Acoustic Quality of Stages for Musicians

A Study in a University Auditorium

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46421/encacelacac.v18i1.7332

Keywords:

Room acoustics, Architectural Acoustics, Reverberation time, Stage area

Abstract

The acoustic quality of the stage is fundamental to musical performance, as it influences sound perception, communication among musicians, and audience experience. This study examines the acoustic conditions of a university auditorium dedicated to musical practice. Measurements were conducted following the procedures outlined in standard NBR ISO 3382-1 (ABNT, 2017) in the audience and stage areas. The T30 measured in octave bands was lower than 1.6 s, and the average values in the 250 to 2,000 Hz bands of ST were -2.85 dB for STEarly and -7.06 dB for STLate. The results reveal a significant difference between the acoustics of the audience and the stage, with the reverberation perceived as significantly reduced in the audience area and excessive for musicians on stage.

Author Biography

Mireley Júnia de Lima Iwamoto, Universidade Estadual de Campinas

Arquiteta e Urbanista pela Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (Presidente Prudente/SP). Mestrando do PPG em Arquitetura, Tecnologia e Cidade da Unicamp.

References

ACKERMANN, David; BRINKMANN, Fabian; WEINZIERL, Stefan. Musical instruments as dynamic sound sources. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 155, n. 4, p. 2302–2313, 1 abr. 2024. DOI 10.1121/10.0025463.

ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE NORMAS TÉCNICAS. ABNT NBR ISO 3382-1. Medição de parâmetros de acústica de salas - Parte 1 – salas de espetáculos. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: ABNT, 2017.

BARRON, Michael. Auditorium acoustics and architectural design. New York: Spon Press, 2010.

BERANEK, L. Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music, Acoustics and Architecture. 2. ed. New York: Springer Science, 2012.

BISTAFA, Sylvio R. Acústica aplicada ao controle do ruído. 3 Ed. ed. São Paulo: Edgard Blücher, 2018.

BOTTALICO, Pasquale; ŁASTOWIECKA, Natalia; GLASNER, Joshua D.; REDMAN, Yvonne Gonzales. Singing in different performance spaces: The effect of room acoustics on vibrato and pitch inaccuracy. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 151, n. 6, p. 4131–4139, 1 jun. 2022. DOI 10.1121/10.0011675.

BRANDÃO, Eric. Parâmetros objetivos. In: BRANDÃO, Eric. Acústica de salas: projeto e modelagem. 1 ed. São Paulo: Edgard Blucher, 2018. p. 484-547.

EGAN, D. Architectural Acoustics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. ISBN 9781932159783.

GARI, Sebastià V Amengual; KOB, Malte; LOKKI, Tapio. Analysis of trumpet performance adjustments due to room acoustics. Em: ISRA 2019, Amsterdam. Anais [...] Amsterdam: 2019.

HOEKSTRA, N.; WENMAEKERS, R.; NICOLAI, B.; HAK, C. Project Ancient Acoustics part 4 of 4: Stage acoustics measured in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the theatre of Argos. Em: ICSV23, Atenas. Anais [...] Atenas: jul. 2016.

JEON, Jin Yong; JANG, Hyung Suk; JO, Hyun In. Acoustic evaluation of orchestra occupancies in concert halls: Effect of sound absorption by orchestra members on audience acoustics. Building and Environment, v. 143, p. 349–357, 1 out. 2018. DOI 10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.07.028.

JEON, Jin Yong; KIM, Young Sun; LIM, Hansol; CABRERA, Densil. Preferred positions for solo, duet, and quartet performers on stage in concert halls: In situ experiment with acoustic measurements. Building and Environment, v. 93, n. P2, p. 267–277, 1 nov. 2015. DOI 10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.07.010.

KATO, Kosuke; YAMANAKA, Toshio; SAKAKIBARA, Ken-Ichi; NAGAO, Tsubasa; KAWAI, Keiji. Study on effect of room acoustics on timbral brightness of clarinet tones. Part I: subjective evaluation through a listening experiment. Em: ICA 2010, 4, Sydney. Anais [...] Sydney: ago. 2010.

KUTTRUFF, H. Room Acoustics. Oxon: Spon Press, 2017.

LUIZARD, Paul; HENRICH BERNARDONI, Nathalie. Changes in the voice production of solo singers across concert halls. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 148, n. 1, p. EL33–EL39, 1 jul. 2020. DOI 10.1121/10.0001524.

SILINGARDI, Valentina; D’ORAZIO, Dario; CESARIS, Sinoa De; GARAI, Massino. Musicians’ subjective perception and objective acoustic descriptors in the stages. AIA-DAGA 2013 Merano, p. 198–201, 2013.

ONDREJKA, Vojtěch et al. The impact of acoustics of selected spaces on percussion instruments. Akustika, v. 37, p. 73–86, 1 dez. 2020. DOI 10.36336/akustika20203772.

PANTON, Lilyan; HOLLOWAY, Damien; CABRERA, Densil. Effect of a chamber orchestra on direct sound and early reflections for performers on stage: A boundary element method study. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 141, n. 4, p. 2461–2472, 1 abr. 2017. DOI 10.1121/1.4979119.

PANTON, Lilyan; YADAV, Manuj; CABRERA, Densil; HOLLOWAY, Damien. Chamber musicians’ acoustic impressions of auditorium stages: Relation to spatial distribution of early reflections and other parameters. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 145, n. 6, p. 3715–3726, 1 jun. 2019. DOI 10.1121/1.5111748.

POSTMA, B. N.J.; GREEN, E.; KAHLE, E.; KATZ, B. F.G. Pre-Sabine Room Acoustic Guidelines on Audience Rake, Stage Acoustics, and Dimension Ratios. Acoustics, v. 3, n. 2, p. 235–251, 1 jun. 2021. DOI 10.3390/acoustics3020017.

REDMAN, Yvonne Gonzales; GLASNER, Joshua D.; D’ORAZIO, Dario; BOTTALICO, Pasquale. Singing in different performance spaces: The effect of room acoustics on singers’ perception. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 154, n. 4, p. 2256–2264, 1 out. 2023a. DOI 10.1121/10.0021331.

REDMAN, Yvonne Gonzales; GLASNER, Joshua D.; D’ORAZIO, Dario; BOTTALICO, Pasquale. Singing in different performance spaces: The effect of room acoustics on singers’ perception. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 154, n. 4, p. 2256–2264, 1 out. 2023b. ISSN 0001-4966. DOI 10.1121/10.0021331.

RINDEL, J. H.; LISA, M. The ERATO Project and its contribution to our understanding of the acoustics of ancient Greek and Roman theatres. Acta Acustica, v. 1, n. 99, 2006. DOI 10.3813/AAA.918584.

RINDEL, Jens Holger. Rooms for music-Acoustical needs and requirements. Em: Baltic and Nordic Acoustic Meeting 2014, Tallin. Anais [...] Tallin: jun. 2014.

SANZ SORIANO, Javier; WRIGHT, Oliver; VAN DEN BRAAK, Elisabeth; DAY, Christopher. Stage acoustics and parametric design: The development of an integrated early design tool. Building Acoustics, v. 28, n. 3, p. 265–279, 1 set. 2021. DOI 10.1177/1351010X20971102.

SCHÄRER KALKANDJIEV, Zora; WEINZIERL, Stefan. The influence of room acoustics on solo music performance: An experimental study. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, v. 25, n. 3, p. 195–207, set. 2015. DOI 10.1037/pmu0000065.

SHTREPI, Louena et al. Ten questions concerning Architectural Acoustics. Building and Environment, v. 265, 1 nov. 2024. DOI 10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.112012.

SINAL, Özgün; YILMAZER, Semiha. Effects of perceived singing effort on classical singers’ reverberation time preferences towards music practice rooms. Applied Acoustics, v. 136, p. 132–138, 1 jul. 2018. DOI 10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.02.013.

UENO, Kanako; KATO, Kosuke; KAWAI, Keiji. Effect of Room Acoustics on Musicians’ Performance. Part I: Experimental Investigation with a Conceptual Model. Acta Acustica United with Acustica, v. 96, p. 505–515, 2010.

VAN LOENEN, C.; VAN DER WILT, M.; DIAKOUMIS, A.; WENMAEKERS, R.; HAK, C. Project Ancient Acoustics part 3 of 4: Influence of geometrical and material assumptions on ray-based acoustic simulations of two ancient theatres. Em: ICSV23, Atenas. Anais [...] Atenas: jul. 2016.

WEINZIERL, Stefan; LEPA, Steffen; ACKERMANN, David. A measuring instrument for the auditory perception of rooms: The Room Acoustical Quality Inventory (RAQI). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 144, n. 3, p. 1245–1257, 1 set. 2018. DOI 10.1121/1.5051453.

WENMAEKERS, R. H. C.; HAK, C. C. J. M.; HORNIKX, M. C. J. How orchestra members influence stage acoustic parameters on five different concert hall stages and orchestra pits. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, v. 140, n. 6, p. 4437–4448, 1 dez. 2016. ISSN 0001-4966. DOI 10.1121/1.4971763.

WENMAEKERS, Remy Hendrikus Cornelis. Stage acoustics and sound exposure in performance and rehearsal spaces for orchestras: Methods for physical measurements. Eindhoven: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 2017.

Published

2025-08-16

How to Cite

OLIVEIRA, Maria Fernanda; IWAMOTO, Mireley Júnia de Lima. Acoustic Quality of Stages for Musicians: A Study in a University Auditorium. In: ENCONTRO NACIONAL DE CONFORTO NO AMBIENTE CONSTRUÍDO, 18., 2025. Anais [...]. [S. l.], 2025. DOI: 10.46421/encacelacac.v18i1.7332. Disponível em: https://eventos.antac.org.br/index.php/encac/article/view/7332. Acesso em: 3 may. 2026.

Issue

Section

1. Acústica Arquitetônica e Urbana