d&b Array verification.
d&b constantly looks for ways to optimize the d&b Workflow by listening to users and the challenges they experience with modern PA systems. Creating solutions such as Array verification is a perfect example of this. Array verification is a d&b patent.
Array verification is designed to help quickly identify common cabling mistakes that can occur when rigging both mobile and permanent loudspeaker arrays.
The Array verification feature, integrated into the d&b R1 Remote control software, automatically identifies the physical position of a loudspeaker in an array powered by the D20, D80, 10D or 30D d&b amplifiers. It then compares the actual order of the array to the configuration defined in the d&b ArrayCalc software.
Array verification enables the user to easily identify cabling issues for both line and subwoofer arrays, saving time otherwise spent searching for errors. The feature not only confirms that the loudspeakers are cabled and working correctly, but that each amplifier channel feeds into the correct element of the array.
Part of the d&b System check procedure.
Array verification is performed after all loudspeakers and amplifiers have been connected, including the d&b Remote network. Array verification is part of the System check procedure within the d&b R1 Remote control software.
System check measures the impedances of the connected loudspeakers of all amplifiers in a network at high and low frequencies. It displays this data on a table and stores it as a reference for later comparison with the actual system status, e.g. after the show. System check enables the user to detect damaged drivers and defective or missing connections. With the additional Array verification procedure, System check can also identify if a loudspeaker in an array has been connected to the correct amplifier channel.
How does Array verification work?
Array verification uses the loudspeakers in an array as microphones. It performs a sequence of measurements (one per loudspeaker in the array) where one loudspeaker produces a low frequency test signal while all the other loudspeakers are listening and transmitting the received signal to their amplifier channels. Array verification does not require any special hardware or connections, it employs the current measurement circuits of the amplifier output stages.
When one loudspeaker is playing the test signal, neighboring loudspeakers detect the strongest signal. The further away the receiver the lower the signal. After the process is finished and all loudspeakers have been checked the result can be displayed in a matrix showing the direct neighbors of each loudspeaker. If, for example, the cables of two loudspeakers had been swapped, the Array verification algorithm detects and analyses this deviation and indicates the swapped channels in the R1 view.