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Acoustic Design &
Capabilities
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acoustic design and capabilities of the new Music Center are
considered to be among the best of any university music
facility in the country. The acoustic design of the center
was overseen by Acoustical engineer Ron McKay of McKay
Conant Brook, Inc., of Westlake Village, California.
Acoustic features include:
Custom-designed
rooms
The acoustics of the practice and performance
spaces run a range from very bright, "live" sound to very
"dry" sound. For example, the hardwood floors and high
ceiling in the 60-seat performance studio produce a very
full, bright sound while the cushioned walls and carpeted
floor in the percussion studio dampen sound reflection.
Sound
Isolation
Great care has gone into isolating all practice and
performance spaces from external and adjacent noise. Among
the sound isolation features are:
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 insulated walls that
are all at least 10 to 14 inches thick and, in one
case, 30 inches thick
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"floating" concrete
floors that rest on supports keeping them roughly
an inch above the main foundation to isolate and
control sound-driven vibration
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isolated electrical
and ventilation systems (adjoining rooms are never
linked directly to each other)
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oversized ventilation
ducts outfitted with adjustable baffles to diminish
the sound of airflow
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non-parallel walls
that reduce unwanted reverberation
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centerpiece of the new complex is the 396-seat
Recital Hall, which can
literally be tuned to customize acoustics for different
styles of music. Inset chambers may be exposed or covered by
curtains to brighten or extend sound and a movable canopy
suspended above the stage may be raised or lowered as
needed. To counter unwanted reverberation, the hall has been
constructed with contoured interior walls and with specially
designed seats that have perforated bottoms to absorb sound
when not in use. Other features include an orchestra pit
floor that can be raised or lowered as needed,
state-of-the-art audio and video equipment, and audio and
video links to an adjoining
recording
studio and classrooms.
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