Hear+Me



= = =__**//Can You Hear Me Now?//**__=
 * Lauren Sherman - Melissa Martin - Kevin Galbreath**

Sursa Music Hall is located on Ball State's campus in Muncie, Indiana. It has been renowned for its acoustical perfection and impeccable design. The BSU website claims it blends "first rate acoustical design with musical intimacy." This case study used these claims as its focus: Does Sursa Music Hall really match up to the standards that so many people have praised it for? The scope of the research was fairly general and was designed to focus on the most important factor, the audience. Having people observe live musical performances gave real responses to how visitors to Sursa experienced the quality of sound within the hall. These test subjects, needing no prior knowledge of acoustics, were first given a desired zone, created by the three researchers of the case study, and then were asked to fill out a simple survey at their leisure while viewing a performance. The survey gathered opinion on sound delay, clarity, loudness, direction, warmth, echo, and general observations. This allowed for the visitors to rank each quality on a 1-10 scale and add comments. With the hall divided into zones of similar seating, scores were tabulated and each zone was given a value. In the end these scores proved to be sporadic instead of trending. Personal observations tended to show problems with certain sides of the hall, but data did not clearly point to this. Overall, there was a general appeasement to the quality of sound in the performance hall. Therefore, this study cannot make any recommendations for change or alterations to Sursa. This case study essentially confirms the praise that so many have attributed to the performance hall.
 * ABSTRACT **

Sursa Music Hall is a widely-known performance hall which hosts a variety of symphonic displays. Everything from classical, to rock, to orchestra, to singular performances have been viewed on this stage. Therefore, proper acoustics in this room are essential to the success of the performance area. Our first impressions of Sursa came from what we have heard from others who have experienced it. They have claimed it to have magnificent performance. The group has taken it upon itself to investigate this claim, starting with the architectural elements of the performance space. Although we trust these opinions and believe the acoustics of the room are adequate for the type of performance occurring in the music hall, we would like to investigate how the hall may perform at a higher quality so every audience member receives the same musical experience.
 * INTRODUCTION **

Figure 1

Concrete Panels line each side of the performance hall.

It is clear upon a visual observation that no detail was overlooked. Concrete reflection panels line the isle ways, as shown in Figure 1, as well as the varying depths of wood boards covering the stage area, and the ceiling is lofted far above the audience. These are downplayed by the entire sections of the wall around the stage that are able to move in accordance with the type of performance given. At first glance, it seems as though Sursa is magnificently designed. Upon further observation, certain details come into question. The wood paneling behind the audience could cause an unwanted RT60 value, in turn creating an unwanted echo. The rough concrete on the walls seem suspicious because coarse concrete is almost considered to be absorptive (Cowan). As for the ceiling, the clouds above the stage appear in typical auditorium design, yet the flat panel above with rectangular punctures look uncommon, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The seating also raised questions because there are single isles that line the edges of the auditorium; almost subject to unwanted reflection or sight lines. This case study examined people's perceptions about the acoustics of the space during a live music hearing, and then asked them to further consider the causes of these perceptions in terms of architectural details, whether good or bad.





Figure 3 View of the performance area from the side stage. The movable partitions are shown with concrete panels along the sides of the hall.



Figure 4 View of the performance area from the top balcony. The movable partitions on the stage are in view as well as the coffered ceiling.

**Construction/Design of Sursa** (taken from Michael Dennis and Associates Website)


 * HYPOTHESIS **

** METHODOLOGY **
==== This case study included: proper research, experiments, and investigations of the performance area of the Sursa Music Hall throughout the semester to properly analyze the acoustics in the room. A simple survey with several different participants of varying age groups and locations throughout the performance area will be most effective for the space to be properly tested. ====

==== The research will require the knowledge of many aspects of acoustics; everything from how the space was designed to how it was built and the materials used will be looked at (see **Construction of Sursa** above). The experiments will include several sessions of attending practice performances while altering the variables such as seating location, type of music being played, acoustics of the music being performed, factors of the audience members and of the performers, etc. The investigations of the performance will include interviews of regular attendees of the Sursa Music Hall. Making sure we have documented experiences from people who have repeatedly been to this Music Hall before is very important. ====

** AREAS TO BE TESTED **
==== We divided the areas of the seating in Sursa’s performance hall into zones. These zones are based on the grid of the floor plan and the distance they are from the stage. The zones will also play a role in our surveys taken by the participants. At the end of each completed testing, each zone will be graded on six factors; including: delay, clarity, loudness, direction, warmth, and echo of sound. There are seventeen zones. The top floor consists of four while the ground floor consists of thirteen zones. ====

ZONES TESTED:

=
The surveys taken by our testers were gathered into a table that represents the six qualities that were tested throughout the performance hall, as represented in the Data Table above. The totals were a result of those six qualities and represent how well each zone performs. Each of the zones had a variety of results that reflected the interpretation of each user. For example, the warmth and echo categories ranked poorly in proportion to the other categories, while delay of sound, loudness, and clarity ranked higher. The values in each zone also varied anywhere from 42 to 57 out of a maximum value of 60. There was no trend between location of zone and the total value of all the categories; for example, outwardly located zones have no distinction to centrally located zones or zones on the balcony.=====

After these values were analyzed based on category, the zones were displayed in the InfoGraph above. For each zone, the color red is gauged at a different intensity in order to show the changed total scores from zone to zone. This graph enforces the lack of distinction between location of zone and total score.

=
To conclude our research of the Sursa Performance Hall, we found users of this space are very satisfied with the sound quality. We included people of different age groups, backgrounds, and majors within the University to witness and analyze a variety of performances in order to gain a well-rounded view on the acoustics of the Performance Hall. Our doubts we had about certain aspects of the hall were necessary in order for us to accurately measure the sound quality. Although our analysis demonstrated only the observations from users of the Performance Hall, there are more in-depth ways to analyze this space.Hhowever, for our purposes of this class project, observation was the best way to go about this case study.=====

=
We learned a great deal about how a great performance hall can perform to the best of its abilities, and with further research of other music halls on campus and elsewhere, we could take our research even further and analyze more specifically why this Performance Hall within Sursa is so successful.=====