ROOM ACOUSTICAL SIMULATION ALGORITHM BASED ON THE FREE PATH DISTRIBUTION

A new algorithm is presented which provides estimates of impulse responses in rooms. It is applicable to arbitrary shaped rooms, thus including non-diffuse spaces like workrooms or offices. In the latter cases, for instance, sound propagation curves are of interest to be applied in noise control. In the case of concert halls and opera houses, the method enables very fast predictions of room acoustical criteria like reverberation time, strength or clarity. The method is based on a low-resolved ray tracing and recording of the free paths. Estimates of impulse responses are derived from evaluation of the free path distribution and of the free path transition probabilities.