Using iterative regression for estimating reverberation times in two coupled spaces

Abstract

Sound energy decay in two coupled spaces is, under certain conditions, of a double-slope nature. The present paper deals with identifying two reverberation quantities in these spaces from room impulse responses using Schroeder’s backward integration method. Using this method, different decay portions of double-slope decay functions can not always be distinctly recognized since the last part of the decay functions can be strongly deformed by the background noise effect. To overcome this difficulty, a nonlinear, iterative regression approach is proposed to evaluate reverberation quantities in coupled spaces. A multislope decay model is exploited to meet the need of evaluating double-slope decay functions. The present paper reports on the investigation of the approach in terms of simulating decay functions using the decay model. The convergence study on the nonlinear iterative regression conducted in this investigation reveals both the potential feasibility and limitations of the proposed approach.