Meyer Sound M'elodie, Operating Instructions Manual

18

CHAPTER 5

Figure 5.1. MAPP Online Pro predictions of 6-, 12-, and 18-cabinet M’elodie 
line arrays at 125 Hz (top) and 250 Hz shows how directionality increases 
with length of array.

Designing a Line Array System

Designing and deploying a line array system will typically 
have the following objectives:

■ 

Even horizontal and vertical coverage

■ 

Uniform SPL

■ 

Uniform frequency response

■ 

Sufficient SPL and headroom for the application

To achieve these objectives, fine-tuning a design for a 
M’elodie array is dependent on three factors:  

■ 

Number of Array Elements

. Determining the number 

of elements to use is critical. The number of elements 
drastically affects the SPL and headroom available from 
the system as well as the uniformity of coverage in both 
SPL and frequency response. The number of elements 
profoundly effects the directivity at lower frequencies. 

■ 

Vertical Splay Angles

. Changing the splay angles 

between cabinets has a significant impact on vertical 
coverage for the high frequencies, with the result that 
narrower vertical splay angles produce a higher Q 
vertical beamwidth, while wider splay lowers the Q at 
high frequencies. In general, the splay angles do not 
affect the vertical coverage at lower frequencies.

■ 

Horizontal Coverage

. Horizontal coverage for a single 

M’elodie array can be considered constant regardless 
of the number of array elements or the angles between 
them. 

TIP:

When more than one array is used, the 

angle between line arrays in the horizontal 

plane can be changed to meet additional design 
requirements (for example, more horizontal 
coverage, avoid wall reflections, etc.).

With two different technologies (low-frequency cone 
radiators and high-frequency horn) built into each M’elodie 
cabinet, achieving these goals becomes a multi-step 
process, with different strategies:

■ 

Lower and higher frequencies 

■ 

Long throws and short throws

NOTE:

MAPP Online Pro, covered Chapter 

6 of this manual, is the tool of choice to 

enable you to make accurate and comprehensive 
predictions for optimal coverage(s) during the 
design phase.

High-Frequency Design Strategies

Planning for high-frequency coverage is a matter of 
deciding the 

number of elements

 and fine-tuning the 

splay 

angles

 between cabinets. The number of elements does 

not necessarily have a significant impact on SPL at high 
frequencies (it will at low frequencies), but can profoundly 
affect vertical coverage and throw capabilities of the array.

For the far field, a smaller mechanical splay angle between 
cabinets achieves superior throw through better coupling 
to compensate for energy lost over distance. The longer 
the throw needed, the more elements needed with smaller 
angles at the top of the array. 

In the near- to mid-field, larger splay angles are used to 
increase vertical coverage. 

250 Hz

6 M’elodie 
Cabinets

125 Hz

12 M’elodie 
Cabinets

18 M’elodie 
Cabinets

6 M’elodie 
Cabinets

12 M’elodie 
Cabinets

18 M’elodie 
Cabinets