The design of concert halls for acoustical (un-amplified) performance is the purview of the most talented and experienced acousticians. In such endeavors Aural-Environments envisions only a limited role: providing clients and their supporters understandable and realistic listening experiences contrasting the merits of different concert halls, both existing and conceptualized.

Unlike the other Aural-Environments case studies, the emphasis here is on interactions of acoustical instruments on stage with a hall’s acoustical environment, and the resulting spatial sound experience at a specific listening location.  Here two very different halls are investigated: the Van Wezel multipurpose hall in Sarasota FL, and the Boston Symphony hall. Boston is exemplar of “shoe box” designs, for example Nashville’s 2006 Schermerhorn; and Sarasota Orchestra’s Music Center, currently in the design phase.   

At Case Study Listen below you'll find binaural (headphone) tracks of the audience listening experiences at these two halls, and at Case Study Briefing you’ll find an introductory technical explanation of how these recordings were produced.