How sound and buildings interact!
A new BBC Sounds “Start the Week” podcast with sound guru Prof. Trevor Cox, Fiona Smyth author and musician Jess Gillam combine to give a great overview of the history and development of architectural acoustics…
Some fascinating acoustic discussions and insights:
Echo vs reverberation, distinct echo vs reverberant bloom…
- Reverberation is like ketchup, a little goes a long way and you can have too much…
- Tensions between architects focussing on the buildings beauty and not how it sounds… Modern architecture, flat reflective surfaces…
- Whispering gallery phenomena…. Pistols in St.Pauls
- Legacy of Wallace Sabine
Listen to the BBC Sounds “Start the Week” podcast here.
BBC Sounds podcast summary:
“Tom Sutcliffe explores the importance of acoustics and the evolution of building design in the enjoyment of music. The academic Fiona Smyth tells the story of the groundbreaking work undertaken by scientists, architects and musicians, who revolutionised this new science in the 20th century, in her new book Pistols in St Paul’s. Trevor Cox, Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford, updates the story, revealing the very latest scientific breakthroughs and why certain music venues capture the purity of sound. And the saxophonist Jess Gillam gives a personal view on what playing with different acoustics entails. Gillam is playing in two Christmas concerts, 19th + 20th December, with the CBSO at Symphony Hall, Birmingham – one of the best-designed music venues in the country.” (source: BBC)
More about Trevor’s Sonic wonders:
And more about the world record breaking reverberant space:
