This study investigates the relationship between music and room acoustics in terms of the minimum value of the effective duration of the running autocorrelation function, (tau-e)min, of voice signals The parameter (tau-e)min has been shown to have a close correlation with the subjective response of both listeners and performers to temporal conditions of sound fields (Y. Ando 1998).

Eg. Method for blending of operatic singing with a given opera house

Operatic singers are required to produce both “clear” and “reverberant” voice qualities in opera houses with a wide variety of room acoustical conditions, where these subjective attributes are opposite. Some singers tend to keep the interpretation style from practice, exercises, developed during long-term training in a specific lesson room, in order to avoid sudden adjustment during recital; and other singers attempt to design an interpretation style fitted to acoustical conditions of a given sound field. A cellist termed the latter approach a “lifeline of music” considering the room acoustic as a second musical instrument, and asserted that “this is difficult but beneficial to be achieved”(T. Tsutsumi, 2005). Therefore, we shall discuss a model of “singing style of singers blending with a given sound field” thorough investigation of the nature of singing voices from this room acoustical point of view, focusing on temporal factors like reverberation time and delay time of reflections.

<References>
Y. Ando: “Architectural Acoustics”, AIP/Springer-Verlag, New York (1998).
T. Tsutsumi, "Special lecture", The 2nd International Symposium on Temporal Design (2005).
K. Kato, T. Hirawa, K. Kawai, Y. Ando, and T. Yano., A method of the blending of operatic singing voices with a given sound field by varying subjective sound volume, Proceedings of Forum Acusticum Budapest 2005, pp 499-504 (2005).
(* Presented at Budapest, Haugary, August 30, 2005)
(* Chosen as the best work presented at the conference by EAA: European Acoustics Association)