A Comparison of Different Techniques for Simulating and Measuring Acoustic Parameters in a Place of Worship: Sant Jaume Basílica in Valencia, Spain

Abstract

SummaryThe study of rooms devoted to sound transmission has become adiscipline in which all the fundamentals areas of current scientificr esearch in acoustics converge. To demonstrate howt his convergence arises in this work, we present acomplete and detailed acoustics study of the Sant Jaume Basilica in Algemesí (Valencia, Spain), a building which has been declared as ite of cultural interest. Starting from this overall perspective,t he first part of this paper describes the features of the room studied (chosen for its complexity), the usual parameters for the analysis of room acoustics, and twomeasurement methodologies and twosimulating methods widely used by the scientificc ommunity.B ased on the theoretical results (obtained from modelling)a nd measurements following the recommendations of ISO 3382 Standard [1], we study the errors in 'just noticeable differences' in acoustic parameters that al istener may perceive.T he aim of the study is to highlight the drawbacks and successes of the procedures used. From the perspective of comparing the results, the purpose of this study is not to assess the experimental procedures themselves or the modelling systems, butr ather to demonstrate, using the four possible measurement-calculation combinations, whether the differences obtained between the theoretical values and experimental values are within areasonable range of acceptability.

Soundscape in religious historical buildings: a review

“…According to the sound field measurements of religious historical buildings, the reverberation time in Christian churches at 500 Hz predominantly ranges from 6-8 s, which is too long for preaching [19,21,22,60,[88][89][90]. This time can exceed 10 s in larger cathedrals [24], far surpassing the reverberation times in Buddhist main halls [49,50].…”

Low Cost Omnidirectional Sound Source Utilizing a Common Directional Loudspeaker for Impulse Response Measurements

“…The comparison of results in Table 1 is also presented in terms of relative error [45,46] considering the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) of each parameter. In psycho-physics the JND is the smallest difference in sensation that a hearer can perceive.…”

“…Therefore, in acoustic measurements, similar results can be expected if a two-way full frequency range common directional loudspeaker is utilized. However it is worth mentioning that RT is the most stable parameter in acoustic measurements [46].…”

Acoustic Simulation of the Central Hall in Palau Güell by Gaudí

“…Our investigation is along the same lines as other research works, such as works on Pompeii's Odeon (Berardi et al, 2016), the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (Suárez et al, 2015), and the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna (Tronchin and Knight, 2016), as well as the Granada Cathedral (Alonso et al, 2017) and the Seville Cathedral (Alvarez-Morales et al, 2017). Virtual and simulated geometrical acoustics studies by D' Orazio et al (2016), Segura et al (2011) and Sender et al (2018) should also be mentioned.…”