A method for predicting the performance of a steelband orchestra in arbitrary environments

Abstract

One of the challenges in steelpan performance is in determining the best placement of the various instruments in an orchestra so as to achieve the level performance desired by the musical arranger. This research attempts to develop a method for analyzing the performance of the tenor steelpan in arbitrary acoustic spaces using the room acoustic modeling software, Enhanced Acoustic Simulation for Engineers (EASE). When provided with an acoustic characterization of a speaker system, particularly the magnitude and phase radiation data, and the room in which it is located, EASE can be used to predict the resulting acoustic sound-field. EASE also requires an electrical equivalent of the instrument's sound source and, through its auralization feature, allow the user to actually hear an actual performance. EASE uses a variety of reconstruction techniques, such as ray tracing and boundary element method, to provide the most accurate responses. The study will verify the approach by comparing simulation results on direct sound coverage, total SPL, Clarity (C80), Centre Time, Reverberation, and Early decay times of the instrument with real time measurements in the usual 1/3-band octave frequency resolution. Although the work focuses on the tenor steelpan, it can be easily extended to predict the performance of an entire ensemble of steelpans in any given space.