Chamber musicians' acoustic impressions of auditorium stages: Relation to spatial distribution of early reflections and other parameters.

Characterizing stage acoustics using objective parameters has seen some recent resurgence-several studies have noted the importance of the directionality of early stage reflections to musicians, which is not adequately represented using existing omnidirectional stage-support parameters. This study examines the subjective impressions of 19 chamber musicians against omnidirectional [reverberation time, early and late support (ST, ST), etc.], and proposed spatially-defined parameters (TH and TS), along with simple ratios of stage dimensions derived from measurements on eight purpose-built stages.

Effect of a chamber orchestra on direct sound and early reflections for performers on stage: A boundary element method study.

Early reflections are known to be important to musicians performing on stage, but acoustic measurements are usually made on empty stages. This work investigates how a chamber orchestra setup on stage affects early reflections from the stage enclosure. A boundary element method (BEM) model of a chamber orchestra is validated against full scale measurements with seated and standing subjects in an anechoic chamber and against auditorium measurements, demonstrating that the BEM simulation gives realistic results.