Acoustic Design: A Nightmare Issue for any Sound Engineer
What is Acoustic Design?
Acoustics can be a fickle medium to tame, especially when applying a sound system to an unfamiliar venue. It is impossible to know how sound will act in any environment, which is why professional acoustic design is so important to the success of any concert and event be it indoor or outdoor.
When acoustically designing a venue, there are a multitude of obscure factors to consider including:
Surfaces: Is the floor absorbing audio through carpet or reflecting off of concrete? Does the venue have excess furniture? Are there curtains in the venue?
Venue space size: Are live instruments respective of the distance between the stage and the back of the room? How high is the ceiling from the floor?How long is the room?
Speaker placement: Are the speakers placed too close to the walls? How far from the back of the wall is the stage, and to what extent does that play a part in reflecting the audio back to the audience.
One of the main issues that acoustic designers will run into is the crowd size. Hopefully your event will have a lot of attendees, and when it does you need to consider how high end frequencies are absorbed by large crowds.
How Does Sound Absorption Affect the Acoustic Design of a Venue?
Every venue is different. Sometimes you are dealing with plain concrete walls with little cladding or you could be managing furniture and curtains that help absorb the sound. APH aims to make the event venue in question as acoustically appropriate for each concert.
The size of the room alongside the capacity of an event are the key factors at play when it comes to acoustic design. Audiences absorb the sound just as much as curtains and walls interact with it meaning that the directionality of the audio system has to be placed so that it both reaches the very back of the crowd whilst not skimming the experience for those nearer the front of the venue. While, what is known as, throwing the sound is vital for an outdoor event reaching every audience member, audio distance inside can be obscured by walls and curtains.
One method of practical acoustic design that goes beyond technical speaker aiming, is interior design. If you have assessed that the walls inside your venue are reflecting the sound then an acoustic designer will prescribe the walls with thick curtains, paying special attention to the back of the room.
How Can You Acoustically Design Your Event and Reduce Noise Reflection?
We at Audio Production Hire have over 20 years of experience when it comes to acoustic design and so we know the tips, tricks, and methods to soundproofing any live venue no matter how big or small. While the most echoey of venues might be seemingly impossible to create a good acoustic design plan for, there are a number of tactics you can employ to reduce that noise bounce.
The first, as we mentioned, is to work closely with the venue manager to design the interior of the reduced bounce. An example of this is in the restoration of the Alexandra Palace Theatre, which is notoriously known for its echoey Victorian walls, where tour managers arrange for acoustic designers to bring in bespoke drapes to the room which successfully absorb any kind of unwanted noise.
APH’s acoustic design team addresses every venue individually, starting with acoustic calculations that are focussed on examining the surfaces and area size. Once that has been assessed, the next step in acoustic design is to install directional speakers. Our DAS audio systems provide top of the range quality with directionality and so our team of audio experts can set the basics of advanced acoustic design for any live venue.
Being one of the few companies in the UK that owns our own DASaim speaker systems, Audio Production Hire’s acoustic designers can deliver professional sound directionality, ensuring that your audience aren’t bombarded with noise bounce.
Get in Touch With Audio Production Hire to See How We Can Help With Your Acoustic Design Plan
Are you facing issues with echoey walls and noise bounce in your venue? Get in touch with Audio Production Hire today to see how we can make an acoustic design plan that gets the music to the audience without compromising any quality.
