Dolby Surround Sound Speaker Placement Laser Angle Guide

thingiverse

This is a tool to help place your Dolby 5.1, 7.1, or even Dolby Atmos surround sound speakers precisely in the room using a laser level. Dolby provides specific angles for speaker placement on its website, which you can use with this tool. Simply position the template and laser level at the sweet spot of the room, then shine a line up the wall to determine the optimal angle for each speaker, as well as the maximum and minimum angles that Dolby defines as still in spec. As someone who works at a large Television broadcast facility, I've had to layout exact speaker placement for surround sound in dubbing suites or sound galleries. Each time, I'd mark out the angles on the floor with tape and shine a laser line up the wall where the speakers should be mounted. Someone suggested making a template to simplify this process, which is how we ended up creating this tool. While it may seem like overkill, doing things right is essential when working in broadcast sound. Modern digital signal processing in monitors can fix some mistakes, but getting the room's acoustics as good as possible first makes the digital processing less necessary. This tool is designed to work with a "Stanley Cross 90" laser level, but it should be compatible with other brands too. It features a small rod that fits into the 1/4-inch camera tripod thread on the bottom, allowing you to attach your laser level securely. If you have a different laser, I've included a version without this attachment. To print the template, you can use multi-material settings (available as a zip file) or simply print the base section with a single extruder – either way will work fine, and the markings will be embossed for easy reference.