After successful completion of the course, students are able to successfully recognize problems in room acoustics (general room acoustic conditions, calculate absorption and reflective surfaces, choice of absorber types) and solve those using analytical and experimental methods....

Room acoustics deals with the effects and phenomena of sound propagation in rooms. Different room acoustics can affect our communication, performance, health and pleasure significantly. Especially in schools, offices, conference centres, bars / restaurants and event rooms, the right room acoustics are essential for the function of the room. Last but not least concert halls live of good room acoustics. It therefore requires methods and tools for analysing and solving room acoustic problems. This allows problems to be analysed and quantified and practical solutions can be calculated.

The course begins with a brief introduction to the effects of room acoustics on the basis of practical examples. This is followed by an introduction to statistical room acoustics and, above all, to the description of reverberation and reverberation time. Furthermore, fundamental phenomena such as so-called room modes are discussed. This is followed by an introduction to geometric room acoustics and sound reflection or reflection and the image-source method. Furthermore, the typical measurement methods of room acoustics such as the measurement of an impulse response and the planning process are presented. All chapters are accompanied with practical problems.

The course will be interactive and communicative. The knowledge will be communicated by multimedia-based presentation using practical examples. Thereby, a high priority is placed on the intuitive understanding. At the end of the lecture series a presentation should be held about a specific topic. 

Schedule Summerterm 2023:

• 2 presence lecture days / blocks (20th April, 21st April 2023; Mandatory presence)
• Excursion Musikverein, mandatory attending, Schedule to be announced
• Online-Presentation as course conclusion, 04.05.2023

Literature:

• Lecture notes will be provided
• Wolfgang Fasold and Eva Veres - Schallschutz und Raumakustik in der Praxis

Further recommended reading will be named within the lecture.

Attending the sessions, participation in discussion, Presentation

Interest in the domain, basic knowledge of physics/acoustics