Virtual acoustics for music practice rooms

Abstract

The use of virtual acoustics has provided a new level of practice experience for the musician. By integrating the sound isolation of music practice rooms with the signal processing of an active acoustic system (with time variant-gain before feedback) musicians can now benefit from the experience of practicing in multiple acoustic environments. Musicians select from various acoustics environments from a typical small practice room to that of a large space such as a sports arena. The variability of the acoustic environment allows the musician to hear clearly their intonation and articulation, which may be difficult to discern in a small practice room. To effectively communicate the various acoustics environments, the musicians must be immersed in the sound field of the active acoustics without being able to discern source locations of the speakers. The system must also be able to support the dynamic range of the musicians without presenting artifacts of its own such as system noise or audible distortion. This paper deals with the design constraints needed to meet these requirements as well the antidotal responses from musicians who have used these environments for practice.