Ferienakademie 2008: Course 4
Roomacoustical engineering: experimental and computational methods
Roomacoustics has an enormous tradition. Already 2000 years ago Vitruvius
commented on rules for the roomacoustical layout of spaces for theatre and
music. In what consists the actual work related with the acoustical layout
for modern rooms for speech or music? Art, design, physiology, engineering
work based on experience, on classical physics or on modern simulation
techniques? And what are the goals? And also, can it be planned with
sufficient reliability?
Roomacoustical design is centered in the conflicts of interest between
musicians/speakers, owners, listeners and composers. The goals of a
roomacoustical planning have to be set and translated into the language of
engineers from the different languages related with the various disciplines
involved. The correlation processes, the integration constants, the dynamics
and other characteristics of the human sense of hearing are a basis to
decide on the optimal acoustical response aimed at. The challenge is, to
design rooms in a way that this optimum can be physically achieved.
In how far numerical methods can help and replace model tests, which still
are state of the art for complicated geometries? The application of the
Finite-Element-Method in the acoustical frequency range was limited due to
the enormous number of Eigenvalues of typical acoustical spaces. To what
extend can the Finite-Element-Method be applied in this frequency range for
which until recently just statistical methods and ray-tracing methods were
available? And, is there a difference between time-domain and
frequency-domain solutions? How are the various boundary conditions modeled?
In the scope of the course the questions cannot all be solved – but the
perception of the problems can be sharpened. The fundamental physical
relationships and numerical methods will be addressed and experimentally
validated at the basis of tests and numerical simulations carried out
—however not for a 2500 persons concert hall— as we chose a romantic and
cosy valley – but in equally attractive acoustic spaces which are also
available high up in the mountains.
We thus will cover experimental, numerical and engineering approaches,
linking students from computer sciences with engineers. If —what we
certainly can assume— lovers of music will participate, the connection with
the subjective assessment of our results will be automatically assured.
The course language is English. However, as most of us are not native
speakers, our language skills are limited. Do not hesitate, if you have
doubts about your vocabulary.
