> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.holoplot.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.holoplot.com/holoplot-plan/auto-gain-and-delay-alignment/delay-alignment.md).
# Delay alignment
### Delay Alignment
The goal of delay alignment is to reduce delay spread across the audience area. Unlike a traditional sweet spot approach, the algorithm minimises spread over the whole area rather than optimising for a single perfectly time-aligned point.
Note: Delay alignment does not fix or optimise interference-related artefacts. It is recommended to fine-tune the low-frequency range manually by adjusting delays after the alignment has been run.
#### Line of Sight Activation
Enabling line of sight activating Acoustic Shadowing in the simulation excludes acoustically shadowed areas — areas obstructed by a boundary — from the alignment process. This ensures the algorithm only considers positions with a direct acoustic path. If you wish to use this mode, ensure this is activated before running delay alignment.
#### Delay Lock
If you want to re-run alignment without changing specific delay values, you can lock those values before starting. Locked values are excluded from the calculation entirely — the algorithm will not adjust them and will not factor them into the alignment.
Delay lock is only available on the Delay tab.
#### Delta Values
Delta values are the manual offsets a user can apply on top of the values set by the auto-alignment algorithm. They exist to ensure that the algorithm's output is always preserved and recoverable — you can never accidentally or intentionally overwrite what auto-alignment provided.
The downmix matrix offers three view modes:
| View | Description |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Auto-alignment | Shows only the values set by the alignment algorithm |
| Delta | Shows only the manual offsets added by the user |
| Total | Shows the combined result of auto-alignment values and user delta offsets |
\
Value ranges:
* Delay total (auto-alignment + delta): 0 – 999 ms
* Gain total (auto-alignment + delta): –200 – 0 dB
{% hint style="warning" %}
Due to current limitations, the Delta values are not stored when exporting and re-importing a .holoplot file. In this scenario, user-added Delta and auto-added Auto values are both added to the Delta field, meaning that the distinction between the two is lost.
{% endhint %}
---
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