REVERBERATION [fj] 233 x 18 10ft None Gypst board, 3/2, on frame constrsction Ditto Volume @33) (46) (10) ~ 3,728eut ‘ wollz | sone | 1k salt a {sla |x [a | s Concrete 315 oo | 30 1 gypsum board 1,159 15.9] 005 | 580 ‘Total eabine 1196 6 538 Reverberation time 1.53 2.87 3.38 (econds) ‘@~ absorption coficient for that mater ‘and for that frequency (Sec Appendix) Sa- Stine 2, absorption write, eabine (0.01) G78) 182.7 ce a E ile: For 125 Hz, RT6O er Ost id sample For 125 Ha, RTGO~ EE - 054 secon GT Room conditions and calculations for Example 1. entered under Sa for 126 and 250 Hz. ‘The absorption units (sabins) ere then figured for both materials and for each frequency. The total num- her of sahins at each frequency is obtained hy adding that af the can- czete floor to that of the gypsum board. The reverberation time for each frequency is obtained by dividing 0.049 V = 182.7 by the total Sa prod- uct for each frequency. To visualize the variation of reverberation time with frequency, the values are plotted in Fig. 7-23A. The peak reverberation time of 3.39 seconds at 1 kHz is excessive and would ensure quite poor sound con- ditions. Two persons separated 10 ft would have difficulty under- standing each other as the reverberation of one word covers up the next word.1B2 HAPTER seven Reverberation Calculation: Example 2 The goal now is to correct the reverberation of curve A of Fig, 7-23. It is evident that much absorption is needed at midband frequencies, a modest amount at higher fre~ quencies, and very little at lower frequen- cies. The need is for a material having an absorption characteristic shaped more or less like the reverberation curve A. Skip- ping the laborious thumbing through of handbooks, ‘/-in acoustical tile seems to have the right shape. Giving no thought at Be this point to how it is to be distributed, The calculated reverberation characteristics of 23.3% what area of this tile is requized to correct 16 10 f oom: (A) the “as found,” untieated condi= fan wig 7-944 tion ot Example 2, (B) treated condition ot Example Z. Anew table, Fig. 7-24, is set up to onga- nize the calculations. Everything is identi- cal to Fig, 7-22 except that the Yin acoustical tile has been added with coefficients from the appendix. What area of tile is required? In Fig 7-22 a total of 53.9 sabins is noted at the peak reverberation time at 1 kHz and 339.8 sabins at 125 Hz at which the reverberation time is a reasonable 0.54 sec. How much %in acoustical tile would be required to add 286 sabins at 1 kHz? The absorption coefficient of this material is 0.84 al 1 kHz. To get 286 sabins at 1 kHz with this material would require 286/0.84 = 340 sq ft of the material. This is entered in Fig. 7-24 and the calcu extended. Plotting these reverberation lime points gives the curve of Fig, 7-23B. Obtaining reverberation time this uniform across the band on the first trial is unusual, but satisfying. The overall precision of coefficients and measurements is so poor that the devie- tions of curve B from flatness are insignificant. No carpet has been specified in this example and people usually demand it. The use of carpet would change everything as much absorption in the high frequencies is added. 501k 2k 4k Frequency -Hz Reverberant Field In our 23.3 x 16 x 10 ft room the volume is 3,728 cu fl. The inner sur- face area is 1,533 sq ft. By statistical theory (geometrical ray acousticsREVERBERATION [9 Size 2B X16 x IOI Treatment Acoustical tile Foor Concrete Walls Gyysuin Wad, 1/2, ou fame coustiuction Ceiling Ditto Volume (23.3) (16) (10) = 3,728euft 250 He 500Hz | 1kHe Material s saft sa la | saa |S | a | & Concrete 308 1 az os | 5.6 15 Gypsum board | 1,159 3 1159, 0.05) ood | a6 Acoustica tile | “HO 308 | 028 | 952 QS 08 ‘Total sabins ot pre Reverberation time 0.85 (eeconds) area of material 4@ = absorption coefficient for that material and for that frequency ( S times a, absorption units (0.049)(8728) _ 182.7 ~ Sa GLEE Room conditions and calculations for Example 2. on which the Sabine equation is based) the mean free path (the average distance sound travels between reflections) is 4V/S or (4) (3,728)/1,533 = 9.7 ft. Tf the reverberation time is 0.3 second, there would be at least 35 reflections during the 60 dB decay. This would appear lo be a fair involvement of all room surface Tn a small, relatively dead ranm snch as the average stndia, control room, and listening room, one never gets very far away from the direct influence of the source. A true reverberant field is often below the ambient noise level. The reverberation time equations have been derived for conditions that exist only in the reverberant field. In this sense, then, the concept of reverberation time is inapplicable to small, relatively dead rooms. And yet we measure something that looks very much like what is measured in large, more live spaces. What is il? What we measure is the decay rate of the normal modes of the room. ach axial mode decays at its own rate determined by the absorbance of a pair of walls and their spacing, Each tangential and oblique mode