The acoustical conditions preferred for ensemble

Observations on the acoustical conditions preferred by musicians when performing lead to the following hypotheses: (a) Ease of ensemble depends upon the audibility of musical transient in the early reflection sequence, and (b) reverberation plays only a minor part in ensemble, though it is the most preferred acoustical condition for soloists. These proposals were tested experimentally. Reflection‐free recordings of the individual instruments in a string trio were made simultaneously. Each musician then played his/her part again in ensemble with recordings of the other two instruments, while sound fields were synthesized from the recordings to simulate stage conditions. High‐ and low‐pass filtering of the reflections with cutoff frequencies between 0.25 and 2 kHz were used in successive trials. The musicians were asked to judge the ease of ensemble relative to the preceding trial. High‐pass reflections were generally preferred to low‐pass filtered reflections. In subsequent trials the effects of increasing...