Good View or Good Acoustics? Can I Have Both?

Abstract

Apart from the acoustics, the visual scene in a concert hall also plays an important role in an audience's concert-attending experience, and the view of the stage is a key component of the visual scene. Visual preference contributes to the overall preference of the performance environment and experience [1][2][3][4][5][6] ; and visual and auditory preference also interact with and enhance each other [7][8][9][10] . In addition, some of the factors that influence auditory and visual preference are correlated. Proximity to stage is one of the major determinants of visual preference 1-3 ; while in concert halls, due to its effect on direct sound energy, proximity is usually positively correlated with sound strength, which is positively correlated to auditory preference [1][2][3]5,6 . Another example is floor rake in the seating area. Lower rakes usually result in visual obstruction between audience members, which negatively affects visual preference 1,2 . Acoustically, lower rakes are associated with more severe unwanted lowfrequency attenuation in the direct sound caused by the seats, known as the seat dip effect 11 .Various studies have analysed and compared the acoustical quality or preference of a range of concert halls [12][13][14][15] , but no systematic comparison has been done for the visual quality of any concert halls. The current study analyses an aspect of the visual quality of 56 concert halls that have been documented by Barron 13 and Beranek 15 using the quality of stage-view prediction model previously proposed by the authors 1 . It explores relationships between the stage-view visual quality and previously documented acoustic quality in these halls.