Stefan Weinzierl: Room acoustics and musical performance/Field research and experimental studies using virtual acoustics

This seminar is presented in collaboration with Research Axis 3 (Cognition, perception and movement).

Abstract

The room acoustical environment has a great influence on the auditory impression of music not only for the audience, but also for the performers themselves. It can thus be expected that musicians adjust their way of playing to the acoustics of the performance venue. We will present two studies investigating how and to what extent this interaction manifests itself. In a field study, he renowned cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras was recorded during his performances of the six Suites for Violoncello Solo by Johann Sebastian Bach in seven acoustically different concert halls. By means of a hierarchical linear model, the influence of room acoustical parameters according to ISO 3382 on different features of a musical performance was investigated in detail. In an experimental study, we used a dynamic binaural synthesis of different room acoustical conditions to investigate how 12 different musicians playing 6 different musical instruments adapt their way of playing to the hall. The results show that a large part of the variance of the performance features can be explained by room acoustical conditions, but that the concepts of adjustment are very individual.

WeinzierlBiography

Stefan Weinzierl is head of the Audio Communication Group at the Technische Universität Berlin. His activities in research are focused on audio technology, virtual acoustics, room acoustics, and musical acoustics. With a diploma in physics and sound engineering (Tonmeister), he received his Ph.D. in Musical Acoustics from TU Berlin. He is currently coordinating two European research consortia in the field of virtual acoustics (SEACEN) and music information retrieval (ABC_DJ), as well as a master program in Audio Communication and Technology at TU Berlin. Alongside his academic work, he is in demand as a room acoustical consultant for concert and opera halls.