Application of psychoacoustic phenomena as a method of low frequency noise control for events

Wheeler, Peter; Sharp, David and Taherzadeh, Shahram (2024). Application of psychoacoustic phenomena as a method of low frequency noise control for events. In: Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics; Acoustics 2024: 50th Anniversary conference,, Institute of Acoustics, Milton Keynes, UK, 46(2) (Early access).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25144/23701

Abstract

This paper focuses on outlining the psychoacoustic phenomenon of the missing fundamental (also known as the phantom fundamental) and investigating its potential application in the world of live event sound. First, the concept of the missing fundamental is described, explaining the phenomenon and the way in which it works within human perception of sound. The potential exploitation of the missing fundamental phenomenon for the control of low frequency noise from live outdoor music events is then discussed in detail, explaining when and where it could be useful, and how the phenomenon could be applied in practice. Following this discussion, the outcomes of a theoretical analysis designed to provide a proof-of-concept are presented, together with the results of psychoacoustical testing, in order to demonstrate the extent of the methodology’s application. Experiments undertaken in live event replicated scenarios to confirm the theoretical predictions are also described. The paper concludes with a discussion of future development work and how this will be directed to counteract some already identified potential weaknesses with the proposed application.

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