Room Acoustics
Our planning services for room acoustics are used for new building projects as well as existing buildings whose intended use may be changed as a consequence of alterations or refurbishment. Our partners in these consulting services are architects and owner-builders or property developers.
The objective of our consultation work is to optimize audibility. With a musical performance, the listeners expect the music to reach them with sufficient volume, regardless of where they are seated, and they expect the music to 'surround' them without losing its nuances and form in reverberations. In rooms for spoken presentations, the spoken word must be readily intelligible to the audience.
Room acoustic consulting does not end with the completion of the room. We also advise orchestra musicians, musical directors and theatre directors regarding the acoustical fine-tuning of rooms, special effects in elaborate opera productions and solutions to intricate problems relating to the interaction of acoustics, stage techniques and performance practice.
Müller-BBM's activities in the planning of room acoustics for building projects reach far beyond the borders of Sweden, Germany and Europe.
Computer simulation of room acoustics and auralisation
Based on drawings and plans, we compute objective quality characteristics of rooms using simulation programs for room acoustics. It is also possible to 'listen in' within virtual rooms with the help of modern auralisation technology. In this way, it is possible to draw far-reaching conclusions regarding the anticipated acoustical quality of the room, even in the planning and design stages, and measures to improve the acoustical quality can be taken if necessary.
Investigating room acoustics using reduced-scale models
Additional conclusions can be arrived at by making measurements on acoustical models. For this purpose, models are prepared at a scale of 1:20 or 1:10. All details, including the orchestra pit, the ceiling shape and the seating arrangements for the public, are copied exactly to scale and their relevant acoustical properties are adapted as necessary.
Models at a scale of 1:50 can be used for checking sound 'steering' and sound distribution uniformity, using visual investigations.
Measuring room acoustics in existing halls
In order to provide planning documentation for measures to refurbish or improve existing rooms, or to check the results of the implementation of recommended acoustical measures, measurements should be made on site. These are most often made with the room empty, but they may also be made with the room occupied. Such measurements can also be useful for checking design and implementation work.
In-situ absorption coefficient measurements
Interference-free measurements of the acoustic absorption capacity of individual wall or ceiling surfaces can be made in situ (in place) using a newly developed technique. This allows the effects of individual surfaces on room acoustics parameters to be determined, or performance quality to be judged.