Browsing by Author "Ter Huurne, Tim Hendrik"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An investigation into the effectiveness of using headphones with integrated microphones to simulate concert hall acoustics for musicians in small acoustic environments
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Ter Huurne, Tim Hendrik; Roux, G. W.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Music.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis fifty-one musicians participated in a structured interview testing the effectiveness of a headset simulating the acoustics of a concert hall known to the participants. A prototype headset was constructed by externally attaching two omnidirectional microphones to headphones. The microphone signal of the headset was processed by a convolution reverberation plugin and routed to the headphones to simulate the hall. Additionally, the filtered dry signal was reproduced over the headset to compensate for the headset’s high frequency attenuation. Participants rated responses concerning: 1. the accuracy of the headset in reproducing the natural acoustic environment 2. the comfortability of the headset 3. the realism of the simulated concert hall. These ratings proved positive. While open-ended responses indicate that further refinement of the headset is required to eliminate the occlusion effect and further improve the headset’s accuracy, forty-eight of the fifty-one participants answered positively to whether they could imagine practicing with a similar headset. The study concluded that headphones with integrated microphones can indeed be effective at simulating concert hall acoustics in small practice rooms.