ROOM ACOUSTICS
Introduction
• The design of rooms intended for lectures, conferences, musical
performances can be handled by two procedures
• Ray/ Geometry Acoustics
• Wave Acoustics
Introduction
Wave Acoustics
It is a more complex procedure which is used to explain certain
acoustical phenomenon such as defraction , interference's
Introduction
Ray/ Geometry Acoustics
It assumes that sound wave travel in a straight lines and when incident
on a surface in a room, they reflected, refract and transmitted in a
manner that is uniform for all wave length
It assumes that sound waves obeyed the same laws of reflection as
light, ie. The angle of incident is equals to the angle of reflection
The method can be used in ensuring designing spaces with optimum
distribution of sound as well as establish acoustical faults in the rooms
as such as focusing effects from concave surfaces
Introduction
Ray/ Geometry Acoustics
Introduction
Ray/ Geometry Acoustics
Ray diagrams can be an important design tool in establishing optimum room shape.
The table below is a design guide that can be used with ray-diagram analyses to evaluate
general listening conditions.
The difference in length between the reflected sound path and the direct sound path at any
listening position is directly related to the time difference which the ear detects.
Introduction
Ray/ Geometry Acoustics
Introduction
• Sound produced in a room, for instance from someone reaches the ear of
the audiences either directly known as direct sound or indirectly after a
number of reflections from the room surfaces.
• The reflected sound reaches the ear of the listener from many directions at
close intervals and is known as the Reverberation Sound
Introduction
Ray/ Geometry Acoustics
Ray Diagram
Ray diagramming is a design procedure for
analyzing the reflected sound distribution
throughout a hall using the first reflection only
Specular reflection is assumed—that is, at
reflecting panels the angles of the incident and
reflected rays are always equal.
Sound reinforcement by reflections.
Section through a typical lecture room showing the use of ray diagrams
SOUND PATHS
• Ideally, every listener in a lecture hall, theater, or concert hall should hear the
speaker or performer with the same degree of loudness and clarity.
• Since this is obviously impossible by direct-path sound, the essential design
task is to devise methods for reinforcing desirable reflections and minimizing
and controlling undesirable ones.
• Normally only the first reflection is considered in ray diagramming since it is
strongest.
• Second and subsequent reflections are usually attenuated to the point that
they need not be considered except for the special situations of flutter,
echoes, etc.
Specular Reflection
• Specular reflection occurs when sound reflects off a hard, polished surface.
• This characteristic can be used to good advantage to create an effective image
source.
• This is not practical physically, but it can be accomplished effectively by the
use of a reflecting panel
• In ancient Greek and Roman theaters, seats were arranged on a steep conical
surface around the performers. The virtue of this arrangement is that the
sound energy travels to each location with minimal attenuation. The same
effect can be accomplished by placing the sound source above the seats.
Specular Reflection
REVEBERATION TIME
• Reverberation time is the time taken for a sound, when stopped,
to decay by 60dB. measured in seconds.
• The interval between the initial direct arrival of a sound wave and
the last audible reflected wave is called reverberation time.
• RT60 is the time required for reflections of a direct sound to
decay 60 dB.
• Reverberation time is frequently stated as a single value,
however, it can be measured
REVEBERATION TIME
• In the late 19th century, Wallace Clement Sabine started experiments at
Harvard University to investigate the impact of absorption on the
reverberation time.
• Using a portable wind chest and organ pipes as a sound source, a
stopwatch and his ears, he measured the time from interruption of the
source to inaudibility (a difference of roughly 60 dB).
• He found that the reverberation time is proportional to room dimensions
and inversely proportional to the amount of absorption present.
REVEBERATION TIME
• The optimum reverberation time for a space in which music is played
depends on the type of music that is to be played in the space.
Basic factors that affect a room's reverberation time include
• the size and shape of the enclosure
• the materials used in the construction of the room.
• Every object placed within the enclosure can also affect this
reverberation time, including people and their belongings.
REVEBERATION TIME
• Reverberation time is the primary descriptor of an acoustic environment.
• A space with a long reverberation time is referred to as a "live" environment.
• When sound dies out quickly within a space it is referred to as being an
acoustically "dead" environment.
• An optimum reverberation time depends highly on the use of the space. For
example, speech is best understood within a "dead" environment. Music can
be enhanced within a "live" environment as the notes blend together. Different
styles of music will also require different reverberation times.
CRITERIA FOR MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Adequate design for a music space requires recognition of the following:
• Large-volume spaces require direct-path sound reinforcement by reflection.
• Relatively long reverberation time is needed to enhance the music the exact
amount depending upon the type of music
• It is generally agreed that reverberation time should vary inversely with
frequency (i.e., TR should be longer at lower frequencies and shorter at
higher frequencies
CRITERIA FOR MUSIC PERFORMANCE
• Short TR at upper frequencies adds directivity to the music. With large
ensembles, directivity gives the sense of depth and instrument location
necessary for proper appreciation. This is often referred to as clarity or
definition in music.
• Brilliance of tone is primarily a function of high-frequency content. Since
these frequencies are most readily absorbed, a good direct path must exist
between sound source and listener.
Note
• The actual design of a music performance space is a very complex procedure
involvingextensive calculations of absorption, reverberation time, and ray
diagramming, as well as juggling of materials, dimensions, and wall angles.
• Simulation techniques and acoustic models are also often employed.
REVEBERATION TIME REQUIREMENTS
VARIABLE SOUND ABSORBERS
When the reverberation time must be varied to satisfy the requirements of different activities in a room, the sound-
absorbing treatment can be designed to be adjustable.
Retractable Sound-Absorbing Curtains Hinged Panels
Rotatable Elements
Sliding Facings Rotatable Elements
VARIABLE VOLUME EXAMPLES
Shown below and on the facing page are examples of auditoriums where the cubic volume can be varied to match
reverberance and patterns of reflected sound energy to the intended functions.
The reverberation times needed for intimate drama ( < 1 s) and symphonic music ( > 1.8 s) require radical changes in volume
with corresponding changes in seating capacities.
Jesse Jones Hall, Houston, Texas (CRS Sirrine,
architects and BBN, acoustical consultants)
VARIABLE VOLUME EXAMPLES
Hall, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio (CRS Sirrine, architects and V. O. Knudsen, acoustical consultant)
Hall, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio (CRS Sirrine, architects
and V. O. Knudsen, acoustical consultant).
REVEBERATION TIME
• Reverberation time is not the only descriptor of an acoustic
environment. There are several other principles to consider. A few
of the more important considerations include:
• Reflections
• Loudness (strength),
• Clarity,
• Warmth intimacy.
• Questions to consider in each of these areas:
REVEBERATION TIME
Reflections: Does the reflection of sound within the space cause negative results
such as an echo or a megaphone effect? Or are reflective surfaces helping to
benefit sound distribution?
Loudness (strength): Is the volume of the sound loud enough? Is it too loud? Or
does it seem louder than it would at the same distance outdoors?
Clarity: Can I hear each of the various instruments clearly? Can I understand
what is being sung by a solo vocalist, or what is being said by a speaker?
Warmth: Is there a balance of sound throughout the various frequencies? Or is
the sound overpowered with too much bass or too much treble?
Intimacy: Do you feel like you are a part of the performance? Or do you feel like
the music or speech is taking place in a separate environment?
REQUIREMENT OF A GOOD ROOM ACOUSTICS
A room, where listening to some sound is an important function is said to have
‘good acoustics’ if the following conditions are satisfied:
• Any background noise is low enough and the wanted sound is loud enough for
it to be audible, intelligible, enjoyable and free of disturbance
• the sound field is well diffused, free of deaf spots and loud zones
• there are no echoes, flutter echoes, standing waves or other acoustic
distortions
• RT is appropriate for the purpose and well balanced across the audible
frequencies.
Echoes
• A reverberation is quite different than an echo.
• An echo is an auditory effect associated with hearing a repetition of a previous sound, having
delay and level proper to be detected as a separate sound event.
• Echoes are commonly caused by sound reflected from hard, plane surfaces that form sound
paths that makes the sound arrive at the receiver at least 50ms after the arrival of direct sound.
•
• This delay corresponds to a reflection path that is 17m longer than the direct sound path.
• They make speech less comprehensible and make music sound “mushy.”
• The relative undesirability depends upon the time delay and loudness relative
to the direct sound, which, in turn, are dependent upon the size, position,
Echoes
• Typical echo-producing surfaces in an auditorium are the back wall and the
ceiling above the proscenium.
Auditorium section showing the causes and remedies for two typical echoes
Echoes rear wall treatment
DIFFUSSION
• Diffusion is the scattering or random redistribution of a sound wave from a
surface.
• It does not "break up" or absorb sound—sound is not fragile or brittle!
However, the direction of the incident sound wave is changed as it strikes a
sound-diffusing material.
• Extremely important characteristic of rooms used for musical performances.
• In a diffuse sound field, the sound level remains relatively constant
throughout the space, an extremely desirable property for musical
performances.
DIFFRACTION
• Diffraction is the bending or "flowing" of a sound wave around an object
or through an opening
REFLECTION
• Reflection is the return of a sound wave from a surface. If the surface
dimension X is larger than about 2 to 4 times the wavelength X of the
impinging sound wave, the angle of incidence will equal the angle of
reflection r.
FOCUSING
• Concave domes, vaults, or walls will focus reflected sound into certain areas
of rooms. This has several disadvantages.
• For example, it will deprive some listeners of useful
sound reflections and cause hot spots at other
audience positions
PATTERN OF REFLECTED SOUND
Increasing effectiveness for distributing sound are
concave, flat, and convex sound-reflecting surfaces.
PATTERN OF REFLECTED SOUND – CONVEX REFLECTORS
• Convex, hard-surfaced building elements, if large enough, can be most
effective as sound-distributing forms.
• The reflected sound energy from convex surfaces diverges, enhancing
diffusion, which is highly desirable for music listening.
• Convex surfaces is more evenly distributed
• across a wide range of frequencies
PATTERN OF REFLECTED SOUND – CONCAVE REFLECTOR
• Concave sound-reflecting surfaces (such as barrel-vaulted ceilings in churches
and curved rear walls in auditoriums) can focus sound, causing hot spots and
echoes in the audience seating area
PATTERN OF REFLECTED SOUND – flat reflector
• Flat, hard-surfaced building elements, if large enough and oriented properly,
can effectively distribute reflected sound
Focusing
Concave shapes: risk of focusing
and uneven sound field and
a possible improvement.
Creep
• This describes the reflection of sound along a curved surface from a source
near the surface. Although the sound can be heard at points along the
surface, it is inaudible away from the surface.
Auditorium Design
• Auditorium is a general term used to describe a space where people sit and
listen to speech or music.
• Acoustical design of an auditorium includes room acoustics, noise control,
and sound system design.
• Factors that influence acoustical design include
Audience size, range of performance activities, and sophistication of the
potential audience.
Auditorium Design
• A small school auditorium and a professional theater will have widely
divergent demands from both audiences and performers.
• The audience size determines the basic floor area of an auditorium,
assuming no balconies.
• Once this area has been fixed, the volume of the room is developed
according to reverberation requirements of the space.
Auditorium Design
• Ceiling and side walls at the front of the auditorium
distribute sound to the audience. These surfaces must
be close enough to the performers to minimize time delays
between direct sound and reflected sound.
• Ceiling and side walls provide diffusion.
Typical auditorium in plan and section.
Auditorium Design
Acoustic shadow caused by a balcony and a way to avoid it.
BALCONIES
BALCONIES
Persons seated deep under a balcony (or transept in a church) cannot receive useful reflected
sound from the ceiling and are shielded from the reverberant sound
BALCONIES
In a concert hall, the depth D of the under balcony should not exceed the
height H of the opening.
BALCONIES
Motion Picture Theater
Direct reinforced sound from loudspeakers located behind the screen allows deeper balcony overhang. Therefore, in
motion picture theaters and similar facilities, D should not exceed 3H, although 2H is still the preferred limit in
theaters where other functions occur.
.
Auditorium Design sight lines
• Unobstructed sight lines from all seats to the front of the forestage allow full view of
performers and unobstructed propagation of the direct sound.
• Sight lines are normally drawn to converge at a point on stage called the arrival point of
sight APS.
• Audiences should be able to hear and to see clearly and comfortably to fully perceive
the intended effects of performances.
Auditorium Design sight lines
Auditorium Design sight lines
Auditorium Design Audience Seating
• Sound level outdoors falls off with distance (as sound spreads outward it
loses energy according to the inverse-square law)
• Audience attenuation (as sound grazes the seated audience it is scattered and
absorbed).
• When steeply sloped seating is used, the sound level outdoors falls off
primarily with distance.
• An overhead sound-reflecting panel ceiling can provide reflected sound to
reinforce the direct sound.
Auditorium Design Audience Seating
Auditorium Design SIGHT LINE LAYOUTS
For proscenium theaters, lateral sight lines (shown in plan view below)
normally should be within a preferred "view angle" of 30°
Auditorium Design sight lines
Auditorium Design SIGHT LINE LAYOUTS
Floor and balcony slopes should be designed so seated audience will have
unobstructed view of entire performing area, performers, and scenery
Auditorium Design sight lines
SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
The purpose of a sound reinforcement system is just what the name indicates
to reinforce the sound, which would otherwise be inadequate.
Sound reinforcement is definitely necessary in auditoria seating more than
1500 people (≈8500m3), but it is desirable for rooms seating more than 300
people (≈1500m3).
A reinforcement system has three main requirements:
• It is to provide an adequate sound level uniformly over the whole
auditorium, so that there are no ‘deaf spots’ or loud areas.
• It must not add any noticeable noise.
• It should preserve the characteristics of the original sound, both in frequency
composition and localization.
SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
Thus, an ideal sound system will give the listener the same loudness, quality,
directivity, and intelligibility as if the source of sound were immediately
adjacent a distance of 2 to 3 ft (0.6 to 0.9 m) for speech and farther for music,
depending upon the type and number of instruments.
Such a system consists of three main parts:
• a microphone
• an amplifier
• loudspeaker(s).
SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
Input
Input usually means a microphone, a source of commercial broadcast
material of various types, and means for reproducing recorded material in all
common commercial formats.
Connections to local computers and computer networks are available in
sophisticated systems.
SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
Amplifier and Controls
• Amplifiers must be rated to deliver sufficient power to produce intensity
levels of 80 dB for speech, 95 dB for light music, and 105 dB for symphonic
music. This assumes a maximum background noise level of 60 dB.
• The amplifier should carry technical specifications for signal-to-noise ratio,
linearity, and distortion.
• Exact values depend upon the application and are left to the acoustics
specialist or sound engineer to supply.
• In addition to the usual volume, tone mixing, and input-output selector
controls, the amplifier must contain special equalization controls for signal
shaping.
SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
Loudspeakers
These are the heart of any sound system and obviously must be of the same
high quality as the remainder of the system
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