SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM

(ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT)
SOUND

 Sound can be described as a physical wave, or as a mechanical vibration, or simply as a series of pressure
variations in an elastic medium.
 For airborne sounds, the medium is air. For structure- borne sounds, the medium may be concrete, steel, wood,
glass, or combinations of these materials.
 A much more limited definition of sound, more appropriate to architectural acoustics, is that it is simply an
audible pressure variation.This establishes that architectural acoustics is concerned with the building occupant.
 SOUND SOURCES:
 (a) Speech : Speech is composed of phonemes, which are individual and distinctive sounds that, to an extent, vary
from language to language. Certain phonemes exist in one language and not in another. Since some phonemes
carry more information than others, it is these that good architectural acoustics must be particularly careful to
preserve and support in order to maintain intelligibility.
 (b) Other Sounds Instrumental music is much broader in dynamic range and more complex in frequency than
speech. It has no direct parallel to intelligibility. A person’s “reception” of music is a combination of physiological
and psychological phenomena.
 SOUND SOURCES
 Most speech energy is concentrated in the 100 to 600-
hertz range.
 Normal speech averages between 55 and 65 dBA sound
pressure level at 3 to 4 ft (0.9 to 1.2 m) from the
source, with a dynamic range from about 30 dBA for
soft speech to somewhat above 65 dBA for loud speech
(at the same distance).
 Extremes of speech are 10 dBA for a soft whisper and
80 dBA for a shout, but in both of these instances
intelligibility is sharply reduced because of lack of
consonant power.
 Indeed, in shouting, emphasis is actually on vowels, so
that it is generally accepted that a 70- dBA sound
pressure level is about the upper limit of fully intelligible
human speech.
 Singers who frequently exceed 90 dBA do so at great
loss of intelligibility.
 WHAT IS A SOUND SYSTEM?

 A sound REINFORCEMENT system, not a sound system. It is the means to improves the sound
system.
 Reasons for having a reinforcement system:

1. Help people hear something better.

2. To make sound louder for artistic
reasons.
3. To enable people to hear sound in
remote locations.
 OBJECTIVES AND CRITERIA
 The purpose of a sound reinforcement system is just what the name indicates—to reinforce the sound, which would
otherwise be inadequate.
 Thus, an ideal sound system will give the listener the same loudness, quality, directivity, and intelligibility as if
the source of sound were immediately adjacent—a distance of 2 to 3 ft. (0.6 to 0.9 m) for speech and farther
for music, depending upon the type and number of instruments.
 Loudness – Sound magnitude is often equated with loudness, which is a subjective, receiver-oriented response
 Quality – means the frequency response should be linear so that reproduced sound bears the same relation
between its frequency components as the original sound.
 Directivity - is the characteristic whereby the sound appears to be coming from the originating source, that is,
the loudspeakers should be directionally “invisible,” and the listener must have the impression of actually hearing
the source.
 Intelligibility - The overriding criterion for speech is intelligibility.
 It should be emphasized that sound systems cannot correct a poor acoustic design completely, although they can
improve a bad situation.
SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM

 Generally, sound systems will be required in spaces larger than 50,000 ft3 (≈1400 m3).
 In terms of occupancy, this volume translates into 550 persons in lecture rooms (15-ft [4.6-m] average
ceiling height and 6 ft2 [0.6 m2] per person) and
 325 persons in theaters (20-ft [6.1-m] average ceiling height and 7.5 ft2 [0.7 m2] per person).
 In such a room (50,000 ft3 [1400 m3]) a normal speaking voice can maintain a volume level of only 55 to 60
dB, depending upon room design and voice strength.
 With background noise at NC 30 (see Table 19.8), a speaker will be heard; at higher noise levels, intelligibility will
suffer.
 TABLE 19.8 SUGGESTED NOISE CRITERIA RANGES FOR
STEADY BACKGROUND NOISE
Type of Space (and Acoustical Requirements) NC Curve Equivalenta dBA
Concert halls, opera houses, and recital halls (for listening to faint musical 10–20 20–30
sounds).
Broadcast and recording studios (distant microphone pickup used). 15–20 25–30
Large auditoriums, large drama theatres, and houses of worship (for excellent 20–25 30–35
listening conditions).
Broadcast, television, and recording studios (close microphone pickup only). 20–25 30–35

Small auditoriums, small theatres, small churches, music rehearsal rooms, large 25–30 35–40
meeting and conference rooms (for good listening), or executive offices and
conference rooms for 50 people (no amplification).
Bedrooms, sleeping quarters, hospitals, residences, apartments, hotels, motels, 25–35 35–45
and so forth (for sleeping, resting, relaxing).
Private or semiprivate offices, small conference rooms, classrooms, libraries, 30–35 40–45
and so forth (for good listening conditions).
 TABLE 19.8 SUGGESTED NOISE CRITERIA RANGES FOR
STEADY BACKGROUND NOISE
Type of Space (and Acoustical Requirements) NC Curve Equivalenta dBA
Living rooms and similar spaces in dwellings (for conversing or listening to radio 35–45 45–55
and TV).
Large offices, reception areas, retail shops and stores, cafeterias, restaurants, and 35–50 45–60
so forth (for moderately good listening conditions).
Lobbies, laboratory work spaces, drafting and engineering rooms, general 40–45 50–55
secretarial areas (for fair listening conditions).
Light maintenance shops, office and computer equipment rooms, kitchens, and 45–60 55–70
laundries (for moderately fair listening conditions).
Shops, garages, power-plant control rooms, and so forth (for just acceptable — —
speech and telephone communication). Levels above PNC-60 are not
recommended for any office or communication situation.
For work spaces where speech or telephone communication is not required, — —
but where there must be no risk of hearing damage.
COMPONENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS
 All sound systems consist of three basic elements: input devices, amplifier(s), and loudspeaker systems.
a. (a) Input
 Input usually means a microphone, a source of commercial broadcast material of various types, and means for
reproducing recorded material in all common commercial formats. Connections to local computers and computer
networks are available in sophisticated systems.
b. (b) Amplifier and Controls
 Amplifiers must be rated to deliver sufficient power to produce intensity levels of
 80 dB for speech,
 95 dB for light music, and
 105 dB for symphonic music.
 This assumes a maximum background noise level of 60 dBA. Thus, 80-dB speech intensity will be 20 dB higher—or four
times as loud as the noise level.
 If the noise level is known to be below 60 dB maximum, amplifier and loudspeaker power ratings can be reduced
accordingly. The amplifier should carry technical specifications for signal-to-noise ratio, linearity, and distortion.
Exact values depend upon the application and are left to the acoustics specialist or sound engineer to supply.
PRACTICAL MODEL OF A SOUND SYSTEM
COMPONENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

 In addition to the usual volume, tone mixing, and input-output selector controls, the amplifier must contain special
equalization controls for signal shaping.
 These are highly critical filter networks that, by selective amplification and attenuation of portions of the overall
audio frequency spectrum, voice or equalize a system after installation.
 Equalization is an essential element of a good sound system; without it, the system will howl, sound rough, give
insufficient and poorly distributed gain and sound level, and generally produce bad sound.
 Furthermore, the specification must provide for the services of a competent sound engineer to perform the
equalization after construction and system installation are complete.
 Another control frequently required in theater systems is a delay mechanism or circuit that can introduce a time
delay into a signal being fed to a loudspeaker. Figure 18.27 shows a sound system that covers a majority of an
auditorium from a central loudspeaker cluster.
 The under-balcony seating areas are hidden from the central cluster and receive reinforced sound from
distributed loudspeakers in the under-balcony soffit.
 COMPONENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

 To provide directional realism,

the signal to the under-balcony
loudspeakers must be delayed
to allow the weaker signal
from the central speakers to
arrive first.
 Delay is necessary because
electrical signals travel at the
speed of light, whereas sound
is much slower (one millionth
of light speed, approximately).
With this arrangement, sound
will seem to come from the
source, and the directivity so
necessary to realism is
maintained.
COMPONENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS
c. (c) Loudspeakers
 These are the heart of any sound system and obviously must be of the same high quality as the remainder of the system.
Indeed, system economies will show up much more quickly in loudspeaker performance than in any other component.
 Selection of speakers is a complex technical task beyond the scope of our discussion. Nevertheless, a few general remarks
are in order.
 The best systems with traditional components use central-speaker arrays consisting of high-quality, sectional (multi-cell),
directional, high-frequency horns and large-cone woofers.
 These assemblies are frequently very large, and the architect should be aware of the dimensions that must be
accommodated. Smaller units with folded horns can be used, at a sacrifice in low-frequency response. If only speech is to
be reproduced, these units will perform adequately.
 Distributed systems use small (4- to 12-in.-diameter [100- to 305-mm]) low-level speakers, ceilingmounted and firing
directly down.
 Recent developments in loudspeaker design have produced units much smaller than those previously required for high-
power, high-quality, low-frequency sound reproduction.
 Here again, the considerations are highly technical and speakers should be supplied under a performance specification that
guarantees user satisfaction subject to specified test procedures.
COMPONENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS
COMPONENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS
LOUDSPEAKER CONSIDERATIONS
 Loudspeaker system design and placement must be coordinated with the architectural design. The two principal
types of loudspeaker systems are central and distributed.
 The loudspeakers in a conventional central system are a carefully designed array of directional high-frequency
units combined with less directional low-frequency units placed above and slightly in front of the primary speaking
position.
 In most theaters, this location is just above the proscenium on the centerline of the room. Located in this
position, the system provides directional realism and is simple in its design.
 A distributed loudspeaker system consists of a series of low-level loudspeakers located overhead throughout the
space. Each loudspeaker covers a small area, in a manner similar to downlights. This type of system is used in low-
ceiling areas where a central loudspeaker cluster cannot provide proper coverage. It also can be used for public
address functions if directional realism is not essential, in spaces such as exhibition areas, airline terminals, and
offices.
 In public areas such as transportation terminals, where the absence of absorptive material makes such spaces
highly reverberant, particular care must be taken in speaker positioning and volume levels. Failure to do so will
result in unfortunately very common condition of extremely loud yet unintelligible speech.
 Distributed loudspeaker systems provide flexibility for use in spaces where source and listener locations vary
according to the use of the space, since loudspeakers can easily be switched to provide proper coverage.
LOUDSPEAKER CONSIDERATIONS
 In general, a listening position should receive sound from only one loudspeaker.
 Systems that cover seating areas with signals from several scattered loudspeakers will increase the loudness of the
sound but tend to produce garbled speech. This rule is the principal reason that the arrangements shown in Fig.
18.28e–h will guarantee a bad job.
 The common practice of placing one loudspeaker on either side of a proscenium opening (Fig. 18.28e) or rows
of speakers on one or both sides of a room (Fig. 18.28f) is particularly to be deplored.
 Location and design of the sound system control position can create problems for the architect.
 The sound system operator must be within the coverage pattern of the loudspeakers. For proper operation, he
or she should be able to hear the sound as it is heard by the audience.
 Some current auditorium designs locate sound system controls within the audience seating pattern (see Fig.
18.24). Other designs place a control room with a completely open wall or a large window at the rear of the
auditorium.
 Monitor loudspeakers and earphones are inadequate substitutes for actual listening within the auditorium.
 In churches the control equipment can usually be located at the rear of the congregation area.
LOUDSPEAKER CONSIDERATIONS
SURFACE TREATMENTS FOR CONTROL OF REFLECTIONS
AND REVERBERATIONS
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

 Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings by John Wiley & Sons. New York. (Eleventh Edition)
 ASTM. 2000. Standard E795-00: Standard Practices
 for Mounting Test Specimens During Sound
 Absorption Tests. ASTM International. West Conshohocken,
 PA.
 Bruel, P. V. 1951. Sound Insulation and Room Acoustics.
 Chapman and Hall. London.
 Magrab, E. B. 1975. Environmental Noise Control. John
 Wiley & Sons. New York.