GLL testing provides detailed measurements of loudspeaker data to allow more accurate positioning and simulation of loudspeakers in various venues and environments

BOSTON, August 18, 2008 – Technomad Associates, LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, has upgraded to the GLL (Generic Loudspeaker Library) format to measure and present its loudspeaker design specifications to the pro audio industry.  GLL format data gives Technomad design engineers, consultants and contractors more options in positioning and simulating loudspeakers in large sports, entertainment and other venues that require array or clustered installations. Technomad is one of several loudspeaker manufacturers that encompass the first wave of GLL supporters in the pro audio industry.

GLL is a new standard for measuring and storing loudspeaker performance data that is now part of the EASE software suite, which provides simulated creations of a room’s 3D acoustic model and sound system. The GLL format provides highly accurate technical detail about the loudspeaker design and driver output so consultants and design engineers can more accurately position loudspeakers in various environments compared to simulated point source formats such as SPK or CLF.

Technomad recently visited NWAA Labs, an independent, vendor-neutral laboratory that provides uniform product testing of loudspeakers. Led by Ron Sauro, Owner and Chief Scientist of NWAA Labs, Technomad’s range of IP56-rated weatherproof loudspeakers underwent GLL testing for the first time. The GLL testing system created by NWAA Labs uses a system of accurately-calibrated microphones positioned every five degrees in a four-meter arc to collect data in a highly consistent manner, with the loudspeakers immersed in an anechoic chamber to eliminate reflected acoustic artifacts. The process more accurately collects loudspeaker data than the traditional way of physically moving the position of a single microphone to record measurements at different angles and is much faster.

The tests officially quantify Technomad loudspeakers as GLL-ready, with results and measurements available for download and usage with the new EASE 4.2 software program.

“GLL testing is a critical step forward in accurate data collection for loudspeaker design engineers, particularly those specifying a venue that will include clusters of multiple loudspeakers,” said Sauro. “Engineers and consultants who download the GLL files can more accurately predict what will happen in a room or facility when multiple cabinets are used, and also predict and better understand the interaction between all the cabinets and drivers in the loudspeakers. The GLL format provides a very accurate resolution of phase that is superior to how we previously measured and presented data.”

Sauro added that manufacturers like Technomad benefit from GLL testing through physically assembling loudspeakers in a “virtual reality” or simulated environment, measuring the drivers without crossovers or digital signal processing, and making design changes that are instantly noticed. This improves the speed and accuracy of developing the loudspeaker.

“Technomad contractors have always relied on the power, durability, weatherproofing and high audio quality of our loudspeakers,” said Rodger von Kries, vice president of Technomad. “Through testing at NWAA Labs we have been able to generate GLL files that provide consultants and design engineers with the most accurate loudspeakers measurements possible. This highly accurate data provides design information that gives contractors new and exciting options to use Technomad loudspeakers in larger venues. By presenting these measurements in the GLL format, we can more accurately represent this data to the pro audio industry at large.”

ABOUT TECHNOMAD

Technomad Associates, LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers eight models ranging in power from the 60-watt Vernal 15 to the 1250-Watt OSLO subwoofer. In 2000, Technomad introduces its range of complete Turnkey PA systems that have turned previous complex integration jobs into simple, one-line orders. Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 for more information.

Update:  Interview with Ron Sauro from Pro AV Magazine

5-Minute Interview: Ron Sauro

Source: ProAV MAGAZINE
Publication date: September 1, 2008

By ProAV Staff

A former NASA engineer and scientist, Sauro now heads up NWAA Labs, a Santa Clarita, Calif.–based lab for testing loudspeakers and materials for the audio industry Among other things, the lab tests loudspeakers for conformance to the Generic Loudspeaker Library specification, which was introduced at the AES convention in New York in October 2006.

PRO AV: Tell us a little about NWAA Labs.

SAURO: NWAA Labs was founded to fulfill a long-standing, but unrealized industry requirement for independent, standardized loudspeaker and acoustic materials testing. I was able to adapt the array I designed at NASA for magnetic data acquisition for use in gathering sound data at NWAA Labs. This design allows for an exponential increase in the rate of data acquisition, reducing the time involved from many hours, to often less than 40 minutes, thus minimizing the environmental variations that hamper accurate measurement, particularly phase measurements.

PRO AV: What is the Generic Loudspeaker Library?

SAURO: The Generic Loudspeaker Library is a method of inputting, calculating, and displaying complex speaker directivity data. It’s accomplished by measuring individual drivers, in place, and then mathematically integrating these balloons with crossover transfer functions. The data is gathered and stored using impulse responses and can be geometrically combined to do what point-source information cannot do. Its first use was in the EASE 4.2 program, but has been designed as a generic data source for use by the entire industry. It provides a large source of information in a very small storage footprint.

PRO AV: What does GLL testing say about a loudspeaker and how it might perform in the real world?

SAURO: It is especially useful for the construction and simulation of line arrays and complex cluster arrangements in order to predict lobing and other acoustic results more accurately. In other words, GLLs can be used by simulation programs to accurately predict real-world performance of complex and variable configurations of loudspeaker boxes and arrays.

PRO AV: How can AV pros use GLL results and GLL files?

SAURO: Consultants can take advantage of independent testing to confirm equivalent performance between loudspeaker boxes created by different manufacturers. This is useful when specifying a system and then having many contractors bidding with “equivalent” speaker boxes. Comparing GLL measurements helps remove subject marketing claims from what should be—and now can be—an objective process. This also helps contracting personnel to meet system performance criteria.

PRO AV: How has industry adoption been so far?

SAURO: We are receiving more and more requests from consultants and contractors for GLL data and more than a dozen manufacturers have adopted the GLL format. (Technomad Associates of Boston most recently received GLL certification from NWAA Labs for its IP56-rated weatherproof loudspeakers.)

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