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Manual-4 setup methods, Setup instructions, Step one: select crossover frequencies – Rane AC 24 User Manual

Page 6: Step two: adjust signal delay, Figure 1. driver responses and crossover points

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Manual-4

Setup Methods

The goal is to design a 3-way or 4-way system with the flattest

possible response and good dispersion. Two practical methods for

crossover setup follow:

1.

Use relatively low levels of pink noise and close microphone

placement (18 to 36 inches)[45 to 90 cm] to minimize the

effects of room acoustics. Once the system is tuned, lock the

crossover behind a security cover.

2.

Use measurement tools designed to analyze installed sys-

tems. Professional system analysis tools are available that can

discriminate between room acoustics and system response.

SIA Software Company, Inc., have developed tools, including

SmaartLive and SIA Acoustic Tools, that allow sound system

measurement and acoustic analysis. The software is designed

for serious pro audio and acoustical consultant engineers. For

more information visit www.siasoft.com. Once the system is

tuned, lock the crossover behind a security cover.

Setup Instructions

The following crossover setup procedure is based on the use of

close microphone placement with the system installed. The pro-

cedure requires a real-time analyzer, pink noise source and SPL

meter. There are five steps:

STEP ONE:

Select Crossover Frequencies

STEP TWO:

Adjust Signal Delay

STEP THREE:

Set CD Horn EQs (if required)

STEP FOUR:

Set Output Levels

STEP FIVE:

Set Limiters

Note

: If you are running two Channels, tune up only one Chan-

nel at a time, unless the STEREO LINK is used.

STEP ONE: Select Crossover

Frequencies

Most speaker manufacturers supply low and high frequency cut-

off points for each driver. These cut-off frequencies are based on

each driver’s response limitations, physical limits and safe operat-

ing area. Most specifications allow a safety margin to accommo-

date gentler filter roll-off.

The AC 24 utilizes continuously adjustable frequency selec-

tors. Each precision potentiometer provides 64 steps covering 3.3

octaves (.05 octave per step). This resolution assures consistent

accuracy.

The AC 24 possesses 24 dB per octave roll-off, so the cross-

over points are easily set with the accuracy required to avoid

hazard to the driver or degradation in sound quality.

For best results, choose speaker components so each oper-

ates well within its recommended limits with adequate response

overlap. This provides valuable leeway in crossover frequency set-

tings and helps ensure the flattest possible system response. Extra

margin also yields higher system reliability. If possible, always use

some kind of realtime analyzer to tune your crossover.

Figure 1 shows typical driver responses for a 4-way system and

the selected crossover frequencies. Select each drivers response

and set each crossover frequency to allow significant overlap in

response.

After Crossover Frequency settings are made based on driver

data, the best way to proceed is with a realtime analyzer. This

allows verification of crossover settings and adjustment of output

levels to compensate for the sensitivity of individual drivers.

STEP TWO: Adjust Signal Delay

Before jumping feet first into the realm of signal delay compen-

sation, it helps to re-affirm why delay is necessary. For a short

course on signal delay and Linkwitz-Riley crossovers, we rec-

ommend the “Linkwitz-Riley Crossovers” RaneNote. Ask your

dealer, call us at the factory, or get it from our website.

Let’s review the basic effects of signal delay in crossovers.

Problems pop up when two different speakers emit the same

frequency in the crossover regions. Because the two drivers are

displaced vertically, cancellation occurs somewhere off-axis be-

cause the sound waves have to travel different distances from the

two speakers and hence, arrive out of phase. This forms a “lobe”

or radiation pattern, narrowing the listening-area of the speaker.

Fine, so we put up with it.

To make matters worse, when two drivers are horizontally

displaced—that is, one is in front of or behind the other, this

“lobe” or dispersion pattern gets tilted toward the driver that is

further behind (see Figure 2). The result is a speaker system with

two, three, four or more tilted radiation patterns.

In an ideal system, all drivers are aligned in the same vertical

plane and all components are in phase. With main lobes on-axis

and well behaved, the system has the widest possible dispersion

pattern and everyone gets good sound. Unfortunately, it’s often

physically impossible to place all the driver sound sources in the

same vertical plane. Fortunately, by electronically delaying the

signal going to the front driver, the sound from the rear driver is

able to catch up. The result is signals from both drivers arriving in

phase with correct acoustic summing (see Figure 3).

The trick is finding the proper signal delay amount: hence the

rest of this section. It is possible to get good results by setting the

required signal delay based exclusively on horizontal displacement

as outlined in Signal Delay Method One. Ideally, using true

delay in combination with phase compensated crossover filters,

would make the required signal delay independent of the crossover

frequency. If true, the required delay could be determined solely

by the horizontal displacement between driver voice coils. The

world is seldom ideal. The drivers themselves introduce phase shift

that must be accounted for. Therefore, best results are achieved by

calibrating the required delay outlined in Signal Delay Method

Two

.

Figure 1. Driver responses and crossover points

Mid frequency

Hi-Mid frequency

0 dB

Amplitude (dB)

Frequency (Hz)

Low pass

100 Hz

500 Hz

4 kHz

slo

pe

=

n

dB

/oct

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High pass

Low / Mid

Mid / Hi-Mid

Hi-Mid / High

slo

pe

=

n

dB

/oc

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