Extensive objective acoustic measurements have been made in 15 unoccupied concert halls and two multipurpose halls used for music in Britain. Only monophonic objective measures at midfrequencies are considered here, in particular, the early decay time, the early-to-late sound index, and the total sound level. The measured results have been compared with traditional predicted values. The widest divergence was found in the observation that the total reflected sound level decreases with increasing distance from the source. A revised theory of sound decay in concert spaces is proposed. This assumes that the total sound is composed of a direct sound component and a linearly decaying reflected component which starts when the direct sound arrives. On average, the measured results are found to be well described by the revised theory. However, certain divergences from average behavior are found; these have been associated with various design characteristics such as the diffusivity of the ceiling, wide fan shapes in plan and absorbent in the stage area. The results help place in context the significance of reverberation time and hall size for concert auditoriums.
This may be the most comprehensive single volume published to date on acoustical and architectural design for listening spaces. Barron provides in one book some of the historical perspective of Michael Forsyth's Buildings for Music and George Izenour's Theatre Design, some of the technical discussion of Beranek's Music, Acoustics and Architecture; and some of the fundamentals and practical details of Egan's Architectural Acoustics.This book is written primarily for acousticians, and there is more detail here thah the average architect or musician will be interested in. This is also one of the most technical books on the subject, but there is a wealth of information for readers at all levels of ekpertise.The strength of this book is its separate chapters on acoustical design for recital halls, theaters, concert halls, opera houses, and multipurpose auditoriums. For each of these types there are separate chapters providing a discussion of the acoustical design objectives, historical development of the form, and examples of existing halls. Readers looking for information on a particular type of performance hall will appreciate this format. The book is illustrated throughout with valuable figures; Fig. 1 is an example. FIG. 1. Axonometric view of Wren's Drury Lane Theatre, London of 1674 (Fig. 8.8, p. 250). The sections on specific hall types are augmented by general chapters on fundamentals of sound and room acoustics, techniques for analysis of room acoustics during design (including a good section on scale modeling), and acoustical measurement parameters for objective testing in finished projects. These general reference sections are limited in their depth of coverage. Readers who are new to the subject will find them a good introduction to other references for a more detailed presentation of these topics. The strongest feature of the fundamental chapter is a thorough explanation of reverberation time, including criteria and prediction methods. The brief appendices on acoustical measurements are helpful but disappointing considering the author's considerable eXperience. Barron could have gone much further in his presentation of measurement parameters. He does provide an overview of some of the "new" acoustical measurement parameters, including C80, G (loudness), lateral energy fraction, ST1 (objective support), and early decay time. There are several other important variables that should have been included here. Of course it is difficult to find agreement among acoustical researchers and consultants on what measurements are important, and there is continuing discussion on the finer points of integration times, filtering techniques and microphone setups. There is a good description of the measurements in mathematical and qualitative terms, but there is very little information on the equipment and methodology for measurements. Barron has made and published many such measurements and is well qualified to tell us how it is done. This is a topic that should be expanded in the next edition. Barron believes in learning f...
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