SMC2021 - Tree Orchestra

Equalization of Wood-Panel Loudspeakers

Juho Liski, Jussi Rämö, Vesa Välimäki, and Otso Lähdeoja

Companion page for a paper in The 18th Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC2021)
Online, 29 June–1 July, 2021

The article can be downloaded here.

Abstract

This paper studies the acoustic properties of a tree orchestra consisting of four wood-panel loudspeakers and proposes an equalizer (EQ) design for each loudspeaker. Two design strategies for graphic equalization on Bark bands are considered: a single- and a multi-point approach. Asymmetries in the wood-panel speakers cause their magnitude responses to vary so much in different directions that the multi-point averaged EQ gets smoothed and does not have much effect. A single-point EQ, designed based on the frontal response, changes the magnitude response more and improves the overall shape of the response substantially in front of the panels. The magnitude responses at other measurement points are also improved. The EQ does not attenuate the ringing of the wood-panel modes much, thus retaining their resonant quality. The orchestra of equalized wood-panel speakers is used in a science center to showcase acoustic properties of wood.

Sound Examples

Recorded Music

Music playedback through the wood-panel loudspeakers in the anechoic chamber, captured with the measurement microphone array. Pink noise examples are obtained by convolving a pink noise segment with the impulse responses.