Analyzing the Acoustics of the Fraser High School Auditorium
Keast and York began the investigation into the Fraser High School auditorium to discover parts of the auditorium that are acoustically "weaker" in terms of decibel level. Keast and York took decibel readings at nine points in the auditorium when a sound generator was producing tones between 50 Hz and 225 Hz at 25 Hz intervals. They took readings from tones produced by an onstage speaker and tones carried over the Fraser High School auditorium sound system. They also took into effect whether additional seating sections at the back, called pods, were opened or closed.
Keast and York concluded that certain points in the auditorium were weaker in terms of decibel level than others. Point H, the back row of the section left of the middle, was found to have the over all lowest decibel readings. It was also found that the decibel readings were highest at 175 Hz, descending on both sides. Echoes were also discovered to be a factor, but further study is needed into that aspect.
The results of the study into the acoustics of the Fraser High School auditorium indicate that there are indeed points of weaker acoustical quality, in terms of sound level and otherwise. Further study, however, is definitely needed to explore the full acoustics of the theater, and imporvements should wait for a more complete study.
Research Done By:
Sarah Keast
Warren Mott
Melanie York
Fraser
Warren Consolidated Schools