SOUND ENHANCEMENT FOR OPEN SPACE CONCERTS
Performing music in open spaces is problematic, due to the dispersion of sound. IEMA has developed this project in order to propose solutions for the acoustic enhancement of open space concerts. So far, the research has yielded the following outcomes:
a. Acoustic improvement: Development of movable ground sound reflectors that "collect" the diffused sound re-directing it to the musicians and to the audience. In this way, sound loss is limited and the acoustic result is enhanced. The reflectors have repeatedly been used by the "Orchestra of Colours" at the Herodus Atticus Theatre.
b. Electroacoustic improvement: Development of a model simulating indoor acoustics in open spaces. This is achieved by the use of multiple microphones collecting the scene sound and directing it to a computer, where it is processed and distributed to a net of loudspeakers reconstructing ceiling reflections.
This system was tried for the first time in 1998, at the performance of "Electra" by Mikis Theodorakis, directed by Nikos Koundouros at the Herodus Atticus Theatre during the Athens Festival. Twenty-eight microphones were placed on stage and 32 speakers in various spots along the wall of the stage, thus covering all flat areas. The result was that the audience had a fully stereophonic contact with the stage, wherever he/she sat, without getting the impression that the sound was amplified.