Developing a new method for analyzing room acoustics based on auralization

Abstract

Room modes are the resonances that result from generating a sound in a room. The sound coloration produced by these modes is often deemed problematic. Research in room acoustics continues to refine our means to control this coloration for reconciling visual and aural variables in architectural design. Alvin Lucier demonstrated the resonant frequencies of a room in his sound art piece “I am sitting in a room” by recording his speech in a space then playing the recording and re-recording it in the same room multiple times until the resonant frequencies of the room became dominant. Inspired by Lucier’s work, this research explores the possibilities that can emerge from replicating the same iterative process within a simulated framework. Accordingly, a room is modeled, an impulse response (IR) is generated and an auralization is created by convolving an anechoic recording with the IR. The output is then used as an input that is convolved again with the same IR. This method is similar to the method used in artificial reverberation to control the feedback loops of PA systems and is expected to advance room acoustic analysis. This paper discusses the benefits and limitations of the proposed method with possible applications.