CEDIA Expo has always been the best place to get real-world education from some of the top minds in the industry, and this year continues the tradition. A prime example of this tenet in action took place yesterday morning at the “CEDIA Ask the Expert Series: Audio and Acoustics” session, which featured Gerry Lemay of Home Acoustics Alliance and Adam Pelz of Bespoke Cinemas answering questions from attendees that ranged from the fundamentals of audio calibration to a deep dive on reverberation time (RT)—with plenty of topics in between.
Speaking about the fundamentals of audio calibration, Lemay said the key qualities an integrator should have are attention to detail and a passion for sound. “Some integrators—perhaps due to a lack of passion—assume that certain pieces of the calibration process can be skipped,” he said. “They do it quickly so that they can get to the end. If you don’t verify the system for every piece, there will be something wrong.”
“Passion is the big part,” added Pelz. “I encourage people to listen. Video pros use skin tones to tell if the picture is off. For us, it is the same thing with vocals. Key in on what’s not right about the vocal.”
When the topic of room calibration came up, both experts agreed that room calibration software is a useful tool but not a magic wand that will fix all of a room’s problems. “With any room calibration software, getting the initial mechanics right up front is critical,” said Pelz. “Make sure the speakers and seats are in the right positions—give the auto stuff a chance to do the best they can.”
“It is nice to have a button that does its thing,” said Lemay, “but it is a lot easier if everything is set up right. It’s a bigger challenge if it is not. The reality is, you can’t do magic with an equalizer and fix poor design.”
Many more topics were discussed, including the deep dive on RT. If you missed the session, it, like many of the education sessions here at CEDIA Expo, is available on demand.
Learn more at Home Acoustics Alliance and Bespoke Cinemas.
