Page 177 - The Master Handbook Of Acoustics

152 CHAPTER SEVEN

the lower shaded area characteristic of the more talk-oriented churches.
Churches generally represent a compromise between music and speech.
Figure 7-14 represents the range of recommended reverberation
times for different concert halls. Symphony orchestras are near the
top, lighter music somewhat lower. The lower shaded area applies for
opera and chamber music.
Those spaces used primarily for speech and recording require close
to the same reverberation times as shown in Fig. 7-15. Television stu-
dios have even shorter reverberation times to deaden the sounds asso-
ciated with rolling cameras, dragging cables, and other production
noises. It should also be remembered that acoustics in television are
dominated by the setting and local furnishings. In many of the spaces
represented in Fig. 7-15, speech reinforcement is employed.

Bass Rise of Reverberation Time
The goal in voice studios is to achieve a reverberation time that is the
same throughout the audible spectrum. This can be difficult to realize,

4

Reverberation time - seconds 3 2 Concert halls

0 1
0 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
Volume - cubic feet

FIGURE 7-14
“Optimum” reverberation time for concert halls. Symphony orchestras are near the top
of the shaded areas; lighter music is lower. The lower shaded area applies to opera and
chamber music.