Room Acoustics in the Architectural Design Process

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Room Acoustics in the Architectural Design Process Room Acoustics in the Architectural Design Process A. Benjamin Spaeth Stuttgart University, casino IT, Germany http://www.casino.uni-stuttgart.de [email protected] Abstract. The basic principles, methods, and digital tools for the analysis of room acoustics are the topic of this paper. Students have been using these analysis and simulation tools during a seminar at Stuttgart University to systematically investigate acoustical situations. Additionally to lecturing on the underlying physics of room acoustics we were trying to convey the impact of geometry on room acoustics and therefore the impact of room acoustics on shapes in architecture. This paper describes the implementation of a real time simulation module for room acoustics within our Virtual Reality System. Keywords: Room Acoustics; Virtual Reality; Design Tools; Education. Introduction it is of importance to include room acoustics in the early stages of the planning and the subject of The perception of space is realized by a combination room acoustics should be a part of the curriculum at of all human senses. Aristoteles said that the most university. important human sense that helps us to experience In this paper the basic principles, methods, and physical objects is the sense of touch. But he had also some digital tools for analyzing room acoustics are realised that the perception of space could not exist introduced and discussed. Throughout a number of without the sense of vision and the sense of hearing. seminars students investigated acoustical situations Nowadays, we know that even scent and taste can and halls using these digital tools. The aim was to not take part in our perceiving space. In this paper we only convey the underlying physics of room acous- will focus on the relevance of hearing to the percep- tics, but also to study whether the actual tools for tion of space. analysis are useful planning tools for architects. With The designing and shaping of the physical pres- this seminar we wanted to hone the students’ senses ence of space is the main field of architecture. Archi- to the coherence of geometry and room acoustics, tecture joins materials, shape and utilization into a and to the implicit responsibility of architects to this concluded object. The architect is responsible for subject. the overall approach to geometry and the materials. “Room acoustics like light is a very important ele- Room acoustics, playing a very important role in the ment in design, which helps to guarantee the well- perception of space, is mainly influenced by these being of each individual, in the sense of physical, two aspects of geometry and material. Conclusively, psychological and social aspects.” (Schricker, 2001) Section 09: Virtual Reality - eCAADe 26 367 Influencing characteristics temporal resolution of about 5-10 msec. A signifi- cant energetic event after 50 ms is recognized as an First, the basic relationships between sound, echo. Haas used sound at the same energy level dur- space, geometry, and their perception have to be ing his investigations about the temporal diversifica- introduced. tion. Due to the longer propagation route the energy At a temperature of 20°C, sound travels through intensity of the second signal is usually lower than air at a speed of 343 m/s homogenously in all direc- that of the first signal. This leads to time shifts of up tions (Barron, 1993). The unit m/s itself already de- to 80 ms which are not perceived as echoes. picts that the phenomena consists of a spatial and In the evaluation of room acoustics is not only a temporal component. The propagation of sound the direct propagation of sound, but also the reflec- only occurs in a medium such as in air, in liquids or tions in their temporal progression and their inten- in solids, and the sonic energy decreases the farther sity that are crucial. Room acoustics depends on the the sound propagates through the medium. When room geometry. This seems to be a trivial observa- a sound wave hits an object, it is normally reflected tion, but it is the main focus of the following system- following the rule that the angle of the reflection is atical evaluation because this is fundamental to the equal to the angle of incidence. The quality of the re- architect’s planning efforts. flective surface defines the ratio of absorption and The reflections of sonic energy are unique for diffusion of the incoming sonic waves. The behavior each room and their sum creates the acoustical im- of sound depends on its frequency. This means that pression of the room. For a definition of the acousti- the propagation of sound varies at different frequen- cal characteristics of a room the following character- cies. This appears if we look at the dimensions of per- istics are considered. ceivable sound waves. Based on the equation cf = f * λ (cf: speed of sound, f: frequency, λ: wavelength), Reverberation Time (RT) the wavelength of a tone at 1000 Hz equals 0,343 m. According to the equation of Sabine RT60[s] = 0.16 * The length of the sound wave can thus be similar V[m3] / A[m2] the reverberation time describes the to the dimensions of objects or room elements. In time that has elapsed while the level of an emitted this case the waves are no longer reflected but bent sound has decreased about 60 dB. The room volume around the objects. This can be observed in the case is represented by V, and the equivalent absorption of the lower frequency ranges, while in the high fre- area by A. The RT is the best known acoustic char- quency range the waves behave more like light and acteristic and a value used to measure the hall- are simply reflected. The sound absorption rate of a effect. Rooms intended for speeches are designed surface also depends on the frequency and has to be to have reverberation times of about 0.5 to 1.0 s. taken into account, too. Concert halls have ideal RTs of around 1.4 to 2.0 s, Additionally to the physics of sound the func- and churches often have RTs of around 3-4 s (Mehta, tionality of the human sense of hearing is important 1999). The RT is a statistical dimension and is valid for in order to fully understand room acoustics. Humans the whole room. are able to perceive sound differing in intensity, space and time. The spatial localization occurs ac- Impulse Response (IR), Impulse Diagram cording to the law of Haas. The direction from where The impulse diagram is the record of the sound pres- the first wave front is arriving is identified as the ori- sure level over time, after the stimulating a room gin of the sound. The successive sonic energy which with an acoustic impulse. The impulse response has the same content is perceived either as echo or and its corresponding diagram are characteristic for as room volume. The human hearing is capable of a each position in the room. The IR diagram allows for 368 eCAADe 26 - Section 09: Virtual Reality Figure 1 Mozartsaal, RT 1.84 s (after Sabine), impulse response diagram, simulation in CATT a differentiated overview on the incoming sonic en- time has to be considered separately for each posi- ergy at a specific position and time. tion. The EDT is comparable to the reverberation time, but it is comprised only from identifiable re- Early decay time (EDT) flections in the first phase of sound propagation. The EDT consists of a few isolated early reflections. EDT EDT is usually defined at a difference in the sound is sensitive to room geometry since early reflections pressure level of (-)10 or (-)15 dB. are coming from identifiable surfaces in the room. The clarity of a room is determined by these early Therefore like the impulse response the early decay reflections. Reflections during the first 80 ms raise Figure 2 Mozartsaal, sound roses, simulation in CATT Section 09: Virtual Reality - eCAADe 26 369 the spatially differentiated perception of the field of can be emitted from a virtual source. Modified by the sound and thereby its transparency. Subsequent re- acoustically relevant surface properties like absorp- flections convey the impression of a spatial volume, tion or diffusion, the rays are traced and calculated. because the signals overlap themselves and a dis- The result of this simulation shows each ray with its tinguished perception is not possible any more. The corresponding energy level. The sum of these rays sound field evolves and and the signals add up. creates the acoustical impression. Soundfield, soundroses The number of reflections increases with an increas- Figure 3 ray tracing method, CATT ing travel time, whereas the energy level of the single signal decreases. The single rays blur to a ho- mogenous sound field. The impression of the sound becomes more voluminous and pleasant the faster and the more homogenous the sound field is. The sound roses in Fig. 2 show the spatial distribution of incoming signals at a single position in a specified time period. The density of single sound events can thereby be estimated. Methods of Analysis and Representation In Fig. 4 different ray paths can be observed, There are different methods to systematically exam- whereby the color represents the energy level of the ine room acoustics. Apart from the individual hear- signal. The calculation of a large number of such rays ing experience and its evaluation, objective physical creates a more and more detailed impression of the parameters exist that can be measured or calculated. acoustical situation. The present paper is limited to these objective pa- The output of these simulations are diagrams rameters and ignores the evaluation of their psycho- containing all relevant data as described in the chap- acoustic impacts on human sound perception.
Recommended publications
  • Basics of Acoustics Contents
    BASICS OF ACOUSTICS CONTENTS 1. preface 03 2. room acoustics versus building acoustics 04 3. fundamentals of acoustics 05 3.1 Sound 05 3.2 Sound pressure 06 3.3 Sound pressure level and decibel scale 06 3.4 Sound pressure of several sources 07 3.5 Frequency 08 3.6 Frequency ranges relevant for room planning 09 3.7 Wavelengths of sound 09 3.8 Level values 10 4. room acoustic parameters 11 4.1 Reverberation time 11 4.2 Sound absorption 14 4.3 Sound absorption coefficient and reverberation time 16 4.4 Rating of sound absorption 16 5. index 18 2 1. PREFACE Noise or unwanted sounds is perceived as disturbing and annoying in many fields of life. This can be observed in private as well as in working environments. Several studies about room acoustic conditions and annoyance through noise show the relevance of good room acoustic conditions. Decreasing success in school class rooms or affecting efficiency at work is often related to inadequate room acoustic conditions. Research results from class room acoustics have been one of the reasons to revise German standard DIN 18041 on “Acoustic quality of small and medium-sized room” from 1968 and decrease suggested reverberation time values in class rooms with the new 2004 version of the standard. Furthermore the standard gave a detailed range for the frequency dependence of reverberation time and also extended the range of rooms to be considered in room acoustic design of a building. The acoustic quality of a room, better its acoustic adequacy for each usage, is determined by the sum of all equipment and materials in the rooms.
    [Show full text]
  • Physics of Music PHY103 Lab Manual
    Physics of Music PHY103 Lab Manual Lab #6 – Room Acoustics EQUIPMENT • Tape measures • Noise making devices (pieces of wood for clappers). • Microphones, stands, preamps connected to computers. • Extra XLR microphone cables so the microphones can reach the padded closet and hallway. • Key to the infamous padded closet INTRODUCTION One important application of the study of sound is in the area of acoustics. The acoustic properties of a room are important for rooms such as lecture halls, auditoriums, libraries and theatres. In this lab we will record and measure the properties of impulsive sounds in different rooms. There are three rooms we can easily study near the lab: the lab itself, the “anechoic” chamber (i.e. padded closet across the hall, B+L417C, that isn’t anechoic) and the hallway (that has noticeable echoes). Anechoic means no echoes. An anechoic chamber is a room built specifically with walls that absorb sound. Such a room should be considerably quieter than a normal room. Step into the padded closet and snap your fingers and speak a few words. The sound should be muffled. For those of us living in Rochester this will not be a new sensation as freshly fallen snow absorbs sound well. If you close your eyes you could almost imagine that you are outside in the snow (except for the warmth, and bizarre smell in there). The reverberant sound in an auditorium dies away with time as the sound energy is absorbed by multiple interactions with the surfaces of the room. In a more reflective room, it will take longer for the sound to die away and the room is said to be 'live'.
    [Show full text]
  • Vern Oliver Knudsen Papers LSC.1153
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt109nc33w No online items Finding Aid for the Vern Oliver Knudsen Papers LSC.1153 Finding aid updated by Kelly Besser, 2021. UCLA Library Special Collections Finding aid last updated 2021 March 29. Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box 951575 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575 [email protected] URL: https://www.library.ucla.edu/special-collections Finding Aid for the Vern Oliver LSC.1153 1 Knudsen Papers LSC.1153 Contributing Institution: UCLA Library Special Collections Title: Vern Oliver Knudsen papers Creator: Knudsen, Vern Oliver, 1893-1974 Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1153 Physical Description: 28.25 Linear Feet(57 document boxes, and 8 map folders) Date (inclusive): circa 1922-1980 Abstract: Vern Oliver Knudsen (1893-1974) was a professor in the Department of Physics at UCLA before serving as the first dean of the Graduate Division (1934-58), Vice Chancellor (1956), Chancellor (1959). He also researched architectural acoustics and hearing impairments, developed the audiometer with Isaac H. Jones, founded the Acoustical Society of America (1928), organized and served as the first director of what is now the Naval Undersea Research and Development Center in San Diego, and worked as a acoustical consultant for various projects including the Hollywood Bowl, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Schoenberg Hall, the United Nations General Assembly building, and a variety of radio and motion picture studios. The collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, galley proofs, and other material related to Knudsen's professional activities. The collection also includes the papers of Leo Peter Delsasso, John Mead Adams, and Edgar Lee Kinsey.
    [Show full text]
  • The Room Acoustics of Large Spaces
    ROOMROOM ACOUSTICSACOUSTICS OFOF LARGELARGE SPACESSPACES TheThe TalaskeTalaske Group,Group, inc.inc. The Room Acoustics of Large Spaces Presented by: Rick Talaske The Talaske Group, inc. Oak Park, IL – U.S.A. ASA Tutorial Cancun, Mexico The photos of all projects are designed by The Talaske Group, inc. Presented to the Acoustical Society of America – Cancun, Mexico 02 December 2002 ROOMROOM ACOUSTICSACOUSTICS OFOF LARGELARGE SPACESSPACES TheThe TalaskeTalaske Group,Group, inc.inc. Acoustically speaking: What is a “Large” Room It is my pleasure to present this discussion in Cancun regarding the acoustics of large rooms. Generally, this topic is what the public thinks of when they hear the word “acoustics”. This is because of their experiences in churches, theatres and music halls. I hope to better your understanding about this interesting topic. Es un placer de estar aqui en Cancun y al al vez hacer un presentacion sobre la acustica en grandes espacios. Generalmente, la gente cada vez que se menciona la palabra “acusticaq”, la relacionan con iglesias, teatros ysalas musicales. Espero de que en esta presentacion, ustedes se lleven un mejor entendimiento del concepto de acustica. Presented to the Acoustical Society of America – Cancun, Mexico 02 December 2002 ROOMROOM ACOUSTICSACOUSTICS OFOF LARGELARGE SPACESSPACES TheThe TalaskeTalaske Group,Group, inc.inc. Acoustically speaking: What is a “Large” Room In this paper, a large room: • Schroeder’s Frequency is less than 50 Hz •fc = 2000*SR ( T60/V ) •fc is below the voice and music bandwidth. • Comb filtering is a lesser consideration. • Un espacio grande es un cuarto con muchas resonancias normales. Hay tantas resonancias que finalmente no son tan importantes.
    [Show full text]
  • Paper One the Standing Wave Problem
    LeadingEdge Systematic Approach Room Acoustic Principles - Paper One The Standing Wave Problem Sound quality problems caused by poor room acoustics. We all recognise that room acoustics can cause sound quality problems. But often the issues are not clearly described or discussed. Here we will cover some important considerations and principles of room acoustics problems. Treating your room should not be done in isolation from all the other system building considerations. Your thoughts about room acoustics treatment should be in conjunction with your requirements for mains, supports, system electronics, speakers and cables etc. None of these should be dealt with in isolation, and with regards to room acoustics it’s particularly important to be aware of some of the interactive nature of room acoustics, and other systematic faults. For example, a boomy bass could be caused by a room mode, but equally it could be caused by bass feedback from a wall and up into your system through the mains leads. If it’s your mains cables feeding back vibration that’s the dominant problem, spending money on room treatment may not correctly resolve the issue. Room acoustics problems can be grouped into the following categories. 1. Air mass problems: – Standing waves with sound pressure peaks and suck-outs (and associated velocity peaks) – Velocity generated intermodulation 2. Reflection problems – Unwanted reflected signals at the listening position – Raised reverberant background noise floor The behavior of a room’s air mass is the most important consideration with room treatment. A significant air mass problem is a fundamental destroyer of performance - uncontrolled room modes produce associated velocity intermodulation, which damages every aspect of musical reproduction.
    [Show full text]
  • Acoustics 101 for Architects a Presentation of Acoustical Terminology and Concepts Relating Directly to the Design and Construction of an Architectural Space
    Acoustics 101 for Architects A presentation of acoustical terminology and concepts relating directly to the design and construction of an architectural space. Low-tech descriptions, explanations, and examples. By: Michael Fay This essay is tailored to the one group of people who have more influence over a building's acoustics than any other; architects. The focus is on Architectural Acoustics, a field that is broader than most imagine. To do justice to the theme, we must briefly touch on many subordinate topics, most having a synergetic relationship bonding architecture and sound. This paper is based on fundamentals, not perfection. It covers most of the basics, and explores many modern and esoteric matters as well. You will be introduced to interesting and analytical subjects; some you may know, some you may never have considered. Here are a few examples of what you'll find by reading on: . What is sound and why is it so hard to manage or control? . The length of low- and high-frequency sound waves vary by as much as 400:1. Why does this disparity matter? . How and why do various audible frequencies behave differently when interacting with various materials, structures, shapes and finishes? . There are three acoustical tools available to both the architect and the acoustician. What are they? How can they benefit or hinder the work of each craft? . Room geometry: Why some shapes are much better than others. Examples and explanations. Reverberation and echo: How do they differ? Which is better, or worse, and why? How much is too much, or too little? .
    [Show full text]
  • Room Acoustics and Reverberation
    21m.380 · Music and Technology Recording Techniques & Audio Production Room acoustics & reverberation Session 18 · Wednesday, November 9, 2016 1 Pa1 presentations • • Flo: Randy Newman – A Few Words in Defense of Our Country (2006) 2 Announcement: Schlepping reminder • Please remember if you are signed up for pre- or post-class schlepping for either recording session on Mon, 11/14, Wed, 11/16. • Pre-class schlepping: Meet at , 10 minutes before class 3 Review 3.1 Recording session 1 3.2 Ed3 assignment • How to limit to −3 dB with ReaComp plugin – Large ratio – Small rms size – Short attack and release times • Review of setting up a gate 4 Audible effects of reflections & delays 4.1 Flutter echoes & resonances • Unpleasant flutter echoes tend to occur between hard, parallel walls • Real-world examples: Killian Hall – Front right stage area as seen from audience (floor & ceiling) – Center of room with folded-in wall panels (left & right wall) • Demo in Pd: Perceptual effect of delays – ≳ 30 ms: Audible as echoes – ≲ 30 ms: Audible as pitched resonance – why? 1 of 10 21m.380 · Room acoustics & reverberation · Wed, 11/9/2016 4.2 Comb filters +6 Figure 2. Comb filter frequency re- sponse (note linear 푥 axis −20 (dB) −40 gain −60 −80 푛 푛+1 푛+2 Δ푡 Δ푡 Δ푡 … Frequency 푓 (Hz) input • Result of mixing a sound with a copy of itself delayed by Δ푡: – Δ푡 = 푇, 2푇, 3푇, ⋯ = 푛 Constructive interference if 푓 푇 3푇 5푇 – Destructive interference if Δ푡 = 2 , 2 , 2 ,… • Sound example: pink noise, moving mic, reflective surface Delay Δ푡 • Can be enjoyed outdoors across mit campus; just combine: + – Broadband hvac noise – Reflections from nearby building walls – Moving observer output • Other ubiquituous examples: Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Room Acoustics
    Room Acoustics Room Acoustics Fourth edition Heinrich Kuttruff Institut für Technische Akustik, Technische Hochschule Aachen, Aachen, Germany First published 1973 by Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd Second edition 1979 Third edition 1991 Fourth edition published 2000 by Spon Press 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Spon Press 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2001. Spon Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 1973, 1979, 1991 Elsevier Science Publishers; 1999, 2000 Heinrich Kuttruff The right of Heinrich Kuttruff to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 18 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kuttruff, Heinrich. Room acousticHeinrich Kuttruff.–4th ed. p. cm.
    [Show full text]
  • Characterizing Apparent Source Width Perception
    CONTRIBUTIONS TO HEARING RESEARCH Volume 25 Johannes Käsbach Characterizing apparent source width perception Hearing Systems Department of Electrical Engineering Characterizing apparent source width perception PhD thesis by Johannes Käsbach Preliminary version: August 2, 2016 Technical University of Denmark 2016 © Johannes Käsbach, 2016 Cover illustration by Emma Ekstam. Preprint version for the assessment committee. Pagination will differ in the final published version. This PhD dissertation is the result of a research project carried out at the Hearing Systems Group, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark. The project was partly financed by the CAHR consortium (2/3) and by the Technical University of Denmark (1/3). Supervisors Prof. Torsten Dau Phd Tobias May Hearing Systems Group Department of Electrical Engineering Technical University of Denmark Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark Abstract Our hearing system helps us in forming a spatial impression of our surrounding, especially for sound sources that lie outside our visual field. We notice birds chirping in a tree, hear an airplane in the sky or a distant train passing by. The localization of sound sources is an intuitive concept to us, but have we ever thought about how large a sound source appears to us? We are indeed capable of associating a particular size with an acoustical object. Imagine an orchestra that is playing in a concert hall. The orchestra appears with a certain acoustical size, sometimes even larger than the orchestra’s visual dimensions. This sensation is referred to as apparent source width. It is caused by room reflections and one can say that more reflections generate a larger apparent source width.
    [Show full text]
  • Room Acoustics
    Room Acoustics Prof. Unruh told us: - sound drops with distance squared - lower frequency can “bend” around walls - sound waves are additive - large build‐up of pressure near walls sound is 3db louder at walls - sound wavelength > walls “wiggle size” causes sound to scatter in different directions - so walls are oriented in direction and material to control reflections Terms: - long wavelengthlow frequency - short wavelengthhigh frequency - reflection wave bounces off object - diffraction edges used to spread in non‐linear directions - absorption objects turn waves to heat Reverberation Time reverberation: prolonged sound if incident and secondary/reflected waves are separated by <1ms sound continues to reverberate around a room until it’s energy has been fully absorbed by air and objects RT60 time for amplitude to decay by 60dB RT60 AND number of modes is proportional to the size of room, inversely prop to absorption in room complex frequency spectra ring longer more possibility of survival trick is to design a room where all frequencies have same RT60 If the RT60 s too short, all sounds very dry and hard to hear o ie: outdoor arenas, where the sound never reflects speech audibility = 1s <1s broadcasting/recording studio 1.5s‐2s in opera/concert halls 10s old stone cathedrals o good for a slow organ music; as long as there are very slow changes of pitch o but terrible for fast music/speech Reflection – Echoes perceiver in a room will hear sound which is a combo of the original sound and echoes from the walls, ceiling,
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect on Room Acoustical Parameters Using a Combination Of
    acoustics Article The Effect on Room Acoustical Parameters Using a Combination of Absorbers and Diffusers—An Experimental Study in a Classroom Emma Arvidsson 1,* , Erling Nilsson 2, Delphine Bard Hagberg 1 and Ola J. I. Karlsson 2 1 Engineering Acoustics, Lund University, John Ericssons väg 1, 221 00 Lund, Sweden; [email protected] 2 Saint-Gobain Ecophon AB, Yttervägen 1, 265 75 Hyllinge, Sweden; [email protected] (E.N.); [email protected] (O.J.I.K.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 9 June 2020; Accepted: 2 July 2020; Published: 4 July 2020 Abstract: Several room acoustic parameters have to be considered in ordinary public rooms, such as offices and classrooms, in order to present the actual conditions, thus increasing demands on the acoustic treatment. The most common acoustical treatment in ordinary rooms is a suspended absorbent ceiling. Due to the non-uniform distribution of the absorbent material, the classical diffuse field assumption is not fulfilled in such cases. Further, the sound scattering effect of non-absorbing objects such as furniture are considerable in these types of rooms. Even the directional characteristic of the sound scattering objects are of importance. The sound decay curve in rooms with absorbent ceilings often demonstrate a double slope. Thus, it is not possible to use reverberation time as room parameter as a representative standalone acoustic measure. An evaluation that captures the true room acoustical conditions therefore needs supplementary parameters. The aim of this experimental study is to show how various acoustical treatments affect reverberation time T20, speech clarity C50 and sound strength G.
    [Show full text]
  • Acoustic Space Analysis
    Acoustic Space Analysis An Interactive Qualifying Project Submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment of a Bachelor of Science Degree By: _________________________________ Harrison Williams _________________________________ Colin Cunningham _________________________________ Alexander Klose Date: 2015-03-20 _________________________________ Professor Scott D. Barton, Advisor This report represents work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute as evidence of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review. For more information about projects program at WPI, see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects/ 1 Abstract: When a musician wants to either share a composition with others or sell it for monetary gain, they typically would go to a recording studio to have their music recorded and mastered for distribution. Within the past decade many artists have gained the ability to record and mix in their own home, and many are taking advantage of this strategy not only to save money but to have more control over the recording process as a whole. This is causing an overall downward trend in the number of what is traditionally referred to as recording artists, those who use professionally built studios usually supplied by a recording label, and instead causing a massive rise in independently recording artists. This project addresses architectural acoustic problems in these independent spaces. 2 Acknowledgments: The Acoustic Space Analysis team would like to thank the following people and organizations for their time and valued input into our project. First, the WPI recording club, for the use of their equipment, space and expertise.
    [Show full text]