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Focused Reflections: Focus The Sound

Any focused reflections in a room are generally undesirable for audiences as they create uneven sound levels. Parallel flat surfaces should be avoided as they can cause flutter echoes, which are often found in gymnasiums with parallel walls. For good acoustics, it is important to use anti-focusing surfaces that provide even dispersion of sound to all listeners.

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Sourabh Gujar
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87 views

Focused Reflections: Focus The Sound

Any focused reflections in a room are generally undesirable for audiences as they create uneven sound levels. Parallel flat surfaces should be avoided as they can cause flutter echoes, which are often found in gymnasiums with parallel walls. For good acoustics, it is important to use anti-focusing surfaces that provide even dispersion of sound to all listeners.

Uploaded by

Sourabh Gujar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SOUND FOCUSSING & NON-FOCUSING

Any time the surfaces of a room focus the sound which is reflected
from them, they create spots of high intensity and other spots with low
intensity. This is generally undesirable in an auditorium since you want
a uniform, evenly dispersed sound to all listeners.

Even large flat reflective surfaces are to be avoided because of the prominant reflection which
will be produced. Parallel flat walls can produce a pattern of reflections known as a "flutter echo"
as the sound waves travel back and forth between the surfaces. Such flutter echoes are often
encountered in high school gymnasiums where there are parallel side walls and also a reflective
floor and ceiling.
Even dispersion is such an important contributer to good acoustics that it is sometimes desirable
to use anti-focusing surfaces in a music making area. Older architecture often had columns,
decorative sculpture and woodwork, and other dispersing surfaces. In modern architecture with
its flat expanses, it is necessary to design in some anti-focusing properties.

Focused Reflections

Elliptical Enclosure
An ellipse has two focus points. Sound projected in any direction from one focus point will
travel to the other. Sound from any point will tend to be focused toward some point, so ellipses
are certainly to be avoided for most acoustical purposes.

Parabolic Surfaces
All rays from the focus of a parabola to its
surface will be directed outward as parallel rays.
It is useful for projecting sound. Two parabolas
as shown below can direct sound from the focus
point of one to the focus point of the other with
great efficiency. A microphone element can be
placed at the focus point of a parabola and then
aimed at a distant sound source - parabolic
microphones can pick up selected sounds at
surprising distances.

Rotunda Effect
Ordinary conversation can be if the speaker and listener are both close to the wall of
the dome. Many buildings with dome-like rotundas exhibit this guided reflection
phenomena.

Anti-focusing Surfaces

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