ABSTRACT
All acoustical measurements done in these spaces begin with a sound source-a starter’s pistol, explosive device, or a special loudspeaker-all of which are intended to radiate sound equally in all directions. So the sound source is a “neutral” factor, and this allows for some generalization in interpreting the meaning of whatever acoustical measurements are made. It is an examination of the room itself and how it modifi es and manipulates the sound of a standard source and, by inference, a collection of musicians. Casual thought reveals that this is a great simplifi cation because different musical instruments have signifi cantly different directivities. The violin ensemble probably has, as a group, quite wide dispersion, with much of the high-frequency energy going upward. The brasses have a strong forward bias and are strongly directional at high frequencies, whereas the French horns have a backward directional bias responsible for their peculiarly spacious sound (Meyer, 1978, 1993).
