Evaluation of a rehearsal/recording room project for symphonic orchestra based on ISO23591

Abstract

The School of Music of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte is one of the fewer Federal Institutions in Brazil that is equipped with a recording studio attending a technical course in recording production. In 2021, the School of Music started a plan for its expansion with the project of a 7-storey building that will house a recording studio connected with several rehearsal rooms. One of the rooms was specifically planned to hold rehearsals and recordings of the UFRN Philharmonic Orchestra and the Big Band Jerimum Jazz. The objective of this research is to show the procedures used to evaluate, during the planning processes, the acoustics of the Philharmonic’s rehearsal room using as reference the new standard ISO 23591. Results showed that it was possible to identify initial acoustical problems and indicate solutions for the best modification of the space, even in the initial stages of the project. The room, with approximately 235 m2 and 6 m in height, was readjusted to a height of 9 m so that the space could comply with the recommendations of the standard. Next challenge will be to properly plan its isolation, since the new school library is above this room.