T-Town Advanced SQ Seminar

One week to go until the Advanced SQ Seminar in Tulsa on Thursday and Friday, followed by the T-Town Invitational Saturday and Sunday.

If you're would like to attend the seminar, check out the thread titled SQ Seminar Hosted by Mark Eldridge - DFW, which is where we have been exchanging information about the seminar.

At the end of this post is a basic outline of the topics we'll be covering in detail.

This is going to be a jam-packed two days of nothing but SQ information, skills, techniques, and knowledge building. Plus we'll be tweaking cars to make them sound as good as possible, and to get ready for the T-Town Invitational and other shows beyond that.

Give me a call or send an e-mail if you would like to attend. And check out the other thread too.


Mark Eldridge
Mobile Soundstage Engineering
meldridge@mblsound.com
(918) 810-2535


Advanced SQ Seminar Outline

Introduction and Overview

Why Do We Do What We Do???
Workshop Curriculum Overview - What We Will Do in the Workshop
What Really Matters…


The Many Parts of Music

Definitions and Terms
Instruments and Vocalists
Amplified and Un-Amplified Performances
Performance Venues: Studios, Clubs, Concert Halls, Etc.
The Emotional Involvement - What is it about the music that gets our blood pumping?


Our Audio Reference

The standard with which we compare audio system performance

What is an appropriate reference, and how do we get one?
Live Performances
Live vs. Recorded Music
The Recording and How It Affects What We Hear
The Listening Room and Environment
Near-field, Far-field, Car-field?
The Sound Reproduction System - Studio, Home Audio, Headphone Systems, Etc.
So what is the “perfect” reference system?
Listening Critically to Recordings


Using Our Ears 101

A simple setup to teach yourself how to recognize acoustical problems
Equalization, crossovers, Signal delay, etc.
Comparison of analyzer measurement techniques with adjustments made by ear


Tools, Tools, Tools…….

CDs and Software
Acoustical Analyzers: (RTA, TEF, etc) How they work, how to use them, how to interpret the data
Other useful tools – oscilloscope, Radio Shack amplifier, DVM, etc.
Books, Articles, the Internet, and other sources of “information”
Your Ears - Definitely the most important and effective tool in your arsenal!!!!!
Using the Tools Most Effectively
Analyzing the Data

The Human Hearing System

Why We Hear What We Hear
Anatomy and how each part of the hearing system contributes to the aural experience
Do We All Hear the Same Things?
Hearing loss and how it affects what we can hear
Frequency Threshold Shift (a.k.a Listening Fatigue)
How We Localize Sounds – Spatial Responses
Localization Demonstrations
What is Ambience, anyway???
Perception of Frequency Response
Loudness Effects
Psycho-Acoustics
Distortion – How much is too much?


The Vehicle’s Acoustical Environment

Defining the Problem Areas
Reflective surfaces, absorptive surfaces, cats and dogs living together….
Near Field vs. Far Field – What do we really have?
Pathlength, pathlength, pathlength
Relative locations of tweeters, mids, and other drivers
Comb filtering, and other acoustical issues
Reflections Good and Bad…


Acoustical Treatments

What’s the purpose?
Types of Acoustical Treatments
Basic Acoustical Treatment Philosophy
Controlling “Bad” Reflections
Controlling Speaker Dispersion Patterns
Recognizing and Finding Reflections
Diffusion


Car Audio System Design

Vehicle Selection – If you have a choice
Important vehicle interior considerations
Basic System Configuration
How many speakers are really needed?
What are your goals for the system?
What are you willing to give up to attain your goals?
How Far Are You Willing to Go?
Equipment Selection Questions
Speaker Locations - General Philosophy
Speaker Locations – Specific Recommendations and Techniques for all speakers

Speaker Placement Experiments and Testing

(This is a very extensive part of the curriculum, and must be covered in great detail with lots of time dedicated to hands and ears on demos and experimentation)

Enclosure design, size, and construction considerations
Aperiodic Subwoofer Systems
Mid-bass and Midrange enclosures


Component Selection

Signal Processors
Front Stage Speakers
Midrange and Tweeter
Horns vs. Conventional Drivers
Subwoofers
Mid-Bass Drivers (if needed)
Everything Else…


System Level Setting and Gain Structure – The Most Important Tuning Step!!!

What is it?
Why is it so important?
The Important Factors
Tools Needed
The Steps on How to Do It


System Tuning Tips and Techniques

Crossovers
Equalizers
Signal Delay
Dynamic processors
Multi-channel specific tuning
Using psycho-acoustics to your advantage


Speaker/Enclosure Frequency Response Testing

Consistent and realistic measurement techniques
Interpreting the data
A realistic approach to addressing some response problems


The Listener/System Interface

Keep it simple
Make it easy to deal with
Ear/Hand coordination
Computers and analyzers are great, but trust your ears!


Competition Specific Topics

Installation Presentation
RTA / SPL Tuning and adjustments
Photo Book guidelines
Specific rules interpretations