Multimodal perception in concert halls: Where do we look when we listen?

Abstract

Concert hall design is at a crossroads between its origins, which have been unamplified orchestral music and singing, and the forces of popular music, which depend mostly on amplified sound and multimedia accompaniment. Concurrently, there has been a revolution in the way that the buildings are designed in the last 25 years. Computer modeling techniques enable architects and engineers to conceive and build complex geometrical forms and acoustic engineers to analyze future building interiors to promote a rich sound experience. However, despite a concert being a multisensory experience, relatively little work has been done on investigating how the visual aspects of the concert hall may impact on the acoustical experience. This paper investigates multisensory perception in different concert halls by examining where people look when actively listening to music and whether this affects how they perceive the experience.