In outdoor venues, the sound in the open air travels away from the source and keeps going until its energy is used up.
But in indoor venues, there are walls and surfaces for the sound to bounce off and return to interfere with the primary sound. The listener will hear the primary sound and reflected sounds, which create a complex situation for setting up a PA system in indoor venues.
The aims of Public Address Systems are to provide adequate sound level (not necessarily loud) along with clarity (Intelligibility).
The rule is, the Sound Engineer or the person in charge of PA system installation and operation must have a good understanding of the following;
- How sound travels through air?
- How sound behaves in reflective environments?
- How we hear sound?
- How to measure sound?
It is not just the good quality of equipments in the PA system chain, but it is the good quality of the sound the listener experiences that gives credit to good PA system implementation.
The following posts will guide you to a better understanding of various issues in operating an indoor PA system.