Speaker
Description
A central challenge in the design of music venues concerns the architectural features of the stage. Previous field studies have shown that, provided the overall shape and size of a hall are suitable for symphonic music, appropriately designed stage enclosures can generate beneficial reflection patterns to complement the direct sound distribution within the orchestra. These reflections are essential for enabling musicians to hear themselves and one another effectively during performances. While some significant tendencies have emerged in terms of architectural measures, the numerous confounding factors inherent in field investigations have hindered the establishment of robust and generalisable relationships between architectural or acoustic parameters and perceptual qualities relevant to symphony orchestra performers. Building on a diffraction pipeline for geometrical acoustics specifically designed to accurately reproduce the sound propagation occurring within a symphony orchestra, a listening experiment was conducted in which orchestra musicians performed symphonic music in auralised rooms under controlled conditions. By systematically modifying the architecture of an archetypal concert hall, the study examined the perceptual effects of stage enclosure width and height, stage canopy structure, and exposure to the main hall volume. Musicians’ perceptions were assessed using the Stage Acoustics Quality Inventory (STAQI), a perceptual measurement instrument developed in earlier studies. Finally, correlations were calculated between recently proposed additions and alternatives to the stage acoustic parameters in ISO 3382-1 and the perceptual qualities captured.