Acoustic Shadows
From the most reverberant room in the world to a chamber where sounds die the moment they almost leave your mouth, Robert Sandall takes a journey into the world of acoustics - its origins, its people and some of its amazing soundscapes. Steve Waller travels the globe seeking out unusual acoustic sites in caves mountainsides and canyons and is convinced that much of the ancient rock art found there from ancient civilisations is created in response to each sites unique acoustical properties. If ancient man was sensitive to great acoustics, how in the modern age have we been able to control and manipulate the reverberations and echoes of the indoor space? Acoustics is a modern science that grew out of an ancient art. We all know when a room echoes uncomfortably or when it flatters an orchestra in a concert hall. But how exact is it?
The Royal Festival Hall on London 's South Bank for instance became the first public building that was designed with proper researched acoustics, but its sound reverberations have proved hugely unpopular. Now with an attempt to entice back leading international orchestras, the hall is finally undergoing an acoustic revamp. Larry Kirkegaard is the acoustic engineer charged with restoring the acoustic to the original dream but how enticing will its new soundscape prove to be? Robert Sandall experiences audio treats, from echoes of ancient Mayan temples through to Brian Eno's virtual electronic world of ambient echoes, to assess what makes a good acoustic and how to create the perfect reverberation to appeal to our senses and flatter both audience and performers in a public space.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/acousticshadows.shtml/
From the most reverberant room in the world to a chamber where sounds die the moment they almost leave your mouth, Robert Sandall takes a journey into the world of acoustics - its origins, its people and some of its amazing soundscapes. Steve Waller travels the globe seeking out unusual acoustic sites in caves mountainsides and canyons and is convinced that much of the ancient rock art found there from ancient civilisations is created in response to each sites unique acoustical properties. If ancient man was sensitive to great acoustics, how in the modern age have we been able to control and manipulate the reverberations and echoes of the indoor space? Acoustics is a modern science that grew out of an ancient art. We all know when a room echoes uncomfortably or when it flatters an orchestra in a concert hall. But how exact is it?
The Royal Festival Hall on London 's South Bank for instance became the first public building that was designed with proper researched acoustics, but its sound reverberations have proved hugely unpopular. Now with an attempt to entice back leading international orchestras, the hall is finally undergoing an acoustic revamp. Larry Kirkegaard is the acoustic engineer charged with restoring the acoustic to the original dream but how enticing will its new soundscape prove to be? Robert Sandall experiences audio treats, from echoes of ancient Mayan temples through to Brian Eno's virtual electronic world of ambient echoes, to assess what makes a good acoustic and how to create the perfect reverberation to appeal to our senses and flatter both audience and performers in a public space.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/acousticshadows.shtml/
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