Signal decorrelation for sound reinforcement system crossovers

While sound reinforcement technology has progressed significantly in recent decades, aspects of system deployment remain largely unchanged, principally the use of stereo (or multiple mono) left/right configurations and crossover networks. As such, the issue of coherent interference between overlapping spatial and spectral coverage remains a challenge to system engineers. This paper focuses on the application of a perceptually transparent method of decorrelation, known as diffuse signal processing (DiSP), to minimize coherent interference within key elements of sound systems. Experiments were conducted with scale model loudspeakers in a hemi-anechoic chamber, mounting the systems onto an automated turntable to inspect the effectiveness of decorrelation over a wide polar range. Results indicate that the application of decorrelation has the potential to significantly reduce spatial variance across an audience area, although further work is necessary to optimize the decorrelation filters to improve performance consistency.