Course 140 – Speech Intelligibility for Public Address Systems

“Theory, design, and measurement”

General and emergency announcements don’t get a second chance. Clear and coherent speech is paramount. When speech intelligibility is required, there are rules that cannot be violated.

Information preservation is the most important requirement for a public address system, and the most difficult to achieve.

This course presents the fundamentals of designing intelligible sound systems. It examines how the information contained in an audio signal can be preserved en route to the listener.

There is a big difference between “audible” and “intelligible.” Audibility can be improved with a volume control. Speech intelligibility requires the establishment of some minimum ratios between early energy, late energy, and the noise in the environment. Watch the video to learn more.

The Intellikwik is fantastic and is worth the course price alone. Neil Thompson-Shade Theory + hands-on experience/demo + IntelliKwik software, this course had it all! Well, this course connects all the factors together, lets you visualize how they interact with each other, and empowers you with the knowledge to deal with each challenging venue. Xian Yu The course was very informative. So much so that I am going to sign all our designers up for this class! D.M I love taking your classes. The way you present your videos it feels like I‘m there in person and it feels like you’re presenting for ME. J.G.

What you’ll get – it’s a lot.

Access to 39 instructional videos for 45 days
Video transcriptions & 26 page Reference Manual
IntelliKwik^TM Application (Windows OS) Interactive Calculator (Really Awesome Tool)
Quizzes and case studies to test your knowledge
Certificate of Completion
1-year SynAudCon Membership which includes access to exclusive, members-only forum.
14 Renewal Units and 14 Cedia CEUs

Test your skill level with this self-evaluation quiz.

Still not sure? Click here to learn more!

Only $249! Buy Now

Course Description

Description

Most people are drawn to the sound business because of music reproduction. Ironically, sound system characteristics that are desirable for music systems can degrade the intelligibility of speech. Music quality is subjective, but speech intelligibility is objective. There are physics-based answers to the following questions.

This course will answer questions like:

✅ How do I measure a sound system’s ability to preserve information?
✅ Why does the music sound good, but I can’t understand the words?
✅ How is the Speech Transmission Index (STI) measured and predicted?
✅ What are the key acoustic ratios that contribute to speech intelligibility?
✅ What loudspeaker types produce the most intelligible public address systems?

The last two lessons includes case studies which include making measurements in actual rooms. This will help you connect the dots by implementing all the principles discussed in the lessons. You can replicate all of the exercises in a room of your choosing.

View or download a detailed course outline.

Course materials for you to keep include: main points, the video transcriptions, lesson graphics, IntelliKwik^TM app (Windows OS) interactive calculator, a certificate of completion and RUs & CEUs when you pass the final exam.

SynAudCon training is set up similar to college courses. The lower level courses lay the foundational principles for the upper level courses. Course 50 – How Sound Systems Work and Course 110 – Transformer-Distributed Loudspeaker Systems are the suggested perquisites for this course. Taking the self-evaluation quizzes will help you determine if you need to take those courses first.

Check out an example video in the second tab.

Watch an Example Video

Instructor

Pat Brown is a 1978 graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in electrical engineering technology. With a background as a musician, sound technician, retail music store owner, contractor, and consultant, he is familiar with the many aspects of audio. He served as an associate instructor to audio legend and SynAudCon founder, Don Davis. Pat along with his wife Brenda own and operate SynAudCon and have been providing training for the audio industry since 1996. Pat, the main instructor for SynAudCon, has the unique gift of being able to share his knowledge of complex technical topics in an easy-to-understand real world way through multi-media demonstrations. SynAudCon is recognized as an industry leader in audio education.

SynAudCon offers both in-person and online audio training. There are regularly scheduled in-person seminars and special one-time events on audio-related topics. With the release of the online training in 2010, SynAudCon training is now more accessible worldwide.

Pat writes articles for several publications. He authored three chapters for Glen Ballou’s Handbook for Sound Engineers and is co-author of Sound System Engineering 4th Edition. He considers SynAudCon online audio training courses as his most complete book, being able to explain the concepts and principles with animations and demonstrations.

He was chosen as NSCA Educator of the Year in 2005 and NSCA Mover and Shaker Award in 2011. He received Great Britain s Peter Barnett Award in 2012.

SynAudCon has given private seminars to many companies and organizations, including the Kennedy Space Center, Disney World, Sea World, IMAX, Purdue University, the US military, Siemens and many audio manufacturers. He has conducted seminars in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, South America, Australia and Canada.

Pat and Brenda Brown founded a second business in 2005 Pro Sound Testing, Inc. Pro Sound Testing measures loudspeakers to produce data files for use in room acoustics modeling programs. Pro Sound Testing was the first company of its kind in the USA. The experience of developing a measurement facility and measuring hundreds of loudspeakers from dozens of manufacturers has allowed him to develop some methodologies and specifications that have influenced a number of industry standards.

Get to know Pat better in this 10 minute interview.

https://www.soundandcommunications.com/synaudcons-pat-brown-talks-online-learning/

FAQ’s

FAQ

How long will it take me to compete this course?

I hate to use the words “it depends” but is really does. It depends on your level of experience. Experienced people may complete it in a few hours. Others may take weeks as they may rather learn in bite-size pieces.

Here is a brief layout of the course.

Course 140 – Speech Intelligibility for Public Address Systems consists of 11 lessons. After each lesson, you may take a quiz. The questions required that you have a good understanding of the principles that are taught.

After completing the lessons and quizzes, you may take a final exam. The final exam is about 30 questions. With a passing score, you will receive a certificate of completion and CEU’s.

You will have 3 opportunities to pass the final exam. We consider 80% as the passing score.

What if I got into the first couple of lessons and realized that I should have taken a more basic course?

No worries. The upper levels courses assumed you that you understand the principles presented in the lower level courses. If you need a more basic course, contact Brenda within 2 days of your key activation and she will exchange it.

We would like to urge you to take the self-evaluation quizzes. The quizzes will help you make a more informed decision.

We are developing an educational path for our employees. How does SynAudCon fit into this?

You will love this feature. SynAudCon online training is part of a Learning Management System which allows for tracking. Education supervisors may check the employee’s progress, quiz and final exam scores.

Is there a time limit on watching the online training?

You will have 45 days to complete the course. The 45-day clock begins on the day that the course key is activated. If you need more time, no problem. Brenda will gladly extend it for you.

We want you to get the most out of this learning opportunity. We would rather extend it than for you to rush through the course.

What course materials can I keep after the course?

Text to the training videos.

Twenty six page Reference Manual – which are great for note-taking. These resources are comparable to a course manual if you were attending an in-person seminar.

The IntelliKwik Interactive Calculator

Will I receive a certificate?

Of course. After passing the final exam, a certificate of completion will be emailed to you within one business day. The certificate will include the information that you will need for the Continuing Education Units.

How do I ask questions about the this training?

We have created a support forum for our online training. You may post your questions there.

If you are little uncomfortable with this approach, please email us directly. We will make every effort to answer questions within 24 hours.

Tell me about the purchasing process.

The online cart will request the credit card information. Add the name on the credit card, (not the person taking the training.) An automated email will be sent to the email address used in the purchasing process. If you do not get the confirmation, check your SPAM filter. The message will be coming from bbrown at prosoundtraining.com

The email will include:

✅ Credit card receipt

✅ Activation key to the training

✅ Directions to activate the key.

Forward the activation key with the directions to the person taking the training. The directions are quite easy but the learner can always call 812-923-0174 if help is needed.

May I share the video content I buy with others?

Purchased online training content is intended only for the learner who will be taking the course. Sharing SynAudCon online training is a violation of the terms and conditions of this site. All actions are logged and monitored, and this policy will be strictly enforced.

We appreciate your cooperation in this as it allows us to actively develop new material and keep the price low for everyone.

Testimonials

With respect to their privacy, we will only list their initials.

I thought this course was thorough and helpful tools I will take with my for my designs moving forward. I have know SynAudCon for years since my first infocomm attendance and am happy to finally do a few courses. A.D.

Course was very challenging, but really helped me to understand reverberation and room acoustics and how they affect intelligibility. G.M.

It could be better if some of the parameters can be expanded or explained further. B.Y.

Way more technical math then expected. P.M.

Another great experience with in-depth coverage of important material in an understandable format. G.W.

The case studies were very informative and I found them the most beneficial. They included some “real” examples of issues found in the field and ways to find a solution. M.V.

A metric version of IntelliKwik would be great. I have the direct sound level equation (in metric) ingrained into my memory so seeing the +10.5 instead of -11 at the end kept throwing me 🙂

I like the way the technical detail increases gradually and keeps referencing real world situations. The measurement of SI is very relevant, but in alot of cases, you don’t get to test the design. If you are testing it, it’s gone wrong. So the first principles that are explained really help to have an understanding of the design before you tackle a full 3D model. The part on electrical loads will be especially helpful. i work in acoustics, but the amount of times an electrical engineer expects me to do his work is alot. This information will help me keep them honest! thanks. P.S.

I love that it’s self paced. I’m already working in the industry and this course helped coalesce, identify and explain concepts that are already intuitive from experience. Being able to scientifically explain things that I inherently “know” is incredibly valuable and being able to work through the course during quiet moments was extremely valuable.

I also appreciated having a time window to get the course material done in. It forced me to carve out time to work on the course and not lose important information early due to fading memory! S.R.

Very detailed and factual course. Abbreviations can sometimes be a bit much, having to refer back to the abbreviation sheet to remember. Maybe could use abbreviations with reminders in the course? T.F.

This is a very good course and a must for all audio professionals in this field. Pat explains things in detail & make them easy to understand. Not sure how much can be retained though… 🙂 I guess I have to revisit the notes frequently. Overall a great learning experience! A.B.

This was a very informative course for me, I find it surprising to learn what I didn’t know after a successful career mixing live music. D.H.

It’s good to be back doing some training with you guys again. You guys are the best!! C.P.

This class should be a requirement for a college architecture planning course and the information should be well understood by the common designer. The tests were fair I can see how a lot of people could get by with just using the STI calc from room dimensions. Thanks for the class and the training. J.E.

Thanks Pat & Brenda. This is the nuts and bolts of designing an effective system for a challenging space. The Line Array demo section is really interesting. Facinating that the RH Beam Steered Line array seems to fail under certain conditions and at shorter distances it is excellent. This course reinforces the importance of the right choice in the Loudspeaker is the key factor in making the system work.

This course does not sound overly exciting but it is so important to making sound systems work in the challenging spaces. Great course thank you. G.P.

Really enjoyed it. I was able to apply the material to a project I just finished designing. Intellikwik verified I’m in good shape! M.vP.

This is a very well-put-together course focusing on learning through testing. S.F.

I enjoyed the course, and learned a lot. i will be back to take more courses in the future. C.M.

Another excellent course. I take these to re-learn things I forgot, keep my SynAudCon membership, get Avixa RU’s, and I really enjoy them. I take plenty of manufacturer training, and also some of the XXX training (dreadful). Yours is the best. The XXX approach is good and I don’t dislike it, but it’s so far over the top, it gets a bit tiresome. J.L.

Awesome in my case…. really helped me to more understand STI. L.T.

Very good course, as usual. Made the important items clear, and drives home what matters. F.C.

It was very helpful for me to se the relationship of formula to real example, be it sounds graphics, etc. G.K.

This was a challenging course that proved to be beneficial for a sales person like myself to become more technically inclined about the basics of system design for a public address system. It will be valuable experience and info that I can bring into conversations when working on public address opportunities. D.S.

Your courses are great. I love taking your classes. I really like the case study videos where you go to an actual site and perform the actions instructed. I can tell that you really care about the topics you teach and you really care about us learning what you teach. The way you present your videos it feels like I’m there in person and it feels like you’re presenting for ME (as opposed to a video camera on the back wall simply recording an instructor talking to other people). J.G.

This course was really great. I have been aware of many of the concepts from this course during my professional career, but having them broken down and explained visually really made things come full circle. I know that I will walk into a room that I am working in with a new perspective and confidence from now on. S.C.

Rather than using Lw, Ld, etc. abbreviations throughout the course, use the full description. Understandably the translation key is provided at the beginning of the course, but hearing the actual meaning rather than the abbreviation throughout the course would help solidify the meaning behind the symbol. R.B. Good suggestion – I will be sharing this with Pat Brown, the developer of the training.

Great course. As much as everyone in the consulting business would love to be designing performing arts and other venues with high quality program sound, paging and notification systems are a staple of our practice. K.M.

Course structure is excellent. High quality videos. Topics well covered. Very good explanation. A.R.

After taking almost all of the other online a few years ago, this was an excellent refresher in regards to designing systems for speech applications. As a Bosch PA/Electro-Voice Pro Sound rep, this training will be immediately helpful in my day-to-day work, and I will be recommending it to our internal sales team. Z.S.

Thanks! I appreciate it. I love your course material. I’ve taken a couple courses already and after this one I’ll be taking your “Advanced Equalization” course, too. Great stuff! J.G.

Theory + hands-on experience/demo + IntelliKwik software, this course had it all!

Way too many times people think “add more speakers” or “add more acoustical panels” would magically fix the speech intelligibility problem. Well, this course connects all the factors together, lets you visualize how they interact with each other, and empowers you with the knowledge to deal with each challenging venue.

This course is awesome. I am impressed by how you organized and presented all the materials. The elementary school case study is very helpful for students to observe how to put the knowledge into practice. It is also a pleasure to see all the calculators in action. X.Y.

Clear, concise examples and explanations. Segments are broken down into easily digestible chunks. Long time fan of SynAudCon. (Can I be president of the SynAudCon Fan Club?) D.S.

I enjoyed the course. G.A.

It was excellent. Thus, I concluded the two most important factors for speech intelligibility from the options provided are direct sound and reverberation. N.W.

Fantastic lovely course! this is simply perfect. I am extremely grateful to SynAudCon for giving me the opportunity to challenge my mind and always look for a better way to develop my work. I hope to continue learning forever 🙂 C.N.

The course was very informative. So much so that I am going to sign all our designers up for this class! D.M

Feedback from Course 140 – Speech Intelligibility for Public Address Systems

Did this course meet your expectations?

98.25%

Yes

Was the course worth the price?

91.23%

Yes

How would you rate this training compared to other audio training?

87.27%

Above Average

How would you rate the training on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best?

40 gave us a 4
60% gave us a 5

60%

I believe that I will retain ____ of the information that was presented?

.82% = 10-30%
21.82% = 30-50%
40% = 50-75%
36.36% = >75%

40%

Retain 50-75%

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