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Horizontal & Vertical: Attaining Uniform Coverage

Matching loudspeaker coverage shape to the audience shape -- the audience shape
is visible, the loudspeaker coverage, not so much...

June 11, 2014, by Bob McCarthy

We have a big job with a small budget. One loudspeaker.

How hard could it be? The goal is straightforward: uniform
coverage over the seating area, i.e., minimum variance
over the space.
There are four answers required for our specification:
horizontal and vertical aim, horizontal and vertical
coverage. We seek to match the loudspeaker coverage
shape to the audience shape. The audience shape is
visible. Loudspeaker coverage, not so much. Let’s work on
defining the loudspeaker shape in terms of uniformity over
the space.
Standard Lines Of Variance
The propagation of a single loudspeaker can be described by four standard lines of variance
(Figure 1) in each plane:
• Forward variance line—between 0 dB and -6 dB in a forward direction
• Radial variance line—between 0 dB and -6 dB on an equidistant radius
• Lateral variance line—between 0 dB and -6 dB on a straight line perpendicular to the
loudspeaker
• Minimum variance line—between 0 dB and 0 dB in a forward, radial or lateral direction
The forward radial and lateral variance lines are all maximum
acceptable variance lines (0 dB to -6 dB). The minimum
variance line for a single loudspeaker is derived by linking the
location milestones: ONAXfar (the -6 dB end of the forward line)
and OFFAXnear (the -6 dB end of the radial/lateral line). The
key is that both ends of the line are the same, hence minimum
variance. Figure 1: Standard lines of variance.

It’s tempting to think of the horizontal and vertical planes as simply two versions of the same
story. Our approach to coverage belies the fact that these are vastly different from our
perspective. The key difference is how we reach the people.
In the horizontal plane we plow the coverage through the front rows to the back. The path of
propagation flows over the shape and it matters whether or not our coverage shape matches
the room shape. We need wide enough coverage to fill the width at the front row and yet we
don’t want to overflow when we reach the rear.
By contrast, the vertical plane is only one person deep (lap child excepted). It doesn’t matter if
our coverage is too narrow a few meters above the audience, just as it doesn’t matter if we
have excess overlap when the lines of coverage hit the basement. We evaluate the shapes in
fundamentally different ways, and will use the different versions of the loudspeaker shapes as

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required to fill them.

Horizontal Room Shape
The horizontal room shape is evaluated as a solid, a container to fill. We design to the
audience seating plan (not the walls). The macro shape is depth by width: the distance from
the loudspeaker to the last seat versus audience width at the midpoint depth. The
loudspeaker’s coverage shape seeks to approach this dimensional ratio.
A rectangle shape is the easiest to evaluate since the beginning, middle and ending width are
the same. A splayed room (trapezoid) uses the mid-point width, as would other variations
around the basic rectangle. A narrow fan-shaped room can be approached this way, but a
wide fan can’t easily be characterized as having a mid-point width. If a fan shape resists
rectangular approximation then it is probably a bad candidate for a single loudspeaker (a
helpful correlation).
Vertical Room Shape
The vertical room shape is evaluated as the head height coverage line from the front row to
the last seat. The shape is evaluated as angular spread (from top seat to bottom seat in
degrees) and range ratio (the difference in distance from top seat to bottom seat). If the shape
is too complex to be evaluated like this then a single loudspeaker is a bad choice.
Horizontal Aim
The horizontal aim target is defined as the middle/middle (middle seat at the midpoint depth).
If the loudspeaker is centered on the shape, then the aim point is obviously along the
front/back center line. If the loudspeaker is not centered, then the asymmetry is best balanced
by aiming through the midpoint center. For every inch we move off center, we must pan the
loudspeaker inward to cross the mid-point depth. This assures equal distribution of the over
and/or under coverage.
Vertical Aim
The vertical aim is found by the range compensated coverage method (Figure 2). Consider
the vertical bottom (VBOT) of coverage to be 0 degrees (relative). Our example coverage
target is 50 degrees, so the range is from 0 degrees at the vertical bottom (VBOT) to 50
degrees at the vertical top (VTOP), with a midpoint of 25 degrees (ONAX). If the range ratio
from VTOP to VBOT is 1:1 (0 dB) then the aim point is the vertical center of the coverage line:
25 degrees.
As range ratio rises, the aim point gradually moves upward
toward the farthest point. A range ratio of 1.4 (3 dB) moves the
aim point upward by a factor of 1.4 (+40 percent) to 35 degrees
(10 degrees above the original aim). Increasing the ratio further
raises the aim until the 2:1 limit is reached, and the loudspeaker Figure 2: Vertical aim and coverage
is aiming at 50 degrees (VTOP). calculations.

Horizontal Coverage Angle

There are three logical points to evaluate coverage: start, middle and end (Figure 3). If we
use the start, our loudspeaker covers the front fully but is too wide for every row beyond. We
may drown in reflections as coverage overflows to the side walls.
The opposite extreme is the rear width as reference. We have just enough coverage across
the back (6 dB variance) and not enough anywhere else. Reflections are minimized, but tell
that to the half of the audience that has no coverage.
Using the mid-point width as the reference evens out the errors. The result is 6 dB of level
variance across the midpoint depth. If the shape is a simple rectangle then the front half will
be under-covered and back half over-covered in equal proportion.
Reflection risk rises in the rear while coverage gap risk rises in front. The gaps in the front
corners can be reduced if the loudspeaker is raised in the vertical plane (which expands the
effective coverage width).
Alternatively we can beg for fill loudspeakers to plug the gaps. Both the underage and
overage errors are reduced if the room has expanding splay walls.
Vertical Coverage Angle
The vertical aim was determined above and we will reuse the 50-degree coverage shape

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example (Figure 4). The minimum variance coverage angle is

found by range ratio multiplication of the target angular spread.
If the ratio is 1:1, then the
loudspeaker coverage angle
equals the target angle: 50
degrees. The ONAX location will
be 0 dB and the VTOP and VBOT
locations will each be –6 dB. A
wider loudspeaker will reduce the
level variance, which can be
weighed against the potential for
increased reflections.
A range ratio of 1.4 (3 dB) moves
the minimum coverage angle
upward by a factor of 1.4 (+40
percent) to 71 degrees. Recall
Figure 3: Horizontal aim and coverage
that the loudspeaker is now example (2:1 depth/width, 60 degrees,
aimed above the vertical variable location).
midpoint; therefore we need a
wider loudspeaker to reach the Figure 4: Vertical aim and coverage
bottom. The loudspeaker example (50-degree spread, variable
range ratio).
coverage angle rises
proportionally with range ratio
until the limit is reached at 2:1, and we have a 100-degree loudspeaker (a 2:1 ratio of the
original 50-degree loudspeaker coverage) aiming at the top row.
ONAX is now at VTOP and both are -6 dB. VBOT is also -6 dB. Level variance is minimized
while risk of reflections is maximized. If the reflections are too great then a single loudspeaker
approach should be abandoned in favor of an array.
Bob McCarthy has been designing and tuning sound systems for over 30 years. His book
Sound Systems: Design and Optimization is available at Focal Press (www.focalpress.com).
He lives in NYC and is the director of system optimization for Meyer Sound.

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