Prof Bill Davies' Outputs (93)

The positive soundscape project : a synthesis of results from many disciplines (2009)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

This paper takes an overall view of ongoing findings from the Positive Soundscape Project, a large inter-disciplinary soundscapes study which is nearing completion. Qualitative fieldwork (soundwalks and focus groups) and lab-based listening tests hav... Read More about The positive soundscape project : a synthesis of results from many disciplines.

Speech communication in outdoor soundscapes (2009)
Presentation / Conference
Davies, W., Mahnken, P., & Plack, C. (2009, March). Speech communication in outdoor soundscapes. Presented at NAG/DAGA 2009 International Conference on Acoustics, Rotterdam

The Positive Soundscape Project is a large multi-disciplinary
project investigating the perception of soundscapes. Recent
findings indicate that speech communication is a principal
factor in users’ perceptions of urban soundscapes. The
project ha... Read More about Speech communication in outdoor soundscapes.

Physiological responses and subjective estimates of sounds : initial results of pilot study (2008)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

In an attempt to understand the effect of sounds on physiological measurements, along the positive (pleasant) - negative (unpleasant) subjective dimension, 51 subjects (26 male) listened to 13 sounds in clips of 8s interspersed with 16s of silence wh... Read More about Physiological responses and subjective estimates of sounds : initial results of pilot study.

Soundwalking as a methodology for understanding soundscapes (2008)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

Soundwalking is a practice that was devised by R. Murray Schafer, when he established the World
Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is an
empirical method for identifying a soundscape and compo... Read More about Soundwalking as a methodology for understanding soundscapes.

The positive soundscape project (2007)
Presentation / Conference Contribution

The Positive Soundscape Project is a multi-disciplinary investigation of soundscape perception which started in October 2006. This paper communicates the aims and design of the project and discusses some early results. The project seeks to develop a... Read More about The positive soundscape project.

Thresholds of detection for changes to the Q-factor of low frequency modes in listening environments (2007)
Journal Article
Avis, M., Fazenda, B., & Davies, W. (2007). Thresholds of detection for changes to the Q-factor of low frequency modes in listening environments. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 55(7/8), 611-622

Perception of modal distribution metrics in critical listening spaces - dependence on room aspect ratios (2005)
Journal Article
Fazenda, B., Avis, M., & Davies, W. (2005). Perception of modal distribution metrics in critical listening spaces - dependence on room aspect ratios. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 53(12), 1128-1141

The subjective significance of two general types of metrics used to describe the "quality" of a room based on its aspect ratio are compared. Tests were carried out to evaluate differences between three virtual rooms that score extreme classifications... Read More about Perception of modal distribution metrics in critical listening spaces - dependence on room aspect ratios.

Noise from pubs and clubs - Final report (2005)
Report
Davies, W., Hepworth, P., Moorhouse, A., & Oldfield, R. (2005). Noise from pubs and clubs - Final report

Perception of reverberation time in small listening rooms (2002)
Journal Article
Niaounakis, T., & Davies, W. (2002). Perception of reverberation time in small listening rooms. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 50(5), 343-350

The perceptibility of small changes in reverberation time (RT) when music is reproduced within small studio control rooms was judged by a number of subjects. The aim of the study was to determine the difference limen (DL) for midfrequency RTs shorter... Read More about Perception of reverberation time in small listening rooms.

From concert halls to noise barriers : attenuation from interference gratings (2002)
Presentation / Conference
Davies, W. (2002, March). From concert halls to noise barriers : attenuation from interference gratings. Presented at Acoustics 2002, Salford, Greater Manchester

The seat dip effect is a low-frequency attenuation affecting sound travelling at grazing incidence over seating in auditoria. It is caused by scattered sound from the seats interfering with sound travelling directly from the source on the stage. In o... Read More about From concert halls to noise barriers : attenuation from interference gratings.

Difference Limen for level of music (2001)
Presentation / Conference
Davies, W. (2001, September). Difference Limen for level of music. Presented at 17th International Congress on Acoustics, Rome

A psychoacoustic experiment has been conducted to determine the difference limen (DL) of the level of music reproduced in a listening room. The effects of three factors on the DL were measured using up to twelve trained subjects. The factors were m... Read More about Difference Limen for level of music.

Influence of diffuse reflections on the playing of musicians (2001)
Presentation / Conference
Bermond, R., & Davies, W. (2001, September). Influence of diffuse reflections on the playing of musicians. Presented at 17th Int. Congress on Acoustics, Rome

To date, there has been little evidence available on how musicians perceive diffuse reflections in the early sound field in comparison to specular reflections. Two series of subjective tests were conducted among musicians, one in a small room and one... Read More about Influence of diffuse reflections on the playing of musicians.

Hearing loss in the built environment : the experience of elderly people (2001)
Journal Article
Davies, W., Cox, T., Kearon, A., Longhurst, B., & Webb, C. (2001). Hearing loss in the built environment : the experience of elderly people. Acta acustica united with Acustica, 87(5), 610-616

A qualitative social survey has been conducted on a group of 207 elderly people with a hearing loss. The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which acoustic problems in the built environment affect this subject group. The project was thoug... Read More about Hearing loss in the built environment : the experience of elderly people.

Response to "comment on 'reducing seat dip attenuation'" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 1260 (2001) (2001)
Journal Article
Davies, W., & Cox, T. (2001). Response to "comment on 'reducing seat dip attenuation'" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 1260 (2001). ˜The œJournal of the Acoustical Society of America (Online), 110(3), 1261-1262

This letter responds to Klepper's comments [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 1260 (2001)] on the subject paper, which is concerned with ameliorating seat dip attenuation in auditoria by introducing a pit under the seats. Klepper asks what the effect of the p... Read More about Response to "comment on 'reducing seat dip attenuation'" J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 1260 (2001).

Reducing seat dip attenuation (2000)
Journal Article
Davies, W., & Cox, T. (2000). Reducing seat dip attenuation. ˜The œJournal of the Acoustical Society of America (Online), 108(5), 2211-2218

Strategies fur reducing seat dip attenuation in concert halls are considered. It is shown that the dip is established 4 ms after the direct sound from the stage arrives at the listener. Sound scattered from the seats and floor is the main cause of th... Read More about Reducing seat dip attenuation.

Subjective perception of seat dip attenuation (1996)
Journal Article

An investigation has been conducted into the subjective perception of the seat dip effect (a low-frequency attenuation affecting sound travelling at grazing incidence over seating). In a realistic simulation of a concert hall sound field, the thresho... Read More about Subjective perception of seat dip attenuation.

New attributes of seat dip attenuation (1994)
Journal Article
Davies, W., & Lam, Y. (1994). New attributes of seat dip attenuation. Applied Acoustics, 41(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-682X%2894%2990082-5

New measurements have been made on the low-frequency attenuation of an impulse excitation over-seating in an unoccupied concert hall and on scale model seats. Two new attributes of the phenomenon were found the attenuation varied over time and the wi... Read More about New attributes of seat dip attenuation.

Measuring auditorium seat absorption (1994)
Journal Article
Davies, W., Orlowski, R., & Lam, Y. (1994). Measuring auditorium seat absorption. ˜The œJournal of the Acoustical Society of America (Online), 96(2), 879-888. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.410263

There is a need for a more accurate laboratory measurement method to predict auditorium seat absorption. The traditional method tends to overpredict the absorption of the exposed front and sides of seating blocks. An alternative reverberation chamber... Read More about Measuring auditorium seat absorption.

Predicting theater chair absorption from reverberation chamber measurements - comment (1993)
Journal Article
Davies, W., Lam, Y., & Orlowski, R. (1993). Predicting theater chair absorption from reverberation chamber measurements - comment. ˜The œJournal of the Acoustical Society of America (Online), 93(4), 2238-2240. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.406687

The relationship between the measured acoustic absorption coefficient of an array of theater chairs and the ratio of the perimeter length to plan area of the array is considered. It is shown that the linear relationship measured by Bradley in a rever... Read More about Predicting theater chair absorption from reverberation chamber measurements - comment.

The sensitivity of listeners to early sound field changes in auditoriums (1993)
Journal Article
Cox, T., Davies, W., & Lam, Y. (1993). The sensitivity of listeners to early sound field changes in auditoriums. Acta acustica united with Acustica, 79(1), 27-41

The sensitivity of listeners to small changes in the early sound field of auditoria has been measured. This was done using a realistic artificial simulation system of a concert ball sound field. The simulation system was designed so that standard obj... Read More about The sensitivity of listeners to early sound field changes in auditoriums.