Auditory perception in rooms

Abstract

In the design process of concerts halls, it is the task of the architects—preferably with the aid of experience acoustical consultants— to transform their concept on how the hall should sound into built form. To this end, a profound knowledge of the psychoacoustics of listening in concert halls is mandatory. Psychoacoustics relates auditory perception to the physical attribute of the sound field in the hall. While the sound field can be assessed by physical measurement, the measurement of auditory percept requires human assessors. However, to avoid costly listening test, algorithms been developed for estimating certain features of auditory percepts in concert halls. These estimators are useful for computer simulations of halls. In our talk, basic psychoacoustic phenomena and relevant instrumental estimators for psychoacoustic features will be evaluated. Finally, the concept of the “Quality of the Acoustics” of a concert hall will be considered in a broader context, thereby including aspects like the “Quality of Communication” in the hall. Type and quality of the information carrier in the light of the cognitive background of the listeners will be discussed, as well as the influence of visual, tactile, and olfactory cues on the quality assessment of concert halls.