# Advanced SQ Seminar - Arkansas - August 21 & 22, 2009



## Mark Eldridge (Jul 23, 2008)

*Advanced SQ Seminar - Arkansas - August 22 & 23, 2009*

We will be presenting the M.S.E. Advanced Sound Quality Seminar in the Little Rock, Arkansas vicinity during the weekend of August 22 & 23, 2009. We will finalize the classroom location / venue by the first week of August, but we will definitely be in Little Rock, or one of the nearby cities (Conway, Searcy, etc.)

So, get your schedule arranged to be at this seminar if you can!

We start at 9:00 AM each day, and usually wrap up around 6:00 PM each day, depending on how deep everyone wants to get into the topics.

At the bottom of this post is the basic outline for the class. We cover everything from the human hearing system through final system tuning. It's 30+ years of learning, experience, research, etc, all crammed into two days, and it's more information than you'll find anywhere else, regardless of how long you look and research.

Pricing for this class is $495 per person for both days, which includes the very extensive ASQS notebook, tuning CDs, t-shirt, etc. An advance pre-registration fee of $125 will reserve your spot. 

Whether you are a competitor, installer, judge, manufacturer, or an SQ enthusiast, if you are serious about high-performance sound quality car audio, we promise you, attending the ASQS will be a very smart investment in advancing your skills, tuning techniques, and overall knowledge. We're very comfortable in saying "Just ask those that have attended previous seminars what they think about the class." You will get a lot out of attending this class!

If you are interested in attending, please give us a call or shoot me an e-mail, and I can send you the flyer and outline via e-mail.

(918) 810-2535
[email protected]

Let us know if you want to attend the seminar, and we'll get you pre-registered. This seminar may fill up quickly, so get with us as soon as you can.

Regards,

_Mark Eldridge
Mobile Soundstage Engineering_


*Advanced Sound Quality Seminar - Two-day Curriculum*

*Introduction and Overview *
Why Do We Do What We Do???
Seminar Curriculum Overview
What Really Matters… 

*The Many Parts of Music *
Definitions and Terms
Instruments and Vocalists
Amplified and Un-Amplified Performances
Performance Venues: Studios, Clubs, Concert Halls, Etc.
The Emotional Involvement - What is it about the music that gets our blood pumping?

*Our Audio Reference *
The standard with which we compare audio system performance 
What is an appropriate reference, and how do we get one?
Live Performances
Live vs. Recorded Music
The Recording and How It Affects What We Hear
The Listening Room and Environment 
Near-field, Far-field, Car-field?
The Sound Reproduction System - Studio, Home Audio, Headphone Systems, Etc.
So what is the “perfect” reference system?
Listening Critically to Recordings

*Using Your Ears 101 *
A simple setup to teach yourself how to recognize acoustical problems
Equalization, crossovers, Signal delay, etc.
Comparison of analyzer measurement techniques with adjustments made by ear

*Tools, Tools, Tools……. *
CDs and Software
Acoustical Analyzers: (RTA, TEF, etc) How they work, how to use them, how to interpret the data 
Other useful tools – oscilloscope, Radio Shack amplifier, DVM, etc.
Books, Articles, the Internet, and other sources of “information”
Your Ears - Definitely the most important and effective tool in your arsenal!!!!!
Using the Tools Most Effectively
Analyzing the Data

*The Human Hearing System *
Why We Hear What We Hear
Anatomy and how each part of the hearing system contributes to the aural experience
Do We All Hear the Same Things?
Hearing loss and how it affects what we can hear
Frequency Threshold Shift (a.k.a Listening Fatigue)
How We Localize Sounds – Spatial Responses
Localization Demonstrations
What is Ambience, anyway???
Perception of Frequency Response
Loudness Effects
Psycho-Acoustics
Distortion – How much is too much? 

*The Vehicle’s Acoustical Environment *
Defining the Problem Areas
Reflective surfaces, absorptive surfaces, cats and dogs living together….
Near Field vs. Far Field – What do we really have?
Pathlength, pathlength, pathlength
Relative locations of tweeters, mids, and other drivers
Comb filtering, and other acoustical issues
Reflections Good and Bad…

*Acoustical Treatments *
What’s the purpose?
Types of Acoustical Treatments
Basic Acoustical Treatment Philosophy
Controlling “Bad” Reflections 
Controlling Speaker Dispersion Patterns
Recognizing and Finding Reflections
Diffusion

*Car Audio System Design *
Vehicle Selection – If you have a choice
Important vehicle interior considerations
Basic System Configuration
Two-seat vs One-seat system designs
How many speakers are really needed?
What are your goals for the system?
What are you willing to give up to attain your goals?
How Far Are You Willing to Go?
Equipment Selection Questions
Speaker Locations - General Philosophy
Speaker Locations – Specific Recommendations and Techniques for all speakers

*Speaker Placement Experiments and Testing*
(This is a very extensive part of the curriculum, and must be covered in great detail with lots of time dedicated to hands and ears on demos and experimentation)
Enclosure design, size, and construction considerations

*Component Selection *
Signal Processors
Front Stage Speakers
Subwoofers
Mid-Bass Drivers (if needed)
Everything Else…

*System Level Setting and Gain Structure *
What is it?
Why is it so important?
The Important Factors
Tools Needed
The Steps on How to Do It

*System Tuning Tips and Techniques *
Crossovers
Equalizers
Signal Delay
Dynamic processors
Multi-channel specific tuning
Using psycho-acoustics to your advantage

*Speaker/Enclosure Frequency Response Testing *
Consistent and realistic measurement techniques
Interpreting the data
A realistic approach to addressing some response problems
Transfer function testing and measurements

*The Listener/System Interface *
Keep it simple
Make it easy to deal with
Ear/Hand coordination
Computers and analyzers are great, but learn to trust your ears!

*Competition Specific Topics *
Installation Presentation
RTA / SPL Tuning and adjustments
Photo Book guidelines
Specific rules interpretations

*Additional Topics Determined by the Class*
You name the topic, and we’ll get into as much detail as desired


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

I'll be in Alabama that weekend at the Bikinique and I'm not one to break plans in favor of something else. Hope this pans out though for the sake of all the Arkansans on this forum.


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## Mark Eldridge (Jul 23, 2008)

Little Rock ASQS Update...

The location for the seminar will be at the La Quinta Inn Otter Creek, in the large conference room. The hotel is located at the intersection of I-30 and I-430 on the Southwest side of Little Rock. 

If you need a hotel room, the rates at the La Quinta are only about $55 per night.

Pre-registration is open, and we've already got several people signed up. If you plan to attend, get in touch with me as soon as possible. All you need is a $125 deposit in advance to hold your spot, or you can pay in full in advance if you'd like. 

Send me an e-mail ([email protected]), and we can get you registered and set to attend. This seminar will likely be full, so don't wait until the last minute, or you may not get a spot in the class.

Plus, this seminar is only 6 weeks before the USACi and MECA Finals. Great timing to learn how to get your SQ system in top shape for the big show...

Regards,

Mark Eldridge
Mobile Soundstage Engineering
[email protected]
(918) 810-2535


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Not a bad area at all.


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## Mark Eldridge (Jul 23, 2008)

All right guys and gals....

One week away from the ASQS Little Rock on Saturday and Sunday, August 22, 23. 

If you want to attend but have not registered yet, get in touch with me ASAP. We've got a bunch of guys firmly committed, but a number of people have said they will be there, however they haven't officially registered. 

I need to know if you are going to be there, so I can have everything set up appropriately. 

Call or e-mail.

(918) 810-2535
[email protected]

Looking forward to it!


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