Subjective experiment on the effect of hall response on a violin player in a simulated sound field

Abstract

In order to investigate the effect of hall response on players, a subjective test was performed in an artificially simulated sound field in an anechoic room. By referring to the data obtained in actual concert halls, the sound field was modeled and synthesized by using 14-channel reproduction systems: 12 channels for the ambient reverberation using simple digital reverberators, and two channels for late reflections from the rear part of the audience area using real time convolvers. In the test, the reverberation was fixed and the level and delay time of the late reflections were changed in three steps, respectively. Under each condition, the subject, a professional violinist, imagining that he/she was playing on a stage, played various pieces in a variety of playing styles and responded to questionnaires. As a result, it has been found that favorable stage conditions for a player differ as to the style of playing; solo, with piano, with orchestra, and in a quartet, and that the late reflection from the audience area is, to some extent, necessary in order to get ‘‘hall reaction.’’