MCH at ASA Salt Lake City 2016

MCH consultants were invited to present papers in three sessions of the Acoustical Society of America, the primary scientific professional society for all aspects of acoustics, at its semi-annual meeting in Salt Lake City, May 2016.

Presentations included performing arts venues (Modeling, measuring, and listening in a multi-purpose hall, by William Chu & Brandon Cudequest), HVAC noise control (A new format of short-profile fan coil units, by Brandon Cudequest & Tony Hoover), and sound system optimization (Listening for solutions to a speech intelligibility problem, by Tony).

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Listening for solutions to a speech intelligibility problem

An historic Temple recently underwent a $150 million renovation, including a new sound system that delivered poor speech intelligibility. The system’s designers recommended additional sound absorptive treatment, as apparently based on their measurements, but this would be expensive, and would affect the visual aesthetic and the quality of live unamplified music.

MCH was requested to visit and offer an initial review. Using a click track and simply listening, we recommended turning off selected loudspeakers, which resulted in significant improvement in speech intelligibility throughout the entire Temple.

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Sound data for a new format of short-profile fan coil units

VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) short-profile fan coil units have become increasingly popular. However, the sound data for such units raises a variety of concerns, due in large part to an inappropriate measurement technique, which is akin to measuring spotlights with a light meter located off to the side.

MCH applied fundamental methodologies to the provided questionable data, resulting in cost-effective noise control strategies, and appropriately-quiet systems.

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Real & virtual: modeling, measuring, and listening in a multi-purpose hall

MCH has guided Phoenix Symphony Hall, a 2300-seat multipurpose venue, through a series of renovations, including expansion of the orchestra pit, provision for a proscenium eyebrow, reconfiguration and replacement of the orchestra shell, HVAC noise reduction, side wall shaping, and finish selections to improve hall response for

unamplified acoustics.

This culminated in 2014 with an opportunity to investigate the acoustics of this space through a series of critical listening exercises by our team of experienced listeners, in-situ impulse response measurements, 3-D computer modeling, and auralizations, resulting in an extremely efficient yet comprehensive analysis package.