Concert Halls
The acoustics in a hall makes a difference
When people go to a concert hall, they might not be thinking about all of the work and research that went into designing a concert hall with good acustics. In order for each guest to enjoy their sound experience at a concert hall, architects, designers, and researchers work hard to determine what will work best for a concert hall to have the best possible acustics so that every guest and every musician can enjoy the show (LA Phil, 2013).
If you are going to a concert soon, it is important to look at where the concert is going to take place to ensure that you will get the most enjoyment as possible from it. Tickets can cost a lot of money and to go to a concert and not enjoy the sound because the acoustics at the concert hall are poor would be a disappointment to anyone.
The best place for a concert is in an indoor concert hall because of the walls and the ceiling (Cox, 2015). The walls and the ceiling in an indoor concert hall allows the sound to be able to reflect in many different places, the sound can bounce and reverberate all around the concert hall and it also allows the sound to reach listeners in many directions and also at varied times as well (Cox, 2015). When it comes to acoustics, it is important for reflection, absorption, and diffusion of the sound to be optimal in order for a listener to really enjoy the concert (Cox, 2015). Concert halls and ampitheaters do their best to ensure good acoustics.
A concert hall that will not have good acoustics is an outdoor concert hall also known as an ampitheater, because there are no walls and there is not a ceiling, so the sound becomes "thin and distand" (Cox, 2015, p. 1) which in turn causes the listener to not really enjoy the concert to the fullist due to lack of good acoustics (Cox, 2015).
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California is concidered to be "one of the most sophisticated halls in the world" (LA Phil, 2013, p. 1). Not only did Disney want to build a masterpiece that was pleasing to the eye, but they wanted to ensure that it was pleasing to the ear of the musician and to every guest that graced their seats, so they made sure to evolve the design of the hall and the acoustics together as one (La Phil, 2013). The outcome made for a state of the art concert hall where the acoustics are top notch, so the guests and the muscians can all enjoy the concert (La Phil, 2013). The hall has walls that are strategically placed throughout and curvature in the ceilings in order for the acoustics to work best, this ensures that sound can bounce and travel to the listeners in the best possible mannor (La Phil, 2013).
While outdoor ampitheaters can have good acoustics, they will not have top notch acoustics because they are lacking walls and a ceiling (Cox, 2015). People can go to an ampitheater and really enjoy theirself, but at times it can become very difficult to hear the music due to the acoustics involved.
In conclusion, the next time you are thinking about buying tickets to see a concert or symphony, stop to think about where the concert is taking place and remember that acousitcs of the venu makes a big difference in the pleasure of hearing the concert.
References
Cox, T. (2015). The ingrediants of a good concert hall. MediaSpan. Retrieved May 31, 2015, from, http://icls.fimc.net/hearhere/article.asp?id=725191
LA Phil (2013). Acoustics: Walt Disney Concert Hall 10th anniversay. LA Phil. Retrieved May 31, 2015, from, http://wdch10.laphil.com/wdch10/wdch/acoustics.html