Ground Stacked vs Flown PA - Which Is Better?

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INTRO & CONCEPTS
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - 5 Criteria To Judge Sound Systems
02:59 - Speaker Coverage Principles
03:55 - Naming Positions In An Audience
SYSTEM DESIGN
05:15 - Main Design File Overview
06:30 - Picture Of Venue We're Designing For
06:58 - Biggest Difference Between Flown & Ground Stacked
07:27 - Finding The Range Ratio
10:10 - Mono Ground Stacked PA Evaluation
11:24 - Mono Flown PA Evaluation
11:56 - Comparing Both
13:52 - Stereo Ground Stacked System Evaluation
CONCLUSION
17:35 - Ground Stacked Pros & Cons
19:36 - Flown Pros & Cons
21:11 - Wrapup

[@DrNIx123]

Thanks for the video. I don't do measurements and calculations (yet), my sound reinforcement jobs are on a smaller level, however… one can borrow the "flown speaker" concept using massiv stands. Of course, it's not the same, but putting a decent 12" point-source at 3m above the ground vs. "just above the heads" often makes a huge difference, even more so if you have a seated audience. (If anyone wants to try this at home, please do not use cheap speaker stands. Put some money into heavy windup stands for the safety's sake. Adapters for putting speakers on lighting stands do exist.)

[@Labaris]

Thanks for the video! I know this is off topic, but what do you think about angling left and right speakers inward in order to get a better stereo image throughout the room? If the correlation between L and R is low (very different signals) the comb filtering is not a problem. This also helps to minimize reflections on the walls (reflections happen further back the room and thus the direct sound is maximized)

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

As long as no seats have compromised coverage that doesn't bother me at all. Although panning around some elements will reduce correlation, the most prominent elements in a mix (kick, snare, lead vox, etc.) are almost always panned up the middle.

[@florinchiorean3629]

Hi Michael! Nice meeting you.
What do you thing is the best setup for 4 subs (EV ETX18SP and EV ELX18P) combined with 2 dbTechnologies Opera 15 speakers hanged on the truss? Should another speakers required? What would be the best alignment for those?

[@Winston-Hsieh]

Super duper informative, really appreciate it. Would appreciate your input on this:
- Our church PA's are currently set like @14:15 (stereo ground stacked) on top of subs.
- The church has 2 flown speakers. However, they're mounted midline, and pointed 45 degrees outward toward the back corners of the room.
>> Would the 2 flown speakers provide adequate room coverage compared to our stereo ground stacks, even though they're in this orientation?
Thanks!

[@Winston-Hsieh]

Our room is rectangular, just like your diagram :)

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

It honestly depends on the coverage specs of each of the speakers and their relative relationship to the audience for me to say with certainty one setup would be better than the other. Both are viable, though.

[@josealfredfernandes]

Ground stacked - for smaller audience let's say max 1000 with about 1/2 acre of land
Flown - 1000+ audience with 1+ acre land to cover..

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

Thanks for weighing in here! Why does the size of the audience dictate which method? Flying the subs gets you a better front to back distance ratio, and therefore more even coverage, no matter audience size.

[@josealfredfernandes]

@@MichaelCurtisAudio cool. I respect your point of view.

[@MichaelCurtisAudio]

@@josealfredfernandes And I yours! Thanks again for weighing in.

[@lastresortaudio]

Dude take a sip of water , please.
FYI your videos kick ass