete venue a) Increase the number of W8LCs to 10 (for the complete system) b) Set the coverage start as set for the floor only and the coverage stop as set for the balcony only c) Set the array height so that the lowest (Z) point is the same as it was for the floor only set- up in step 1) d) Switch ViewPoint to manual operation and to the array page i.
Complete system All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
5.5.23 System control and Band-zoning Rack patching ViewPoint’s Processor page recommends suitable controller presets for the line array configuration being plotted. These controller presets ensure that larger line arrays are correctly band-zoned. It is important that racks are correctly patched.
DX1 o/p 6 Upper HF 5 Middle HF 4 Lower HF 3 Upper MF 2 Lower MF 1 All LF 4x W8LC Upper 2 HF Lower 2 HF All MF All LF 6x W8LC Upper 4 HF Lower 2 HF Upper 2 MF Lower 4 MF All LF 8x W8LC Upper 2 HF Middle 4 HF Lower 2 HF Upper 4 MF Lower 4 MF All LF 10 x W8LC Upper 4 HF Middle 4 HF Lower 2 HF Upper 6 MF Lower 4 MF All LF 12 x W8LC Upper 6 HF Middle 4 HF Lower 2 HF Upper 8 MF Lower 4 MF All LF 16 x W8LC Upper 10 HF Middle 4 HF Lower 2 HF Upper 12 MF Lower 4 MF All LF W8LM amplifier rack patch W8LM pre
Alternative W8LM +WLX presets (40-49) are now available.
Loading W8L Series presets into your Martin Audio DX1 or XTA DP226 Presets are regularly updated. Locate the latest DX1 or XTA DP226 software in the Controller Presets section of the latest User Guides CD and follow the instructions carefully A User Guides CD will have been included in every product carton supplied by Martin Audio. If your loudspeakers arrived without them please contact your supplier for a copy.
5.6 Horizontal considerations Horn-loaded mid frequency system advantage W8L Series mid frequency elements have been designed with true constant directivity horns for excellent wide-band horizontal pattern control over a wide coverage angle. Many line array manufacturers cut their costs by ignoring the superior coverage pattern control good horn designs can provide. They use direct radiating mid-range devices instead - incorporating cross-firing techniques to try to emulate coverage control.
Crossing paths about 2/3 up the venue gives a wider stereo footprint nearer the front. Note that left and right are cross- fired for rear corner audiences. This can help avoid the ping-pong effect of hearing all left or all right. Cross-firing has to be used with care though.
Note that columns aiming straight out will have a much narrower stereo coverage than arrays that are aimed inwards slightly. Operators should bear this in mind and keep mixes semi- mono. Multiple W8L series arrays Well designed line arrays provide very consistent horizontal coverage right up to very high frequencies. W8L series arrays may be placed up to 90º apart to extend horizontal coverage for very wide venues.
Smaller horizontal splay angles will tend to provide horizontal mid-band summation in the far field. For instance, 45° between adjacent arrays will boost the inter-array area by approximately 3dB. This can help the vocal projection to the far corners of arenas. Matching array curvature When specifying a system for very wide venues, try to keep inner and outer columns lengths and shapes similar for a given vertical coverage.
Main system (upper) with matching short side stretch array (lower) 5.7 Subwoofers and front fills 5.7.
Line array to subwoofer delay table Feb 2007 W8L sub delay table Driver Delay (grilles aligned) W8L WSX 15" 18" 0ms 0ms Gain Phase X-Over HPF ** In 60Hz 0dB In 20Hz LR=Linkwitz Riley Slope 24dB/Oct 24dB/Oct Eq LPF Slope Freq. 230Hz 24dB/Oct 54.6Hz 80Hz 24dB/Oct 37.2Hz BSS XTA (Width/Oct) (Q) Gain 1 1.4 +4dB 1.15 1.2 +4dB Limiters Attack time (MA4.2) (release=x16) +7dBu 16ms +7dBu 45ms W8L W8LS/WS218X 15" 2x18" 0ms 5.5ms ** 0dB In In 60Hz 20Hz 24dB/Oct 24dB/Oct 230Hz 24dB/Oct 54.
W8L, W8LC and W8LM inter-driver delays Standard Martin Audio presets apply small output channel delays to DX1 or DP226 controllers to align the multiple drivers within W8L, W8LC and W8LM cabinets. These inter-driver delays are not user adjustable. They have a strong influence on a system’s off-axis lobe structure in addition to the usual on axis performance alignment. Very important note! Crossover frequency and phase settings should never be adjusted to compensate for room anomalies.
W8L Series W8L Longbow W8LC W8LM (Active mono) W8LM (Passive mono) W8LM (Active stereo) W8LM (Passive stereo) Reference delay channels (left unlocked for main-to-subwoofers alignment) 1 1 1 4 1 2 1 3 4 6 1 2 4 5 Functions LF LF WLX Lower HF WLX Lower full-range Left WLX Left HF Right WLX Right HF Left WLX Lower left full-range Right WLX Lower right full-range Alternative W8LM + WLX presets are now available. These provide a separate subwoofer signal chain via controller input B and output 6.
Subwoofers may be flown above or beside main systems (using the appropriate W8L Series flying systems or adaptors) or they may be stacked on the floor. Smaller main systems may be stacked on top of the sub woofers with good results. If systems have to be physically misaligned, when sub woofers are ground stacked in front of a stage wing for instance, extra delay may be employed to compensate for the differing arrival times.
Boundary conditions When sub woofers are placed on or near a floor, wall, ceiling, solid stage apron etc., these solid surfaces form a boundary that can restrict or reflect a significant portion of the subwoofers’ off-axis radiation. Some of these boundaries will inevitably reflect this off-axis radiation back towards the audience – but with a small time delay.
5.7.2 Front fill placement and alignment Placement Other loudspeakers in the Wavefront range may be used as stage apron fills to augment W8L Series line array systems. When positioned on a radius from the downstage centre vocal area and synchronised with the lower line array section, these apron fills don't just balance the sub woofers. They focus vocals and add a detailed quality that can be beneficial right out to the mix position.
5.8 Climatic Effects Introduction When working in large venues or outdoors we should always remember that sound propagates through air and is affected by air temperature, humidity and wind. The most audible of these effects is wind as it can vary dramatically in less than a second causing rapidly swept filter effects that change middle and high frequency content into incoherent noise.
Temperature and wind gradients The effects of temperature and wind gradients are most noticeable when sound systems are used outdoors, although not limited to this case. They exist when there are differences between the temperatures or wind speeds of layers of air from the ground upwards. The most common effect is to steer high frequencies away from the direction that the loudspeakers are pointing.
For example a 50km per hour (31 mph) side gust = approx 13.9m/s. The temporary change in direction during the gust = arctan 13.9/340 = approx arctan 0.04 1 = approx 2.3º This may seem trivial until you realise that this sudden 2.3º change will shift a poorly arrayed system's polar pattern undulations about 2m to right at a typical outdoor mix position enough to swap high- mid and high frequency peaks and troughs several times in just a few seconds.
Conversely, a wind gradient associated with wind blowing from behind a loudspeaker system will "speed up" its vertical wavefront differentially. The vertical wavefront will be speeded up less near the ground and its sound path will veer downwards. Local winds Air absorbs very little heat from the sun's rays. It is indirectly heated by contact with warm surfaces. It also relies on contact with cooling surfaces to loose heat. An anabatic wind can be set up by air rising up a slope warmed by the morning sun.
Local winds may be even more erratic in showery weather. Dramatic down-drafts of cold air may occur causing local squalls. Graph showing main wind speed (dark colour) and gusts (light colour) over several hours The above main wind and gust plot shows that gusts can be more erratic in nature and several times stronger than the main wind. Their effects will be far more audible than a steady wind.
The speed of sound varies with air temperature. This means that the speed of sound can vary from 331 .5m/s to 354.9m/s between 0ºC and +40ºC. The commonly accepted formula for the speed of sound though air is: Temperature Gradient Air is a poor heat conductor and relies on surface contact to heat and cool. On a clear, warm, day the ground will warm low level air and the atmosphere will heat up, by convection, from bottom to top.
venues. Sound will now travel slower near the ground and faster higher up causing its path to be tilted downwards. Air absorption Many users believe that line array sound pressure levels drop by only 3dB per doubling of distance and this belief can lead to over-optimistic predictions of line array long-throw characteristics. Air absorption reduces high and mid frequencies proportional to distance depending on relative humidity. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Under the above conditions air absorption at 10KHz can reach 0.3dB/m at 20% RH. This means 30dB excess attenuation (over and above the 3dB per doubling of distance) at 100m from the column. The incredible high frequency efficiency and headroom of the W8L Longbow can prove beneficial here. Air absorption also varies with temperature (see table below) and is notoriously difficult to predict with accuracy.
High frequency compensation The high frequency elements of larger W8L Series columns are split into three sections which cover short, medium and long throw. This allows high frequency (air absorption) and compensation to be tailored to suit each section. The standard controller settings already incorporate a degree of shelving and peaking boost as throw increases. When equalising the W8L Series systems do not add mo re than 8dB of boost to compensate for air absorption if the system is to be driven hard.
The medium throw section of larger W8L Series columns can be set for a wider HF bandwidth as they require less air absorption equalization. Typically peaking frequencies are 8kHz for very long throw W8L sections and12kHz for the medium throw sections. In more favourable conditions these peaking frequencies can be increased to 10kHz for the long throw section and 14kHz for the medium throw section.
5.10 W8L/Longbow and W8LD Quick Start Guide Important note: This information assumes the reader is an experienced sound system technician who is familiar with high quality, low noise system design and works to the internationally recognized 93/68/EEC Low Voltage Directive for mains safety. All rack systems should be fully PAT (Portable Appliance) tested for electrical safety before use. What would a typical W8L/Longbow rack look like? Can I parallel drive W8L/Longbow cabinets? Yes.
How many amplifiers do I need to drive a typical W8L/Longbow system? The simple rule of thumb is 3 power amplifiers for 4 W8L/Longbow cabinets… 3 x 2ch MA4.2S power amplifiers drive 4 x W8L/Longbows 6 x 2ch MA4.2S power amplifiers drive 8 x W8L/Longbows 9 x 2ch MA4.2S power amplifiers drive 12 x W8L/Longbows 12 x 2ch MA4.2S power amplifiers drive 16 x W8L/Longbows Can I split the system into smaller racks with, say, 3 amps per rack? Yes. But remember that our MA4.
without compression but to pull back to a suitable continuous power for sustained signals such as rail-to-rail feedback. Although the long-term limiter thresholds are lower for the mid and high frequency sections (LF +7dBu, MF +4dBu, HF +1dBu), all W8L/Longbow sections are designed to accept full MA4.
greater at lower frequencies. It is wise to spread the long-term current by supplying a mixture of low, mid and high frequency amplifiers from each breaker. Single Phase Breaker (e.g. 32A Europe 63A USA) A 4x 8x 12 x 16 x W8L/Longbow W8L/Longbow W8L/Longbow W8L/Longbow 3 x MA4.2S 6 x MA4.2S 9 x MA4.2S 12 x MA4.2S 1 LF, 1 MF, 1 HF, 1 DX1 B 1 LF, 1 MF, 1 HF 1 LF, 1 MF, 1 HF, 1 DX1 C Three Phase Breaker (e.g.
Our standard W8L/Longbow presets configure the DX1 to produce these extra bands. This requires 6 outputs; 1 x LF, 2 x MF, 3 x HF . See section 5.5.23.
Controller-Amplifier Patching Examples (For W8L/Longbow pin-outs and cabling see later) System patch for 4 x W8L/Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 3 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 6 x W8L/Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 5 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers (leaving 1 spare channel) All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 8 x W8L/Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 6 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 10 x W8L/Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 8 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 12 x W8L/W8L Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1and 9 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 12 box W8L/W8L Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 9 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers arranged in 3-rack Master-Slave configuration All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 16 x W8L/W8L Longbow array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 12 Martin Audio MA4.2S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
W8L/Longbow + W8LD combined system example using 6-way controllers with standard W8L or Longbow presets Important notes for all W8L/Longbow + W8LD systems: Fly the UPPER W8LD from the 6° hole in the W8L or Longbow. Fly the LOWER W8LD from the 20° hole in the W8LD above.
Full W8LS/WS218X + W8LD + W8L Longbow system examples using 8-way DX2 controller combination presets 8-way controllers can provide the patch configurations required to provide a full system comprising subwoofers, down-fills and main arrays. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
W8L/Longbow and W8LD pin-outs and cabling Important Note: MA4.2S power amplifier output NL4 connectors carry both channels (e.g. pins +1/-1 = Ch1, +2/-2 = Ch2). Always use NL2 connectors for power amplifier outputs to avoid mispatching.
The following table gives suitable copper core specifications for common applications: Cable run vs copper core cross sectional area One W8L or Longbow Up to 25m: Up to 50m: Up to 100m: 2.5mm² 6mm² (or 2 x 2.5mm² cores in parallel using splitters at both ends) 10mm² (or 2 x 6mm² cores in parallel) Two W8Ls or Longbows in parallel at the cluster Up to 12m: 2.5mm² Up to 25m: 6mm² (or 2 x 2.5mm² cores in parallel using splitters at both ends) Up to 50m: 10mm² (or 2 x 6mm² cores in parallel) Q.
5.11 W8LC and W8LCD Quick Start Guide Important note: This information assumes the reader is an experienced sound system technician who is familiar with high quality, low noise system design and works to the internationally recognized 93/68/EEC Low Voltage Directive for mains safety. All rack systems should be fully PAT (Portable Appliance) tested for electrical safety before use. What would a typical W8LC rack look like? Can I paralle l drive W8LC cabinets? Yes.
How many amplifiers do I need to drive a typical W8LC system? The simple rule of thumb is 3 power amplifiers for 4 W8LC cabinets… 3 x 2ch MA2.8S power amplifiers drive 4 x W8LC 6 x 2ch MA2.8S power amplifiers drive 8 x W8LC 9 x 2ch MA2.8S power amplifiers drive 12 x W8LC 12 x 2ch MA2.8S power amplifiers drive 16 x W8LC Can I split the system into smaller racks with, say, 3 amps per rack? Yes. But remember that our MA2.8S amplifier weighs less than 10kg so a double width rack housing 9 MA2.
allows all them to pass transient signals to the full output capability of the MA2.8S without compression but to pull back to a suitable continuous power for sustained signals such as rail-to-rail feedback. Although the long-term limiter thresholds are lower for the mid and high frequency sections (LF +5dBu, MF +1dBu, HF +1dBu), all W8LC sections are designed to accept full MA2.
Remember that, although the transient power demand will be the same for each W8LC section (see table earlier), medium to long-term power demand will be greater at lower frequencies. It is wise to spread the long-term current by supplying a mixture of low, mid and high frequency amplifiers from each breaker. Single Phase Breaker (e.g. 32A Europe 63A USA) A 4 x W8LC 3 x MA2.8S 1 LF, 1 MF, 1 HF, 1 DX1 B 8 x W8LC 6 x MA2.8S 1 LF, 1 MF, 1 HF 1 LF, 1 MF, 1 HF, 1 DX1 C Three Phase Breaker (e.g.
because one extra mid frequency band and two extra high frequency bands drive the upper zones of the line array. Our standard W8LC presets configure the DX1 to produce these extra bands. This requires 6 outputs; 1 x LF, 2 x MF, 3 x HF. See section 5.5.23.
Controller-Amplifier Patching Examples (For W8LC pin-outs and cabling see later) System patch for 4 x W8LC array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 3 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 6 x W8LC array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 5 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 8 x W8LC array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 6 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 10 x W8LC array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 8 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 12 x W8LC array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 9 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 16 x W8LC array using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 12 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
System patch for 12 x W8LC system using 1 Martin Audio DX1 and 9 Martin Audio MA2.8S power amplifiers arranged in 3-rack Master-Slave configuration All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
W8LC + W8LCD combined system example using 6-way controllers with standard W8LC presets Regular W8LC rental companies may wish to use this type of configuration so that they can simply add one extra L-R down- fill controller (plus the required amplifier channels) to their standard W8LC racks. Important notes for all W8LC + W8LCD systems: Fly the UPPER W8LCD from the 6° hole in the W8LC. Fly the LOWER W8LCD from the 20° hole in the W8LCD above.
W8LC + W8LCD systems using a single 6-way controller per side with new W8LCD + W8LC presets. These patch configurations take advantage of the fact that the W8LCD LF can be driven with the same signal as a standard W8LC. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Full WLX + W8LCD + W8LC system examples using 8-way DX2 controller combination presets 8-way controllers can provide the patch configurations required to provide a full system comprising subwoofers, down-fills (with separate control of all bands) plus, of course, the main array. All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
W8LC Pin-outs and cabling Important Note: MA2.8S power amplifier output NL4 connectors carry both channels (e.g. pins +1/-1 = Ch1, +2/-2 = Ch2). Always use NL2 connectors for power amplifier outputs to avoid mispatching.
all NL8 or PA-Con cables to avoid confusion when using a mixture of products in the Wavefront range. The following table gives suitable copper core specifications for common applications: The following table gives suitable copper core specifications for common applications: Cable run vs copper core cross sectional area One W8LC Up to 25m: Up to 50m: Up to 100m: 2.5mm² 6mm² (or 2 x 2.
5.12 W8LM Quick Start Guide Important note: This information assumes the reader is an experienced sound system technician who is familiar with high quality, low noise system design and works to the internationally recognized 93/68/EEC Low Voltage Directive for mains safety. All rack systems should be fully PAT (Portable Appliance) tested for electrical safety before use. What would typical W8LM racks look like? All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Can I parallel drive W8LM cabinets? Yes. In normal systems up to four W8LM cabinets are paralleled at the loudspeaker column using short link cables. All W8LM sections are 12 ohms. Each cable drives up to four speaker loads so cables must be rated for 3 ohms. See cable recommendations later. How many amplifiers do I need to drive a typical W8LM system? It depends whether you drive your W8LMs bi-amped or passive (determined by a switch on the rear of the W8LM).
3) Line Arrays are designed for long throw applications. Air absorption can cause significant high frequency attenuation at low humidity. Line array columns are usually band zoned (ie progressive shelving control is applied to the upper mid & high frequency sections of line array columns to partially compensate for air absorption). This band zoning relies on the exceptional mid and high frequency performance provided by adequately powered high-efficient mid and high frequency sections.
Alternative W8LM +WLX presets (40-49) are now available.
Rack patch examples – 4 x W8LM/LMD arrays All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Rack patch examples – 8 x W8LM/LMD arrays All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd. Subject to change without notice.
Rack patch examples – 12 x W8LM/LMD arrays All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
Rack patch examples – 16 x W8LM/LMD arrays All material © 2007. Martin Audio Ltd.
W8LM Pin-outs and cabling Very Important Note about using MA2.8S power amplifiers with W8LM /LMDs MA2.8S amplifier output A carries both channels via an NL4 connector as follows: Pins +1/-1 = Ch1 Pins +2/-2 = Ch2 This dual output/single connector scheme may be used to drive one group of biamplified W8LM from one 2-ch power amplifier - via an NL4 cable directly from MA2.8S o/p A to the W8LMs. Please make sure that you use Channel A for LF and Channel B for HF.
Cable run vs copper core cross sectional area Two W8LM/LMD’s paralleled at the array Up to 12m: 1.25mm² Up to 25m: 2.5mm² Up to 50m: 6mm² (or 2 x 2.5mm² cores in parallel using splitters both ends) Four W8LM/LMDs paralleled at the array Up to 12m: 2.5mm² Up to 25m: 6mm² (or 2 x 2.5mm² cores in parallel using splitters at both ends) Up to 50m: Not recommended Q. Why the odd sizes? A. Loudspeaker cables are available in a limited range of standard copper core sizes ie. 1.5mm², 2.
