Measurements of stage acoustics in four configurations of an open-air performance acoustic shell

Abstract

Different design recommendations for stage design and parameters for objective measures of the stage conditions have been proposed. They aim to provide the right balance to each musician on stage, consisting in hearing one-self (support) and hearing others (ensemble). These aspects become even more challenging for open-air acoustic shells. The paper presents the case-study of ReS, an acoustic shell developed in the frame of "Villa Pennisi in Musica" Summer School, a "learning by doing"-based workshop approach that promotes the integration of acoustics, digital optimization and technology in an environment that involves musicians with different levels of expertise. This paper focuses on the results of a measurement campaign on five different configurations of the acoustic shell. The design elements related to the reflectors array and sound diffuser have been considered separately and in combination to investigate their effects on the objective stage acoustic parameters that is early and late support (STearly and STlate) and spectral content. To this aim, the musicians' configuration of a sestetto has been considered. The results show that ST parameters are little sensitive (differences <1dB) to the presence of the reflectors array and diffuser, however some significant spectral effects could be attributed to these design elements.