Acoustic evaluation of the cathedral of Seville as a concert hall and proposals for improving the acoustic quality perceived by listeners

The acoustic evaluation of the cathedral of Seville as a concert hall is carried out through the simulation of acoustic models derived from the modification of the model of the current state and calibrated using the results of in situ measurement. These models reproduce the configurations adopted for major music concerts held there regularly. The results obtained led to the proposal of a new layout plan for an audience of 1500 people and other corrective measures in keeping with the history of the cathedral and compatible with its heritage value, improving subjectively perceived sound. This is assessed in terms of subjective reverberation, evaluated through early decay time, the perceived sound level and the uniformity of the sound field (measured with sound strength parameter), perceived clarity (assessed through clarity and central time parameters), and the spatial sensation (assessed through early lateral energy fraction).

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