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The Importance of Sound

It is interesting to note that sound is commonly the last thing people think about for their event or party. Perhaps it is because we can’t see the sound, even though we see the equipment. The sonar wave is invisible. However, sound is the most important dynamic during an event. If you don’t want to take my word for it, think about this: if you remove food and drink during an event, and it can still be a great experience. You can remove the lights and your event will still be entertaining. You can even remove the decoration and people will still have fun. However, if you remove the sound and the music, your event will not keep the attention of most people. That is why you must pay attention to this invisible part of your show. I will repeat, Sound Is Important!

So you need sound, and for sure you need a good sound. So why not the best? The difference between a poor sound & the perfect sound is the quantity and quality of emotion your guest will receive. Imagine having your guests dance to a little stereo from your living room: it is not loud enough, the bass has no impact and you do not reach your audience. With the correct sound system, as soon as the music begins, your guests will gravitate to the dance floor. To get this effect, you need a good subwoofer which carries, in the bass, the body and the rhythm of the music.

The “beat” of the music comes from the cooperation between the kick drum and the bass. If you cannot reproduce this sound with your sound system the quality of your sound, and hence your audience’s experience, will not be good enough. The higher frequencies provide the swing and the melody etc. However, if you want people to dance to the music, you need one or two good subwoofers to accurately reproduce the low-end frequencies. The bass is where the dance beat resides.

It is interesting to note that most Mobile Dj’s, for weddings, corporate events, etc., do not have subwoofers in their systems. The ones that know the difference do, but many do not. They could increase their impact on the audience by 2 or 3 times just by having the correct equipment. Sure people were dancing before subwoofer technology, but if you compare two systems at the same time with the same audience, most people will go directly to the system with a subwoofer. It pulses in a way that creates in the body a desire to move. Another point of interest is the balancing effect when you cover the low end of the frequency spectrum. Sometimes the high frequencies can be so high, they are painful, or “aggressive”. When you add a subwoofer to cover the low end accurately the high-end frequencies suddenly become non-aggressive. This is because you now have a balance between the high frequencies and the low ones. So the next time you feel something is not right with the sound, first check to see if there is a subwoofer in the system.

So we have discussed how important the sound for your event is and consequently how important the balance between all of the frequencies is. Now we can discuss technique. For the dance floor or audience you need at least two speakers on stands. Inside the speakers are two drivers. One of them reproduces the low and medium frequencies, called a woofer, and the other reproduces the high frequencies which is called the horn or tweeter. To reproduce the lowest frequencies, the bass, you have another stand-alone woofer normally with a 15”or, even better, an 18” driver (this is the subwoofer we spoke of earlier). Unless your speakers are self-powered, you also need an amplifier to power your speakers. This is the most basic system that will give you the sound you desire.

Now you need a crossover. A crossover is a system that prevents the upper frequencies from being reproduced on the subwoofer. This enables you to push more power to the sub which produces more punch in the bass. The subwoofer has to work within a narrow frequency range to be able to give you the sound it is meant to deliver. This range is 30Hz to 120hz. The lower frequencies move much slower than the higher frequencies. If the subwoofer is not dedicated to the bass, or low, frequencies it cannot accurately reproduce them because the subwoofer is moving too fast trying to reproduce the high frequencies and the low frequencies at the same time. This is why a crossover is almost mandatory when using a subwoofer and must be connected between the sound source and the subwoofer amplifier. So if you have determined the system has a subwoofer, but you still do not like the sound, check to see if you have this very vital piece of equipment and that it is connected in the right place within the system. This basic knowledge of sound is very important to know and will give you more control of your system, your contractor and your show.

Now, what about the high frequencies. The horn, or tweeter, reproduces these. To have a smooth response in this range, 6,500 hz to 20,000 hz, a high-quality horn is necessary. The difference in horn quality determines if the high frequencies are aggressive instead of smooth or unintelligible instead of clear. That is why, and especially for this range of frequencies, you need to have high-quality equipment. My passion for sound led me to build my first speaker at the age of 12. Since that time I have done many tests, on many different horns, and I can tell you that the difference is huge between a cheap horn and a high-quality horn. Your ears and your audience will be very grateful!

The quality and appropriateness of your speaker system is the most important aspect of your sound system and should be attended to before anything else. If you want to communicate the invisible, but aesthetic, wave of emotion emitted by the music or the MC, your sound system must be viewed as the most important tool needed to get the job done. This tool will help you control what is most important to you: the response of the audience when asked, “Did you enjoy the show?”

I hope this article has given you new insight and knowledge. Please contact me if you would like further information!

Thank you,

Philippe CARILLO
Master Sound Engineer.
(323) 842-2110

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