Are Tectonic loudspeakers easier to operate than other speaker systems?

September 28, 2018

Yes … and no.

Yes. Tectonic loudspeakers are extremely forgiving when it comes to room placement and coverage, minimizing room interaction and the need for acoustic treatment. Installation and rigging needs are significantly less than required for line arrays and trapezoidal flown or ground-stacked enclosures.

The Tectonic loudspeakers inherent feedback resistance, full band-width frequency response from 80Hz –  20kHz (including HF ribbon driver,) and no complex DSP needs makes for minimal processor requirements. We have found, from extensive use of the Tectonic systems in a wide array of settings, that there is little house EQ needed to accommodate specific venues.

We currently recommend the Symetrix Radius for simple crossover, limiting and system EQ tasks. That’s all the Tectonic system needs. (Note: The Tectonic system requires our own factory-locked settings for crossover points and power protection.  By-passing these settings will void the Tectonic Warranty.)

Tectonic loudspeakers are highly resistant to feedback and allow for fairly extreme speaker placements and the flexibility to add open mics in front of the Plates. That having been said, some feedback situations can occur, requiring adjustments in staging and level management.

No. The Tectonic system is merciless in representing the rest of the signal chain and any problems that may exist that other speaker systems do not reveal. This has been verified at several demonstrations in major venues where poor electronics, bad microphones, unknown DSP plug-ins, internal routing errors, word-clock issues etc. were discovered. It is a reality of a low distortion, revealing speaker system.

Furthermore, the traditional cues to the sound operator that the system is being pushed too hard are not generated by the Tectonic loudspeakers Typical symptoms include excessive 3rd-order harmonic distortion and voice coil bottoming-out. The Tectonic system cannot produce these effects, so the system just goes until it doesn’t. It’s an easy fix—just use your dB meter until you ‘re-calibrate’ your ears.

A note about SPL/dB meters: Pointing an SPL meter at the Tectonic loudspeakers is not an accurate measurement of excessive system output, as the DMLs are not producing a pistonic audio energy wave into the room; ie. not producing sound pressure that a meter is expecting to measure. SPL meter readings of the Tectonic loudspeakers typically read about 3 – 7dB less than actual system output depending on room size. Bottom line—the ‘experience’ will measure surprisingly less than what your ears tell you is happening. This is agood characteristic; just remember this when taking your first readings.

We provide processor files for Symetrix, Lake, Rane, Powersoft, Ashly and many other leading DSP system controllers that include limiting parameters to keep excessive system drive from occurring. That having been said, operator orientation is strongly advised.  (Please contact us if we don’t have the settings you’re looking for.)

RECENT ARTICLES

Upgrading Sound in a Council Chamber

Solving coverage, intelligibility, microphone performance and gain before feedback issues that have plagued the Seattle City Council Chamber.

September 21, 2018

Upgrading Sound in a Council Chamber

Solving coverage, intelligibility, microphone performance and gain before feedback issues that have plagued the Seattle City Council Chamber.

September 21, 2018

Upgrading Sound in a Council Chamber

Solving coverage, intelligibility, microphone performance and gain before feedback issues that have plagued the Seattle City Council Chamber.

September 21, 2018