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Audible Architecture
An exploration of the sound problems in theatrical spaces and how active acoustic systems can help.
The architectural properties of a space are the most important contributor to its’ acoustical qualities.
However, not every space is crafted perfectly in regards to acoustics, especially in the case of multipurpose
performance spaces. This paper will look at the sound technologies available today and how
they can be used to mediate and solve acoustical problems due to imperfections within the
architecture. It will discuss different difficulties and problems in the planning and designing phase of
the theatre spaces themselves, and possible digital solutions.
The acoustic design of performance spaces involves the specification of the room geometry and
boundary properties, and any additional acoustic elements such as reflectors or diffusers. The goal is to
usefully direct sound to produce a desired subjective experience, which, fortunately, can usually be
quantified by measurable acoustic parameters. The design must take into account the reverberant
properties of the room, the control of sound absorption, sound diffusion, and interference from
background noise. Active acoustic systems provide an alternative approach to controlling subjective
experience. They use microphones, electronic processors, and loudspeakers to create reflections and
reverberation in addition to those produces by the naturally‐occurring sound field.
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The acoustic properties can be changed instantly, and the enhanced acoustic properties of the
auditorium can typically be varied over a wider range than can be produced by variable passive
techniques. [3] The design of active acoustics follows that of passive approaches...
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...Acoustics for Spoken Word using Active Acoustics." The Journal of
the Acoustical Society of America: 3402. Print.
2. Schwenke, Roger W. "Active Acoustics and Sound Reinforcement at TUI Operettenhaus,
Hamburg: A Case Study." The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America: 3307. Print.
3. Poletti, M. A. "Active Acoustic Systems for the Control of Room Acoustics." Building Acoustics:
237‐258. Print.
4. Ellison, Steve. "The Case for Widely Variable Acoustics." International Symposium on Room
Acoustics: 1‐4. Print.
5. Strong, Judith. Theatre Buildings: A Design Guide. Abingdon, Oxon [England]: Routledge, 2010.
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6. Egan, M. David. Architectural Acoustics. Ft. Lauderdale, FL: J. Ross Pub., 2007. Print.
7. Architects, American Institute of. "Architectural Acoustics." The Architect's Handbook of
Professional Practice. 13th ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2000. Print.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether if the sound is affected when it travels through different length pipes. The method used to do this experiment was created by using 5 different PVC pipes in the lengths of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 centimeters. Then, using a tuning fork, sound will be produced on one end of the PVC pipe and measured with a decimeter on the other end. This experiment was recorded using 5 trials for each independent level and the average decibels (dB) for each pipe length were recorded.
The audience is an important factor to determine the success of a spectacle. It is known that there is no spectacle without audience. The musical theater presentations are known for their number of people, which according to the Broadway League (n.d.), the 2013 season reached attendance of 11.57 million. However, the number of spectators has been decreased in comparison with the peak of popularity for musicals in the last century. The first reason for that is that the spectators of musical theater presentations were a more specific group such as wealthy and intellectual people that used to go to this type of presentation, and this pattern has been consistent until now, as it can be seen in the price of a Broadway spectacle that is very expensive. Second, the spectators have to go where the spectacles are set up, which makes the live presenta...
Wolfe, Joe. "How Do Woodwind Instruments Work?." Music Acoustics. 1994. 2014. Web. April 13, 2014. .
and sounds that this can create are put to good use to add to the
The next advancement, used in the late 1700s and the early 1800s, was that of the acoustic throne. As these were quite costly to make and buy, they were typically used for royalty and other elites. The arms of the chair were hollow, with a long tube connected to a resonator located wit...
...to gradually build up and intertwine with each other, creating an intricate and complexly dense sound.
Lorenzi, C., Gatehouse, S., & Lever, C. (1999). Sound localization in noise in normal hearing listeners. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 105 (3), 1810-1820.
Without light, the theatre cannot exist, that much is certain. As actors, as audience members, as technical visionaries, we are only as powerful as the light we are given. The extent to which we depend upon light in performance has changed dramatically throughout history, however, as light technology developed and expanded. In the history of performance, the artistic community is constantly victim to the limits of lighting technology, and exponentially altered by breakthroughs. From the utilization of candles and natural light to isolated light and electricity, the histories of illumination and theatre are virtually inseparable, and continue to push the boundaries of live performance.
In conclusion, the debate between aesthetics and functionalism has been around for a long time. It becomes clear however, through research, that the first thing architects consider is function, and then aesthetics. It is because of this approach that aesthetics becomes somewhat of a by-product of the whole design process. By looking at examples of various buildings, it is apparent that aesthetics is important to structure and in many instances has been successfully coupled with function. But in no circumstance should aesthetics take precedence over the function and practicality of a building. It seems more likely that a happy medium between function and aesthetics can be reached, on a project by project basis, and then applied to the design process of creating the building.
The instrument that will be analysed in this report is the acoustic guitar. An acoustic guitar is any guitar that uses acoustics as a means to transmit the strings vibrational energy to the air to produce a sound. The sound from an acoustic guitar is initiated by the strings. When plucked with the fingers or a plectrum it creates vibrational energy which is then transferred to the soundboard or soundbox. Without the soundboard the string alone would not be able to produce much sound as it would just cut through the air without causing much disturbance, but since the soundboard is large and flat it moves the air easier, this process is called mechanical impedance matching. This increases the systems energy transfer efficiency and produces a much louder sound.
In order to create innovative public architecture, considered to be the most civic, costly, time intensive and physical of the arts, the project holds a degree of risk, strife, and negotiation . Overcoming these tasks and creating worthy public architecture is a challenge designers try to accomplish, but are rarely successful. The people involved in a potential public building, can be larger than the building itself. Public architecture tries to please all, even the doubters and critics, but because of the all these factors, a building is closer to failing than succeeding.
Exton, Peter, “The Room Acoustics of the Guangzhou Opera house”, Harold Marshall Group Consultant 2010, Marshall Day Acoustics
Medical ultrasound mechanisms produce ultrasound waves and accord the imitated echoes. Brightness mode (B mode) is the frank mode that is normally used.[2] The B mode gives a two dimensional (2D) black and white picture that depends on the anatomical locale of the slice. The body can be imaged in disparate planes reliant on the locale of the probe. These slender slices are of less than 1 mm every single and can be sagittal, coronal, transverse, or oblique. Sound waves are emitted from piezoelectric crystals from the ultrasound transducer. Piezoelectric crystals are fabricated from physical that adjustments mechanical signals to mechanical vibrations and adjustments mechanical vibrations to mechanical signals.[2] As ultrasound waves bypass across assorted body tissues, they are imitated back to the transducer crafting an picture on the ultrasound screen.[3] Aural impedance is described as the confrontation for propagation of ultrasound waves. This varies according to the density of the physical ultrasound passes through. After the physical is extra solid, nex...
Acoustics is a science that deals with the study of sound. It is known to be one of the branches of physics; studying oscillations and sound waves from the lowest to high frequencies. Acoustics is known to be one of the oldest sciences, and dates back to ancient times as people had the need to understand the nature of speech and hearing. The main reason acoustics was discovered and is one of the oldest sciences is because of the need for the knowledge of the sounds of music and musical instruments. Pythagoras, an ancient mathematician, was the first person to ever find out that tone height corresponds to the length of the sting or tube. While Aristotle, Pythagoras apprentice at the time, helped more to explain that an echo is created as the sound reflection from obstacles.
Behind every architectural work there is an architect, whether the architect is one man or woman, a small group, or an entire people. The structure created by any of these architects conveys a message about the architect: their culture, their identity, their struggles. Because of the human element architects offer to their work not just a building is made, but a work of art, a symbol of a people, a representation, is also created.