The acoustic design of talks studios and listening rooms

The paper gives the current views of the author and his colleagues in the Engineering Department of the British Broadcasting Corporation on the design and construction of talks studios and listening rooms or control cubicles, which are considered together on account of their similarity with respect to acoustic behaviour. It is shown that a distinctive characteristic is that, because their dimensions are comparable with the wavelength of low-frequency sound, the sound field is characterized by strong simple standing-wave patterns which cannot be eliminated without eliminating the reverberation itself. It is shown also that the audible effects are confined to those associated with simple axial modes and that, by careful adjustment of dimensions, provision of diffusion and the proper distribution of absorbing material, the worst faults can be avoided. The effects of the monaural listening chain are considered as well as the consequent necessity for reduced background noise and reverberation in studios as compared with a normal living-room. Finally, design data for both talks studios and control or listening cubicles are given.