Abstract
This article aims to review the development of acoustic computer simulation for performance spaces. The databases of Web of Science and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between 1960 and 2021, using the keywords for “simulation”, “acoustic”, “performance space”, “measure”, and their synonyms. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) the searched article should be focused on the field of room acoustics (reviews were excluded); (2) a computer simulation algorithm should be used; (3) it should be clearly stated that the simulated object is a performance space; and (4) acoustic measurements should be used for comparison with the simulation. Finally, twenty studies were included. A standardised data extraction form was used to collect the modelling information, software/algorithm, indicators for comparison, and other information. The results revealed that the most used acoustic indicators were early decay time (EDT), reverberation time (T30), strength (G), and definition (D50). The accuracy of these indicators differed greatly. For non-iterative simulation, the simulation accuracies of most indicators were outside their respective just noticeable differences. Although a larger sample size was required for further validation, simulations of T30, EDT, and D50 all showed an increase in accuracy with increasing time from 1979 to 2020, except for G. In terms of frequency, the simulation was generally less accurate at lower frequencies, which occurred at T30, G, D50 and T20. However, EDT accuracy did not exhibit significant frequency sensitivity. The prediction accuracy of inter-aural cross-correlation coefficients (IACC) was even higher at low frequencies than it was at high frequencies. The average value of most indicators showed a clear systematic deviation from zero, providing hints for future algorithm improvements. Limitations and the risks of bias in this review were discussed. Finally, various types of benchmark tests were suggested for various comparison goals.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Alfano FRD, Iannace G, Ianniello C, et al. (2015). “Velaria” in ancient Roman theatres: Can they have an acoustic role? Energy and Buildings, 95:98–105.
Allred JC, Newhouse A (1958). Applications of the Monte Carlo method to architectural acoustics. II. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 30: 903–904.
Alonso A, Sendra JJ, Suárez R, et al. (2014). Acoustic evaluation of the cathedral of Seville as a concert hall and proposals for improving the acoustic quality perceived by listeners. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 7: 360–378.
Alonso A, Suárez R, Sendra JJ (2017). Virtual reconstruction of indoor acoustics in cathedrals: The case of the Cathedral of Granada. Building Simulation, 10: 431–446.
Augenbroe G (2002). Trends in building simulation. Building and Environment, 37: 891–902.
Baines NC (1983). An investigation of the factors which control non-diffuse sound fields in rooms. PhD Thesis, University of Southampton, UK.
Bo E, Shtrepi L, Pelegrín Garcia D, et al. (2018). The accuracy of predicted acoustical parameters in ancient open-air theatres: A case study in Syracuse. Applied Sciences, 8: 1393.
Bork I (2000). A comparison of room simulation software-the 2nd round robin on room acoustical computer simulation. Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 86: 943–956.
Bork I (2005a). Report on the 3rd round robin on room acoustical computer simulation-Part I: Measurements. Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 91: 740–752.
Bork I (2005b). Report on the 3rd round robin on room acoustical computer simulation-Part II: Calculations. Acta Acustica united with Acustica. 91:753–763.
Brinkmann F, Aspöck L, Ackermann D, et al. (2019). A round robin on room acoustical simulation and auralization. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 145: 2746–2760.
Brinkmann F, Aspöck L, Ackermann D, et al. (2021). A benchmark for room acoustical simulation. Concept and database. Applied Acoustics, 176: 107867.
Bustamante P, Girón S, Zamarreño T (2014). Simulated sound-fields in a multi-configurable auditorium. Archives of Acoustics, 39: 365–383.
Choi YJ, Fricke FR (2006). A comparison of subjective assessments of recorded music and computer simulated auralizations in two auditoria. Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 92: 604–611.
D’Orazio D, de Cesaris S, Morandi F, et al. (2018). The aesthetics of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus explained by means of acoustic measurements and simulations. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 34: 151–158.
D’Orazio D, Fratoni G, Garai M (2020). Enhancing the strength of symphonic orchestra in an opera house. Applied Acoustics, 170: 107532.
Dalenbäck BI (1995). A new model for room acoustic prediction and auralization. PhD Thesis, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.
Etter PC (2001). Recent advances in underwater acoustic modelling and simulation. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 240: 351–383.
Gade A (1994). Acoustic properties of concert halls in the US and in Europe; effects of differences in size and geometry. In: Proceedings of the Wallace Clement Sabine Centennial Symposium, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Garrido JA, Zamarreño T, Girón S (2012). Virtual models for the prediction of acoustic fields of Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, Spain. Applied Acoustics, 73: 921–935.
Gibbs BM, Jones D (1972). A simple image method for calculating the distribution of sound pressure levels within an enclosure. Acta Acustica united with Acustica. 26: 24–32.
Gomes M, Gerges S, Tenenbaum R (2000). On the accuracy of the assessment of room acoustics parameters using MLS technique and numerical simulation. Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 86: 891–895.
Gumaa M, Rehan Youssef A (2019). Is virtual reality effective in orthopedic rehabilitation? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical Therapy, 99: 1304–1325.
Gurevitch J, Koricheva J, Nakagawa S, et al. (2018). Meta-analysis and the science of research synthesis. Nature, 555: 175–182.
Hedges LV (1992). Meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Statistics, 17: 279–296.
Hodgson M (1988). On the prediction of sound fields in large empty rooms. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 84: 253–261.
Hong T, Chou S, Bong T (2000). Building simulation: an overview of developments and information sources. Building and Environment, 35: 347–361.
Hornikx M, Hak C, Wenmaekers R (2015a). Acoustic modelling of sports halls, two case studies. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 8: 26–38.
Hornikx M, Kaltenbacher M, Marburg S (2015b). A platform for benchmark cases in computational acoustics. Acta Acustica United With Acustica, 101: 811–820.
Howarth M, Lam Y (2000). An assessment of the accuracy of a hybrid room acoustics model with surface diffusion facility. Applied Acoustics, 60: 237–251.
Ibarra-Zarate D, Padilla-Ortiz AL (2020). Acoustic characterization of a room: study case between simulation and a portable method. Archives of Acoustics, 45: 153–163.
Jin Y, Yan D, Zhang X, et al. (2021). A data-driven model predictive control for lighting system based on historical occupancy in an office building: Methodology development. Building Simulation, 14: 219–235.
Kang J (1996). Acoustics in long enclosures with multiple sources. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 99: 985–989.
Kang J (1997). A method for predicting acoustic indices in long enclosures. Applied Acoustics, 51: 169–180.
Kang J (2002). Numerical modelling of the speech intelligibility in dining spaces. Applied Acoustics, 63: 1315–1333.
Kong M, Zhang J, Wang J (2015). Air and air contaminant flows in office cubicles with and without personal ventilation: A CFD modeling and simulation study. Building Simulation, 8: 381–392.
Koutsouris GI, Brunskog J, Jeong CH, et al. (2013). Combination of acoustical radiosity and the image source method. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 133: 3963–3974.
Krokstad A, Strom S, Sørsdal S (1968). Calculating the acoustical room response by the use of a ray tracing technique. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 8: 118–125.
Kuttruff H (2009). Room Acoustics. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press.
Lam YW (1996). A comparison of three diffuse reflection modeling methods used in room acoustics computer models. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 100: 2181–2192.
Lewers T (1993). A combined beam tracing and radiatn exchange computer model of room acoustics. Applied Acoustics, 38: 161–178.
Li Y, O’Neill Z (2018). A critical review of fault modeling of HVAC systems in buildings. Building Simulation, 11: 953–975.
MacDermid JC (2004). An introduction to evidence-based practice for hand therapists. Journal of Hand Therapy, 17: 105–117.
Marshall AH (1979). Aspects of the acoustical design and properties of Christchurch town hall, new Zealand. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 62: 181–194.
Naylor GM (1993). ODEON—Another hybrid room acoustical model. Applied Acoustics, 38: 131–143.
Pätynen J, Lokki T (2011). Evaluation of concert hall auralization with virtual symphony orchestra. Building Acoustics, 18: 349–366.
Picaut J, Fortin N (2012). SPPS, a particle-tracing numerical code for indoor and outdoor sound propagation prediction. In: Proceedings of Acoustics 2012, Nantes, France.
Postma BNJ, Katz BFG (2016). Perceptive and objective evaluation of calibrated room acoustic simulation auralizations. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 140: 4326–4337.
Prawirasasra MS, Sampurna R, Suwandi (2016). The effect of boundary shape to acoustic parameters. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 776: 012068.
Rindel JH (2011). Room acoustic modelling techniques: A comparison of a scale model and a computer model for a new opera theatre. Building Acoustics, 18: 259–280.
San Martín R, Arana M (2006). Predicted and experimental results of acoustic parameters in the new Symphony Hall in Pamplona, Spain. Applied Acoustics, 67: 1–14.
San Martín R, Arregui A, Machín J, et al. (2014). Comparison of measured and simulated room acoustic parameter values using high resolution grids. Acoustics Australia, 42: 27–30
Savioja L, Svensson UP (2015). Overview of geometrical room acoustic modeling techniques. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 138: 708–730.
Schroeder MR (1970). Digital simulation of sound transmission in reverberant spaces. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 47: 424–431.
Shtrepi L, Astolfi A, Puglisi G, et al. (2017). Effects of the distance from a diffusive surface on the objective and perceptual evaluation of the sound field in a small simulated variable-acoustics hall. Applied Sciences, 7: 224.
Southern A, Siltanen S, Murphy DT, et al. (2013). Room impulse response synthesis and validation using a hybrid acoustic model. IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, 21: 1940–1952.
Strøm S, Krokstad A, Dahl H, et al. (1985). Acoustical design of the Grieg memorial hall in Bergen. Applied Acoustics, 18: 127–142.
Svensson P, Kristiansen UR (2002). Computational modelling and simulation of acoustic spaces. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference: Virtual, Synthetic, and Entertainment Audio. Audio Engineering Society.
Tsingos N, Gascuel JD (1997). A general model for the simulation of room acoustics based on hierarchical radiosity. In: Proceedings of SIGGRAPH’97.
Vercammen ML (2013). Sound concentration caused by curved surfaces. In: Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics ICA2013, Montreal, Canada.
Vorländer M (1995). International round robin on room acoustical computer simulations. In: Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Acoustics, Trondheim, Norway.
Vorländer M (2013). Computer simulations in room acoustics: Concepts and uncertainties. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 133: 1203–1213.
Walsh JP, Rivard MT (1982). Signal processing aspects of godot: A system for computer-aided room acoustics modeling and simulation. In: Proceedings of Audio Engineering Society Convention.
Wang LM, Vigeant MC (2008). Evaluations of output from room acoustic computer modeling and auralization due to different sound source directionalities. Applied Acoustics, 69: 1281–1293.
Winsberg E (2010). Science in the Age of Computer Simulation. Chicago, USA: University of Chicago Press.
Wu Y, Kang J, Zheng W (2018). Acoustic environment research of railway station in China. Energy Procedia, 153: 353–358.
Zannin PHT, Marcon CR (2007). Objective and subjective evaluation of the acoustic comfort in classrooms. Applied Ergonomics, 38: 675–680.
Zhu P, Tao W, Lu X, et al. (2021). Optimisation design and verification of the acoustic environment for multimedia classrooms in universities based on simulation. Building Simulation, 15: 1419–1436.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Second Batch of 2022 MOE of PRC Industry-University Collaborative Education Program (Program No. 202102055010, Kingfar-CES “Human Factors and Ergonomics” Program).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic Supplementary Material
Rights and permissions
Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, C., Kang, J. Development of acoustic computer simulation for performance spaces: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Build. Simul. 15, 1729–1745 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-022-0901-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-022-0901-4