Re: Purpose of having a small array facing the stage?...
Yes, no, and maybe... or perhaps it's the other way around.
Some acts want to be immersed in their sound and will have a full band mix in the fills, others want different things, according to who is depending on them and what they need to hear. Also some fill configurations are set up to have fairly narrow coverage, downstage to upstage, so there will be places where they do not conflict with wedges. Speaking of wedges, remember that TIME is a significant factor and that the closer source will be perceived as louder (Haas).
Ideally the front fills do not spill into the audience. It's a time-incoherent source that can't be aligned, or aligned to in a useful way.
Have fun, good luck.
Tim Mc
