CAREER: Importance of Late-Sound-Field Properties and Listener Envelopment to Room Acoustic Quality and Design

本研究旨在探讨演艺场地后期声场声学与整体音质(OAQ)的关系。后期声场声学对听众包络感(LEV)，即沉浸在声场中的感觉尤为重要。然而，目前还没有普遍接受的衡量LEV的方法。该项目的具体目标是：A)开发一种可量化的LEV测量方法，B)探索这种新的LEV测量方法对于不同规模的礼堂有何不同，以及C)确定LEV和其他已建立的房间声学特性对OAQ的相对重要性。这项研究将采用两种方法相结合：模拟声场和由受试者评估的双耳录音，以及在美国和欧洲总共9个不同大小和声质的音乐厅获得的实验测量。这项工作的结果将为声学设计和研究团体提供准确的方法来测量LEV，并将确定LEV相对于OAQ的相对重要性，与公认的房间声学测量相比。这些结果将使音乐表演场地的设计更有效率，并减少昂贵的翻新需要。这个项目将增加参与房间声学研究的美国学生的数量，并将在一个以本科为主的机构提供研究机会。这些机会将提高本科生，特别是女性本科生的教育体验质量，并将促进他们的专业发展。小学生将与康涅狄格州科学中心的外展计划一起接触到声音的主题，以及女性榜样。此外，声学实验和学习套件将与美国声学学会合作，用于中学生科学教育。该奖项的支持由国际科学和工程办公室的欧洲和美国项目以及工程局内的土木、机械和制造创新部门的动力系统提供。

The overall research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project is to investigate the relationship between late-sound-field acoustics and perceived overall acoustic quality (OAQ) in performing arts venues. Late-sound-field acoustics are particularly important to the perception of listener envelopment (LEV), the sense of being immersed in the sound field. However, no universally accepted measure of LEV currently exists. The specific objectives of this project are to: A) Develop a quantifiable measure of LEV, B) Explore how this new LEV measure varies for auditoriums of different sizes, and C) Determine the relative significance of LEV and other established room acoustics characteristics to OAQ. The research will employ a combination of two methods: simulated sound-fields and binaural recordings evaluated by human subjects, and experimental measurements obtained in a total of nine American and European concert halls with varying size and OAQ.The results of this work will provide the acoustical design and research community with an accurate methodology to measure LEV and will determine the relative importance of LEV to OAQ, as compared to well-accepted room acoustics measures. These results will allow for more efficient design of music performance venues and reduce the need for costly renovations. This project will increase the number of US students participating in room acoustics research and will provide research opportunities at a primarily undergraduate institution. These opportunities will improve the quality of the educational experience of undergraduate students, particularly females, and will also promote their professional development. Grade-school students will be exposed to the topic of sound, as well as a female role-model, in conjunction with the Connecticut Science Center's outreach program. In addition, self-contained acoustics experimental and learning kits will be created in collaboration with the Acoustical Society of America for middle-school student science education.Support for the award is being provided by the Office of International Science and Engineering's Europe and the America programs and the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division's Dynamical Systems within the Directorate for Engineering.