Sound System Design

and Installation

by
Lorne Atkins and Gregg Weisbrod

2008 Alectro Systems Inc.

Alectro Systems Inc.

2861 Sherwood Hts. Dr. - Unit 24
Oakville, Ont. L6J 7K1
Canada
Phone: 905-829-1117

www.alectrosystems.com

Sound System Design and Installation

2008 Alectro Systems Inc. www.alectrosystems.com

Page 2

Contents
Page
7

Introduction

Part 1 - Sound System Design

8
8
8
10
10
10
10
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
19

1.1
1.1.1
1.1.2
1.1.3
1.1.3.1
1.1.3.2
1.1.3.3
1.1.3.4
1.1.4
1.1.5
1.1.6
1.1.7
1.1.8
1.1.9
1.1.10

Speaker selection and placement

Professional Sound Reinforcement Speakers
Speaker Position - Ceiling versus wall mount
Speaker Characteristics
Dispersion Angles
Constant Directivity
Power Handling and Efficiency
Speaker Components
Smaller Rectangular rooms
Larger Rectangular rooms
Balcony Coverage
T shaped rooms
Wide rooms
Corner Platforms and Fan shaped rooms
Round & oval rooms

20
20
20
20
21
21

1.2
1.2.1
1.2.2
1.2.3
1.2.4
1.2.5

Mixer selection and location

Basic speech only system
Small limited music system
Mid size live music system
Larger live music system
Location, location, location

23
23
23
24
24

1.3
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3
1.3.4

Monitor System
Wall mounted platform monitors
Floor monitor speakers
In-ear & headphone wired or wireless monitors
Personal monitor system

25
25
25
26
26
27
27
28

1.4
1.4.1
1.4.2
1.4.3
1.4.4
1.4.5
1.4.6
1.4.7

Power Amplifiers, Processing and Control Electronics

Power Amplifiers
Equalizer
Feedback Suppressor
Compressor / Limiter
Digital Delay
System Processor
Effects Processor

Sound System Design and Installation

2008 Alectro Systems Inc. www.alectrosystems.com

Page 3

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29
30
30
31
31
32

1.5
1.5.1
1.5.2
1.5.3
1.5.4
1.5.5
1.5.6

Microphones
Choir Microphones
Podium, Pulpit microphone
Communion Table, Altar Microphones
Head, Lapel microphones
Vocal microphones
Instrument Microphones & DI Boxes

33
33
34

1.6
1.6.1
1.6.2

Microphone and Monitor Jacks

Distributed jacks
Jack Clusters

35
35
36

1.7
1.7.1
1.7.2

Hearing Assistance
Types of systems
Selecting the right equipment

37
37
37
38
39

1.8
1.8.1
1.8.2
1.8.3
1.8.4

Sound Distribution
Choosing the right type of system
Designing a low impedance system
Designing a 70 volt system
Linking to another Sound System

40
40
40
41
41
41

1.9
1.9.1
1.9.2
1.9.3
1.9.4
1.9.5

Audio Recording
Selecting the right type of recording systems
Direct to CD recording
Direct to Digital recording
Direct to Computer recording
Multi-track recording

42
42
43
44

1.10
1.10.1
1.10.2
1.10.3

Typical Configurations
Basic Mixer / Amplifier System
Mid size system
Larger System

Sound System Design and Installation

2008 Alectro Systems Inc. www.alectrosystems.com

Page 4

46

Part 2 - Sound System Installation

46
46
47

2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2

48
48
49
51
53
53
54
55
56
56
57
57
58
59
59
59
60

Wiring
2.2
2.2.1 Types of wire
2.2.2 Running Wires
2.2.3 Installing Jacks
2.2.4 Making Connections
2.2.4.1 Types of Plugs
2.2.4.2 Relating wire types to Jacks
2.2.4.3 Wiring a Double Microphone Jack
2.2.4.4 Wiring a Single Microphone Jack
2.2.4.5 Wiring a Double 1/4" Phone Jack
2.2.4.6 Wiring a Double Speakon Jack
2.2.4.7 Wiring Double Microphone Plugs
2.2.4.8 Wiring Single Microphone Plugs
2.2.4.9 Wiring 1/4" Phone Plugs
2.2.4.10 Wiring Speakon Plugs
2.2.2.11 Labeling Jacks
2.2.2.12 Ringing out the wiring and labeling the plugs

63
63
63
66
68
71

2.3
2.3.1
2.3.1.1
2.3.1.2
2.3.2
2.3.3

Main & Fill-in Speakers

Installing the main speakers
Side Mounted Speakers
Ceiling Mounted Speakers
Aiming the main speakers
Installing and Aiming Fill-in speakers

75
75
76

2.4
2.4.1
2.4.2

Monitor Speakers
Floor Monitors
Platform Monitors

77
77
79
79
79

2.5
2.5.1
2.5.2
2.5.3
2.5.4

Distribution Speakers
Installing Ceiling Speakers
Installing Wall Speakers
Installing Attenuators (volume controls)
Wiring a 70 volt Speaker System

Basic Required Skills

Mechanical skills
Electrical and electronic skills

Sound System Design and Installation

2008 Alectro Systems Inc. www.alectrosystems.com

Page 5

Electronics Installation
Basic speech only system
Mid size live music system
Larger live music system
Speaker wiring details
Stereo Speaker Connections
Mono Speaker Connections

82
82
83
84
87
87
88

2.6
2.6.1
2.6.2
2.6.3
2.6.4
2.6.4.1
2.6.4.2

89

Part 3 Tuning and Balancing the system

89
89
91

3.1
3.1.1
3.1.2

Tuning the system

Using a Spectrum Analyzer
Tuning By ear

91
91
92
94

3.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.2.3

Balancing the system

Balancing the Electronics Levels
Balancing Speakers with a Spectrum Analyzer
Balancing Speakers by Ear

94
95
100
106
118

3.3
Part A
Part B
Part C
Part D

System Processor Setup

Input Configuration
Output Configuration
Programming the Driverack 260
Storing the Program

Sound System Design and Installation

2008 Alectro Systems Inc. www.alectrosystems.com

Page 6

Introduction
Over the past 25+ years, Alectro Systems has installed sound and video systems in about 500
churches. Often we have replaced equipment which the church tried to install themselves.
Unfortunately, in the vast majority of these cases, the job was done very poorly. Although it is
great to have a church community which is willing to commit their time and effort to projects like
this, it does take a considerable amount of experience to get the job done right.
Sometimes these projects are headed up by someone who thinks they know all about sound and
sometimes, they do know a lot. Although this knowledge is definitely helpful, particularly in
operating the system, there is a lot more to designing and installing a church sound system properly
than most people realize.
This book compiles 25 years of Church Sound System Design and Installation experience into a
form which is easy to understand and apply. It covers all aspects of the design and installation
using a number of different room configuration and equipment examples. The intention is to give
you the information you need to do it right the first time.
These pages will take you from choosing the right equipment for your application through finding
the right locations to install it, installation techniques, interconnection and tuning and balancing of
the system.
Once you have installed your system, you will need to learn to operate it properly. An instrument
is only as good as its musician. To complete your job, we have produced the Sound Operators
Handbook - Tricks of the Trade. This provides you with the knowledge to obtain the best
performance out of your sound system.
The Sound Operators Handbook also provides you with a great deal of mixer operation and
microphone application information which helps you select the right equipment. It complements,
and is often referred to in this Design and Installation book.
So lets get started...

Sound System Design and Installation

2008 Alectro Systems Inc. www.alectrosystems.com

Page 7