ADAPTATION OF SOUND DESIGNS TO

LIMITED OR CONFINED SPACES 2.0.

1. TERMS AND VOCABULARY.

- Polarity: • the property or characteristic that produces unequal

physical effects at different points in a body or system, as a magnet or
storage battery. • the positive or negative state in which a body reacts
to a magnetic, electric, or other field. • the condition of a body or
system in which it has opposing physical properties at different
points, especially magnetic poles or electric signals • the particular
state of a part of a body or system that has polarity: an electrode with
positive polarity.
Unlike phase, polarity has discrete values; in fact, it has only two
possible states: positive (normal) and negative (inverted) polarity.
When we invert the polarity of an audio signal, we are producing a
phase shift of 180o in each and every frequency contained in the
signal.

Applying the polarity inverter of a processor or a crossover. Often,

this button is labeled polarity or phase reverse switch (although the
word 'phase' is often used, this is incorrect: the button mentioned
modifies the phase of all frequencies of the signal by 180º ).

2. TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY EFFECTS.

- Refraction: It occurs when the speed and direction of the sound wave
changes. • 1. This change in speed and direction occurs abruptly when
the wave strikes at a certain angle of incidence and passes from one
medium to another of different density, e.g. from air to water. • 2. The
change in velocity occurs gradually within the medium itself due to: •
- Temperature changes: • -Temperature gradient • -Thermal
inversion • - Variations in wind speed.
- Refraction within the same medium (changes in temperature):
During the day, the air temperature drops as we rise above the
ground. This is known as a negative temperature gradient. This
phenomenon attenuates the sound level and produces an upward
refraction, together with acoustic shadows. • At night, on the other
hand, the air temperature rises with height. This phenomenon is
called thermal inversion. In this case, the sound is refracted
downwards and the conditions are favorable for propagation.
2. SOUND FIELDS.

- Free field: The free field is an area in which there are no reflections,
so all sound energy is radiated from the source itself (direct sound).
The type of sound reinforcement that most closely resembles the free
field is that of open-air performances and concerts. In this field, the
inverse-square law or the law of divergence holds true: the intensity
of the sound decreases inversely proportional to the square of the
distance from the source. Thus, doubling the distance from the source
will result in an attenuation at one-quarter intensity (a drop of 6 dB
SIL). The anechoic chamber is a room that attempts to simulate the
free field by means of fully absorbing surfaces.
- Near field and reverberant field: In a closed room, the sound field is
made up of the sum of the direct sound plus the sound reflected from
the surfaces. In a room, we can no longer speak of a free field, but of a
near or near field, to refer to the area closest to the source, where the
direct sound predominates over the reflected sound. In any closed
room, except in the anechoic chamber, there is a reverberant field in
which the sound energy of the sound reflected from the surfaces
interferes with the direct sound.
3. ALIVE ROOMS AND DEAD ROOMS.

A typical 1000 m3 room (about 35,300

cubic feet) with a reverberation time
greater than 1.5 seconds is considered
a live room, the best example being
the reverberation chamber. The same
room with a reverberation time of
less than 0.5 seconds would be a dead
room. The maximum example of a
dead room is the anechoic chamber,
which imitates the behavior of the
free field.

The reverberation chamber is a room in which surfaces have a high degree of

reflection. It is therefore a very lively room. For example, the room at the
Polytechnic University of Valencia has concrete walls and a ceiling covered
with methacrylate panels. Its reverberation time is more than 10 seconds at
low frequencies.
The reverberant room is used to measure the absorption coefficients of
different materials. All samples to be analysed have the same dimensions, as
they are placed inside a rectangle drawn on the floor of the room. A function
generator emits pink noise at a high level, which is reproduced by a
dodecahedral loudspeaker, placed in a corner of the room, creating a field as
diffuse as possible. With the material sample on the floor, the reverberation
time is measured and compared with that of the room when it is empty. This
room is also used to generate echoes. If two microphones are spaced apart,
they will pick up the slightly delayed signals, producing the sensation of
echo.

The anechoic chamber tries to imitate the free field, with maximum
absorption of its surfaces and no reflections. It is a dead room.
Anechoic absorbers, also called absorption devices with progressive
variation of their physical characteristics, reduce the obstacle presented by
the material to a minimum. They are wedge shaped and achieve absorption
coefficients at normal incidence of more than 99%.
The anechoic chamber is used, among many other applications, to measure
the sensitivity and directional pattern of loudspeakers. To measure the
sensitivity, the loudspeaker is placed on a platform and the sound pressure
level is measured by a sonometer at one meter distance.
 To measure the angle of coverage, the loudspeaker rotates on the platform
while the sound meter picks up sound pressure levels at different angles
until the level falls 6 decibels off axis.

4. DIRECT SOUND AND REFLECTED SOUND.

At any given point in the room, we will be talking about a total sound energy,
which consists of two components: - DIRECT SOUND - This is the sound
emitted by the source without bouncing off any surface; in other words, it
coincides with the sound that would be received in a free field. It is therefore
only distance dependent, decreasing at a rate of 6 dB each time the distance
from the source is doubled. - REFLECTED SOUND - This is the sound coming
from successive collisions with the surfaces of the venue.
The reflected sound depends on two factors: 1.- The characteristics of the
surfaces: the absorbance coefficient of the construction materials implies
dissipation losses, and the shape (smooth or rough) determines the
percentage of specular reflections with respect to diffuse reflections. 2.- The
total length traveled by the sound from the time it was emitted by the source
until it reaches the receiver. For example, a first order reflection will not
have the same energy contribution as an order 5 reflection (reflected 5 times
on a surface). The former has suffered less loss than the latter.
FIRST REFLECTIONS OR EARLY REFLECTIONS

These are the reflections that reach the receiver within 20 milliseconds after
the reception of the direct sound in small rooms, and up to 50 milliseconds
in large rooms. In addition, the intended function of the room also plays a
role. For example, for a large room intended for speech, the first 20
milliseconds will be decisive for clarity and intelligibility, whereas for a
room intended for listening to music, the first 50 milliseconds should be
analyzed.
The first reflections are specific to each point in the room and from them we
obtain the information necessary to describe the acoustic conditions of a
receiver located at that position.
Although they blend in with the direct sound and we do not distinguish them
from it, the first reflections give the listener an idea of the size of the room,
since the delay depends exclusively on the distance between the surfaces.
The first reflections provide more information than the reverberation time,
since the reverberation time can be the same in a large absorptive room as in
a small, more reflective room.

LATE REFLECTIONS OR REVERBERANT TAIL

They arrive after the first reflections, with lower sound level, and usually
correspond to reflections of order 3 or higher (three or more bounces). They
determine the reverberation of the room, i.e. how long the sound remains in
the room. Therefore, they depend primarily on the absorbance
characteristics of the surfaces. The shape and volume of the room also play a
role.

FOH: In the performing arts, front of house (FOH) is the part of a

performance venue that is open to the public. In theatres and live music
venues, it consists of the auditorium and foyers, as opposed to the stage and
backstage areas. Sound operators, excluding the monitor engineers, are
normally positioned in a small sectioned-off area front-ofhouse,
surrounded by the audience or at the edge of the audience area. From this
position they have unobstructed listening and a clear view of the
performance, enabling the operation of the main speaker system, show
control consoles and other equipment. In this case "front of house" can
refer to both the general audience/public area or to the specific small section
from where the show is mixed. The front of house speakers are the main
speakers that cover the audience, and the front of house desk is the desk that
generates the front of house audio mix. In smaller venues the front of house
desk may also produce foldback (monitor) mixes for the monitor speakers
onstage, whereas in larger venues there will normally be a second mixing
desk for monitor control positioned just off the side of the main stage. The
audio engineer that designs the front of house sound system and puts it into
place for the show/event is the system engineer, and this role is often
separate from the person who operates the mixing desk who is often
employed by the band directly on larger tours or employed by the venue for
smaller tours. The touring engineer is usually assisted by a house sound
engineer (employed by the venue) who will be familiar with the installed
system of the venue.