On the subjective evaluation of the perceived balance between a singer and a piano inside different theatres

In order to clarify the significant acoustical parameters affecting the subjective judgment of the balance between a singer and instruments inside opera theatres acoustical measurements, virtual reproductions and listening tests were accomplished and analysed. With impulse responses measured inside several theatres of different design and with an anechoic source consisting of a soprano singer and a piano keyboard, several virtual sound fields with particular objective parameters were reproduced under controlled conditions. The sound level difference between the stage and the pit (or orchestra) sources was fixed in the virtual sound fields and paired-comparison tests were conducted to obtain scale values of the balance. A relationship between the scale value of the balance and a group of parameters used in the acoustical qualification of rooms is then achieved by using multiple regression analysis. Relevant finding is that the early decay time (EDT) for the stage source has a major effect on the scale values of balance. The contribution of the stage parameters to the scale value is greater than that of the pit/orchestra parameters.