Paul S. Veneklasen
Mahabir Atwal
Paul S. Veneklasen Research Foundation, 1711 16th St., Santa Monica, CA 90404
The variety of programs that a good modern auditorium should accommodate, requires that reverberation should be controllable if each program is to merit optimal acoustical environment. Guidance from auditorium synthesis suggests that, in contrast with the usual doctrine stressing reverberation time, the sound level of the reverberant sound relative to the direct sound is a dominant factor. Following on from the seminal work of Carl Eyring, this paper describes experiments and experience over the past 25 years that suggest a very practical way to achieve the necessary control.