How early reflections affect the stage acoustic conditions for solo musicians

Abstract

Early reflections are an important factor for the acoustic conditions on stage. To better understand their effect on the perception of musical performers, an experimental study was conducted to investigate how the time and direction of arrival, the diffusivity and the strength of early reflections affect the perceived acoustic quality on stage. Architectural variations of a typical stage structure were created in computer models. Combinations of different stage widths, canopy heights, and surface scattering were modelled using geometric acoustics and Boundary Element Method (BEM) simulations. Listening experiments carried out with musicians of different instrumental groups playing with real-time auralisations of these virtual concert hall stages revealed that both the time and direction of arrival of early reflections have a significant effect on the stage acoustic conditions perceived by solo musicians. In a larger battery of stage acoustic parameters determined for each architectural variation, the ‘Top to Sides’ and ‘Top to Horizontal’ ratios (TS, TH) proved to be the best predictors of the acoustic quality of the stage configurations presented, although the interrelation within the musicians seems to be less uniform than for room acoustic parameters from the audience perspective.