d&b audiotechnik has introduced System Auralization for ArrayCalc, allowing sound system designers to listen to a simulation of a loudspeaker configuration before deploying it in a venue.
The new feature generates a real-time binaural rendering of the system configured within ArrayCalc. Users can move through a virtual venue in first-person mode and listen from different audience positions to assess changes in coverage, imaging and tonal balance.
It extends the conventional prediction workflow, where engineers evaluate system performance using plots, coverage maps and acoustic data, by providing an audible representation of the direct sound produced by the proposed system.
Changes to loudspeaker positioning, array geometry, amplifier settings, filters and ArrayProcessing configurations can be heard immediately, allowing different approaches to be assessed before equipment arrives on site.
“With System Auralization, engineers can build confidence in their decisions and address many important design considerations beforehand. It's a huge time saver, which is especially valuable before a show,” said Florian Hahn, Product Manager Applied Software at d&b audiotechnik.
“While built to support professionals, it also makes system behavior easier to explore and understand, offering a useful tool for the next generation of system engineers.”
Users can load their own audio material into ArrayCalc and hear it processed through the simulated system in real time. A new snapshot recall function also allows different system configurations to be stored and compared without interrupting audio playback.
The approach is intended to make aspects of system behaviour that can be difficult to interpret solely from graphical prediction data easier to evaluate by ear, while retaining ArrayCalc's existing visual design tools.
d&b has initially released System Auralization as part of a beta version of ArrayCalc. Feedback collected during the beta programme will be used to develop the feature ahead of its general release.