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Kick-Drum Signal Acquisition, Isolation, and Reinforcement Optimization in Live Sound

A critical requirement for popular music in live-sound applications is the achievement of a robust kick-drum sound presented to the audience and the drummer while simultaneously achieving a workable degree of acoustic isolation for other on-stage musicians. Routinely a transparent wall is placed in parallel to the kick-drum heads to attenuate sound from the drummer’s monitor loudspeakers, although this can cause sound quality impairment from comb-filter interference. Practical optimization techniques are explored, embracing microphone selection and placement (including multiple microphones in combination), isolation-wall location, drum-monitor electronic delay and echo cancellation. A system analysis is presented augmented by real-world measurements and relevant simulations using a bespoke Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) algorithm.

Authors: Hill, Adam J.; Hawksford, Malcolm O. J.; Rosenthal, Adam P.; Gand, Gary
Affiliations: Gand Concert Sound, Glenview, IL, USA; University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, UK(See document for exact affiliation information.)
AES Convention:130 (May 2011) Paper Number:8357 Import into BibTeX
Subject:Live and Interactive Sound

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