When all sound is mere reflections

Abstract

For many decades in the recent past, impulse response measurements have been performed in music and drama spaces to assess the clarity of sound and ease of communication offered on a stage or within the audience chamber. Much of the focus has been on the strength and timing of early sound reflections arriving within 80 or so ms following the direct sound. Generally, the thought and design process revolve around an unoccluded, straight-line path between source and receiver. This paper, however, presents the results of numerous studies and completed buildings in which excellent communication has been achieved in drama and music conditions where the direct sound is attenuated due to source directivity factors and/or obstructions normally encountered within rooms. Results of computer model studies, photos of completed spaces and acoustic data will be presented along with general conclusions.