Show dictionary · Audio
Front Fill
Also: lip fill
Front fills are small loudspeakers placed along the downstage edge (on the stage lip or subwoofers) to cover the first few rows, which sit underneath the main PA’s coverage. They restore level, clarity, and image for the seats closest to the stage.
In practice
A flown line array aims over the heads of the front rows by design; without fills, the premium seats hear mostly stage wash and reflections. Fills are level-matched modestly (their audience is meters away) and delayed to the mains so the image stays on stage.
The tuning logic mirrors delay towers pointed the other direction: time the fills so the mains arrive first or together, and resist the urge to make them loud. Front fill that announces itself is front fill set wrong.
How you’ll hear it
"First three rows are all stage wash; bring the front fills up 2 dB and re-time them."
Related resources
Part of the eventools.io Show Dictionary, a free glossary of live event production terminology.