The Listening Room

The Listening Room offers clients the opportunity to experience acoustic environments before they have been realised. We currently have these facilities set up in our offices in Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne and Wellington.

Our Listening Room facilities utilise the latest in 3D sound reproduction technology, and a 13-speaker array to provide a truly immersive acoustic experience. Environmental noise sources such as trains, construction machinery, and trucks are able to be reproduced. The setup provides clients with exceptional insight into the acoustic advantages of different scenarios, constructions, and room treatments, enabling options to be evaluated in a way that words cannot compete with.

Examples of applications include:

  • Listening to a simulated performance in an auditorium before it has been built

  • Traffic noise from a proposed road

  • Aircraft flyover from a new runway

  • Wind turbine noise

 

How does it work?

The room is isolated from external sounds and includes a low noise ventilation system. Internal reflective surfaces within the room are eliminated to ensure the sounds being recreated are not interfered with by room reflections. Accurate calibration and measurement of the full audio system enables confidence in the level and frequency spectrum of the sounds being evaluated.

 

An immersive experience

The interaction between sound and vision is important to the evaluation of aural experiences. To enable listeners to be fully immersed in the experience a Virtual Reality (VR) headset is used. Virtual models or 360 degree photos are used to ensure the visual experience matches the auralisation.

Measurable success

The Listening Room is a natural extension of the MDA developed IRIS measurement system which captures and evaluates 3D sound fields. IRIS measurements can be used by The Listening Room to simulate real spaces as well as evaluate the effectiveness of the reproduction system.

 

Vibration Platform Extension

Explaining vibration effects to clients can be a challenge, so we explored an exciting new way to communicate this. A calibrated vibrating platform was installed in the Auckland office Listening Room, complementing the 3D sound reproductions and VR rig. The Auckland Listening Room now offers a totally immersive acoustic experience, including vibrations as they would be experienced in the real world.

Environmental noise sources, like construction machinery, trains, and trucks produce both noise and vibration in nearby buildings. When listening to these, it can be difficult to separate noise from vibration - especially at low frequencies where we feel sound more than we hear it. With the vibration rig, vibrations can be reproduced accurately and realistically, providing a valuable tool for making design decisions about amenity, and understanding the crossover between vibration and low-frequency noise.

Project Case Study - Auckland War Memorial Museum

We asked Xigo, Project Managers for the Auckland War Memorial Museum to comment on their experience of the Listening Room:

''Marshall Day Acoustics was commissioned by the Auckland War Memorial Museum to prepare an acoustic study of the south atrium space in order to test potential acoustic treatment options. This involved the use of a tool called ‘Listening Room’ providing the client the opportunity to sit in a Virtual Reality modelled version of the south atrium space. This enabled virtual modelling of acoustic scenarios within the space, that were able to be played alongside the application of differing levels of acoustic treatment.

The ability for the client to gauge the effectiveness of these scenarios was exceptional. The study enabled the client to nominate the exact level of acoustic performance to be incorporated into the building design and provided them with the required reassurance regarding a 'pivotal public experience environment' within the museum.'' -

James Brodie, Senior Project Manager at Xigo