Raked/Bleacher Seating

Case Study - Raked/Bleacher Seating

This originally appeared in Mixing L1 and F1 speakers for live performance

If you will perform in a venue with raked/bleacher seating you should ask:

• The depth of the venue
• The elevation from the stage floor to the highest seats
• THe width of the seating area
• The width of the stage
• The depth of the stage

This is a non-scientific illustration of what you can expect.

The L1 Model II is at the far right.

I've shown the projection of the Cylindrical Radiator® (the tower) in the blue zone.

People in the blue zone will hear the L1.

People above the blue zone will hear too, but the mid-high frequencies may be muffled.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like the upper rows may not hear the sound clearly. If you were expecting a full house, this could be a problem - one you could solve with Bose F1 Model 812 systems because you can direct sound upward.

You have a couple of options here:

Put the L1 systems behind the band

• This will be familiar in terms of sound and setup
• This will give you a consistent sound level until you get above the blue zone in the illustration. Above that, the mid-high frequencies may be muffled.
• People will have the option to move up to the quieter area in the higher rows
• Main sound and monitoring
  • Connect the T8S Main Left/Right Outputs (1/4 inch (6.3 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve outputs) to the L1 systems.

Add a couple of F1 Model 812 systems (F1 Subwoofers optional)

• This will give you more overall volume - especially on the dance floor
• The sound will be loud on the stage and fall off (not drastically) as you move farther back
• The mid-high frequencies will be heard throughout the room
• People who prefer a lower volume won't be able to escape the loudness
• Main sound output
  • Connect the T8S Main Left/Right Outputs (1/4 inch (6.3 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve outputs OR XLR) to the F1 Model 812 systems
• Monitoring
  • Connect the T8S Aux 1 Output to the L1 behind the band

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