Outline

Room Acoustical • Background & Tradition

• How to describe room acoustics?

Measurements
• An overview of measurement methods

• Room Acoustical Measurements and Analysis

• Standards
• Equipment, Case study
• Measurement positions
• A glance at room acoustical parameters
27.11.2003 • Theory vs. practice
• Requirements for data analysis
• Reporting results
Timo Peltonen • Accuracy of results
timo.peltonen@akukon.fi … Examples and Case Studies
• Discussion

Background & Tradition Measurement Methods

• The acoustical properties of rooms and halls • Sabine's reverberation measurements
• how to describe/compare/quantify?
• subjective/objective issues
• a combined result of many factors
• Historical issues
• traditionally acoustical design was based on
prior experience, copying, and chance
• musical styles followed the architecture
• First scientific approach by Sabine in 1900
• a century of discoveries followed, but
• current practice is still largely empirical
Slightly later on…
• Impulsive sound sources used
• pistols, balloons, hand claps
• Levels recorded using analog devices (plotters)
• determination of decay curve, T60
• Intermediate methods:
• Pros:
• truncated noise
• simple, rather robust
• Modern methods:
• Cons:
• measurement of system impulse response
• limited repeatability
• sweeps (TDS etc.)
• tedious for multiple frequency bands
• pseudorandom (MLS)
• arbitrary (FFT)

Standards for Measurements Equipment for measurements

• ISO 3382:1997. Acoustics — Measurement of the • Sound source
reverberation time of rooms with reference to • omnidirectional
other acoustical parameters. • sufficient SPL
• applicable for evaluating rooms intended for speech or music (concert halls, auditoria),
as well as for noise protection issues …over a large frequency band (125 Hz - 4 kHz)
• describes the measurement procedure, apparatus, required coverage, data evaluation
methods, and presenting the test report • typically a dodecahedron
•
• a subwoofer may be added for LF bands
includes reverberation time T, relative sound pressure ratios (G), early/late energy ratios
(C,D), lateral energy fraction (LEF), interaural cross correlation (IACF, IACC) and
background noise levels
• covers both impulse response and interrupted noise methods

• ISO 354:1985, Acoustics — Measurement of

sound absorption in a reverberation room.
 B&K OmniPower Sound Source Type 4296

B&K Omnisource Type 4295

B&K Omnisource Type 4295 B&K OmniPower Sound Source Type 4296

• Microphones
• omnidirectional (standard)
• figure-of-eight (LEF)
• dummy head or in-the-ear mics (IACC)
• directional multichannel probes…
B&K OmniPower Sound Source Type 4296

B&K Omnisource Type 4295

• Signal source Case Study:
• noise generator The IRMA measurement system
• impulse source
(pistol, spark gap, hand clap, balloon etc.…) 1(2)
D/A
• computer for modern methods 12-channel
rackmount
• Data storage, processing and analysis microphone grid
PC
computer
• usually by means of a computer 12 6
omni source
• traditional methods include devices such as binaural head
2 2
• noise generator A/D

• sound level meter, filter bank 3 3

• pen plotter
• Filters omni and
(subwoofer unit)
• 1/3 and 1/1 octave band filters (standard) 2 cardioids laptop pc
 The IRMA Matlab software
IRMA setup structure
Measurement positions for concert halls
GUI Measurement Analysis Other
functions • based on specifications published by
File I/O Stimulus IR post-proc.
Plotting A.C. Gade (1989)
Devices Acquisition Filtering

Stimulus IR calc. Room

Accessories • 3 source points on stage
Acquisition IR post
Acoustic
Parameters
• S1: soloist next to conductor (front left)
Filtering
processing
Other • S2: string section, violas/cellos (mid-right)
Windows
soundcard
applications
• S3: winds (far left, 2nd row)
Measurement
interface The IRMA hardware • 5–7 audience receiver points: R1…
PC
Multichannel soundcard
External units
Multichannel AD converter
• 3 stage receiver points
Remote operation Multichannel preamplifier
• P1: solo oboist
for field use
• P2: string section, 1st/2nd violins (mid left)
• P3: winds (far right, 2nd row)

S3 P3
• measurement position heights:
ORCHESTRA
• sources and stage receivers: 1 m above stage
P1
PLATFORM
P2 S2
S1
• audience receivers:
l/4
• 1.2 m above floor / 0.7 m above seat
2b / 5 R1 l/2 • variances caused by the seat dip effect

R2 b / 4
• omni source and microphones as in ISO 3382
l/2 • frequency range: octave bands 125…4000 Hz
R5
b/3 R3

• halls are usually empty during measurements

b/2 l/5

STALLS
• music stands and chairs present on platform
• slight adjustment required for S-P pairs
EVENTUAL l/2
BALCONIES R4 2b / 5
A Glance at Room Acoustical Parameters
• Room acoustics are always field measurements
— are the results
• reliable?
• repeatable?
• representative?
(If so, what do they represent?)
• An overview of standardized room acoustical
parameters and factors affecting their
measurement follows…
A Little Practice
(or: stepping into a muddy puddle…)
A real closed acoustical space typically exhibits:
• a mixed sound field of direct, reflected and
diffuse sound (strong temporal variance)
• unevenly spaced absorption (audience…)
• strong single room modes at low frequencies
• multiple decays
• high levels of background noise
(demo)
A Little Theory…
An ideal closed acoustical space has:
• a perfectly diffuse sound field
• evenly spaced absorption
• negligible single room modes
• an exponential decay of sound vs. time
• no background noise
v v v
Standard room acoustical parameters
are based on this ideal model.
v v v
(The Lumpy Road of)
Data Analysis
In practice, 99% of measurement results need to
be analyzed automatically.
v v v
Robust methods are required!
v v v
 Response analysis in the IRMA system Acquired response (ETC, Schroeder) Extracted decay (ETC, Schroeder)
0 0
Response analysis
IR processing Filtering Room acoustic -20 -20

parameters
detect calculate -40 -40

noise floor coefficients calculate

-60 -60
locate calculate
display
direct sound delays
results -80 -80

truncate time-reverse
pre-delay data
-100
0 100 200 300 400 500
-100
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

estimate filter 0 0

decay curve data

iterate time-reverse
-10 -10

noise-decay filtered result -20 -20

crosspoint
-30 -30

truncate
noise tail -40 -40

calculate decay -50 -50

compensation
-60 -60
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Example: Energy-time curves and Schroeder plots of an IR

1. raw response 2. noise floor truncated 3. direct sound located Reverberation time T
0 0 0

-20 -20 -20

• denoted as T or T60
• determined from the decay curve
-40 -40 -40

• straight? monotonic? ideal?

-60 -60 -60

-80 -80 -80

-100 -100 -100

• background noise level:
• (15…)35…45 dB dynamic range required
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 50 100 150 200 250 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

0 0 0

-10 -10 -10

• T20: evaluated between [-5…-25] dB
-20 -20 -20

• T30: evaluated between [-5…-35] dB

• T10 or EDT: Early Decay Time
-30 -30 -30

-40 -40 -40

-50 -50 -50

• evaluated between [0…-10] dB
-60 -60 -60
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
 Early-to-Late Energy Ratios C, D Center Time TS
∞
• Clarity C:
∫ t p (t )dt
2
te
p 2 (t )dt =
∫ TS 0
∞
∫ p (t )dt
2
Cte = 10 lg 0
∞
∫ p 2 (t )dt
0
te
• Definition D: • an alternative to C and D
te • avoids the discrete division of the IR
∫ p 2 (t )dt into early and late periods
Dte = 10 lg 0
∞
∫ p 2 (t )dt
0
te is the early time limit (50 or 80 ms)

Strength G Lateral Energy Fraction LEF

∞ ∞
p (t )dt ∫ p fig 8 (t )dt
2
∫
2

G = 10 lg ∞
0 LEF = 0
∞

∫ p (t )dt ∫ pomni (t )dt

2 2
ref
0
• p(t) is the IR measured at a receiver point
• pref(t) is the reference IR, measured in
a free field 10 m from the source
• requires calibrated levels and gain settings
0
• calibration of omni and fig-8 capsules required
• one solution is to use sum L,R cardioids:
omni = L+R, fig-8 = L-R
• squaring of responses affects fig-8 directivity
• cardioid = cos(φ), hypercardioid = cos2(φ)
• true method (two omnis) not practicable
 Inter-Aural Cross-Correlation IACC • at low frequencies, the interaural phase
difference becomes small yielding naturally high
t2 values of IACC:
∫ pl ( t ) ⋅ pr ( t + τ ) dt
f = 125 Hz, λ = 2.7 m, d = 0.17 m (1/16 λ)
IACFt1 ,t2 (τ ) =
t1
t2 t2 • head type and positioning affects measurement
∫ pl ( t ) dt ∫ pr ( t ) dt
2 2
t1 t1

IACCt1 ,t2 = max IACFt1 ,t2 (τ ) −1<τ <+1

• The parameter is divided into three subparts:
• IACCearly (0…80 ms)
• IACClate (80…1000 ms)
• IACCall (0…1000 ms)

Stage Parameters ST1, ST2 Reporting measurement results

100 200 The acoustics of a room are affected by a wealth of
∫ p 2 (t )dt ∫ p 2 (t )dt factors, which should be reported:
ST1 = 10 lg 20
10
ST2 = 10 lg 20
10
p 2 (t )dt p 2 (t )dt • room name and location (…)
∫
0 ∫ 0 • sketch plan of the room (to scale)
• Responses measured onstage 1 m from source • room volume (define limits)
• Factors affecting measurements: • seats: number and type of upholstering,
• source directivity(!) material details, raised/lowered position
• random reflections from stands etc. • walls & ceiling: shape, materials
• state of occupancy, number of people
• state of variable acoustics (curtains, PA etc.)
• stage furnishing, concert enclosure etc.
• temperature and relative humidity Accuracy of Results
• type and position of sound sources
• description of stimulus signals • The validity of any objective measurement should be
• type, position and height of microphones questioned for the following :
• date, name of measurement organization • reliability?
• repeatability?
• representativity?
…if so, what?

• Evaluating typical systematic errors:

• system loop-back compensation
• level calibration and alignment of channels
• avoiding filtering artifacts

Discussion and Conclusions

• How to objectively qualify room acoustical
properties?
• Standard parameters, novel approaches
• Modern measurement methods offer good
accuracy, but require a thorough understanding
and evaluation of the underlying processes