Does the wall sound different? Variable acoustics in rehearsal rooms using small resonator structures in an acoustic panel.

Abstract

As the name already states, multipurpose rooms are often used from various people for different intentions like meetings or musical practicing. One example are musical rehearsal rooms, where the acoustic specifications have to meet the requirements of musicians playing different instrument groups. To meet the desire for variable acoustics in a rehearsal room, musicians often like to adjust the room to there personal preferences, what is mostly done by adjusting the frequency dependent room decay curve (T60). Hence, a variable acoustic panel has been developed which consists of several small adjustable resonator structures. In a closed state, the structure acts like a resonator. Although Helmholtz resonators are mostly used at low frequencies, the acoustic panel can address acoustic resonance absorption in the mid-frequency range between 500 Hz and 1.500 Hz. The paper highlights especially the dimensioning of the resonators and its measurements in an impedance tube, a reverberation cabin and a reverberation room. Finally, the prototype of the acoustic panel has been analysed in different rehearsal rooms where musicians examine the panel and T60 differences between the open and closed state of the panel were measured.