An improved broad-spectrum room acoustics model including diffuse reflections

More and more literature has paid attention to the diffuse reflections in enclosed space during the past few years. In this paper, the current computer models including diffuse reflections have been reviewed briefly at first. Then, to realize the broad-spectrum simulation for enclosed sound fields including diffuse reflections, an improved ray-tracing algorithm, which combines the splitting coefficient diffusion model and a dynamic sound ray receiving method, has been given. The algorithm can deal with broad frequency bands simultaneously by using the frequency independent splitting coefficient. To test the algorithm and also to investigate the significance of the diffuse reflections in enclosed sound fields, experiments have been made in three spaces including a virtual room and two real rooms. The results and discussions have validated the applicability of the improved algorithm and they have also shown that diffuse reflections can improve room acoustic prediction, although it not always promote a sound field to be more diffused.     

Computer models in room acoustics: The ray tracing method and the auralization algorithms

Computer algorithms are described for constructing virtual acoustic models of various rooms that should satisfy some specific sound quality criteria. The algorithms are based on the ray tracing method, which, in the general case, allows calculation of the amplitude of an acoustic ray that survived multiple reflections from arbitrary curved surfaces. As a result, calculations of room acoustics are reduced to tracing the trajectories of all the acoustic rays in the course of their propagation with multiple reflections from reflecting surfaces to the point of their complete decay. For this approach to be used, the following physical properties of a room should be known: the geometry of the reflecting surfaces, the absorption and diffusion coefficients on each of these surfaces, and the decay law for rays propagating in air. The proposed models allow for the solution of the important problem of architectural acoustics called the auralization problem, i.e., to predict how any given audio segment will sound in any given hall on the basis of computer simulation alone, without any full-scale testing in specific halls.     

The effect of construction material, contents and room geometry on the sound field in dwellings at low frequencies

An experimentally validated finite element method is used to model the sound level in rooms at low frequencies. It is demonstrated that the dimensions of rectangular rooms strongly influence the sound pressure level difference. Additional factors were investigated which are not normally considered in the frequency range where diffuse sound field conditions can be assumed. Three effects were investigated: room damping due to wall vibrations, furniture, the effect of small deviations from simple rectangular shapes. It is confirmed by field measurements that the vibrations of masonry walls and floors introduce less damping than surfaces of lightweight construction. Assigning to the FE model a damping equivalent to a surface absorption of 0.02 reproduces the effect of walls of heavyweight construction. Damping equivalent to a surface absorption of 0.15 reproduces the effects of plastered timber-frame walls, floors and ceilings. The work was briefly extended to a room pair built with heavyweight and lightweight material of construction. The modification of the shape of the room frequency response highlights well the effect of material of construction. In-situ and laboratory measurements show that furniture has little effect on steady-state room response below 100 Hz. Modelling a wall recess smaller than 0.5 m improved the agreement between prediction and measurements but the assumption of a simple rectangular room remains appropriate.     

Absorbing surfaces in ray-tracing programs for coupled spaces

Nowadays architects commonly use the ‘coupled space concept’; examples are mezzanines, half-open office spaces and exhibition rooms. There is a need to predict acoustical quantities for this category of spaces, since half-open spaces may be a cause of noise annoyance. The transmission of sound between coupled spaces depends on design decisions like position, shape and dimensions of the surfaces and on the reflection characteristics. This paper deals with some problems related to the application of absorbing surfaces in coupled rooms, especially when they are modelled in a ray-tracing program. Absorption coefficients from meausurements in reverberation chambers may exceed 1.0 and they do not bear any information about angle dependent behavior, so an extra conversion must be made into input values for the ray-tracing model. Therefore ray-tracing calculations have been performed in a computer model of a reverberation chamber. From a comparison study between measurements and calculations in three coupled rooms it is found that the accuracy is good, provided that the sound reflections on the walls are introduced as angle dependent. Care should be taken in choosing a diffusion factor of flat surfaces.     

Sound focusing in rooms: the time-reversal approach

New perspectives in audible range acoustics, such as virtual sound space creation and active noise control, rely on the ability of the rendering system to recreate precisely a desired sound field. This ability to control sound in a given volume of a room is directly linked to the capacity to focus acoustical energy both in space and time. However, sound focusing in rooms remains a complicated problem, essentially because of the multiple reflections on obstacles and walls occurring during propagation. In this paper, the technique of time-reversal focusing, well known in ultrasound, is experimentally applied to audible range acoustics. Compared to classical focusing techniques such as delay law focusing, time reversal appears to considerably improve quality of both temporal and spatial focusing. This so-called super-resolution phenomenon is due to the ability of time reversal to take into account all of the different sound paths between the emitting antenna and the focal point, thus creating an adaptive spatial and temporal matched filter for the considered propagation medium. Experiments emphasize the strong robustness of time-reversal focusing towards small modifications in the medium, such as people in motion or temperature variations. Sound focusing through walls using the time-reversal approach is also experimentally demonstrated.     

On the importance of early reflections for speech in rooms

This paper presents the results of new studies based on speech intelligibility tests in simulated sound fields and analyses of impulse response measurements in rooms used for speech communication. The speech intelligibility test results confirm the importance of early reflections for achieving good conditions for speech in rooms. The addition of early reflections increased the effective signal-to-noise ratio and related speech intelligibility scores for both impaired and nonimpaired listeners. The new results also show that for common conditions where the direct sound is reduced, it is only possible to understand speech because of the presence of early reflections. Analyses of measured impulse responses in rooms intended for speech show that early reflections can increase the effective signal-to-noise ratio by up to 9 dB. A room acoustics computer model is used to demonstrate that the relative importance of early reflections can be influenced by the room acoustics design.     

Influence of wall absorption on low-frequency dependence of reverberation time in room of irregular shape

In this paper, a modal analysis was used to describe a reverberation phenomenon in a room of complex shape. A theoretical model was limited to low sound frequencies, when eigenmodes are lightly damped, thus they may be approximated by uncoupled normal acoustic modes of a hard-walled room. A utility of this method was demonstrated in a numerical example where the enclosure in a form of two coupled rooms was considered. A reverberation time was evaluated from a time decay of spatial root mean square pressure, the overall measure of room pressure. The results of calculations, performed for three different distributions of absorbing materials on room walls, showed how various location of the material can effect a dependence of the reverberation time on a frequency of sound source.     

Using optimized surface modifications to improve low frequency response in a room

A case study of improving sound energy distribution at low frequency in a small orthogonal room is presented in this paper. The effects of the geometric modifications of wall surface on the sound frequency response have been investigated in depth. In order to find the optimal modifications for the wall surface, an optimization procedure, based on finite element analysis, has been developed. The uniqueness of this method is that it takes both modal redistribution and sound diffusion into account during optimization process. As a result, the promising improvements of sound frequency response have been obtained at the frequencies around 100 Hz in all rooms tested, particularly in those where the serious modal concentrations are met. The maximum reduction of sound fluctuation in such a room could reach a mount of 4.6 dB. The work opens up the possibility of improving low frequency sound quality by a means that considers both modal changing and surface scattering at same time.     

Introducing atmospheric attenuation within a diffusion model for room-acoustic predictions

This paper presents an extension of a diffusion model for room acoustics to handle the atmospheric attenuation. This phenomenon is critical at high frequencies and in large rooms to obtain correct acoustic predictions. An additional term is introduced in the diffusion equation as well as in the diffusion constant, in order to take the atmospheric attenuation into account. The modified diffusion model is then compared with the statistical theory and a cone-tracing software. Three typical room-acoustic configurations are investigated: a proportionate room, a long room and a flat room. The modified diffusion model agrees well with the statistical theory (when applicable, as in proportionate rooms) and with the cone-tracing software, both in terms of sound pressure levels and reverberation times.     

Localization of distinct reflections in rooms using spherical microphone array eigenbeam processing

This paper presents an experimental and comparative study of several spherical microphone array eigenbeam (EB) processing techniques for localization of early reflections in room acoustic environments, which is a relevant research topic in both audio signal processing and room acoustics. This paper focuses on steered beamformer-based and subspace-based localization techniques implemented in the spherical EB domain, including the plane-wave decomposition, eigenbeam delay and sum, eigenbeam minimum variance distortionless response, eigenbeam multiple signal classification (EB-MUSIC), and eigenbeam estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (EB-ESPRIT) methods. The directions of arrival of the original sound source and the associated reflection signals in acoustic environments are estimated from acoustic maps of the rooms, which are obtained using a spherical microphone array. The EB-domain-based frequency smoothing and white noise gain control techniques are derived and employed to improve the performance and robustness of reflection localization. The applicability of the presented methods in practice is confirmed by experiments carried out in real rooms.     

小阻尼界面房间声传输函数和声脉冲响应函数的有限元素法

有限元法可用于以声波动方程为基础通过数值计算求解室内声场,适用于分析界面阻抗非均匀分布和复杂形状房间内声场的低频特性。本文首先介绍了小阻尼界面条件下室内声场简正方式、声衰变系数、混响时间的ＦＥＭ计算方法。在此基础上导出了房间内两点之间声传输函数和声脉冲响应函数的ＦＥＭ计算模型,并以矩形房间为例详细讨论了有关细节。本文所讨论的计算模型可以映房间内不同的声源点,接收点位置上的声压频谱特性和脉冲响应的时     

Equal autophonic level curves under different room acoustics conditions

The indirect auditory feedback from one's own voice arises from sound reflections at the room boundaries or from sound reinforcement systems. The relative variations of indirect auditory feedback are quantified through room acoustic parameters such as the room gain and the voice support, rather than the reverberation time. Fourteen subjects matched the loudness level of their own voice (the autophonic level) to that of a constant and external reference sound, under different synthesized room acoustics conditions. The matching voice levels are used to build a set of equal autophonic level curves. These curves give an indication of the amount of variation in voice level induced by the acoustic environment as a consequence of the sidetone compensation or Lombard effect. In the range of typical rooms for speech, the variations in overall voice level that result in a constant autophonic level are on the order of 2 dB, and more than 3 dB in the 4 kHz octave band. By comparison of these curves with previous studies, it is shown that talkers use acoustic cues other than loudness to adjust their voices when speaking in different rooms.     

Reliability of estimating the room volume from a single room impulse response

The methods investigated for the room volume estimation are based on geometrical acoustics, eigenmode, and diffuse field models and no data other than the room impulse response are available. The measurements include several receiver positions in a total of 12 rooms of vastly different sizes and acoustic characteristics. The limitations in identifying the pivotal specular reflections of the geometrical acoustics model in measured room impulse responses are examined both theoretically and experimentally. The eigenmode method uses the theoretical expression for the Schroeder frequency and the difficulty of accurately estimating this frequency from the varying statistics of the room transfer function is highlighted. Reliable results are only obtained with the diffuse field model and a part of the observed variance in the experimental results is explained by theoretical expressions for the standard deviation of the reverberant sound pressure and the reverberation time. The limitations due to source and receiver directivity are discussed and a simple volume estimation method based on an approximate relationship with the reverberation time is also presented.     

Using optimized wall section to improve low frequency response in a room

Three different wall sections with step shape were applied in the finite element analysis models set up to investigate the effect on low frequency sound field by wall modification. The heights of the step in three cases are taken as equal, random and optimized. The optimized value is obtained by using an optimization process with an objective function of minimum fluctuation in sound field. The frequency responses of rooms with original and modified walls were calculated in a range from 60 Hz to 120 Hz. The results showed that the room with an optimized wall section had the flattest frequency response. Same thing was true as the ratio of the room was changed. The largest improvement on fluctuation reached 4.5 dB. In addition, wall section with semicircle and triangle were studied. The rooms that wall section had optimized radius and heights also gave a better performance than those that had fixed radius and heights. Therefore, it is possible to use optimized wall section to improve low frequency sound field.     

Prediction of sound flanking transmission through two adjacent rooms within a residence building

Flanking transmission has significant effects on the overall sound insulation of two adjacent rooms within a residence building. This study investigates the mechanism of the sound flanking transmission by dividing it into several subsystems with the statistical energy analysis method. The sound energy equations of these subsystems are obtained first, and then,the sound transmissions on each flanking path are predicted and the dominant sound transmission path is determined by solving these equations and calculating the total loss factors of the subsystems and coupling loss factors between subsystems. With respect to a masonry building with heavy-weight homogeneous structure, the results show that:(1) the flanking transmission paths instead of the separating wall may become the dominant ones at low frequencies;(2) all sound transmissions on the flanking paths tend to be consistent at medium and high frequencies, so the sound insulation between two adjacent rooms depends on the direct path of the separating wall;(3) heavy-weight separating walls can be used to reduce the frequency range of the flanking transmission.     

Numerical solutions of the acoustic eigenvalue equation in the rectangular room with arbitrary (uniform) wall impedances

Two numerical procedures for finding the acoustic eigenvalues in the rectangular room with arbitrary (uniform) wall impedances are developed. One numerical procedure applies Newton's method. Here, starting with soft walls, the eigenvalues are found by increasing the impedances of each wall pair in small increments up to the terminal impedances. Another procedure poses the eigenvalue problem as one of homotopic continuation from a non-physical reference configuration in which all eigenvalues are known and obvious. The continuation is performed by the numerical integration of two differential equations. The latter procedure was found to be faster and finds all possible solutions. The set of eigenvalues allowed the room modal natural frequencies and damping constants to be obtained. From sound decays measured in a hard-walled rectangular room, and from the collective-modal-decay curve, the impedances of the hard walls are estimated. These are then used to find the reverberation times of the modes in the room with the floor lined with sound absorbing material of known acoustic impedance. It was found that a single reverberation time, for all modes, is only supported in the rectangular room with hard walls and at the higher frequency bands, consistent with Sabine's theory, which assumes a diffuse sound field. In the rectangular room with hard walls and at the lower frequency bands, and in the rectangular room with the floor lined with sound absorbing material and for all frequency bands, modes with rather distinctive reverberation times may produce sound decays not always consistent with Sabine's prediction.     

The influence of absorption factors on the sensitivity of a virtual room’s sound field to scattering coefficients

Currently there is limited information on what scattering coefficients (SCs) to assign materials in geometrical room acoustic computer models. As a result, room modelers rely on general guidelines and intuition when assigning SCs. How sensitive is the predicted sound field to the user’s choice of scattering coefficients? The sound field’s sensitivity depends on its diffusivity (without SCs); the more diffuse the room’s sound field is, the less sensitive the virtual room is to the selection of SCs. In rooms with no fittings to diffuse sound energy, the sound field diffusivity is influenced by (1) room shape, (2) volume, (3) amount and (4) location of absorption, and (5) the choice of SCs. This investigation focuses only on the latter three factors. A rectangular room is modeled in ODEON v6.5 with 10 absorption schemes. These schemes vary in terms of the area of mirrored reflective surfaces, average absorption coefficient, and standard deviation of absorption. The amount of diffuse reflections at each room boundary as dictated by the SC is increased uniformly in each room. Changes in the room sound field, in particular in the reverberation time (T30), are examined at each step. Sound field diffusivity, and consequently a virtual room model’s sensitivity to SCs, is found to depend most on the area of mirrored reflective surfaces. Also, a proposed quantity called the Scattering Sensitivity Index appears to predict sound field diffusivity.     

Development of an optimised, standard-compliant procedure to calculate sound transmission loss: design of transmission rooms

A numerical procedure to estimate the transmission loss of sound insulating structures is proposed based upon the technology of acoustic measurements and standards. A virtual laboratory (VL), namely, a numerical representation of a real laboratory consisting of two reverberation rooms meeting certain sound field quality criteria is designed. VL is to be used for the numerical simulation of standardised measurements under predefined, controlled, acoustic conditions. In this paper, the design and optimisation of VL is investigated. The geometry of the transmission rooms is designed following first principles, in order for diffuse field conditions and sufficiently smooth primary mode distribution in the low frequency to be achieved. A finite element-based optimisation procedure, introduced by the author in previous work, is extended to arbitrarily shaped rooms. It is used to predict the appropriate local geometric modifications so as for improved mode distribution and smoother sound pressure fluctuations of the transmission rooms in the low-frequency range to be achieved and low-frequency measurement reproducibility and accuracy to be increased. Steady-state acoustic response analysis is performed in order to quantify the acoustic field quality of the virtual transmission rooms in the frequency range of measurements. A method to calculate the total absorption, A, of the receiving room is introduced by simulation of the reverberation time measurement procedure using Transient acoustic response analysis. The acoustic performance of VL is overall considered and is shown to meet in a sufficient degree, relative laboratory measurement standards in the frequency range of 100÷704 Hz.     

Measuring sound scattering coefficients of uneven surfaces in a reverberant workplace – Principle and validation of the method

In workplaces, wall facings are often based on periodic or aperiodic sound scattering surfaces. It is necessary to develop acoustic characterization methods for these kinds of walls to predict the acoustic pressure cartography in the room in order to improve the acoustical treatment. However, this characterization is quite difficult because of the partially reverberant conditions. We developed a measurement system which determines in situ the sound scattering coefficients of relief surfaces. The measurement method, originally operating in free-field conditions, was adapted for indoor use. To overcome problems of parasite echoes coming from reverberation and from noisy sources present on the site, we developed a dedicated emission/reception system. An acoustic antenna with constant directivity over the full frequency range allows spatial filtering of the parasite echoes and an impulsive sound source enables the use of a broad temporal window, resulting in adequate time separation of the different signals received by the antenna. Measurements of the sound scattering coefficient of a corrugated panel were carried out for several incidence angles in free-field and in a noisy workshop and allowed the in situ validation of this system.     

Reverberation time measurements in non-diffuse acoustic field by the modal reverberation time

The increasing presence of low frequency sources and the lack of acoustic standard measurement procedures make the extension of reverberation time measurements to frequencies below 100 Hz necessary. In typical ordinary rooms with volumes between 30 m³ and 200 m³ the sound field is non-diffuse at such low frequencies, entailing inhomogeneities in space and frequency domains. Presence of standing waves is also the main cause of bad quality of listening in terms of clarity and rumble effects. Since standard measurements according to ISO 3382 fail to achieve accurate and precise values in third octave bands due to non-linear decays caused by room modes, a new approach based on reverberation time measurements of single resonant frequencies (the modal reverberation time) has been introduced. From background theory, due to the intrinsic relation between modal decays and half bandwidth of resonant frequencies, two measurement methods have been proposed together with proper measurement procedures: a direct method based on interrupted source signal method, and an indirect method based on half bandwidth measurements. With microphones placed at corners of rectangular rooms in order to detect all modes and maximize SNRs, different source signals were tested. Anti-resonant sine waves and sweep signal turned out to be the most suitable for direct and indirect measurement methods respectively. From spatial measurements in an empty rectangular test room, comparison between direct and indirect methods showed good and significant agreements. This is the first experimental validation of the relation between resonant half bandwidth and modal reverberation time. Furthermore, comparisons between means and standard deviations of modal reverberation times and standard reverberation times in third octave bands confirm the inadequacy of standard procedure to get accurate and precise values at low frequencies with respect to the modal approach. Modal reverberation time measurements applied to furnished ordinary rooms confirm previous results in the limit of modal sound field: for highly damped modes due to furniture or acoustic treatment, the indirect method is not applicable due to strong suppression of modes and the consequent deviation of the acoustic field from a non-diffuse condition to a damped modal condition, while standard reverberation times align with direct method values. In the future, further investigations will be necessary in different rooms to improve uncertainty evaluation.