ERATO Proceedings Istanbul 2006.pdf - Odeon

more difficult is to keep a correct intelligibility or clarity to the speech. The existence of some
architectural elements is of interest, but it is not really possible to give here an immediate proposal
for these aspects, as to improve the hearing comfort of the public in old theatres
3) Guidelines for the acoustic adaptation of an old theatre for modern performance
The possible guidelines for the modern use and performance in old theatre consist in the presence of
a stage wall, that has an influence on several physical aspects; to build modern colonnade has little
interest for acoustical purpose.
A virtual reconstruction of the roof-canopy at the
theatre of Orange in France; this is a project to
improve acoustic and to preserve the original wall.
This project shows a heavy roof ( 200 tons) and a
possible negative effect of echo can result from the
roof; this demonstrates the interest of a research
like ERATO
Courtesy Theatre d’Orange 20- 12 2005
A clear guideline for a better efficiency is to modelise the acoustic of the theatre, with the software
ODEON, for instance, that has provided changes in sounds’ characteristics very well perceived by
the subjects of the experiment, that can be considered as “ the public”. For people sitting on the
second half of rows in the theatre, it seems particularly difficult to keep a good intelligibility, with a
reverberation time in the range of 0,9 to 1,5 second: the temptation shall be high, in this conditions
to use electro acoustic systems ; a good acoustic model of the theatre will be essential at this
moment: however it should be interesting to test how an electroacoustic system like CARMEN can
improve the acoustic in old theatre. This active technique [8] has been recently positively tested in
auditoriums, but it is not known if it is performing for an open space.