{"id":1721,"date":"2015-07-04T20:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-07-05T03:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/?p=1721"},"modified":"2018-03-01T20:02:14","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T04:02:14","slug":"do-acoustics-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/archives\/1721","title":{"rendered":"Do Acoustics Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Or should it be, \u201cDoes<\/em> acoustics matter?\u201d This is just one of the many awkward points in this subject. If you are involved in building a new auditorium or renovating an old one\u2014perhaps you\u2019re on a PTA or church committee\u2014you may get some help from this memo I wrote for fellow members of the Restore Bailey Hall! Committee, which advised on a seven million dollar renovation at a local high school. (The hall is real; the name \u201cBailey\u201d is fictitious.)<\/p>\n

For more on the subject, see my article, Audiences of the World, Arise!<\/em><\/a>. And read Annals of Architecture: A Better Sound<\/em><\/a>, by Bruce Bliven, Jr., in The New Yorker<\/em>, Nov. 8, 1976. (Free to New Yorker<\/em> subscribers, cheap to others.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some things seem clear:<\/p>\n

Yes, good acoustics matter. \u201cAuditorium\u201d means a place for listening. If it isn\u2019t good for this purpose, why spend the money and time?<\/p>\n

Computer technology now lets us hear how the hall will sound<\/a> before it\u2019s built; not perfectly, but to a useful degree. This would have been regarded as magic a generation ago; and it\u2019s valuable because it helps committees like ours come to agreement more quickly and with more confidence.<\/p>\n

An acoustical consultant, or acoustician<\/em>, must be involved from the first moment of the project. In case of disagreement between architect and acoustician, contracts should give priority to the latter.<\/p>\n

The legal doctrine of \u201csubstantial performance\u201d may interfere with your getting what you want, unless you take steps to incorporate performance standards and penalties into contracts. You may want the contract to say that the specified performance is \u201cof the essence of this contract\u201d; but don\u2019t take my word for it. I\u2019m not an attorney! Consult an attorney experienced in this sort of contracts!)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not an acoustical consultant, either. What I am is a pianist; and through my career, I\u2019ve seen that fine auditoriums inspire performers to give their best, provide the most intimate communication between performers and audience, assure that audiences receive the maximum of enjoyment, and attract additional events to the venue. Yet it\u2019s rare for individuals or a committee to choose to make a fine hall.<\/p>\n

You<\/em> can be the exception. Make decisions that are acoustically beneficial, see that engineering and construction are carried out properly; and the fine acoustics will be your legacy to future performers, listeners, and your community.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quietness and good acoustics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several people on our committee have suggested that since Bailey Hall is not going to end up perfectly quiet, it isn\u2019t worth it to make it quieter than it is now. And since the acoustics won\u2019t be perfect, it\u2019s not worth making them better. By contrast, I think every little bit counts.<\/p>\n

Good acoustics<\/em> are what bring the audience the full beauty and meaning of the sound produced on stage, and enhance that sound with the \u201cbloom\u201d of the hall\u2019s reverberation. Good acoustics let the performer control the sound for greatest expressiveness.<\/p>\n

Good acoustics involves questions like:<\/p>\n

How much reverberation does the hall have, and what is its character?<\/p>\n

Does the reverb last long enough to support the sound, so the performer benefits from the \u201cbloom\u201d and doesn\u2019t feel he or she is working into cotton wool?<\/p>\n

Does it last about the same amount of time for all pitches, or do some last much longer than others (which can sound weird)?<\/p>\n

Does it die away smoothly (good), or does it have distinct echoes (bad)?<\/p>\n

Is the power of the sound fully conveyed to the audience (good); or is it lost in wings or fly-gallery, or absorbed by walls or shell that are too floppy (bad)?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quietness<\/em> allows the audience to hear the finest details without straining. This is important because details of sound communicate details of feeling. And because a quiet hall makes soft sounds more audible, the performer can produce a wider \u201cdynamic range\u201d\u2014from softest to loudest\u2014without having to make the loudest sounds impossibly loud and therefore ugly. A wider range makes performances more expressive.<\/p>\n

Quietness involves questions like:<\/p>\n

How much noise is audible in the hall, and what is its character?<\/p>\n

Is it a low-pitched hum, which will cover the voices of some actors and bass and baritone singers, cellos, double-basses, tubas and trombones?<\/p>\n

Is it higher-pitched, where it will interfere with other actors, and with sopranos, altos or tenors, violins, violas, flutes and clarinets?<\/p>\n

Does it have a pitch, which will become a dissonant note in every moment of performance? (Every vent fan and every motor makes noise with a distinct pitch\u2014listen to your refrigerator\u2014which is why their noises must be carefully isolated.)<\/p>\n

Is it a smooth wash of sound, which may be relatively unnoticed? Or a succession of noises like a jack-hammer, which cannot be ignored?<\/p>\n

Is it always present, like air-conditioning in hot weather, or occasional, like a toilet flushing?<\/p>\n

Is it produced inside the hall (fans) or outside (airplanes, motorcycles)?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Noise is one thing; acoustics is another. What you do to improve either one has basically nothing to do with the other. Bailey Hall, according to the measurements, is noisy! Yet the acoustics are promising.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who will benefit<\/em> if noise is reduced and acoustics improved? Everybody on stage and off, in every performance and every rehearsal. But the ones most in my mind are the students, our children. As a performer, I know how much their experience, and their education, will be enhanced by having Bailey Hall more nearly what it can be.<\/p>\n

In a quiet hall with good acoustics, hesitant voices and instruments will still be heard. The quietness will let them be heard; and the acoustics will improve them. Students will emerge from the experience saying, \u201cI can\u2019t wait to perform again!\u201d Parents will say, \u201cMy daughter sounded better than at home!\u201d<\/p>\n

In a hall with good acoustics, a normal loud sound from the stage will come across as loud to the audience, with no need for strain by actor, singer or instrumentalist; thus no risk of ugly tone. The full power of the sound will be conveyed. Students will say, \u201cI filled the hall with my sound!\u201d Parents will say, \u201cMy son sounded like a pro!\u201d<\/p>\n

In these days of amplified sound, we forget that real voices and instruments can only play so loud and no louder. And we forget how lovely is the sound of natural voices and instruments, because we are so used to the corruption of amplification. (All<\/em> amplification corrupts!)<\/p>\n

A quiet hall widens the \u201cdynamic range\u201d of performances\u2014the range from loudest to softest. This communicates a wider range of emotion because in performance, as in everyday life, louds and softs are directly related to feeling. Students will say, \u201cI really got into it!\u201d Parents will say, \u201cThey really communicated!\u201d<\/p>\n

The quieter the hall, the lower the audience\u2019s stress level, and the more welcoming it will feel. Students will say, \u201cThe audience were such good listeners!\u201d Parents will say, \u201cI even enjoyed listening to other people\u2019s kids!\u201d<\/p>\n

Who will suffer if Bailey\u2019s noise is not reduced and acoustics not improved? Everybody on stage and in the audience, in every performance and every rehearsal. But the ones most in my mind are the students, our children. In a hall that\u2019s noisy or has bad acoustics, the performance is harder to hear, and the expressive points tend to be lost. Soft parts, whether spoken, sung or played, are less audible, so fine details of feeling are less clear. Loud parts don\u2019t come across as loud, so the feeling they convey is lost, too. Noises inside and outside the hall distract the audience\u2019s attention. Student performers will say, \u201cWhat was the point of all the preparation? I couldn\u2019t put it across!\u201d Parents will say, \u201cI guess my child isn\u2019t as good as I thought. And come to think of it, none of the kids sounded good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some have pointed out that even if the hall were utterly silent in terms of internal noise, there would still be noise from outside. This is true. However, noise from outside will be much reduced when the room is finished, because many openings will be properly sealed. And when you\u2019re in a big quiet space\u2014for instance, a church\u2014there\u2019s a \u201cdistancing\u201d of outside noise. Psychologically, it doesn\u2019t bother you so much, because of the interior quietness of the space. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Or should it be, \u201cDoes acoustics matter?\u201d This is just one of the many<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1721"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1721"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1723,"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1721\/revisions\/1723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/boykonpiano.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}