Reverberation

Reverberation is the collection of reflected sounds from the surfaces in an enclosure like an
auditorium. It is a desirable property of auditoriums to the extent that it helps to overcome the
inverse square law drop-off of sound intensity in the enclosure. However, if it is excessive, it
makes the sounds run together with loss of articulation - the sound becomes muddy, garbled.
To quantitatively characterize the reverberation, the parameter called the reverberation time is
used.

Reverberant sound
is the collection of
all the reflected
sounds in an
auditorium

Reverberant Sound Field

The sketch below depicts the sound received by a single listener as a function of time as a
result of a sharp sound pulse some distance away. The direct sound received is followed by
distinct reflected sounds and then a collection of many reflected sounds which blend and
overlap into what is called reverberation. The delay between the direct sound and the first
reflected sound is a significant characteristic for an auditorium, though not as important as
the overall reverberation time.
 Reverberant Sound Decay

Whether from a sound

impulse or a steady sound
which ceases, the reverberant
sound in an auditorium
decays in an approximately
exponential fashion.

Sample measurements show a

straight line decrease of the
decibel level, which permits
determination of the
reverberation time.
 Sound Decay Measurements

Measurements of sound
decay in a classroom (Jesse,
see ref) showed that the
sound intensity in decibels
dropped off linearly with
time. Since decibels are a
logarithmic quantity, this
implies an exponential decay
of the sound. These plots can
be extrapolated to give
reverberation times for the
room, which amount to about
0.5 s for the empty room and
about 0.4 s for the occupied
room.

Reverberation Time
The reverberant sound in an auditorium dies away with time as the sound energy is absorbed
by multiple interactions with the surfaces of the room. In a more reflective room, it will take
longer for the sound to die away and the room is said to be 'live'. In a very absorbent room,
the sound will die away quickly and the room will be described as acoustically 'dead'. But the
time for reverberation to completely die away will depend upon how loud the sound was to
begin with, and will also depend upon the acuity of the hearing of the observer. In order to
provide a reproducible parameter, a standard reverberation time has been defined as the time
for the sound to die away to a level 60 decibel below its original level. The reverberation time
can be modelled to permit an approximate calculation. .
 Rationale for 60dB Reverberation Time
The reverberation time is perceived as the time for the sound to die away after the sound
source ceases, but that of course depends upon the intensity of the sound. To have a
reproducible parameter to characterize an auditorium which is independent of the intensity of
the test sound, it is necessary to define a standard reverberation time in terms of the drop in
intensity from the original level, i.e., to define it in terms of relative intensity.

The choice of the relative intensity to use is

of course arbitrary, but there is a good
rationale for using 60 dB since the loudest
crescendo for most orchestral music is about
100 dB and a typical room background level
for a good music-making area is about 40
dB. Thus the standard reverberation time is
seen to be about the time for the loudest
crescendo of the orchestra to die away to the
level of the room background. The 60 dB
range is about the range of dynamic levels
for orchestral music.

Modeling Reverberation Time

Sabine is credited with modeling the reverberation time with the simple relationship which is
called the Sabine formula:

where V is the volume of the enclosure and

and a is the absorption coefficient associated with a given area S.

 What is a desirable reverberation time?

The optimum reverberation time for an auditorium or room of course depends upon its
intended use. Around 2 seconds is desirable for a medium-sized, general purpose auditorium
that is to be used for both speech and music. A classroom should be much shorter, less than a
second. And a recording studio should minimize reverberation time in most cases for clarity
of recording.

The reverberation time is strongly influenced by the absorption coefficients of the surfaces as
suggested in the illustration, but it also depends upon the volume of the room as shown in the
Sabine formula. You won't get a long reverberation time with a small room.
 Reverberation Time Calculation
Approximate reverberation times can be calculated from the Sabine formula:

Modeling a room of

Height H = m= ft

Length L = m= ft

Width W = m= ft

with absorption coefficients:

awalls= , afloor = , aceiling = for average of aavg =

gives an effective absorbing area of Se = m2 = ft2

for a room of volume V = m3 = ft3.

The corresponding reverberation time is RT60 = seconds.

Sound Absorption Coefficient

When a sound wave in a room strikes a surface, a certain fraction of it is absorbed, and a
certain amount is transmitted into the surface. Both of these amounts are lost from the room,
and the fractional loss is characterized by an absorption coefficient a which can take values
between 0 and 1, 1 being a perfect absorber.

Absorption coefficient = a
Effective absorbing area = aS
The effective absorbing area is a factor in determining the reverberation time of an
auditorium. The absorption coefficient of a surface typically changes with frequency, so the
reverberation time is likewise frequency dependent. A table of absorption coefficients can be
used in calculations of reverberation time with the Sabine formula.
 Table of Absorption Coefficients

Nature of surface Sound Absorption Coefficients at Frequency(Hz)

125 250 500 1000 2000 4000

Acoustic tile, rigid mount 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.4

Acoustic tile, suspended 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.5

Acoustical plaster 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.7

Ordinary plaster, on lath 0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 0.04 0.05

Gypsum wallboard, 1/2" on studs 0.3 0.1 0.05 0.04 0.07 0.1

Plywood sheet, 1/4" on studs 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Concrete block, unpainted 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3

Concrete block, painted 0.1 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.1 0.1

Concrete, poured 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.03

Brick 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.07

Vinyl tile on concrete 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.02

Heavy carpet on concrete 0.02 0.06 0.15 0.4 0.6 0.6

Heavy carpet on felt backing 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Platform floor, wooden 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.15 0.1

Ordinary window glass 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.07 0.04

Heavy plate glass 0.2 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.02

Draperies, medium velour 0.07 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.6

Upholstered seating, unoccupied 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6

Upholstered seating, occupied 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9

Wood seating, unoccupied 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.06 0.06 0.05

Wooden pews, occupied 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7