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WHEEL OF CONCERT HALL ACOUSTICS
Figure 1. “Wheel of concert hall acoustics.” The graphic proposes a common vocabulary for eight primary attributes (inner ring) of acoustical perception in concert halls, and several related sub-factors (outer ring). Some attributes in the outer ring overlap between primary percepts, illustrating their interdependency. The circular organization highlights the fact that there is not a consensus hierarchy of characteristics cor- related with listener preference, and the structure does not assume orthogonality between any pair of perceptual attributes. From Kuusinen and Lokki (2017), with permission from S. Hirzel Verlag.
shown in Figure 1, that groups relevant perceptual factors into eight categories: clarity, reverberance, spatial impres- sion, intimacy, loudness, balance, timbre, and minimization of extraneous sounds.
Although there is not yet a consensus around specific at- tributes most correlated with audience listener preference, there is agreement that different people prioritize different elements of the acoustical experience. Several studies have shown that listeners can be categorized into at least two pref- erence groups: one that prefers louder, more reverberant and enveloping acoustics and another that prefers a more inti- mate and clearer sound (Lokki et al., 2012; Beranek, 2016). The listening preferences of the first category generally align
with the acoustical features of “shoebox” concert halls (tall, narrow, and rectangular), such as those in Vienna, Boston, and Amsterdam. Among other factors, the second category of listeners may be influenced by perceptual expectations de- veloped from listening to recordings of classical orchestral music rather than attending live performances (Beranek et al., 2011). However, all elements remain important to the lis- tening experience. Even listeners who prefer a clearer sound still require an adequate level of loudness, reverberance, and envelopment (Lokki et al., 2012). Historically, acousticians have considered some percepts, such as reverberance and clarity, to be in direct opposition with each other, but there is new emphasis on finding a common ground to engage more listeners.
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blend
orchestral balance
spatial balance
image shift
spectral balance
background noise
strength
BALANCE
interference
level
texture
warmth / bass
volume
TIMBRE
source presence
brilliance
body
LOUDNESS
brightness / treble
dynamic range
articulation
INTIMACY
proximity
CLARITY
definition
SPATIAL IMPRESSION
sharpness of attacks
distance
EXTRANEOUS echo REVERBERANCE SOUNDS
localization
size of space
openness
width
envelopment
responsiveness
room presence
amount of reverb
liveness
fullness