Compared to other areas of professional sound, cinema sound presents a fairly controlled set of circumstances. With this in mind, QSC examines whether line arrays are the best loudspeaker type for cinema applications of if other contenders are more suited to the job.
Sound system design is always guided by three basic factors: the program material, the space in which it is to operate and budget. Any experienced sound system designer will tell you that the process is most definitely not a ‘one size fits all’ exercise, and in fact, even with the most current technology, there are always trade-offs.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that with a solid understanding of real-world applications, a system can be designed that performs well for nearly any application that balances the trade-offs to the satisfaction of most concerned parties.