Measurements of short reverberation times using a real time analyzer

Abstract

Classical measurements of reverberation time with use of the interrupted noise method is known to almost everybody working with acoustics. However, there seems to be less knowledge about the limitations of the method, i.e., the connection between measurement bandwidth and minimum averaging time and what that means for minimum reverberation time measured. Another method is impulse excitation followed by a backwards integration. Here, the analysis can be done in two ways, either direct frequency analysis of the response signal giving the same limitations as with the interrupted noise method or by recording the time signal and then feeding the signal reversed to the filter bank giving possibilities of measuring very short reverberation times. The methods of measuring reverberation time will be discussed and examples of measurements shown.