This paper describes the course Acoustics: Physics of Sound, which teaches the science of acousti... more This paper describes the course Acoustics: Physics of Sound, which teaches the science of acoustics to Audio Technology majors. Pedagogically this course seeks to be more rigorous than typical introductory courses to non-science majors, yet also avoids the fully calculus-based of higher level engineering courses. Audio students' salient strengths, including familiarity with critical listening, as well as software and microphones, can be leveraged to foster deeper understanding in the language they already know-that of sound itself.
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Auditory Display - ICAD 2018, 2018
Many different musical applications, including remote sonification, sound installation, augmented... more Many different musical applications, including remote sonification, sound installation, augmented reality, and distributed/telematic music performance, make use of high speed Internet connections between different performance spaces. Most of the technical literature on this subject focuses on system latency, but there are also significant contributions from the acoustics of all rooms connected: specifically, smaller auxiliary rooms will tend to introduce spectral coloration, and the “main” larger volume will send more reverberation to the off-site performers. Measurements taken in two linked networked sites used in telematic performance show that both of these issues are present. Some improvements are suggested, including physical room alterations and equalization methods using signal processing.
This paper investigates an early acoustical theory of Hope Bagenal about the Leipzig Thomaskirche... more This paper investigates an early acoustical theory of Hope Bagenal about the Leipzig Thomaskirche, where J.S. Bach composed and conducted from 1723 to 1750. Bagenal predicted that the church had a shorter reverberation time than previously in Bach’s time as a result of the Lutheran alterations to the space in the 16th century. This study uses on-site measurements to calibrate a geometric acoustical model of the current church. The calibrated model is then altered to account for the state of the church in 1723 and 1539. Simulations predict that the empty church in 1723 had a T30 value nearly one second lower than today, while the empty church in 1539 was much more reverberant than today. However, when the fully occupied church is simulated across all time periods, the difference in T30 is much smaller, with values at 1 kHz ranging from 2.7s in 1539, 2.5s in the present day, and 2.3s in 1723. These empirical data are crucial for understanding the historical setting of Bach’s music as ...
History contains many accounts of speeches given by civic and military leaders before large crowd... more History contains many accounts of speeches given by civic and military leaders before large crowds prior to the invention of electronic amplification. Historians have debated the historical accuracy of these accounts, often making some reference to acoustics, either supporting or refuting the accounts, but without any numerical justification. The field of digital humanities, and more specifically archaeoacoustics, seeks to use computational techniques to provide empirical data to improve historical analysis. Julius Caesar recalled giving speeches to 14,000 men after the battle of Dyrrachium and another to 22,000 men before the battle of Pharsalus during the Roman Civil War. Caesar’s background and education are discussed, including his training in rhetoric and oratory, which would have affected his articulation and effective sound pressure level while addressing his troops. Based on subjective reports about Caesar’s oratorical abilities, his effective Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is a...
While the challenge of historical reconstruction of past musical performances is not a fully solv... more While the challenge of historical reconstruction of past musical performances is not a fully solved problem, not all the elements are equally unknown, or of equal magnitude. Despite some uncertainty about the interpretation of individual performers on specific dates, scholarship can still inform other factors of greater perceptual importance, leading to a good approximation of historical performances. In addition to performance style and period instruments, computer simulations make it possible to also account for the acoustics of the period performance space. In addition, the most accurate reconstruction should simulate the room’s acoustics in real time for the performers, thus retaining the feedback mechanisms of room response on performance practice.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2012
The Anglican preacher George Whitefield was renowned for his loud voice and the huge crowds he dr... more The Anglican preacher George Whitefield was renowned for his loud voice and the huge crowds he drew during the transatlantic revivals of the 18th century. Benjamin Franklin was skeptical of the accounts of crowds of 30,000 gathering in London, and when Whitefield came to Philadelphia in 1739, Franklin performed one of the earliest recorded'archeoacoustic'experiments: walking backwards down Market Street, Franklin continued listening to Whitefield speak from the old courthouse until his sermon became ...
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2013
ABSTRACT Current research at NYU has focused on computational estimation of vocal loudness of Geo... more ABSTRACT Current research at NYU has focused on computational estimation of vocal loudness of George Whitefield, an Anglican preacher in the 18th century who reportedly spoke to crowds of 30,000 or more. After having established an overall level for his voice, we have begun investigating how his voice would have radiated spatially. Existing literature on the radiation of the spoken voice has focused extensively on the context of conversation in workspaces. These studies typically examine one soft, one normal, and one raised voice condition. Trained actors and orators, however, employ more methods of projection than are used in conversational speech and can achieve higher loudness as well. The radiation patterns from these types of communication have not been quantifiably studied yet. This paper investigates the radiation patterns of different methods of projection in trained vocalizers using relative intensity levels at 1 m from the front of the speaker. The results are compared to the existing data for conversational speech, and the implications to open-air oratory are discussed.
The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all ... more The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all effectively limited by the loudness and intelligibility of the human voice. Various accounts throughout history depict single orators addressing crowds or armies of many tens of thousands, though some historians have cast doubts onto the veracity of these claims. Prior acoustic simulation has shown that reasonable intelligibility might be achieved for over 20,000 listeners for very loud orators and very quiet crowds with high density. Nearly all such accounts, however, depict a man addressing the crowd, with one notable exception: in 1588 Elizabeth I of England addressed a large army of between 5,000-23,000 troops gathered to repel the impending invasion by the Spanish Armada. The acoustic plausibility of this account is tested via STI simulations, focusing primarily on the density, noise, and environmental conditions at the time of the speech, as well as the frequency-dependent differences between female and male orators' vocal spectra and a sound radiation patterns.
The Thomaskirche in Leipzig has a rich musical and cultural history, marked not only by its assoc... more The Thomaskirche in Leipzig has a rich musical and cultural history, marked not only by its association with the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century but especially by the tenure of J.S. Bach as cantor from 1723-1750. The church's interior has undergone several renovations of differing magnitudes since the earliest building constructed in the 12th century. In the 20th century, acoustician Hope Bagenal and Bach biographer C.S. Terry argued that the architectural modifications made by the Lutheran Reformers in the 16th century directly affected Bach's compositional palette by reducing the reverberation time and allowing more polyphonic and temporal variation in the liturgical works composed for the space. The space was measured acoustically in the 1950s, but this captured the response of the church under the 19th century renovations which had some large differences with the church in Bach's era. Here the history of the building and its renovations are presented, as well as acoustical measurements in the current church, which has been renovated since Bagenal's time to more accurately match the interior as it existed in Bach?s time. Some comments are provided Bagenal's theory as well as the effect of the material and geometric changes made by the Reformers on the performance of Bach's music during his lifetime.
This Convention paper was selected based on a submitted abstract and 750-word precis that have be... more This Convention paper was selected based on a submitted abstract and 750-word precis that have been peer reviewed by at least two qualified anonymous reviewers. The complete manuscript was not peer reviewed. This convention paper has been reproduced from the author’s advance manuscript without editing, corrections, or consideration by the Review Board. The AES takes no responsibility for the contents. Additional papers may be obtained by sending request
The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all ... more The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all effectively limited by the loudness and intelligibility of the human voice. Various accounts throughout history depict single orators addressing crowds or armies of many tens of thousands, though some historians have cast doubts onto the veracity of these claims. Prior acoustic simulation has shown that reasonable intelligibility might be achieved for over 20,000 listeners for very loud orators and very quiet crowds with high density. Nearly all such accounts, however, depict a man addressing the crowd, with one notable exception: in 1588 Elizabeth I of England addressed a large army of between 5,000-23,000 troops gathered to repel the impending invasion by the Spanish Armada. The acoustic plausibility of this account is tested via STI simulations, focusing primarily on the density, noise, and environmental conditions at the time of the speech, as well as the frequency-dependent differen...
This paper describes an application that provides real-time high accuracy room acoustics simulati... more This paper describes an application that provides real-time high accuracy room acoustics simulation. Using a multitouch interface, the user can easily manipulate the dimensions of a virtual space while hearing the room’s acoustics change in real-time. Such an interface enables a more fluid and intuitive control of our application, which better lends itself to expressive artistic gestures for use in such activities as sound design, performance, and education. The system relies on high accuracy room impulse responses from CATT-Acoustic and real-time audio processing through Max/MSP and provides holistic control of a spatial environment rather than applying generic reverberation via individual acoustic parameters (i.e. early reflections, RT60, etc.). Such an interface has the capability to create a more realistic effect without compromising flexibility of use.
This paper describes ScanIR, an application for flexible multichannel impulse response measuremen... more This paper describes ScanIR, an application for flexible multichannel impulse response measurement in Matlab intended for public distribution. The application interfaces with the PortAudio API using Psychtoolbox-3, a toolkit in Matlab allowing high-precision control of a multichannel audio interface. ScanIR contains single-channel, binaural, and multichannel input modes, and it also allows the use of multiple output test signals. It is hoped that this application will prove useful to researchers using Matlab for physical or psychological acoustic measurements.
This paper describes the course Acoustics: Physics of Sound, which teaches the science of acousti... more This paper describes the course Acoustics: Physics of Sound, which teaches the science of acoustics to Audio Technology majors. Pedagogically this course seeks to be more rigorous than typical introductory courses to non-science majors, yet also avoids the fully calculus-based of higher level engineering courses. Audio students' salient strengths, including familiarity with critical listening, as well as software and microphones, can be leveraged to foster deeper understanding in the language they already know-that of sound itself.
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Auditory Display - ICAD 2018, 2018
Many different musical applications, including remote sonification, sound installation, augmented... more Many different musical applications, including remote sonification, sound installation, augmented reality, and distributed/telematic music performance, make use of high speed Internet connections between different performance spaces. Most of the technical literature on this subject focuses on system latency, but there are also significant contributions from the acoustics of all rooms connected: specifically, smaller auxiliary rooms will tend to introduce spectral coloration, and the “main” larger volume will send more reverberation to the off-site performers. Measurements taken in two linked networked sites used in telematic performance show that both of these issues are present. Some improvements are suggested, including physical room alterations and equalization methods using signal processing.
This paper investigates an early acoustical theory of Hope Bagenal about the Leipzig Thomaskirche... more This paper investigates an early acoustical theory of Hope Bagenal about the Leipzig Thomaskirche, where J.S. Bach composed and conducted from 1723 to 1750. Bagenal predicted that the church had a shorter reverberation time than previously in Bach’s time as a result of the Lutheran alterations to the space in the 16th century. This study uses on-site measurements to calibrate a geometric acoustical model of the current church. The calibrated model is then altered to account for the state of the church in 1723 and 1539. Simulations predict that the empty church in 1723 had a T30 value nearly one second lower than today, while the empty church in 1539 was much more reverberant than today. However, when the fully occupied church is simulated across all time periods, the difference in T30 is much smaller, with values at 1 kHz ranging from 2.7s in 1539, 2.5s in the present day, and 2.3s in 1723. These empirical data are crucial for understanding the historical setting of Bach’s music as ...
History contains many accounts of speeches given by civic and military leaders before large crowd... more History contains many accounts of speeches given by civic and military leaders before large crowds prior to the invention of electronic amplification. Historians have debated the historical accuracy of these accounts, often making some reference to acoustics, either supporting or refuting the accounts, but without any numerical justification. The field of digital humanities, and more specifically archaeoacoustics, seeks to use computational techniques to provide empirical data to improve historical analysis. Julius Caesar recalled giving speeches to 14,000 men after the battle of Dyrrachium and another to 22,000 men before the battle of Pharsalus during the Roman Civil War. Caesar’s background and education are discussed, including his training in rhetoric and oratory, which would have affected his articulation and effective sound pressure level while addressing his troops. Based on subjective reports about Caesar’s oratorical abilities, his effective Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is a...
While the challenge of historical reconstruction of past musical performances is not a fully solv... more While the challenge of historical reconstruction of past musical performances is not a fully solved problem, not all the elements are equally unknown, or of equal magnitude. Despite some uncertainty about the interpretation of individual performers on specific dates, scholarship can still inform other factors of greater perceptual importance, leading to a good approximation of historical performances. In addition to performance style and period instruments, computer simulations make it possible to also account for the acoustics of the period performance space. In addition, the most accurate reconstruction should simulate the room’s acoustics in real time for the performers, thus retaining the feedback mechanisms of room response on performance practice.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2012
The Anglican preacher George Whitefield was renowned for his loud voice and the huge crowds he dr... more The Anglican preacher George Whitefield was renowned for his loud voice and the huge crowds he drew during the transatlantic revivals of the 18th century. Benjamin Franklin was skeptical of the accounts of crowds of 30,000 gathering in London, and when Whitefield came to Philadelphia in 1739, Franklin performed one of the earliest recorded'archeoacoustic'experiments: walking backwards down Market Street, Franklin continued listening to Whitefield speak from the old courthouse until his sermon became ...
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2013
ABSTRACT Current research at NYU has focused on computational estimation of vocal loudness of Geo... more ABSTRACT Current research at NYU has focused on computational estimation of vocal loudness of George Whitefield, an Anglican preacher in the 18th century who reportedly spoke to crowds of 30,000 or more. After having established an overall level for his voice, we have begun investigating how his voice would have radiated spatially. Existing literature on the radiation of the spoken voice has focused extensively on the context of conversation in workspaces. These studies typically examine one soft, one normal, and one raised voice condition. Trained actors and orators, however, employ more methods of projection than are used in conversational speech and can achieve higher loudness as well. The radiation patterns from these types of communication have not been quantifiably studied yet. This paper investigates the radiation patterns of different methods of projection in trained vocalizers using relative intensity levels at 1 m from the front of the speaker. The results are compared to the existing data for conversational speech, and the implications to open-air oratory are discussed.
The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all ... more The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all effectively limited by the loudness and intelligibility of the human voice. Various accounts throughout history depict single orators addressing crowds or armies of many tens of thousands, though some historians have cast doubts onto the veracity of these claims. Prior acoustic simulation has shown that reasonable intelligibility might be achieved for over 20,000 listeners for very loud orators and very quiet crowds with high density. Nearly all such accounts, however, depict a man addressing the crowd, with one notable exception: in 1588 Elizabeth I of England addressed a large army of between 5,000-23,000 troops gathered to repel the impending invasion by the Spanish Armada. The acoustic plausibility of this account is tested via STI simulations, focusing primarily on the density, noise, and environmental conditions at the time of the speech, as well as the frequency-dependent differences between female and male orators' vocal spectra and a sound radiation patterns.
The Thomaskirche in Leipzig has a rich musical and cultural history, marked not only by its assoc... more The Thomaskirche in Leipzig has a rich musical and cultural history, marked not only by its association with the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century but especially by the tenure of J.S. Bach as cantor from 1723-1750. The church's interior has undergone several renovations of differing magnitudes since the earliest building constructed in the 12th century. In the 20th century, acoustician Hope Bagenal and Bach biographer C.S. Terry argued that the architectural modifications made by the Lutheran Reformers in the 16th century directly affected Bach's compositional palette by reducing the reverberation time and allowing more polyphonic and temporal variation in the liturgical works composed for the space. The space was measured acoustically in the 1950s, but this captured the response of the church under the 19th century renovations which had some large differences with the church in Bach's era. Here the history of the building and its renovations are presented, as well as acoustical measurements in the current church, which has been renovated since Bagenal's time to more accurately match the interior as it existed in Bach?s time. Some comments are provided Bagenal's theory as well as the effect of the material and geometric changes made by the Reformers on the performance of Bach's music during his lifetime.
This Convention paper was selected based on a submitted abstract and 750-word precis that have be... more This Convention paper was selected based on a submitted abstract and 750-word precis that have been peer reviewed by at least two qualified anonymous reviewers. The complete manuscript was not peer reviewed. This convention paper has been reproduced from the author’s advance manuscript without editing, corrections, or consideration by the Review Board. The AES takes no responsibility for the contents. Additional papers may be obtained by sending request
The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all ... more The largest gatherings in human history prior to the advent of electronic amplification were all effectively limited by the loudness and intelligibility of the human voice. Various accounts throughout history depict single orators addressing crowds or armies of many tens of thousands, though some historians have cast doubts onto the veracity of these claims. Prior acoustic simulation has shown that reasonable intelligibility might be achieved for over 20,000 listeners for very loud orators and very quiet crowds with high density. Nearly all such accounts, however, depict a man addressing the crowd, with one notable exception: in 1588 Elizabeth I of England addressed a large army of between 5,000-23,000 troops gathered to repel the impending invasion by the Spanish Armada. The acoustic plausibility of this account is tested via STI simulations, focusing primarily on the density, noise, and environmental conditions at the time of the speech, as well as the frequency-dependent differen...
This paper describes an application that provides real-time high accuracy room acoustics simulati... more This paper describes an application that provides real-time high accuracy room acoustics simulation. Using a multitouch interface, the user can easily manipulate the dimensions of a virtual space while hearing the room’s acoustics change in real-time. Such an interface enables a more fluid and intuitive control of our application, which better lends itself to expressive artistic gestures for use in such activities as sound design, performance, and education. The system relies on high accuracy room impulse responses from CATT-Acoustic and real-time audio processing through Max/MSP and provides holistic control of a spatial environment rather than applying generic reverberation via individual acoustic parameters (i.e. early reflections, RT60, etc.). Such an interface has the capability to create a more realistic effect without compromising flexibility of use.
This paper describes ScanIR, an application for flexible multichannel impulse response measuremen... more This paper describes ScanIR, an application for flexible multichannel impulse response measurement in Matlab intended for public distribution. The application interfaces with the PortAudio API using Psychtoolbox-3, a toolkit in Matlab allowing high-precision control of a multichannel audio interface. ScanIR contains single-channel, binaural, and multichannel input modes, and it also allows the use of multiple output test signals. It is hoped that this application will prove useful to researchers using Matlab for physical or psychological acoustic measurements.
Díaz-Andreu, M & Santos da Rosa, N (eds.) 2024. Exploring ancient sounds and places: theoretical ... more Díaz-Andreu, M & Santos da Rosa, N (eds.) 2024. Exploring ancient sounds and places: theoretical and methodological approaches to archaeoacoustics. Oxbow, Oxford. CHAPTERS: 1. Exploring ancient sounds and places. An introduction to the field of archaeoacoustics – Margarita Díaz-Andreu & Neemias Santos da Rosa; 2. The Role of Listening in the Prehistorical Emergence of Speech and Song: a Precursor to Becoming Human? | Bernd Brabec; 3. Archoustemology and the Aurignacian. Ancient Ways of Knowing through Sound | Simon Wyatt ; 4. The sounds are audible: Fabricating ancient instruments what more can we learn? | Neil Rusch; 5. Methodological approaches to understand the cognitive effects of music in ritualistic contexts: Implications for studying ancient ritual activities | Raquel Aparicio-Terrés, Carles Escera; 6. Methods for psychoacoustic and emotional evaluation of archaeological soundscapes with auralization – Samantha López-Mochales, Carles Escera; 7. Ethnohistorical Sources in Archaeoacoustics Research: A Case Study from South-Central California | Ana-María Alarcón-Jiménez, Raquel Jiménez Pasalodos & Margarita Díaz-Andreu; 8. Early Rock Music: Methodology to Identify and Analyze Portable Lithophones. An Example from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, US | Marilyn Armagast Martorano, RPA; 9. Preliminary Insights into the Archaeoacoustics of Cup-Marked Sounding Rocks in the North area of the Gredos mountain chain, Spain. | Raquel Jiménez Pasalodos, Martín Almagro-Gorbea and Jesús Caballero Arribas; 10. The rock art soundscapes of the Karakol valley (Republic of Altai, Russia): an archaeoacoustic study of a unique landscape | Margarita Díaz-Andreu; Raquel Jiménez Pasalodos, Neemias Santos da Rosa, Daniel Benítez-Aragón, Lidia Alvarez-Morales; 11. Sound Imagery in Medieval Serbian Frescoes | Zorana Đorđević; 12. Acoustic space then and now: listening to history | Tess Knighton; 13. Estimation of Speech Intelligibility in the Past: Learning from Benjamin Franklin’s Experiment | Braxton Boren. DESCRIPTION: Archaeoacoustics studies historical sound, merging archaeology, anthropology, and psychology to reveal insights about ancient music and acoustic environments. Exploring Ancient Sounds and Places: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Archaeoacoustics brings together scholars from diverse academic fields – including archaeology, anthropology, architecture, classics, history, art history and sound engineering – to shed light on the role of sound and acoustics in the cultural practices of past societies from various chronologies and locations around the world. This innovative volume covers a broad spectrum of topics, such as the genesis of archaeological investigations into sound, the emergence of speech and song in early humans, the cognitive effects of music in ritualistic contexts, the acoustic dimensions of rock art sites, and the emotional responses elicited by sonorous activities experienced in these decorated spaces. Additionally, the book delves into the study of prehistoric musical instruments, the use of ethnohistorical sources in archaeoacoustic research, the analysis of sound imagery in medieval frescoes, and explores historical approaches to the study of specific acoustic parameters and the sonic properties of urban environments. Each chapter not only aggregates a wealth of academic perspectives but also bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and the most advanced methods used in this field of research. Case studies from all over the world illustrate the different ways in which ancient communities perceived and engaged with sound and the acoustics of the landscapes in which they were immersed. Exploring Ancient Sounds and Places is an essential resource for scholars and students interested in archaeoacoustics and how sound has shaped the cognitive, cultural and spiritual facets of human societies across time and space. isbn 9798888571774. https://www.oxbowbooks.com/
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