ACOUST

Room Acoustics
ICS
C

B
A
A

Reverberation

Acoustics
is usually very broadly defined as "the science of sound."
a science that deals with the production, control, transmission,
reception, and effects of sound.

The balance of keeping

wanted
sounds
and eliminating

unwanted
sounds

 Sound

is reflected, transmitted, or absorbed

by the materials it encounters.

Soft

surfaces, such as textiles, and batt

insulation, tend to absorb sound waves,
preventing them from further motion.

Hard

surfaces, such as ceramic tile, gypsum

board, or wood, tend to reflect sound waves,
causing echo. Reverberation is the term used
to describe sound waves that are reflected off
of surfaces.

 Dense,

massive, materials, such as concrete or

brick, tend to transmit sound waves through
the material.

High

frequency sound waves (think of a high

whistle) are not capable of being transmitted
through massive, heavy, material.

Low

frequency sound waves (bass)

transmitted through massive materials.

are

Acoustics: sound
Sound

is a mechanical wave and therefore

requires a medium in which it can travel.

Acoustics

is classically divided into sound

and vibration.

Sound

refers to waveforms traveling

through a fluid medium such as air

Acoustics: sound
Vibration

describes energy transmitted through

denser materials such as wood, steel, stone, dirt,
drywall or anything besides a fluid.

It

is not heard as much as felt, due to its

extremely low frequency, which is below the
range of most human hearing.

The speed of sound versus the

speed of light
sound

travels at 1130 feet per second at normal

room temperature.

light

travels at 299,792,458 meters per second,

which is roughly 974,325,489 feet per second (974
million feet per second!!)

Sound Waves:
amplitude & frequency (cycles)

frequency;
vibration cycles per second

amplitude

wave length:
distance between identical points on a wave

http://www.surendranath.org/Applets.html

Amplitude

and Frequency

Applet Menu >Waves > Transverse Waves

http://www.surendranath.org/Applets.html

The human ear is capable of hearing sounds within

a limited range.

Speaker

diameter Frequencies cutoff

(cm)
(Hz)
ka

Woofer

30

20-2,000

5.5

midrange

12

2,000-5,000

5.5

5,00010,000

5.5

10,00020,000

5.5

tweeter
supertweeter

The human ear can detect sounds between

20 HZ and 20,000 HZ.
Most sensitive in the range of 100HZ to 5000HZ

The length of a sound wave

20,000 HZ

- 11/16

20 HZ 56 feet

Animals have varied hearing

ranges

Decibel levels

0 The softest sound a person can hear with normal

hearing

10 normal breathing

20 whispering at 5 feet

30 soft whisper

50 rainfall

60 normal conversation

110 shouting in ear

120 thunder

Decibel levels

130dB - Jack Hammer (at 5ft)

120dB - Rock Concert / Pain threshold

110dB - Riveter or a Heavy Truck at 50ft

90dB - Heavy Traffic (at 5ft)

70dB - Department Store or a Noisy Office

50dB - Light Traffic

30dB - Quiet Auditorium

20dB - Faint Whisper (at 5ft)

10dB - Soundproof room / anechoic chamber

An anechoic chamber is a space in which

there are no echoes or reverberations.
The surfaces absorb all sound, and reflect none.

Velocity
Rate at which sound travels through a conductor

Air:
Wood:
Steel:

Velocity
Rate at which sound travels through a conductor

Air:

1128 feet per second

Wood:

11,700 feet per second

Steel:

18,000 feet per second

Sound Pressure/
Amplitude

Sound Pressure/Amplitude vs. Frequency

http://www.surendranath.org/Applets.html

Multiple

Tones

Applet Menu >Waves > Transverse Waves > Adding

Transverse Waves (continuous)

The Mobility of Sound

Direct Sound
Since sound travels in all directions from the source, each
listener will hear just the segment if the overall sound
wave that is traveling in a direct line to his hear (in a
space free from reflecting surfaces). As the distance from
the source increases, the sound pressure at the listener's
ear will decrease proportionately.
(Example: good Headphones)

Reflection

Diffusion

Diffraction: The Sound Squeezes Through

Sound waves are not always reflected or absorbed.
When an obstacle is the same size as the
wavelength or less, the sound can bend around
obstacles or flow through small openings, and
continue onward. This is called diffraction. This
action is more likely for deeper sounds (of low
frequency, and this with longer waveforms).

Reverberation
The perpetuation of reflected sound within a space after the source has
ceased is called reverberation. The time interval between reflections is
usually so short that distinct echoes are not heard. Instead, this series of
reflections will blend with the direct sound to add "depth". Reverberation is a
basic acoustic property of a room. It can enrich speech and music in all areas
-- or it can slur speech and generate higher noise levels throughout a room,
depending upon the room volume, timing, and absorption.

Room Acoustics
Shape

Materials

Room Acoustics

Volume

Reflect

Room Acoustics
Absorb

Sound re-enforcement

The shape of a space

determines the sound
path within the
space

Room Acoustics
C

B
A
A

Reverberation

Parallel reflective
surfaces generates
unwanted
reverberation

Reverberation time must

match room function
Pure speech requires short reverberation
time
Symphony blends notes with long
reverberation time

Concert halls demand very careful

acoustical analysis

The Sydney Opera House concert hall

building designed by Jorn Utzon