FAQ

The simple definition of reverberation is the persistence of sound after a sound is produced. Specifically, it is the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 decibels (dB). Reverberation occurs when sound waves are reflected off of surfaces in a room, often reflecting multiple times. Reverberation can reduce speech intelligibility, especially when other noise is also present.

This simulation is now available to any client working with Haverstick Designs as it allows clients to hear how treatment will affect the space prior to its purchase or installment. Please contact Haverstick Designs with any questions about this simulation or to start a project of your own!

Acoustics is not affected by the room volume alone. The surface materials of the walls, floors, ceilings, and other large objects in the room can all affect the response of a room. Two rooms of the exact same size can produce two completely different acoustical responses and they will need to be treated differently as a result. Even if these surface materials are also the same, other acoustical issues may persist due to other factors. Haverstick Designs works with each client individually and tailors the treatment to best suit the needs of each room.

There are many different acoustical issues that can exist in a space. Several examples include flutter echo, slapback, focusing, sound isolation, and frequency imbalance. Our blog also discusses the five most common acoustical issues in Houses of Worship.

We recommend using decent quality speakers or headphones (preferably not simply your laptop/phone speakers) as low frequencies will not be replicated well in low-quality sound systems.

A specific volume is not required for this simulation, but it should be consistent between audio samples. Once you have set your volume, do not adjust the level while listening to the rest of the samples.

These simulations were created using the FabFilter Pro-R reverb plugin. This plugin was used on the WaveLab software by Steinberg. Frequency-based reverberation times from real Haverstick Designs projects were inserted into the plugin in make the simulation.

The speech audio sample was recorded by John Spicer of Broken Soul Audio. The Praise Band music clip is a snippet of the song, “Friend,” by TwoEight recorded at Mercy Road Church. The Choir music clip is a recording of Purdue University Heart & Soul gospel choir’s specialty group, Soul Sisters, performing "Clear Blue Morning".

All materials react differently across the frequency spectrum. For example, softer materials like drapes will absorb higher frequencies but won’t noticeably alter lower frequencies. Treating all frequencies the same does not reflect what actually occurs in a real room. By simulating the reverberation times based on all materials in the room at the different octave band frequencies, a much more realistic sample can be achieved.

Each audio sample lists the reverberation time of the sample at 500 Hz. This time does not reflect the reverberation time across the whole frequency spectrum.