L-Acoustics and d&b audiotechnik have partnered with SoundPlan to develop the System Design Exchange (SDE) standard, a unified method for noise prediction at outdoor events using multiple sound systems.
As outdoor events continue to grow in urban areas, predicting noise emissions from festivals featuring systems from different manufacturers has presented challenges, with each system relying on its own proprietary tools. The resulting lack of interoperability has made consistent noise predictions difficult, complicating efforts to meet environmental requirements.
The SDE standard addresses this by providing a unified method and file format for reliable 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, including calibration and decoherence factors.
System technicians can export their designs as standardised SDE files for import into environmental noise software such as SoundPlan. The workflow accounts for complex acoustic summation for the correct calculation of coherent sources, allowing consultants and event organisers to accurately predict noise emissions for festivals with multiple stages and systems from different manufacturers. The SDE format is planned to be made available to additional manufacturers and noise pollution software platforms in the future.
“The SDE standard is a huge step forward in addressing the noise management challenges of large-scale events,” says Florian Hahn, product manager application software at d&b audiotechnik. “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, adds: “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.”
“SDE will set a new benchmark for noise prediction in the audio industry,” says Jochen Schaal, managing director at SoundPlan. “Its innovative, collaborative approach promises to establish SDE as an industry standard, simplifying workflows and delivering the most reliable and accurate prediction of noise emissions from different sound system manufacturers to date.”
Image: System Design Exchange
