The implications of scale on sound systems in large spaces

Abstract

The symphonic concert hall is a well documented reference point for matters of scale in the musical side of architectural acoustics. Larger spaces may have comparable shapes, and yet the matters of scale require vastly different approaches in regard to the sound system and architectural acoustics. The causes and consequences of scalar expansion will be discussed as well as the shifting balance between the roles of the sound system and the architectural acoustics. Sound system and acoustical designs must adapt to those aspects which are modified by scale (power, distance, wavelength, etc.) along with those that remain constant, regardless of the size (angular aspects, echo perception, the spacing between and size of audience members, etc.). Expanded room scale requires the sound system to use increasingly effective methods of controlling the direct sound field to tailor its response to the highly asymmetric shapes presented for coverage. The methods of control and their implication on the hall acoustics will be discussed. Scalar independent methods for sound system designs which can be form-fitted into a space will be discussed in the context of a variety of large room examples.