Acoustical and Electrical Power Requirements for Electric Carillons

The importance is shown of making noise level measurements in order to determine the acoustical or electrical power necessary to blanket any given area with satisfactory music. Measurements were made on the bells of the Valley Forge carillon, over a wide area using a sound meter and a local variable noise making machine. These data gave the necessary relations between noise level and satisfactory music and were used to calculate the acoustical and electrical power requirements. Two methods of making noise level measurements particularly suitable for acoustical surveys of this kind are mentioned. With the measured and calculated data, curves have been drawn up which permit rapid calculation of the audio power requirements for any given noise level and for various coverages.