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Acoustics in Halls for Speech and Music

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Springer Handbook of Acoustics

Part of the book series: Springer Handbooks ((SHB))

Abstract

This chapter deals specifically with concepts, tools, and architectural variables of importance when designing auditoria for speech and music. The focus will be on cultivating the useful components of the sound in the room rather than on avoiding noise from outside or from installations, which is dealt with in Chap. 11. The chapter starts by presenting the subjective aspects of the room acoustic experience according to consensus at the time of writing. Then follows a description of their objective counterparts, the objective room acoustic parameters, among which the classical reverberation time measure is only one of many, but still of fundamental value. After explanations on how these parameters can be measured and predicted during the design phase, the remainder of the chapter deals with how the acoustic properties can be controlled by the architectural design of auditoria. This is done by presenting the influence of individual design elements as well as brief descriptions of halls designed for specific purposes, such as drama, opera, and symphonic concerts. Finally, some important aspects of loudspeaker installations in auditoria are briefly touched upon.

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Abbreviations

A/D:

analog to digital

AR:

assisted resonance

ASW:

apparent source width

BEM:

boundary-element method

BR:

bass ratio

CAD:

computer-aided design

D/A:

digital-to-analog

DAT:

digital audio tape

DRS:

directed reflection sequence

EDT:

early decay time

FEM:

finite-element method

FFT:

fast Fourier transform

IACC:

interaural cross-correlation coefficient

IEC:

International Electrotechnical Commission

ISO:

International Organization for Standardization

ITDG:

initial time delay gap

LEF:

lateral energy fraction

LEV:

listener envelopment

LG:

late lateral strength

MCR:

multichannel reverberation

MTF:

modulation transfer function

PA:

public address

PC:

personal computer

RASTI:

rapid speech transmission index

RMS:

root mean square

ST:

support

STI:

speech transmission index

TR:

time-resolved

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Acoustic Technology, Oersted.DTU, Technical University of Denmark, Building 352, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark

    Anders C. Gade

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  1. Anders C. Gade
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Correspondence to Anders C. Gade .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Stanford University, CA 94305, Stanford, USA

    Thomas D. Rossing

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Gade, A.C. (2014). Acoustics in Halls for Speech and Music. In: Rossing, T.D. (eds) Springer Handbook of Acoustics. Springer Handbooks. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0755-7_9

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