Subjective assessment of stage environments for chamber music

Abstract

Stage acoustics were evaluated in four halls regarding chamber music performances. Sensations about hearing oneself, hearing others, ease of ensemble, and overall impression were expressed by players of violin and piano sonata, piano trio, and brass quintet. Evaluations were taken at two locations with and without detached reflectors in each hall. Subjects in the audience were asked about the balance among players. In additional to the well-accepted support factor (ST1), calculated measures included a similar parameter early-to-direct energy ratio (ED80), where the energy integrated from 20 to 100 ms was substituted by the energy from 7 to 80 ms since recital halls were normally smaller than symphony halls. As a result, most acoustical environments were acceptable to the players. Overall impression was significantly correlated with all of the subjective attributes and there was a strong relation between hearing others and ease of ensemble (r=0.921). The players of brass quintet favored higher ED80 values than did the others. For the audience, significant variances of perceived strength were found in cello for piano trio and in horn for brass quintet. On-going research is conducted to collect data in other halls. [Work supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan.]