In this study, the directivity index, which is commonly used to characterize the radiation pattern of individual sound sources, is applied to assess an entire stage configuration concerning sound reinforcement system design, sound exposure, and noise control in the low-frequency range. In a parametric study, the influence on the value is investigated for two different datasets derived from measurements and simulations. For each dataset, the dependencies of input parameters, namely the angular resolution for uniform and non-uniform angle vectors and the distance, are evaluated. The results indicate that the directivity index is a metric that can be used to quickly evaluate the radiation pattern of a sound reinforcement system. Regardless of the dataset, the results show that the angular resolution can be significantly reduced compared to high-resolution loudspeaker models without having a large impact on the calculation. To use the directivity index as a criterion for noise control and sound system design, it must be integrated with other considerations, such as the energy radiated toward neighborhoods in need of protection and thus the absolute sound pressure levels in these areas as well as for the audience and staff.
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