Christopher BarrettL-Acoustics, d&b audiotechnik and SoundPLAN have teamed to develop the noise prediction SDE standard, in a move they said will vastly improve noise management for outdoor event planners.
Having considered that predicting noise emissions from festivals and events with systems from different manufacturers can be challenging, with a lack of interoperability sometimes resulting in inconsistent noise predictions, the trio behind SDE said they have created a neutral standard for noise prediction across multiple sound systems that they claim is revolutionary.
They said the SDE standard provides a unified method and file format to ensure reliable, consistent, and comparable predictions in environmental noise software: “It defines how to export data from system design software, such as d&b’s ArrayCalc or L-Acoustics’ Soundvision and details the methodology for calculating complex acoustic interactions. This includes calibration and decoherence factors, ensuring the highest level of accuracy at any distance – something that hasn’t been possible until now.”
With SDE, system technicians can export their designs as standardised SDE files, which can then be imported into environmental noise software such as SoundPLAN. SDE’s creators said it allows consultants and event organisers to perform calculations that accurately predict noise emissions for festivals with multiple stages and systems from different manufacturers.
There are plans to make the SDE format available to other manufacturers and noise pollution software.
“The SDE standard is a huge step forward in addressing the noise management challenges of large-scale events,” said d&b audiotechnik product manager application software Florian Hahn. “With SDE, we’re making effective and comparable noise management accessible, ensuring that audiences can enjoy their favourite artists while respecting nearby communities, public facilities and natural habitats.”
Yann Gaël Gicquel, Director of Product Management, Spatial Systems at L-Acoustics said, “Organising a festival today means navigating real tension between the energy that makes live music special and the legitimate expectations of the communities hosting it. Using SDE gives everyone at that table – promoters, consultants, local authorities – one shared, reliable source of truth for those conversations. That’s what makes it meaningful.”