Architectural Acoustics: Blending Sound Sources, Sound Fields, and Listeners (AIP Series in Modern Acoustics and Signal Processing)

Proceeding from basic theory to design studies of concert and multiple purpose halls, the author introduces a remarkable seat selection system for the analysis of new and existing halls, and proposes a diagnostic system for testing the physical properties and calculating the psychological attributes at any seat after a hall is built. The book also presents a theory of subjective preferences, based on a model of the auditory cognitive system in the brain. Readers can thus follow the temporal and spatial values that may be associated with the left and right cerebral hemispheres in listening to music and speech, respectively, in a room. From the results of calculating subjective preference at each seat, for example, architects, musicians, and acoustical engineers concerned with the design and use of concert and multi-use halls may determine the best location to perform a certain type of music on the stage, as well as the best seats from which to listen.