Room acoustics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Room acoustics describes how sound behaves in an enclosed space. The way that sound behaves in a room can be broken up into roughly four different frequency zones:

The first zone is below the frequency that has a wavelength of twice the longest length of the room. In this zone, sound behaves very much like changes in static air pressure.

Above that zone, until the frequency is approximately 11,250(RT60/V)1/2, wavelengths are comparable to the dimensions of the room, and so room resonances dominate.

The third region which extends approximately 2 octaves is a transition to the fourth zone. In the fourth zone, sounds behave like rays of light bouncing around the room.
Contents
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1 Natural modes 2 Reverberation of the room 3 See also 4 References 5 Compare

Natural modes[edit]
The sound wave has reflections at the walls, floor and ceiling of the room. The incident wave then has interference with the reflected one. This action creates standing waves that generate nodes and high pressure zones.[1] In 1981, in order to solve this problem, Oscar Bonello, professor at the University of Buenos Aires, formulated a modal density concept solution which used concepts from psychoacoustics.[2]Called "Bonello Criteria", the method analyzes the first 48 room modes and plots the number of modes in each one-third of an octave. The curve increases monotonically (each one-third of an octave must have more modes than the preceding one).[3] Other systems to determine correct room ratios have more recently been developed
[4]

Reverberation of the room[edit]

After determining the best dimensions of the room, using the modal density criteria, the next step is to find the correct reverberation time. The reverberation time depends on the use of the room. Times about 1.5 to 2

seconds are needed for opera theaters and concert halls. For broadcasting and recording studios and conference rooms, values under one second are frequently used. The recommended reverberation time is always a function of the volume of the room. Several authors give their recommendations
[5]

A good

approximation for Broadcasting Studios and Conference Rooms is: TR[1kHz] = [0,4 log (V+62)] 0,38 TR in seconds and V=volume of the room in m3 [6] The ideal RT60 must have the same value at all frequencies from 30 to 12,000 Hz. Or, at least, it is acceptable to have a linear rising from 100% at 500 Hz to 150% down to 62 Hz To get the desired RT60, several acoustics materials can be used as described in several books. [7][8] A valuable simplification of the task was proposed by Oscar Bonello in 1979
2 [9]

It consists of using standard acoustic

panels of 1 m hung from the walls of the room (only if the panels are parallel). These panels use a combination of three Helmholtz resonators and a wooden resonant panel. This system gives a large acoustic absorption at low frequencies (under 500 Hz) and reduces at high frequencies to compensate for the typical absorption by people, lateral surfaces, ceilings, etc

Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is produced. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large [2] number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air. This is most noticeable when the sound source stops but the reflections continue, decreasing inamplitude, until they can no longer be heard. The length of this sound decay, or reverberation time, receives special consideration in the architectural design of large chambers, which need to have specific reverberation [3] times to achieve optimum performance for their intended activity. In comparison to a distinct echo that is 50 to 100 ms after the initial sound, reverberation is many thousands of echoes that arrive in very quick succession (.01 1 ms between echoes). As time passes, the volume of the many echoes is reduced until the echoes cannot be heard at all.

[1]

Sound Power
Sound Power Level and the Sound Power from some common sources as fans, jet engines, cars, humans and more ..
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Sound Power
Sound power is the energy rate - the energy of sound per unit of time (J/s, W in SI-units) from a sound source.

Sound Power Level

Sound power can more practically be expressed as a relation to the threshold of hearing - 10-12 W in a logarithmic scale named Sound Power Level - Lw, expressed as Lw = 10 log (N / No) where (1)

Lw = Sound Power Level in Decibel (dB) N = sound power (W) No = 10-12 - reference sound power (W). Human hearable Sound Power spans from 10-12 W to 10 - 100 W, a range of 10/10-12 = 1013. The table below indicates the Sound Power and the Sound Power Level from some common sources.

Source

Sound Power -N(W)

Sound Power Level - Lw (dB) (re 10-12 W) 200 170 160

Saturn Rocket Turbo Jet Plane Engine

100,000,000 100,000 10,000

Inside jet engine test cell Jet Plane Take-off Large centrifugal fan, 800.000 m3/h Turbo Propeller Plane at take-off Axial fan, 100.000 m3/h Machine Gun Large Pipe Organ Large chipping hammer Symphonic orchestra Jet Plane from passenger ramp Heavy Thunder Sonic Boom Small aircraft engine

1,000

150

100

140

10

130

120

Source

Sound Power -N(W)

Sound Power Level - Lw (dB) (re 10-12 W)

Centrifugal van, 25.000 m3/h Accelerating Motorcycle Heavy Metal, Hard Rock Band Music Blaring radio Chain Saw Wood Working Shop Large air Compressor Air chisel Subway Steel Wheels Magnetic drill press High pressure gas leak Banging of steel plate Drive gear Car at Highway Speed Normal Fan Vacuum Pump Banging Steel Plate Wood Planer Air Compressor Propeller Plane Outboard motor Loud street noise Power Lawn Mover Helicopter Cut-off saw Hammer mill Small air compressor Grinder Heavy diesel vehicle Heavy city traffic Lawn mover Airplane Cabin at normal flight

0.1

110

0.01

100

0.001

90

Source

Sound Power -N(W)

Sound Power Level - Lw (dB) (re 10-12 W)

Kitchen Blender Spinning Machines Pneumatic Jackhammer Alarm clock Dishwasher Toilet Flushing Printing Press Inside Railroad Car Noisy Office Inside Automobile Clothes Dryer Vacuum Cleaner Large department store Busy restaurant or canteen Ventilation Fan Noisy Home Average Office Hair Dryer Room with window air conditioner Office Air Diffuser Quiet Office Average Home Quit Street Voice, low Small Electric Clock Private Office Quiet Home Refrigerator

0.0001

80

0.00001

70

0.000001

60

0.0000001

50

0.00000001

40

Source

Sound Power -N(W)

Sound Power Level - Lw (dB) (re 10-12 W)

Bird Singing Ambient Wilderness Agricultural Land Room in a quiet dwelling at midnight Quiet Conversation Broadcast Studio Rustling leaves Empty Auditorium Whisper Watch Ticking Rural Ambient Human Breath

0.000000001

30

0.0000000001

20

0.00000000001 0.000000000001

10 0

Sound Pressure Level

The Sound Pressure is the force (N) of sound on a surface area (m2) perpendicular to the direction of the sound. The SI-units for the Sound Pressure are N/m2 or Pa. The Sound Pressure Level: Lp = 10 log( p2 / pref2 ) = 10 log( p / pref )2 = 20 log ( p / pref ) where Lp = sound pressure level (dB) p = sound pressure (Pa) pref = 2 10-5 - reference sound pressure (Pa) (4)

If the pressure is doubled, the sound pressure level is increased with 6 dB (20 log (2))

Sound power
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that Sound energy flux be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2011.

Sound measurements Sound pressure p, SPL Particle velocity v, SVL Particle displacement Sound intensity I, SIL Sound power Pac Sound power level SWL Sound energy Sound energy density E Sound energy flux q Acoustic impedance Z Speed of sound Audio frequency AF

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

Sound power or acoustic power Pac is a measure of sound energy E per time t unit. It is measured in watts and can be computed as sound intensity (I) times area (A):

When the acoustic wave approaches the measurement surface at an angle, the area is taken as the area times the projection of the wave direction upon the normal of the surface. The difference between two sound powers can be express in decibels (logarithmic measure) using this equation:

where

are the sound powers. The sound power level SWL, LW, or LPac of a source is

expressed in decibels (dB) relative to a reference sound power. In air this is normally taken to be = 1012 watt, that is 0 dB SWL. Unlike sound pressure, sound power is neither room dependent nor distance dependent. Sound power belongs strictly to the sound source. Sound pressure is a measurement at a point in space near the source, while sound power is the total power produced by the source in all directions.

Sound Pressure
The Sound Pressure is the force (N) of sound on a surface area (m2) perpendicular to the direction of the sound. The SI-units for the Sound Pressure are N/m2 or Pa. Sound is usually measured with microphones responding proportionally to the sound pressure - p. The power in a sound wave goes as the square of the pressure. (Similarly, electrical power goes as the square of the voltage.) The log of the square of x is just 2 log x, so this introduces a factor of 2 when we convert to decibels for pressures.

Sound pressure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sound measurements Sound pressure p, SPL Particle velocity v, SVL Particle displacement Sound intensity I, SIL

This article is about the measurement of audible sound. For the music album, see Sound Pressure Level.

Sound power Pac Sound power level SWL

Sound pressure or acoustic pressure is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average, or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure, caused by a sound wave. In air, sound pressure can be measured using a microphone, and in water with a hydrophone. The SI unit for sound pressure p is the pascal (symbol: Pa).
Sound energy Sound energy density E Sound energy flux q Acoustic impedance Z Speed of sound Audio frequency AF

Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level is a logarithmic measure of the effective sound pressure of a sound relative to a reference value. It is measured in decibels(dB) above a standard reference level. The standard reference sound pressure in air or other gases is 20 Pa, which is usually considered the threshold of human hearing (at 1 kHz).

Sound pressure diagram: 1. silence, 2. audible sound, 3. atmospheric pressure, 4. instantaneous sound pressure

Pseudo Random Code

A Random Code? The Pseudo Random Code (PRC, shown above) is a fundamental part of GPS. Physically it's just a very complicated digital code, or in other words, a complicated sequence of "on" and "off" pulses as shown here: The signal is so complicated that it almost looks like random electrical noise. Hence the name "Pseudo-Random." GPS Signals in Detail: Carriers The GPS satellites transmit signals on two carrier frequencies. The L1 carrier is 1575.42 MHz and carries both the status message and a pseudo-random code for timing. The L2 carrier is 1227.60 MHz and is used for the more precise military pseudo-random code. Pseudo-Random Codes There are two types of pseudo-random code (see tutorial for explanation of pseudo random codes in general). The first pseudo-random code is called the C/A (Coarse Acquisition) code. It modulates the L1 carrier. It repeats every 1023 bits and modulates at a 1MHz rate. Each satellite has a unique pseudo-random code. The C/A code is the basis for civilian GPS use. The second pseudo-random code is called the P (Precise) code. It repeats on a seven day cycle and modulates both the L1 and L2 carriers at a 10MHz rate. This code is intended for military users and can be encrypted. When it's encrypted it's called "Y" code. Since P code is more complicated than C/A it's more difficult for receivers to acquire. That's why many military receivers start by acquiring the C/A code first and then move on to P code. Navigation Message There is a low frequency signal added to the L1 codes that gives information about the satellite's orbits, their clock corrections and other system status. There are several good reasons for that complexity: First, the complex pattern helps make sure that the receiver doesn't accidentally sync up to some other signal. The patterns are so complex that it's highly unlikely that a stray signal will have exactly the same shape. Since each satellite has its own unique Pseudo-Random Code this complexity also guarantees that the receiver won't accidentally pick up another satellite's signal. So all the satellites can use the same frequency without jamming each

other. And it makes it more difficult for a hostile force to jam the system. In fact the Pseudo Random Code gives the DoD a way to control access to the system. Encrypted GPS GPS was developed by the Defense Department primarily for military purposes. And even though it's been estimated that there are ten times as many civilian receivers as military ones the system still has considerable military significance. To that end the military maintains exclusive access to the more accurate "P-code" pseudo random code. It's ten times the frequency of the civilian C/A code (and so potentially much more accurate) and much harder to jam. When it's encrypted it's called "Y-code" and only military receivers with the encryption key can receive it. Because this code is modulated on two carriers, sophisticated games can be played with the frequencies to help eliminate errors caused by the atmosphere. But there's another reason for the complexity of the Pseudo Random Code, a reason that's crucial to making GPS economical. The codes make it possible to use "information theory" to "amplify" the GPS signal. And that's why GPS receivers don't need big satellite dishes to receive the GPS signals. We glossed over one point in our goofy Star-Spangled Banner analogy. It assumes that we can guarantee that both the satellite and the receiver start generating their codes at exactly the same time. But how do we make sure everybody is perfectly synced? Stay tuned and see.