Influence of the room on sound perception: experiments in an anechoic chamber and reverberant chamber

The perception of sound does not depend only on its source, there are many interactions between acoustic waves and the environment, so that, in the case of musical instruments, the room functions as an extension of the instrument. Factors such as geometry, materials, position, are decisive for the perception of sound. Intelligibility and sound pressure level can vary drastically depending on the acoustics of the room. There are appropriate parameters for each type of activity in a room. The reverberation time is one of the acoustic parameters to be observed and, if possible, adapted to the activity to be carried out. The extremes of this parameter, very high and very low, are present in a reverberant chamber and an anechoic chamber, respectively. We carried out some experiments in these two types of rooms and obtained very different values of the sound pressure level for each room, proving how the perception of sound varies and highlighting the need to adapt the room depending on the type of sound source. If it is not possible to adapt the room, you can vary the type of music and the way it is played, in order to produce a good sound perception.

Keywords:
Room acoustics; musical acoustics; music room; reverberation time