Room Acoustics (ISO 3382-1)

Acoustic Fingerprinting for Performance Preparation: Capturing a 13th-Century Church

Project Overview

This project captured the acoustic signature of a 13th-century church in York, creating spatial impulse responses (IRs) that serve both heritage preservation and practical performance preparation. The resulting acoustic fingerprints enable touring actors and musicians to experience authentic venue acoustics before arrival.

Technical Approach

Using a Soundfield ST450 Ambisonic microphone positioned at three listener-relevant locations, I recorded 30-second exponential sine sweeps through Genelec monitors. The B-format capture at ear height preserved the full spatial character of the nave's acoustics.

Processing Workflow

• MATLAB-generated ESS signals optimized for signal-to-noise ratio

• FFT-based deconvolution with custom scripts

• Time-domain windowing to isolate direct sound and reverberant decay

• Channel rotation for spatial accuracy

Performance Applications

The IR library enables performers to rehearse with venue-accurate acoustics through convolution processing. Actors can preview how their voice will carry in the space, while musicians can adjust their playing style to suit the church's natural reverb characteristics. Testing with anechoic recordings convolved with these IRs showed significant improvement in performers' spatial understanding and confidence.

Key Benefits

• Pre-tour acoustic familiarization for visiting performers

• Authentic spatial context for remote rehearsals

• Heritage preservation of historic acoustic spaces

• Reference data for venue comparison studies

Impact

This acoustic fingerprinting method bridges the gap between technical documentation and artistic preparation, giving touring performers crucial spatial awareness before they step into unfamiliar venues. The approach has proven particularly valuable for period-appropriate performance preparation in historic spaces.