A composer’s eye for room acoustics

Abstract

The physical acoustician has a number of techniques that can be used to document the acoustic signature of an enclosed space. A composer may approach this matter from a different perspective. This paper discusses and sonically illustrates several physical acoustic aural approaches to developing the signature of a room using unamplified speech and music as source signals. Other methods involving multiple echograms and natural impulse sources are also described. Portions of a score composed for five instruments will be played. In this piece, parts were written for four acoustic instruments as well as for the room in which the performance was presented.